The Peiwar Kotal is a narrow depression in the ridge, commanded on each side by high pine-clad mountains.  The approach to it from the Kuram valley was up a steep, narrow, zigzag path, commanded throughout its entire length from the adjacent heights, and difficult to ascend on account of the extreme roughness of the road, which was covered with large fragments of rocks and boulders.  Every point of the ascent was exposed to fire from both guns and rifles, securely placed behind breastworks constructed of pine-logs and stones.  At the top of the path was a narrow plateau, which was again commanded from the thickly-wooded heights on each side, rising to an elevation of 500 feet.

The Afghan Commander had been quite confident of success, and was only waiting for reinforcements to attack our camp; but these reinforcements did not arrive until the afternoon of the 1st December, just too late for him to carry out his intention.  He had under his command eight Regular regiments of the Afghan army, and eighteen guns; while these numbers were augmented by hordes of neighbouring tribesmen, who were only too glad to respond to the cry of a jahad against the infidel, firmly believing that as true believers their cause would be victorious.

Our loss at the Peiwar was not great—­2 officers and 18 men killed, and 3 officers and 75 men wounded.  The Afghans suffered much more severely, besides leaving in our possession all their guns, with quantities of ammunition and other warlike stores.

[Footnote 1:  The details of the column are given in the Appendix.  (Appendix III.)]

[Footnote 2:  On the 30th November a subordinate officer of the Kabul Government reached Sir Samuel Browne’s camp at Daka, and delivered the following letter from the Amir to the address of the Viceroy: 

    ’FROM HIS HIGHNESS THE AMIR OF KABUL TO THE VICEROY OF INDIA. 
    ’KABUL, 19th November, 1878.

’Be it known to your Excellency that I have received, and read from beginning to end, the friendly letter which your Excellency has sent, in reply to the letter I despatched by Nawab Ghulam Hussein Khan.  With regard to the expressions used by your Excellency in the beginning of your letter, referring to the friendly character of the Mission and the goodwill of the British Government, I leave it to your Excellency, whose wisdom and justice are universally admitted, to decide whether any reliance can be placed upon goodwill, if it be evidenced by words only.  But if, on the other hand, goodwill really consists of deeds and actions, then it has not been manifested by the various wishes that have been expressed, and the proposals that have been made by British officials during the last few years to officials of this God-granted Government—­proposals which, from their nature, it was impossible for them to comply with.

’One of these proposals referred to my dutiful son, the ill-starred wretch, Mahomed