THE AFGHAN FRONTIER

Star (Christchurch), Issue 6072, 8 January 1898, Page 6

THE AFGHAN FRONTIER

7—- * . CAPTURE OF THE ARHANGA PASS,

LETTER FEOM AN OFFICER. The following letter, written by an officer to a friend, will be read with interest : — Camp Maidan, Nov. 4, 1897.— 1n my last I told you how we captured the Sampagha Pass. Well, to continue my narrative from there. We spent Oct. 30 at Camp Mastura, and in that; evening's orders we were told off to march in rear of tho columns across the Arhanga Pass. However, I was awakened at midnight with orders for the General to tell off one of his regiments to make a turning movement oh the right and take the heights. The Yorks were warned for this duty, and the other three regiments were to support. There was hardly any opposition at all, but as the General was very keen that the Yorks should get to the top of the heights before any regiment of the Fourth Division (which was to make the direct attack) got .to the top of the pass, and as the General insisted in keeping in the .firing line, I got leave to take eight Oj-nrkbas-of the General's escort and race tlie Yorks- up -to the top. We won easily, as we did hot fire .a shot till we reached the summit, and then only five rounds, at two snipers, moro for the amusement of the Gurkhas than anything else. After three companies of the Yorks had arrived we looked down and saw the Fourth Division beautifully extended just below the top of the Pass. From here we had a magnificent view of the Tirah Maidau (i.e., Plain), which is like the bottom of a teaeuj) in shape, extremely fertile, but now quite bare, as all the crops have been cut. and the newly-sown wheat is not up yet. Tho whole plain is dotted over with double-storied mud houses, most of which have a tower sticking up from the centre of the building. Most of the houses are full of grain, oats, beans, dal, potatoes, Indian corn and a few walnuts ; but, alas, the ladies and. cattle are missing. From tho top of the hill yesterday I saw more than 1000 cattle and women crossing a high pass toward the east in tho direction of Bai-a Valley. The Mastura Valley, which is smaller than this, and also covered with houses, was on the evening of the 30fch a mass of flames. • Foraging parties are out in. every direction to-day, and I fancy will continue to be for another week. 'They sa}* that the Afridis burnt their own villages, but.l am not quite so sure about that. There was a little sniping last night, and this morning the houses from which it emanated were burnt down. With regard to tho general course of events, things appear slightly mixed. The two Divisions have been pushed on and on, because I hear that General Lockhart wishes to be in Tirah by November. The troops are living from hand to mouth, and we have a string of nearly thirty miles of transport behind us, loaded on shocking animals, travelling over worse roads and passes, and with hundreds of Afridis loitering on their flanks. Why on earth the Afridis don't cut up the conroys and so put us into a devil of a hole I cannot mako out. They are not half the men we were led to believe thay were, as they have never made a real stand yet. Had they done so at Dargai or Sampagha wo would riot have got here for a fortnight at least. I'm afraid we have killed very few of them, and I don't know how Aye are to corner them at all. Ido hope we will have a good go in with them soon. Every regiment here —especially the native— are longing for revenge.