The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1923-10-12
CAPTAINS OF
ADVENTURE
BY ROGER POCOCK
y Merrill Company
By ROGER POCOCK

fire from the garrison met them as they
| advanced The officers and men Of the
column were mown down; there was a
second brief and bloody struggle, and
the upper fausse-braye was carried,
while few of the most daring of the
assailants, pushing on in advance of
their comrades, gained the head Of the
breach. But now Deem Mahomed came
down with the Afghan reserve, and
thus recruited the defenders gathered
new heart, so that the Persians in the
breach were driven back. Again and
! again, with desperate courage, they
struggled to effect a Judgment, only to
be repulsed.
startled by the noise of the assault
Var Mahomed (the vizier) had risen
up, left his quarters and ridden down
TO the works. Pottinger went forth at
the same time and on the same errand.
Giving instructions to his dependents
| to be carried out in the event of his
! falling in the defense, he FASTENED to
| join the viZier. AS they neared
the point of the attack the garrison
were seen retreating by twOs and
! threes; others were quitting the works
on the pretext of carrying off the
wounded. :. Pottinger was eager to
push on TO the breach; Var Mahomed
sat himself down. The vizier had lost
| heart :, his wonted high courage and
collectedness had deserted him. AS
tonished and indignant, the English Of
! ficer called upon the vizier again and
| again to rouse himself. The Afghan
| chief rose up and advanced further in
| to the works, and neared the breach
where the conflict was raging. Var
Mahomed called upon his men in Gods
name TO fight; but they wavered and
stood STILL Then his heart failed him
again. He turned back, said he would
go for aid. Alarmed by the backward
ness Of their chief the men were now
retreating in every direction" Pottin-
| ger swore.
Var reused himself, again advanced,
| but again wavered, and third time
| Pottinger by word and deed put him to
shame. HE reviled, he threatened, he
| seized him by the arm and dragged him
| forward to the breach" Now comes
the fun, and we can forsake the tedi-
Gus language of the official version.
! Var, bounded to desperation by Pottin-
ger, seized a staff, rushed like wild
cat on the retreating soldiers, and so
Mortified them that they bolted back
over the breach down the outside into
~ n Az d.,
slams fled Herat was saved.
Another six months of siege, with
! famine, mutiny and all the usual wOr-
rieS of beleaguered towns finished Pot
fingers work, the saving of Herat.
Now we take up the life of another
spy, also an army officer, old Alexan-
der Burnes. At eighteen he had been
adjutant of his regiment and rose very
steadily from rank to rank until he
was sent as an envoy to Runjeet Singh,
the ruler of Punjab, and tONthe ameers
of Scinde
In 1882 he set out on his second mis-
sion through Afghanistan, Bokhara and
| .
Il do not despair of reaching Istam-
| boul (COnstantinOple) in safety. They
may seize me and sell me for a slave,
but no one will attack me for my
riches. have no tent, no chair or
table, no bed, and my clothes altogeth-
er amount to the value of one pound
sterling. You would disown your son
if you saw him. My dress is purely Ash
attic, and since l came into Cabul has
been changed to that of the lowest or
ders of the people. My head is shaved
| of its brown locks, and my beard dyed
| black grieveS for the departed
beauty of youth. l now eat my meals
with my hands, and greasy digits they
are, though 1 must say in justification,
that l wash before and after meals.
l frequently sleep under tree. but If
villager will take compassion on, me
/ enter his house. l never conceal
| that / am a European, and / have as
yet found the character advantageous
TO my comfort. The people know me
by the name of Sekunder, which is. the
Persian for Alexander. With all
my assumed poverty l have a bag of
ducats round my waist, and bills for as
much money as / choose to draw.
When go into company put my hand
on my heart and say, with all humility,
to the master of the house, Peace be
| unto thee, according to the custom,
and then I squat myself down on the
ground. This familiarity has given me
an insight into the character of the
people :. s. kind-hearted and hospitable,
they have no prejudices against a
! Christian and none against our nation.
When they ask me if l eat pork, l, of
course, shudder, and say that it is only
outcasts that commit such outrages.
God forgive me for ! am very fond of
bacon. am well mounted on a
good horse in case l should find it
necessary to take to my heels. My
whole baggage on earth goes on one
mule, which my servant sits supercar-
go. / never was in better spirits"
After his wonderful journey Burnes
was sent to England to make his re-
port to the government, and King Will
liam ~ must needs hear the whole of
the story at Brighton pavilion.
The third journey of this great spy
was called the commercial mission to
Cabul. There he learned that the Per-
sian siege Of Herat was being more or