their fire, and, placing himself mainder desisted, and from that at the head of the remaining moment the return was not forty, charged the first position. molested. The retirements to With a shout the Himalayan camp after punitive expeditions highlanders dashed at the afford the Pathan's opportunity. breast work to their joy the The companies told off to cover Chamkannis seemed willing to a retirement are bound to suffer, stand, for, greeting the Gurkhas and the wounded must be with a rattling volley, they drew brought away. In civilised their swords and stood up to warfare they might safely be receive the charge. But the left on the ground; but against sight of the glistening bayonets a Pathan enemy this would and eager faces behind-assisted mean torture and mutilation, possibly by the unearthly yells and to bring off the dead is a of the fierce little men-proved point of regimental honour. As too much for Khani Khel nerves, at least four bearers are needed for at twenty yards they broke for each injured man, five and raced to the next sangar. soldiers are thus withdrawn Never before had Afridis so from the fighting line, so that nearly stood up against the eight or ten casualties will Scouts; for the Pathan, brave practically put a company out and strong though he be, will of action. Then comes the rush, not fight the little Gurkha and perchance the disaster. hand to hand. These tactics Here is seen the value of exwere thrice repeated by Lucas, perience, and such seasoned with Warburton's men co-oper- regiments as the Guides and the ating and the supports covering Gurkhas have learned to retire each advance with a most accu- with a minimum of loss. When rate rifle-fire. Soon the foe were they protect the rear, the purstreaming down the hillside and suer becomes more cautious. across the fields below, with Martini bullets rapidly following and frequently overtaking. The Chamkannis lost very severely among their dead were the headman and two other leading maliks of the Khani Khels. : It was a magnificent piece of work, grandly carried through, yet, though the clothes of many of the Gurkhas were pierced by bullets, not a man was touched. The retirement from the hill was admirably covered by a company of the 5th: a few of the enemy attempted to follow, but seeing eight more of their number bowled over, the re VOL. CLXV.-NO. MIII. On December 7 the memorable march from Bagh down the Bara valley was commenced. At daybreak the advance-guard, consisting of the Scouts and the 1-3rd Gurkhas, moved out, flanking both sides of the Dwatoi defile. The defile was passed without opposition, but as the K.O.S.B. began to cross the river the enemy opened fire. The fighting, thus commenced, continued without intermission until the tired troops arrived in General Hammond's camp at Swaikot a week later. There was not a day of these seven on which the Scouts were able to rest; but of all days of 3 G the campaign the 13th of December was the most fatiguing, and again the hardest work fell to their lot, though the K.O.S.B. and the 3rd Gurkhas bore the brunt of the fighting. In the early morning they were told off to burn the defences of the villages on both sides of the river as far as Guli Khel. The destruction was rapidly accomplished, as a Gurkha is an adept at doing the greatest possible damage in the least possible time. From Guli Khel they kept parallel with the rearguard along the tops of the hills on the left bank of the river. What this would entail is not easy to understand-even for practised climbers. The heights were all isolated; each hill towered from 1000 to 2000 feet above the slowly progressing column winding along the river-bed; the sides were steep and in some places precipitous; a perpetual climb up and down, and up again, went on until after dark; and, for a welcome change, parties of the enemy must needs be surprised and driven off. Even as the day's work seemed ended, a body of Pathans tried to rush the rear section, but, meeting with a reception warmer than had been anticipated, they decamped. To crown all, the baggage again went astray, the night was pitch dark, and an attack was expected. Worn out and famishing, the tough little fellows flung themselves on the ground to snatch what sleep they could. Jamrud was reached on the 17th, and there a whole week's welcome and well-earned rest Christmas Eve was enjoyed. was spent at Ali Musjid, and at the hour when, throughout every village in England, the unwelcome carol-singer chants of "Peace on earth, goodwill toward men," Christmas morn was heralded in by the sound of firing. Three days of flanking duties, skirmishing, and desultory fighting followed Christmas Day, and on the 28th the Scouts formed part of Sir William Lockhart's personal escort back to Jamrud. On that day the first phase of the Tirah Campaign ended. The 5th Gurkha Scouts had started 92 strong, and the men of the 1-3rd numbered 40. Of these only 3 had been killed and 5 wounded, whereas a loss of more than 100 in killed alone had been inflicted by them on the enemy. The value of the trained mountaineers had been frequently demonstrated during the war. Their admirable guiding had enabled the others to reach their objective with a minimum of exposure, and this accounts to a great extent for their immunity from loss. Still, so great a disproportion is hard to understand when we reflect on the losses sustained by other corps. With the exception of the fight on the Saran Sar, all or part of the Scouts had taken part in every action between October 18 and December 28. They were engaged thirty-one times by day and seventeen by night. And they had their reward. Eight men received the Order of Merit for gallantry in action, and six obtained special promotion. Of the three officers, Captain Lucas, com Football was 21st, and 22nd. As usual, British and Gurkhas became very good comrades. Several real friendships sprang up, and some of these chums keep up a correspondence to this day. While the Scout Battalion was at Ali Musjid in March, an Afridi approached Major Lucas and begged permission to join his battalion. manding, received the brevet of major as well as the D.S.O.; Lieutenant the Hon. C. G. Bruce, on his subsequent promotion to captain, also received his brevet-majority, and Lieutenant Tillard the D.S.O. That the services of the Scouts were appreciated was also shown by their reorganisation into a battalion of 9 British officers and 666 Gurkha officers and men, drawn from the 5th, 1-1st, and 2-3rd Gurkhas, all under the command of Captain Lucas. They were re-armed with the Lee-Metford, and all ranks eagerly looked forward to а resumption of the campaign. But this was not to be: the Afridis complied with the terms, and on April 9 the Scouts Informed that marched to Peshawur, thence it was composed entirely of dispersing to their respective Gurkhas, "Oh, never mind," cantonments. Major Lucas said he, "I like Gurkhas. We describes the joy that reigned had great fun with some who in the new battalion: "The used to prowl round the Maidan men were delighted with the camp at nights." "When I Lee-Metfords, and used to put told him that the prowlers were on any amount of side at being my men," wrote Major Lucas to the only native troops armed Lord Roberts, "his delight knew like the British. The roads at no bounds. He smacked me on Peshawur were hardly big the back, shook hands, and enough to hold them when introduced me to his friends." they condescended to walk! Yet these were the Gurkhas Their favourite mode of loco- who had burned their villages motion was to drive through and slain their young men. the place in dogcarts-about Can Mr Labouchere explain? ten men in each!" At Lundi Kotal the Scouts challenged all comers to a hill race. Numbers of Afridis and other Pathans competed, but were hopelessly out-classed, the Gurkhas taking every place in the first thirty except the 9th, Summing up the work of the Scouts in the Tirah Campaign, we might imagine them declaring-not in tones of complaint but rather with complacent selfcongratulation— "Lor', they shoved us in the stalls!" The the campaign the 13th of December was the most fatiguing, and again the hardest work fell to their lot, though the K.O.S.B. and the 3rd Gurkhas bore the brunt of the fighting. In the early morning they were told off to burn the defences of the villages on both sides of the river as far as Guli Khel. destruction was rapidly accomplished, as a Gurkha is an adept at doing the greatest possible damage in the least possible time. From Guli Khel they kept parallel with the rearguard along the tops of the hills on the left bank of the river. What this would entail is not easy to understand-even for practised climbers. The heights were all isolated; each hill towered from 1000 to 2000 feet above the slowly progressing column winding along the river-bed; the sides were steep and in some places precipitous; a perpetual climb up and down, and up again, went on until after dark; and, for a welcome change, parties of the enemy must needs be surprised and driven off. Even as the day's work seemed ended, a body of Pathans tried to rush the rear section, but, meeting with a reception warmer than had been anticipated, they decamped. To crown all, the baggage again went astray, the night was pitch dark, and an attack was expected. Worn out and famishing, the tough little fellows flung themselves on the ground to snatch what sleep they could. Jamrud was reached on the 17th, and there a whole week's welcome and well-earned rest was enjoyed. Christmas Eve was spent at Ali Musjid, and at the hour when, throughout every village in England, the unwelcome carol-singer chants of "Peace on earth, goodwill toward men," Christmas morn was heralded in by the sound of firing. Three days of flanking duties, skirmishing, and desultory fighting followed Christmas Day, and on the 28th the Scouts formed part of Sir William Lockhart's personal escort back to Jamrud. On that day the first phase of the Tirah Campaign ended. The 5th Gurkha Scouts had started 92 strong, and the men of the 1-3rd numbered 40. Of these only 3 had been killed and 5 wounded, whereas a loss of more than 100 in killed alone had been inflicted by them on the enemy. The value of the trained mountaineers had been frequently demonstrated during the war. Their admirable guiding had enabled the others to reach their objective with a minimum of exposure, and this accounts to a great extent for their immunity from loss. Still, so great a disproportion is hard to understand when we reflect on the losses sustained by other corps. With the exception of the fight on the Saran Sar, all or part of the Scouts had taken part in every action between October 18 and December 28. They were engaged thirty-one times by day and seventeen by night. And they had their reward. Eight men received the Order of Merit for gallantry in action, and six obtained special promotion. Of the three officers, Captain Lucas, com manding, received the brevet of major as well as the D.S.O.; Lieutenant the Hon. C. G. Bruce, on his subsequent promotion to captain, also received his brevet-majority, and Lieutenant Tillard the D.S.O. That the services of the Scouts were appreciated was also shown by their reorganisation into a battalion of 9 British officers and 666 Gurkha officers and men, drawn from the 5th, 1-1st, and 2-3rd Gurkhas, all under the command of Captain Lucas. They were re-armed with the Lee-Metford, and all ranks eagerly looked forward to a resumption of the campaign. But this was not to be: the Afridis complied with the terms, and on April 9 the Scouts marched to Peshawur, thence dispersing to their respective cantonments. Major Lucas describes the joy that reigned in the new battalion : "The men were delighted with the Lee-Metfords, and used to put on any amount of side at being the only native troops armed like the British. The roads at Peshawur were hardly big enough to hold them when they condescended to walk! Their favourite mode of locomotion was to drive through the place in dogcarts—about ten men in each!" At Lundi Kotal the Scouts challenged all comers to a hill race. Numbers of Afridis and other Pathans competed, but were hopelessly out-classed, the Gurkhas taking every place in the first thirty except the 9th, Football was 21st, and 22nd. likewise indulged in. "We used to play a lot of football with the Tommies," wrote the commandant, "and held our own fairly well. The British onlookers would cheer our men with shouts of 'Go it, Johnny! Well played, Johnny !' and there was invariably a roar of applause when we got a goal." As usual, British and Gurkhas became very good comrades. Several real friendships sprang up, and some of these chums keep up a correspondence to this day. While the Scout Battalion was at Ali Musjid in March, an Afridi approached Major Lucas and begged permission to join his battalion. Informed that it was composed entirely of Gurkhas, "Õh, never mind,” said he, "I like Gurkhas. We had great fun with some who used to prowl round the Maidan camp at nights." "When I told him that the prowlers were my men," wrote Major Lucas to Lord Roberts, "his delight knew no bounds. He smacked me on the back, shook hands, and introduced me to his friends." Yet these were the Gurkhas who had burned their villages and slain their young men. Can Mr Labouchere explain? Summing up the work of the Scouts in the Tirah Campaign, we might imagine them declaring-not in tones of complaint but rather with complacent selfcongratulation "Lor', they shoved us in the stalls!" |