278 TRAVEL, ADVENTURE, AND SPORT. 



Another man, named Sultan, a hunter by profession, 

 had eighteen old knife-wounds on his body, of which 

 six at least would probably have been fatal if re- 

 ceived by an Englishman. lie and a brother had a 

 few years previously been out towards the neighbour- 

 ing Khugiani village of Murkikhel, and had sud- 

 denly been set upon by three men of that section, 

 with whom they had had a long-standing feud. One 

 man shot his brother, and was shot in his turn by 

 Sultan. The others cut his head open with their 

 knives, and he dropped senseless. Next morning he 

 awoke in his own hut, and found he had been cut in 

 eighteen places ; was confined to bed for six weeks, 

 then recovered, and was now as hearty as ever. 

 "And how about the two men who had done you 

 so much injury 1 " we asked. " I settled the account 

 shortly after : they are not alive now." Several 

 others of the escort had bullet and knife wounds to 

 show, and had committed a few murders in their day ; 

 so altogether we were in very superior company. 



Taking our blankets and a week's rations (which 

 were carried by the escort), we started early on the 

 morning of the 26th. Our route lay for the first six 

 miles over the plateau between the camp and the 

 base of the Safed-Koh. We then entered the vil- 

 lages of Mahmakhel and Kudikhel, destroyed by 

 General Pollock's force in the first war, then across 

 a wide stream, fordable every morning, but a roaring 

 torrent by evening. Then came a stiff climb up a 



