Part 9

Seeing the uselessness of attempting to rally such material, Baker, with his staff, put spurs to his horse and charged the enemy. This small band of determined men cut their way through the formidable array of swords and lances. Soon after this the defenders of Sinkat, finding their stores almost exhausted, decided to fight their way out. Accordingly, 400 men, with many women and children, set out from the town. The men fought valiantly, but they were overpowered by numbers, and only six men and thirty women were left to tell the horrible tale of butchery.

Meanwhile Tokar was still under siege, and Sir Gerald Graham was sent with a small force to relieve it. At El-Teb he came in contact with the Mahdi's forces; this time the victory was on our side. Having crushed the Mahdi for the time being, he set out for Suakin, which was the concentration point of the Government in its now extensive preparations to humble Osman Digna. They had called on the rebel chiefs to lay down their arms, but the call had met with a most defiant reply. Sir Gerald advanced on Tamai and bivouacked within a mile of the enemy's position. All night long the British were harassed by shot and shell, but victory came in the morning, though with regrettable loss of life. It was none the less crushing, however, and was followed by a temporary cessation of hostilities. It was not until the following spring that Osman Digna had recuperated sufficiently to face the British troops again. In the campaign which followed, his hordes were successful until after the battles of Hasheen and Tofrek.

It was early in the morning that General Graham with less than 1,000 men arrived at the foot of the hills to the east of Hasheen. He established himself with his staff on one of the hills, and from that point directed the battle which ensued. The wells of Hasheen lay below in the valley.

With the light of day the whole place was seen to be alive with riflemen. Says an eye-witness: "They crowded on the Hasheen hill; they swarmed through the underwood, and nothing could be seen but little puffs of smoke rising over the trees. Here and there a shriek, a groan, a gap in the ranks, instantly filled up, showed that some of the enemy's bullets had found a billet. But for one that hit, a thousand whistled harmlessly over us." Volley answered volley from both sides, and the bullets began to fall thick and fast. Where the Sikhs were engaged the fire was especially furious. The enemy showed considerable bravery, but after a while the distant fire of our troops proved too hot for them. Two squadrons of the Bengal Lancers, making a gallant show with their turbans, streaming pennants, and flashing spears, were launched against them, and some desperate fighting now took place in this part of the field. One of the squadrons was dismounted for the purpose of firing volleys, but, being taken at a disadvantage, was driven back with the loss of nine men. The Arabs were led on to the attack by an old sheikh mounted on a camel. He waved his spear frantically, and his equally fanatical followers rushed round the Bengalese flank to their rear. One Lancer officer--an Englishman--was seen to hew down two Arabs in quick succession; while the life of another officer was only saved by the steel breastplate underneath his tunic, which before his departure his wife had insisted on his wearing. On the right, too, about the same time, a similar charge was made by the other two squadrons of Bengal Cavalry and the 5th Lancers. This rapid movement completely checked and scattered a large body of the enemy who were advancing down the Hasheen valley with the intention of turning the British flank. The swarthy-faced Indian troops, with their eyes flashing friendly rivalry beneath their turbans, vied with their fresh-complexioned British comrades to carry off the chief honours of that charge; and so strong was this admirable rivalry that history can only say "Honours easy."

In the action at Tofrek the Indian Brigade were engaged and showed striking gallantry. The 17th Bengal Native Infantry (the Loyal Regiment) gave some ground at a very important moment, but it was against fearful odds. No more need be said than that "Tofrek" is among their battle honours.

Orders were given to Generals McNeill and Hudson to advance to a certain spot and construct three zarebas at a distance of from six to eight miles from Suakin. Here, at Tofrek, they suddenly found the enemy upon them. In the conflict which ensued, the main brunt of the assault fell upon the 15th Sikhs and the 28th Bombay Native Infantry. Time after time they received assaults with heavy fire, firmly standing their ground and maintaining an intact line. The battle raged most furiously round the Sikhs, a fact which was afterwards confirmed by the hundreds of dead Arabs which lay in front of their position. The Bombay Regiment, though not in the thick of the fight, fought bravely, as proved by the toll of the enemy's dead and wounded.

THE FRONTIER FIGHTING OF 1886

In the frontier fighting (1886) against the Afghans and Tibetans many important events occurred. Those of greatest interest were the survey by the Afghan Boundary Commission, under Colonel Sir West Ridgeway; General Sir G. White's march with his Flying Column to the Zhob Valley; the Manipur Massacre; the attack by tribesmen on the Fort of Chilas, and the Wazaris' fierce assault on the troops encamped at Wano.

The Afghan Boundary Commission, which had returned to India in 1886, after a two years' survey in the wild country to the north, was commanded by Colonel Sir West Ridgeway. Among his troops was a detachment of the 11th Bengal Lancers and 20th Punjab Infantry, who, to quote the Official Gazette, "have upheld throughout by discipline, endurance, and good conduct the credit of Her Majesty's Army."

The work before them was difficult and dangerous, but the British officers and native soldiers carried it to a successful issue with unflagging cheerfulness and invincible courage.

Sir G. White's march into the Zhob Valley may be described in terms of equal praise. The Flying Column marched rapidly through the valley, and reached Thanispa on October 15th. From that point they hurried on, meeting with little opposition, and finally took possession of the entire country, bringing the chiefs to terms, and binding them over to cease the predatory raids which had been the occasion of all the trouble.

The Manipur Massacre, a terrible affair, arose, four years later, through the ambitions of a would-be usurper. In this case it was the ruler's own brother who caused the trouble. On September 22nd, 1890, at two o'clock in the morning, the Residency in Manipur was startled by the sound of musketry. Then, while the inmates were preparing for the worst, the Maharajah himself came running, in a state of panic, and told Mr. Grimwood, the Agent, that his brother had attacked the palace, and that, as he had given up all hopes of retaining power, his only course was to abdicate in favour of the usurper.

The Maharajah was allowed to escape from the country, but no sooner did he find himself beyond the reach of his brother's strong arm than he made up his mind to return. After having weighed the whole facts of the case, the Government decided that the usurper was the better man, and therefore they took steps to keep the Maharajah at a distance, and to expel the Senapatti, whose ambitions and ideals were not for the good of Manipur.

In accordance with instructions, Mr. Quinton, Chief Commissioner in Assam, set out for Manipur to further the intentions of the Government. His force consisted of 400 Rifles of the 42nd and 44th Gurkha Regiments, which were deemed sufficient reinforcement to the 100 Rifles of the 43rd Gurkhas already at Manipur. This little band of 400 arrived at Manipur on March 22nd, and, after consultation, it was decided to call a _darbar_, so as to declare and ventilate the decision of the Government. It was in the back of the Government's mind to effect the arrest of the Senapatti. But he had evidently got to know this; at all events, neither he nor his followers attended the _darbar_.

Notwithstanding Mr. Grimwood's intervention, in which he explained to the usurper that the Government was favourable to him, nothing satisfactory could be brought about with either side. The fact was that the usurper, as well as the Senapatti, was entirely antagonistic to the aims of the British; consequently, the _darbar_ was a complete failure.

There was no time to be wasted, and there was no time to speculate on what was "on the other side of the hill." At daybreak on the 24th, Colonel Skene, with 250 men, called at the palace to arrest the missing chief. The Manipurs had foreseen this. They were well prepared. They had 6,000 men and two guns as a welcome, and, though the gallant 250 put up a tremendous fight, they were ultimately forced back to the Residency. Swift after them came the enemy with their guns. A fierce siege of the Residency then followed. Towards evening there was a lull, and an armistice was agreed upon. But the natives, not knowing at that time the far-reaching failure of Punic, or Prussian, faith, played false. Mr. Quinton, Colonel Skene, Mr. Grimwood, Lieutenant Simpson of the 43rd Gurkhas, and Mr. Cossins, Assistant Secretary of the Chief Commissioner, were made prisoners by treachery, and then the guns belched forth again on the Residency. In the morning the little garrison was forced to retreat, and they took the road towards Cochar, their way being lighted by burning villages on every hand, while far in the rear the Residency itself proclaimed the temporary triumph of the natives. In this retreat was Mrs. Grimwood, whose record of her remarkable escape will be remembered.

It was a retreat, not a rout. The brave fighters of the greatest rearguard action in history, in the present war, may well call to mind that rearguard action on a small scale, when our troops were, so to speak, pursued by defeat, fighting against it all the way. At last they fell in with Captain Cowley, in command of a small band, and, joining forces with him, they made their way to Lakhpur.

Meanwhile, General Graham, with half a battalion of the King's Royal Rifles, No. 2 Mountain Battery R.A.; two battalions 4th Gurkhas and 12th Madras Infantry, and two guns, set out from Burma to the rescue of the battered but not beaten troops. General Collett, commanding a column, also made in all haste for Lakhpur. On the arrival of these two contingents the city was speedily taken. But--and here is the pity--before they could get to Manipur, the officers above mentioned, treacherously taken, were treacherously massacred.

THE RELIEF OF CHITRAL

(1895)

In the relief of Chitral a number of native regiments took part. In the spring of 1895 Britain was suddenly called to attention by the news, flashed along the cables, that hell had broken loose in Chitral. This probably meant that a few British officers, with a small band of Sikhs and other native troops, were in a most dangerous position in the capital of that state. The probability soon became a certainty, and great alarm was felt as to their safety. The next piece of bad news was that the British were hemmed up in a small fort, and, in that desperate position, were defending it against fearful odds, beating off wild hordes of tribesmen, and fighting, in grim despair, against the clock, hoping that time might bring succour and relief. And the jeopardy of this situation was not lessened by the fresh news that two little sections of the British army from Gilgit had to scale mountains more rugged than the Alps before penetrating into the lowlands of Chitral to the relief of the little garrison.

After news of an engagement on March 7th no tidings were received from Chitral Fort. Meanwhile came the official report of the defeat of Captain Goss at Mastuj, he and fifty-six men having been killed--fifty-six out of a total of seventy-one. This, with the death-like silence of Chitral, was appalling; and immediately Major-General Sir Robert Low was ordered to mobilise on the frontier of the enemy's territory, and Colonel Kelly, commanding the 32nd Pioneers in the Gilgit district, was given _carte blanche_ to plan the relief of Chitral in whatever way might seem best to him.

The journey from Gilgit to Chitral is a stupendous undertaking for an army. The distance is 220 miles, and the way lies over a gigantic range of mountains containing passes deep with perpetual snow. When it became known that Colonel Kelly had actually undertaken this journey in the hope of reaching Chitral in time to render assistance to the beleaguered British, the heart of Britain was contracted. There was a chill fear abroad, and the despairing word "impossible" was in constant use. In the clubs men who knew those mountains gazed into each other's eyes and borrowed what hope they could. The apparently impossible had often been attempted before, and proved possible; so the nation waited, nursing that fire of courage which is always kept burning in its breast.

Low's force was as follows:--

1ST BRIGADE (General Kinloch).--Royal Rifles, Bedfordshires, 1st Sikhs, 37th Dogras.

2ND BRIGADE (General Waterfield).--Gordons, Scottish Highlanders, 4th Sikhs, Guides' Infantry, Field Hospital.

3RD BRIGADE (General Gatacre).--Seaforth Highlanders, Buffs, 25th Punjabis, 4th Gurkhas, Field Hospital.

DIVISIONAL TROOPS.--Guides' Infantry, 11th Bengal Lancers, 13th Bengal Infantry, 23rd Pioneers, Bengal Sappers, East Lancashire Regiment, 29th and 30th Punjabis, Field Hospital.

Colonel Kelly's force consisted of two parties:--

(1) 200 Pioneers, 2 mountain guns, 40 Kashmir sappers, with 100 Hunzanagur levies.

(2) 100 Kashmir troops, under Lieut. Gough.

Low forced Malakand Pass. The enemy's strength was on the left side of the pass. Low brought his artillery to bear on this position, while the 4th Sikhs and Guides were thrown forward to scale the hills and carry the breastworks of loose stones; after which they were to work along the ridges and turn the enemy's flank.

No sooner had they come within range than the hillmen poured a fierce fire into their ranks; but our men could not reply, as their stern business was to climb, and climb as quickly as possible. And a most desperate ascent it was, for they had to contend against not only a hail of bullets, but an avalanche of boulders as well. The officers suffered heavily, from the simple fact that they could easily be distinguished by their helmets among the turbaned troops.

It was a long and tragic climb, but at last it came to the point of the bayonet on the crest of the hill, and after more than three hours' fighting the defenders abandoned the position. The Sikhs and Guides, who carried this important point, had been nineteen hours under arms.

During this time the Scottish Borderers and the Gordons had forced their way up the centre of the pass until they now came to the last climb, which was the steepest of all. But it was their own native task that was before them, and, point by point, they scrambled upwards, helping each other up, and never flinching under the constant storm of lead. Seeing the desperate nature of their situation, Low despatched Kinloch's infantry to their support: the King's Royal Rifles on the left and the Bedfordshires and Dogras on the right; the 15th Sikhs being held in reserve. The Borderers and the Gordons not only held, but gained ground, and the Bedfordshires, when they came up, pushed right through the fighting line, and, supported by the Dogras, finished the fight the Borderers and the Gordons had so long contested. Clear over the ridge they drove the hillmen, and the Dogras never ceased pursuit of the routed foe until the survivors were dispersed in the Swat valley.

Kelly encountered much severe fighting on his difficult journey, and his daring and successful mission of relief can never be forgotten. The principal engagement, however, was at Malakand Pass, where, though victorious, Sir Robert Low's small force lost seventy killed and wounded.

Besides the many native regiments which took part in the relief of Chitral, special honour is due to the 14th (King George's Own) Ferozepore Sikhs, who were prominent in its defence. Their bravery of despair and their heroic patience in that defence have bequeathed to them a heritage of glory in the annals of Britain; and

"The gold of glory, put to use, More glory doth beget."

BATTLE OF DARGAI

(1897)

The storming of the Dargai Heights was the most daring enterprise of the Tirah Expedition. In the middle of October, after much delay in the setting out, and just in time to meet the worst of the early winter storms, the Expedition duly reached its first camping-place beneath the ridge of Dargai. This was the initial obstacle to its advance into the Rakzai country. In order to clear this ridge, Sir William Lockhart sent forward the second division of his force, under General Yeatman-Biggs, which engaged the enemy in a desperate conflict at mid-day on October 18th. The 4th Brigade, under General Westmacott, advanced from the Chagru Kotal against the front of the ridge, while the 3rd Brigade, under General Kempster, swept round to the south and west. This brigade, however, which had set out from Shinwari two hours before daybreak, had been delayed, and was not yet at close quarters, when the Gurkhas, covered by the fire of the Scottish Highlanders from the low ridge opposite the Heights, and by the mountain-gun batteries from Chagru, sprang forward across the open space, and began to climb like mountain cats up the steep and narrow zigzag of the ridge. After them came the Borderers, and the enemy, observing the rapid approach of the stormers, fled before our infantry had reached the summit.

Orders had been given that as soon as the ridge was cleared our men were to return to Shinwari, but their obedience to this order had an unfortunate result. The enemy immediately took it as a sign of weakness, and returned to the attack. They quickly regained the ridge, and, rushing down its front, harassed our retreating men. Thus a brilliant victory assumed the complexion of a defeat, and the moral effect of this upon the tribesmen was not to our advantage.

A more conclusive battle, however, took place two days later at about the same spot. General Lockhart gave orders that the frontal attack on the heights should be combined with an advance down the defile, but in the event General Yeatman-Biggs decided to confine himself to the former. Again the Gurkhas were flung forward. But this time the tribesmen had increased their force, and the brave little men left many dead and wounded in their track. The Dorsetshires and the Sherwood Foresters followed them, and they in their turn suffered very heavily. For a whole hour death was as common as life, but there was no thought of retreat; it was a time for indomitable courage and tenacity.

A moment arrived, about noon, when the 1st Gordons and the 3rd Sikhs prepared for a furious charge. The shrill pipes struck up as the Gordons, led by Colonel Mathias, dashed out into the open space, crossed it, and began to scale the steep hillside beyond. Difficult as this stupendous task appeared to the onlookers, it was achieved by these heroic mountaineers, though not without great loss. Once on the ridge the battle was won. The enemy, unable to check this determined assault, abandoned his position and fled in confusion. This time the ridge was not only cleared, but held for good; and our forces found their way open before them through the Chagru Kotal Pass.

In this Tirah Expedition there was much valuable native blood shed, expecially in the Khurmauna Defile, where a native officer and thirty-five Sikhs were cut off in a ravine and every one of them killed. The Gurkhas, to whom the life of a victory is that only a few come back, had their full share of the joy of battle, with well-earned glory, in this immortal storming of the Dargai Heights.

A LIST OF INDIAN NATIVE REGIMENTS

The following is a list of the Indian Native Regiments from the ranks of which the 70,000 now fighting at the front are drawn:--

_Indian Cavalry_

GOVERNOR-GENERAL'S BODY-GUARD.

BATTLE HONOURS.--"Java," "Ava," "Maharajpore," "Moodkee," "Ferozeshah," "Aliwal," "Sobraon," "Seetabuldee."

UNIFORM.--_Scarlet_, facings _blue_.

1ST DUKE OF YORK'S OWN LANCERS. (Skinner's Horse.)

BATTLE HONOURS.--"Bhurtpore," "Kandahar 1842," "Afghanistan 1879/80," "Pekin 1900."

UNIFORM.--_Yellow_, facings _black velvet_.

_Colonel-in-Chief_--THE KING.

2ND LANCERS. (Gardner's Horse.)

BATTLE HONOURS.--"Arracan," "Sobraon," "Punjab," "Egypt 1882," "Tel-el-Kebir."

UNIFORM.--_Blue_, facings _light blue_.

3RD SKINNER'S HORSE.

BATTLE HONOURS.--"Afghanistan," "Ghuznee 1839," "Maharajpore," "Khelat," "Moodkee," "Ferozeshah," "Aliwal," "Kandahar 1880," "Afghanistan 1879/80," "Punjab Frontier."

UNIFORM.--_Blue_, facings _yellow_.

4TH CAVALRY.

BATTLE HONOUR.--"Afghanistan 1879/80."

UNIFORM.--_Scarlet_, facings _blue_.

5TH CAVALRY.

BATTLE HONOURS.--"Punjab," "Mooltan," "Afghanistan 1879/80."

UNIFORM.--_Scarlet_, facings _blue_.

6TH KING EDWARD'S OWN CAVALRY.

BADGES.--The Plume of the Prince of Wales and the Royal and Imperial Cypher of King Edward VII.

BATTLE HONOURS.--"Punniar," "Moodkee," "Ferozeshah," "Sobraon," "Egypt 1882," "Tel-el-Kebir," "Punjab Frontier."

UNIFORM.--_Blue_, facings _scarlet_.

_Colonel-in-Chief_--THE KING.

7TH HARIANA LANCERS.

BATTLE HONOURS.--"Punjab," "Burma 1885/87."

UNIFORM.--_Scarlet_, facings _blue_.

8TH CAVALRY.

BATTLE HONOUR.--"Afghanistan 1878/80."

UNIFORM.--_Blue_, facings _scarlet_.

9TH HODSON'S HORSE.

BATTLE HONOURS.--"Delhi," "Lucknow," "Suakin 1885," "Chitral," "Punjab Frontier."

UNIFORM.--_Blue_, facings _white_.

10TH DUKE OF CAMBRIDGE'S OWN LANCERS. (Hodson's Horse.)

BATTLE HONOURS.--"Delhi," "Lucknow," "Abyssinia," "Afghanistan 1878/80."

UNIFORM.--_Blue_, facings _scarlet_.

11TH KING EDWARD'S OWN LANCERS. (Probyn's Horse.)

BADGES.--The Plume of the Prince of Wales and the Royal and Imperial Cypher of King Edward VII.

BATTLE HONOURS.--"Lucknow," "Taku Forts," "Pekin," "Ali Masjid," "Afghanistan 1878/79," "Chitral," "Punjab Frontier," "Malakand."

UNIFORM.--_Blue_, facings _scarlet_.

_Colonel-in-Chief_--THE KING.

12TH CAVALRY.

BATTLE HONOURS.--"Abyssinia," "Peiwar Kotal," "Charasiah," "Kabul 1879," "Afghanistan 1878/80."

UNIFORM.--_Blue_, facings _blue_.

13TH DUKE OF CONNAUGHT'S LANCERS. (Watson's Horse.)

BATTLE HONOURS.--"Afghanistan 1878/80," "Egypt 1882," "Tel-el-Kebir," "Punjab Frontier."

UNIFORM.--_Blue_, facings _scarlet_, lace _silver_.

14TH MURRAY'S JAT LANCERS.

BATTLE HONOURS.--"Charasiah," "Kabul 1879," "Afghanistan 1878/80."

UNIFORM.--_Blue_, facings _scarlet_, pugri _scarlet_.

15TH LANCERS. (Cureton's Multanis.)

BATTLE HONOUR.--"Afghanistan 1878/80."

UNIFORM.--_Blue_, facings _scarlet_.

16TH CAVALRY.

BATTLE HONOUR.--"China 1900."

UNIFORM.--_Blue_, facings _blue_.

17TH CAVALRY.

BATTLE HONOUR.--"Afghanistan 1879/80."

UNIFORM.--_Blue_, facings _white_.

18TH KING GEORGE'S OWN LANCERS.

BADGES.--The Plume of the Prince of Wales and the Royal and Imperial Cypher.

BATTLE HONOURS.--"Afghanistan 1879/80," "Punjab Frontier," "Tirah."

UNIFORM.--_Scarlet_, facings _white_.

19TH LANCERS. (Fane's Horse.)

BATTLE HONOURS.--"Taku Forts," "Pekin," "Ahmad Khel," "Afghanistan 1878/80."

UNIFORM.--_Blue_, facings _French grey_, lace _silver_.

20TH DECCAN HORSE.

BATTLE HONOUR.--"Central India."

UNIFORM.--_Rifle-green_, facings _white_.

21ST PRINCE ALBERT VICTOR'S OWN CAVALRY. (Frontier Force.) (Daly's Horse.)

BATTLE HONOURS.--"Delhi," "Lucknow," "Ahmad Khel," "Afghanistan 1878/80."

UNIFORM.--_Blue_, facings _scarlet_.

22ND SAM BROWNE'S CAVALRY. (Frontier Force.)

BATTLE HONOURS.--"Delhi," "Lucknow," "Ahmad Khel," "Afghanistan 1878/80."