the Afghan terms imposed on them. Rather then storming the cantonment, Akbar Khan tightened the blockade by burning the bridge over the Kabul river to prevent any escape attempt to the Bala Hissar. The Afghans also attacked the harassed British forces in the cantonment with sniper fire. During the last week of November, fighting halted for a bit as Akbar Khan fell ill and the end of Ramadan was celebrated. BY this time, the situation for the British forces was critical, food had run out and camp followers were dying from starvation, while the hospital, already overfilled with hundreds of wounded British soldiers also saw hundreds of Sepoy Indians faced numerous diseases. In an attempt to salvage the situation, and to undermine Akbar Khan, Macnaghten turned to the Jabbar Khel, offering them a huge sum of over 200,000 rupees in return for food and fodder, as well as an oath of fealty to Shah Shuja. The chief however, declined and told Macnaghten that they had sworn to "fight the infidel to the death". On 10 December, further news came that Nott stated he was unable to send a relief force to Kabul due to Ghazni and Qalat-i-Ghilzai were already under siege as well. It was then of paramount importance that the British reached a face-saving agreement quickly before the occupants of the cantonment starved to death. On 11 December, Macnaghten agreed to meet and negotiate with Akbar Khan, representatives of Nawab Zaman Khan's faction, and the Ghilzais. Macnaghten then drafted a quick treaty which differed little from what Akbar Khan had previously offered, where the British forces would withdraw as quickly as possible, the release of Dost Mohammad Khan and British recognition of him as the Amir of Afghanistan. Shah Shuja would also be persuaded to abdicate and offered the choice of staying in Kabul or leaving with the British forces back to India. A number of officers would also be held as hostages for Dost Mohammad to reach Kabul, in exchange Macnaghten wished for his army to be fed food, fodder, and be guaranteed safe passage back to India with several Barakzai and Ghilzai chiefs accompanying them as protection. At the end of the article, Macnaghten tried to slip in an article that the British could reside in Kabul, which nobody fell for as they believed it was to save-face with the evident British capitulation. When Macnaghten read the