From early Victorian times until independence, the vulnerability of the Indian sub-continent to an invasion by Russia engaged the attention of British politicians of every political persuasion. In the Victorian era it was known as the Great Game, and to ensure that her own rather than Russia's interest prevailed, Britain twice invaded Afghanistan in the 19th century. In more recent times a third campaign was launched to crush the Afghan armies of Amanullah and there were frequent clashes with the fiercely independent Pathans whose reputation for bravery, cruelty and cunning was tempered by the mutual respect with which tribesman and British soldier regarded each other. Drawn from journals and diaries of generations of British soldiers and government officials who served in this most sensitive and volatile of national borders, this is a piece of military history.