A PLAN OF CAMPAIGN
An "intelligent" officer--Matters political--Three tribes
and a fourth--Their women and inter-tribal laws--Sarhad
conditions--A summons to the Chiefs--A bid for rank--Telegraph
wires and Sheitan--Two first-class liars--A strategic scheme--An
ungazetted General--Lost kit--Swallows and flies--Forces
available--Communications freed--The Kacha levy and a
shock--Mirjawa.
My first visit in Robat was to the officer who had been commanding
the scattered British forces up to that date. He was a very sick man,
and had been holding out with the utmost difficulty until he could be
relieved. Here I met Major Landon of the 35th Scinde Horse, one of
the three Intelligence Officers employed by the Indian Government in
Persia.
I very quickly realised that Landon was an officer of very high
intelligence, as well as an Intelligence Officer, and that he had a
fund of information concerning the country, and the conditions and
characteristics of the inhabitants of both Persia and Baluchistan. In
fact, I judged that he would be such an asset that, then and there, I
invited him to become my Brigade-Major, although I ruefully remarked
that I had, at present, no brigade!
He was keen to accept, but did not know how the authorities at Simla
would view his acceptance of such a post, and asked me whether I
should be willing to shoulder the responsibility of annexing him for
the campaign. Considering that my shoulders were broad enough, I
promptly replied that my orders had been to take command of all the
scattered forces I could find and co-ordinate them, and that I looked
upon him as my second "find," Idu and his two companions being the
first. Further, that he was here as Intelligence Officer and would
acquire no intelligence sitting down in Robat, whereas, if he came
with me, he would get all he wanted at first hand!
I set myself to pick up all the information I could about the
conditions of British "influence" in this part of Persia, and on
the borders of Afghanistan. To make it in any way clear why we had
any influence here at all we must revert to the old fear of the
threatened advance of Russia on India, in the days before Russia
became our ally in the Great War.
Slowly and gradually Russia had been extending her influence in the
Pamirs until her outposts on the Oxus River were only eight marches
from Chitral. Evidently, as a wide counter, strategic move, the
Indian Government had sought to increase its own influence with
Persia and Afghanistan by pushing forward her outposts to Robat and
Nasaratabad.
Consequently, at the time of which I am writing, Robat, Nasaratabad
and Birjand were held lightly by chains of small posts composed
entirely of Indian troops and some local levies commanded by British
officers. Our lines of communication running from Birjand to Nushki,
a distance of about six hundred miles, were held, in widely scattered
posts, by only one battalion of Indian Infantry and one regiment of
Indian Cavalry and four mountain guns. Thus it will be seen that it
was very difficult to obtain any troops for a movable column.
A British Consulate had also been established at Nasaratabad, which
is on the borders of Afghanistan and Persia. During the War the
importance and influence of the Consul increased considerably, as he
was in a position to gather information which was of great value to
the military commanders, who constantly sought his advice.
There was also a Baluch Political Officer, known as the Sarhad-dar,
who worked under orders from the British Political Officer at Quetta.
The Sarhad-dar, to a certain degree, controlled the Sarhadi Raiders,
occasionally with the help of the Chagai Levies, which were raised by
the Indian Government for this particular work.
Supplies were brought to these scattered posts by camel caravans from
India.
Communication with India was maintained by means of the telegraph.
Later on it became necessary to send out a wireless troop from India
to establish communication between my force at Khwash and Saindak.
At the same time I did my best to learn all I could about the tribes
amongst whom I was going to operate, their ways and customs, and the
nature of the country in which they lived.
A glance at the map will show the situation and boundaries of the
Sarhad--literally meaning boundary. It will be seen that it extends
from Jalk in the East to Galugan in the West. The Eastern part, from
Jalk to Safed-koh, is held by a tribe known as the Gamshadzais, under
their notable leader, Halil Khan.
The central portion is held by the Yarmahommedzais under Jiand
Khan, an elderly man, who has been undisputed chief, and a sort of
over-lord of the whole of the Sarhad, for very many years. He has
been looked upon by his own and neighbouring tribes as well-nigh a
demi-god. As Jiand enters later, and largely, into this narrative all
further description of him will be reserved till actual contact is
established with him.
Khwash--known also as Vasht or Washt--is the capital of the Sarhad,
and is situated within Jiand's jurisdiction, although he is not the
actual owner of the town. The word Khwash literally means "sweet,"
and, I believe, owes its name to the water, which is, by the way,
quite warm when it appears at the surface of the ground in the
immediate vicinity.
The Western portion of the Sarhad, extending roughly from Khwash to
Galugan, is held by the Ismailzais under their redoubtable leader,
Juma Khan.
All three of these tribes possess approximately one thousand
families apiece, and, of course, each family has many members, as
well as large numbers of camels, and herds of sheep and goats.
Each of these tribes, at the time of which I write, could muster,
roughly, from one to two thousand riflemen, chiefly armed with Mauser
rifles and modern ammunition.
South of Robat lay a fourth tribe, the Rekis, fewer in number than
any one of those already mentioned. This tribe was entirely friendly
to the British, and, although nominally under a leader called
Ibrahim, paid more heed to Idu, who, as I have already said, was one
of the most remarkable men I have ever had the pleasure of meeting.
He was also a Havildar (Sergeant) in the Chagai Levies; a local force
raised by the Indian Government.
These various tribes all belong to the Sunni branch of the Mahommedan
religion, and are of Arab origin. As a whole they are a fine-looking
set of men, slim and graceful, with fine, intelligent faces, and
aquiline features. Their hair is allowed to grow unrestricted,
and falls in long black ringlets, on either side of the face, in
true King Charles I. style. In fact, one of these men, with whom I
afterwards made good friends, was nicknamed Charles I. on sight, as,
with his flowing ringlets and short pointed beard, he bore such a
strong resemblance to the pictures of that unfortunate monarch.
These men are fine skirmishers, and will fight with the utmost
bravery when well led, and have confidence in their leaders. Being
nomads, they possess but few villages, such as Khwash, Gusht, and
Jalk; which consist of a mud fort or forts and a few houses. Their
lives are spent for the most part in tents, called Jugis, which
are made of camels' hair, dyed black, and are pitched wherever a
convenient spot can be found.
Wives, families and herds accompany them on their wanderings from
place to place. Their womenkind are often good-looking, and usually
lighter skinned than the men. The women's endurance, too, is
wonderful, for they can climb the precipitous hills with as much
agility as the men, bear the hardships of long marches, the violent
summer heat and the intense cold of the winter nights with great
fortitude. They go unveiled, and appear to be treated well by their
husbands and sons. In fact, in some notable instances, the women
of the Sarhad exercise great influence over their husbands, and,
when this is so, rule with the proverbial "rod of iron." Each man
is allowed four wives, and, though he does not always acquire this
number, he never exceeds it.
The tribes literally live by raiding. They know no fear, and seldom
show mercy. They not only raid travellers but villages, and, on
occasion, large towns. These raids have been known to be pushed as
far as Meshed, the sacred town and "Mecca" of Persia, which lies
far away in the North upon the Turkestan border. Such expeditions
are carried out with immense skill and cunning, and are seldom
unsuccessful. The raiders not only loot jewels, carpets, food, cattle
and herds, but women and children, whom they subject to a life of
utter misery.
Persian ladies are frequently carried off in this way, to become
eventually abject slaves subject to inter-tribal barter. The prices
paid for such slaves naturally vary according to quality, age and
looks. As much as three hundred rupees may be taken as an average
price for a young woman, and as little as twenty-five rupees for a
small child.
But, although they are utterly lawless in regard to other people,
their few inter-tribal laws are fairly strictly observed. These laws,
however, chiefly consist of the doctrine that Might is Right and
Success pardons all Sins. In the Sarhad a man is expected to tell the
truth--unless a lie better suits his purpose. Any oath given on the
Koran is binding, provided a Mullah or priest is present. Otherwise
such an oath is as often honoured in the breach as in the observance.
They have, however, some standards of honour to which they strictly
adhere. If, for instance, they come as invited guests to your camp,
or if you go as an invited guest to theirs, treachery is not thought
of. The laws of hospitality, as in nearly all Eastern countries, are
strictly maintained.
Their food consists mostly of flour-cake, made, as a rule, of barley,
though occasionally of wheat, and goat-flesh and wild herbs. As their
herds always travel with them, except when fighting or raiding,
there is always a plentiful supply of meat and milk. Their slaves,
on the contrary, are half starved, and present the most pitiful
contrast to their own women and children, who are well fed, healthy
and provided with ample clothing.
Their country, the Sarhad, is very arid, sandy, sparsely cultivated,
and crossed by range upon range of bare volcanic hills, with rugged
peaks and precipitous sides. Some of these hills rise to considerable
heights, as, for example, the Koh-i-Bazman, overlooking Bampur in
the South. This peak reaches an altitude of eleven thousand four
hundred feet. The Koh-i-Taftan is another, of something over thirteen
thousand feet, and is snow-capped in Winter and early Spring, despite
the fact that it is an active volcano. The word Taftan signifies
boiling. Its crater possesses two main outlets, from which clouds
of sulphur-smoke are constantly being emitted. The whole summit is
in consequence covered with white ash, so giving it a wonderfully
imposing and picturesque appearance from a distance, especially at
sunset or sunrise. The effect is very like that of Fuji-Yama, but
certainly on a grander scale.
The hills of this district are all of volcanic origin, and, for this
reason, rich in sulphur and sal-ammoniac deposits. The low-lying
country obviously once formed the bed of a sea, for the fossils to be
found here in quantity are of marine origin, and the soil is thickly
impregnated with salt. Fresh water is very scarce, though large salt
water lakes are fairly frequent.
It is interesting to think how much could be done with this country
were some scheme of irrigation introduced. The natives have a simple
method of supplying water to meet their wants. This is done by means
of karezes, underground channels which tap underground springs and so
bring the water to where it is wanted.
Trees are occasionally planted by these karezes, in the towns, but
otherwise are scarcely ever seen in this inhospitable, arid region,
where it is even hard to find sufficient food for camels, horses or
herds, when on the march. There are occasional valleys through which
a small stream may flow for a certain distance, but which, very soon,
disappears again into the sand. In those rare spots where water is
plentiful the luxuriance of the vegetation is phenomenal, proving how
fertile the country might become were it irrigated in the same way
as are certain parts of India. Wheat, barley, spinach, cucumbers,
pumpkins and green vegetables grow readily where water exists.
Climatic conditions in these regions are curiously extreme. Great
cold prevails in the Winter, but the heat in Spring and Summer is
terrific. There is, too, a curious feeling of intense lightness in
the atmosphere which induces a queer feeling of "emptiness" in those
unaccustomed to its rarified quality. A hot wind, impregnated with
sand, blows in Seistan more or less continually from April to July,
so adding to the general discomfort of the white man. This wind is
known as the Sad-o-bistroz (literally, "wind which blows for one
hundred and twenty days"). But, though disagreeable and irritating,
this wind saves the health of the Seistani inhabitants during the
most trying months of the year, as it checks malaria by blowing away
the mosquitoes.
This rather vague, and very incomplete, attempt at a sketch of the
people who were causing such serious trouble to our Government,
and of the country in which they lived, may, at any rate, serve to
give some idea of the foe, and his terrain, in this small but terse
campaign which I shall make an attempt to describe in the following
chapters.
It grew more evident daily that it was necessary to organise a
movable column to operate against the Raiders as soon as possible.
There were more troops at Nasaratabad than at any other post,
and I considered that some of these might well be taken for the
purpose. Moreover, there was a British Consul there whose advice
and information would be very valuable. Accordingly, Landon and I
arranged to go there by car on the first possible day.
But I thought it would be a good preliminary move to find out exactly
how the land lay with regard to the Raiders, and to force them, so
to speak, to declare their policy towards us.
I therefore told the local Baluchi political officer to send out
notices to Jiand Khan, the leader of the Yarmahommedzais, to Halil
Khan, the leader of the Gamshadzais, to Juma Khan, leader of the
Ismailzais, and to the leader of the Rekis, to meet the new British
General, just arrived from India, so that counsel might be taken
together on a certain date at a small post called Kacha.
Of course, from all I had heard, I did not for one moment expect
these Raider Chiefs to keep the _rendezvous_. But if, by some amazing
chance, they did, we might come to some amicable arrangement and so
avoid actual fighting. If, on the other hand, they refused to do so,
it would be tantamount to a declaration of war.
A few days later I kept the appointment I had made, but, with the
exception of the Reki leaders, who assured me of their consistent
loyalty to the British, not a single Raider Chief turned up.
Thereupon I returned to Robat and planned my campaign.
Already I could see I was going to be badly handicapped by my lack of
rank, and determined to make a bid for the rank which would give me
more authority. With this object in view I sent a telegram to General
Kirkpatrick--already mentioned as Chief of Staff at Simla, and acting
as Commander-in-Chief in the absence of General Sir Beauchamp
Duff--asking him to make me a General, and stating baldly that I
considered it necessary.
It may seem strange that, in this wild, desolate country, largely
in the hands of lawless, rebellious tribes, it was possible to send
a telegram at all. But a fine telegraph line, right across Persia,
connecting Europe with India, has been in existence for over fifty
years. The concession to erect this line was obtained from the Shah
by Mr Eastwick in 1862, then British Chargé d'Affaires in Teheran.
There had been long negotiations over this concession, which had
been consistently refused by the Persian Government; but the Shah's
personal friendship for Mr Eastwick prevailed where diplomatic
negotiations had failed. It was a particularly advantageous
arrangement for us, as, by the contract drawn up by the Persian
Government in 1864, that Government undertook to construct a
telegraph line from the Persian frontier, near Baghdad, to India, at
the expense of Persia, but to place it under the control of British
officers. This and other telegraph lines had not been interfered with
or cut in any way by the Raiders, for the simple reason that they
have strong superstitious fears of telegraph wires, and imagine them
in some way to be in close communication with Sheitans (devils).
[Illustration: "A GOOD LIAR."
_Landon's orderly and chief spy._]
Whilst I was awaiting a reply to my urgent request for an advance in
rank, Idu, Landon and I took counsel together. I asked Idu whether he
had two first-class liars amongst his friends, in whom he could
place implicit trust. His eyes twinkled as he assured me he had many
friends on whose complete fidelity, as well as on whose absolute
qualifications, he could rely.
I then unfolded to him my scheme. It was quite obvious that it would
be utterly impossible to defeat the Raiders in open fight. They
numbered several thousands of fully armed men, amply equipped, and
supplied with all the ammunition and food they needed. They were also
in their own country, every yard of which they knew well.
In a straightforward fight any small force we could muster would be
wiped out in a few minutes. But as it was necessary to fight and beat
those Raiders, who were doing us such immeasurable damage, bluff must
be used to strengthen our arms.
I suggested to Idu that he should procure his two skilled friends
and tell them, at the outset, that if they succeeded in the plan
entrusted to them their pockets would be literally lined with rupees.
They were, then, to run away from me to the two principal Raider
Chiefs, Jiand and Halil Khan, and their story was to be that they
had managed to escape from the great and famous British General who
had just arrived with five thousand fully armed troops. Also, that
this General Dyer was greatly incensed at their disobedient method of
treating his summons to meet him at Kacha, and that he was starting
in great force to attack them, but that he was planning to march
first against Halil Khan in the direction of Jalk.
If Idu's men succeeded in making the Raiders swallow all this, the
immediate stroke I had in view, namely, an attack on Khwash, might
hope for some success. It would at any rate draw the Raiders off the
lines of communication and so enable supply caravans to proceed to
Robat.
Idu was greatly taken with the idea. It appealed to his sense of
humour, and he had soon produced his two spies, on whom, he assured
us, he could rely as on himself. Their mission fully explained, Idu's
friends started off at once.
Meanwhile, though I was not yet a General I determined to act the
part. The 28th Light Cavalry made crossed swords for my shoulders and
the necessary red tabs. The former were considerably bigger than the
regulation pattern, but were otherwise well made. Then Landon and I
went off by car to Nasaratabad.
We found the place to be a small mud-walled enclosure with walls of
great thickness. Inside the enclosure were something like a hundred
shops, for the most part kept by Persian soldiers, whose military
duties are not usually onerous. We made our way to the Consul's
house, and had a very interesting interview with him. Whilst we were
there a telegram arrived from Simla informing me that I had been
promoted to the rank of Brigadier-General. This was a great relief,
for I now no longer felt an impostor.
As a set-off against this bit of good news, I heard that the whole
of my kit, which had followed me from Nushki, had been captured by
the Raiders. In addition they had killed my horse, Galahad, robbed
the groom of all his clothing and torn his golden ear-rings from
his ears. On my return to Robat he came to me stark naked, with his
nerves utterly shattered, and absolutely useless for any further
service.
We also met Colonel Claridge, who was commanding the 28th Cavalry
and the troops at Nasaratabad. I asked him to send to Robat as soon
as possible all the food supplies he could collect, two mountain
guns, a squadron of cavalry, and as many infantry as he could spare.
I was very disappointed, however, at the few troops available at
Nasaratabad for the expedition, but I realised that the situation
in Afghanistan demanded the presence of a fairly strong garrison at
Nasaratabad itself.
On the way back to Robat we stopped at a post where I was
accommodated in a room with a domed mud roof, which had been
whitewashed. As I lay on my blankets in the morning, gazing up at the
roof, I noticed that the dome was covered with small black spots. As
the light grew stronger I realised that they were flies, thousands of
them, in a comatose condition, owing to the cold of the night.
As the morning advanced, swallows flew in by the open door, and,
fluttering round the dome, picked off the helpless flies one by one,
until not a single one was left.
Directly we reached Robat Landon and I set to work on our plans.
After considerable thought we determined to make an attempt to
capture Khwash, the capital of the Sarhad, and so endeavour to entice
the Raiders off our lines of communication. But it took some time
to get the guns and food supplies to Robat, for Robat was quite
one hundred miles from Nasaratabad. It was also necessary to get
in enough supplies for a month at least, as it was useless placing
reliance on anything reaching us from India. In other words we had to
be quite independent of all lines of communication.
At last the two guns, and supplies, under Major MacGowan, reached
Robat, where were now collected about a dozen or fifteen of Idu's
Chagai Levies, and seventeen Sawars of the 28th Light Cavalry under
Lieutenant Hirst. But I still had no infantry. That, however, I hoped
to get at Kacha, the garrison of which consisted of a hundred sepoys
of the 19th Punjab Infantry, and two maxim guns.
Therefore, Landon and I arranged to go to Kacha for the infantry,
while MacGowan proceeded with his two guns, seventeen cavalrymen and
supplies, direct to Mirjawa, via Saindak. We would then join him
there, as soon as we had collected the infantry for our advance on
Khwash.
Our real movements had been kept marvellously secret, whilst the
news of the five thousand fully armed troops under my command had
been spread far and near by Idu's spies; the consequence being that
the Raiders were all quietly retiring, from raids upon our lines of
communication, to organise their own _lashkars_ (armies), and their
own defence.
Thus, and at any rate temporarily, the lines of communication of our
scattered frontier posts were cleared, and without striking a blow.
One small objective had at least been accomplished.
While MacGowan's little force was making its way to Mirjawa, Landon
and I rode to Kacha, reaching that place on the 2nd of April. There
Lieutenant Yates, of the 12th Pioneers, paraded all the men he could
lay his hands on in front of the mess-house, and, as we rode up, gave
the order for the men to present arms.
The result was a shock.
I dismounted and called on all those men who had ever fired a shot in
their lives to fall out.
To my dismay only nine men obeyed.
Lieutenant Yates told me that he had done his best with the men,
but the greater proportion of them were mere raw recruits. It was a
bitter disappointment, and it was very obvious that a great deal of
brick-making had to be done without straw. But there was nothing else
for it. These were the only men, trained or untrained, available for
the expedition, and I had to be thankful for them.
I took the nine trained soldiers, sixty-five of the untrained
recruits, and two maxim guns belonging to the 12th Pioneers, and,
with these, Landon and I made our way to the _rendezvous_ at Mirjawa,
where we all met on the evening of the 6th of April.