The night attack--The Hazaras arrive--Jiand retires--We march on the Sar-i-drokan valley--Cavalry strategy-- "Gushti's" decision and opinion--"The Hole of Judgment"--Attack and retirement--A lost and regained water-supply--The Sarhadis as humorists--The mud fort--Halil Khan's arrival--The fight at dawn--Exit Halil Khan--A prophet--The Hazaras' request 181 CHAPTER XII VICTORY AND PEACE News of the herds--Towards Dast-Kird--Water!--Mutton for all--Dast-Kird--A stampede--Back to Khwash--On the track of the Gamshadzais--Twice a prophet--The Sarhad-dar's roost--Before Jalk--Rejected terms--More strategy and a bloodless victory--Remain only terms and sick leave 201 INDEX 221 LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS PAGE A TYPICAL GORGE IN THE SARHAD _Frontispiece_ IN DIFFICULTIES BETWEEN NASARATABAD AND ROBAT _Facing_ 25 "A GOOD LIAR," LANDON'S ORDERLY AND CHIEF SPY " 49 QUESTIONING A SARHADI PRISONER " 59 JIAND'S MEN COMING IN TO PARLEY " 71 KHWASH FORT " 75 SURRENDERED RAIDERS, (CENTRE) JIAND, (RIGHT) SHAH SAWAR, (LEFT) HALIL KHAN " 89 CAMEL CORPS SAWARS AT THE TERMINATION OF AN EXPEDITION " 97 THE DURBAR AT KHWASH " 141 RAIDER CHIEFS AT THE DURBAR AT KHWASH " 141 RAIDED SLAVES ON THE WAY TO THEIR HOMES " 167 A PERSIAN GIRL CAPTURED BY JUMA KHAN " 167 CAPTURED RAIDERS ON THE WAY TO KACHA " 173 ON THE MARCH TOWARDS GUSHT, AND THE MORPEISH HILLS " 185 HAZARAS ON A PICKET POST BELOW WHICH HALIL KHAN WAS KILLED " 197 WATER! ON THE MARCH TO THE SAR-I-DROKAN " 203 HAZARA PIONEERS WIDENING A PASSAGE FOR LOADED CAMELS " 215 CHAHGIRD FORT IN JALK " 217 MAPS PAGE SKETCH MAP OF THE PERSIAN-BALUCHI-AFGHAN FRONTIERS _Facing_ 15 SKETCH MAP OF THE FIGHT IN THE MORPEISH HILLS " 181 [Illustration: _Sketch Map of the Persian-Baluchi-Afghan frontiers_] THE RAIDERS OF THE SARHAD CHAPTER I ORDERS FOR THE WEST I receive my orders--German agents and India--Their routes--A deal in chauffeurs--Concerning an appetite and sausages--Nushliki--The last of civilisation--Further information--Sand-holes and digging--Petrol in the desert. Towards the end of February, 1916, General Kirkpatrick, Chief of Staff at Delhi, sent for me and gave me orders to take charge of the military operations in South-East Persia.