The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1880-01-28
4 Fight Where no Quarter was diven.

A correspondent Of the Calcutta
(India) PIONEER, after describing an ex-
petition against body of Afghans un-
der Sahib Jan, where some twenty
fugitives clamored to the summit of a
conical hillock 100 feet high in the mid
die of the plain where the action was
fought, says: This cavalry engagement
was no light matter for the Second
Puniab cavalry. One man was killed
on the spot and no less than twenty
seven sowars were wounded-four dam
gerously and ten severely - while twelve
horses were lost or disabled. Of the
enemy fifteen bodies were found on the
ground, including that of Sahib Jan.
who when hotly pursued begged for
quarter, declaring who he was as q
reason why mercy should be extended
to him. The jemader engaged with
him did not spare him. and saw his
body afterward with frightful marks
of the sabre upon it. This was not the
end of the days work. The two
standards were still flying on the
top of the cone, and part of a head
could be seen now and again. A SER
geant Of the Fiftv-ninth took two shots
ut the head of one of the men, and at
the second shot hit him at 600 yards
range. But there were several men
there, some twenty. it is believed, and
several methods were tried to induce
them to come down. The hcadman of
the village was asked if he thought
they would surrender if their lives
were promised them; but he replied
that they would not believe in our
promises. The battery tried firing
"double shell" at high elevation; and
one of these was we'll pitched. 1t was
finally determined to take the place by
assault; and for this purpose Captain
Sartorius, with eight Of his company
(Fifty- ninth regiment, advanced slowly
up the hill, their progress being covered
by others, who kept firing at the top to
prevent the enemy from showing HIM
selft the last moment. To onlookers
this was an anxious time, rs indeed it
must have been to the little storming
party. We saw Captain Sartorius a
couple of yards in advance and to the
right of his men, sword in hand, near
ing the top of the cone. Directly the
ghazis saw him: they darted out from
their place of concealment-a sort of
basin dug out from the apex of the cone
and sprang down on the soldiers like
fiends. Captain Sartorius guarded the
first tulwar cut with his revolver which
he had in his left hand. receiving nasty
cut in so doing. He and one of his as
s:.ilants closed and tum bled together to
the bottom of the hill. He received
another wound on the right hand, losing
his sword. Neither of the antagonists
was disabled; luckily Sartorius was up
first, and seizing rifle with fixed bayo-
net which he found on the ground
near him, he managed to transfix the
ghazi, who, however, in spite Of this,
stopped down and, with his dying effort,
picked up stone which he flung in
Sartorius' face. When the Afghans
rushed overthe top the Fifty-ninth men,
who behaved admirably, met them first
with volley and then with the bayo-
net, and in this manner despatched
most of them, one soldier losing his life,
however; he received terrific tuiwar
wound through the skull. Some two
or three of the enemy ran down the back
of the hill, but in so doing were
wounded by The fire of the soldiers on
the adjacent slope; fourteen dead bodies
were found at the foot of the hill. To
the onlookers, at about 500 yards, there
appeared to be q sudden collision on the
brow of the hill, followed by stimuli;
taneous rolling down of assailed and as
sailing, for it was so steep that the
slightest impetus from above prevented
ascent