BRITAIN'S NEW WAR.

Oamaru Mail, Volume XXXIX, Issue 10959, 27 December 1911, Page 7

BRITAIN'S NEW WAR.

ENEMIES WHO FIGHT WITH POISONED A I{ROWS.

(London Express.) Calcutta, October 27. I have received the following letter describing the difficulties which the troops of . the Abor Expedition are meeting with iii penetrating this unknown land of jungle and savage, tribes. The work of the expedition is to .punish the natives: who in March last murdered Mr Williamson, Dr Gregorson, and 30 coolies- on the frontier of Assam and Tibet:—" ■ ,

The Abor - expeditionary force was finally concentrated complete at Kobo on October 16thi when the Battani brought up the" last two carrier corps from Dibrugarh. The fighting portion of the .force consists of tlie' Bth and four companies of the 2nd Gurkhas, the 32nd Sikh Pioneers, the M.G. detachment of the: Assam Valley Light Horse, and one company of sappers and miners, a total of about 2500 men. In , addition to the non-combatants, such as Army Ordnance.and supply and transport units,-who will remain at the base and oil the line of communications during tlie operations, it was found necessary .to organise six carriers or coolie corps. The jungle in the Abor country is very thick, especially the bamboo jungle, and mule transport is almost impossible without" a good deal of pioneer work. North of Koko, however, there are several open spaces covered with high grass, called "cliuprus," and there is quite a good road fit for mule transport from Kobo to Pasigliat, which is on the frontier, and the "advanced base" of the expedition. Beyond Pasighat, the only paths are Abor tracks, and owing to the dense jungle and steep gradients, coolie transport is a The coolies are all Nagas, a savage race from the neighborhood of Manipur and Koliima. They bear a remarkable resemblance to the Abors, are very fond of fighting (being "head hunters"), and are very lusty, cheerful men. Each carrier corps consists of over 600 coolies, and is commanded by a .supply and transport officer.

It had been intended to advance on Kebang—the largest and most truculent village, of about 100 houses, visited by the late Mr Williamson, and, it is believed, the one chiefly responsible for his murder—by two routes, via Ledum and Pasigliat. Early this month, therefore, the Pioneers began to make a path to Oniyuk, on the Poba River, whence Ledum could easily be reached by the river path; The Kemi River was bridged on October 9tli and a rough path cut for three miles into the jungle beyond with the aid of elephants, who are invaluable for "trampling a track" through thick jungle. The next day it began to rain heavily, and continued to do so for sis days. An advance on October 15th, as had been intended, was out of the question. But on the following day it was evident that the rains were over for good, and the river subsided rapidly. Preparations ior an immediate advance were resumed. During the halt in camp there has been much practice in jungle fighting and camping arrangements. The chief problem is the defence of the coolies and baggage. It must be remembered that a force can move along jungle paths only in single file, and that a column of 1000 men covers a distance of over a mile. The tactics of the Abors are eminently suited to these conditions While ■"holding up" the head of a column by a stockade tdn long to be turned quickly, they attack the long, straggling line of coolies. It has been found necessary to provide a baggage guard not less than half the strength of the coolies and other non-combatants, if any degree of safety is to be obtained. The Nagas have so far worked very intelligently-'-with an imaginary enemy. What they will do in earnest remains to be seen. In addition to their tactics, it is worthy of note that the enemy's weapons—which consist of spears, "dahs" (or short, heavy, cutting swords), and arrows poisoned with aconite —are much fitter to cope with ours in thick jungle than in open country. • A fortnight ago Kobo was visited by chiefs from the Padam or Bor Abors, who are not thought to have been implicated in the treachery of the Minyongs. They made many protestations of goodwill, but were sent away after two days, as they were not considered important enough to treat for terms.

On October 18th the bridge over the Kemi was repaired, and the Ledum jungle-path was continued to Onyuk. Two days later the Ledum column, consisting of two companies each from the 2nd Gurkhas and 32nd Pioneers, under Col. Fisher, with one carrier corps (of Angami Nagas) set out. They will reach Ledum in three days. The Pasighat force marched to Pasighat in three columns. The first column marched on October 21st, and the other two marched on the 22nd and 23rd. The distance is 30 miles, and will be traversed in four marches. The whole force was concentrated at Pasighat bv the 26th.

This force consists of the Bth Gurkhas (ten companies), 32nd Sikh Pioneers (four companies), two sections R.E., Assam Valley Light Horse M.G detachment, and the headquarters of the Abor Field Force. This is the main force, and is_under the command of General H. Bower, C.B. It was'accompanied by the Semmas, the most savage of all the Naga .coolies, who wear practically no clothing.