ade started, and, preceded by the cavalry, marched up the
valley--a long brown stream of men. Arrived nearly at the centre, the
troops closed up into a more compact formation. Then suddenly the
head wheeled to the left, and began marching on the village of Zagai.
Immediately from high up on the face of the mountain a long column of
smoke shot into the air. It was a signal fire. Other hills answered
it. The affair now became a question of time. If the village could be
captured and destroyed before the clans had time to gather, then there
would be little fighting. But if the force were delayed or became
involved, it was impossible to say on what scale the action would be.

The village of Zagai stands in a similar situation to that of Domodoloh.
On either side long spurs advance into the valley, and the houses are
built in terraces on the sides of the hollow so formed. Great chenar
trees, growing in all their luxuriant beauty out of the rocky ground by
the water-course, mark the hillside with a patch of green in contrast to
the background of sombre brown. As the troops approached in fine array,
the sound of incessant drumming was faintly heard, varied from time to
time by the notes of a bugle. The cavalry reconnoitered and trotted off
to watch the flank, after reporting the place strongly occupied. The
enemy displayed standards on the crests of the spurs. The advance
continued: the Guides on the left, the 38th Dogras in the centre, the
Buffs on the right, and the 35th Sikhs in reserve. Firing began on the
left at about nine o'clock, and a quarter of an hour later the guns came
into action near the centre. The Guides and Buffs now climbed the ridges
to the right and left. The enemy fell back according to their custom,
"sniping." Then the 38th pushed forward and occupied the village,
which was handed over to the sappers to destroy. This they did most
thoroughly, and at eleven o'clock a dense white smoke was rising from
the houses and the stacks of bhoosa. Then the troops were ordered
to withdraw. "Facilis ascensus Averni sed...;" without allowing the
quotation to lead me into difficulties, I will explain that while it is
usually easy to advance against an Asiatic, all retirements are matters
of danger. While the village was being destroyed the enemy had been
collecting. Their figures could be distinguished on the top of the
mountain--a numerous line of dark dots against the sky; others had tried
to come, from the adjoining va