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remained shut in for four days, he came out of the Arg and proceeded to the public gardens on foot. There he delivered a harangue [خطابه بيلفن?] before a large gathering in which he promised them all they wanted, including the repeal of the odious [منفور] laws he had promulgated, [اعلان رسمی] and made an appeal for their co-operation. But it was too late. The situation had gone out of control, and the people would not listen to him any more. Some went so far as to tell him to his face that they could no longer trust his word. Pamphlets promising the rescission of the unpopular laws and the grant of a just constitution proved equally ineffective. On the contrary, they revealed the hollowness of the government and its utter inability to cope with the situation. In spite of his injury, Bacha did not quit his place and there was no change in the front. On the 24th of December after a sustained battle of twelve days, a handful of soldiers assisted by some tribesmen, who had been offered some thousand rupees for this service, made a dash for Kafir Koh. They met with a stout opposition and much blood was shed, but at last they succeeded in 37