of age he goes forth at his Queen's
behest to turn back the dark tide of defeat in 1899, and bring back
victory to her standards.

To give an instance of this magnetic influence,--one day long after the
Afghan War, Lord Roberts, then Commander-in-Chief in India, was passing
the camp of the Guides, riding quietly along, when the sentry on the
quarter-guard, an old soldier, recognised him in the distance, and
shouting as in duty bound, "Guard, turn out!" added unofficially, but
louder still, "Roberts Sahib is coming." The words spread like lightning
down the long lines of horses and rows of tents; and with one accord
each man dropped his work at the magic name and dashed to the head of
the camp to see their old leader and friend: it was no question of
Commander-in-Chief, it was only their old comrade Roberts Sahib. Need
it be recorded that when his old soldiers heard that in the day of
trouble Lord Roberts had gone to South Africa, they remarked with quiet
confidence, "Ah! now all will be well."

For the Guides, serving as part of the force under the command of the
brave and chivalrous leader of light horse, Lt.-General Sir Sam Browne,
K.C.B., V.C., the Afghan War opened with the operations resulting in the
capture of the formidable fort of Ali Musjid, which bars the entrance to
the far-famed Khyber Pass. Sir Sam Browne was an old Colonel of the
Guides, and to meet again in the field was the meeting of old comrades
and friends. Like Roberts, he knew how to use them, and how to get the
best out of them; and the glowing words of his despatches show they
served him well.

In the plan of operations for the capture of Ali Musjid one brigade was
to attack in front, one in flank, and one by a wide _detour_ through the
mountains was to cut off the retreat. In this operation it fell to the
Guides to accompany General Tytler's column, which was the one destined,
after a long night march through the mountains, to drop down in rear of
the fort. The column was greatly delayed owing to the difficulty of the
country, great mountains of eight thousand feet high intervening; but
Jenkins with the Guides and 1st Sikhs pushed on, and by their timely
arrival broke the back of the desperate resistance met by the frontal
attack. No Afghan or Pathan can stand the strain of being taken in
rear; a _sauve qui peut_ becomes at once the order of the day. Most of
the enemy fled through the mountains, but a regiment of regular infantry
took the roa