hting, carried the first position. The enemy rallied on
some low hills about 600 yards to the rear. But the mountain guns and
Gatlings opened upon them, the 72nd fired volleys into them, and a
general advance being made, the enemy were driven back.

Major White, in the meantime, on the right had been doing excellent
service with his column. It was but a weak one, and the operation had
been intended as a feint rather than a real attack. However, they
pushed forward, drove the enemy from their position, and captured 20
guns; and having done the work allotted to him, Major White was able to
send a portion of his force to co-operate with General Baker's brigade.

Unfortunately our cavalry were in the rear; the road through the pass
was difficult; and before they could get through, the masses of Afghans
had fallen back into strong villages on the plain, and could not be
attacked by cavalry. The enemy had altogether from 9000 to 10,000 on
the ridges, including 13 regiments of regular troops. They left 300
dead on the field; but their losses in killed and wounded must have been
much greater. Upon our side 20 were killed and 67 wounded. Among the
latter were three officers.

This defeat, by a small portion only of the British force, of the whole
of their troops placed in a position considered well-nigh impregnable,
struck a complete panic into the Afghans, and no further resistance was
offered. In the night a great portion of the Afghan troops scattered
and fled. The cavalry under General Massy swept round Cabul, and came
upon the Sherpur intrenched camp, where 75 guns were captured.
Unfortunately considerable delay took place in the operations of our
infantry; and in the face of the troops, who could easily have crushed
them, the regiments which had taken the principal part in the massacre
of Major Cavaignari marched off unmolested. The villagers were to a man
hostile, and seized every opportunity of firing upon bodies of our
troops. It was necessary to show considerable severity, and all
captured with arms in their hands in such cases were shot at once.

Cabul was now open to us; and upon the 11th October, Sir Frederick
Roberts and his staff entered the Bala Hissar, and visited the ruins of
the Embassy. The Bala Hissar is a large enclosure containing many
important buildings, and situate on the hill above Cabul, which town its
guns command. Even had the Afghans made a stand here, the place could
not have resi