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13. THE FORTRESS OF ALI MUSJID AND THE KHYBUR PASS.
CAUBUL and Jellulabad can be approached from no quarter, save through an endless succession of hideous passes, ravines, and precipices, occupied by the most savage and predatory tribes. The nearest of these formidable barriers to Hindoostaun is the Khybur. On entering this celebrated pass from Jumrood, an advanced position of the Seiks, the progress of the traveler is impeded by all those terrific obstacles common to the wild mountain scenery of Afghaunistaun. The road lies up the stony bed of a river, enclosed on either side by perpendicular cliffs, varying in height from two hundred to two thousand feet. The ravine itself is from fifteen yards to a quarter of a mile in breadth, round whose horrid sides, broken and intersected with rocks turning at sharp angles and zigzags, winds up to a giddy height, like a spiral staircase, the narrow path. On its summit is suspended the fortress of Ali Musjid (temple of Ali), the key of the pass. It completely commands the line of road called Kaffir Thunghee (Infidels’ Pass), and two little saucy stockades, which are in equally prominent positions.
Such was the singularly inaccessible situation of the fortress which, on January 15th, 1842, two Bengal Infantry regiments, the 53rd and 64th, were detached from General Pollock’s army to take possession of, lest the Afreedees (one of the tribes investing the pass) should do so before them. When this detachment, under Colonel Moseley, reached their destination, after a fearful night-march, it was found that only eighty, instead of three hundred, bullock-loads of raw grain had been dispatched with them. Beside this dilemma, owing to the hurry of their departure they were provided with no ammunition but that in pouch, with the certainty of hard fighting before them, and neither tents, bedding, nor provisions. Exposure like this, in the depth of winter, to a climate at all times inclement, and more particularly so to natives of Hindoostaun, added to the poisonous water peculiar to the Khybur, soon produced amongst them, in their deadliest form, fever and dysentery. The now famished and sickly garrison of two thousand five hundred men, having expended, though on half rations, the whole of their raw grain, determined in despair to cut their way back to Jumrood. They saw no chance of safety by any other means, as Brigadier Wild had already been driven back with enormous loss in an attempt to rescue them. On the 23rd the retreat of the garrison was accomplished at an immense cost of life, particularly in the Kaffir Thunghee (to the front of the sketch ). The rear-guard was composed of the 64th, on which the brunt of the action fell. They lost their commandant, Captain Wilson; Lieutenant Rattray was severely wounded, and there were one hundred and thirty-eight casualties in rank and file. The 53rd had two officers also dangerously wounded, besides fifty casualties. Thus, little short of a miracle, this brave band of soldiers overcame, by their own energy, unanimity, and gallant bearing, the extreme dangers they had been exposed to by unfortunate arrangements. The 64th afterwards accompanied General Pollock’s advance, and were left behind at Dhakka, a most desolate and forbidding spot, on the Jellulabad side of the passes, for the purpose of keeping open the communication.
The Khyburees, who have the credit of being one of the aboriginal tribes of the country, are a strange people. They have no head, but are divided into four large clans, which are subdivided into as many more smaller ones. They are all addicted to murder and robbery, accomplishments considered by them as the proper way of getting a livelihood, with the addition of levying black-mail on every passer through their haunts. Thus, when we paid our way through their country en route to Afghaunistan in 1839, they were also receiving a heavy toll from Runjeet Sing on the one side, and Dost Mahommed Khaun on the other. The latter was acknowledged as sovereign by these bandits. His regular troops they allowed to garrison Ali Musjid, where we found them on taking possession of it. These people live in holes in the ground, and caves, burrowing in steep hill-sides. They go up higher and higher as it waxes warm, and come down gradually towards winter. They are filthy dirty, mean cunning, treacherous, and dangerous enemies in their own steep hills. These are bare and barren, and incapable of producing anything besides a few sour grapes, clumps of stunted olives, dwarf palms, and prickly bushes. Towards Jellulabad the green and shady spots, boasting of fruit trees and meadows on the banks of the river, and doubtless gems, but set in the vilest metal in the world. The occupants of these bleak and savage regions are a wild and martial-looking race. Instead of the more regularly-folded turban of other tribes, they wear theirs floating about their dark bronzed faces, and hanging round their shoulders, in most négligé fashion. With girdles loosely tied, their costume of deep black or blue material, relieved by their “ Loongies’ ” striped borders of bright orange and scarlet, with their deadly and fantastic weapons bristling about their persons, and their swarthy complexion, savage expression, and long black disheveled hair, I cannot fancy a more determined or warlike set of men. The arms of Afghaun foot-soldiers I have elsewhere described. The sandals of the Khyburees differ from those of other tribes, being made of the dried leaves of the palm tree. The juzzail, which is a weapon invented by this people, is in common use among them.
To general Nott’s division was accorded the honour of forming the rear-guard to the combined army during its march from Caubul to Peshawur. As officers on duty in the extreme rear-guards were stationary for many hours together, I often took advantage of the delay to sketch. On one occasion, from Lundikhana to Ali Musjid, we were thirty-six hours in marching nine miles, owing to the narrowness and densely-crowded state of the noted passes ahead. The baggage that we were guarding (the cause of our detention) was forty-eight hours in threading the same defiles. While on rear-guard at Ali Musjid, I had been taking the accompanying sketch from Kaffir Thunghee, and had scarcely completed it, when suddenly a report was heard, and to my utter astonishment, walls and bastions composing the fortress blew up simultaneously into the air, like a whirlwind of sand ; and so completely was it swept off from the summit of the mountain, that when the dense cloud cleared away not a vestige of the building remained. The stockades also made their successive exits in the same abrupt manner. Immediately after these reports, my ears were charmed with the delightful sound of bagpipes from a neighbouring mountain. Afghauns though they were, what a surprise they created! Until then I was not aware that this soul-stirring instrument was in use among the “Bin e Israueel” (children of Israel), as the Afghauns call themselves. I heard, too, for the first time, the explosion, alighted close to me―a succession of trifles certainly, which, however, carried me to another land, far away from scenes of blood and carnage. An unlooked-for event quickly recalled my wandering thoughts to sad reality. It might have been expected that the continual skirmishing by which we had heretofore been annoyed would now have slackened. In this we were deceived, for on a sudden the firing of musketry was heard near us, which proved to be a conflict between the Khyburees and a party headed by Lieutenants Neville Chamberlain, Irregular Cavalry, and Terry, Bombay Artillery. Soon afterwards poor Terry was borne past us in a dying state, which proved the result was not a bloodless one. He was wounded mortally, and expired reaching camp. His companion, my particular friend, Chamberlain, was fortunate on this occasion in escaping unhurt. But his good star quickly forsook him, for the last shot with which we were saluted on parting with the Khyburees wounded him severely, as he, with the rest of the rear-guard, was descending the long winding steeps of the defile to the plains of the Punjaub.
[Keywords]
Afridi/ ‘Ali Masjid/ Khaybar/ Hindustan/ Jamrud/ Kafir Tangi/ Jalalabad/ Dust Muhammad Khan/ lungi/ Kabul/ Peshawar/ Landikhana/ Afghan |
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