An Old Frontier Adventure.

Digger (Invercargill RSA), Issue 39, 10 December 1920, Page 14

An Old Frontier Adventure.

To be stuck up on the edge of a raountain plateau, with an apparently impossible descent of nearly eighteen hundred feet in front, with something like a score of savage and bloodtliirsty pursuers -behind and to the right and ieft of one, and with only the light of the settmg second quarter moon to see by. Such a position would not strike the average man a.s an enviable one, and yet it was the position in which "Monkey" iVlacdo-nald found himself on the occasion of his first and last visit to Khyber Pass. Macdonald — who had the "Monkey" tacked on, not because of ugliness, for, as a matter of fa-ct, he was a distinctly j hanclsome fellow, but because of his ex- j ceptional skill and daring as a climber, 1 •alike in forest and on hill, was a native of Skye, and consequently a mountaineer borii. It was this consideration that had induced his captain to select him to bear a dispatch to the officer in command of the post below the pass-. The captain, with his hundred and fifty men, was going up some way into the Afridi country, to inouire into the sudden disappearance of the belon-gings of a Hindu trader, and equally sudden death of the trader, and his four servants. Had the outrage taken jilace off the beaten track it would have been regarded as , the outcome of the Hindu's own rashness, and so a thing beyond official remedy, but as it had oc-

cured on the regulation route, guaraiueed safe by the heavily-subsidis.ed Knyber Rifies (natives) the thing assumed a serious complexion, even aniong the men of the pass guard tnemselves. Hence "the sending forth of Captain Edwards and his men. When Mac left his comrades, he had a walk of twenty mi'les or more before him, but that would have been a tritie to him had he kept to the track, all the more that he would have had the daylight with him during the worst part of the journey. But the winding in and out weariness of the roads up there not being to uis taste, he had a consultation with his po-cket compass, and then decided to cut across the hills, striking a line likely to bring him out above or nearly above the mouth of the pass. It was a lovely idea — for a lunatic— and with the fate of the Hindu before him. he ought to have known better. Down on the track below the Khyber Rifies, rupeein.spired, generally kept their fathers and brothers and uncles and cousins weil beyond the rifle range, but up in the hills, the beautiful simplicity. of the Afridi reasserted itself in yearning for throats to cut and Lee-Metfords to steal — anybody's would do, they had no siliy respect of persons about thcm. By the time our Highlander had put the first range of hills between himself and the pass trail he had discovered two things, neither of them pleasant. The first one was that the straight line he had calculated on was likely to be as zig-zag as the pass route Itself ^ owing to deep gorges, precipitous cliffs and gloomy vaileys — all persisting to lie across his way. The second was that darkness would fce upon him before he could get- clear of the hills, and what that meant, even he, reckless to rashness as he was, could not help remembering. Night in such a pla.ce, with loot-hunting Afridis all about, had in it nothing of a joke ; as the sun sank lower and lower to the crest of tlie savage hills, he began to doubt whether he had not made a mistake. Douht became a conviction a few minutes later, when his helmet suddenly flew up into the air as if it had wings, and something whacked against the cliff ~eside with a noise like a pistol shot, another following immediately after. "Monkey" Mac might be reckless, but he was no inexperienced griff, and while the echoes of the shots were still rolling about the crags, he had flung his arms about, staggered a pace or two towards a handy hollow between two boulders and fallen therein, the whole impromptu pantomine being so well acted that a distant observer might be- excused for tliinking he was a dying man. There was not mnch dying about him, however, as he made certain preparations for receiving -company in that hole, and had the two Afridis, who had let go at him from the farther rocks, but known the real state of affairs, they would have skipped down that slope less joyfully and with more thought of cover. CYack ! Thin, spiteful, incisive, the Lee-Metford spoke between the boulders. and iastantly

the taller of the two hillmen, who was a little in advance,' made a frantic clutch at the air with both hands, and pitcned forward on his face. So Sudden was iils 1 all, that the other was taken unawares, and stumbled over him. Before he could rise the Lee-Mfetford spat again arnong the rocks, and the stricken robber collapsed ] upon the bocly of his dead companion, I clutching at it and pulling it about in his \ death spasms. It was a ghastly sight enough, but it j woke no compunction in the grim set face j on the soldier as he rose and came out of J tlie hollow to recover his helmet. The \ whisiling of tlie hullets which had so nar. rowly missed. his head only a few mmutes back was still in his ears, and did not make for regrets : rather satisfaction that he had been able to return what had been so freely sent. But the brief encounter, decisively in i-^s favour, though it had ended, was, as he now began to realise, one of the most unlucky things that could have cone in his way. The sound of firing could not fail to be heard, and although it might -e taken for that attending one of the n&ver. ceasing inter-family fights characteristic of the hdl races of India, it must of necessity make those who heard it more alert than usual, if only for news. Besides it did not follow that, because the two he had killed were the only two he had seen of his recent a-ssailants, there were no others present. No, the sooner he got a move on the better.

This decision reached, action did not linger long) aiicl within five minutes he had sped across the -rough, but narrow valley, and was climbing up the steep slope on the. other side. On tlie top of the ridge he stopped to breathe, and while doing so, looked back. The sun was sinking fast in a cloudlass bronze-tmted sky, and though the higher crags and peaks burned redly in the fierce ye't bluish shadows, deepening to black, were gathering in the valley bottonis. riTio scene of the fight was still in view, and the dead men were lying where they had fallen. But on the wilderness of rough rocks, boulders, and gravel drift beyond an animal was swiftly moving. !do far as he could make out it was either a wolf or a huge, half-tamed dog, which is, to a stranger, even more dangerous than the wolves themselves. For a while he watched the beast as it ran in and out over the .ground, as if scenting a- trail. Finally, it seemed to wind m sight of the bodies, for all ut once it stopped its casting about aniong the stones, and made for them swiftly, taking a line as straight as an arrow. The watcher. no longer questioned what it was " It was an Afgan hound, and the man or men to whom it belonged could not be far off. And even as the thought passed through his mind he sighted them, three in number, at the other side of the stony valley, and looking, at that distan.ce, no bigger than tiny beetles. The situation was growing ugly, and the Scot knew it; knew, too, that no matter at what risk, he must kill that hound before darkness fell utt-erly. To fly through the night with that devilish beast tracking him would only insure his being attacked ! at a considerable disadvantage, and when he could not see to defend nimself. He knelt on ong kne-es^ levelled his iifie at the hound, not wi^n any expect-a-tion of striking it, for the distance was quite fiiteen hundred yards, but with the intention of startling it, and, if possible, attracting its attention to himself. If he -could clo that the'heast's ferocity would do the resfc. Once it caught sight of him it would rush headlong witiiout waiting for the men, and get comfortably shot as it came up the open hillside— or, even better still, bayonetied when it got on to the top. dhe sound of the shot was like tearing stijf cloth, as he emptied the magazine, and as the cordite made no smoke, only a bluish haze, his vision was not obscured. - He saw .the hound spring rouna as the bullets showered about it, one or two tiny puffs of wliite showing where it had hit some of the softer rocks, Then he sprang up on a flat rock, and da-nced against the sky -line waving his helmet' and rifle. The plan succeeded, for after remaining motionless for some seconds, the hound broke into a long, swift lope, and came straight across the valley. Smilirg grim ly, the soldier re-charged his magazine and fixed his bayonet, tha former as a ! i

matter of precaution, the latter for the work immediately in hand. He did not want any more firhig than he could help just now, not on account of ihe men that were behind him, but of others who might be in front. Verv swiftly, though moving with all the unfaltering regularity of a machine, the great, gaunt brute covered the distance, and he was soon speeding up the hill. As it came closer the sight of it might well have made one less stoutliearted shiver — with its huge bulk, its bared fangs, its eyes filled with that red fire, and worst of all that terrifying silence. But worst of allj its terrifying silence. But the soldier's mouth only lightened as he drew a little behind the hill crest, and swung his rifle in the position for the old "shoi'ten arms thrust!" perhaps the deadlist that can be given by the bayonet-. It was swift work. There came a dull pattering of feet, a whistlirig hiss of hard-ly-drawn breath, and the tamvy bulk of the savage beast shot over the crest and down. A keen glancing flash leapt to meet it as the soldier sprang -forward like a spring released and the long, cloubleedgcd blad-fi was driven to the rifle muzzle in the hound's chest, killing it instantly. Never was a- fight so fiercely begun, so quickly ended. While wiping the bayonet and returning it to the scabbard, Mac peered over the -crest of the hill. The three Afridis had reached and were standing beside the two dead ones, aird from their actions and ges. tures they seemed to be in some perplexity probably as to the . whereabouts of the hound. The soldier thought that since they had not heard the firing they would naturally be at a loss to guess what had become of their -canine guide ; but night was coming on fast now and he had no time to bother over Afridi perplexities, so after another look at that invaluable compass, re resumed his journey, travelling fast and hard, albeifc certain that pursuit was now inevitable and that he was in the hottest thing of its sort that he had ever been in his life.

He was not mistaken, for as hour after hour went past, each bringing with it some new difficulty> in the way of descend. ing steep rock faces, scrambling through thickets, skirting nullahs and bo-gs, wading through, and on one occasion swimming, streams, with his rifle and ammuni. tion balanced on his head, and running over treacherous flats, only faintly seen in the diin moonlight. What with all these he got enough invigorating exercise that night to ha-ve sha-ken a worse liver than his into its proper behaviour for the rest of its life. He did not once hear or see any thing of his pursuers for many hours but this did not reassure him to any extent, as their knowledge of the country being so superior to his, tney could travel fast-er than he and so choose their own time for a-ttack. And even had he felt disposed to believe that the cha-se had been abandoned, or never begun at all, the scattered fires that began to gleani on the hilltops all round would have undeceived liim. Yet he kept on with characteristic piuck and coolness, alert always and- only stopping to crawl from time to time into noisome holes and corners, to consult the compa-ss by the light of matches, and set his course by the stars. In this fashion lie spent the better part of the night, and ouly a short time before dawn came out on the edge of the plateau above the precipice where he saw at once that if he could but get down that fearful cliff, his peril would be a thing past and done with. Far, far below, and dottirig at intervals, tlie winding way towards the pass proper, were little bunches of twink. ling lights, while at a much greater distance, in the opposite direction, a vastly larger assemblage, rnassed into one steady, unwinking gleam. The sight cheered him greatly, if it did nothing else, giving him heart to face the last and most formidable of the night's risks— getfng down the cliff. And yet down he must get at any hazard, for to stay where he was meant death, and a death that might come out on him from the dark at any anoment. He was wet, tired, and hungry, and the bruises left by numercus. falls were beginning to stiffen. Ihe sleep of an hour would have been. priceless in its restorative value, and if — But what was the good of thinking about it? If he did not find a way down that cliff at once, he would get a deeper and longer sleep than he at all wanted, he reminded himself, with a sound that was half oath half chuckle. Lying down on his face, with his head projecting over the edge, he scanned the face of the precipice. The moon was waning low, but its dim, ghastly light was yet sufficient to show him the leading characteristics of the cliff about half-way down — all beyond thafi" being misty dark .. ness. He could just make out that a little to the right of where he 1-ay a narrow ledge began and ran down to where a broad bank of bosses, cracks and projecting splinters sank down, down, down, till

they wero lost in tlie misty depths below Ihe place seemed as good a3 anv Mac thought, for so far as he could make out the chff seemed to stretch out into tha night on both sides of him. He h-ul . time to look for another and more | ing one, and only hoped that the bosses ( and splinters might run anbroken to the bottom A long, eerie howl, distant, but still plainly heard, came out of the darkness behind him. It was ansvered by an other to the right, and then, after an interval by another from the left, but nearer than the other two. So they had put more bounds on the job ! Well, they wouldn't hnd him there when they arrived. He rose, slung his rifle, and braced his nerves for the frightful task before him. Bold and skilful though he was it is questionable whether anything but immin ent death could have induced him to givo himself over to the unseen perils of that terrible descent. But there was no other way, and if the thing was to be done at all it was best not to think about it. So with an unfaltering deliberation that was eloquent of nerves that was strung. to the highest tension, he swung himself over and began his terrible journey. Much to his relief, he found that tlie ledge was easily passable, and it was only when he reached that bank of broken rock he canie in contact with the real dangers of the descent. Many, very many of the bosses and splint-s were badly weatnered, the friable stones giving under his nanas and feet like rotten wood. Still, the sound knobs were fairly numerous as well, so that by testing them all before trustmg his weight upon them, he might reasonably hope to escape disaster from that source. Ilis greatest trouble he found was likely to arise from the breaks, more or less wide, that occurred at intervals in the descending ladder of splinters. Here he liad to trust to swarming down the sheer wall-like faces with no better liold than that afforded by tlie cracks and lesser indentations of the main cliff. Sometimes he had not even that, and had to let himself drop down from one cluster to another, trusting to luck and his own catlike activity to secure a fresh hold and prevent liini from pitching headlong over the blackness below. These did not fail him, but afterwards, when lie looked up at that cliff in daylight and saw what he had taken in the way of cliances, lie felt the hair ris-e on his head.

Do vvn, down, down, unhalting, unhesitating, he kept on his desperate way until half the way had been accomplished, and then hreathlessi shaken, and for the moment at least, utterly exhausted, .lie had to bait. His uniform was t-orn to rags, his hands and even his face were bleeding from wounds inflicted by contact with the hard rocks, and his throat was like fire from a Ihirst, a thirst which he -could not quench as he had lost his water bottle. But the dawn was lfot far away, and with it would come better cliances he told himself as he half crouched, half-Iay in a narrow cleft-, trying to brace himself for what there was still t-o do, All at once there broke through the dead stillness of the night, the confused murmur of voices, and it came from tlie top of the precipice. His Afridi pursuers had run the trail to its en-u aiicl would now -give it up, since pursuit was now no longer possible. That was his idea, but it was not theirs. True, neither dogs nor man could hope to get doAvn there, and in all likelihood the son of a burned father had broken his accursed neck in attempting it. Still, there was no reason why they -s'hould not send over a few loose boulders, they might hit something. So they sent- them over, and one of ihe things that one of them, or a splinter of one of them hit, after crash'ing and tumb. ling down the cliff, was a patrol of the Khyber Rifies. The result was that in less than two minutes, the said Riflcs, having a shrewd idea that the stones did not come down of themselves, resolved to see in turn whether they could not hit | something. A volley of twenty shots | loomed out below, and as the bullets ! t-hrashed along the cliff summit they Lrought- over two of the Afridis and on of the dogs. Mac, pressing forward as far into the sxieltering cliff as he could, saw three dark, indistinct objects swirl downwards past him to utter smash at ihe bottom of the precipice. Then, as the firing ceased and no more rocks came down he gave way to the drowiness which came over him, and, regardless of his penlous situation, fell asleep. Dhen he awoke it was broad daylight, and a Gurkha cragsman had climbed nearty to his perch, and with* this man s help he was able to -complete what remained of the descent, all the more that the lower half was far more practicable than the upper part. A week served to mend the sore places, but it was months before he was able to think of his nighteurtained scramble down that frightful rock ladder, without shudderin