KELLY'S MARCH. 455 defile,wherethey had destroyed Captain Ross's party, and where they hoped to stop Colonel Kelly. The usual road to Chitral is through the defile ;indeed it was supposed to be the only practicable way for an army, even of such small dimensions as that which was now on the move. But the men who had crossed the snows of the Shandur Passdid not mind some stiff climbing. Kelly till this point had followed the Mastuj River, but he now workedhis wayover the hills to the north-east of the defile, turning the enemy's position instead of attacking it. To quoteCaptain Younghusband's narrative:— taken across, but by linking them together in bands of ten or twelve,and by stationing levies in the stream tohelp men whomight be washed off their legs and to save kits which might be carried away, Colonel Kelly's force was able to effect the passage of this deep and rapid mountain river. A strategical move of the highest importance had thus beeneffected,and analmost impregnable position turned without the firing of a singleshot."

The Gilgit column was now two marches distant from Chitral fort. Kelly had received no news from the garrison, nor could he know anything of the progress of General Low's arm}-. This 17th of April was,however,as we shall see, the critical day of the campaign. On that day Low overcame the last obstacle to his advance: the besiegedmet and defeatedthe most dangerous attack of the besiegers, and Kelly, though he did not yet know the full measure of his success,had by the passageof the river won the race to Chitral.

"In the midst of heavy rain he marched on the 15th of April to Khusht and on the 16th to Loon, and then on the 17th, being well behind the worst defiles, he descended to the river bedagain and crossed the Chitral River to Barnas, though the river at this point is not generally considered fordable, for it is breasthigh and runs with rapid current. It was, of course, with only great risk that men could be