66
MEDICAL AND SANITARY REPORT OF THE NATIVE ARMY OF BEnGAL,
poshteens for all the followers and a supply of dandies. The sick (19) who were unable to accom-
pany the regiment were sent to the Base Hospital, Peshawar, and there was no small difficulty
in ascertaining where it was located, at such a late hour and every one new to the station.
The brigade moved from camp Peshawar at 7-30 A.M., 20th November, for Jumrood. The
road was very bad, kutcha, and nothing but dust, which was
most trying to the lungs of every one. We were accompanied
by 50 of the hill tribes as pioneers, armed with their war
weapons, a jezail, a long knife and a pistol. From their manner they appeared to be friends,
but from their looks grave doubts were entertained. The distance to Jumrood is about 6 miles.
We encamped just opposite the fort on a heap of stones. The whole surface of this part of
the country is nothing but boulders, and the greatest difficulty was experienced in finding or
rather making suitable ground to pitch the tents on. Nothing of importance occurred during
the march.
At 9 A.M. we left Jumrood for Ali Musjid, distance 10 miles. We entered the mouth
of the Khyber at 9 o'clock A.M., a road about 50 feet wide
formed by the meeting of the two mountain ranges. Along
the road water is plentiful, a stream running towards Kadam.
The whole route is very mountainous and at parts steep, but the road in good condition and
quite passable for heavy artillery. There is plenty of grazing for cattle, but very dangerous
until the tribes are disposed of As regards supplies, we left camp with one day's cooked, and
two days' raw rations. There is a difficulty in getting wood, only low brushwood bushes pro
-
curable, the roots and branches of which are used for cooking. During the whole of the 21st it
was blowing a gale of wind from the north. We sighted the Fort Ali Musjid at 11 o'clock A.M.
and the operations of that day have appeared in the papers.
We were under heavy artillery and musketry fire from 11-30
A.M., till 5 P.M., and bivouacked for the night on the ground taken, the "Shaghai heights,"
about 1,800 yards from the fort. We moved into the fort on the morning of 22nd, or rather
into the remains of what was once an almost impregnable fortress, and into camp at the foot of
the hill called the "Ali Musjid camp ground," about 1 mile long by ¼ wide, on the bank of a
stream (which rises from Kutte Kooshtea, 3 miles beyond Ali Musjid). This position is
commanded from all sides, is low and unhealthy; large numbers of sick, chiefly bowel com
-
plaints, have had to be sent into Peshawar, and numbers continue daily to be admitted into
hospital. No supplies of any kind are procurable at this place; there are plenty in the villages,
but the tribes refuse to sell. All food has been forwarded by the Commissariat from the rear
.
At 9 A.M. marched forward to Kutte Kooshtea in the valley of
the Khyber. The road is the whole way through the bed of
the river, between the enormous mountains on either side
almost perpendicular, and at one place not more than 40 feet wide, through which against a
resolute army it would be utterly impossible to pass until the heights had first been taken.
There is no actual road, the river is the only path; but the artillery managed after great diffi
-
culties to get through, accomplishing the task of taking a couple of guns from the fort to
this camp in eight hours, a distance of three miles, but without any opposition from the tribes
(the Kookie Khels).
The camp of Kutte Kooshtea is a small plot of sandy stony ground on the right of the
river and capable of encamping about 800 men. Supplies nil.
Fodder for cattle ample, but dangerous. Wood none, but
brushwood sufficient for a whole regiment. The river takes its rise from springs from the
ground almost in a line across the bed of the river. The water bubbles up in hundreds of small
places, and converging at various distances forms the large stream lower down. Here, in the hot
weather, the springs are said to be hot and quite undrinkable, and the natives use a small tank
of rain-water only for their own purposes. There is said to be a quantity of saline matter in
solution which causes sickness and bowel complaints. The situation of the camp is very bad,
being entirely sourrounded by lofty mountains several thousand feet high, and is consequently
hot and unhealthy.
As an attack in force was expected on the camps on the night of 27th, the regiment was
marched back again to its old ground at Ali Musjid in
support. On the 30th the ground was becoming quite obnoxi
-
ous owing to the large number of animals and coolies, and the sanitary state of the camp
generally was bad to a degree, there being no sanitary officer to the force, nor any Field Surgeon
to take the duty. I therefore suggested to the Commanding Officer and Brigadier General, that
the regiment should be moved to the heights on the right of the road or stream, about 650 feet
high; this was accordingly done, and a regular camp formed for the winter quarters. The
whole regiment (except a few sick) remained on this height up to the end of the year, and
were still occupying the ground on 31st December 1878.
20th November 1878.—March to
Jumrood.
21st November 1878.—March to
Ali Musjid, 10 miles.
22nd November.—Halt.
23rd November.—March to "Kutt
Kooshtea," 3 miles.
Kutte Kooshtea.
Ali Musjid, 28th November.
Sickness,
mortality and
invaliding.
V. Sickness, mortality and invaliding .—Strength of the regiment:—
Present . . .
642.8
Absent . . .
62.07
Total . . .
704.87