Heideck, not unintentionally, turned the conversation back to the original subject of discussion.

“Which route do you intend taking?  Have you decided for Peshawar, or are you also taking Quetta into your consideration?”

“I have not as yet quite made up my mind.  In any case, I mean to take the shortest way back to our army.”

“If that is so, I would suggest Quetta.  Most probably the Russian main army will turn southwards.  Their first objective will probably be Herat.  The best roads from the north and north-west converge on that point.  It is the meeting-place of the caravan roads from India, Persia, and Turkestan.  In Herat a large army can be concentrated, for it is situated in fertile country.  Once your advance guard is firmly established, 60,000 men can be conveyed there in a relatively short time.  If the English advance to Kandahar the collision between the forces will take place at that point.  But the Russians will outnumber the English so greatly that the latter will hardly venture the march upon Kandahar.  Reinforced by the Afghan forces, General Ivanov, with 100,000 men, can push on without hindrance to the Bolan Pass.”

“If he should succeed,” said the Prince, “the way would then be open for him to the valley of the Indus.  For England would be unable to hold the Pass against such a force.”

“Is it really so difficult to cross the Pass, as it is said to be?” inquired Heideck.

“The Pass is about fifty versts in length.  In 1839 the Bengal corps of the Indus army advanced through it against the Afghan army, and managed without difficulty to take with them twenty-four-pound howitzers as well as eighteen-pound field guns.”

“If I remember rightly they arrived, without having met with any opposition worth mentioning, at Kandahar, and occupied the whole of Afghanistan.  But, in spite of this, they finally suffered a disastrous defeat.  Of their 15,000 men only 4,500 succeeded in returning in precipitate flight through the Khyber Pass back to India.”

Prince Tchajawadse laughed ironically.

“Fifteen thousand?  Yes, if one can trust English sources of information!  But I can assure you, according to better information, that the English in 1839 advanced upon Afghanistan with no less than 21,000 combatants and a transport of 70,000 men and 60,000 camels.  They marched through the Bolan Pass, took Kandahar and Ghazni, entered Cabul, and placed Shah Shuja upon the throne.  They did not suffer any decisive defeat in battle, but a general insurrection of the Afghans drove them from their positions and entirely wiped out their force.”

“I admire your memory, Prince!”