The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1897-10-05
THE FIGHT AT LANDIKAI.

THE FIGHT AT LANDIKAI.
The following account Of the cavalry
charge at the action of Landikai. in thu
Swat valley. on August IL. VIII be real
with interest:
While the artillery were Smelling the
position occupied by the tribesmen and
the turning movement of General
Meiklejohn's brigade was being CON-
pleted, the Guides cavalry were wait
ing near h foot Of the hill for IN
opportunity to move forward. When
way along q narrow causeway leading
into the plain OF Landikai. BY the
time hat the head Of the leading
squadron had emerged on to the plain.
the enemy were already more than q
mile away in full retreat towards the
shelter which they knew WAS to be
found In the distant hills. The pur-
suers started without q moments de-
lay, determined to overtake b fugi-
tives before they had taken refuge
where cavalry would be unabel 10 pun
:sh them; n as they advanced the
squadron gradually strung out, the
best mounted forging ahead, n the
sowars being gradually outpaced.
Captain Palmer and Lieutenant
Greaves maintained a strong lead.
closely followed by Colonel Adams and
Lord Fincastle, and as the enemy were
approached Colonel Adams pushed on
faster in order to direct Captain Pal
mer to keep to his left and take shelter
in a ciump or trees which stands some
fifty yards from the foot Of the hill
49, A Tenr
Unfortunately this order was I'M
heard by Captain Palmer, and he and
Greaves rode straight into the small
knot of tribesmen who were still on
the plain, under a very heavy fire
from those on the hill. Poor Greaves
was shot almost instantly, and fell to
the ground, and Colonel Adams ana
Lord FincasJle at once dashed in to
rescue him from the GhaZis, who were
hacking with their swords at his pros
trate body. It was at this ju~ncture
that Captain Palmer's horse was kill
ed and he himself received a bullet
through the right wrist. AS Colonel
Adams and Lord Fincastle dashed up
the Ghazis retreated from the body and
began firing at them from a distance
of about twenty yards, while the
enemy on the hill also poured in a
stream of bullets. Lore F~incastre
horse was shot and several bullet holes
were found afterwards in his saddle
and his scabbard was shattered by a
ball. How he and Colonel Adams es-
capped appears a miracle. Lord Fin
castle now endeavored to raise poor
Greave's body on to Colonel Adams
saddle, but found himself unable to do
so, and a rush of GhaZis coming down
the hill at the m Colonel Adams
moved a few yards to the right to in
tercept them. Lord Fincastle then
dropped the body and stood over 1t
until the arrival Of two sowars. While
one of the latter was assisting Lord
Fincastle to raise Greaves a bullet
passed through his chest, and it was
this that killed him. as he had hither-
to been breathing, though unconscious.
All this time Colonel Adams sat
quietly on his horse guarding the
others as far as he could from the hot
fire kept up by the enemy, which now
killed one of the sowars' horses.
Meanwhile Lieutenant MacLean.
having guided the remainder Of the
squadron under cover Of the neighbour
ing clump of trees, dashed out to h
rescue with three sowars Two horses
were at once shot; Lieutenant Mac
Lean ~dismounted, and with his help
Lieutenant body was at
ength raised on to a var saddle
and borne safely away. All now made
off towards the trees, Lieutenant Mac
Lea and Lord FiIEastle on foot and on
the way the former was shot through
both thighs, was helped under COW
er but died almost at Once from loss
of blood. Colonel Adams horse mean
while was wounded and he himself re-
ceived a sword cut in the right hand.
Thus the losses during the few min
utes which these events occupied were
two British officers killed and two
wounded. Both Colonel Adams and
Lord Fincastle displayed great courage
in their determined rescue Of poor
Greaves, u%nhappily dead, under a very
heavy fire at so short a range, and
the GOODNESS of the former while re-
solutely protecting the others, SO far
as lay in his power, by i%nterposing
himself between them and the Ghazis,
n n be too highly praised.
It is impossible. to make an accurate
estimate Of the enemy's losses during
the battle of Landikai; it was first
put down at about $50, but news has
since been received from various viii
lagos and from Buner from which it
would appear that they must amount
to several hundreds. as might indeed
be expected from the cavalry fire to
which they were exposed.-Simla Cor
respondence London Times.