About three in the morning
It turned out , afterwards , that the Afghan sentries at the top of the pass heard the reports , and woke up the commander of the post ; who , hearing no further cause of alarm , took no action in the matter . Had the traitors waited until the column was within a mile of the top of the pass , the Afghans would assuredly have taken the alarm but , firing at a distance of four and a half miles , they failed in the desired effect . The advance was resumed , up the bed of the stream , for another mile and a half . About three in the morning the main water course was quitted , the road now entering a ravine to the left ; up which , three miles further on , was the summit of the pass . The column continued its weary way up the ravine , slowly stumbling along in the dark . One incident occurred , in this part of the road , showing the necessity , in night marching , for the regiments to keep close to each other . In one place a fir-covered island lay in the middle of the ravine , the torrent 's bed lying on either side of it .