The Relief of Chitral Chap

T H E REL I EF OF C H I T RA L BY O U N G H U S BA CAPTAI N G . J . X N D ’ "U EEN S OWN CORPS OF GU I DES “ “ A UTH OR OF EIGHTEEN H UND RED M I L ES ON A BURM ESE TAT FRAYS " “ ’ " AN D FORAYS TH E UEE S COM M I SS IO ETc ETC ; " N N , . , . AN D K Y U N H T N FR N E . O G U S BAN D E CAP AI A , C . I . I ND IAN STAFF CO RPS ( L ATE POL I T I CAL OFFI CE R I N CH ITRAL ) WITH MAP A ND I LLUSTRATIONS 1 01mm M A C M I L L A N A N D C O . AN D N EW YORK 1 895 ' The R zg/z t qf Tra ns la tion a nd R eprod uction is R eserved I CH A R D L AY A N D So N s L m rrE D R C , , L ON DON A N D B U N G AY . ’ be r 1 8 . Fz rst E dition Octo , 95 tobe r 1 8 . R eprin ted Oc , 95 PREFA C E TH I S book of is the joint production two brothers , for who are constantly being mistaken one another, who happened to be present together in the same campaign and to both act as correspondents of the Times in that campaign . The chapters on Sir Robert Low ’s advance are by Captain George Youn husband g , who was present throughout the ’ O perations on General Low s Staff. The remaining Youn husband chapters are by Captain Frank g , who from his two years ’ residence in Chitral was better acquainted with the country through which Colonel o Kelly marched his tro ps , and with the place in f which the de ence was made . This record of the Chitral campaign is based on the official despatches published in the Gazette of I ndia and in the Blue Book on Chitral affairs lately of presented to the Houses Parliament, and the management of the Times have kindly allowed that use Should be made of the letters which the Times authors wrote to the . 5 1 3 1 6 6 vi PREFACE The illustrations are from photographs taken by of of Sergeant Mayo , the Photographic Section the Bengal Sappers and Miners , which accompanied ’ General Low s column ; and from sketches very kindly furnis hed by Surgeon -Captain Browning i Sm th and Lieutenant Beynon , who served with ’ Colonel Kelly s Column . C O NTENTS CHAPTER I TH E CAUSES OF TH E WAR CHAPTER I I CAPTAIN ROSS AN D LIEUTENANT EDWARDES CHAPTER 11 1 GENERAL L ow ’s ADVANCE CHAPTER IV ACTIONS AT TH E M ALAKAND AN D PANJ KORA CHAPTER V TH E RELIEF O F CHITRAL CHAPTER VI TH E DEFENCE OF CHITRAL C HAPTER VI I ’ COLONEL KELLY S M A R CH CHAPTER VII I THE PRESENT SITUATION LI ST O F I LLUSTRATI O NS nt COLONEL KELLY AND HIS OFFICERS Fro . M AP X 1 8 To ace . OF CHITRAL E PEDITION, 95 f p I TH E WESTM INSTER AB BEY OF CHITRAL I I B . LIEUT. E M GURDON, D S O DIAGRAM M ATIC SKETCH OF THE KOR AGH DEFILE TH E L OWAR AI PASS TH E L OWAR AI PASS IN M AY TH E MALAKAND PASS MOUNTAIN B ATTERY IN ACTION CONSTRUCTING A SUSPENSION B RIDGE OVER THE PANJ KORA RIVER D I R FORT M D I R HEAD"UARTER CA P, I R Low AN EATTAI S R . AND STAFF ON THE J PASS M CHITRAL FORT, FRO THE SOUTH W S C . B . MAJ OR TO N HEND, . LIEUT. H . K . HARLEY, D . S . O . GU N W H SKETCH OF SOUTH ( ) TO ER, C ITRAL FORT N ATIVE LEVY SEPOY 32N D PIONEERS RECONNAISSANCE SKETCH OF THE CH OKAL WAT P S A 1 8 O ITION , 9TH PRIL, 95 SS M ’S P S N S RECONNAI ANCE SKETCH OF ENE Y O ITION, I A GOL M . D C . B CAPTAIN J . AIRD M 1 TH S I K H s W M CO PANY OF THE 4 , HICH FOR ED PART OF THE GARRISON OF CHITR AL DURING THE SIEGE HOUSE OCCUPIED BY SHER A FZU L D URING THE SIEGE OF CHITRAL FORT TH E RELI EF O F C H ITRAL C H APTE R I THE CAUSES OF TH E WAR I N of of the middle March the present year , people in England were suddenly made aware that grave trouble had arisen upon the northern frontier of I ndia ; that the representative of the British -Government was besieged in the heart of a of f mountainous country, hundreds miles rom the nearest support ; and that operations on a large scale were contemplated by the Government ofI ndia ff his . to e ect release , and restore British prestige Some account of how this trouble arose is required of f of to enable readers this brie narrative , the brilliant exploits by which the honour of the w as f British name saved , and British o ficers were f rescued rom an untimely end , to understand the reasons for and the results of this successful campaign . I ndia is bounded on the north by successive of of ranges mountains great height, and among of u these mountains is the State Chitral , a co ntry B THE RELIEF OF CH ITRAL CHAP . somewhat larger than Wales , and supporting a of population or rough , hardy hill f men . Both the capital and the state itsel are c r alled Chitral , and the p incipal place , where is the f of of ort Chitral , is situated at a distance about forty-seven miles from the main water-shed of the of du range the Hin Kush , which divides the waters flowing down to I ndia from those which take their Central way into the Oxus , and on to Turkestan and f s . o A ia Chitral is an important state , because its s ituation at the extremity of the country over which of d the Government I n ia exerts its influence , and for s of some years pa t , it had been the object the of of d a policy the Government I n i , to control the e ff of f xternal a airs Chitral , in a direction riendly to o ur interests ; to sec ure an effective guardianship o ver its northern pas s es ; and to keep watch over s what goes on beyond those passe . With these O w as bjects in view , Major Biddulph sent to the c u 1 8 o ntry in 7 7 , and the first attempt to enter into relations with the Ruler or Mehtar of the country was made . No very definite arrangement was come but 1 88 to at this time , in 5 , when war between E l d uff Russia and ngan was imminent , Lord D erin , d espatched the pres ent Sir William Lockhart at the head of an important mission to enter into more definite and complete relations with the f e of Mehtar, and to report upon the de enc s the country . Colonel Lockhart spent more than a year in Chitral and the neighbouring state s THE CAU SES OF THE WAR o n as as s of the north , well on the South ide t he du u n f H in K sh ra ge , and rom that time to this t he relations of the Government of I ndia with the Rulers of Chitral have been of a Close and intimate nature . At this time Chitral was governed by old A - ul- u s u man M lk , a trong, ast te ruler, who , by the f of u s orce his character , by intrig ing, murdering tho e o f n his s his rivals whom he could e snare with wile , a nd n s by fighting the remai der, had con olidated a n of f umber small states , incessantly at war are with o ne of s . another , into the Chitral the pre ent year his n Under firm rule , the cou try was held together , a nd , so long as he lived , no one dared to rise against his . him , or dispute authority But he had seventeen s s s ofM ohamme on , and those who knew the cu toms d an f his in countries oresaw that , on death , these must ‘ f f u for allibly commence a ratricidal str ggle the throne . of u 1 8 2 -ul- At the end Aug st 9 , old Aman Mulk d - s for ied , and the long expected cramble the n f Mehtarship immediately comme ced . O the seven of teen sons , there were two who by reason the of rank their mother , were regarded as having the s s trongest claims to the Mehtar hip . These two youths had been invited down to I ndia on a visit to t he f Viceroy some years be ore , and they were in receipt of small subsidies from the Government of d -ul- of I n ia. Nizam Mulk was the name the elder, w as Afz ul-ul- a nd the younger named Mulk . At the ’ t of Old M ehtar s s on ime the death , the second h appened to be in Chitral , while his elder brother B 2 THE RELIEF OF C H ITRAL CHAP.

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