With Kelly to ChitralBeynon, William George Laurence, Sir
History
With Kelly to Chitral
Beynon, William George Laurence, Sir
India -- History -- Chitral Campaign, 1895
The fire from the sangar had recommenced, as Stewart's attention had
been turned towards others, so Colonel Kelly sent orders to Stewart to
send in one or two more shells, which had the desired effect.
I now sent Gammer Sing to get a fresh supply of ammunition for the
Levies, which he brought, and I then followed Colonel Kelly down the
line to the Pioneers. In the meantime the guns had changed their
position, and were engaged with the lower sangars, as was also Peterson,
who, I think, was under the hottest fire the whole time, as he had the
attention of two big sangars entirely paid to him. The guns also got hit
a bit, and among others two of the drivers were killed; they were the
owners of the gun ponies, and remained with the ponies under a guard of
four Kashmir sepoys, who had commands to shoot any man trying to bolt.
They and their ponies of course made a large target, but the ponies also
acted as a protection. One more of the Pioneer companies now came into
the firing line, and these three companies devoted their entire
attention to one sangar, whose fire was now very intermittent.
I now got Colonel Kelly's leave to go and look for a path, and hailed
Oldham to come and help me work forward therefore in front of the firing
line, to do which we had to ask Borradaile to stop one company firing,
which he very kindly did. We struck the nullah close opposite the
empty sangar No. 15, and from there followed the edge till we were well
within sight of the sangars in the middle of the maidan, without having
found a place where we could get down, but we noticed a track which led
up the opposite bank. We therefore turned back and retraced our steps
till we came to a spot which we had examined before, but had thought
impossible. Where we stood the drop was sheer for some seventy feet, but
then there came a ledge, from which we thought we could scramble down on
to the bed of the stream and up the opposite side, where we had noticed
the track. We therefore hurried back; Oldham for his Sappers, and I to
report to Colonel Kelly. I likewise asked for the reserve company of
Kashmir troops to cross over as soon as a path could be made under cover
of the fire of the already extended companies of the Pioneers. Colonel
Kelly assented, and I sent off a note to Moberly to bring up his
company. When I got back to the nullah, I found the Pioneers extended
along the edge, and Oldham's Sappers already at work.
[Illustration: Reconnaissance Sketch of the position at Nisa Gol.]
The Levies in the meantime had heard of a path higher up in the hills,
and were sent off to cross as best they could. Having nothing more to
do, I sat down where Oldham's men were at work, and watched the
proceedings. The men in No. 16 sangar had evidently had enough of it,
their sangar having been pretty well knocked about their ears, and when
any of the survivors tried a shot, it called down a volley on him.
Presently they began to bolt, and then the laugh was on our side.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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