Morris tribune. [volume] (Morris, Minn.) 1880-2000, 1898-01-05
CUNNING AFRlDlS.
methods Employed. by the Crafty Savage
Tribcsmen In Battle.

methods Employed by the Crafty Savage
Tribcsmen IN Battle.
In any account of the ways the
Afridis fight it is necessary to in
olude in the description the military
characteristics of the frontier ma
tives without regard to differences
of tribe.
Their style of fighting is specially
adapted to the geographical oondi-
tons of4.the 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 it's own method OF
combat, and the Afridis conduct
their operations against an enemy
in manner altogether their own.
It 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 a hillside, lodges
itself in sections behind huge bowl
ders, and, under cover of these,
pours volley after volley at the hui
man targets, as those engaged in
the task of guarding the summit be,
come. Watching the advancement
of foe is not at any time an inspir-
iting occupation 1t is worse to see
the half naked Afridis creeping
slowly and slowly from bowlder to
bowlder. This is what takes place
in broad daylight, but even then the
cunning Afridi can circumvent ma
ture Take, as an illustration of
this, the way in which Fort Sara
ghari fell. It occurred in broad day
light and within 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 signals to warn the de-
tenders of the British flag of their
danger, but to no avail.
Although considered impregna-
BILE, 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-
Their 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 breach in one of the
bastions. Before this was made suf7
fciently large to admit the savage
tribesmen to make their deadly rush
into the fort the undermining OPP
erations were seen Dy the small
force holding Fort Cavagnari. These.
slgnaled to their brothers IN arms
the danger awaiting them, but the
latter were too busily employed in
repelling the onslaughts of the enc
my to benefit by the telescope OBJ
servations of their comrades, and
so every one of the 81 Sikhs guard
ing Saraghari died at his post.
If the Afridi were crafty in day
light, his cunning al night became
superhuman. Many a sentry has
fallen silently and mysteriously in
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; sudden bound,
followed by dagger thrust-this
is the end of many an Indian sol
der and the secret of many tribal
victory. -"An Officer in London
Telegraph.