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198 which had cost them only 32 killed and 130 wounded. On the 15th of September Pollock's army was encamped on the old racecourse east of Kábul, and next day the British colours once more floated from the top of the Bálá Hissár. Two ladies with children and a few male prisoners who had been left at Kábul under the care of Dr. Campbell were brought into camp by Colin Troup. Pollock had already despatched his military secretary, Sir Richmond Shakespear, with 600 Kazilbásh horse, in quest of the larger band of captives, whose fate hung upon the seeming readiness of Akbar's deputy to betray his trust.

On the 17th Nott himself exchanged greetings with Pollock from his camp on the western side of Kábul. His long march from Kandahár had been accomplished quite as successfully as the much shorter march from Jalálábád. On the road to Ghazní he had encountered no serious resistance save at Ghoain, where, on the 30th of August, 10,000 Afghans sought to bar his advance. One charge of his fine infantry sent them flying, and much booty fell into the victors' hands. On the 5th of September Nott encamped before Ghazní; but the fear of his name had fallen upon the garrison, who abandoned that stronghold during the night. Next day Nott's engineers burst every gun on the walls, blew up all the bastions, burned the gateways and the roofs of the principal buildings, and converted both town and citadel into heaps of ruins, in requital of the wrongs inflicted on Palmer's garrison. More than 300 of Palmer's Sepoys were