A GALLANT ACTION.

Globe, Volume XXII, Issue 1921, 21 April 1880, Page 4

A GALLANT ACTION.

Owing to the restriction as to the presence of special correspondents with the troops in Afghanistan, many very gallant actions on the part of onr soldiers have heen passed ovpr with the barest of official mention. Among them was the defence of a convoy by sixty men of the 67th Begiment, against an attack by upwards of a thousand Afghans, a defence which has been characterised by some of the Indian papers as not unworthy of a place by the side of Borke's Drift. We have received the following particulars from a correspondent:—"On the 10th of November a party of Major-General M'Pheraon's brigade, consisting of a lieutenant, four sergeants and fiftysix men of the 67th Begiments,fourteen sepoys 28th Punjaubee, and a trooper of the 12th Bengal cavalry, a mounted orderly, under the command of Captain A. J. Poole, 67th Begiment, were proceeding with forty camels to the village of Co aba, in the 'Tagoa country,' after forage. When in Bight of the village they were prevented from advancing with the camels on account of an immense convoy of Afghan camels laden with merchandise being in the Pass. A more precipitous Pass, or a more awkward place in which to attack it would be impossible to conceive. All sharp rocks and cliffs, towering away with scarcely a foot-hold for a mule, and utterly impossible for animals to pass each other. The force had no sooner entered, and Captain Poole with about twenty men climbed the hill to look ahead, when they were attacked by about 1000 or more of the enemy. The little party at once scattered on either side to guard the camels, and as the Afghans pressed forward a heavy firo was opened on both sides. The fight was of a most exciting oharacter, each man fighting for his own hand, taking advantage of a rock here and there, ascending and descending in order to avoid falling over precipices with great coat and seventy rounds of ammunition belted on. It was a most severe test on the men, but they kept up a sharp fire every time an Afghan shewed his head or any part of his body. Several times the Afghans plucked up heart and oharged forward to within thirty yards of our skirmishers, and had they pressed forward must have overpowered our men by sheer might. But the fire to which they were exposed fuelled tbeir courage, and for two long hours thi9 little body of Englishmen kept them back until the oonvoy had safely emerged from tho other aide of the Pass. The bodies of those of our men who fell were afterwards found horribly mutilated, and our correppondent protests strongly againßt the accusation of cruelty against our treops, while no word is said as to the horrible mutilations executed by the Afghans against any wounded or stragglers who may fall into their hands, which madden their comrades. Our loss in this gallant affair consisted of three men of the 67th killed, and Captain Poole, three sergeants, and one private of the 77th wounded.