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
I hope to see Lieutenant-Colonel Fane when we arrive at Bombay. His
father, Sir H. Fane, has publicly and officially resigned the
commander-in-chief-ship in favour of Sir Jasper Nicolls. Sir Henry has
been dangerously unwell at Bombay; but report says he is now getting
better. He intends sailing as soon as possible, I believe, and so will
most likely be gone before we arrive there. Sir J. Keane has also
resigned, and is to be succeded by Sir Thomas M'Mahon. It is not quite
certain that we shall go to Bombay, as some say that we shall land at
Cambay, and go up to Deesa, and others that we shall return to Belgaum.
Last night we received Bombay papers, giving an account of the taking of
Kelat. They have buttered us up pretty well, and seem to think it a much
more gallant affair than that of Ghuzni--in this last particular they
are only doing us justice.
_Dec. 30th, Camp, Taggur Bundur; Banks of the Indus_.--We arrived here
the day before yesterday, and are likely to remain, I believe, a
fortnight or so. We muster rather small, as most of the married officers
are off to-day and yesterday. As to my wounds, I have only one hole
still open--namely, the one through which the bullet took its final
departure, and that, I think, will be closed in a day or two. I am
sorry to say that since arriving here I have caught a "cruel cold," from
which I am suffering severely at present.
By-the-bye, there are a few incidents connected with the taking of Kelat
which I forgot to mention in my letter to my father. Mehrab Khan, the
chief of Kelat, managed to send away all his harem and family on the
morning of the fight, directly we were seen approaching, but his other
chiefs were not so fortunate, and the greater part of them deliberately
cut the throats of all the females belonging to their establishments,
including wives, mothers, and daughters, as soon as we established
ourselves within the town, rather than suffer them to fall into the
hands of us infidels. I forgot, I think, also, to mention that I managed
to procure rather a handsome Koran, which was found in the citadel, and
also an excellent Damascus blade, both of which I intend giving to my
father, and a few articles of native costume, which would go far to make
up a neat fancy dress, but it is not quite complete. A great number of
handsome articles were stolen by the camp followers and other rascals,
worse luck for us poor wounded officers, who could not help ourselves.
We were rather surprised at finding some excellent European articles in
the shape of double-barrelled guns, pistols, beautiful French musical
boxes, prints, looking-glasses, and pier-glasses, &c., in the rooms of
the citadel. Where Mehrab Khan could have picked them up I cannot
think, unless they were the result of some successful foray on some
unfortunate caravan.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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