t which fierce fighting took place in the expedition to Chitral,
two years before.

At last the welcome news came that the advance was about to take
place. General Lockhart, with another column, was at Fort Lockhart,
some thirty miles away; but the intermediate ground was so broken,
and the force of the enemy watching him so strong, that no
assistance could be obtained from him. The force assembled at
Shinawari was a strong one. The King's Own Scottish Borderers, a
battery of Royal Artillery, the 1st Battalion of Gordons, 1st
Dorsets with a mountain battery, the Yorkshire Regiment, the Royal
West Surrey, and a company of the 4th Ghoorkhas were all there. The
3rd Sikhs, with two guns, moved to the left in the Khuram Valley.

Altogether, something like fifty thousand transport animals
accompanied them, with sixty thousand camp followers. The transport
presented an extraordinary appearance. It included every class of
bullock vehicle, lines of ill-fed camels, mules, ponies, and even
tiny donkeys.

On October 17th orders were received, from General Lockhart, that
the division at Shinawari was to make a reconnaissance in force
towards the Khanki Valley, as the enemy had been seen moving about
on the hills. A force consisting of the 3rd and 4th Brigades moved
forward. The object of the reconnaissance was the summit of the
hill, directly overlooking Shinawari, and over two thousand feet
high. From the plain the ascent appeared to be simple but, when
they started to climb, they found that it was rugged and almost
impassable. There was no semblance of road, and the men had to toil
up the goat paths and sheep tracks.

The Dargai ridge was from a thousand to fifteen hundred feet above
the spot from which they started. On the near side it was almost a
sheer precipice, and the only means of access to the top was up
three steep waterways, which converged to the left of the position.
It was only two hundred and fifty yards' range from the summit but,
as soon as it was crossed, the steepness of the cliff afforded the
assailants shelter from the enemy's fire. From this point the path
zigzags up, until men in single file can reach the summit. The
ridge then dips into the hollow plateau where the village lies, and
then runs up two hundred feet to the cliff, making a descent of the
better part of a mile. On the far side the hill slopes away to the
Khanki Valley.

"We are going to begin with a sharpish climb," Lisle said to
another o