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barously murdered. There he lay by the side of his mother.1

I sank on my knees and involuntarily offered up a prayer for vengeance to the Most High God. Seeing my attitude, the mullah, in a low solemn tone, breathed the Muhammadan prayers proper for the presence of the dead, in which my sowars, who had silently followed with bent heads, fervently joined. Tear after tear trickled down the pallid and withered cheeks of the priest as he concluded. Rising, I forced myself and him away from the room, gave him all the money I had for the interment of the dead, and with fevered brain rode away for ever from my once happy mountain home.

Habib-ulla Khan saw by our faces that all was over, and, with the same stony expression of despair in his countenance, bade us dismount and take counsel as to our future. His mind, he said, was made up. He would save, by death from his own hands, all his females from dishonour (he had removed them from Parwan some little time before), and then fall upon the enemy and die sword in hand.

1 To the end of his long life Colonel Gardner was unable to tell without tears the sad story of his Afghan wife and child.

CHAPTER VI.

A FUGITIVE.

GARDNER A FUGITIVE-DESPERATE STRAITS-THE VALUE OF SALT IN CENTRAL ASIA-THE KALENDARS-VISIT TO A KAFIR PRIEST -A KIND RECEPTION-THE KHILTI KAFIRS-HISTORIC REMAINS -DISPOSAL OF THE DEAD BY THE KAFIRS A RELIC OF THE PAST-FAREWELL TO THE HOLY MAN-AN ATTACK BY ROBBERS -A RACE FOR LIFE THE ESCAPE-A GOOD SOLDIER-BOLORCAPTAIN YOUNGHUSBAND-NOTE ON BOLOR."

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IN accordance with his resolution Prince Habib-ulla Khan returned to his stronghold in an inaccessible place near Parwan, and there with his own hands slew his wives and female slaves. He believed that this terrible act was necessary to preserve them from dishonour at the hands of the victorious faction, and his previous experiences certainly justified his belief. The prince's mind became unhinged from his misfortunes, and it is believed that he shortly afterwards died while performing a pilgrimage to Mecca.

Gardner mentions a beautiful act of fidelity on

the part of a Kafir boy, one of the prince's slaves, who had been treated very kindly by him. This boy first begged leave to accompany the prince, and on being told that this was impossible, he insisted on being slain together with the ladies of the royal household.

It would appear that Gardner and seven other wounded men were unable to follow Habib-ulla Khan on account of the severity of their injuries, and this fact undoubtedly saved Gardner's life. Still his circumstances were bad enough, and by some means or other it was absolutely necessary for him and his companions to put as much ground as possible between themselves and the followers of Dost Muhammad Khan.

How they fared shall now be related by Gardner himself. He thus continues his narrative:—

I will not dwell upon the details of my parting from my noble chief and brother, nor will I relate how he carried out his dreadful intention in regard to his family. The days which immediately followed the departure of Habib-ulla Khan seem a wild and sickening dream. I was wounded in the neck and leg, and my companions were all more or less disabled. Our party only numbered

IN DANGER AND DISTRESS.

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eight souls. The greatest danger attended any appearance on our part on the northern plains. There was nothing before us but to plunder to support life.

Our whole property amounted to the value of nine or ten annas in copper coins, called Kohistani zerubs. To light a fire by day was certain discovery, and we had to contend against damp clouds and cold sleet.

After making a short march, with great pain and difficulty, we concealed ourselves in a cavity among some rocks, from which we could command a good view of the main passes for nearly two miles. Desperate with hunger, wounds, and privation, we despatched from this place two of our party (having previously sworn fealty to each other on our naked sword-blades) to try and procure some flour or a sheep. They returned without success; but having sworn to stick by one another to the last, all doubts were removed, and we boldly lit a fire and slept in a circle with our feet to the heat. Our nimchis and postins1 were our only bedding and clothing.

The night passed, and in the morning, after our

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1 Postins sheepskin coats. The word nimchi has a similar meaning here probably it stands for a sheepskin used as a blanket.

scouts had again sallied forth, we were aroused by three low whistles from our sentinel. A party of six Hindus and two Afghans was slowly approaching, with two ponies loaded with various bundles. It seemed as if they would never arrive!

At last we emerged, and met them with the salute "Salaam Aleikum," and demanded something to appease our hunger, in the name of God and the Prophet. There was a pause. Our numbers were few, but we were desperate and famishing, so without further parley we fell upon the party and disarmed them. The booty miserably disappointed us. We got some snow-preserved fat sheep-tails (dumba), some snuff, some dried pepper, some skins, and a big lump of reddish-black salt. We added to our collection a little asafoetida, and half the money belonging to the Hindus, amounting to ten tillahs. During the whole time we carefully kept mounted, as is the rule to prevent surprise, and allowed the party to proceed without further molestation. It was evident that, as we hoped, we were supposed to be a mere outpost of a band of professional Turkoman marauders and slave - robbers, of which I, with my fairer complexion, my high black pirpank,' black postin,

1 Conical hat.

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