NEARING CHITRAL
The next morning, April 17th, we started sharp at 7 A.M. Two prisoners
had been brought in the night before, one of whom had a Snider and
twenty rounds of ammunition, the other a matchlock. They confessed that
they had fought us at Nisa Gol, and stated they were now going home. We
thought differently, and requested them to carry boxes of ammunition;
one of them, the owner of the Snider, objected, on the ground that he
was a mullah, but the objection was overruled as frivolous, and he
accompanied us to Chitral. We always gave the ammunition to doubtful
characters, as they were then under the direct supervision of the guard,
and the loads were also more awkward and heavier than skins of flour.
We dropped down the hills now to the river bank. I was on rearguard, a
nuisance at the best of times, as any check at the head of the column
acts on the rearguard in increasing ratio to the length of the column,
so a good deal of time is spent in wondering why the dickens they don't
get on in front. That was a particularly bad day for halts: the first
one was caused by the column having to cross the Perpish Gol, a very
similar place to the Nisa Gol, but undefended. About two miles farther
on, the road ran across the face of a cliff, and had been destroyed; it
took some three hours to repair it, and then the baggage could only get
along slowly.
We had some five unladen donkeys that were kept at the end of the
baggage column in case of need, and, one of them trying to push past
another, they both rolled over the cliff and went down about a hundred
feet on to the road below, which here made a zigzag. The first donkey
who came down landed on his head and broke his silly neck; but the
second donkey had better luck, and landed on the first donkey in a
sitting position. He got up, sniffed contemptuously at his late friend,
and resumed his journey. We rolled the remains of the elect over the
cliff into the river, and also resumed our course.
During this march and following ones we frequently saw the bodies of men
floating down the river or stranded in shoals. They were probably the
Sikhs killed with Ross, or perhaps some of Edwardes' party. By 4.30 P.M.
the rearguard had crossed the cliff, and, rounding the shoulder of a
spur, descended to a plain, bare of vegetation, with the exception of
the inevitable wormwood. We crossed this for about a mile, and then
struck down to the river, and saw the Pioneers and guns drawn up on the
farther bank, and just moving off.
The road on the right hand having been again destroyed a few miles
beyond, the direction of the column had been changed, and, a ford having
been found, the troops had waded across, with the intention of camping
that night at the village of Barnas, the rearguard arriving just in time
to see the main body move off towards the village. The Levies had been
left behind to help the baggage across, and rendered invaluable
assistance, saving many a man from drowning.
I found most of the coolies with their loads still on the right bank of
the river, leisurely proceeding to strip before wading across; the loads
had to be carried on their heads, the water being well above their
waists. Those loads that could be divided were carried over piecemeal,
the coolie returning for the second part after taking the first across.
This idea was all very fine in theory, but we found that most of the
coolies, having made the first trip, sat down on the bank and proceeded
to dress, leaving the remainder of their load to find its way across as
best it could. Luckily Sergeant Reeves was on the farther bank, and I
having also crossed over, we proceeded to drive every coolie back into
the river, until there was not a load left on the opposite bank.
Rudyard Kipling, in his story of the taking of the Lungtungpen, tells
how, after the scrimmage in the village, "We halted and formed up, and
Liftinant Brazenose blushin' pink in the light of the mornin' sun. 'Twas
the most ondacent parade I iver tuk a hand in--four-and-twenty privates
an' a officer av the line in review ordher, an' not as much as wud dust
a fife between 'em all in the way of clothin'." As I stood on that
bank, with the evening sun lighting up the river, I thought of
"Liftinant Brazenose," and also blushed. True, I was clothed myself, but
instead of twenty-five, I had two hundred coolies in the same condition
as that bashful officer's army.
It took us some three hours before all those loads were over, during
which we had some exciting moments. Most of the coolies found the stream
too strong to stem alone, and so they crossed in parties of a dozen or
more, holding hands; but now and then a man would try by himself,
generally with the result that half-way across he would get swept off
his feet, and go floating down the stream, vainly endeavouring to regain
his footing. Then there would be a rush of two or three of the levies,
the man would be swung on to his feet, and his load fished for. One man
I thought was bound to be drowned; he had somehow tied his load on to
his head, and, being washed off his feet, his head was kept down below
the water, while his legs remained waving frantically in the air. The
load, being light, floated, and in this manner he was washed down
stream, till two levies reached him, and, swinging him right side up,
brought him spluttering ashore.
I often noticed, when sending an old man back for the remainder of his
load, that some youngster who had brought his whole load across would
volunteer to bring the remainder of the old man's, and, of course, I was
only too glad to let him. We found the young men easy to manage, and the
old men were let down lightly; it was the middle-aged man, full of
strength and his own importance, who sometimes tried to raise
objections, but it was getting late, and no time for fooling, so we
drove our arguments home with a gun butt, and the man obeyed. The
rearguard crossed in the dark, and by nine o'clock I was able to report
to Colonel Kelly that everybody had arrived in camp, just as dinner was
ready.
I didn't turn in till late that night, as I was on duty, and had to go
scrambling round the pickets; even at that late hour I saw many men
still cooking, probably preparing food for the next day.
As our supplies were now reduced to less than three days, our march the
next morning was ordered for 10 A.M., in order to allow foraging
parties to go out at daybreak to scoop in anything they could find.
In the meantime, I sent some levies forward to the next village to
reconnoitre.
The foraging parties did not bring in much, but in our case every little
was of importance, and by 10 A.M. we started. Our front in camp had been
protected by a deep nullah; it took some time getting across this. By
the time we cleared the village, we met our returning scouts, who
reported having seen the enemy in the village of Mori, and reported
their strength as some one hundred men on foot, and about twenty
horsemen. So we all cheered up at the chance of a fight.
The road now dropped down to the river bed, and ran along the foot of
some cliffs three or four hundred feet sheer above the roadway; there
was about a mile of this, and then two miles of narrow path along the
face of steep shale slopes and cliff face high above the river. Any
force once caught in this place could be cut off to a man. The path was
so narrow that in many places the gun ponies could not have turned
round.
Colonel Kelly, however, was not to be caught in this way, so the
advance guard was ordered to go right through this part of the road till
they reached the maidan on the farther side, to hold that, and send back
word that they had done so, the main body halting in the meantime till a
clear road was announced. Half-way through, the advance guard found the
road broken, but it was soon mended, and the end of the road under the
cliff reached. Here there was a flattish bit of maidan for about fifty
yards before the path ascended, and crossed the face of slope and cliff.
The officer in command of the advance guard, thinking this was the
maidan mentioned in his orders, sent back word that he was through the
defile, and the road clear. Accordingly the main body advanced with a
flanking picket on the cliff above. I was with Colonel Kelly at the head
of the column, when, turning a corner, we came slap on top of the halted
advance guard. There was no time to stop now, and the advance guard was
hurried on to allow the main body to, at least, get clear of the cliffs
and on the slopes. We got at last on to the slopes, but found the road
broken in several places, which delayed the column considerably;
luckily, I knew the Levies were on ahead, but I was glad when we
reached the end of the bad track.
When we were once more on the move, I went ahead to join the Levies, and
find out about the reported enemy. I found the Levies on the maidan that
our advance guard should have occupied in the first place, and with them
two men who had come out from the village of Mori, now only some two
miles away.
These men reported that Mahomed Issar had left about 7 A.M. for Khogazi,
taking all his following with him, and that he would defend a position
known as the Goland Gol, just in front of that village.
I now went ahead with the Levies, and we swept through the village till
we saw clear open country ahead, and satisfied ourselves that there were
none of the enemy left.
I then ordered the Levies to ransack every nook and cranny for supplies,
and went myself in search of a camping ground. That was not a very
difficult job, and I soon came upon a nice garden and orchard, with big
shady mulberry trees, and a stream flowing down the centre. On one side
was the house that Mahomed Issar had occupied, and belonged to one of
Sher Afzul's leading men. It was a well-built house, and inside we found
some thirty sacks of caraway seeds, the stuff they put in what are
called "wholesome cakes for children."
The Pioneer native officers told us that each sack was worth at least
one hundred rupees in Peshawur, but we would gladly have exchanged the
whole amount for half the amount of flour. One of the sacks was emptied
out and the men allowed to help themselves; each man took away a handful
or so, as natives are very fond of it for cooking purposes, especially
for curry, a little going a long way. The whole camp smelt of caraway
seed, and not an unpleasant smell either. The house was pulled down for
firewood. Everyone was delighted with the camp, and it was as
picturesque as could be desired. The weather was first-class for
bivouacking, the trees were in full leaf, and gave a delightful shade,
while the ground was covered with a good sound turf.
Foraging parties were sent out immediately, and the villagers who had
met us promised to go and induce their friends to return. In fact, they
did collect some ten men, each of whom brought a small sack of flour,
and with that and what the foraging parties brought in, we had enough
for ourselves and the coolies for three days, by which time we hoped to
arrive in Chitral. A good deal of the grain brought in consisted of
unhusked rice and millet, what canary birds are fed on in England,--good
enough for the coolies, at any rate, most of them having been used to it
from childhood. We tried to get the village water-mills going, but all
the ironwork had been carried away, and we had no means of quickly
refitting them, so the unthreshed rice and millet seed was issued as it
was, and the men had to grind it as best they could, with stones. We
still had some goats and sheep, and the men used to get a meat ration
whenever there was enough to go round.
The rearguard was in by 5 P.M. that day, the first time since we had
left Mastuj that it had come in before dark. Things were looking up.
The bridge at Mori had been burned, but we heard of another some two
miles farther down, which, if destroyed, could be more easily mended,
and as the reputed position taken up by the enemy could be turned from
the right bank of the river, it was determined to repair it.
Consequently, early the next morning, Oldham and his Sappers, with a
covering party of one company of Pioneers under Bethune, and the Hunza
Levies, started to repair the bridge, and be ready to cross and turn the
enemy's flank, should he be found awaiting us.
An hour later the main body started over a road leading along a high
cliff. Here and there the enemy had evidently made attempts to destroy
the road, but so ineffectually that the advance guard hardly delayed its
advance for five minutes to repair it, and by 10 A.M. we had reached the
broken bridge, and found Oldham and his party hard at work mending it.
The great difficulty was want of beams to stretch across from pier to
pier, but attempts were being made to get these from an adjacent village
on the opposite bank of the river.
The bridge would not be ready for some two hours at earliest, so
Colonel Kelly sent me on to reconnoitre the Goland Gol, which we
expected the enemy to hold. I kicked my pony into a gallop and hurried
forward.
About a quarter of a mile farther on, I saw one of the road-bearing
beams of the destroyed bridge which had stranded on the opposite bank,
and sent back a note describing where it could be found.
Another quarter of a mile brought me up to the Punyal Levies, who were
already reconnoitring the spurs where the army were supposed to be; but
after a careful look through my glasses, we came to the conclusion that
there was no enemy, and again advanced. We reached the Goland Gol, which
is a narrow nullah running up into the hills on the left bank of the
river, the sides being impracticable for several miles, and down the
centre of which rushes a mountain torrent, the road to Chitral crossing
this latter, just before it flows into the Yarkhun river, by means of a
bridge. This bridge we found destroyed, but I sent half the Levies
across by fording the stream a hundred yards higher up, and made them
occupy the ridge on the far side, and put the remainder on to repair
the bridge. I also gave my pony and a note to one of the levies, whom I
sent back with a report to Colonel Kelly, who, on receiving it, had work
on the other bridge knocked off, as it was no longer wanted.
We hunted for the beams of the Goland Gol bridge, which we found jammed
in the stream a short way down, only one out of the four being smashed,
and soon had them back in their places. Then we laid a roadway of boards
from a hut near, and filled up the holes with branches, and had the
bridge ready before the advance guard arrived. I sent back word, and
then crossed the stream and joined the remainder of the Levies on the
farther side. Here I found several sangars which covered the approaches
to the bridge, and soon had them down, and then went on to the village
of Khogazi, which was about a mile ahead.
We swept through that village in the usual manner from end to end,
finding only one man who turned out to be a Gilgiti; he had been carried
into slavery several years previously, but had married and settled
down. From him we learned that Mohamed Issar, with a following of about
one hundred men, had arrived the day before about noon; shortly after, a
messenger came in from Sher Afzul, telling him to come into Chitral
without delay, and consequently the whole party had set off about 4 P.M.
All the villagers, he said, had fled up the Goland Gol to the higher
hills, but he would try and bring in any he could find. He did not think
the enemy would try and fight again, though there was a place called
Baitali, just before the opening into the Chitral valley, where, if any
opposition was offered, it would be made. The position could be turned
from both flanks, and ponies could go, but it was not a good road. He
professed himself as willing to go and find out if the Baitali Pari was
occupied, so I sent him off. I knew the place as one of the worst bits
in the whole road between Mastuj and Chitral, but I also knew it could
be passed by crossing the river at Khogazi and climbing the hills on the
right hand, and down on to the Chitral river above its junction with the
Yarkhun river. This would be convenient if the Chitral bridge was
destroyed, as it would take us along the right bank, on which stands
the fort; but I knew also of a ford about two miles above the Chitral
bridge, where we could cover our passage, as the ground was level and
open.