AMONG THE AFFGHANS. 235 



The party rode up the rocky path, styled the high 

 road, into the Shilman valley, examined the route as 

 far as the river, and returning to a village in Shilman, 

 halted there for the night. Houses were placed at 

 the disposal of officers and men, and all were hos- 

 pitably entertained. The dinner of good stewed 

 mutton, &c., was not to be despised, though the 

 want of knives and forks was somewhat unpleasant. 



As the inhabitants expressed a strong wish for the 

 adoption of one or other of the roads through the 

 Mohmund country by the British, it was determined 

 to have a survey made of each of them if possible. 

 As the reasons given were good, no opposition was 

 anticipated. I, as surveyor, with an escort of one 

 company of native infantry, was deputed for the 

 work. " In the first place," said the Mohmunds, " we 

 will be well paid for the ground over which the road 

 will pass ; we will make a lot of money by working 

 on it as labourers ; we will find a nearer market than 

 Peshawar for our wood, grass, fowls, sheep, &c. ; and 

 lastly, when you return to India, we will have more 

 kafilas using it than we have ever had hitherto." 

 "We were soon at work amongst them. A chief for 

 whom we had on a previous occasion done a favour, 

 joined us and soon made matters easy. But a contre- 

 temps might have occurred on the very first day of 

 the trip. 



On a knoll, from which a fine view of surrounding 

 country could be obtained, stood a tower, the only 



