A GALLANT ACTION.

Manawatu Herald, Volume II, Issue 75, 14 May 1880, Page 3

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 our soldiers have been passed over with the barest of official mention. Among them was the defence of a convoy by sixty men of the 67th ( Regiment, against a#. 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 Rorke's Drift. "We have received the following particulars from a correspondent: — "un the 10th of November a party of MajorGeneral M'Pherson's brigade, consisting of a lieutenant, four sergeants, and 56 men of the 67th- Regiments, fourteen sepoys 28th Punjaubee, and a trooper of the 12th Bengal cavalry, a mounted orderly, under the command of Captain A. J. Poole, 67th Regiment, were proceeding with forty camels to the village of Coaba, * Tagoa country,' after forage. t-^Um&v. in sight 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 tli9 hill to look ahead, when they wore 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 fire was opened on both sides. The fight was of a most exciting character, each man fighting for his own hand, taking advantage of a rock here and there, ascending and decending in order to avoid falling over precipices, with greatcoat and seflnty 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 charged forward to within thirty yards of our skirmishers, and had they pressed forward must have overpowored our men by she^r weight. But the fire to which they were exposed quelled their courage, and for two long hours this litte body of Englishmen kept them back until the oonvoy had safely emerged from the other side of the Pass. The bodies of thoee of our men who fell were afterwards found horribly mutilated, and our correspondent protests strongly against the accusation of cruelty against our troops, 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 67 th killed and Captain Poole, three sergeants, and one private of the 77th wounded.