as fast as the leading sections gave their volley, brought up, fired, while those in turn were covered and reloaded. We had no time to practise street-firing; but instinct or impulse supplied its place. When fairly inside, I increased ray front, got all into their places that were on their legs, gave the three cheers ordered (as the signal of our having won the gate), and pushed on at the charge into the body of the place; driving before us a mighty crowd, who showed us the road by the way they took."
The entry of the main column was retarded in consequence of misinformation as to the success of the advance; but the mistake was soon rectified, and the onward march of the column was resumed. The fighting was long and desperate, and several officers were wounded, amongst whom was Brigadier Sale. "One of the enemy," says Captain Havelock, in his Narrative of the war, "rushing over the fallen timbers, brought down Brigadier Sale by a cut on the face with his sharp shum-sheer (Asiatic sabre). The Affghan repeated his blow as his opponent was falling, but the pummel, not the edge of his sword, this time took effect, though with stunning violence. He lost his footing, however, in the effort, and Briton and Affghan rolled together among the fractured timbers. Thus situated, the first care of the Brigadier was to master the weapon of his adversary. He snatched at it, but one of his fingers met the trenchant blade." He quickly withdrew his wounded hand, and adroitly replaced it on that of his adversary, so as to keep fast the hilt of his shum-sheer. But he had an active and powerful opponent, and was himself faint from loss of blood. Captain Kershaw, of the 13th, aide-de-camp to Brigadier Baumgardt, happened, in the mélée, to approach the scene of conflict; the wounded leader recognised and called to him for aid. Kershaw passed his drawn sabre through the body of the Affghan; but still the desperado continued to struggle with frantic violence. At length, in the fierce grapple, the Brigadier for a moment got uppermost; and, still retaining the
