"If I remember rightly they arrived, without having met with any
opposition worth mentioning, at Kandahar, and occupied the whole of
Afghanistan. But, in spite of this, they finally suffered a disastrous
defeat. Of their 15,000 men only 4,500 succeeded in returning in
precipitate flight through the Khyber Pass back to India."

Prince Tchajawadse laughed ironically.

"Fifteen thousand? Yes, if one can trust English sources of information!
But I can assure you, according to better information, that the English
in 1839 advanced upon Afghanistan with no less than 21,000 combatants
and a transport of 70,000 men and 60,000 camels. They marched through
the Bolan Pass, took Kandahar and Ghazni, entered Cabul, and placed
Shah Shuja upon the throne. They did not suffer any decisive defeat in
battle, but a general insurrection of the Afghans drove them from their
positions and entirely wiped out their force."

"I admire your memory, Prince!"

"Oh! all this we are obliged to have off by heart in the General Staff
College, if we are not to be miserably ploughed in examination. In
November, 1878, we were rather weak in Central Asia through having to
devote all our resources to bringing the war with Turkey to a close, and
so the English again entered Afghanistan. They meant to take advantage
of our embarrassments to bring the country entirely under their
suzerainty. They advanced in three columns by way of the Bolan Pass, the
Kuram Valley, and the Khyber Pass. But on this occasion too they were
unable to stand their ground, and had to retire with great loss. No
Power will ever be able to establish itself in Afghanistan without the