Consequently, early the next morning, Oldham and his Sappers, with a
covering party of one company of Pioneers under Bethune, and the Hunza
Levies, started to repair the bridge, and be ready to cross and turn the
enemy's flank, should he be found awaiting us.

An hour later the main body started over a road leading along a high
cliff. Here and there the enemy had evidently made attempts to destroy
the road, but so ineffectually that the advance guard hardly delayed its
advance for five minutes to repair it, and by 10 A.M. we had reached the
broken bridge, and found Oldham and his party hard at work mending it.

The great difficulty was want of beams to stretch across from pier to
pier, but attempts were being made to get these from an adjacent village
on the opposite bank of the river.

The bridge would not be ready for some two hours at earliest, so
Colonel Kelly sent me on to reconnoitre the Goland Gol, which we
expected the enemy to hold. I kicked my pony into a gallop and hurried
forward.

About a quarter of a mile farther on, I saw one of the road-bearing
beams of the destroyed bridge which had stranded on the opposite bank,
and sent back a note describing where it could be found.

Another quarter of a mile brought me up to the Punyal Levies, who were
already reconnoitring the spurs where the army were supposed to be; but
after a careful look through my glasses, we came to the conclusion that
there was no enemy, and again advanced. We reached the Goland Gol, which
is a narrow nullah running up into the hills on the left bank of the
river, the sides being impracticable for several miles, and down the