Through Three Campaigns: A Story of Chitral, Tirah and Ashanti
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Chapter 4: In The Passes
The march after leaving Dahimol was a short one. Here they were metby the governor of the upper parts of the valley, and he gave themvery useful details of the state of parties in Chitral, and of theroads they would have to follow. He accompanied the force on thenext day's march, and billeted all the troops in the villages; forwhich they were thankful enough, for they were now getting prettyhigh up in the hills, and the nights were decidedly cold.
They were now crossing a serious pass, and had reached the snowline; and the troops put on the goggles they had brought with themto protect their eyes from the dazzling glare of the snow. At twoo'clock they reached the post at Ghizr, which was held by a body ofKashmir sappers and miners. The place had been fortified, andsurrounded by a strong zereba. The troops were billeted in theneighbouring houses, and they halted for a day, in order to allowthe second detachment of the Pioneers and the guns to come up.Here, also, they were joined by a hundred men of the native levies.
When they prepared for the start, the next morning, they found thata hundred of the coolies had bolted during the night. Two officerswere despatched to find and fetch them back. Fifty were fortunatelydiscovered, in a village not far off, and with these and somecountry ponies the force started. They passed up the valley andcame upon a narrow plain. Here the snow was waist deep, and the menwere forced to move in single file, the leaders changing placesevery hundred yards or so.
At last they came to a stop. The gun mules sank to their girths inthe snow and, even then, were unable to obtain a footing. Men weresent out to try the depth of the snow on both sides of the valley,but they found no improvement. Obviously it was absolutelyimpossible for the mules and ponies to get farther over the snow,in its present state. It was already three o'clock in theafternoon, and only eight miles had been covered. The forcetherefore retired to the last village in the valley. Two hundredPioneers under Borradaile, the sappers, and the Hunza levies wereleft here, with all the coolie transport.
Borradaile's orders were to force his way across the pass, nextday; and entrench himself at Laspur, the first village on the otherside. He was then to send back the coolies, in order that theremainder of the force might follow. With immense trouble anddifficulty, the kits of the party that were to proceed were sortedout from the rest, the ammunition was divided and, at seveno'clock, the troops who were to return to Ghizr started on theircold march. They reached their destination after having been onfoot some fifteen hours.
Lisle was with the advance party. They were all told off to housesin the little village. Fires were lighted and the weary men cookedtheir food and, huddling close together, and keeping the firesalight, slept in some sort of comfort. Next morning at daybreakthey turned out and found, to their disgust, that the snow wascoming down heavily, and that the difficulties would be evengreater than on the previous day. Borradaile therefore sent backone of the levies, with a letter saying that it was impossible toadvance; but that if the sky cleared, he would start on thefollowing morning.
The Kashmir troops at Ghizr volunteered to go forward, and make arush through the snow; and Stewart and his lieutenant, Gough, setout with fifty of them, taking with them half a dozen sledges thathad been made out of boxes. On arriving at Tern, Stewart foundfodder enough for the mules, and begged that the guns might be sentup. Borradaile had started early; and Stewart with the fiftyKashmir troops followed, staggering along dragging the guns andammunition. The snow had ceased, but there was a bitter wind, andthe glare from the newly-fallen snow was terrible.
The guns, wheels, and ammunition had been told off to differentsquads, who were relieved every fifty yards. In spite of the cold,the men were pouring with perspiration. At one point in the march astream had to be crossed. This was done only with great difficulty,and the rear guard did not reach the camping ground, at the mouthof the Shandur Pass, until eleven at night; and even then the gunshad to be left a mile behind. Then the weary men had to cut fuel tolight fires. Many of them were too exhausted to attempt to cookfood, and at once went to sleep round the fires.
Early the next morning, the Pioneers and levies started to crossthe pass. The Kashmir men brought up the guns into camp but, thoughthe distance was short, the work took them the best part of theday. The march was not more than ten miles; but Borradaile's party,though they left Langar at daylight, did not reach Laspur tillseven o'clock at night. The slope over the pass was a gradual one,and it was the depth of the snow, alone, that caused so much delay.The men suffered greatly from thirst, but refused to eat the snow,having a fixed belief that, if they did so, it would bring onviolent illness.
On arriving at the top of the pass, the Hunza levies skirmishedahead. So unexpected was their arrival that the inhabitants of thevillage were all caught and, naturally, they expressed theirextreme delight at this visit, and said that they would be glad tohelp us in any way. They were taken at their word, and sent back tobring up the guns. Their surprise was not feigned, for theChitralis were convinced that it would be impossible to cross thepass, and letters were found stating that the British force waslying at Ghizr.
The feat, indeed, was a splendid one. Some two hundred and fiftymen, Hindoos and Mussulmans had, at the worst time of the year,brought two mountain guns, with their carriages and ammunition,across a pass which was blocked for some twenty miles by deep, softsnow; at the same time carrying their own rifles, eighty rounds ofammunition, and heavy sheepskin coats. They had slept for twonights on the snow and, from dawn till dark, had been at work tothe waist at every step, suffering acutely from the blinding glareand the bitter wind. Stewart and Gough had both taken their turnsin carrying the guns, and both gave their snow glasses to sepoyswho were without them.
Borradaile's first step was to put the place in a state of defence,and collect supplies and coolies. In the evening the guns werebrought in by the Kashmir troops, who were loudly cheered by thePioneers.
Lisle had borne his share in the hardships and had done so bravely,making light of the difficulties and cheering his comrades by hisjokes. He had escaped the thirst which had been felt by so many,and was one of those who volunteered to assist in erectingdefences, on the evening of their arrival at Laspur.
At two o'clock the next day, the rest of the force came into camp.A reconnoitring party went out and, three miles ahead, came uponthe campfires of the enemy. They were seen, three miles fartherdown the valley, engaged in building sangars; but as the forceconsisted of only one hundred and fifty men, it was not thoughtadvisable to attack, and the troops consequently returned to camp.
The next day was spent in making all the arrangements for theadvance. Messengers were sent out to all the villages, calling onthe men to come in and make their submission. This they did, at thesame time bringing in supplies and, by night, a sufficient numberof native coolies had been secured to carry all the baggage,including ammunition and guns.
A native chief came in with a levy of ninety native coolies. Thesewere found most valuable, both in the work and in obtaininginformation. From their knowledge of the habits of the people, theywere able to discover where the natives had hidden their supplies;which was generally in the most unlikely places.
The reconnoitring party had found that, some six miles on, the snowceased; and all looked forward with delight to the change. A smallgarrison of about a hundred, principally levies, were left atLaspur; with instructions to come on when the second party arrived.The main force started at nine o'clock.
At Rahman the snow was left behind. Here they learned that theenemy would certainly fight, between the next village and Mastuj.Lieutenant Beynon went on with a party of levies and gained a hill,from which he could view the whole of the enemy's position. Here hecould, with the aid of his glasses, count the men in each sangar,and make out the paths leading up the cliffs from the river. Whenhe had concluded his observations, he returned and reported toColonel Kelly; and orders were issued for the attack, the next day.
The levies were expected to join the next morning. They wer
e toadvance with a guide, and turn out the enemy from the top of adangerous shoot; from which they would be enabled to hurl downrocks upon the main body, as it advanced. Beynon was to start, atsix, to work through the hills to the right rear of the enemy'sposition. The main body were to move forward at nine o'clock.
Beynon encountered enormous difficulties and, in many places, heand his men had to go on all fours to get along. He succeeded,however, in driving off the enemy; who occupied a number of sangarson the hills, and who could have greatly harassed the main body byrolling down rocks upon them.
The enemy's principal position consisted of sangars blocking theroads to the river, up to a fan-shaped alluvial piece of ground.The road led across this ground to the foot of a steep shoot,within five hundred yards of sangars on the opposite side of theriver and, as it was totally devoid of any sort of shelter, itcould be swept by avalanches of stones, by a few men placed on theheights for the purpose.
When the troops arrived within eight hundred yards, volley firingwas opened; and the guns threw shells on the sangar on the extremeright of the enemy's position. The enemy were soon seen leaving it,and the fire was then directed on the next place, with the sameresult. Meanwhile Beynon had driven down those of the enemy whowere posted on the hill; and general panic set in, the guns pouringshrapnel into them until they were beyond range.
The action was over in an hour after the firing of the first shot.The losses on our side were only one man severely, and threeslightly wounded. After a short rest, the force again proceeded,and halted at a small village a mile and a half in advance. A fordwas found, and the column again started. Presently they met aportion of the garrison who, finding the besieging force movingaway, came out to see the reason.
In the meantime, the baggage column was being fiercely attacked;and an officer rode up, with the order that the 4th company were togo back to their assistance. The company was standing in reserve,eager to go forward to join in the fight and, without delay, theynow went off at the double.
They were badly wanted. The baggage was struggling up the lastkotal that the troops had passed, and the rear guard were engagedin a fierce fight with a great number of the enemy; some of whomwere posted on a rise, while others came down so boldly that thestruggle was sometimes hand to hand. When the 4th company reachedthe scene, they were at once scattered along the line of baggage.
For a time the enemy fell back but, seeing that the reinforcementwas not a strong one, they were emboldened to attack again. Theirassaults were repulsed with loss, but the column suffered severelyfrom the fire on the heights.
"We must stop here," the officer in command said, "or we shall notget the baggage through before nightfall; and then they would haveus pretty well at their mercy. The Punjabis must go up and clearthe enemy off the hill, till the baggage has got through."
The Punjabis were soon gathered and, led by an English officer,they advanced up the hill at a running pace, until they came to apoint so precipitous that they were sheltered from the enemy'sfire. Here they were halted for a couple of minutes to gain breath,and then the order was given to climb the precipitous hill, whichwas some seventy feet high.
It was desperate work, for there were points so steep that the menwere obliged to help each other up. Happily they were in shelteruntil they got to within twenty feet of its summit, the interveningdistance being a steep slope. At this point they waited until thewhole party had come up; and then, with a cheer, dashed up theslope.
The effect was instantaneous. The enemy, though outnumbering themby five to one, could not for a moment withstand the line ofglittering bayonets; and fled precipitately, receiving volley aftervolley from the Pioneers. As the situation was commanded by stillhigher slopes, the men were at once ordered to form a breastwork,from the stones that were lying about thickly. After a quarter ofan hour's severe work, this was raised to a height of three feet,which was sufficient to enable the men to lie down in safety.
By the time the work was done, the enemy were again firing heavily,at a distance of four hundred yards, their bullets patteringagainst the stones. The Punjabis, however, did not return the firebut, turning round, directed their attention to the enemy on theother side of the valley, who were also in considerable force.
Illustration: He carefully aimed and fired.
"Here!" the officer said to Lisle, "do you think you can pick offthat fellow in the white burnoose? He is evidently an importantleader, and it is through his efforts that the enemy continues tomake such fierce attacks."
"I will try, sir," Lisle replied in Punjabi; "but I take it thatthe range must be from nine hundred to a thousand yards, which is along distance for a shot at a single man."
Lying down at full length, he carefully aimed and fired. Theofficer was watching through his field glass.
"That was a good shot," he said. "You missed the man, but youkilled a fellow closely following him. Lower your back sight atrifle, and try again."
The next shot also missed, but the third was correctly aimed, andthe Pathan dropped to the ground. Some of his men at once carriedoff his body. His fall created much dismay; and as, at that moment,the whole of the Punjabis began to pepper his followers with volleyfiring, they lost heart and quickly retired up the hill.
"Put up your sights to twelve hundred yards," the officer said."You must drive them higher up, if you can; for they do us as muchharm, firing from there, as they would lower down. Fireindependently. Don't hurry, but take good aim.
"That was a fine shot of yours, Mutteh Ghar," he said to Lisle, bywhose side he was still standing; for they had gone so far down theslope that they were sheltered from the fire behind. "But for hisfall, the baggage guard would have had to fight hard, for he wasevidently inciting his men to make a combined rush. His fall,however, took the steam out of them altogether. How came you to besuch a good shot?"
"My father was fond of shooting," Lisle said, "and I used often togo out with him."
"Well, you benefited by his teaching, anyhow," the officer said. "Idoubt if there is any man in the regiment who could have picked offthat fellow, at such a distance, in three shots. That has reallybeen the turning point of the day.
"See, the baggage is moving on again. In another hour they will beall through.
"Now, lads, turn your attention to those fellows on the hillbehind. As we have not been firing at them for some time, they willprobably think we are short of ammunition. Let us show them thatour pouches are still pretty full! We must drive them farther awayfor, if we do not, we shall get it hot when we go down to join therear guard. Begin with a volley, and then continue with independentfiring, at four hundred yards."
The tribesmen were standing up against the skyline.
"Now, be careful. At this distance, everyone ought to bring downhis man."
Although that was not accomplished, a number of men were seen tofall, and the rest retired out of sight. Presently heads appeared,as the more resolute crawled back to the edge of the crest; and aregular duel now ensued. Four hundred yards is a short range with aMartini rifle, and it was not long before the Punjabis proved thatthey were at least as good shots as the tribesmen. They had theadvantage, too, of the breastwork behind which to load, and hadonly to lift their heads to fire; whereas the Pathans were obligedto load as they lay.
Presently the firing ceased, but the many black heads dotting theedge of the crest testified to the accurate aim of the troops. Thetribesmen, seeing that their friends on the other side of thevalley had withdrawn, and finding that their own fire did not availto drive their assailants back, had at last moved off.
For half an hour the Pioneers lay, watching the progress of thebaggage and, when the last animal was seen to pass, they retired,taking up their position behind the rear guard. The column arrivedin camp just as night fell.
"That young Bullen can shoot," the officer who commanded thecompany said, that evening, as the officers gathered round theirfire. "When, as I told you, we had driven off the fellows on theright of the valley, things were
looking bad on the left, where achief in a white burnoose was working up a strong force to make arush. I put young Bullen on to pick him off. The range was aboutnine hundred and fifty yards. His first shot went behind the chief.I did not see where the next shot struck, but I have no doubt itwas close to him. Anyhow, the third rolled him over. I call thatsplendid shooting, especially as it was from a height, which makesit much more difficult to judge distance.
"The chief's fall took all the pluck out of the tribesmen and, aswe opened upon them in volleys, they soon went to the right about.We peppered them all the way up the hill and, as I could see frommy glasses, killed a good many of them. However, it took all thefight out of them, and they made no fresh attempt to harass thecolumn."
"The young fellow was a first-rate shot," the colonel said. "If youremember he carried off several prizes, and certainly shot betterthan most of us; though there were one or two of the men who werehis match. You did not speak to him in English, I hope, Villiers?"
"No, no, colonel. You said that he was to go on as if we did notknow him, till we reached Chitral; and of course spoke to him inPunjabi.
"One thing is certain: if he had not brought down that chief, theenemy would have been among the baggage in a minute or two; so hisshot was really the turning point of the fight."
"I will make him a present of twenty rupees, in the morning," thecolonel said. "That is what I should have given to any sepoy whomade so useful a shot, and it will be rather fun to see how hetakes it."
"You will see he will take it without winking," the major said. "Hewill know very well that any hesitation would be noticed, and hewill take it as calmly as if he were a native."
Accordingly the next morning, as the regiment fell in, the colonelcalled Lisle out from the ranks.
"Mutteh Ghar," he said, "Lieutenant Villiers reports that you didgreat service, yesterday, in picking off the leader of the Pathanswho were attacking the column from the left. Here are twentyrupees, as a token of my satisfaction."
Lisle did not hesitate for a moment, but took off his turban, andheld it out for the colonel to drop the money into it; murmuringhis thanks as he did so. Then he put on his turban again, saluted,and retired.
"I told you he would not hesitate, colonel," the major laughed."The young beggar was as cool as a cucumber, and I doubt if weshould catch him napping, however much we tried."
"He is a fine young fellow, major, and will make a splendidofficer. I shall be disappointed, indeed, if I fail to get him acommission."
"I don't think you are likely to fail, colonel. The young fellowhas really distinguished himself greatly. Even without that, thefact that he enlisted to go through the campaign, and took hisshare with the troops both in their fighting and their hardships,would show that he really deserved a commission; even putting asidethe fact of his father's death. It would be a thousand pities ifsuch a promising young fellow should have to waste the next threeyears of his life, cramming up classics and mathematics. It wouldbe like putting a young thoroughbred into a cart."
"That is so," the colonel said; "but there is no answering for theWar Office, or saying what view they may take of any given subject.However, if we get first to Chitral, as I feel sure we shall do, Isuppose I shall be in high favour; and they won't like to refuse sosmall a request, backed as it is by the facts of the case."
At half-past five the force marched into Mastuj, and found thegarrison comfortably settled there, and well fed. The fort was asquare building, with a tower at each corner and at the gateway.Late in the evening the baggage came in. The enemy had made noserious attack upon the place; and Moberley, who was in command,had even been able to send a force to Buni, whence they brought offJones and the survivors of Ross's force.
The next day a fatigue party were sent out to destroy the enemy'ssangars and, on the same day, the remaining half of the Pioneerscame up. The day was spent by those in the fort in examining thestate of supplies; and despatching messengers to all the villagesround ordering them to send in supplies, and coolies to carry thebaggage.
On the morning of the 1st of April, Beynon was sent on toreconnoitre the enemy's position; and returned with the report thatit was a strong one. They had got very close to it, and had a fairview of the position. Next morning the force started, the leviesbeing ahead. It was a fine, bright morning. They crossed the riveron a bridge built by the sappers.
When they reached the maidan, they found that it was a gentle,grassy slope. The levies were in advance, with two companies in thefiring line, two in support, and the Kashmir company in reserve, Inthis order they pushed on, until they came under the fire of thesangars. Stewart brought his guns into action. After a time, thefire of the levies drove the enemy from the nearest sangar; whilethree of the Pioneer companies paid attention to another sangar.
Beynon was sent on, to find some way down into the valley. He foundno path leading to the nullah. The drop from the edge was sheer,for some seventy feet; then came a ledge from which he thought theycould scramble down to the edge of the stream, and thence to theopposite side, where he noticed a track. With this information, hewent back to report to Colonel Kelly.
The sappers were brought up and, also, a reserve company of Kashmirtroops. When Beynon got back to the nullah, he found the Pioneersextended along the edge, and Oldham's sappers already at work.These, aided by ropes and scaling ladders, got down to the ledge;and from this point they and Oldham slung themselves down to thebed of the stream, by the same means. A few sappers had followed,when a box of dynamite exploded with a violent detonation, and therest of the company were called back.
Lisle happened to be stationed at the point where the descent wasmade, and when the explosion took place he seized the rope and,sliding down, joined the two officers and the eleven sappers whohad passed. They scrambled to the opposite side, and saw that thePioneers were moving down the nullah towards the river, while thelevies were nearing the sangars. The enemy were seen bolting, andthe little party opened fire upon them. The sappers were armed onlywith carbines, which were uncertain at so long a range; but Lisle,with his rifle, brought down an enemy at every shot.
"That is a good one," he muttered, as a mounted officer at whom hehad aimed fell from his horse.
He was startled when the man behind him said:
"Hillo, young fellow, who on earth are you?
"I will tell you after it is done, sir," Lisle said. "But I hopeyou will keep my secret."
Some of the levies and a few Pioneers now came up, and they learnedwhat had been the cause of the explosion. The Kashmir company hadnot followed and, as the sappers were at work, they had laid downcakes of dynamite at the head of the pass. One of the enemy'sbullets striking these had ignited them, and the troops there werecalled upon to retire. The enemy, seeing our men falling back,rushed out of their sangars and opened fire; but were speedilydriven in again by volleys from the Pioneers. Just then the leviesshowed on the ridge, and the Pioneers moved down the nullah, by agoat track they had found.
The battle was now over, and a company of Pioneers were sent aheadto the next village, while the rest of the force encamped. When allwere settled down, Lisle saw Lieutenant Moberley walking along thelines of the regiment, and evidently looking for someone. Lislehesitated a minute. If he remained quiet he might not be recognizedby the officer, but in that case the latter might report what hehad heard, and an investigation might be made. He therefore wentforward to the officer.
"Ah!" the latter said, "you are the man I heard speak in English."
"It was very foolish, sir, but I had no idea that I should beoverheard."
"Well, who are you, and how in the world is it that you are aprivate in the Pioneers?"
"My father was Captain Bullen, who was killed in a native raid. Iremained with the regiment for a time, because there was noopportunity of my being sent home. I wanted to see the campaign, soI took the place of a sepoy who had died and, as I speak thelanguage perfectly, it has never been suspected that I was anythingbut what I seem."
"I don't suppose you will be sent home. You have shown yourself aman, and I have no doubt that Colonel Kelly will make some mentionin his report of your conduct, and strongly recommend you for acommission. In the circumstances, I should think it would begranted."
"Thank you indeed, sir! I am very comfortable as I am."
"How old are you?
"I am nearly sixteen, sir."
"Well, it won't be necessary to report that, for the people at homewould consider you too young. I am sure you deserve a commissionfor the pluck you showed, in taking your place as a private amongthe natives. Your knowledge of the language, too, will be anargument in your favour.
"How was it that you joined our little party?"
"I acted on the impulse of the moment. I happened to be at the spotwhen your party were going down, and I saw that you would soon bein the thick of it, while we were only firing. I was just thinkingabout it, when there was a great burst of flame behind me. I didnot know what it was, but that decided me. I caught hold of therope and slipped down.
"Thank you very much for your promise, sir," and, saluting, Lisledrew back to his comrades.
"What was he saying to you?" one asked.
"He was asking how it was that I came to be among his party; andwhen I explained how it was that I left my place, he seemedperfectly satisfied; so I don't expect I shall hear anything moreabout it."
On the first day's march they came upon a deserted fort, whereenough grain was discovered to last the force for months. Enoughflour was also found to give a shovelful to each of the coolies;who were highly gratified, for most of them were altogether withoutfood. The remainder of the flour was distributed among the sepoys,and as much grain was taken as carriage could be found for.
The next day's march was through a cultivated country. Six moremarches took them to Chitral. They met with no opposition whatever,and their greatest trouble was in crossing rivers, the bridgeshaving been destroyed.
When within a day's march from Chitral, they met a man bearingletters from the town. It was from Mr. Robertson, saying that SherAfzul had fled on the night of the 18th of April; and that on thatnight the siege was raised. It also contained a list of thecasualties, to be forwarded to England; the number being a hundredand four killed and wounded, out of one thousand and seventycombatants.
The force marched in at noon, the next day; and were received withgreat joy by the garrison. They bivouacked round the castle and, onthe following day, the Kashmir garrison came out and camped withthem; rejoicing much at the change from the poisoned atmosphere ofthe fort. They were mere walking skeletons.
Some days later the 3rd Brigade under General Gatacre arrived,followed by General Low and the headquarter staff.
The day after their arrival at Chitral, one of Kelly's orderliescame into the line and enquired for Mutteh Ghar. A short timebefore, Lisle had noticed Gholam Singh leave the colonel's tent;and guessed that he had been sharply questioned, by the colonel, asto the name he had gone under in the regiment. He at once followedthe orderly to the tent.
"This is a nice trick you have played us, Lisle," the colonel said,as he entered. "To think that while we all thought you on your waydown to Calcutta, you were acting as a private in the regiment! Itwas very wrong of Gholam Singh to consent to your doing so; but Iwas so pleased to know that you were here that I could not bring itin my heart to blow him up as he deserved. Unquestionably, he actedfrom the respect and affection that he felt for your father.
"What put the idea into your head?"
"I had quite made up my mind to go with the regiment, sir; andshould have come as a mule driver or a coolie, if I had not gotinto the ranks."
"Well, it is done and cannot be undone. Lieutenant Moberley hasreported most favourably of your conduct in the last fight, andGholam Singh says that your conduct as a private has beenexcellent. You have become a great favourite with the men, by thecheerfulness with which you bore the hardships of the march; andkept up the spirits of the men by your jokes and example.
"But of course, this cannot go on. You must again become one of usand, on the march down, do officer's duty. I shall not fail toreport the matter, and shall recommend you for a commission. I feelsure that, as the son of Captain Bullen, and for the services youhave rendered during the campaign, together with your knowledge ofthe language, my recommendation will be effective.
"But I don't know what we can do about clothes. We are allpractically in rags, and have only the things that we stand in."
"I have brought a suit with me in my kit, sir; and as we have hadno inspection of kits, since we marched, they have not beennoticed."
"Very well, lad. Put them on, and come back again in an hour. Iwill have the other officers of the regiment here. They will, I amsure, all be heartily glad to see you again.
"I suppose that stain won't get off you, for some time?"
"I don't think it will last over a week, sir; for I have had nochance of renewing it since our last fight. It is not so dark as itwas, by a good bit; and I had intended to steal away, today, andrenew it."
"We are all so sun burnt, or rather so snow burnt, that you are notmuch darker than the rest of us. Well, then, I shall expect you inan hour. You will, of course, hand over your uniform, rifle, andaccoutrements to the quartermaster sergeant."
"Yes, sir."
Lisle went back to the lines and, taking his kit, went some littledistance out of camp. Here he took off his uniform and put on theclothes he had worn before starting. He folded the uniform up andplaced it, with his rifle and accoutrements, in a little heap.
Then he went to the tent where Robah's master lived. He had oftenspoken to Robah during the march and, waiting till he could catchhis eye, he beckoned to him to come to him. Robah was immenselysurprised at seeing him in his civilian dress, and hurried up tohim.
"I have been found out, Robah, and am to join the officers on themarch down. I am at present a young gentleman at large. You seethat tree up there? At the foot you will find my uniform, rifle,and accoutrements. I want you to carry them to the quartermastersergeant, and tell him to put them in store, as Mutteh Ghar hasleft the regiment. Of course, the story will soon be known, but Idon't wish it to get about till I have seen the colonel again. I amglad to say that he is not angry with me; and has not reprimandedGholam Singh, very severely, for aiding me in the matter."
Robah at once started on his mission, and Lisle then went into thecamp, and strolled about until it was time to repair to thecolonel's tent. He found the eight officers of the regimentgathered there.
"We were not mistaken, gentlemen," the colonel said. "This youngscamp, instead of going down to Calcutta, left the convoy after ithad marched a mile or two. Gholam Singh was in the secret, and hadfurnished him with the uniform and rifle of a man who had died, theday before. He put this on and marched boldly in. The other nativeofficers of the company were in the secret, and gave out to the menthat this was a new recruit, a cousin of the man we had just lost.
"Under that title he has passed through the campaign; living withthe soldiers, sharing all their hardships; and being, for a time atleast, altogether unsuspected of being aught but what he appeared.Gholam Singh said that his conduct was excellent; that he was agreat favourite, with the men, for the good humour with which hebore the hardships. He was with Beynon and Moberley, and showedgreat pluck and steadiness in picking off several of the enemy, asthey fled.
"Fortunately, Moberley overheard him mutter to himself in English,and so the matter came out. Moberley promised to keep silence tillwe got here and, this morning, he told the whole story. Of course,we could not have poor Bullen's son remai
ning a private in thePioneers, and he has joined us under the old conditions. I havegiven him the rank of lieutenant, and shall recommend him for acommission; which I have no doubt he will get, not only as the sonof an officer who had done excellent service, but for the pluck andenterprise he has shown. His perfect knowledge of Punjabi willalso, of course, count in his favour."
The officers all shook hands cordially with him, and congratulatedhim on the manner in which he had carried out his disguise; and hewas at once made a member of the mess. Afterwards, two or three ofthem walked with him down to the lines of his company. The menregarded them with interest, and then burst into a loud cheer.
"That is good," the officer said. "It shows that you like him.Henceforth he will rank as one of the officers; and I hope you willall like him, in that capacity, as well as you did when he was oneof yourselves."
They then walked off, leaving the company in a state of excitement.
In the afternoon, at mess, Lisle learned the whole details of thesiege, which had been gathered from the officers of the garrison.On March 2nd, Mr. Robertson received information that Sher Afzulhad arrived in the valley and, the next day, news came that he was,with a large following, at a small house in a ravine, about a mileand a quarter from the fort. Captain Campbell, with two hundred ofthe Kashmir Rifles, was sent out to make a reconnaissance. He wasaccompanied by Captains Townshend and Baird, and by Surgeon CaptainWhitchurch and Lieutenant Gurdon. The rest were left in the bazaar,to hold the road.
The enemy, one hundred and fifty strong, were seen on the bare spurwhich forms the right bank of the ravine. To test whether or notthey were hostile, a single shot was fired over them. They at onceopened a heavy fire on the party and, at the same time, CaptainTownshend became engaged with some of the enemy who were in hidingamong rocks--evidently in considerable strength. It wassubsequently discovered that, very shortly after Captain Campbell'sparty left the fort, and before hostilities began, the enemy hadopened fire on the fort, and had crossed the river.
Captain Baird now advanced across the mouth of the ravine, andcharged up the spur; the enemy retreating before them, firing asthey went. Captain Baird fell, mortally wounded; and LieutenantGurdon, who had carried a message to him, was left in command. Theenemy descended into the ravine and, crossing to the left bank,took Gurdon in rear.
In the meantime, affairs had not been going well with CaptainTownshend's party. He had advanced within two hundred yards of thehamlet, keeping his men as well as he could under shelter, andfiring in volleys. The enemy, however, kept on advancing, andoverlapping his force on both flanks. They were well armed andskilful marksmen, and took shelter in such a marvellous way thatthere was nothing for our men to fire at, except a few puffs ofsmoke.
Captain Campbell then ordered a charge with the bayonet, to clearthe hamlet. It was gallantly led, by Captain Townshend and twonative officers. The ground being perfectly open, and the fire ofthe enemy being steady and continuous, the two native officers andfour sepoys were killed at once.
When they got within forty yards of the village, which wasconcealed in a grove of trees, they found that it was a largeplace; with a wall, three hundred feet in length, behind which theenemy were posted in perfect cover. There was nothing for it but toretreat. Captain Campbell was, at this moment, shot in the knee;and Captain Townshend assumed the command. Captain Campbell wascarried to the rear, and the force retired in alternate parties.
The retreat, however, was conducted slowly and deliberately; thoughthe enemy, who came running out, soon overlapped the littlecolumn--some even getting behind it, while groups of fanaticswordsmen, from time to time, charged furiously down upon it. Fromall the hamlets they passed through, a fire was opened upon them bythe Chitralis, those who were supposed to be friendly having goneover to the other side. So heavy was the fire that, at last,Townshend ordered his men to double. This they did with greatsteadiness; and he was able to rally them, without difficulty, at asmall hamlet, where he found Mr. Robertson encouraging the men hehad brought out. A message was sent to the fort for reinforcements,and Lieutenant Harley led out fifty of the Sikhs, and covered theretreat to the fort.
In the meantime Gurdon, with his detachment and Captain Baird, werestill far away on the steep side of the ravine. Dr. Whitchurch, whohad dressed Baird's wound, was sent to take him to the rear; and itwas then that Townshend's party began to retreat and, after fiercefighting, arrived at the fort, where they found that Whitchurch hadnot arrived.
The doctor had with him a handful of sepoys and Kashmir Rifles, andsome stretcher bearers, under the command of a native officer.Matters had developed so rapidly that, in a very short time, theywere behind Townshend's retreating parties, round which the enemywere swarming; and when the retirement became a rapid retreat, theydropped farther behind. Small detached parties soon became aware oftheir position, and attacked them. Three men, who were carrying thestretcher, were killed by successive shots and, when the fourth washit, the stretcher could be no longer carried; so Captain Baird waspartly carried, and partly dragged along the ground.
The enemy's fire became so hot that the party were compelled tomake for the river bank. They had to charge, and carry, two orthree stone walls. Once they were completely surrounded, but thegallant Kashmirs charged the enemy so furiously with rifle andbayonet that, at last, they made a way through them and reached thefort, where they had been given up for lost. Thirteen men, in all,came in; but only seven of these had fought their way through withWhitchurch; the other six being fugitives, who had joined him justbefore he had reached the fort. Half of Whitchurch's little partywere killed, and Baird had been, again, twice wounded. Whitchurch,himself, marvellously escaped without a wound. No finer action wasever performed than that by this little body.
The total casualties of the day were very heavy. Of the hundred andfifty men actually engaged, twenty non-commissioned officers andmen were killed, and twenty-eight wounded. Of the officers, CaptainCampbell was badly wounded, and Captain Baird died on the followingmorning. The two native officers were killed.
The enemy's strength was computed to be from a thousand to twelvehundred men. Of these, five hundred were Umra Khan's men, who werearmed with Martinis. Many of the others carried Sniders.
The whole of the Chitralis had now joined Sher Afzul, most of themdoubtless being forced to do so, by fear of the consequences thatwould ensue should they refuse. The little fort thus stoodisolated, in the midst of a powerful enemy and a hostilepopulation. The villages stood on higher ground than the fort and,from all of them, a constant fusillade was kept up on the garrison,while they were engaged in the difficult work of putting the fortinto a better condition of defence.
The first thing to be done was, of course, to take stock of thestores; and the next to estimate how many days it would last.Everyone was put upon half rations, and it was calculated that theycould hold out two and a half months. It was found that they hadtwo hundred and eighty rounds per man, besides Snider ammunitionfor the Kashmir Rifles, and three hundred rounds of Martiniammunition for the Sikhs.
When the fort was first occupied, it was found that there was anexposed approach to the river from the water tower, about thirtyyards in width; and a covered way was at once built, going rightdown into the water. All through the siege this covered way was themain object of the enemy's attack; for they knew that, if theycould cut off the water, they could easily reduce the garrison.
An abutment in the south wall of the fort, overlooking the garden,had been converted into a little bastion. The worst feature of thefort, however, was the large number of little buildings immediatelyoutside the walls. These and the walls of the garden weredemolished by moonlight. The stables, which were on the river facenear the water tower, were loopholed; and efforts were made toloophole the basement walls of the tower, but these had to beabandoned, as there was a danger of disturbing the foundations.
Among the various ingenious plans hit upon by the besieged, oneproved particularly useful. Loopholes were made in the gun to
wer; awall was built up in the face of the water gate; and fireplaceswere constructed by which the wood, being laid on a slab of stone,was pushed out some feet from the wall, and could be drawn into thefort when it was necessary to replenish the fire, without thoseattending it being exposed. These fires proved invaluable, whenattacks were made upon dark nights. Projecting, as they did, sevenfeet from the wall, they threw it into shadow, so that the enemycould not see what to fire at; and, at the same time, they lit upthe ground in front brilliantly, so that the defenders could makeout their assailants, and fire with accuracy.
The fort was eighty yards in length. The walls were twenty-fivefeet in height, and the five towers fifty feet. It lay in a hollowin the lowest part of the valley, and was commanded on all sides byhills, on which the enemy erected numerous sangars. As, from these,the men moving about inside the fort were clearly visible to theenemy, barricades of stones had to be erected, along the sides ofthe yards, to afford cover to the men as they went to and fromtheir posts.
On March 5th a letter was received from Umra Khan, stating that theBritish troops must leave Chitral at once, and that he wouldguarantee them a safe conduct. The offer was, naturally, refused.Next night the enemy, about two hundred strong, made a determinedeffort to fire the water tower. They brought faggots with them and,in spite of the heavy volleys poured upon them managed, under coverof the darkness, to creep into the tunnel leading to the water, andto light a large fire underneath the tower. They were, however,driven out; and three water carriers went into the tunnel, and putout the fire. They were just in time, for the flames had taken afirm hold of the wooden beams.
After this, twenty-five men were always stationed in the tower and,at night, another picket of twenty-five men were placed in thecovered way leading to the water. The entrance to this, at thewater side, was exposed to the enemy's fire; but a barricade ofstones, with interstices to allow the water to go through, wasbuilt into the river, and formed an efficient screen to the waterbearers.
On the night of the 14th, the enemy again made an attack on thewater bearers, but were repulsed with loss. The water way was,indeed, a source of constant anxiety. Between it, and the trees atthe northwest corner of the fort, there was a stretch of seventyyards of sandy beach; lying underneath an overhanging bank, whichentirely covered it from the fire of the fort, so that the enemywere able to get right up to the water tunnel without exposingthemselves.
On the 15th, Sher Afzul sent in a messenger, to say that a party ofsepoys had been defeated at Reshun, and that an officer was captivein his camp. The next day a letter was received from LieutenantEdwardes. A truce was made for three days and, afterwards, extendedto six; but this came to an end on the 23rd of March, andhostilities again began.
The prospect was gloomy. The men were beginning to suffer in healthfrom their long confinement, the paucity of their rations, and theterribly insanitary condition of the fort; and they had not heardof the approach of either Colonel Kelly's force or that under SirRobert Low.
During the truce, a union jack had been made, and this was nowhoisted on the flag tower, as a symbol of defiance. This cheeredthe spirits of the men and depressed those of the enemy, who beganto see that the task before them was far more serious than they hadhitherto supposed.
Gradually the attacks of the enemy became more feeble and, althoughthe firing was almost continuous, it seemed as if the assailantstrusted rather to famine, to reduce the fort, than to any exertionon their part. On April 6th they were very active, making two largesangars close to the main gate. Near these, and only fifty yardsaway from the gun tower, they were also hard at work, all day, inthe summer house to the east of the fort.
The garrison, however, now received the news that a relief forcehad already arrived at Mastuj; in consequence of which they weresaved from a further diminution of their scanty rations, which wasalready under discussion. The officers were comparatively well off,as they had plenty of horse flesh; but this the sepoys would noteat. The supply of ghee, which forms so prominent a part in thediet of the natives, had already given out; and the sepoys hadnothing but a scanty allowance of flour to maintain life.
The news that the relief party had arrived at Mastuj greatlycheered the garrison. That relief would come, sooner or later, theyhad no doubt; but they had not even hoped that it could be so near.While, however, the news thus raised the spirits of the defenders,it at the same time showed their assailants that, unless theyobtained a speedy success, the game would be altogether up.
Before daybreak on the morning of the 7th, a terrific fire wasopened upon the walls. The enemy were evidently in great strength.In an instant everyone was at his post, and steady volleys werepoured into the darkness, on the garden side of the fort, whencethe chief attack seemed to be coming. Suddenly a strong light wasseen near the gun tower, and it was found that the enemy had heapedfaggots against the walls. These, being constructed partly of wood,gradually caught fire.
Mr. Robertson, with some of the levies, horse keepers, andservants, at once set to work to extinguish the flames; but theconflagration was too much for them. The troops in reserve werethen sent to aid them. The work was dangerous and difficult, theflames raged fiercely, and the enemy kept up a tremendous fire frombehind the walls of the summer house. Nevertheless the men workedtheir hardest, throwing down earth and water on the fire.
Many were wounded at the work. The fire was so fierce that largeholes had to be knocked through the lower stories of the tower,through which to attack the flames; and it was not until teno'clock that the efforts of the besieged were crowned with success,and all was again quiet. Nothing could have exceeded the braveryand devotion shown by the native levies, the non-combatants,officers' servants, water carriers, syces, and even the Chitralis.
Great precautions were taken to prevent similar attempts to fireany of the towers. Earth was brought up, and water stored. Thewater carriers slept with the great leathern bags which theycarried, full; and a special fire picket was organized. When, onthe evening of the 15th, the enemy again tried to fire the guntower, they were repulsed without difficulty. On the followingnight a determined attack in force was made, on all sides of thefort; but was defeated with much loss.
The enemy now began to make a great noise, with drums and pipes, inthe summer house. This lasted continuously for several days, andone of the natives, who was aware that the enemy had startedtunnelling, guessed that this stir might possibly be made to drownthe noise of the mining. Men were put on to listen and, atmidnight, the sentry in the gun tower reported that he heard thenoise and, next morning, the sound was distinctly audible within afew feet of the tower.
It was evident that there was no time to be lost and, at fouro'clock in the afternoon, Lieutenant Harley and a hundred menissued from the fort, at the garden gate, and rushed at the summerhouse. It was held by forty of the enemy, who fired a volley, andfled after some sharp hand-to-hand fighting. The head of the minewas found to be in the summer house, and the tunnel was full ofChitralis.
Harley stationed his men in the summer house to repel any attackand, with five sepoys, jumped down into the mine. The Chitralis,about thirty in number, came swarming out but, after a fiercefight, they were bayoneted. The mine was then cleared, andgunpowder placed in position.
Two Chitralis, who had lain quiet at the other end of the tunnel,tried to make their escape in the turmoil. One of the sepoys fired,and must have hit a bag of gunpowder; for immediately there was aviolent explosion, and the mine was blown up, from end to end.Harley was knocked over, and the Sikhs who were with him had theirhair and clothes singed; but none of the party were otherwise hurt.
All this time, the sepoys in the summer house had been subject to aheavy fusillade from a breastwork, close by, and from the loopholedwalls in the garden; while from all the distant sangars and hills acontinuous fire was opened, the natives evidently believing thatthe garrison were making a last and desperate sortie.
The work done, Harley and his men hurried back to the fort, havingbeen out of it
an hour and ten minutes. Of the hundred that wentout twenty-two were hit, nine mortally. In and around the summerhouse, thirty-five of the enemy were bayoneted, and a dozen moreshot. That evening the garrison began to drive a couple of countermines, to intercept any other mines that the enemy might attempt tomake.
On the 18th the enemy were very quiet and, in the middle of thenight, a man approached the fort and called out that Sher Afzul hadfled, and that the relieving force was near at hand. LieutenantGurdon was sent out to reconnoitre, and he found that the wholeplace was deserted. The next afternoon, Colonel Kelly's forcearrived.