ne to lane.

Illustration: Gundi carried by the Bayonet.

Once or twice the attack was checked, for a few minutes, by the
desperate resistance of the Afghans--at the crossing places of
canals and in walled enclosures--and again and again, the Ghazis
rushed down upon the troops. The 3rd Sikhs and the 5th Ghoorkas
joined the fighting line and, step by step, the ground was won;
until the base of the hill was turned, and the attacking force saw,
in front of them, the great camp of Ayoub's troops. Up to this
point, the enemy had fought with the greatest bravery; but a sudden
panic seized them, now they saw that their line of retreat was
threatened by our cavalry--for an Afghan always loses heart, under
such circumstances. As if by magic, the defense ceased; and the
enemy, horse and foot--abandoning their guns, and throwing away
their arms--fled up the Argandab valley. Everything was abandoned.

There was nothing more for the infantry to do but to sack Ayoub's
camp, and to park the captive guns, thirty in number. The amount of
stores and miscellaneous articles in the camp was enormous: arms,
ammunition, commissariat, and ordnance stores; helmets, bullock
huts crammed with native wearing apparel, writing materials,
Korans, English tinned meats, fruit, and money. Here, in fact, was
all the baggage which the army had brought from Herat; together
with all the spoil which they had captured at Maiwand.

The cavalry took up the pursuit. Unfortunately they had met with
great difficulties, in advancing through the broken country in rear
of the infantry. Had they been close at hand, when the latter
fought their way into Ayoub's camp, very few of the fugitives would
have escaped. As it was, they did good service in following up the
rout; and driving the enemy, a dispersed and broken crowd, into the
hills.

To the fury of the men they found, in Ayoub's camp, the body of
Lieutenant Maclaine; who had been taken prisoner at Maiwand, and
who was barbarously murdered, a few minutes before the arrival of
the English troops. The battle cost the lives of three officers:
Lieutenant Colonel Brownlow, commanding the 72nd Highlanders;
Captain Frome, of the same regiment; and Captain Straton, 2nd
battalion of the 22nd. Eleven officers were wounded, 46 men were
killed, and 202 wounded.

The enemy left 1200 dead on the field. Ayoub's regular regiments
scarcely fired a shot, and the British advance had been opposed
entirely by the irregulars an