28 
NARRATIVE, 
the Yarkand frontier by the route we proposed to 
take. They were afterwards joined at ■ by Hari 
Chand, a son of the headman, or Negi, of LahuL 
They were to obtain information, from any men they 
might meet on the road, regarding the state of aflPairs 
in Yarkand. 
All these men travelled in very light marching 
order, and where practicable were to make double 
marches. Ibrahim Khan and his men joined us in 
Yarkand, and Tdra Singh and his party, after going to 
Shdhidulla, a frontier fort in Yarkand territory, and as- 
certaining, as they believed, that there was no ground 
for the rumours of disturbances, returned and found 
us at Lak Zung, four days march before we struck the 
Karakdsh river. 
On the 13th June we learned that the Yarkand 
envoy was near the Banihdl pass, and as the Mir 
Sahib was with him, and not likely to let him 
loiter on the way, we resolved to make a fresh start. 
I went by boat as far as Gdnderbal, at the entrance to 
the Sind Valley, as I wished to get some shooting 
on the river, but a thunderstorm came on soon after 
I started, and although the distance by land is only 
twelve miles, and by water not above twenty, I did 
not reach Granderbal until next day about noon. 
On leaving Srmagar I had the following men 
under my orders : Mahomed Y^sin, a native doctor, 
from the Peshdwar frontier, a very sharp little fellow, 
who was fond of dressing himself out in the wildest 
attire ; he carried a huge cavalry sword nearly as long 
as himself, and when mounted on his wiry little pony, 
and with his military accoutrements, looked for all 
the world like some small frontier chieftain ; he 
