TO THE WURDWAN. 45 



party all sorts of plans of retaliation suggested, and 

 appeals made to me to exercise the authority of my supe- 

 rior rank and order the offender back. I took it all very 

 quietly, and succeeded not only in calming the angry men, 

 but put them in good humour by suggesting various 

 problematical advantages to be derived from the presence 

 of the other party. 



We came at length and really at length, for it was a 

 long stretch in view of the Wurdwan, the valley open- 

 ing out many thousand feet below, two or three small 

 villages with their clustering hovels and irregular patches 

 of cultivation shewing themselves. A rapid stream, of 

 dimensions and volume claiming, perhaps, to be styled a 

 river, was brawling and fighting its way against innumer- 

 able obstacles and impediments down the vale. A very 

 steep winding path brought us down to its banks, and 

 instead of crossing over to the village of Ainshin, as we 

 should have done, had it not been already in possession 

 of a hostile party, we moved along the right bank 

 upwards. 



We went on some two or three miles to a village, where 

 it was proposed to camp, but received information here 

 that the other saheb had taken up position in a village 

 just opposite, indeed we saw his coolies arrive there 

 and had gone up the mountain, where four or five shots 

 had been heard in rapid succession. Great jabber among 

 the shikarries. 



I thought over the matter, and did not like to submit 

 to be jockeyed and out-manoeuvred in such an underhand 

 way ; so, although we had already completed a very long 

 and toilsome march, and the baggage must be far in the 

 rear, I determined to make a forward movement, and 

 turning the enemy's flank, take up position in front of 

 him, on his line of march. The shikarries were full of 



