Chapter XXX: Another Winter

A political Durbar: tact of the Amîr: a friendly soldier. The banquet. Return of the Cholera. Essay on “Precautionary measures.” Health of the English in Kabul. Report to the Amîr: His Highness’s kindness. Visit to Prince Nasrullah: a “worm-eaten” tooth: the operation. Erring Englishmen: the Amîr’s remedy. Amîr as a chess-player. The far-sighted Armenian: winter quarters. End of the Cholera. Invasion of Small-pox and Erysipelas. To Paghman: Portrait of Prince Mahomed Omer: present from the Sultana. The sketch of the Prince: resemblance to the Amîr: his costume: arrangement of the group. Present of a slave boy. A lesson in courtesy to the Page boys. Native dinners. Visit of Mr. Pyne: the sandali. Completion of the portrait. The Amîr’s remark. Sultana’s gift to the Paghmanis: Afghan mode of slaughtering. Ride to Kabul: the mud. The Afghan Agent: the “Gnat.” Sent for to the Palace: a Landscape Commission: postponement of leave; disappointment: the Amîr’s remedy. Christmas dinner at the shops. The “Health of Her Majesty.”

CHAPTER XXXI.

ADIEU TO KABUL

Afghan artists. Presentation of the little Prince’s portrait. His quarters at the Palace. The Prince as a host. A walk in the Kabul Bazaars. Before the Amîr: landscapes. A fresh commission. The “Gnat’s” interpreting. The Amîr’s answer. Art pupils before the Amîr. The Amîr’s kindly remark. The miner’s dog: shattered nerves and surgical operations. The worries of Kabul life. To Paghman: the glens: the spy. Sketches. Before the Amîr. A fresh Commission. Adieux.