Page:Dictionary of National Biography volume 42.djvu/374

 his military genius, energy, and sound judgment.

The residency in the Máhi Kánta was at Sadra, where there was no sport. His wife had been invalided home, and in October 1838, when a British force was ordered to assemble for service across the Indus, Outram at once volunteered, and was appointed extra aide-de-camp to Sir John Keane. On 21 Nov. 1838 he embarked with his chief at Bombay, reaching the Hujamri mouth of the Indus on the 27th, when he was despatched on a special mission to Cutch, to arrange for land and water transport for the expedition. In ten days he had made arrangements; camels arrived on 19 Dec., and on the 24th the force moved forward, reaching Thatta on the 28th. Outram was associated with Lieutenant Eastwick (afterwards a director of the East India Company), the assistant resident, in a mission to the court of Haidarabad, to conclude a detailed treaty with the amir. The envoys, however, met with such unmistakable signs of hostility that they were compelled to return without effecting their object, and rejoined Keane at Jerak. Keane, having succeeded to the chief command on the departure of Sir Henry Fane, employed Outram on missions to Shah Shuja and MacNaghten in February and March 1839. In the latter month a fall from his horse fractured a bone, and Outram had to be carried through the Bolan pass in a palanquin. He was able to take part on arrival at Kandahar in the ceremonies attending the installation of Shah Shuja, and left that city with the advanced column on 27 June. The column arrived at Ghazni on 22 July, and Outram did good service by leading the Shah's horse against a large force of the enemy, who had taken up a position on the hills to the southward of and commanding the British camp. He put them to flight, capturing their banner. Ghazni fell the following day. On arriving at Haidar Khel on 3 Aug., Outram was appointed to command an expedition for the capture of Dost Muhammad Khan, who had fled towards Bamian. The force consisted of two thousand of the shah's Afghan horse and one hundred of British Indian cavalry. The Afghans were under Haji Khan, who did his best to prevent the success of the expedition. It was a rough piece of work, over hills and along tortuous river channels. On arrival at Yourt, Dost Muhammad was reported to be only sixteen miles ahead, but the Afghan leader threw every obstacle in the way. Outram, with only the British force, pushed on without him, crossing the Haji Khak pass (twelve thousand feet), and then over the higher pass of the Shutar Gardan, arriving at Bamian on 9 Aug., only to find that Dost Muhammad had escaped beyond the Oxus. Outram got back to Kabul on 17 Aug., and Haji Khan was arrested by Shah Shuja for treason.

On 21 Aug. Outram was placed at the disposal of the British envoy MacNaghten, for the purpose of conducting an expedition into disturbed districts lying between Kabul and Kandahar. The object of the expedition was to tranquillise the disaffected Ghilzai tribes, to arrest four refractory chiefs, to punish the inhabitants of the village of Maruf, who had destroyed a caravan en route for India, and to reduce the forts of Haji Khan. Outram's force consisted of the Ghúrka infantry regiment, the shah's infantry regiment from Kandahar, a proportion of cavalry and artillery from the shah's contingent, a detail from the camel battery, and Captain Anderson's troop of horse artillery. He marched out of Kabul on 7 Sept. On the 16th the force was strengthened by a wing of the 16th Bengal native infantry from Ghazni. Having surmounted the Kharwár pass, crossed the Kharwár district, and scoured the turbulent region of the Zurmal valley, Outram captured several forts, and secured six of the gang concerned in Colonel Herring's murder. He arrived on 3 Oct. at Ushlan, where he was joined by the Púna auxiliary horse under Captain Keith Erskine. He pushed on to Kalá-i-Murgha, the fort of Abdu-r-Rahman Khan, the principal Ghilzai chief, who, however, escaped. He attacked and demolished the forts of Haji Khan, and finally arrived at Quetta on 31 Oct., having accomplished his mission.

He accompanied General Willshire as aide-de-camp in November to the siege of Kalát, and did good service, which was mentioned in Willshire's despatch of 14 Nov. to Lord Auckland. Outram was deputed to take a copy of the despatch to the governor of Bombay by the direct route to Sonmiáni Bundar, the practicability or otherwise of which for the passage of troops Willshire considered it an object of importance to ascertain. Disguised as an Afghan, he started on this perilous journey through an enemy's country, accompanied by a private servant and two Saiyids of Shal as guides. After many adventures and hairbreadth escapes he reached Sonmiáni on 23 Nov., having subsisted during the whole journey on dates and water. From Sonmiáni he went by water to Karáchi and Bombay. For his services at Kalát Outram was promoted brevet-major on 13 Nov. 1839, and received the thanks of both the Bombay and Indian governments for his report on