[12]. As I have, perhaps, scarcely done justice to this incident in my letter, I now quote the General’s despatch on the subject:—“One party, bolder than the rest, caused so much annoyance to a picquet of the 92nd Highlanders, that it became necessary to dislodge them, and this difficult service was performed in a most gallant manner by a small party of the 92nd under Lieutenant R. A. Grant. Colour-Sergeant Hector Macdonald, a non-commissioned officer, whose excellent and skilful management of a small detachment when opposed to immensely superior numbers in the Hazara-Darukht defile, was mentioned in my despatch of the 15th instant, here again distinguished himself.” Colour-Serjeant Macdonald afterwards received a commission in the 92nd.
[13]. Seven of the wounded men afterwards died.
[14]. General Massy’s withdrawal of his patrols was severely criticized, and capital was afterwards made out of it by the military authorities in India. As showing how utterly helpless the troopers would have been in the darkness to check an enemy, I may quote my own experience. On the morning of the 9th I rode from General Massy’s force to join General Baker, taking an Afghan guide and two sowars as escort. Innumerable watercourses had to be jumped, and both sowars were left behind in the ditches. My horse had nearly to swim one stream, and the strain and toil of climbing up the banks were such that I lost even the felt numdah from under my saddle. The willow-trees lining the stream were also great obstacles to horses and men, even in daylight.
[15]. It was not made known until afterwards that Yakub Khan had placed his resignation in the hands of Sir F. Roberts.
[16]. Literally, “Red-heads,” from the colour of their turbans.
[17]. The casualties were proved to be eventually twelve killed and seven wounded: among the former were the subadar-major and the four pay-havildars.
[18]. This intention was, unfortunately, never carried out owing to the outbreak in December.
[19]. The members of the Commission were Brigadier General Massy (President), Major Moriarty, Bengal Staff Corps, and Captain Guinness, 72nd Highlanders.
[20]. This expectation proved only too well-founded.
[21]. An officer wrote at the time:—“In the evening the enemy sent in five confidential men to say that, of course, we must now give in, that two regiments could not hold out an hour, but they were willing to allow us to leave the Shutargardan and to provide us with carriages and hostages; we to be at liberty to retire to Ali Kheyl or to Cabul, and for this consideration we were to pay them two lakhs. Poor Allahaddin Khan was at his wits’ end.”