ords of hope that my own health and that of the
troops would remain good, and that success might attend us 'till the
blessings of peace are restored.'

A gracious letter, truly! And to me a deeply appreciated reward for
what I had been able to do.

I landed at Dover on the 17th November. The reception I met with from
my countrymen was as enthusiastic as it was unexpected and gratifying.
After an absence of twelve years there must almost always be more or
less of sadness mingled with the pleasure of the home-coming, and two
vacant places in my family circle--those of my father and sister--cast
a deep shadow upon what would otherwise have been a most joyous
return, for my mother was alive to welcome me, and I found my children
flourishing and my wife well, notwithstanding all the anxiety she had
undergone.

I was feted and feasted to almost an alarming extent, considering that
for nearly two years I had been restricted to campaigning diet; but it
surprised me very much to find that the kind people, by whom I was so
greatly honoured, invariably appeared to think the march from Kabul to
Kandahar was a much greater performance than the advance on Kabul the
previous autumn, while, to my mind, the latter operation was in every
particular more difficult, more dangerous, and placed upon me as the
Commander infinitely more responsibility. The force with which I
started from Kuram to avenge the massacre of our fellow-countrymen was
little more than half the strength of that with which I marched to
Kandahar. Immediately on crossing the Shutargardan I found myself in
the midst of a hostile and warlike people, entirely dependent on the
country for supplies, heavily handicapped by want of transport, and
practically as completely cut off from communication with India as
I was a year later on the march to Kandahar. The Afghans' fanatical
hatred of Europeans had been augmented by their defeats the year
before, and by the occurrences at Kabul, and they looked upon my small
column as a certain prey delivered into their hands by a sympathizing
and all-powerful Allah.

Before me was Kabul, with its large and well-equipped arsenal,
defended by an army better organized and more highly trained than that
possessed by any former Ruler of Afghanistan. On all sides of me were
tribesmen hurrying up to defend the approaches to their capital, and
had there been on our part the smallest hesitation or delay, we should
have found ourselves opposed b