1843.] relating to the great Inundation of the Indus. 189 



as many more. A council was held, and it was decided that the chiefs 

 should first go on, and make an arrangement with the Afreedies. After 

 a delay of about half an hour, a message was sent to me to advance, 

 and also a request that I would give particular orders for no one to 

 straggle in the rear ; to prevent this I ordered the ladened camels, 

 mules, &c. to go in advance, as the ascent was both very steep and 

 rugged, so much so as to induce Alif Shah and several of the Afghans 

 to dismount and lead their horses. Here and there Afreedies, in parties 

 of two and three, were seen moving about on the adjoining hills, watch- 

 ing our proceedings, but all remained quiet till the baggage had reach- 

 ed the summit of the Pass, on which a matchlock was fired as a signal, 

 and from all sides armed men issued. The hills immediately above 

 us, where not a man was seen the moment before, were now covered, 

 and they opened on us a heavy fire, at which the Dooranis, both horse 

 and foot, fled to shelter ; not one of them returning a shot, though 

 they were all well armed. I had to run the gauntlet of a heavy fire, 

 but no sooner was I out of the range of their matchlocks, than all 

 firing ceased. I remained for some time at the mouth of the defile, to 

 see whether any of the Dooranis would join me, but none of them doing 

 so I returned to the fort with my followers, of whom however nine 

 were missing ; viz. Alif Shah the Sikh Agent, a Havildar and two Sepoys, 

 Lahore service, a servant of the first mentioned Ali Bukhsh Chupprosee 

 of the Ambala agency, two of my own private servants, and a Sepoy ; 

 three of these, desperately wounded, (one of whom died a few days 

 afterwards,) were brought to the fort by Futteh Khan's people ; the bodies 

 of the others, (one excepted, said to have been cut to pieces,) were re- 

 covered and interred next day. The Sikh agent was among the 

 killed. 



10th. About an hour after my arrival at the fort, Sirdar Kadar 

 Khan came to me, condoled in the loss that I had sustained, and abused 

 his people for taking me by that route. One by one the different 

 chiefs joined us, each assigning a reason why I had been attacked, and 

 among the number Aga Medi Khan, who stated that he was severely 

 wounded, as did also others who were with him ; his wound however 

 was nothing but a contusion received by a fall from his horse, which 

 was shot under him. It was also stated that many more had been 

 wounded, and many horses carried off. This statement I afterwards 



