arduous march, will be best illustrated by quoting the language of its distinguished commander, who thus speaks of his men: – "Since leaving Cabul, they have been kept constantly on the alert by attacks by night and day: from the time of their arrival at Tazeen they have invariably bivouacked, and the safety of our positions has only been secured by unremitting labour, throwing up intrenchments, and very severe outpost duty; whilst each succeeding morning has brought its affair with a bold and active enemy, eminently skilful in the species of warfare to which their attempts have been confined, and armed with juzails,[1] which have enabled them to annoy us at a range at which they could only be reached by our artillery. Though compelled by the effects of my late wound to witness these conflicts from a dooly, I must bear my unequivocal testimony to the gallantry of officers and men on every occasion of contact with the enemy, and especially in scaling the tremendous heights above Jugduluk."[2]
At Gundamuk the difficulties of Sir Robert Sale began to thicken; for the armed natives, whom he terms Ooloose, crowded round him in increasing numbers, while many of them in his own service showed symptoms of disaffection, or went over to the enemy. In these circumstances, and hearing that Jellalabad was menaced by the enemy from the direction of Lughman, he resolved to push on and secure the possession of that important place. He accordingly broke up from the cantonment of Gundamuk on the 11th of November, when the Affghans rushed in and blew up the magazine in such haste that many of themselves were killed. During that day our troops were harassed only by predatory attacks; but on the 12th a body of two or three thousand pressed behind, and were joined by the whole population of the country. Colonel Dennie, who commanded the rear-guard, for some time considered
