The wounded were, of course, taken to our hospital, and well cared for by our Doctors.[6] The remainder of our sojourn in Khost was not marked by any incident of particular interest.

We marched to the end of the valley, and made a careful survey of it and of the surrounding hills.
The instructions I received with regard to Khost were, to occupy the valley and dislodge the Afghan administration therefrom.

To my great chagrin, the smallness of my force made it impossible for me to give effect to these instructions as I could have wished.

To have remained in Khost under the circumstances would have been to court disaster; the numbers of the enemy were daily increasing, and it would have been impossible to hold our own.

It was, however, of great importance, if practicable, to retain some control over the valley, a peculiarly productive district, which, if left alone by us, I feared would become a centre of dangerous intrigue against any settled government in Kuram.