al other Affghans. Mahomed
Akber exhibited his double-barrelled pistols to us, which he
had worn the previous day, requesting us to put their locks to
rights, something being amiss. _Two of the barrels had been
recently discharged_, which he endeavoured in a most confused
way to account for by saying, that he had been charged by a
havildar of the escort, and had fired both barrels at him. Now
all the escort had run away without even attempting to charge,
the only man who advanced to the rescue having been a Hindoo
Jemadar of Chuprassies, who was instantly cut to pieces by the
assembled Ghazees. This defence he made without any accusation
on our part, betraying the anxiety of a liar to be believed. On
the 26th, Captain Lawrence was taken to the house of
Ameenoollah, whence he did not return to us. Captain Skinner
and myself remained in Akber's house until the 30th. During
this time we were civilly treated, and conversed with numbers
of Affghan gentlemen who came to visit us. Some of them
asserted that the Envoy had been murdered by the unruly
soldiery. Others could not deny that Akber himself was the
assassin. For two or three days we had a fellow-prisoner in
poor Sirwar Khan, who had been deceived throughout the whole
matter, and out of whom they were then endeavouring to screw
money. He, of course, was aware from his countrymen, that not
only had Akber committed the murder, but that he protested to
the Ghazees that he gloried in the deed. On one occasion a
moonshee of Major Pottinger, who had escaped from Charekhar,
named Mohun Beer, came direct from the presence of Mahomed
Akber to visit us. He told us that Mahomed Akber had begun to
see the impolicy of having murdered the Envoy, which fact he
had just avowed to him, shedding many tears, either of
pretended remorse or of real vexation at having committed
himself. On several occasions Mahomed Akber personally, and by
deputy, besought Skinner and myself to give him advice as to
how he was to extricate himself from the dilemma in which he
was placed, more than once endeavouring to excuse himself for
not having effectually protected the Envoy, by saying that Sir
William had drawn a sword-stick upon him. It seems that
meanwhile the renewed negotiations with Major Pottinger, who
had ass