very arduous, more
particularly after leaving Ghazni, the troops so employed seldom
reaching the halting-ground before six or seven o'clock in the
evening, and sometimes even later.

One of the most troublesome duties of the rear guard was to prevent
the followers from lagging behind, for it was certain death for anyone
who strayed from the shelter of the column; numbers of Afghans always
hovered about on the look-out for plunder, or in the hope of being
able to send a Kafir, or an almost equally-detested Hindu, to eternal
perdition. Towards the end of the march particularly, this duty became
most irksome, for the wretched followers were so weary and footsore
that they hid themselves in ravines, making up their minds to die, and
entreating, when discovered and urged to make an effort, to be left
where they were. Every baggage animal that could possibly be spared
was used to carry the worn-out followers; but notwithstanding this and
the care taken by officers and men that none should be left behind,
twenty of these poor creatures were lost, besides four Native
soldiers.

The variation of temperature (at times as much as eighty degrees
between day and night) was most trying to the troops, who had to carry
the same clothes whether the thermometer was at freezing-point at
dawn or at 110 deg. Fahr. at mid-day. Scarcity of water, too, was a great
trouble to them, while constant sand-storms, and the suffocating
dust raised by the column in its progress, added greatly to their
discomfort.

Daily reports regarding the health of the troops, followers, and
transport animals were brought to me each evening, and I made it my
business to ascertain how many men had fallen out during the day, and
what had been the number of casualties amongst the animals.

On the 12th August the Head-Quarters and main body of the force halted
to allow the Cavalry and the second Infantry brigade to push on and
get clear over the Zamburak Kotal (8,100 feet high) before the rest
of the column attempted its ascent. This kotal presented a serious
obstacle to our rapid progress, the gradient being in many places one
in four, and most difficult for the baggage animals; but by posting
staff officers at intervals to control the flow of traffic, and by
opening out fresh paths to relieve the pressure, we got over it much
more quickly than I had expected.

On the 15th we reached Ghazni, ninety-eight miles from Kabul, a place
of peculiar interest to me from