was bread-stuff with the force sufficient for fourteen days, but for
the transport of so much grain a large number of animals was required,
which could ill be spared, for carriage was so short that I could only
move a little more than half the troops at one time, and instead of
being able to march direct on Kabul with 6,000 men, a halt would have
to be made every other day to admit of the animals going back to bring
up the rear brigade, which practically meant my only having at my
disposal rather more than half that number at any one time. How
fervently I wished that those in authority, who never can see the
necessity for maintaining transport in time of peace, could be made to
realize the result of their short-sightedness--the danger of having to
divide a none too large force in an enemy's country, the consequent
risk of failure, the enormous increase of anxiety to the Commander,
the delay in achieving the object of the campaign, and the additional
labour to all concerned in an undertaking, arduous enough under the
most favourable circumstances, in a difficult country, and under
a burning eastern sun, even if possessed of good and sufficient
transport.

Stores had been collected at Kushi partly by means of local carriage,
and partly by our own animals doing the journey twice over from
Alikhel, a distance of thirty-six miles. So hard pressed was I for
transport that I had to make the Cavalry soldiers march on foot and
lead their horses laden with grain--an unusual piece of duty, which
was, however, performed with the cheerful alacrity which the troops of
the Kabul Field Force always displayed.

But all this is a digression. To return to my story. The _maliks_
of Logar, greatly to my relief, agreed to bring a certain amount of
supplies; while Wali Mahomed Khan and the other Sirdars were full of
protestations of loyalty and devotion. Most of them remained with me
all the time I was in Kabul, and some of them afforded me considerable
assistance. The Sirdars warned me to place no trust in the Amir, and
enlarged on the treachery of his conduct, but as I knew they looked
upon Yakub Khan as their own deadly enemy, I accepted their counsel
with some reservation. I was not, however, able to feel quite at ease
about the proceedings of my Royal guest, so I returned to Kushi that
same evening.

On the 1st October the whole of the Kabul Field Force was assembled in
the Logar valley.[4]

I waited at Kushi with the last of the In