afghanistanto carry out the agreement reached the night before. ‘Why not?’ replied
Macnaghten casually, an expression which in Persian signified not uncer-
tainty but consent. His reply was sufficient. ‘Seize him’, Akbar Khan cried
and grabbed the envoy by his left hand. Another sardar, Sultan Jan, seized
the envoy’s other hand and together they dragged him head first down the
slope. Meanwhile the British officers who had accompanied Macnaghten
had their arms pinned and pistols put to their heads. 35
Akbar Khan later claimed he had no intention of harming Macnaghten
but merely planned to take him hostage. The facts, however, suggest other-
wise. As Macnaghten struggled to free himself, Akbar Khan discharged a
pistol into the envoy’s body, one of a pair that Macnaghten had presented to
him only the day before. In the confusion that followed the ghazis pounced
on the badly wounded Macnaghten, hacking off his arms and legs and
finally severing his head from his body. Lawrence and Mackenzie, two of
the officers who had accompanied Macnaghten, were saved from a simi-
lar fate by the intervention of Nawab Zaman Khan, whose men fought off
the ghazis and took them to the relative safety of Qal‘a-yi Mahmud Khan.
The following day he moved them into his own house. Lieutenant Trevor
was not so fortunate. He was disarmed and was being taken away when
Sultan Jan, who hated Trevor for having shamed the Royalist officers, rode
up exclaiming ‘this is the dog, Trevor’ and cut him with his sword, where-
upon he was dragged from his horse and hacked to death by ghazis. The
torsos of Macnaghten and Trevor were later hung from a meat hook in the
Chahar Chatta bazaar, while Macnaghten’s hands were paraded in triumph
through the streets of the Old City on a lance. As for Macnaghten’s head,
Akbar Khan had this wrapped in a sack and sent to the Mir Wali of Khulm.
Three days later, what was left of the envoy’s torso was thrown into a ditch
near the smouldering ruins of Burnes’s house.
Inside the cantonment there was confusion as to the fate of Macnaghten
and his fellow officers. It was not until the following day that it was
confirmed that Macnaghten and Trevor were dead and the other officers
had been taken hostage. A few days later Eldred Pottinger, who was now
in charge of political affairs, received a letter signed by Akbar Khan, ’Amin
Allah Khan Logari and other leaders demanding that the British adhere to
the terms of the 11 December agreement. Akbar Khan, however, made a
number of additional demands. The army must leave immediately and all
the treasure, except for funds needed for immediate road expenses, must
be handed over along with all but six guns and most of the ammunition.
The wives of senior officers were also to be surrendered as hostages until
Dost Muhammad Khan returned to Afghanistan. In return, Akbar Khan