Colonel Baird. The effect of his communications upon the Prince was
quite as he had anticipated.

"So, really! The advance guard is already across the Amu Darya. War
will, then, break out just in the proper quarter," exclaimed the Russian
in a loud outburst of joy. "In our army the fear prevailed that the Tsar
would never brace himself up to the decision to make war. Powerful and
irresistible influences must have been at work to have finally conquered
his love of peace."

"You will, of course, get to the army as soon as possible?" inquired
Heideck; and as the Prince answered in the affirmative, he continued:
"I should be grateful to you if you would allow me to join you. But how
shall we get across the frontier? It is to be hoped that we shall be
allowed to pass quietly as unsuspected merchants."

"That is not quite so certain; we shall probably not be able to leave
India quite as readily as we entered it; but, at any rate, we must try
our best. We can reach Peshawar by rail in twelve hours and Quetta in
fifteen. Both these lines of railway are not likely at present to
be blocked by military trains, but we shall do well to hasten our
departure. In all probability we shall, either by way of Peshawar
or Quetta, soon meet with Russian troops, for I have no doubt that
a Russian army corps is also on the march upon Cabul, although the
Colonel, as you say, only spoke of an advance guard moving on Herat."

"I would suggest that we go by way of Peshawar and the Khyber Pass,
because we should thus reach Cabul most speedily and with the greater
security."