Page:The Earl of Auckland.djvu/94

88 have gathered for himself. No scouting parties were sent out in any direction. The sanguine Envoy was ready to stake his credit that not a shot would be fired in opposition to Sháh Shujá's march on Kábul. But for the timely remonstrances of Major Thompson, the Chief Engineer, he would have persuaded Keane to leave all his Bombay troops at Kandahár.

On the 27th of June, while Ranjít Singh was drawing his last breath at Lahore, Keane led the bulk of his troops from Kandahár on a march of 230 miles to Ghazní, leaving a sufficient garrison behind him, and leaving also the siege-guns which he had brought on with so much difficulty through the Bolán and Khojak passes. This was a blunder which, but for the genius of an engineer officer, might have cost him very dear. The Sháh's troops followed a march behind, and Willshire's Bombay column brought up the rear. The whole force was still on reduced rations for want of carriage; and bodies of Ghilzai horsemen hovered on either flank, ready for plunder, but seldom venturing to attack. The line of march lay through open country rising gradually towards Khelát-i-Ghilzai, and higher still about Ghazní.

On the 21st of July the whole army came within sight of the famous stronghold whence, more than eight centuries earlier, the terrible Mahmúd had sallied forth again and again to harry the people and subdue the princes of northern India. According to Macnaghten, Burnes, and other of our 'politicals,' Ghazní was a place of no strength, and might easily be taken