Thus we marched on
merrily at about two and a half miles an hour, through the usual narrow
path amidst gigantic grass (now about nine feet high) and thick forest.
In about an hour and a half we arrived at a descent, towards a bottom in
which there was a broad, open swamp, with a stream running through the
centre.
The advance-guard was not more than a hundred yards from the bottom, and
the line was descending the hill in close order, when a sudden uproar
broke out, as though all the demons of hell were let loose. Yells,
screams, drums, horns, whistles from many thousand concealed enemies,
for an instant startled the troops! A tremendous rush in the grass gave
notice of a general attack from an immensely powerful ambuscade. The
officers did their duty.
Every load was upon the ground, and in a moment alternate files were
facing to the right and left, kneeling just as the lances began to fly
across the path. The bugles rang out "fire," and the fight commenced on
our side.
I saw several lances pass within an inch or two of my wife's head;
luckily we were kneeling on one knee. The file-firing was extremely
good, and the sniders rattled without intermission. The grass was so
dense, that simple buck-shot would be reduced to a very limited range,
although excellent at close quarters. The servants quickly handed the
elephant breechloaders, and a double shot to the right and left was
followed by the loud explosion of the picrate of potash shells against
some unseen objects, either men or trees.
A quick repetition of the picrate shells seemed to affect the spirit of
the attack. I imagine that the extremely loud explosion of the shells in
the midst, and perhaps also in the rear of the enemy, led them to
suppose that they were attacked from behind.
It is difficult to say how long the attack continued, but a vast amount
of ammunition was expended before the lances ceased to fly through the
line, and the drums and horns were at length heard at a greater distance
in the rear. The bugle at once sounded the "advance," and I marched the
men forward, crossing the stream at the bottom, and gained the open,
where we found ourselves in a kind of swampy field of about ten acres.
"Ha!" exclaimed many of the soldiers, "if we could only get them on a
clear space like this."
The men were mustered. Poor Howarti was dead, and they had left him in
the grass by the roadside, as it was impossible to transport him.
The rear-guard had been hotly pressed, and the natives had rushed upon
the path close to the sniders, which had punished them severely. Had we
depended upon muzzle-loading muskets, the party would have been quickly
destroyed; the sharp fire of the sniders at close quarters must have
caused immense loss at the first onset.
I now determined to lighten the loads considerably. It was difficult to
carry the angarebs, as the leas caught in the high grass. I spoke a few
words to my men, who declared that they were not afraid of the natives
if they were not so heavily laden.
We collected wood and made a fire, upon which I ordered everything to be
burnt that was really cumbersome. The bedsteads were broken up; a case
of good French cognac was committed to the flames; Lieutenant Baker's
naval uniform, with box, &e.; the cocked hat frizzled up on the top of
the bonfire.
The men were provided with raw hides, upon which they slept at night;
these were now wet through and cumbersome: I therefore ordered them to
be thrown into the high grass and abandoned.
The brandy bottles burst upon the fire. A sergeant of the "Forty
Thieves," named Fadlullah, had been attending to the heap of burning
materials, and I saw him stoop over the flames, as though intending to
save one of the liquor bottles for himself. At this moment several burst
and saturated his loose cotton trousers with blazing spirit. The man
vainly endeavoured to extinguish the fire, and he danced wildly about,
until I seized and threw him down in the swamp, and quickly drew the wet
green grass over him and subdued the flames. He was severely burnt about
the legs, from which the skin slipped off in large flakes.
I now had to doctor him, when every man's legs ought to have been in the
best order. Fortunately I had a little oil (for the lamp), and the
wounds were quickly dressed and bandaged with cotton wool and lint.
The force was now much relieved, as the loads had been lightened.
During the operation of burning the supplies, the best shots of the
"Forty Thieves" had been stationed to pick off any natives who attempted
to spy our movements by ascending the lofty trees.
I now gave the order for the advance, and the march recommenced. In a
few minutes we were once more buried in the gigantic grass jungle.
We had hardly entered the covert when the shouts and blowing of horns
and beating of drums once more commenced. This was the signal to
ambuscades in front that we were moving forward.
In the course of an hour's march, the rear bugle had sounded "halt" at
least half a dozen times, as two of the donkeys were weakly, and could
not be driven on without difficulty.
Again the rear bugle sounded "halt!" I immediately sent the sergeant of
the bodyguard, Mohammed-el-Feel, to shoot the donkeys, and to throw
their loads into the high grass. Two shots announced their end.
The bugle sounded "advance", and we at length travelled comfortably.
