Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1895-04-22
DIR. ROBERTSON RELIEVED.
British Troops .Succor the ChitraI
Fortress.

British Troops Succor the Chitral
Fortress.
AS has been already stated in The Star
in speaking of this campaign, Chitral is a
region on the southern side of the Hindu
Kush. into which one of the principal
mountain passes opens. leading from the
valley of the Oxus to Cashmir and Pesha-
wur. Recently Umra Khan, a Pathan rob-
Der, raided the country, on the accession
OF new ruler. and the British representa-
tive. Surgeon Major Robertson, was
obliged to smut himself and his few troops
in the fortress Of Chitral. In passing to
his succor, says the New York Herald, a
party Of Sikh soldiers, under the gallant
ofhcer Captain Ross. was cut to pieces,
and two other English officers. Lieuten-
ants Edwards and Fowler, were taken
prisoners and only recently released. Ac-
cordingly, three brigades of frst-rate
troops were collected, amounting in all to
1900 men, under the command of a most
experienced frontier officer. Sir Robert
Low, and on April 3 they crossed the In
dian frontier to smash" Umra Khan and
to deliver DR.. Robertson and his slender
garrison at Chitral
This has been accomplished.
Fighting in the Mnlnkand Pass.
The troops made a rapid march to the
Malakand pass. The advance guard of the
guides had only gone little way into the
pass when the Swatis were found swarm
ing on all sides behind the "sangars," or
stone breastworks which they had erected
at every suitable corner. The pass itself Is
splendidly adapted for defense, as in many
places it is only wide enough for two bull
ocks to pass each other. However, the
British worked their way on step by step.
the mountain and machine guns gradually
Smelling the natives out of their defenses.
The Swatis fought pluckily enough en-
priests flags
their white garments made them an easy
target.
At last the struggle eliminated at Il
sharp, narrow bend in the pass, where the
natives had fixed their strongest defenses.
Then the Gordon Highlanders, the Scot
fish BordererS and the Thirty-seventh Do
gras charged up the hill in the face of a
heavy fire to dislodge the Swatis. 1t was a
tough job with the bayonet, as the Swats
fought hand to hand. but when the guides
executed flank movement the day was
won and the tribeSmen fed, leaving the
pass in British hands. Eleven men had
been killed and thirty-three wounded on
the British side, the latter including eight
officers. but the native loss was extremely
heavy.
The first brigade, being in light marching
order. went on beyond the pass into Swat,
where they soon encountered 5000 tribe
men blocking the road Another smart en-
gagement followed. The third brigade be-
ing left behind as base, the first and
second brigades marched toward the Swat
river and succeeded in bridging the stream
near Alakand. A strong hostile force from
Upper Swat kept the British under heavy
fire during the operation, but when the
bridge was finished the trops pushed rap
idly across, and the Eleventh Bengal
Lancers routed the enemy in dashing style.
Umrn I1han's Collapse.
Dispatches printed in The Star after this
showed that Umra Khan's power was
melting from him.
Some further fighting took place, but
Umra Khan, the Napoleon of the Hindu
Kush.'' as he is called, was by this time
practically subdued and most of his remain
ing followers dispersed and went home.
Meanwhile, however, the tribesmen who
were engaged in laying siege to the fort of
Chitral were pressing the garrison hard,
and on April 16, they carried the mines
within ten yards of the walls. DIR. Robert
sons supplies were not expected to last
longer than the present month, and ac-
cordingly his position was growing more
critical every day.
Difficulties of the March.
The country which the troops have had
to traverse is Of extraordinary difficulty.
A graphic account of it has recently been
given by an English officer, who is per-
sonally acquainted with the region. Pic
ture snow-capped mountains of dry brown
rock, eight, nine, ten, sixteen, eighteen,
a green thing On them, and below terrible
defiles, worn away by the fierce torrents
that rave tossed themselves along in these
solItudes through the ages. The troops of
the invaders, commanded as they were
from the all but inaccessible slopes, took
their lives in their hands, for the protec-
ton of thanking parties was almost out of
the question. Nor was gun fire all they
had to fear.
The mountaineers have raised rock throw
ing to science Their forts are protected
by immense collections of rock, which are
sent hurting down the Single slopes with
terrific force. All night at intervals, if the
men dread being surprised, these rocks are
kept crashing down. 1t is wonderful how
effective this simple means of defense and
offerSe is
Strange as 1t may seem, when nineteenth
century troops are concerned, nothing is
more terrifying than these falling rocks.
The effects are shocking in the extreme.
If men or mules are hit limbs are carried
clean away. OF course, apart altogether
from the mountaineers, there is nature
shaking down rocks on her own account,
by the agency of the wind.
Then in the ordinary sense of the term
there are no roads. A few carts were got
over the MaIakand Pass by Sir Robert
Low, but they were not able to go further.
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