The Pleasantville press. (Pleasantville, N.J.) 1912-1929, 1923-10-17

sian INVASION, In panic haste the gov
eminent made a big famous blunder,
for, without waiting to know how Dost
was fooling the Russians, an army a
sent through the terrible Bolan pass.
That sixty-mile abyss, with hanging
walls. belongs to the Pathans, the
1ercest and widest Of all the tribes
Of men,. The army climbed through
the death trap, marched, starving, on
from Quetta TO Candahar, and then
advanced on Cabul. But Dost's son,
Akbar. held the great fortress of
Ghuznee, a quite i~mpregnable place
that had to be taken.
One night, while a sham attack was
fortress, Captain Thomson placed nine
hundred pounds Of g%unpowder at the
foot of a walled-up gate, and then
touched off the charge. The Twenty
first light infantry climbed over the
smoking ruins and, at the head of his
storming column, Colonel Dennie, in
tire hours fighting, took the citadel.
Dost Mahomed fled and the British en-
tered Cabul to put a puppet sovereign
on the throne.
Cabul was a live volcano, where
English women gave dances. There
were cricket matches, theatricals.
sports. The governor general In camp
gave a state dinner in honor of Major
Pottinger, who had come in from the
siege of Herat. During the reception
of the guests a shabby Afghan
watched, leaning against a do0r-post,
and the court officials were about to
remove this intruder when the COVER
nor general approached, leading his SIS
ter. Let Inc present you" said Lord
Auckland, 'to Eldred Pottinger, the
hero of Herat." This shabby Afghan
was the guest of honor, but nobody
would listen to his warnings, or to the
warnings of Sir Alexander Burnes, as
sistant resident. Only the two spies
knew what was to come. Then the vol
cano blew up.
Burnes had a brother staying with
him in Cabul, also his military secre-
tary; and when the mob, savage, ex-
cited, bent on massacre, swarmed
round his house he spoke to them from
the balcony. While he talked Lieuten-
ant Broadfoot fell at his side, struck
by a ball in the chest. The stables
were on fire, the mob filled his garden.
He offered to pay then in cash for his
brothers life and his own, so a Cash
miri volunteered to save them in dis
guise. They put on native clothes,
they slipped into the garden, and then
their guide shouted, This is Sekunder
Burmese" The two brothers We're u
Il pieces.
Pottinger was political agent at Ko-
histan, TO the northw ard, and when
the whole Afghan nation rose in re-
volt his fort was so sorely beset that
he and his retinue stole away in the
dark, joining Il Ghoorka regiment. But
the regiment was also beset and It's
water supply cut off. Pottinger fought
the guns the men repealed attacks by
night and day until worn out; dying
of thirst in an intolerable agony the
regiment broke, scattering into the
hills. Only a few men rallied round
Pottinger to fight through to Cabul,
and he was fearfully wounded, unable
to command.
The officer commanding at CaDul
was not in good health, but his death
was unfortunately delayed while the
Afghans murdered men, women and
children, and the British troops, for
lack of Il leader, funked. ENJOYS walt
ed on Akbar Khan, and were murdered.
The few officers who kept their heads
were without authority, blocked at
every turn by towards, by incompe-
tents. Then the council of war made
treaty with Akbar, giving him all the
guns except six, all the treasure, three
officers as hostages, bills drawn on
India fer forty thousand rupees, the
honor of their country, everything for
safe conduct in their disgrace. Dying
Of cold and hunger, the force marched
into the K~hoord-Cabul pass, and at the
end of three days the married officers
were surrendered with their wives and
children. OF the sixteen thousand men
three-fourths were dead when the Off
Ger commanding and the gallant Brig
adler Shelton were given up as hos
tages to .Akbar. The survivors pushed
on through the %Jugduluk pass, which
the Afghans had barricaded, and there
was the final massacre.
The captured general had sent orders
for the retreat of the Jellalabad gar
rison through the awful detles of the
Khyber pass in face of a hostile army,
and in the dead of winter; but Gen.
eral Sale, commanding, was not such a
fool. For three months he had worked
his men to desperation rebuilding the
fortress, and now, when he saw the
white tents Of Akbar's camp, he was
prepared for a siege. That day an
earthquake razed the whole fortress
into q heap of ruins, but the garrison
rebuilt the walls. Then they sailed
and, led by Henry Hayelock, assaulted
Akbar's camp, smashed his army TO
flying fragments, captured his guns,
baggage, standards, ammunition and
food. Nine days later the bands of the
garrison marched out to meet a reliev-
ing army from India.
Meanwhile the British prisoners,
well-treated, were hurried from fort to
fort, with some idea of holding them
for sale at so much a slave, until they
managed to bride an Afghan chief.
The bribed man led a revolt against
Akbar, and one chief after another
Joined him, swearing on the Koran al
d.. " INI1..I Do%tfIra. NIrbap