surrounded by orchards and gardens, only two
miles south of the far-famed citadel of the Bala Hissar, I sent out
Cavalry patrols to reconnoitre, who brought me the pleasing news that
the Bala Hissar had been evacuated, and the only part of the city
visible seemed to be deserted.

During the day I received visits from some of the chief merchants of
Kabul, who each told a different tale regarding the movements of the
defeated Afghan army and the intentions of the Afghan Commander. From
their conflicting accounts, however, I gathered that, fresh troops
having arrived from Kohistan, the remnants of the Charasia army had
joined them, and that the combined forces were then occupying
the range of hills immediately above Kabul, to the west, and had
determined to make another stand.

Having received intelligence that the enemy, if again defeated,
intended to retire towards Turkestan, I directed Brigadier-General
Massy, on the morning of the 8th October, to move out with the Cavalry
brigade and place himself across their line of retreat.[4] The brigade
started at 11 a.m., and, in order to avoid the city and adjacent
heights, made a considerable detour by Siah Sang and Sherpur, the new
Afghan cantonment. On reaching the latter place, Massy heliographed
to me that he had found it deserted, the magazine blown up, and
seventy-five guns[5] abandoned inside the enclosure, and that the
enemy were now occupying a ridge[6] which seemed to him to be
a prolongation of the Shahr-i-Darwaza range above Kabul; then,
continuing his march, he crossed a depression in this ridge called
the Nanachi Kotal, and wheeling to his left, and skirting the Asmai
heights on the western side, he soon came in sight of the Afghan camp,
pitched on the slope of the hills about a mile from Deh-i-Mazang.

Brigadier-General Massy was informed, in reply to his heliogram,
that Baker would be despatched at once to drive the enemy from their
position and force them to fall back upon the Cavalry, upon which
Massy immediately made the arrangements which appeared to him most
advisable for blocking, with the limited number of sabres at his
disposal, the several roads by which the enemy might attempt to
escape.

I could only spare to Baker a very small force (1,044 rifles, two
Mountain guns and one Gatling), for Macpherson's and White's troops
had not yet come up. He started off without a moment's delay, and,
driving the enemy's scouts before him, worked his way along t