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
In the meantime, there had been sharp fighting in the citadel. Our men,
after forcing their way through numerous dark passages, in sonic places
so narrow and low that they were forced to crawl singly on their hands
and knees, at length arrived there; but as there were a great number of
approaches to this their last place of refuge, our men got broken up
into small detached parties, and entered it at different places. One
party reached the place where Mehrab Khan, at the head of the chiefs who
had joined his standard, was sitting with his sword drawn, &c. The
others seemed inclined to surrender themselves, and raised the cry of
"Aman!" but the Khan, springing on his feel, cried, "Aman, nag!"
equivalent to "Mercy be d--d," and blew his match; but all in vain, as
he immediately received about three shots, which completely did his
business; the one that gave him the "_coup de grace_," and which went
through his breast, being fired by a man of our regiment, named Maxwell.
So fell Mehrab Khan, having fulfilled his promise to General Willshire,
and died game, with his sword in his hand, in his own citadel.
Other parties, however, were not so fortunate, as each being too weak,
the enemy generally offered a determined resistance, and several, after
giving themselves up, finding the numbers to whom they had surrendered
smaller than they had at first appeared, turned upon them suddenly; for
which, however, they suffered in the long-run, as the soldiers, at
last, maddened by this conduct, refused quarter, and fired at once into
whatever party they met, without asking any questions.
At length the few survivors, being driven to their last stronghold at
the very top of the citadel, surrendered on condition of their lives
being granted to them; when one loud and general "hurrah!" proclaimed
around that Kelat was ours. The greatest part of the garrison had,
however, before this managed to make their escape over the hills.
Dickenson, while he was lying wounded by my side, saw quantities of them
letting themselves down the walls of the citadel by means of ropes,
shawls, &c.
Dooly, the most faithful of his chiefs and followers, remained by Mehrab
Khan to the last. These were all either taken prisoners or killed.
Besides the Khan himself, the Dadur chief, who had been the cause of
great annoyance to us in our way up, and the Governor of the Shawl
district, were among the slain. The only two men of his council of any
note among the survivors are at present prisoners in our camp, on their
way to Bengal.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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