uddenly the table began to rock.]

The two men jumped up, and, blinded and giddy as they were, made their
way outside, where they were nearly deafened with the noise of tumbling
houses and the cries of hurt and frightened people. It was no use to
fly, for havoc was all round them, and they were no safer in one place
than another. At last the earth ceased to tremble and houses to fall;
the dust stopped dancing and whirling, and the sun once more appeared.

During the first shock of the earthquake Broadfoot was standing with
another officer on the ramparts, his eyes fixed on the defences, which
had caused him so much labour, and were now falling like nine-pins.

'This is the time for Akbar Khan,' he said, and if Akbar had not dreaded
the earthquake more than British guns the massacre of Cabul would have
been repeated in Jellalabad. But though Akbar feared greatly, he knew
that his soldiers feared yet more; he waited several days till the earth
seemed peaceful again, and then rode up to a high hill from which he
could overlook the city.

'Why, it is witchcraft!' he cried, as he saw the defences all in their
places; for Broadfoot's men had worked so well that in a week everything
had been rebuilt exactly as before.

* * * * *

March passed with some skirmishes, but when April came the senior
officers told Sale that they strongly advised an attack on Akbar, who,
with six thousand men, had taken up a position on the Cabul river two
miles from Jellalabad, and had placed an outpost of three hundred picked
men only three-quarters of a mile outside the walls. Broadfoot had been
badly wounded in a skirmish a fortnight before, and could not fight, so
the attacking party, consisting of three divisions of five hundred each,
were led by Dennie, Monteath and Havelock. Dennie was mortally wounded
in trying to carry the outpost, and Havelock halted and formed some of
his men into a square to await Akbar's charge, leaving part of his
division behind a walled enclosure to the right.

Having made his arrangements, Havelock stood outside the square and near
to the wall, so that he could command both parties, and told his troops
to wait till the Afghans were close upon them before they fired; but in
their excitement they disobeyed orders, and Havelock's horse, caught
between two fires, plunged and threw him. In another moment he would
have been trampled under the feet of the Afghan cavalry had not three of