AN INCIDENT OF INDIAN WARFARE.

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume XV, Issue 39, 14 February 1880, Page 2

AN INCIDENT OF INDIAN WARFARE.

A correspondent of the Pioneer Mail furnishes that paper with the following interesting narrative. It is only necessary to preface it by stating that the "news" referred to was to the effect that there had been a rising of the surrounding tribes in the Naga country, who had massacred a small party of about forty military and police, who were on an official tour through the country : — When the news reached Kohirna lats on the 14. b, the position if aifairs wta as follows:— There were two large stockades, of which the defences were in a jialf-finished state; the gateways unprovided with doors, and the enclosure so crowded wi'h thatched buildingß that prolonged .defence would '"'have probably t beeo jaj possible.,. ' The .palisading was weak end rotten; no earthwork had been thrown up, so that ..there was virtually no protection ..afforded against 'fire.,; the ui police force seemed to have been destroyed; and the military detachment only cojojiiate^-^*" 78 men. The mil^-vr to the i**-**tf!W r » thB P ol i?,V nd --innSrCombatants-rwomen and children, a total of 414 souls — had three maunds of rice as provisions for the siegri; no salt, no oil, nothing but three maunds of rice. The water supply was brought in by an aqueduct some two miles long, so constructed that a kick, or a stroke with a hoe, would render it useless. There" were two springs near, but so situated that they could only be

approached as long as the garrison was strong enough" r t6 "dfi^e away the besiegers from their vicinity. Ample 'oqvery'afforded- by jung)e if or .uneven ground, favouredthe beeiegaFfl all round. The interior of -the military stockade could be tfaked, on tw.o^idee,. 'should the other stockade be abandoned, bqt the igrea^est danger^ of- -all;>[|ay in the- number-^ of< 4 fche -thatched /buildings with which the two stockades were literally cramned. One ;spark> of - fitje' would have destroyed the rwhole place, and "driven the defenders hfrona - the palisades. The strength of the garrison on the 14th was 118 of all ranks. i

The . military stockade wag selected as the one to be defended; th'e 1 length of the palisading was 1270 feet; 1 the night of the I4th ! Was passed ■■• in strengthening' iti tbrowing t(uiri;earth.vtrorks, and otherwise improving its defence. ■ ' ' ''•'•'■•' ■" *'-o *■>>;._..«: i .

The eastern s'tockad^'^iaviug 1 been put into as complete a state of security as was possible, the attack of the Nag a 8 Was awaited by the garrison with some confidence. The Nagaa opened fire' oh the stockade at 11 a.m. on th;e 16th. • Occasionally salHes- were imad^ by the garrison, and the enemy ! driven off; : but the Nagaß euoceeded ln.throwp ing up a strong 'stone defetice,aboujt 550 yards to %ha. norXbpwejßt|pf „the stockade. The work,' Bowe^er, was considerably delayed by the efforts of a marksman of the 43rd. ' .' Oh..'i\jk'e . night of the listh the Nagßß ba^fiwia.Bome of. the buildibgs in the -abandoned stockade which had not been "completely dismantled" and while the fire, lasted .the eastern stockade was in considerable danger; advantage was therefore taken of favorable winds to- fire all the building atill' standing ; dangerously^ n^arv and thereby a grest source of .danger Sifa|s rendoved.; The Nagas continued, .tb ( e^r desultory attack on the- stockade during the 17th and 18tb, the garrison making repeated sallies and drivingthem off when particularly. troubleaom,-, .:.*i.;* *

On the 23rd, at dawn, , our troubles really began ; the men bad now been at their sfationß since the 14th son scanty food— quarter rations," abort of water, and exposed to sun,' rain, and dew night and day. The o Wok ha detachment had no great-coats, and were very badly/ off generally ;for clothes, having had to make forced matches without coolies ; they were coneequently the worat off. v/t -However, everyone who could bold a gun."B'ood to the palisades, and at daylight the Nagas began their attack in earnest. Their numbers were estimated by. as to be between four and five thousand^ but since we have been informed *by i<the Nagas that our assaiiantsiuwere six thousand strong ; live hundred of them bad guns. They opened a heavy fire on us from amid the debris of the abandoned stockade, but finding they could not otherwise approach our defences, they trenched into the pit in which had been built the police magazine, and from here they kept up jb smart well-directed fire on up, which, forced us to keep very closely under cover. The danger from their .bullets was nothing to that to be apprehended from their attempts to fire our. houses. Every dodge known to the Nags was trier*, but, wouderful to s»y, without suaeesp. Looking back, it- seems to me a perfect miracle that they 'ailed. RoJs of w 01, weighted with burning cloth, wer^ lired into and over our builJio^e without cessation ; several times burning masses of rpg fell on our roofs, but were swept off with long bamboos before mischief ensued. -,'. The hinges and bolts of the houses that hadi been burnt in the western Btopfcaclej, were thrown amongst us -withs the serew r holes plugged witbv burning ; rag. ; Directly a mass of fired'rag alightedjon, a roof, a heavy fire was .presented j at the spot to prevent itfl-roma^fcl, buY two long whips pf^*^ 1 -^^ 1 -pi which . boip^--^^ 0 * 0 ? 1 . 1 ** 21^. _L,_^«i-at"ea-tbeir place of worship^iwere our salvation, and with' them iwe ire--moved the Ore as soon. aa<it fell. /nHad , one house caught,) we ehould 'have bfieft, lost, as the houses were] >so nomerbus and so close to the defences that jthe., palisades would have. been^.deptroyed ; ;. at all events, the stockade, would ha v,^ had to be abandoned and, five hundred; and' forty odd deaths, would, have bieen added: to the, Eoonona- list... -i: ; „• ; . j

All the time ihafNag&ai; continued rapidly to approach our stockade by

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rolling before them large logs and maßaes of atone and othQtflebrffyYrhieh the remains of. the abandoned stookade afforded in abundance. AH day and all night the wojik went on, and at dawn on the 24th the Nagas had strpngr.lines of entrenchment within .forty, ( djß.,of frur palisadings. Their^ fifty tpJsiP 8 * quelled ours, and rendered a largejportioo of our defences next, door, to untenable. The sick and wouo^ed^were^id out in the open, the wpm^and chiidrea also, behind some rising ground in,,shc centre of the stockade. whichjjp^Q^Cjed them from, the bullets. The Jjpqroggan ladies and children, took refuge in^an bven-houße, a small shed,, : whioh\, was the only tenable building , inc ,the ; place. To show one's-selfi for a foment was] to attract-instantly ' the, attentiop: p(, -She beat shots among the Nagas^anaV^na bavildar of the 43rd, who exposed himself in an. attempt! to set a drink .of water, wa& ahotdead. For thirty hours the Nagas- were unceasing, in' s s tbeir efforts to capture the place, sendjng.jip occasionally; all round us a war-cry, $he foar of which showed plainly; the.vmjiltitude of men who, Barrounded ii us.; i f o On the night; of the 23rd . ,.Bjc- ( we ;- ceeded in unroofing some of. our; houses after the moon set, and buriedlhegraaa in an old magazjpe ; we alapjstrengthened and -constructed earJShw t qr]|B »to command the Nega (WOjrJksj .in, this meat-safes, chests-of-dra wep,, ; \ d, reHsing and dininffrtables, &c, u were fo.tjjid most useful ; a large, oval dinnerii^ajble made so imposing a defenoe ; tjiap the Nagas did not even fire, a( i|. ,;\yhile unroofing the houses; we, had t.wor ; men shot. Sever al ,men , were j just tou.ohed up with bullets,, but weiTeJigiously stuck to, our ooyer, behind, the paUjsad^s, and so avoided serioußjo j BB> i ,,,We,-m,oßt of' as, however, had some awful aha.yes. During: the 24, th rumors of,\t.he.^.approach of the Munipurijtroops bß.csme prevalent ; our assailants, at. first cheerfully assured us that the^ w;ould;b0 t ;on their Bide, butgradullytbeir attacks; became less persistent,. ,aud< ,a L i disposition on their part to treat. became apparent. Without water, our m,en starving exhausted,, and; knowing,; that, ;: fcb^ -repeated efibrta ; of, the Nagas j tpj.fi^ ,pur buildings must finally ■ be, ; successj,ul, and place ua and. our; :Wojnen and children at their mercyi we, deeme.4;ifcjradvisable to listen } to tsejy?.oye,rtureßTrrthe more so as our position grew; d,a.iiy.jsipre desperate and hopeless, while the^u.mbers of our enemies increaaed. . Kp, news of succour reached us y h the adv^QQe,, of the Munipuri troops w;as but. as,j jndistiact. rumor ; all help.frpmj.pur.pwn people seemed, too distant . ; tp/ be of avail j for the only news that reqcljed us was to the effect .that 3Q ...bad reached Samaguting^-.a, .mqckery^ ot our hopes that only: agg?ayated',.our position. The only thing .was .to /gain time, and after, consultation f .we (J saw 1 >uothing for it but to ;j?jtreat.j ,;,^Ve accordingly stipulated for, safe ; cqnjfl,uct „with all our property to Samaguting, and this, was granted. ; £)f,;course^ however, no reliance could. be;,pla v ced|oii^the engagements of the Nag^s.jajia^jeyery possible reason ;for delay j9;as, a.^aticed by us, and we thus he}d on till tbe .'advance of the Munipuris was ascertained to be a fact. Every moment. q£, the respite thus afforded us !we. juseji in strengthening the A palisades .an&^earthworks, and in destroying the ,w:prks the Nagas had thrown up, and in rempying the materials into our. own stockade. The ladies gave us up their "air-tight packing cases, which we converted into receptacles for water, of'"wh"ich] we stored as large a quantity as we could, it was horribly; fpul j ; the Nagas had , jthr^wn. in th^e o^^o^qu^slaiu ssipaKis, it may he "guessed witn" what ies^; ;^he^ais;;i^^^biy, tending the sick and wounded, locking after the .'.women' . ~s^m£§ oia S their utmpstj?o °f tt u-,A<.^y".BeCan e x ample, mplucft and 'cheerfulness that; 'is bWonfl' prais^" . ;;0n the '2f tfe with 2,000 Munipuris ana p a%(vrffe)lice and regulars arrived, of . &ph jffla\^fti at^^^^ v r N He, j^and ho alQne, sayed }? ..scarcely possible to, ,say s top 3 mugg f , q^, [ wj^t he ifeascdone. j Jn e^ghfc4ayp,ij^|he time fM^^Yfiiim^>M#fjo ft fe^, he ,hsia gPfc^P^te>^§-^rpugmoa, distanfie,of Jj)Q n |n,ileg,' |h^apgh j.mfficult country a force of^o^^O'pp.meßr and ,the j energy, .and, jfirpmp^ligdp'^hat ac$ft f .'tojfo- gracefullyiackiiowledgea.,,.?: j,;-,. \' 7 .{.