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They only arrived in time to find these being driven in by
overpowering numbers of the enemy. Hundreds of fierce swordsmen swarmed
unto the bazaar and into the serai, a small enclosure which adjoined.
Sharpshooters scrambled up the surrounding hills, and particularly from
one ragged, rock-strewn peak called Gibraltar, kept up a tremendous
fire.
The defence of the left and centre or the camp was confided to the 24th
Punjaub Infantry. One company of this regiment under Lieutenant Climo,
charging across the football ground, cleared the bazaar at the point of
the bayonet. The scene at this moment was vivid and terrible. The bazaar
was crowded with tribesmen. The soldiers rushing forward amid loud
cheers, plunged their bayonets into their furious adversaries. The sound
of the hacking of swords, the screams of the unfortunate shopkeepers,
the yells of the Ghazis were plainly heard above the ceaseless roll of
musketry. The enemy now tried to force their way back into the bazaar,
but the entrance was guarded by the troops and held against all assaults
till about 10.


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