Part 3 (2/2)

The powder being in sand bags of a very coarse open texture, a long hose and port fire was thought to be the safestit The end of the hose fortunately just reached the s this operation werein all one private killed, two sergeants, and twenty-three rank and file wounded

The heaviest fire was certainly outside the bridge, for the ene marked, whenever they atteed to confine thee fro about A high loop-holed wall, although i in appearance, is a profile but ill adapted to resist attacks of this nature

The eneateway, but appeared to have no idea of the nature of our operations Had they been so they ht easily have rendered it ihts, of which they had a large quantity in store

The powder pots and other fire works so much used by the natives of Hindoostan would certainly have rendered the confined space leading to the gate norance of the besieged was known and calculated upon, the result sho justly

Their attempts at resistance were confined to the fire froe pieces of earth, some of which appeared to be intended to knock off the port fire

I on this occasion received an excellent lesson on the necessity of not allowing preconceived opinions to lead to any carelessness, in accurately ascertaining the result of any operation of this nature The gateway appeared, froht into the town, and on running in to examine it after the explosion I was so much impressed with this idea and sobeen blocked up during the day, that I was led to believe that it had actually been done, froate that had been destroyed, the outline of an arch filled up with brick ht and would have been discovered by advancing a few paces, and that in perfect safety, for the interior was secure fro up saw froht and a guard immediately behind it, and from that circumstance was convinced that no interior obstacles of importance existed

My mistake therefore was luckily i

A party of sappers with felling axes, and coe of Lieutenant Pigan, accoineer Officers engaged in this attack, only one, Lieutenant Marriot, was slightly wounded Captain Tho been thron by a rush of soateway, and nearly sabred while upon the ground”

CHAPTER VIII

An Affghan Heroine--Capture of Hyder Khan the Commandant of Ghuznee--Escape of Ghool Mahohan Chief--Description of the Affghan Wo Passion--Treasuretrove--The Golden shi+eld--Chase of the Ene no part in these operations I was an idle, but not the less an anxious spectator of the scene I had never before witnessed effects so awfully grand, or so intensely exciting in their nature as those which iates The atmosphere was illuht which exposed the walls and bastions of the fortress to view, and revealed the dusky figures of the garrison, in the act of pointing their guns, or endeavouring to penetrate the denseness of the obscurity beneath, in order to assure themselves of the position of their assailants Then followed the din and roar of artillery--the terrific explosion of the gates--the crash of ork andof the old towers as they ca party through the breach, and the deafening cheers and shouts of besiegers and besieged It seemed as if all the elements of destruction had been let loose at once, and yet I panted to be in the midst of them I hardly dared to breathe from the very intenseness offloating from the citadel, that I could respire freely To the soldier there is nothingthan to be conderess of such spirit-stirring events as these

While the Affghans were disputing our entrance into the citadel an incident occurred, which for a moment diverted the attention of the cost the forenalised theed Chieftain, the richness of whose costu resplendent with jewels The hope of plunder immediately marked him out as an object of attack, and numbers at once assailed him He defended himself like a man who knew there was no chance of life, but as resolved to sell it as dearly as he could

He had killed several of the Queen's Royals and severely wounded Captain Robinson, when a grenadier of the coer, rushed to his assistance, and with a thrust of his bayonet brought the gallant old Chieftain to the ground

The grenadier was about to despatch hiirl, about seventeen, threw herself into the _er in his breast She then cast herself on the body of the Chieftain, for the purpose of protecting it, and the Affghans, forround until the heroic girl succeeded in getting it conveyed into the interior of the citadel Shortly after the place was taken she was found weeping over the remains of the brave old man, who, on enquiry, we learned was her father She was treated with the utmost respect and tenderness by our rief nor offered any interruption to the preparations which she st the prisoners who fell into our hands was Hyder Khan, a son of Dost Mahommed, and late co in a privy by a soldier of the Queen's Royals, ould have bayonetted him but for the timely interference of one of his officers, who chanced to be near the spot The Affghan leader was i present rated hihty look of defiance, and was consigned to a tent closely guarded by Sepoys The sword found upon this Chief, and which is at present in the possession of Sir John Keane, was valued at 14,000 rupees

Of the many prisoners we had taken, the capture of none afforded such gratification as that of Ghool Mahommed Khan, to whose bad faith so This Chief had entered into a contract with Sir Alexander Burnes, to establish azines of provisions and corn at Quettah, for the use of the British troops, and five thousand rupees were paid over to him for the purpose He purchased up all the corn of the surrounding districts, but instead of fulfilling his agreearrison, and was ast the ht before the Shah his Majesty ordered hied, but before the sentence could be carried into effect he ed to escape

His treachery failed in its object, for the greater portion of the flour and grain which he had supplied now fell into our hands We also found from five to six hundred horses in the stables of the fortress, all of which were in excellent condition, and ranging in value from seventy to a hundred pounds each

I entered the fort shortly after it surrendered and at every step spectacles of thetwenty pounder, which was planted to the right of the entrance, lay heaps of dead Affghans, who appeared to have attached the greatest importance to the service of this piece from the numbers who crowded to perfored in it The agonising cries and groans of the wounded wretches who lay stretched at every side, and who craved drink to sate their burning thirst, struck those who had not been engaged in the fearful excitement of the scene with horror and pity, whilst at every turning a horse, ith the injuries he had received, was to bethe bodies of the dying and dead under foot Advancing through the bazaar, han, as seated on the ground with his back propped against a wall, and whose richly ornamented muslin robes were stained with blood, which flowed profusely fro youth of about fourteen years of age was atte to stanch it, and I hastened to proffer my assistance The old man, however, pushedby his gestures that he heldat a short distance fro past me, whether intentionally or accidentally I cannot say, and put an end to his sufferings Some soldiers, who afterwards examined the person of this old chief, for such fros an extremely well executed map, on which the whole of the route of our troops from the point at which we had disembarked to our arrival at Ghuznee was plainly indicated

So over the bodies of the dead, in the hope of being able to discover their relations or friends, and giving way to their grief in thelamentations They were the st the Asiatics, their features being regular, and finely for, but at the sa like violence was used towards them, they did not escape so to the fact that a nuhan soldiers had atteuise

Various were the adventures related a occurred on the first entrance of our troops into the fortress A Scotchiment, named James Hamilton, as known to be an inveterate snuff-taker was discovered in a tobacconist's shop in the bazaar literally covered from head to foot with the contents of the _chatties_ or jars hich it was filled, and testing the qualities of each with an air of the er to its favourite ali passion was exeht for drink, of which there was little to be obtained and others for gold, which we had every reason to believe was plentiful, if we knew but where to find it A soldier of the 13th Light Infantry, more fortunate than his fellows, lit unexpectedly on a jar which was filled to the bri, and conveyed it secretly to the cae sued to give it up to the prize agent, he distributed it aht take care of it The possession of so ht they ences at his expence, but their excesses ultimately betrayed the secret and they were compelled to hand over the money to the common fund