Then came the 101st Royal Bengal Fusiliers, a regiment that the Honourable East India Company had raised in 1652, and which had been transferred to the British Army after the demise of that company. The regiment had a proud history, having fought at Plassey, the first Afghan war and in Burma in 1852 as well as distinguishing itself in the terrible actions around Delhi during the Mutiny. With many experienced men having left in protest at the transfer to crown control, hundreds of ringtails, young recruits now filled the ranks. Jack was unsure whether griffins could cope with the conditions on the Frontier.
Pulling aside Sharbat, his Kabul pony, Jack watched as three battalions of Punjab infantry, stolid, professional and mainly Sikh, marched past. They would fight, whatever the odds. Jack
