rched on the morning of the 28th. The
Northamptons and 36th Sikhs had been detached to an extremely high
hill, to cover the advance. It had already been found that,
although the Afridis could fight well, so long as they had the
advantage of position, they were nevertheless extremely careful of
their skins. After the heavy firing into camp, on the night of the
return of the reconnaissance, the place had been greatly
strengthened; and the positions were changed every night, a fact
which so entirely surprised the enemy that, for a time, night
attacks ceased altogether.

General Westmacott's brigade advanced up the Khanki nullah to the
foot of the Sampagha Pass. General Gazelee's division moved along
the hills, and halted at the village of Ghandaki. In the afternoon
a reconnaissance pushed forward, and returned with the news that
the pass appeared to be simple, and the road a good one. Tribesmen
were seen upon nearly every crest. They were apparently building
sangars upon the roadway.

General Gazelee was to make his attack next morning. General
Westmacott, General Kempster, and General Hart, with the batteries
of both divisions, were to occupy a knoll at the foot of the pass,
to support the advance. The troops moved forward in the following
order: the Queens, the 2nd and 4th Ghoorkhas, Yorks, and 3rd Sikhs
were first; and they were followed by the 30th Sikhs, the Scottish
Borderers, and the Northamptons.

In the dim light of the early morning, the distant crests were
marked by the fires of the enemy. Some delay was caused by the
batteries missing the tracks, but by daybreak they advanced. At
half-past six the enemy fired the first shot, and then fell rapidly
back. The regiments in the first line moved steadily on and, at
half-past seven, the guns opened. A few shells were sufficient for
the enemy's advance party, and they scuttled back. When the
Ghoorkhas and Queens reached the first ridge in the pass, the enemy
opened fire; but they could not stand the accurate fire of the six
batteries.

A mountain battery pushed up the pass, and came into action on the
enemy's first position. The pass widened out from this point, and
the two leading regiments moved forward to the sloping crest of the
third position. The Queens had advanced on the right, with the
Ghoorkhas on their flank. The pathway was covered by the fire of
the enemy, hidden behind rocks; and this was so accurate that men
could hardly show themselves on the pat