Page:The Earl of Auckland.djvu/200

194 concert with Nott, should that officer 'decide upon adopting the line of retirement by Ghazní and Kábul .'

Even then Lord Ellenborough did not seem to reckon upon a joint advance from both sides to a common goal, for he tells Nott that General Pollock 'will probably not deem it necessary to move any troops actually to Kábul,' where Nott's force would be 'amply sufficient to beat anything the Afgháns can oppose to it.' His letters to Pollock and to the Secret Committee imply that Pollock was to support his brother-general by moving some of his troops towards 'the upper end of the Jalálábád valley.'

Neither General, however, shrank from acting upon instructions so worded as to give them a free hand for the movement on which their hearts had long been set. After the rout of Aktar Khán's 10,000 Ghazís on the 29th of May by Nott himself at the head of about 1,600 men, no armed enemy dared to show himself near Kandahár. On Wymer's return from Khelát-i-Ghilzai, Nott felt himself more than strong enough to march anywhere, if only he could muster the needful carriage and supplies. His 'beautiful regiments' were in high health and spirits; and he held 1,000 of his Sepoys to be more than a match for 5,000 Afgháns. Despatching a strong brigade under England to Quetta with all his spare guns, he himself on the 7th of August marched out of Kandahár at the head of 8.000 choice