Daily Kennebec journal., 1897-08-25
FORT MAUDE TAKE N
And the Afghan Rebels Max
Ing Situation Serious.
The RebsIlious Elements Greatly e. !.
coufsged By Thsir Success.


London, Aug. 24.-An official dispatch
today. from Simla announces that Fort
Maude. in the Khyber pass. has been
captured by the Afridis after desperate
fighting. The garrison, which was
composed of native levees known ~
the Khyber rifles. retired with the losq
Of three men, The Afridis afterwards
burned the fort.
The fate of Fort Ali-Musjid. which
was simultaneously attacked by the Az
ridis. is not known.
The British officer commanding 1t
Jamrud moved battery Of artillery,
escorted by the 18th Dragons. to the
mouth Of the Khyber pass and shelled
the enemy at a range of $500 ~rds.
The Afridis retired, but the battery res
turned to Jamrud, the officer IN COM
mand deeming it inadvisable to enter
the pass.
Gen. Ellos win begin concerted :
movement against the insurgent tribes
men today.
The Khyber Pass. about which the
recent fighting ON the Afghan frontier
has taken place. is mountain delile,
2S miles in length, running from Jam-
rud to Dakka. Just beyond Jamrud
rise the bare and rocky hills OF the
Khyber range. They are without
tree; there is scarcely q brush; except
upon the fat ground, where few
stunted shrubs are to be seen. The
entrance to the pass is between two
cliffs about 1900 feet in height. and the
road Is fianked by cin1rous-looking
rocks, piled in iRterminable confusion,
without sign of vegetation, brown
and forbidding. go
Eight miles from the eastern entrance
to the pass stands the picturesque Hit
tie fort of Ali Musjid.- At this point the
defile is only $50 feet wide. and the ele-
vation of the fCrt is 2433 feet above the
sea level. 1t stands on a conical hill
which ovelhangs the valley, 600 fee.
above the roadway OF the pass, through
which runs small stream. For dis s
tance of two and one-half miles be-
You'd Ali Musjid the dsfiles retains its
difficult Character, the wldaar .Of the
gorge varying from 300 to 400 feet, ani
the hills on either side, about 1890 Rect
in height, being siaty, bare, and to all
appearances inaccessible. The bed Of
the torrent is likely. to be filled with q
sudden fall OF rain, when the stream
that ordinarily creeps through the
gravel sometimes disappearing COM
pletely, swells to raging violence.
Beyond this section comes the Lala
Beg valley. six miles in length and a
mile and half in breadth, and In
which there is a great tope, or artifciel
mound. on the north of the road. At
the western eLl of the valley the road
contracts again until there is scarcely
room for two meeting camels to pass.
In this section. fora distance of mile
and half. the traveller passes along a
gallery II feet wide, with ON one hand
towering cliff and on the other 4
sheer and yawning precipice.
The traveller then enters the section
known as the Lundi Khana Pass, in
which is situated the village OF the
same name, which the British now
hold, but. according to dispatches,
will be obliged to abandon Temporal
rily. In the Lundi KnaEa the greatest
height, 1878 feet above the sea level.
Pestlawur. Is reached. In ascending
this Pass the invaders encounter the
greatest natural obstacles of the Khy-
Der. The ascent is over such a marrow.
steep ard rugged path that guns can
be drawn up only by men. and by them
only after the roadway has been care
fully prepared. The descent from the
summit, near the village OF Lundi
Gf1ana, to the end of the defile ut
Dakka, mine miles distant, is over
practicable rad, and is not difficult,
although the rescent is sharp.
n