The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1879-02-05
BY HUGH WILSON AND w. G. BENET.

| lug ueaG VI 1uula-uloe GuIOuSu tuo Bdte
of Cabul, wearied, detected, half starved,
ill-supplied with ammunition, to com
mence it's long march of death.
For time, however, it seemed as il
the assurance OF safety were really tc
be kept. They passed the great plain
without firing shot or seeing the face
of an enemy, ard even the most expe'
rienced officers began to hope that, after
all, their worst apprehensions might
prove unfounded.
But they little knew the mar
With whom they had to deal. Akbal
Khan was not one to let slip the prey
which he had once ensnared, ond the
jaws of death were already gaping fol
every man of the ill-fated army.
In the gray of gloomy winter morn.
ing, they came in sight of the pass oi
Koord- Cabul, through which lay theil
shortest route to India. At the first
glimpse of the black, tomb-like gorge
shut in by frowning precipices, ovel
which brooded weird, unearthly 81
lence, the boldest felt their hearts sink,
but it was too late now to draw back.
Rank on rank, with the ghostly mist
closing around them like a shroud, the
doomed host went down into the valley
of death.
And then, in one moment, the tragedy
began.
Far and wide the air was rent with
the Afghan war-shout, and each rock,
each thicket, each hollow, was one
blaze and crackle OF musketry, every
bullet telling fatally upon the helpless
mass below.
Surprised and outnumbered, the
English still stood their ground man.
fully, and attempted to return the fire,
but against ambushed marksmen hun
dreds of feet overhead, what could they
do? In moment all was one whirl of
| fire and smoke and hideous uproar; yells
of rage, shrieks of agony, savage curses,
the shouts of officers, the neighing OF
! frightened horses, the crash of falling
rocks, the groans of the wounded and
dying, all mingling in dismal chorus
with the thunder of the battle-blood
| flowing like water, and death coming
blindly, no man knew whence or how.
What need to dwell on the multiplied
horrors OF that fatal day? how the en-.
trapped men, famished, wounded, hope
less of escape, fought stubbornly to the
last; how the WORKOUT officers, with
their swords dropping from their frost
bitten hands, still cheered on their
fsinting men as gallantly as ever; how
one handful of heroes fought their way
out of the deadly valley, only to be
slaughtered to man by fresh enemies
beyond.
Of sixteen thousand who left the
capital, only a single man reached
Jellalabad alive; and one day avenged
alike Rohilcund and Cabul.
Through the whole of the dreadful
struggle. Herbert St. Clair had fought
among the foremost, reckless of life,
and caring only to have his fill of
Afghan blood before he died.
Man on man, the white.frocked MUIR
derers fell before his deadly aim; and
the rocks above began to echo with the
cry of Kill the Ingleez-Bashi u eng
lish captain) while bullets fell around
him thick and fast. But although his
uniform was torn to rags and his cap
struck from his head, the death hail
still failed to reach his life; and the
superstitious mountaineers looked with
secret awe upon this man whom no
weapon could harm and no peril dis
may.
But the end came at last. A sharp,
sudden pang shot through his left side
"a sick dizziness overpowered him
the bla;k rocks and the rolling smoke,
and the eddy of struggling figures,
swam before him in mist-there was q
rushing, roaring sound in his ears-and
me fell heavily to the earth.
CHAPTER Iv.-TRUE TO THE LAST.
When st. Clair regained conscious.
uess, he was too weak and weary to
take much note of his surroundings.
His chief feeling was one of overpower-
ing exhaustion, mixed with a vague
sense of having lain insensible for weeks
or even months since the fatal day If
Koord-C -Cabul. Little by little he began
to notice that he was lying upon a
cushioned. couch in large, high-roofed
chamber, the walls of which were hung
with the skins of wolves and tigers,
mingled with pointed helmets, silver
hilted yataghans and long mountain
rifles.
Through q narrow loop-hole in the
wall, which revealed it's immense thick
ness, he caught glimpse of a smooth
green valley far below, dappled with
clustering trees, among which q tiny
stream sparkled in the sunlght-a sufi
cient proof how long time must have
elapsed since the gloomy winter morn
ing of the great battle.
At that moment light step caught
his ear, and, looking round, he beheld
once more the long dark hair and lus.
trous eyes of Guleyaz.
BE was about to speak, but she sign
ed to him to be silent.
"The angel of death still hovers over
you, and you must beware. I will tell
you all you wish to know. The FERN
ghees arc slain. every man; AMI the
coward whom they set up as our king
has fled for his life. They who struck
you down were men of another tribe,
who knew nothing of my fathers
pledge; but our people recognized you
among the fallen, and brought you
away-ani here, in the halls of Kara
Dagh, you are safe as beneath the
shadow OF the prophets tomb !"
The word "Kara.Dagh" (Black
mountain) was revelation to st. Clair.
There was no further room for doubt.
BE was q prisoner in the mountain
stronghold of Akbar Khan himself!
Day succeeded day, and the wounded
officer, thanks to his own native vigor as
we'll as the untiring care of his charming
nurse, began to shake off the fatal tor
por which had held him down so long.
! After a while he was able to leave his
couch, and, supported by the arm OF
Guleyaz, who seldom left him, to ven
ture forth upon the battlemonts, where
he eat for hours drinking in the life
giving mountain breeze, and feasting
his eyes upon the glorious panorama be-
/ low.
! From Gnleyaz herself he had learned
that her father was himself in the strong
hold; and the reluctance with which
size gave the information recurred to his
memory more than once.
The reason of these precautions was
at length explained by piece of news
whicb made his heart leap, when the
careless talk of two sentinels brought ii
to his ears, viz, that second English
army WAS advancing into Afghanistan tc