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as they were, they charged the royal batteries in a confused mass. Failing in their attempt, they made a furious assault on the entrenched army. The first line was taken, and the Ghilzais, flushed at their initial success, came forward like surging waves. At this critical juncture, when all was considered lost, a body of Royal-Guard (Ghulam-Bachaha) attacked them from the flanks. This checked their progress, and the Ghilzai were forced to stand on the defensive. But gradually losing ground, they retreated towards Kala-i-Zirrin, six miles from the scene of action. At night the Ghilzais were reinforced, and next morning they marched straight on Kabul, avoiding a second skirmish with the royal army, which was stationed at some distance to the left. It was not until the next day that the news leaked out. The Royal Force, quitting their trenches, hotly pursued the insurgents. The Ghilzais, instead of marching straight on Kabul and seizing the undefended capital, lingered on the way, plundering the villages enroute. This gave time to the forces to overtake them and inflict on them a crushing defeat.
Next year the Ghilzais were again on the
Roughly two thirds of characters agree with a modern printed edition of the same text. Much of the disagreement is editorial, not misreading. Treat the transcription as a finding aid and read the page image before quoting. How this was measured.