t to undertake, and he at once agreed to share the danger. A
rough sheepskin cap was obtained for Will from one of the camel
men. His tunic was thrown off, and a posteen--or Afghan sheepskin
coat--was put on, in its place. He took a long matchlock, which the
camel man carried, slung over his shoulders; took off his boots,
and thrust a pair of loose Afghan shoes into his belt. Yossouf
needed no preparations, beyond borrowing a matchlock.

Wringing Captain Edwards' hand, Will stooped on his hands and knees
and, with Yossouf a pace or two ahead, began to crawl down the
path. Before starting, the orders had been sent round to the
soldiers to fire at the rocks on either side of the path, but on no
account to fire down the road, itself. As he expected, Will found
this clear of Afghans, for a considerable distance. A heavy fire
had, previous to their starting, been directed down this path; to
prevent the Afghans from gathering there in the darkness,
preparatory to making a rush. They came across several dead bodies,
but the enemy were all behind rocks, on one side or other of the
road.

When they had crawled a hundred yards, they were past the front
line, from which the Afghans were keeping up a heavy fire; but Will
knew that, from their numbers, they must extend far back down the
valley and, indeed, from almost every rock the flashes of the
matchlocks blazed out, as the lurking tribesmen fired in the
direction of the mouth of the defile.

They were nearly a quarter of a mile down when an Afghan--who had
been crouching behind a rock, close to the path--advanced into the
road to fire, when he stumbled against Yossouf.

"What are you doing?" he exclaimed.

"We are both wounded, by the Kaffirs," Yossouf answered; "and are
making our way back, to bind up our wounds. I think my arm is
broken; but I mean to come back again, to have a few more shots at
the infidels."

"Good!" the Afghan replied. "How goes it in front?"

"Their fire is lessening," Yossouf said. "We must have killed many.
We shall finish with them in the morning, if not before."

The Afghan fired, and then retired behind his rock to load again;
while Will and Yossouf continued their way.

A few hundred yards farther, they rose to their feet. Will slipped
on the Afghan shoes; and they then proceeded, at a rapid pace, down
the pass. Several times they withdrew from the road, and hid beside
it, as they met parties of tribesmen hurrying up to join in the
attac