Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1898-03-22
THE MALAKAND FIELD FORCE
Tells of the Courage OF British soldiers In
Fighting In India-Praise for
English Troops.

Field Force" from the pen of Lieu
tenant Winston Spencer Churchill. OF
the Fourth (Britlsh) hussars. was
placed before the public by Messrs
Longmans & Co. Lieutenant Churchill
is a grandson of the late Leonard Je-
rome, of New York, and Is the son Of
The late Lord Randolph Churchill. The
book will doubtless be welcomed by
those who delight in reports, pictu-
resquely made. of deeds Of valor ana
lard fighting genrally under the great
sst diihcul,.esThe young lieutenant has
blended accurate details, hard facts ana
figures, dates and names with pretty
pictures Of Indian warfare ana hne
examples of heroism and endurance
both among and friend and foe.
Some idea Of the country in which
the fighting took place can be formed
from the following extract:
The Himalayas are not line but
a great country of mountains. Stand
ing ON some lofty pass or commanding
point In Dir, Swat or Bajaur, range
after range Is seen as the long surges
of an Atlantic swell. and in the dis
lance some glitterng snow peak sug-
gests "A white-crested roller higher
than the rest. The drenching rains
which fall each year have washed the
soil from the sides OF the hills untn
they have become strangely grooved
by numberless wHter-Courscs, and the
black prifneval rock is everywhere eX-
posed. The silt and sediment has
filled the valleys which lay between,
and made their surface sandy level ana
broad. Again the rain had cut wide,
deep and constantly changing chan
nels through this soft deposit great
cutters, which are sometimes seventy
feet deep and two or three hundred
yards acros. These are the 'nullahs.'
Usually the smaller ones are dry ana
the larger occupied only by streams,
but In the season OF the rains abundant
water pours down all and In few
hours the brook has become an i'm
passable torrent and the river swelled
into a rolling Hood which caves the
banks round which 1t swirls and cuts
the channel deeper year by year.
The gallant tribesmen are described
as follows:
Except nt the times of sowing and
of harvest. II continual state OF feud
and strife prevails throughout the
land. Tribe wars with tribe. The people
OF one valley fight with those of the
next. one village attacks another. To
the quarrels OF communities are added
the combats of individuals. Khan as
sails khan, each supported by his re-
tanners. Every tribesman has blood
Ituu NllH MS DtlBnnDT, Every man y
hand is against the other. and all
against the stranger.
Nor are these struggles conducted
with the weapons which usually belong
to the races of such development. To
the ferocty OF the Zulu are added the
craft of the Redskin and the markham
ship of the Boer. At Il thousand yards
the traveller falls wounded by the we'll
aimed bullet OF breech- loading rifle.
His assailant. approaching, cuts him
In pieces, as he lies bleeding. with
the fury of South-Sea Islander. The
weapons of the nineteenth century are
In the hands of the savages OF the stone
age"
The Mainland Is then described at
length. the following extract giving
some idea OF the scene of so much
severe fighting:
The Malakand is like great cup
OF which the rim is briken into num-
erous clefts and Jagged points. At the
bottom of this cup is the crater camp
The deepest cleft is the Malakand Pass
The highest of the jagged points Is
Guides Hill, on spur of which the
fort stands. II needs no technical
knowledge to see that to defend such a
place the rim of the cup must be
neld. But In the Mainland the bottom
Of the cup Is too small to contain the
necessary garrison. The whole posi-
ton Is therefore from the military
point of view, bad and indefensible."
Touching upon the policy which
brught about the outbreak, Lieutenant
Churchill says:
Here. then, at once. the whole vast
question of frontier policy is raised
We hold the Malakand Pass to keep
the Chltral road open. We keep the
Chitral road open because We have re-
tanned Chitral We retain Chitral in ac-
cordance with the forward policy /
Tins TnUfrnDtpl tho
set OF this book which was Intended
to be devoted chiefly to the narration
OF military events and small incidents,
with that wide political question, on
which the keenest intelects In England
are In doubt, and the most valuable ex-
pert evidence In india Is divided"
A comprehensive review of the
Chitral campaign follows, and then
comes the story of the outbreak, which
Is led up to In this manner:
But single class had viewed with
quick intelligence and intense hostility
the approach of the British power. The
priesthood of the Afghan border in
stantly recognized the full meaning of
the Chitral road. The cause OF their
Rntagonism is not hard to discern. Con-
tact with civilization assails the super
stition and credulity on which the
wealth and influence of the Mulah de-
pends a general combination of the
religious forces in India against that
civilizing, educating rule. which UNI
consciously saps the strength of super
Etition, is one Of the dangers Of the fu-
ture. Here Mahommedanism was
threatened and resisted. \ vast. but
silent agitation was begun. Messen-
gers passed too and fro among the
tribes Whispers of war n holy war,
were breathed to n raceintensely pas
sionate and fanatical. Vast and mys-
teftous agencies, the force of which are
incomprehensible to rational minds,
were employed. More astute brains
than the wild valleys of the North pro-
hucc conducted the preparations. Secret
Encouragement came from the South
from India itself. Actual support and
assistance was given from Kabul.
at length the time came. strange
combination of circumstances operated
to improve the opportunity. The vic
tory of the TURKS over the Greeks; the
publication OF the Amir's book on
tJohad:' his assumption of the post
ton OF Caliph of Islam and much in
discreet writing In the Anglo-1ndian
press, united TO- produce boom In Ma
hommedanism.''
The fighting began Unexpectedly, and
is thus described:
"On the afternoon OF the Goth Of July
the suhaltcrns and younger officers of
the Nalakrni garrison proceeded to
Khar to play polo. Thlther also came
Lieutenant Rattray, riding over from
Chakadra fort. The game was good
one, and the tribesmcn OF the neigh
boring village watched It as usual in
little groups with keen interest. Moth
ing In their demeanor betrayed their
thoughts or Intentions. The young