n the extreme. In one
day's march of fifteen miles, we left upon our track the bodies of
nearly one hundred men, who died from sheer physical exhaustion.

Continuing our progress towards the Khojuck heights, where we expected
to meet with determined opposition, we lost a number of men on the route
from their own imprudence in venturing at a distance from the camp after
dusk. One of them, a Portuguese cook, belonging to my own regiment, lost
his way in proceeding to the bazaar for necessaries, and fell into the
hands of the Belochees, who were always hanging on our rear. His cries
being heard by some soldiers returning from the bazaar, they ran towards
the spot from whence the noise proceeded, and were received with a
volley of bullets. They did not of course venture farther, being
ignorant of the number of the enemy, but on procuring assistance from
the camp, they discovered the cook with his throat cut, the head being
nearly severed from the shoulders.

Sickness now increased alarmingly amongst us, owing to the bad quality
of the attar or flour, as well as the reduction in our usual quantity of
rations. The cattle were little better off, and the difficulties of the
route increased at almost every step. Water continued as scarce as ever,
for the natives filled up or concealed part of the wells and poisoned
the remainder. Of the latter fact, we received intimation in time to
prevent accidents, and chance befriended us as regarded the former.
After a harassing day's march some soldiers of the 17th Infantry, who
had set out in search of water, were unsuccessful and were bewailing
their hard fate, when the unusual moistness of the place where they had
pitched their tent attracted their notice. They sounded the ground and
finding it hollow, immediately arrived at the conclusion that it was a
well that had been freshly covered over. Further examination confirmed
this supposition, and about half an hour's work revealed a deep hole to
their sight, in which they found a spring of excellent water. This
discovery created such joy and frantic eagerness in the camp that the
authorities were obliged to place a strong guard with loaded muskets
over it in order to keep back the pressure of the crowds who flocked to
it.

In the course of the next day's march we came upon a part of the road
which was literally strewn with human skeletons and broken matchlocks.
Of the various surmises current amongst us as to the occasion of this
whole