Campaign of the Indus: In a Series of Letters from an Officer of the Bombay Division — John Shaqi
Campaign of the Indus: In a Series of Letters from an Officer of the Bombay DivisionHoldsworth, T. W. E.
History
Campaign of the Indus: In a Series of Letters from an Officer of the Bombay Division
Holdsworth, T. W. E.
Afghan Wars
add to this, the hills themselves, being composed of granite, or some
stone of that description, attracted the sun, and reflected the heat
back again on us, so that we were attacked from two sides at once. By
this time we had no stronger liquor with us than tea, so that we were
perfectly eligible to become members of the Tea-total Temperance
Society; our supplies in the liquor line, which we had sent on from
Hydrabad to Larkhanu by water, not having reached the latter place in
time for us to get them. In this respect the men were better off than
ourselves, they having their dram or two every day. Here the robbers
began to be more bold, and we did not lose sight of them until we
reached Candahar. Five mails (one of them an "overland," bringing,
perhaps, letters from you or some one at home) out of six were robbed
between this and Shikarpoor; and news was received from Sir J. Keane in
advance that at the entrance of the Bolan Pass several bodies of sepoys
of Shah Shooja's army were lying, there having been a grand skrimmage
there between the sepoys and Beloochees, in which the former, being
caught napping, were worsted. We stayed at this place, as I said before,
a week, and started again on the 31st.
On the morning of the 2nd of April, during a severe march of twenty-two
miles, one of our men, a straggler, who had fallen to the rear with
dysentery, was murdered by these robbers, and another man of the 17th
cruelly wounded, but he has since recovered. They were sitting together
by the side of the road, when of a sudden a party of Beloochees rushed
out from some low bushes, and, before either had time to rise, fired
into them. Adams, of the Queen's, received a ball on the outside of his
right thigh, passing down, and coming out at his knee on the other side,
and cutting some particular vein or artery, which occasioned his death
through loss of blood. The 17th man was hit on the right side, the ball
coasting round his body, and coming out at the other side, without
touching his tripes or any vital part. Adams had not his firelock with
him, but the 17th man had his, but unloaded, and, in his struggles to
keep possession of it, received some desperate sabre cuts; but he has
since recovered. Of course he was soon overpowered, as Adams could give
no assistance. The Beloochees then stripped them of everything, except
their shirt and trowsers, and left them to their fate, till another man
of the 17th came up, in charge of some of his company's camels, who
brought in the news to camp; but the apothecary who went out was too
late to save poor Adams. It was gratifying to know that Cunningham,
with a party of his horse, having received intelligence that a party of
these blackguards were encamped in a jungle, beat through it, and
followed their tracks for fourteen miles, when he came upon them, and
killed six and took four prisoners; Cunningham having outstripped his
party, killed two men himself and took another prisoner. These rascals
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