Machine transcription
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city passed from one hand to another within twentyfour hours. Although the gateway of the city was blown up, in the corridors of the gateway great scenes of resistence were enacted. For when the Afghan fighters gallantly defended themselves against the lances of the enemy with a shield, they used their swords against the aggressors.
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In article twentyeigth under the title of "HOW THE GATEWAY OF GHAZNI WAS BLOWN UP" we had spoken of the regrettable incident of Ghazni on account of the treachery of Sirdar Abdur Rashid Khan, one of the relatives of Amir Dost Mohamed Khan. In this article we wish to give certain other particulars, which English sources have also mentioned. Much of these facts are from the writings of Neville Chamberlain, which give 44 years of military history of India.
The author was a young cavalry officer during the First Afghan War, who ultimately became a Field Marshall.
"On 21st. July 1839 the English forces under General Kean and accompanied by Shah Shuja arrived within 12 miles of the city of Ghazni. On the morning of that day, one Sirdar Abdur Rashid Khan, a cousin of Amir Dost Mohamed Khan accompanied by thirty of his followers reached the English camp. The Afghan and the English historians call this man a traitor, and the same designation can be used about his companions. They gave the news that Sirdar Ghulam Haider Khan, the son of Amir Dost Mohamed Khan will attack that very night with three thousand soldiers; besides this the English were told the gateways of Ghazni had been made fast with stones and mortar, and the only gateway, which is accessible is the Kabul gateway, which is also used for ingress and egress. That night the English soldiers did not sleep, expecting attack; and stayed ready in their tents, awaiting the onslaught of the defenders of Ghazni. But the night attack did not come off.
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.
