Forty-one years in India

FOOTNOTES, CHAPTER L

Reading edition

(After compliments.) Your friendly letter has reached me just at this moment, 8 p.m., the 10th Shawal (27th September), and opened the doors of joy and happiness on the face of my heart marked with affection. I feel perfectly certain and confident that the movements of Her Imperial Majesty's victorious troops are merely for the purpose of consolidating the foundation of my kingdom and strengthening the basis of my government.

In truth, the sympathy of friends with friends is fitting and proper, and the indulgence and kindness of a great Government to a sincere and faithful friend are agreeable and pleasing. I am exceedingly gratified with, and thankful to, the representatives of the illustrious British Government for their expression of sympathy and their support of my cause. Your friendly and wise suggestion that none of the ignorant tribes of Afghanistan should oppose the British troops, so that the officers of the British Government should be the better able to support and protect me, is very acceptable and reasonable. Before I received your letter, I had sent orders repeatedly to the Governors of Jalalabad and Lalpura not to let anyone oppose or resist the British troops, and stringent orders have again been issued to the Governor of Jalalabad to use his utmost endeavours and efforts in this respect. The order in question to the address of the Governor of Jalalabad will be shown you to-morrow, and sent by an express courier.]

British Officers Other Ranks

British Native

Divisional, Brigade, and Departmental Staff F/A, R.H.A. G/3, R.A. No. 2 Mountain Battery Two Gatling guns 9th Lancers (one squadron) 5th Punjab Cavalry 12th Bengal Cavalry 14th Bengal Lancers 67th Foot 72nd Highlanders 92nd Highlanders 5th Punjab Infantry 5th Gurkhas 23rd Pioneers 28th Punjab Infantry 7th Company Bengal Sappers and Miners 60 7 7 3 1 4 7 6 7 18 23 17 8 7 6 8 3 118 137 34 118 686 746 717 2 223 325 328 407 610 574 671 636 93

192 2,558 3,867

'MY KIND FRIEND,—The truth is that to-day, at sunrise, I went to the camp, the Amir having summoned me. When I arrived, Mulla Shah Mahomed [the Wazir] first said to me, "Go back and tell the people to raise a holy war." I did not feel certain about what he said [or was not satisfied with this], [but] the Amir afterwards told me to go back that very hour and rouse the people to a ghaza. I got back to Kabul about 7 o'clock, and am collecting the people. Salaam.'

Notes in this chapter

Note 1 · [Footnote 3: It was a matter of intense gratification to me that the whole time we remained in Afghanistan, nearly two years, not a single c Note 2 · [Footnote 5: Known as the sang-i-nawishta (inscribed stone).] [Footnote 6: Shortly after I was settled at Kabul, the following letter, writt Note 3 · The letter was not addressed, but it was sealed with Nek Mahomed's seal, and there was no reason to doubt its authenticity.]Note 4 · [Footnote 1: Twenty sabres, 9th Lancers, one squadron 5th Punjab Cavalry, two guns, No. 2 Mountain battery, 284 rifles, 92nd Highlanders, an Note 5 · [Footnote 1: Yahia Khan was Yakub Khan's father-in-law.] [Footnote 2: At an interview which Major Hastings, the Political Officer, and Mr. D Note 6 · [Footnote 1: In Pushtu the word tarbur signifies a cousin to any degree, and is not unfrequently used as 'enemy,' the inference being that i Note 7 · [Footnote 1: A most thrilling account of Elphinstone's retreat through this pass is given in Kaye's 'History of the War in Afghanistan,' vol