We had intended to march the next morning by 7 A.M., with the intention of getting to a village called Parpish, but as it was still pelting with rain, the march was deferred, to give the weather a chance of clearing up, which it very kindly did about 10 A.M., when we started.  The Kashmir Company was on advance guard that day, so I went with them, two levies leading, as usual, about a quarter of a mile ahead.  We struck up country for about two miles, till we got to a kotal, or saddle, from whence we had a splendid view of the surrounding country.  During a halt, Colonel Kelly came up, and I was able to point out to him the different places—­Koragh Defile, where Ross’s party had been cut up, Reshun, where Edwardes and Fowler had held out for a week, and Barnas, a village we reached the next day.  All these places were on the opposite bank of the river and several thousand feet below us.  We had, by taking our present route, avoided a very difficult and dangerous part of the country, and no doubt much disgusted the inhabitants, who, on the old route, would have had all things their own way.

By two o’clock we had reached the village of Gurka, where we were met by a deputation, from whom we demanded certain supplies to be brought to our camp on pain of severe punishment if not complied with, and by 4 P.M. we got to the hamlet of Lun, and as there was a good camping ground, good water and firewood, Colonel Kelly decided to halt there.  Here also supplies were demanded, the amount depending a good deal on the number of houses and the knowledge of the locality possessed by Humayun.  The Lunites paid up smartly enough, as we were too close neighbours to allow of any hesitation; but the Gurka contribution had only partly come in the next morning, so that a party of the Levies was sent back, and the Gurka villagers had the trouble of bringing the loads along to Barnas, instead of only two miles into Lun, while the headman was made to carry a box of ammunition all the way to Chitral.

Before evening the sun came out, and it was very jolly in camp.  We had some nice short turf to lie on, and the night was not too cold for comfort.  There were good places for the pickets, and the camp was compact and handy.

CHAPTER IX

NEARING CHITRAL

The next morning, April 17th, we started sharp at 7 A.M.  Two prisoners had been brought in the night before, one of whom had a Snider and twenty rounds of ammunition, the other a matchlock.  They confessed that they had fought us at Nisa Gol, and stated they were now going home.  We thought differently, and requested them to carry boxes of ammunition; one of them, the owner of the Snider, objected, on the ground that he was a mullah, but the objection was overruled as frivolous, and he accompanied us to Chitral.  We always gave the ammunition to doubtful characters, as they were then under the direct supervision of the guard, and the loads were also more awkward and heavier than skins of flour.