AN ADVENTURE BY MAJOR EDWARDES.

New Zealand Spectator and Cook's Strait Guardian, Volume VI, Issue 522, 3 August 1850, Page 4

AN ADVENTURE BY MAJOR EDWARDES.

We {Shrewsbury Journal) have been favoured with a copy of the following private and interesting letter, received from the hero of the East : — " The heat is already terrible in tents, under these hills, yet I am glad of the trip, as I knew nothing of the tribes who hold the hills from Tank to Dera Ghazee Kan. Now lam filling my head and note books with the Nukshuh of their passes. I shall remember the Tukhti Soliman as long as I live, for, underneath its snowy peaks, I more narrowly escaped death than ever I can remember before — •even during the last two years. Among the Cabul merchant tribes, who frequent the Danum, is a large one called the Nassors ; and among them is a Zagee rascal, named Sha2ad Khan, who at one time or another has tussled with Dost Mahomed, the Newab of Deva, and all the Sikh authorities in these parts, I sent for him to answer some complaints. He did not come (I was then in Bunnoo) ; I sent again — same result ; but talked of sending his brother when quite convenient. He was encamped then close to Kolachee, and I told the Khan to send him by force, if he would not come of bis own accord. Hearing this, he bolted to the hills ; bnt when all was quiet came back again. The Kardar wrote in vain to pay his trinree. He would not ; when therefore I came myself to Kolachee, I made inquiries as to Shazad Khan's whereabouts ; and finding he was encamped close under Soliman's throne, about nine koss off, I determined to make a rapid -dour on him, and try and seize him. " One night, therefore, I quietly got together 200 Dooranee Sowans, 63 Sikh Regulars, and about 30 or 40 others of different sorts, forded the Loonnee, which was much swollen and nearly did for us all, and made for the encampment : telling 200 infantry soldiers and 12 Zoombooruks to follow in the rear as a reserve, in case of any serious business. We reached the camp at daylight, and I drew up my men in a nullah, to give the horses breath, before going at it. Judge of my surprise to find that of 60 regular Sikhs, only 20 were forthcoming ; and about 40 of the 200 Dooranees. The rest had lost their way in the dark, it was said ; but I learnt afterwards the cowards turned back in the middle of the Loonnee, so that I had 60 men out of 300. For all the world I could not go back without trying at all events, and, taking no notice of the defections, pushed on. The Dooranees at first, when some hundreds of yards off, could not be kept back, but yelled "Illah!" and shook their juzails and shum.shers in the air, as if they were coming to eat up the Nassurs without salt ; but as we neared the camp they became quite manageable, and fell into line. The Nassurs turned out like roused wasps with juzails, swords, sticks, stones, and all sorts of combustibles. I coolly called on them to surrender — a barefaced proposition, which was received with a handsome volley. Seeing nothing left I drew my sword, and calling on my 'heroes' to follow, rode into the ruck. Of 60 men, on my honour I do not slander them, when I say 10 may have charged along with me, including a son of Sirdar Synd Mohammed Khan, Barrukzee, and a young cousin of the Kolachee Ullah : so you may fancy we had to give and take pretty thick. One ruffian that I got involved with actually proposed to blow me up like Ghuznee Gate — crammed the muzzle of his juzail into my stomach, and fired ! Nothing on earth could have saved me but what happened : the priming flashed in the pan. I cut him over the head, and we parted even. How we ever got through alive is a mystery ; but emergiug safely with two men at the opposite side of the camp, I looked round for

the rest of ray friends. They were circling and carrolling round the edges at prudent distances, and were, I believe, sincerely glad to see me come out, as an excuse to get away. But my eyes fell on the Nassur herd of camels, tied in a circle, and the soul of a cattle lifter took possession of me. I thought if we carried off a good bey of camels it would turn defeat into victoiy ; so made rush No. 2at the herd, which probably saved me by springing up between me and their masters, aud leaping about in the most ridiculous manner, half fettered and half loose. Assisted by a thief, who I had pardoned and taken into service a few weeks before, and who quite entered into the business professionally, I succeeded in driving off 75 of these camels ; and though the Nassurs followed up like madmen, and one fellow nearly felled me with a stone as big as my head (we were on horseback and they on foot), and, putting the conths before us, we pricked them on in the true Arab style, nor drew qridle till we had made a koss. " Halting to count heads, I was much disgusted to find the young Khan of Kolachee missing. * Who saw him V A Sowan had seen him knocked off his horse wi'h a stick, and never helped him. What was to be done ? Go back my men would not, had I asked them, and if I brought up the reserve of infantry, the first shot would be the signal for Kalvo Khan's murder by the Nassurs. The only thing was to make reprisal ; so I sent word to the reserve to get possession, if possible, of a Mulluck or two out of another Nassur camp in the rear, which, being pitched close to a large village, was not likely to resist. They executed their orders, and brought off the Mulluck who divides the Nassur tribe with Shazad, and also upwards of 200 more camels. Unfortunately this Mulluck proved to be on bad terms with Shazad, and the latter would not swap Kalvo Khan for him, but he walked off into the Tukhti Soliman, where he knew I could not follow. Indeed, I have been unable to walk ever since, having got a severe contusion from a stone on my right knee, which has given me great pain. (I forgot to say that only four of our party, besides myself, were wounded.) At last I gave Kalvo Khan's father the 75 camels I had carried off, and told him to make his own bargain. A Tukeer was found, and the young Khan recovered. No sooner did he arrive than he said, * Have you not got some more camels besides the 75 you gave my father ? ' Yes,' I said, * upwards of 200 of Shir Must Khan's.' ' All right ! they are not Shir Must Khan's, but Shazad's own, he having sent them for safety to graze with Shir Must's herd ; he thinks you don't know it, and will let them go, of course, now I am returned.' Shir Must corroborated this statement, only claiming 10 out of 245 ; 96 were afterwards proved not Shazad's and released ; but we confiscated 139 — a tolerably good set-off to Mr. Shazad's trinnee. He has since fled to Khorassan. "As long as I am in this district, I shall go on the same principle, and never let any fellow rest that does not knuckle down to the authorities. They must either pay trinnee, and come to the Adawlut when summoned, or clear out of the Darnum. But I certainly will not rely on cold steel at the head of a Dooranee and Sikh Sowans any more. Once to try is very well, but the result is discouraging. I expect another wig from for this business, and I think I see the sentences already ' derogatory to the judicial dignity of an assistant resident, and suited only to the character of a Northumbrian cattle lifter !' "