AMONG THE AFFGHAXS. 251 



retirement began the Mohmunds returned, and as 

 night was drawing on, followed up the retiring column 

 with great pertinacity, killing and wounding a few 

 British soldiers. This move was unfortunate, in that 

 by next morning more troops under Colonel Norman 

 arrived on the scene ; and had the enemy remained 

 on the ground, they would in all probability have 

 been heavily punished, if not quite cut off, in 

 attempting to recross to their own side of the river. 

 But the Mohmunds had had enough of it ; and as, 

 in exchange for 100 dead and many more wounded, 

 they had but two rifles to show, the game was con- 

 sidered a losing one, and they never again molested us. 



The Cabul river, lying north of the Khyber Pass, 

 and cutting off from it the numerous tribes that lay 

 among those hills and valleys by so difficult a barrier, 

 added much to the quietude and safety of the Khyber 

 Pass throughout the late operations. But for it large 

 bodies of hostile Mohmunds and others might at any 

 time have crossed the intervening hills and threat- 

 ened the convoys, despite all arrangements with its 

 proprietors and inhabitants the Afreedees. Any body 

 crossing it in. force would always have ran the chance 

 of being cut off before they were able to recross into 

 Gandao. 



Through this valley passes one of the main routes 

 from Cabul to Peshawar ; and, as we said above, had 

 an energetic general been in command of the Ameer's 

 troops, he might have caused no little trouble and 



