Private Journal of Henry Francis Brooke: Late Brigadier-General Commanding 2nd Infantry Brigade, Kandahar Field Force, Southern Afghanistan, from April 22nd to August 16th, 1880 — John Shaqi
Private Journal of Henry Francis Brooke: Late Brigadier-General Commanding 2nd Infantry Brigade, Kandahar Field Force, Southern Afghanistan, from April 22nd to August 16th, 1880Brooke, Henry Francis
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Private Journal of Henry Francis Brooke: Late Brigadier-General Commanding 2nd Infantry Brigade, Kandahar Field Force, Southern Afghanistan, from April 22nd to August 16th, 1880
Brooke, Henry Francis
Afghan Wars; Brooke, Henry Francis, 1836-1880
FRIDAY, 9th APRIL.--After starting off our baggage we took a detour
to the right to visit a plateau about 1,000 feet higher than Dozan,
where, during last summer, General Phayre's brigade had been encamped,
and where, thinking the place would become a permanent station, he
had expended much labor and trouble in making roads and laying out
the future cantonment. Now, however, the troops are withdrawn and
the place is deserted. Among other things which had been made was an
excellent lawn tennis ground which looked very English and civilized in
the midst of the desolation. At this place are the springs from which
the halting place is supplied with water, and here, as elsewhere in
this extraordinary country, it is wonderful to see the rush of water
which pours out of the solid rock, reminding one (all the surrounding
circumstances having also a considerable similitude) of the water
rushing out of the Rock when struck by Moses during the travels of
the Israelites in the Wilderness. We rejoined the road about 4 miles
from Dozan, and for 4 miles our way continued through the narrowest
and wildest part of the Bolan Pass, till at 8 miles from Dozan we
crossed an abrupt ridge of hills which lie across the mouth of the
Pass, and descended into a plain surrounded by mountains the tops of
which were still tipped with snow. Two miles farther on we came to
our halting place, which is called Darwaza, or the door or gate, this
being the entrance to the Bolan Pass, the journey through which we had
then completed. There was a good rest-house at Darwaza, and a small
fort, inside of which we were glad to find shelter for our horses and
servants, as a piercingly cold wild wind was coming from the mountains,
and there were decided threatenings of snow or rain, and very shortly
after we arrived it did begin to rain. I had an anxious day with
my Australian horse as he was very ill, and, being almost without
medicines, I was afraid I should have lost him. He had not taken at all
to the bad grass or hay which we have had through the Pass, and had
not been really well for some days. This was what I feared in bringing
him with me, as Australian horses are notoriously dainty about their
food, whereas Arabs eat anything and seem to flourish on anything. We
tried all the native remedies at our disposal, and the old horse pulled
through all right, and before night was able to eat a bran mash and was
quite out of danger. He has, however, got a cracked heel, the result
of the cold dry wind after crossing the numerous fords which we have
had to pass over daily, and I fear I shall not get much riding out of
him, which is a disappointment, as he is a steady old boy who goes
along without any trouble, while the other two are young and foolish,
and as yet not contented to plod along at a walking pace for any time.
The evening at Darwaza turned out very wet and cold, and the night
threatened to be so bad that we had to give up the idea of an early
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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