The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1896-01-30

But for 1t the fort would have been
taken
As the natives broke cover the loop
holes were manned and the rest OF the
force ordered on to the platform.
Running ahead Of the main line We're
thirty or forty men. each with great
stick in his hand After them came
as many more dragging rude ladders
the rungs of which made Ofvlnes. At
the very first dash, and without losing
over three OF four men, the fellows
plugged up every loophole and min
ute later their ladders were set against
the wall Without orders, realizing
the situation, the seventeen men at
the loopholes made their way to the
platform. Each Of us had over two
feet of space to cover, making long
thin line. The natives sWarmed up
the ladders like 50 many monkeys.
and though we had a great advantage
in over topping them they showed
such recklessness that we had four
men killed and two wounded before
we repulsed them. After emptying
our muskets we used the bayonets
alone and some of our men killed sew
en- or eight Of the assailants, As they
became demOralized and started to re
treat we opened on them with the ex
ira muskets and when the last gun
had been fired we counted l23 dead
men in sight. But for the platform
they would have swarmei over the
walls like SO many bees.
Now the real siege began. Bodies
OF natives were stationed on every
side of us within muskct range, and
steady and harassing fire was main
tanned night and day. After the first
two days artillery was employed. Al
though it was not heavy enough to
break the walls, it answed the purpose
for annoying us. Our killed we had
TO bury inside the fort; nor could we
get outside 10 DO anything with the
Afghan dead All lay upon about
nalf an acre of ground and so near us
that after thirty six hours, we began
to scent the faint in the air. 1t was
the plan Of the enemy to leave their
dead here to work our destruction,
and for time it seemed as if success
would attend it.
About noon, while rummaging IN
the underground storehOuse, | came
across a barrel of alcohol. which had
been captured with some other bag
gage a month before. If the Afghans
knew what it was TREY had had not
touched it. In a case beside the bar
rel We're quantities of quinine, NOR
phine. calomel and other drugs which
our hospital corps had lost at the same
time. When / reported the find to
the lieutenant [ also made request
of him, and after considerable arg1-
ment it was granted.
Night came Oh with a strong wind
from the north and an overcast sky.
and it was only fairly dark wheu [ was
let out OF the gate with two pailfuls of
the alcohol. The natives were firing
away as usual. and as | walked down
amOug the dead ] heard the zip" Of
bullets all around me. [ had satur-
ated cloth over my mouth and cotton
in my nOstrils, and [ could stand the
odor very we'll. There was consider
able grass and brush on the field, and
| distributed the alcohol pretty Gber-
ally over both theSoil and the dead
1t took four trips to empty the barrel.
1t was then knocked TO pieces and the
material carried out The last act was
to light match and set fire to a paper
and minute later | was safe in the
fort, and the field Of the dead was all
ablaze. Before midnight we had wip-
ed out the threatened danger, much to
the chagrin and indignation Of the ma
tives. The relief came too late, how
ever, for some Of our poor fellows.
Within the next three days, we had
five deaths every one one of them, no
doubt, due to the pestilential odor:
and the constant strain Of watching
had begun to tell upon all the living
We had been afraid the natives
would bring up mortar and drop
shells into the fort, but we had been
besieged ror three weeks before they
got one in position. They opened fire
one afternoon, but Of ten shells
sent into the air to drop down on our
heads all went wild. Then the mortar
burst, killing all around it, an we were
safe On the fortieth day from the
hour we entered the fort the natives
made another dash at the walls. Our
force was now reduced TO thirty-one
men, and four Of these were down with
fever and unable to raise their heads.
We had warning of the dash and were
prepared for it. Every man on the
platform had three loaded muskets.
We took the loaded shells belonging
to the gun. cut the fuses short, and
laid them on the wall Besides each
was a piece Of lighted punk. 1t was
estimated that there were fully 600 ma
tves in the attacking party, and they
carried about fifty ladders, The fight
didn't last ten minutes for it was the
shells we rolled down among EN-
which did the work / believe the
dead and wounded were fully 200 but
they could afford that loss better than
the three we had killed outright.
The cool weather had now come, and
on the night Of the fight snow fell to
the depth Of six inches. For two days
after not a shot was fired, Then, for
the next twenty. we had no rest day
or night They did not attempt
another assault but cody cal
culated to wear us out A few more
days would have accomplished this.
On the seventy first day of our invest
ment we We're relieved by British
force But there were only eight of
us able to stand on our feet. In all
only twenty two OF Us were alive, On
the day of relief fifty Afghans could
have sealed the walls and taken the
fort.
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