Chapter 11: A Prisoner.
The panic which had seized the Afghans, when they found theirretreat menaced, had been thorough and complete and, when the 8thRegiment entered the camp, they found that the tents were standing.Food had been left, ready cooked, and every possession had beenabandoned. In the artillery camp, the gunners had left theirsilver-mounted brass helmets and caps, as well as their guns andcarriages. A body of friendly Turis had accompanied the column,making a demonstration on its flank; and these, arriving upon thespot, plundered the Afghan camp of everything of the smallestvalue.
No one knew what had become of the main body, under GeneralRoberts. The Bengal Cavalry scouted for some distance in advance,but found no signs of the enemy. Strong pickets were set, in casethe Afghans should rally and return. The tents were brought up fromthe camp below, fires were lit, and the 8th encamped for the night.
In the morning, communication was established between the two campsand, it having been ascertained that the enemy had fled, in thegreatest disorder, towards the Shatur-Gardan Pass leading down toCabul, there was no prospect of further fighting. The Afghans hadabandoned all their guns, and even thrown away a great quantity ofmuskets, in their rapid retreats. Great stores of flour and otherprovisions were discovered, in the various villages, and weredivided among the troops.
The winter was now setting in, and the Shatur-Gardan Pass might,any moment, be closed by deep snow. There was, therefore, noprospect of a renewal of hostilities before the spring.Preparations were made for putting a regiment on the top of theKhotal. The rest of the force were to winter at Khuram. GeneralRoberts, with an escort of cavalry, rode to the Shatur-Gardan Pass,and assured himself that the whole of the Afghan army had fledbeyond this point.
The troops were, for some time, kept hard at work lowering thecaptured guns and ammunition down to the valley. A portion of thetroops advanced as far as Ali-Kheyl, the principal town of theplateau. The Jajis--the inhabitants of the country--had hithertobeen extremely hostile but, cowed by the defeat of the Afghans,they submitted without resistance.
On the 12th, all the preparations for the return were complete. Itwas known that there was another pass from Ali-Kheyl into theKhuram valley, by the south. This had never been explored by anyEuropean; but General Roberts determined to return by it, with aportion of his force, as the pass might be found valuable in futureoperations. The force detailed for the march through the Sappirdefile was composed of the 8th Ghoorkas, a wing of the 72ndHighlanders, a company of the Norfolk Rangers, the 23rd PunjaubPioneers, and a mountain battery.
The country through which the march was to be made was inhabited bythe Mongals, a turbulent robber tribe. The column marched at ninein the morning and, after their down march, arrived at the villageof Sappir at midday. The road lay down the Hurriab river, till theKhuram river was reached; and then along the right bank, passingthrough the village of Kermana; after which it turned up a narrowroad, for two miles, till an open plateau was reached, at thefarther end of which stood the village of Sappir. It was reported,here, that the Mongals intended to defend a defile and hill pass,two miles farther on. The 23rd Pioneers were therefore pushed on,to occupy the pass and bivouac there. The remainder of the troopscamped in the village.
No signs of the enemy were seen, either by the 23rd Pioneers or inthe vicinity of the camp. The troops were to march at three in themorning, and the tents were struck an hour after midnight. Thetrack up the pass was excessively steep, and very difficult for thecamels. The cold was bitter and, in places where water had crossedthe road, there were slippery surfaces of ice--which hindered thecamels considerably--and it was past eight o'clock before the rearguard arrived at the top of the pass. From a commanding position,overlooking the defile and surrounding waste of rugged and barrenmountains, not an enemy could be seen; and it was hoped that thereport of the intended attack was a false one.
The troops now began to descend the defile, which was known as theManjiar Pass. Troublesome as the ascent had been, the descent wasinfinitely more so; and it was with difficulty that the camelscould be made to go down the deep and slippery roads. The gorge wasfive miles in length. The track, for the first part, ran through adeep ravine of perpendicular walls; which narrowed in places to afew yards, overhanging the path until they seemed to meet, and forma tunnel, through which it ran. Had an attack been made on thecolumn, as it struggled with its difficulties through this portionof the pass, the result would have been disastrous; for it wouldhave been impossible to place troops on the heights, to cover theadvance. Here and there side ravines broke into the road, in any ofwhich ambushes might have been laid.
It was not, however, until the difficult part of the road had beenpassed, and a comparatively open valley reached, that any of thenatives were seen. Then a few men were observed on the heights but,as they were supposed to be shepherds, no notice was taken of them.Believing that all danger of attack was now over, the generalordered all the troops--with the exception of the baggage guard,which was composed of the 3rd Ghoorkas, and a few of the 72ndHighlanders and Norfolk Rangers--to march forward to the camp;which was to be pitched at a village called Keraiah, in the openvalley.
This, as the result proved, was a very rash move. Before the headof the column had extricated itself from the ravine, numbers of thecountry people were seen collecting, in small detached parties. Bydegrees they closed in, and were soon within fifty yards of theconvoy. Captain Goad--in charge of the baggage--was close to asmall guard of 72nd Highlanders when, suddenly, a volley was firedby the Mongals.
Captain Goad fell, his thigh bone broken by a bullet. SergeantGreen, with three privates of the 72nd, picked him up and, havingplaced him under cover of a rock, turned to defend themselves. Theywere but four men against a large number; but they stood steadyand, firing with careful aim, and picking off their man each time,they kept the enemy at bay until help arrived.
Simultaneously, all along the line of the baggage column, theMongals attacked. From the heights on both sides a fire was keptup, while the more daring swept down in parties upon the rear guardof Ghoorkas, commanded by Captain Powell. The baggage guard allbehaved with great steadiness; defending the path on both sides,while the baggage animals continued their way along it.
William Gale was on duty with the party; and was, like the rest,busy with his rifle. A sergeant next to him was hit in the leg; andWill--laying down his rifle--stopped one of the camels, andassisted the wounded man to mount it. The attack of the Mongalsbecame more furious, as they saw their anticipated prey escapingthem, in spite of all their efforts; but their attempts to closewere in vain, and the convoy made its way down to the village; withthe loss of one killed, and two officers, and eight men wounded.Captain Powell and Captain Goad both died, from the effects oftheir injuries. The enemy's loss must have been considerable, asthe fire of the troop was steady and accurate, and the distancesmall.
After a halt, for a day or two, the column marched to Khuram, whereit encamped. Captain Herbert had reported to the colonel the mannerin which Private Gale had defended him, when wounded and attackedby three Afghans; the incident, too, had been observed by many ofhis comrades and, as a reward, the young soldier was promoted tothe rank of corporal; and the colonel told him that, had notsimilar acts of bravery been performed in the hand-to-hand action,on the Spingawi-Khotal, he would have been mentioned for theVictoria Cross.
The mountain tops were now deep in snow; but in the valley thetemperature was very agreeable, and the troops enjoyed their restmuch. This was not, however, to be of long duration. From the lowerend of the Khuram valley runs off another valley, known as the"Khost." This was an entirely unknown country to the Europeans, butit was said to be extremely hostile. Parties had come down andcarried off cattle and, at any time, a formidable raid might havetaken place, and our line of communication been entirely cut.
The country was ruled by an Afghan governor, who sent in to saythat he was willing to hand it over to us. There was, therefore, noexpectation that there would be any resi
stance; and the expeditionwas designed rather to overawe the country, and to obtaininformation as to its extent and capabilities, than with any ideaof permanent occupation. The column consisted of a squadron of the10th Hussars, the 5th Bengal Cavalry, the 21st and 28th PunjaubInfantry, two mountain batteries, a wing of the 72nd Highlanders,and two companies of the Norfolk Rangers. This force marched fromHazir-pir, and halted for the night at Jaji-Midan, at the head ofthe valley leading to the Darwiza Pass, through which the trackruns into the Khost valley.
At eight o'clock next morning, the troops moved forward. The groundwas difficult, for the road ran between terraced fields on the sideof the ravine, and obliged men and animals to pass in single file.It was not, therefore, until twelve o'clock that the rear guardmoved out of the camp. Beyond this point, the road up the pass wasnot difficult. From the summit, a wide view was obtained. At theend of the valley--six miles distant--the plain of the Khostcountry was seen. It was seen that--owing to the slow progress thetroops were making--the baggage train, consisting of 1000 camels,would not be able to reach the proposed camping ground, at thelower end of the valley, before dark. The general, therefore,ordered it to halt at the top of the pass, where the ground wasopen. The 21st Punjaubees, and a mountain battery, were to staythere for its protection; and bring it on, next day. The mules,with the regimental baggage, went on with the troops.
The column met with no opposition. It halted near the village ofBakh, half a mile from the foot of the hills; where the valleywidened into a plain, six miles long and four broad. The forceencamped here on the 4th, to allow the convoy to come up. Thefollowing morning the column marched to the other end of thevalley; and the next day the Afghan governor of Matun--the chiefplace of the Khost--rode in to welcome the general.
On the 6th of January the force marched to Matun. They found thatthis fort was a square-walled enclosure, 100 yards each side, withcircular corner bastions. There was a central square enclosure,with round towers at its angles. As the fort was approached, itsgarrison--which consisted of 100 local militia--were formed up, intwo lines, at a mosque outside the fort. The general with his staffrode in, and a long interview took place between him and thegovernor. The troops encamped outside.
In the evening information came in, from the villages in the plain,that large numbers of the Mongals--who inhabited the hills--weremeditating an attack. Strong pickets were posted, and the nightpassed quietly. In the morning large numbers of tribesmen flockeddown into the villages, and gradually surrounded the camp.
At one o'clock the troops fell in. The cavalry were sent outagainst the enemy in the northwest direction, followed by the 28thPunjaubees and Number 2 mounted battery. The Mongals at once fellback to the hills.
The squadron of the 10th Hussars were dismounted, and ordered toskirmish up a small knoll to the west. From this they drove theenemy, who gathered again on a spur opposite. Here they werecharged by the 5th Punjaub Cavalry, and fell back higher up theridge. The mountain guns and infantry now arrived, and speedilydrove them over the crest.
General Roberts, with his staff, rode out to watch the skirmish;and soon after he had left the enemy, who occupied the village tothe northeast, showed in force. Two of the mountain guns openedupon them.
On the south they now approached, under the cover of the old Afghancavalry lines, to within half a mile before being perceived; andalso occupied a walled village there. The other two guns in campshelled the village, and soon drove the enemy out.
When the general returned to camp, at half-past two, he found theattack driven off in all directions; and ordered the 21st Punjaubees,the 72nd Highlanders, and the Norfolk Rangers to follow up the enemyto the east and southeast, with the mountain guns; and to burn thevillages which had sheltered the enemy. The first village was founddeserted. At another, a quarter of a mile behind, the enemy made astand; but were shelled out, and the plain beyond the Matun river wassoon covered with fugitives. Major Stewart--with forty men of the 5thPunjaub Cavalry, who accompanied the column--charged 400 of them, andcut down many; until checked by the heavy fire of matchlock men fromthe high bank.
No more fighting took place. The combination of tribes which hadattacked the camp were estimated at 6000 men. Eighty prisoners weretaken. These, two nights afterwards, took advantage of a nightalarm to attempt to escape, and attacked the guard. The attempt,however, was frustrated; but only after several of the prisonershad been shot down.
Some days passed, quietly. Reconnaissances were made up the valley.While waiting here, the news of the capture of Candahar, by GeneralStewart, arrived. Parties of engineers surveyed the country, andall passed off quietly.
On the 25th, a portion of the force marched back to Hazir-pir Onthe 26th of January the general determined to withdraw this forcealtogether; as no advantage was gained by its retention, and thegarrison would be constantly exposed to the attacks of the natives,who were already threatening it. The fort was handed over to SultanJan, a man of good family, who was appointed to govern the Khost,temporarily. He had under him the guard of the former governor, andsome fresh natives; being, in all, 300 men. The headmen of thevillages were called together, and these promised to obey his rule.
Some of the chiefs of the Mongals, and other neighboring tribes,came in. Sheep were given to them, and they were told that, so longas they desisted from interference in the valley, no steps would betaken against them. The troops, however, had only made one day'smarch when a messenger arrived from Sultan Jan; saying that,immediately the troops had marched, the Mongals had come down toattack the fort. A strong party were therefore marched back atonce. After destroying the stores, and setting fire to the fort,they drew off the governor and marched back to camp; the Mongals,although in great force, not venturing to offer any resistance.
On the return of the force to the Khuram valley, a wing of theNorfolk Rangers was sent up to reinforce the troops stationed onthe top of the Peiwar-Khotal; as the Jajis and Mongals had beengathering in large numbers, and threatening an attack on that post.
William Gale was, with his company, stationed at Ali-Kheyl. Theenemy abstained from any open attack, but they often harassed thesentries. One night, Will was corporal in charge of a picket ofeight men, posted at a hut half a mile from the village. The objectof the picket was to prevent any sudden attack being made upon thecompany; who were in a small village, a quarter of a mile in therear, where a large quantity of grain was stored. Two men wereposted as sentries, some hundred yards in advance of the hut.
Will had visited the sentry to the right and, finding all was well,here, moved across to the left.
"Is everything quiet?" he asked the sentry.
"I don't know, corporal. Two or three times I have thought that Iheard noises, and twice I have challenged."
"What sort of noise?"
"Once it seemed to be a crack, like a dried stick when some onetreads on it. The other time it was as if a stone had beendislodged."
"I will wait with you," Will said. "Two pairs of ears are betterthan one."
Again there was a slight sound heard.
"I don't like to fire," Will said. "The alarm would spread, and thewhole camp get under arms. There is something moving, I amconvinced; but it may be only a stray bullock. I will go forward,and see if I can make it out; and do you stand ready to fire, if Iam attacked.
"After doing so, fall back on the picket, at once. If the enemy arein force, hold the hut to the last. In ten minutes you will havehelp from the village, behind."
Holding his rifle advanced, in readiness to fire, William Gale madehis way forward, cautiously, towards the spot whence the noiseseemed to proceed. When he was some forty yards in advance of thesentry, a number of figures rose suddenly from some bushes, andfired. Will fired, and saw the man at whom he aimed go down but, atthe same instant, three or four guns were discharged; and he fellto the ground, shot through the leg. There was a rush of mentowards him. A tulwar was waved, and fell, with a crushing blow, onhis shoulder; and he became insensible.
When he recovered consciousness he was being carried along, a manholding his arms and another his legs. The pain was excruciating,and he fainted again; after hearing, during his brief period ofconsciousness, a sharp fusilade of musketry, which told him thathis comrades were defending the hut against the enemy.
When again he came to his senses, it was daylight. He was lying ina small room, and an old woman was applying bandages to the swordcut on his shoulder. Although he did not know it, he was ten milesfrom the spot where the attack had been made.
Among those who had taken part in it was the head of a small Jajivillage, lying behind the hills. This chief was a crafty oldsavage, who had been desirous of remaining neutral in the strife.The determination of his people to join in the attack, by thetribes, had forced him to consent to their so doing. Beforestarting he had, however, made them swear that any wounded men whofell into their hands should not--in accordance with the Afghancustom--be instantly despatched; but should be brought back to thevillage.
His intention was to have some hostages. If the English repulsedthe attack and, in the spring, again advanced; he would be able toprove his goodwill to the cause, by handing the soldiers whom hehad protected over to them. Upon the other hand, should the Britishfall back and the Afghans advance in the spring, he could hand theprisoners over to them, or send them down to Cabul, as a proof thathis people had fought against the British. He had himselfaccompanied his men and, seeing after Will had fallen that he wasstill living, had at once ordered two of his men to carry him offto the village.
The attack upon the guard house proved unsuccessful. The sixsoldiers defended themselves until the company from the village,behind, came up to the rescue. Several other attacks, at variouspoints, took place. But the British were on the alert; and thehillsmen, finding that their enemies were not to be taken bysurprise, scattered again to the village.
The ball had fortunately passed through William Gale's leg, withouteither breaking a bone or cutting an artery; but the wound in theshoulder was more serious, and the effect of the strain upon it, incarrying him, brought on violent inflammation. Fever set in withdelirium and, for weeks, the lad lay between life and death.
The old woman who nursed him was, like most of her country people,skilled in the treatment of wounds. The bandages were kept bathedwith water, snow was constantly applied to his head, and adecoction of herbs given him to drink. His good constitution was inhis favor and, at last, he recovered his senses; to find himselfconvalescent, but as weak as an infant.
In April the snow melted; and the chief, having by this time foundthat the English were not likely to advance beyond Ali-Kheyl,thought that it would best benefit his interest to send hisprisoner down to Cabul. The Ameer was reported to be about toconclude peace with the British; and the chief thought that he wasmore likely to receive a reward, from him, for the care he hadbestowed upon the prisoner, than from the English. Moreover, itwould have been difficult to send him into the English camp,through the hostile villages; while no unfavorable comment would beincited, by his sending his prisoner down to Cabul.
Will Gale was far too weak to perform the journey on foot. He was,therefore, placed on a camel. The chief himself, and four of hisheadmen, accompanied him as an escort and, a week after the passwas open, they started up the valley to the Shatur-Gardan; andthence descended into the Logan Valley, below, on the way to Cabul.