Three hundred yards away
was a nullah, and along this they began running, in hopes of cutting off
the small party. At one point, however, the line of their advance was
commanded by our fire. Presently a man ran into the open. The section
fired immediately. The great advantage of the rifle was that there was
no difficulty about guessing the exact range, as the fixed sight could
be used. The man dropped--a spot of white. Four others rushed forward.
Again there was a volley. All four fell and remained motionless. After
this we made good our retreat almost unmolested.
As soon as the troops were clear of the hills, the enemy occupied the
rocks and ridges, and fired at the retreating soldiers. The Buffs' line
of retirement lay over smooth, open ground. For ten minutes the fire was
hot. Another officer and seven or eight men dropped. The ground was wet
and deep, and the bullets cutting into the soft mud, made strange and
curious noises. As soon as the troops got out of range, the firing
ceased, as the tribesmen did not dare follow into the open.
Pages:
300
301
302
303
304
305
306
307
308
309
310
311
312
313
314
315
316
317
318
319
320
321
322
323
324