The National tribune., 1882-03-04


Ali Boghan there is a narrow glen fanked by
precipices which rise into pinnacles; and here
we apprehended trouble.
AS we approached the glen, we heard yells
from above. These attracted our attention to a
strange spectacle. Up against the sky-light, not
two hundred yards distant, and perched on the
loftiest pinnacle, tall hill-man was dancing
wild wardance.
He was arrayed in the stolen canonicals of the
chaplain, put on rather mixedly, and he bran
dished in his hand some sheets of paper, which
we coniectured to be Cavagnaris looted dis
patches.
The fellow, as he capered about on his pima
Gle, showered derisive epithets down upon us ;
and as our servants informed us, made contu-
melious remarks concerning our matenal rela-
tives, and expressed his intention of defiling
their graves
AS we stood laughingy watching the fellows
antics my man had ridden into the gorge Snd-
denty we heard couple of shots, and he came
back to us at gallop, with the intelligence that
the hill-men held the debouche Of the glen and
that as he had come round a turn into their sight
two of them had fred at him. He had seen four
others.
Should we go back, or take our chance? Ber-
esford solved the question by putting spurs to his
horse and on wewent at gallop, we three abreast
the servants behind.
Fortunately the bed of the glen was fairly
smooth; and a bend covered us from the party at
the debouch, till we were close on them.
With shout we wheeled into view, sending
the spurs home a scattering volley met US,
seven shots I reckoned; Onslow counted eight;
Beresford was too eager for a return shot with
his revolver to count at all.
We were on them before they had time to load
again They tried to block our path with their
long iezails and one fellow cut Onslow's bootleg
with his knife We rode down two, and think
Beresford wounded one, but we did not stop to
make inquiries.
A few shots followed us as we galloped on, but
there were no casualties, except bullet through
a mess-tin on my servants saddle.
All day long we rode through what may be
called dribble of bullets. There were no more
lions actually in the path but from the rocks
overhanging our path, came shot after shot as we
rode along. We got used to the fusilade after a
while, and logged along maintaining our CONVEX
sation.
The night had almost fallen as we passed
through the terriically grand canon through
which the Khyber stream cuts its way above the
rocky fortress of Ali Musid. Here the naked
black crags all but meet overhead.
The only path is in the stony bed of the rivu-
lets, whose very waters are poisonous. It is
fearsome place; but yet we were safer here than
in opener parts of the pass for the precpces were
too abrupt to give foothold even to the nimble
hill-man.
We halted for the night at Ali Musid, where
we found regiment of cavalry, and battery of
field artillery horsed"-a a gunner put it-by
elephants. These huge brutes were picketed by
chains in long row just in front of the spare
tent which was assigned to me as quarters for
the night.
About two a. m. fearful din awoke me. The
hill-men were making chapao, or night attack,
on us. 1t was not very formidable affair, for
they never charged home; their object was to
stampede some horses and then capture them
In this they did not succeed but they STAN
peded an elephant, which they did not seem to
care to capture. What with the firing and the
return firing, the horrible yels of the hill-men,
the alarm calls in our camp, and the bullets
whistling about them, the poor elephants became
almost unmanageable from fright, and all the
efforts of the mah0uts standing at their heads
were put forth to soothe them.
/ had turned out on awakening, but recogniz-
ing that the affair had no seriousness, and real
izing, too by the angry hum, that good many
bullets were infesting the night air, concluded
to turn in again and let things take their chance
while tried to 60 to sleep.
There had been little lull and 1 was just
dropping off, when was suddenly startled by
wild squeal right in front of my tent followed
Immediately by the sharp rattle of chain, and
the loud Rubber dhar!"-(T Take care) Of ma
hout.
One of the elephants had got bullet through
the ear, and the quick pain had maddened her
into breaking loose / realized the trouble in
dreamy kind of way, and was just rolling out of
the dhoolie in which 1 lay, when-crash-the
whole tent came down around me and flattened
me-
ran the narrowest chance of being f1attened
out ever so much more. The elephant actually
slouched over me as I lay under the canvas folds,
and trod into splinters the dhoolie out of which
had just rolled. felt the pad of her great foot
brush my chest as l lay on my back. If she had
put it down there, should not be writing this
narrative.
In the morning we recommended our ride. It