"Which route do you intend taking? Have you decided for Peshawar, or are
you also taking Quetta into your consideration?"

"I have not as yet quite made up my mind. In any case, I mean to take
the shortest way back to our army."

"If that is so, I would suggest Quetta. Most probably the Russian main
army will turn southwards. Their first objective will probably be Herat.
The best roads from the north and north-west converge on that point.
It is the meeting-place of the caravan roads from India, Persia, and
Turkestan. In Herat a large army can be concentrated, for it is situated
in fertile country. Once your advance guard is firmly established,
60,000 men can be conveyed there in a relatively short time. If the
English advance to Kandahar the collision between the forces will take
place at that point. But the Russians will outnumber the English so
greatly that the latter will hardly venture the march upon Kandahar.
Reinforced by the Afghan forces, General Ivanov, with 100,000 men, can
push on without hindrance to the Bolan Pass."

"If he should succeed," said the Prince, "the way would then be open for
him to the valley of the Indus. For England would be unable to hold the
Pass against such a force."

"Is it really so difficult to cross the Pass, as it is said to be?"
inquired Heideck.

"The Pass is about fifty versts in length. In 1839 the Bengal corps of
the Indus army advanced through it against the Afghan army, and managed
without difficulty to take with them twenty-four-pound howitzers as well
as eighteen-pound field guns."