lives, than if they had provided suitable animals at the outset."

Lisle had had a great deal of practice with the rifle, and had
carried away several prizes shot for by the officers; but he was
unaccustomed to carry one for so many hours, and he felt grateful,
indeed, when a halt was sounded. Fires were lighted, and food
cooked; and then all lay down, or sat in groups in the shade of a
grove. The sense of the strangeness of his condition had begun to
wear off, and he laughed and talked with the others, without
restraint.

Up to the time when he joined the regiment, Lisle had heard a good
deal of the state of affairs at Chitral; and his impression of the
natives was that they were as savage and treacherous a race as was
to be found in Afghanistan and Kashmir. Beyond that, he had not
interested himself in the matter; but now, from the talk of his
companions, he gained a pretty clear idea of the situation.

Illustration: Map illustrating the Chitral Campaign.

Old Aman-ul-mulk had died in August, 1892. He had reigned long; and
had, by various conquests and judicious marriages, raised Chitral
to a position of importance. The Chitralis are an Aryan race, and
not Pathans; and have a deep-rooted hatred of the Afghans.

In 1878 Aman placed Chitral under the nominal suzerainty of the
Maharajah of Kashmir and, Kashmir being one of the tributary states
of the Indian Empire, this brought them into direct communication
with the government of India; and Aman received with great
cordiality two missions sent to him. When he died, his eldest son
Nizam was away from Chitral; and the government was seized by his
second son, Afzul; who, however, was murdered by his uncle, Sher
Afzul. Nizam at once hurried to Chitral; and Sher Afzul fled to
Cabul, Nizam becoming the head of the state or, as it was called,
Mehtar. Being weak, he asked for a political officer to reside in
his territory; and Captain Younghusband, with an escort of Sikhs,
was accordingly sent to Mastuj, a fort in Upper Chitral.

However, in November Nizam was also murdered, by a younger brother,
Amir. Amir hurried to Chitral, and demanded recognition from
Lieutenant Gurdon; who was, at the time, acting as assistant
British agent. He replied that he had no power to grant
recognition, until he was instructed by the government in India.
Amir thereupon stopped his letters, and for a long time he was in
imminent danger, as he had only an escort of eight Sikhs.

On the 8th