The record-union., 1897-11-09

north or PeShaWur, but without sue
cess. But then came the uprising of
the Afridis.
The greatest tragedy to British arms
IN Afghanistan. or perhaps in India,
took place in 1912, when there occurred
what is known as 1.-THE Terrible March
From Kabul." An English army of
5000 started from kabul to go
through Khyber Pass to India, but ev-
cry soul save one was massacred before
Jalalabad was reached. This forms
very thrilling story. Dost Mohammed,
a famous Afghan ruler, was on the
throne in 1899, when Shah Shujah,
rival of Dost and claimant for the
throne, took refuge in India, and placed
himself under the protection of the In
dian Government, which warmly es-
poused his cause, and, upon pretext that
Dost had made war upon an ally of
the company, formal declaration of
hostilities was proclaimed, and in Feb
ruary, 1899, the British army, COM
posed of about 1900 fighting men,
with 10000 camp followers, crossed the
Indus and entered Afghanistan. Dost
surrendered and was sent to India as
State prisoner and Shah Shujah was
installed in Cabul as the sovereign. But
popular uprisings took place, the troops
were kept constantly on the move for
two years, and the expense of main
tenance exceeded FL ,000, 900 year The
Indian Government notified Sir William
McNaghten, the British Envoy, that ex-
penses must be reduced. The only way
in which this could be done was to
cut down the allowances of the native
chiefs, who had been subsidized
and as soon as this was suggested they
broke out in open revolt.
The English army quartered at Cabul
occupied barracks a short distance
from the city, and was commanded by
General ElphinStone, a very aged OFF,
GER, who by reason of gout and other
infirmTties, was equally PROSTATE in
body and mind. McNaghten, the En-
voy, and Burnes, the British resident,
were murdered, the troops besieged in
their cantonment, the commissary fort,
weakly garrisoned, was taken, and the
British force was reduced to starvation.
AS winter was coming on the impossi-
bility of remaining in a hostile country
without supplies was recognized, and
preparations for evacuating the posi-
ton We're begun. The irresolution of
General Elphinstone, however, delayed
the evacuation, as he hoped that, by
negotiations with the chiefs. matters
could be arranged. or that help would
arrive. Both expectations We're disap-
pointed, and finally the British army
capitulated, promising to evacuate the
country, while the Afghans guaranteed
them safe conduct out of Afghanistan
and supplies for the march. On Janu-
ary 1, 1912, the capitulation was signed
and on January 9th the army, COM
prising 4,500 fighting men and 1900
| nome -combatants, marched out of the
barracks at Cabul and took the road to
Jelalabad and the Khyber Pass.
The treachery of the Afghan chiefs
was instantly apparent, for before the
long line was out of sight of Cabuf
it was attacked on every side by the
tribesmen. During the first days
| march nearly all of the pack animals
were lost. The Afghan, armed with
swords and long knives, fell upon the
camp followers and massacred them
by hundreds. AT night a halt was
made, but there was no rest, for the
tents were gone, there were no provis
| ions, a deep snow covered the ground
and attacks of the natives We're un-
ceasing. During the second day the
retreat became a disorderly rout. All
| discipline was gone; officers and men.
| camp followers and women, crowded
| together in the narrow road to the pass,
While from every side came the steady
| oP he A frl lo
| time the fugitives had reached the en-
trance of the first pass through the
| mountains they had neither leaders,
provisions nor ammunition, and large
! number of the soldiers We're even with
| out arms.
| Khyber Pass was not the scene of
| the final massacre. Two minor passes
| lie between Cabul and Jelalabad. The
| first was the Koord Cabul Pass, and
| here most of the army perished. Crowd
| ed into a narrow road commanded by
| the nights and precfpices above, the
men We're shot down by hundreds They
could offer little effective resistance TO
| the fire of the enemy and none at all
/ to the masses of stone and snow that
We're loosened on the mountain sides
!
| the fugitives A few survivors, in all
| less than 200 European soldiers and
about 500 Sepoys, struggled through,
| but at the entrance of the Jugduluk
Pass they found strong improvised
| fortification erected by the Afghans in
| anticipation of their arrival, and here
| they all died OF the host of 10000
which two days before had marched
out of Cabul only one white man es-
| capped, a surgeon named Bryson, who,
a day or two after the massacre, stag
gered into Jelalabad half delirious from
| suffering. and told the tale of an army's
| destruction.
Many very heroic stands were made
by individuals. One Captain, cut off
| from his command. placed his back
| against a great rock, and with a mus
ket and bayonet held dozen enemies
al bay At last, in striking a violent
blow. ne broke off the bayonet. There
| was a rush. but he wrested a sword
from the foremost foe and with it killed
five men ere he was finally disabled by
a blow on the back Of the head Three
| SepOys stood together, and though
without ammunition. killed seven men
| with their bayonets before they Were
finally cut down a Lieutenant, sep
arated from the main body, carved a
| lane through a solid phalanx of enc
mics and rejoined his comrades. A Sc
poy. himself wounded. carried a COM
| rade in worse plight. clear over the
| Koord Cabul Pass. only TO perish with
him a little further on.