as the Northern Frontier is a problem that has yet

to be solved by the politician, it must remain "a source of perpetual joy to the soldier." That strikes one as being rather an extreme view to take of such a campaign as the authors

describe, even when it has been productive of the Victoria Cross for one of them, but the sincerity of the sentiment is shown in the cheerful content reflected on every page of their narrative. It is a very plain and unadorned tale with which they have presented us, and perhaps the more easily followed on that account. At any rate, nothing can be more clear and

lucid than the description of the general operations of Sir Bindon Blood's force. After giving their view of the canoes

of the outbreak, a view which is substantially that which is generally held, the authors proceed to a spirited description of the sudden attack upon the Malakand force, the gallant relief of Chakdara, and the subsequent campaign in the Mohmund Valley, together with the final operations against the Miner-

wale. The campaign was of about four months' duration altogether, but those four months meant a period of almost

incessant fighting. Day after day an advance or an expedition was made through a difficult and hostile country, and every

night, when they were not called upon to repel an actual attack, the tired troops had to endure the further ordeal of incessant "sniping." Of the day-work we read :— "Attacking a village in the Mamund Valley had for all of na by now a monotony which was only varied according to the amount of opposition offered, and to the losses we suffered. Every attack took place under almost similar circumstances. On nearing the village, the tribesmen would beat their tom-toms, and thus summon their comrades from all parts of the valley; white and green standards, bearing the strange and weird device of a.

• (1.) A Frontier Campaign. By Viscount Fincastle,V.O., and P. (7. Moth- Lockhart. London : Methuen and 0o.--(2.) Th. Stork( of also Moloihtni lialfl l'orce,1897. By Winston L. Spencer Churchill. London: LOOMMI111. and' Os. 6d.]—(3.) Th. Indian Frontier War! By Lionel James. Lenges s W. Edna. mina. 17s. 6&]

blood red band, would be seen heading parties of hurrying Ghazis, eager for the coming combat ; their curved swords glistening in the bright sunlight, the swordsmen would gather on the tops of the hills, ready for their downward rush, while behind every rock and stone crouched a Ghazi, rifle in hand, awaiting our arrival."

Unfortunately, the aim of these riflemen was only too accurate, and the consequent losses were heavy. Even the rather matter-of-fact tone of the author's recital of the many casualties fails to disguise the disproportionate length of the

butcher's bill. Taken altogether, their account of the cam- paign is a stirring narrative, written with most convincing simplicity, of a series of very gallant actions. One action, however, meets with hardly adequate treatment ; Lord Fin- castle has apparently very little to say about the heroic conduct which won him the Victoria Cross.

Mr.Winston Churchill's Malakand Field Foree,1897, is a very different type of book, and challenges attention from another standpoint. He, too, is a soldier, but it is evident that he has

inherited some of the other talents that have made his family famous. The literary quality of his work, its outspoken frankness, and its occasional eloquence, are all pleasantly ;reminiscent of his father, Lord Randolph Churchill. The actual ground that he covers is the same as in the preceding book, but he makes many personal reflections by the way; and his comments, even when they are purely personal and of a somewhat philosophical tendency, are well worth reading.

As an example of the latter, we are tempted to quote a passage in which he explains how in his case—as in that of the two other authors—" the labour one delights in physicka pain

"I would that it were in my power to convey to the reader who has not had the fortune to live with troops on service, some just appreciation of the compensations of war. The healthy open-air life, the vivid incidents, the excitement, not only of realisation, but of anticipation, the generous and cheery friendships, the chances of distinction which are open to all, invest life with keener interests and rarer pleasures. The uncertainty and im- ports.nce of the present reduce the past and future to comparative insignificance, and clear the mind of minor worries. And when all is over, memories remain which few men do not hold precious. As to the hardships, these, though severe, may be endured. Philosophers and recluses have in their endeavours to look beyond the grave suffered worse things. Nor will the soldier in the pursuit of fame and the enjoyment of the pleasure of war, be exposed to greater discomforts than Diogenes in his tub or the Trappists in their monastery. Besides all this, his chances of learning about the next world are infinitely greater. And yet when all has been said, we are confronted with a mournful but stubborn fact. In this contrary life, so prosaic is the mind of man, so material his soul, so poor his spirit, that there is no one who has been six months on active service, who is not delighted to get safe home again to the comfortable monotonies of peace."

Strange language, perhaps, in the mouth of a young Lieu- tenant of Hussars. But it must not be supposed that the author is always in this alternately philosophic and playful mood. He shows abundantly keen powers of soldierly observation, and bases upon that observation some very shrewd argument. The last two chapters of his book, dealing with certain military questions, and with what he calls the "riddle of the Frontier," may have been written by a young and inexperienced man, but they have certainly been written by a very clever one, whose opinions may some day, unless he

sadly belies their present promise, carry considerable weight. Suggestive, too, of rash youth is his intolerance of official circumlocution. He will use none of those euphemisms by which official language seeks to palliate actions that seem open to objection on the grounds of humanity, and scorns the Ministerial answer of "only fortifications" given to an inquiring Member of the House of Commons, who asked "whether the villages were burnt or only the fortifications." On the Afghan border every house is a fort, and when the villages were burnt, they were burnt thoroughly. Among the military points in the campaign upon which the author insists is the part played in it by the cavalry :—

" The great feature which the war on the Indian Frontier of 1897 has displayed is the extraordinary value of cavalry. At Shabkadr a charge of the lath Bengal Lancers was more than successful. In the Swat Valley, during the relief of Chakdara, the Guides Cavalry and 11th Bengal Lancers inflicted the most terrible loss on the enemy Again, after the action of Landakia, the cavalry made a most vigorous pursuit and killed large numbers of the enemy. While I was with the lSlalakand Field Force I was witness of the constant employment of the cavalry, and was several times informed by general officers that they would gladly have a larger number at their disposal. The reader may recall some of the numerous instances which these pages have recorded of cavalry work. On the morning of the

15th September it was the cavalry who were able to catch up the enemy, before they could reach the hills, and take some revenge for the losses of the night. In the action of the 16th, the charge of Captain Cole's squadron brought the whole attack of the enemy to a standstill, and enabled the infantry by their fire to convert the hesitation of the tribesmen into a retreat. Indeed, in every fight in the Mamund Valley the cavalry were the first in and the last out."

And yet, as he bitterly complains, the authorities steadily refuse to allow British cavalry to cross the frontier, and his

own regiment and many others are left in inglorious inaction to console themselves with polo. It is a good consolation, he adds with characteristic candour. But expense is a strong argument, and we doubt whether the Government of India is likely to follow the advice proffered them by this young cavalry officer,—to send at least one British cavalry regiment with every two native cavalry regiments that are despatched on service across the frontier. Two other points are so clearly brought out as to deserve special mention,—one the fact that the heavy losses to our troops were generally incurred during the operations of retirement, and the other the disproportionate loss of officers. The nature of the war- fare necessitated the advance of weak companies over difficult ground. So long as these advanced, the foe generally fell back or held aloof. So soon, however, as, their object being accomplished, they had to retire, the natural propensity of the hillmen to fall upon a retreating foe, and the better opportunity afforded them for attack, made the latter more daring and their assaults infinitely more deadly. And the same propensity is shown on a larger scale :—

" The powerful tribes who had watched the passage of the troops in sullen fear only waited for a sign of weakness in order to rise behind them. As long as the brigades dominated the country, and appeared confident and successful, their communications would be safe and the risings localised ; but a check, a reverse, a retreat would raise tremendous combinations on every side."

With reference to the lose of officers, the author tells a significant story. "When the Buffs were marching down to Panj kora they passed the Royal West Kent coming up to relieve them at Inayat Kila. A private in the up-going regiment asked a friend in the Buffs what it was like at the

front. Oh,' replied the latter, you'll be all right so long as you don't go near no officers, nor no white stones,' "—the fact being that a British officer, even when his regiment wore the same helmet as himself, was still a conspicuous figure for the keen-eyed tribesman who happened to be also a very good marksman. Want of space only prevents us from quoting one or two extremely interesting passages from Mr. Churchill's book, and drawing attention to the many acts of individual

heroism on the part of his brother officers, which he so well describes. But we cannot conclude this notice without con- gratulating him once more upon the possession of an un- doubted literary ability, which we may hope he may again turn to an equally good account.

Mr. James's book, The Indian Frontier War, covers a wider field, as it includes the more important Tirah Expe- dition as well. It is composed, apparently, of letters and communications written on the spot, and suffers in conse-

quence from the inaccuracy and repetition which must in- evitably attend all such correspondence. The author would

have done better, we think, to have rewritten his whole account of the two campaigns, a process which would have materially diminished the length of his work, and added to

its authoritative value as well as to the pleasure of the reader. At any rate, he should have corrected such obvious mistakes as that of giving the name of Captain Ryan instead of Captain Ryder in his account of the Mohmund operations. His account of the Tirah Campaign, though somewhat confused, is nevertheless very interesting, especially his spirited story of the famous attack upon the Dargai heights. It is accompanied, too, by excellent photographs. which give a better idea of the scene of warfare than could be conveyed by pages of description.