The water-supply for the first five-and-twenty years of our occupation was extremely bad, and sanitary arrangements, particularly as regards Natives, were apparently considered unnecessary.
In addition to the cordon of sentries round the cantonment, strong piquets were posted on all the principal roads leading towards the hills; and every house had to be guarded by a _chokidar_, or watchman, belonging to one of the robber tribes.

The maintaining this watchman was a sort of blackmail, without consenting to which no one's horses or other property were safe.

The watchmen were armed with all sorts of quaint old firearms, which, on an alarm being given, they discharged in the most reckless manner, making it quite a work of danger to pass along a Peshawar road after dark.

No one was allowed to venture beyond the line of sentries when the sun had set, and even in broad daylight it was not safe to go any distance from the station.
In the autumn of 1851 an officer--Captain Frank Grantham, of the 98th Foot--was riding with a young lady on the Michni road, not far from the Artillery quarter-guard, when he was attacked by five hill-men.
Grantham was wounded so severely that he died in a few days, the horses were carried off, but the girl was allowed to escape.

She ran as fast as she could to the nearest guard, and told her story; the alarm was given, and the wounded man was brought in.