The Ohio Democrat. (Logan, O. [Ohio]) 1886-1906, 1898-01-04
CUNNING AFRlDis.
Methods Employed by the Crafty Saving
Trlbesmen In Battio.


Methods Employed by Crafty Savage
Trihesmen In Baltic.
In any account of the ways the
Afridis fight it is necessary to in
olude in tho description tho military
characteristics of the frontier ma.
tives without regard to differences
of tribe.
Their style of fighting is specially
adapted to the geographical condi-
tions of tho country. Both at Fort
Saraghari and at Fort Cavagnari !
had an opportunity, with other Off
GERS, of learning the peculiar fight
ing ways of the Afridis Every race,
of course has its own method of
combat, and the Afridis conduct
their operations against an enemy
in manner altogether their own.
1t is as shifty as it is effective. Few
civilians can realize how deadly il
may become.
1t is bad enough when an enemy,
creeping slowly up hillside, lodges
itself in sections behind huge bowl
ders, and, under cover of those,
pours volloy after volley at tho hu
man targets, as those engaged ir
the task of guarding the summit be-
como. Watching the advancement
of foe is not at any time an inspir-
itipg occupation. 1t is worse 20 sec
tho half naked Afridis creeping
slowly and slowly from howlder to
bowlder. This is what takes place
III broad daylight, but even then the
cunning Afridi can circumvont ma
ture. Take, as an illustration of
this, the way in which Fort Sara
ghari fell. 1t occurred in broad day
light and withip, sight of the neigh
boring fort of Cavagnari, where the
stealthy operations of the tribesmen
were observed by the imperial
troops Attempts were made by
means of si"nals to warn the de-
tenders of tho British flag of their
danger, but to no avail.
Although considered impregna-
bic, Fort Saraghari, built of square
stone with two bastions at opposite
angles, was fatally defective in de-
sign. 1t had dead" point under
meath each bastion-that is, point
from which an enemy could be nei
ther seen nor hit by the defenders.
The result was that while the con
tending forces were firing against
each other-the defenders in the
forts and the assailants behind stone
breastworks and within ten yards
of each other-a few native born
engineers" among the Afridis who
had crept up to the dead" point
were mining a breach in one of the
bastions. Before this was made suf-
ficiently large to admit the savage
tribesmen to make their deadly rush
into the fort the unde' mining op-
erations were seen by the small
force holding Fort Cavagnari. These
signaled to their brothers in arms
the danger awaiting them, but the
latter were too busily employed in
rcpelling the onslaughts of tho enc
my to benefit by the telescope OBJ
servations of their comrades, and
so every ono of the 81 Sikhs guard
ing Saraghari died at his post.
If the Afridi were crafty in day
light, his cunning at night became
superhuman. Many sentry has
fallen silently and mysteriously i'll
the Indian night. A naked form,
moving stealthily in the dark as the
sentry PAGES backward and forward,
getting almost motionless as the
sentry draws nigh a sudden bound,
followed by a dagger thrust-this
is the end of many an Indian sol
dier and the secret of many a tribal
victory.-"An Officer" in London
Telegraph.