by the resolute refusal of Futteh Khan to betray his brothers, who had effected their escape from Herat, Kamran and his father, Shah Mahmoud, agreed to put their noble prisoner to death. They were then on their way from Kandahar to Kabul. The ex-minister was brought into their presence; and again called upon to write to his brothers, ordering them to surrender themselves to the Shah. Again he refused, alleging that he was but a poor blind captive; that his career was run; that he had no longer any influence; and that, if he had, he could not consent to betray his brethren. Exasperated by the resolute bearing of his prisoner, Mahmoud Shah ordered the unfortunate Wuzír-the king-maker to whom he owed his crown, to be put to death before him; and there, in the presence of the Shah and the Shah-zadah, Futteh Khan was by the attendant courtiers, literally hacked to pieces. His nose, ears, and lips were cut off; his fingers severed from his hands; his hands from his arms, his arms from his body; limb followed limb, and long was the horrid butchery continued before the life of the victim was extinct. Futteh Khan raised no cry; offered no prayer for mercy. His fortitude was unshaken to the last. He died, as he had lived, the bravest and most resolute of men-like his noble father, a victim to the perfidy and ingratitude of princes. The murder of Sarfraz Khan shook the Suddozye Dynasty to its base. The assassination of Futteh Khan soon made it a heap of ruins.

From this time, the rise of Dost Mahommed was rapid. He had the blood of kindred to avenge. The ingratitudethe cruelty of Mahmoud and his son were now to be signally punished by the brother of the illustrious sufferer. Azím Khan, who ruled at Kashmir counselled a course of forbearance; but Dost Mahommed indignantly rejected the proposition; and declaring that it would be an eternal disgrace to the Barukzyes not to chastise the murderers of the Wuzír, asserted his willingness to march upon Kabul, at the head of an army of retribution. Azím Khan, liking neither to enter personally upon so perilous an undertaking, nor to appear, in such a juncture, wholly supine, presented the Dost with three or four lakhs of rupees to defray the charges of the expedition-a sum, which was exhausted long before the sirdar neared Kabul. But in spite of every obstacle, Dost Mahommed Khan reached Kúrd-Kabul-two marches from the Capital; and there encamped his army.

The Shah-zadah, Jehangir, the youthful son of Kamran, was then the nominal ruler of Kabul: but the management of affairs was entrusted to Atta Mahommed Khan-a man of

considerable ability, but no match for Dost Mahommed, and one who was now guilty of the grand error of under-rating an adversary. This man had acted a conspicuous part in the recent intestine struggles between the Suddozye brothers. He had no love for the Royal family-none for the Barukzyes; but he had ambitious projects of his own, and to advance these he was willing to betray his masters and league with their enemies. Whether the proposal came, in the first instance, from him or from Dost Mohammed appears to be somewhat doubtful; but a compact was entered into between the two chiefs; and the cause of the Suddozye was sacrificed. Atta Mahommed marched out of the Balla Hissar, with the ostensible object of giving battle to the Dost. Nothing was wanted to to complete the delusion. At the head of a well-equipped force the Bamzai Chief, proclaiming death to the rebels, moved upon Beh-meru. Drawing up his troops on commanding ground, he addressed them in language of well-simulated enthusiasm, invoking God to pour forth the vials of his eternal wrath upon the heads of all who should desert the cause of Mahmoud and Kamran. "With the same breath," says M. Masson," in a 'style peculiarly Affghan, he turned round and in whispers inquired for a Koran. The sacred book was produced; Atta 'Mahommed Khan, sealed and with renewed oaths despatched it to Dost Mahommed Khan." Then followed a series of mock skirmishes; whilst the agents of the two parties were arranging preliminaries. A meeting between the principals was then arranged; it took place secretly and by night. The treaty, by which it was agreed that the force under Dost Mohammed should be suffered to enter the Balla Hissar without opposition, was then sealed by Atta Mahommed and all the Barukzye brothers then present, with one exception. Pir Mahommed stood aloof. His brothers pleaded his extreme youth in justification of his unwillingness to enter into a business of such weighty import and he was accordingly excused. A second meeting was then agreed upon. The chiefs met in the Búrj-i-wuzír -a garden-house of the murdered Futteh Khan-and there. on a given signal, Pir Mahommed rushed upon the Bamzai chief, threw him to the ground, and blinded him. Atta Mahommed was fairly caught in the toils of his own treachery. It is alleged that he was, at the very moment of his overthrow, endeavouring to compass the destruction of the Barukzye brothers. Be this as it may, the game was one of treachery

* Masson says, "The friends of the Barukzye chiefs pretend that the Muktahar intended to have blown them up; others wholly deny this statement, and regard the occurrence as naturally arising in a contest for power, between desperate and

against treachery; and though we can not palliate the offences of one party, it is difficult to compassionate the sufferings of the other.

Having thus removed a dangerous rival-whether friend or foe-the seizure of the Balla Hissar was speedily effected. The Shah-Zadah was surrounded by treachery. The delight, as he was, of the women of Kabul, for he was very young and beautiful, he had few friends among the Affghans of the sterner sex; and was little capable of distinguishing the true from the false. He was easily persuaded to withdraw himself into the upper citadel, leaving the lower fortress at the mercy of Dost Mahommed. The Sirdar made the most of the opportunity; ran a mine under the upper works, and blew up a portion of them. Death stared the Shah Zadah in the face. The women of Kabul offered up prayers for the safety of the beautiful prince. The night was dark; the rain descended in torrents. To remain in the citadel was to court destruction. Under cover of the pitchy darkness, it was possible that he might effect his escape. Attended by a few followers, he made the effort, and succeeded. He fled to Ghuzní and was saved.*

Dost Mahommed was now in possession of Kabul; but his occupancy was threatened from two very different quarters. Shah Mahmoud and Prince Kamran were marching down from Herat, and Azím Khan was coming from Kashmir to assert his claims, as the representative of the Barukzye family. But the spirit of legitimacy was not wholly extinct in Affghanistan. The Barukzyes did not profess to conquer for themselves. It was necessary to put forward some scion of the royal family, and to fight and conquer in his name. Dost Mahommed proclaimed Sultan Ali, King of Kabul; whilst Azím Khan invited Shah Sújah to assert his claims to the throne. The Shah consented; an expedition was planned; but the covenant was but of short duration, for the contracting parties fell out upon the road; and instead of fighting a common enemy, got up a battle among themselves. The Shah, who never lived to grow wiser, gave himself such airs, and asserted such ridiculous pretensions, that a quarrel arose; and, on being defeated in the conflict which ensued, he was driven back into ignominious privacy. Another puppet being called for, Prince Ayub, for want of a

reckless men. The deprivation of sight was in retaliation of the injury inflicted on the Wuzir, owing somewhat it is said to Atta Mohammed Khan's instigation. ........ It is remembered that when Governor of Kashmir, the plucking out of eyes was one of his ordinary punishments."

* Masson.

better, was elevated to this dignity; and the new friends set out for Kabul.

In the mean while, the royal army, which had marched from Herat under Shah Mahmoud and Prince Kamran approached the capital of Affghanistan. The Dost was, in no measure, prepared to receive so formidable an enemy. Weak in numbers, and ill supplied with money and materials, he could not, with any hope of success, have given battle to Mahmoud's forces. The danger was imminent. The royal troops were within six miles of the capital. Dost Mahommed and his followers prepared for flight. With the bridles of their horses in their hands, they stood waiting the approach of the enemy. But their fears were groundless. A flight ensued; but it was not Dost Mahommed's, but Mahmoud's army, that fled. At the very threshold of victory, the latter turned back and flung itself into the arms of defeat. The causes of this extraordinary and most unexpected proceeding, have been variously explained. It is alleged by some writers, that Dost Mahommed finding himself unable to cope with Mahmoud, on the field of battle, resolved to accomplish that by artifice which he could not achieve by force of arms. Accordingly, he forged numerous letters, purporting to be written by and to bear the seals of Mahmoud's most influential supporters, and declaring their intentions of deserting the Shah and espousing the cause of Sultan Ali. These letters, it is alleged, were thrown, as though by accident, into the hands of Mahmoud and Kamran. The discovery of the supposed treachery of their principal supporters, so wrought upon their fears, that they determined not to risk an engagement before the walls of Kabul, but to fall back at once upon Herat. Another and more probable story is, that, finding, when near the capital, that Fúr Díl Khan with four others of the Barukzye brothers were between them and Herat, and apprehending that these chiefs were about to lay siege to that place, they deemed it more prudent to fall back for the security of a city already in their possession, than to advance for the purpose of attempting the seizure of a city in the possession of another. The Barukzyes were now dominant thoughout Affghanistan. The sovereignty, indeed, of Azím Khan's puppet, Ayub, was proclaimed; but the country was in reality divided among the Barukzye brothers. By them the superior claims of Azím Khan were generally acknowledged; Kabul, therefore, fell to his share. Dost Mahommed took possession of Ghuzni. Fúr Díl Khan, Kohan Dil Khan and their brothers occupied Kandahar. Jubbar Khan was put

D

in charge of the Ghilji country. Yar Mahommed and his brothers succeeded to the Government of Peshawur. And the Shah Zadah Sultan Ali, Dost Mahommed's puppet sunk quietly into the insignificance of private life.

But this did not last long. Shah Sújah had begun again to dream of sovereignty. He was organising an army at Shikarpúr. Against this force marched Azim Khan, accompanied by the new King Shah Ayub. No sooner were the Shah and his Wuzír fairly on the march, than Dost Mahommed stepped forward, again proclaimed Sultan Ali and re-seated him in the Balla Hissar. Upon this Azím Khan returned to Kabul; and Sultan Ali vacated the royal apartments. What followed is eminently characteristic of Affghan history. Dost Mahommed advised Sultan Ali to murder Shah Ayub; and Azím Khan advised Shah Ayub to murder Sultan Ali. Sultan Ali indignantly rejected the proposal; Shah Ayub consented, on condition that Azím Khan would return the compliment, by assassinating Dost Mahommed. This was agreed upon. Sultan Ali was strangled in his sleep. Shah Ayub then called upon Azím Khan to perform his part of the tragedy; but the Wuzír coolly asked, "How can I slay my brother ?" and recommended a renewal of the expedition to Shikarpúr. The Barukzye forces again left Kabul, and proceeded southward, by the western route; but the army of Shah Sújah soon disappeared-melting away without a struggle; and Azím Khan being in the neighbourhood of the Amírs employed himself in the collection of the Sindh Tribute. The immense quantity of treasure in camp, principally derived from the revenues of Kashmir, so excited the cupidity of Dost Mahommed, that he concerted with Sher Díl Khan, to seize it; a plot, which so alarmed Azím Khan that he broke up his camp, and incontinently returned to Kabul.

Azím Khan next planned an expedition against the Sikhs. He had no fear of Runjit Singh, whom he had once beaten in battle. Dost Mahommed accompanied his brother, and they marched upon the frontier, by Jellalabad and the Karapa Pass. Runjít was on the look out for them. He well knew the character of the Barukzye brothers-knew them to be avaricious, ambitious, treacherous; the hand of each against his brethren. He thought bribery better than battle; and sent agents to tamper with Yar Mahommed and the other Peshawur chiefs. They listened to his overtures, hoping to be enabled in the end to throw off the supremacy of Azim Khan. Dost Mahomined received intelligence of the plot; and signified his willingness to join the confederacy. His offer was