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assisted by the nobles and Mullahs of the Northern Province, were now on their way to Kabul, having already reached Shehr Ara, where the Habibia College was then housed, about a mile from the Arg. Bacha, after declaring himself Amir and Defender of Islam, divided his army into two parts. One of them was sent to the north under the command of Sayed Hussain to capture the fort of Jabl-us-Siraj, as has been mentioned above, while the other about three hundred strong, under his personal command marched straight on Kabul. His plan was to smuggle his forces into the Arg in the guise of royal levies and take the King by surprise. On the way, at Serai Khoja, he easily dis- armed the government troops, some of whom were won over to his side by tact and promis- es of future advancement. He met with no further opposition and after crossing the Khairkhana Pass made a dash for Kabul. This bold step on his part with only a handful of men at his side shows clearly that he was fully acquainted with the weakness and the apathy of the Central Government, and that some of the courtiers were secretly in league with him and supplied 29 بی حسی بی میلی