The morning star and Catholic messenger., 1878-10-13

JellalAOau on the lSGn OF NoNehoS'j
fighting desperately the whole way win tht
bill men, who fred relentlessly upon tue
struggling English force from the eminen
| ces overlooking their narrow path. Mean
while Dost Mohamed's con, Akbar Khan
formed a conspiracy at Cabul, butchereo
Sir Alexander Burnes and other English
| officers, and seized the stores of the Eng
lish garrison, which was compelled, now
that winter had set in, to offer overtures
for negotiation on humiliating terms, as the
evacuation of Afgbanistan, the restoration
| of Dost Mobamed, and forbearance ever to
send an armed force into the country with
out the consert of the Afghan ruler. On
the s2d of December Sir William McNaugh
ten, the British Minister, and three officers
were lured iuto going out to confer with
Akbar Khan. He was eeized and shot by
Akbar with q pistol he had given the
treacherous Afghan as token of regard,
and his head was cut off and paraded ex-
ultantly; one officer was murdered, the
others were placed in prison. In spite of
this General Elphinstone negotiated a con-
vention with the Afghars tor the retreat
of his troops, leaving behind all their guns
but six as trophies, and on the Oh OF Jan
uary, 1912. the garrison of Cabul, 4. 500
strong, with 1900 camp-followers, be
sides women and children, moved out
through the deep snow. Needless to say,
it was almost instantly attacked. Akbar
Khan politely sent his regrets that he could
not restrain the hill tribes, but proposed
to take the women under his protection.
Lady Sale and Lady McNaughten, with
six other women and their husbands, were
intrusted to him. So bitterly cold was it
that the Sepoys were benumbed and could
together and there were 800 men left alive
of 16 500 when Jugdulluck, thirty five
miles from Cabul, was reached. Here Alb
kar Khan took General Elphinstone from
his companions, who were set upon by
night. dispersed and hunted down. On
the l3 b of January, one week after the
l6. 500 marched out of CaSnl, one man, DR..
Brydone, staggered into Jellalabad. the
eurvivor of the garrison of Cab1l! Long
after wards ninety i've prisoners were res
cued, but Brydone was the only man to
survive the dangers of the pass, scene of
the tragedy that Kaye has spoken of fer
it's awful "completeness and sublime
unity"
Lord Ellenborough replaced Lord Auck-
land in India. Wild from Peshawur
moved two regiments up the Khy Der Pass
to seize Ali Musjid, fortress five miles
from Peshawur, and thus secure his cop
munication with Sale at tJellalabad. They
were without provisions, and the Sikhs
ordered to their support mutinied aud
refused to tempt the dangers of the defile,
30 that the garrison had to evacuate Ali
Muejid and fight its way home, leaving
Sale at Jellalabad cut off, and it was come
weeks ere Pollock could restore the morale
of his troops at Peshawur. Akbar Kahn
mean while advanced on Jellalabad, which
Sale, with immenee labor had fortified.
On the 9Th Of February, at night, came a
tremendous earthquake, laying third of
Jellalabad in ruins, and making awful
havoc of the fortifcations it had taken
three months to erect. Within the next
month there were over hundred similar
shocks, but the instant the earth had
ceased to tremble the garrison was at work,
and at the end of the period the whole
wall was restored with such marvellous
rapidity and completeness that Akbar
Khan cried as he drew near that earth
qnake was English magic see, Jellalabad
ls the only place not shaken down !" Dur
ing the siege Sale was put to sore straits.
On the 23i of March be wrote that he had
killed his canels to save hay for the horses,
and that after the fourth of April there
would be po meat left. On the 59h Pollock
the Khyber Pass, and by the l4sh
he had fought his way through it. But
mean while on the 76h Sale bad heard two
'omors-that Pollock had been repulsed,
and that rebellion against Doat Moham
9d had broken out in Cabul. Resolving,
1t Have'ock's urging, to strike the Afghans
While they we're excited over this news
and ere they had heard OF Pollock's
disaster, be dashed out of the city
At daybreak, and by Z o'clock, with a
oss of eight killed and fifty three wound
ID, he had routed the beaiegers, burn
I'd their tents, and taken all their
stores and supplies, four English guns, and
the standarde of the cavalry. The siege of
)ellaiabad was over, and week later the
garrison marched out to welcome Pollock,
their bands playing, "Oh, but ye've been
ong a coming" Cabal was in due time
occupied, Akoar KHAN declaring that all
the acts of treachery done in his anne had
been done against his will and advice; the
great bazar where McNaughten's corpse
had been exposed was blown up, the sol
aiers, who could not be restrained, making
the explosion the signal for lootiDg and
burning almost the whole city T; then the
armies marched homeward. The captive
ladies, it should be said, had been recov-
cred. Sale had set out with a brigade in
search of them, it being found that they had
been hurried towards the iuhospitable re-
glons of the Indian Caucasus. The people
were kind to them, gave them sympathiz-
ing, words and looks, and brought cakes