He claimed to be able to work miracles.
The Heavenly host were, he said, on his side.
His excited appeals, to the fanaticism which exists in every Pathan, were responded to in a marvellous manner.

The villagers flew to arms.

Still, it was thought and hoped that, when the first excitement caused by his appeals had died away, matters would calm down again.

The hope, however, was short lived for, before long, the startling news came that the Mohmunds, a tribe whose territory lay near Peshawar, were in revolt; and that Shabkadr, a village within our frontier, had been raided and destroyed.
Within the next few days the Samana was invested, and the Khyber Pass was in the hands of the Afridis.

The Peshawar movable column, of four guns, two squadrons of native horse, and the 20th Punjabi regiment, with a few companies of the Somersets, were sent out to Shabkadr.