by Carly Smesh
This is the message paper, it's rolled up and slipped into the cylinder Para explained.
Back in his own office he began to give some thought to what code could be used at the Pass.
Logically, the only time a bird would be sent is in the event of an attack. In which case the numbers off the enemy would be important, the only other emergency, he could at the moment envisage was a shortage of ammunition.
The next morning he made a big fuss over Kahn has he saddled him, much to Sulkie's displeasure.
In the paddock he repeated what he had done with Sulkie, once sat in the saddle he lent foreword talking to him, has he felt his trembling.
David could almost feel what was going through his mind.
Torn between his love for him, and anger at this weight upon his back.
For fifteen minutes David didn't know how he would react, then slowly the trembling ceased.
He waited a few more minutes, and then gently tapped him in his ribs, with his boots, and Kahn began to walk. He let him find his own way around the paddock at first. Then he started to guide him, responding to the bit. He stopped him and dismounted, then went to the front to make a fuss of him scratching between his ears has Kahn lowered his great head "Oh you cleaver brave boy" he said kissing his nose.
He remounted and they set of walking again, he gave another light kick and Kahn started to trot. They started doing figure of eights has Kahn responded to the reins and knee pressure, they'd stop and reverse the direction. Sulkie trotted alongside of them has if it was a game.
He rode him into the Fort that evening with Sulkie walking along side of them. They men cheered and clapped has they saw him.
Has he unsaddled him, he realised that if the tailor arrived he wouldn't be able to ride him the next day. Once in the stalls, he fondled both of them has Hanga brought him the apples.
The tailor arrived shortly after breakfast. He brought a package over to David's quarters "Colonel Sahib the cloths you requested" David thanked him, and told him the Quartermaster would pay him, but he needed a further 100 sets.
"The coat you requested Sahib should be ready in four or five days, once I have found suitable material"
He called out to a passing Lance Naik to pack the cloths the tailor had brought onto one of the training horses, while he brought his stallion over to the stable. Hanga saddled it while he changed into the long johns.
He packed the shirt into his saddlebag and Hanga took it out to the horse. He placed the ammunition belt over his shoulder, and had a last look round to see he had everything. Outside he saw Hanga had tied the sheepskin coat over the bedroll has he mounted. He gathered up the halter rope of the packhorse, and led it out of the Fort.
It took nearly five hours to reach the Pass due to the fact you were climbing.
Four Riflemen were chopping up firewood when he reached the entrance.
He continued up into it coming at last to the vertical buttress that closed in on the Pass. He saw at a glance that Havildar Turin had not been idle.
A low block building had been built against the vertical wall of the buttress where it jutted into the Pass.
Horse lines were near to it offering some protection from the cold wind that blew constantly through it. Turin came hurrying up followed by two riflemen who took charge of the horses.
David congratulated him in the work he has achieved. He was shown a small hut that had been made from blocks and boulders, which housed the food and ammunition.
But Turin was most pleased, that they had found a lookout point, which could look down the Pass for some miles.
David followed him has they walked some two hundred yards back along the Pass,
until they reached a path of sorts that climbed up the side off the wall, in places steps had been cut out, and the path widened. The path angled up until at last they were higher than the buttress that nearly blocked the Pass.
David's legs were aching by now, they continued climbing then he saw the glow of a fire. The path suddenly dipped down and he saw the entrance to what appeared to be a small cave.
Two riflemen were sat huddled over a fire set further back inside it, both wearing sheepskin coats. They needed them; he thought the wind cut through you up here.
Turin waved to the men, then started climbing up again, David followed. They reached the top, and David could see the track snacking down the Pass, for almost two miles before it was lost in the haze.
Turin asked something, he turned and realised the question was not directed at him, but at rifleman sitting behind a wall off boulders.
The wall had been to protect the sentry from the bitterly cold wind that screamed this high up. He had a sheepskin coat on too, buttoned right up with the collar snug around his ears, and he noticed he had socks on his hands.
They turned and went back down to the cave, the men inside were about to stand but David told then to stay has they were.
Turin explained that three men spent twenty-four hours up here on guard. The lookout spent three hours on and six hours off. When the light failed at night he retreated to the cave, they cooked and slept init. The next relief group would bring their rations and firewood up with them when they were relieved.
When they reached the valley floor again he was grateful for the fire the Riflemen had blazing.
He had told Turin about the long johns and shirts, and he ordered them to be distributed.
A rifleman came to him with his coat and a mug off steaming hot tea. He shrugged on the coat grateful for its warmth and the tea.
Turin came out of the building where he had been changing into the new clothes.
"Colonel Sahib the men asked me to thank you for the coats and clothes"
David smiled to himself, the Gurkha was a hardy soul used to harsh conditions in the mountains of Nepal, but even they could experience cold and discomfort. But unlike others, would never complain.
They sat down on a log by the fire; the light had almost gone down here on the valley floor.
He took out two cheroots and offered one to Turin.
"Sahib a small caravan passed this morning, our look out spotted it. I told all the men but five, to go into house and stay there until they passed. It may be the Afghans will send someone to see what we do. When you arrived the men were making firing points"
David considered what he had said, "I understand it takes a caravan five days to reach Kabul, off course the Afghans may have men closer. Tomorrow we will prepare positions. When the next lookouts go, up they can take my telescope with them"
His saddle and rifle case, had been put in the building, on top of a crude but effective bunk bed, the bed had rope crisscrossed along it to support the bedroll.
A new thick blanket lay on the bed. The temperature was falling fast now, the light had gone has he spread his bedroll. He removed his jacket and put on the shirt from his saddlebag, before putting on his jacket again. A rifleman came in bringing a tin plate full off strew and a slab off bread and a spoon.
He ate it with relish, not realising how hungry he was.
Afterwards he climbed into bed between the blankets spreading the sheepskin coat over him.
He woke up, and stretched, his feet, sliding them over the edge of the bed. He smiled ruefully. The bed had been made for a Gurkha not a Sahib.
The building was empty, he looked at his watch, winding it has he did so.
It was seven am; he threw off the bed cloths and shivered in the cold air.
He slipped on his boots and sheepskin coat quickly, buttoning it up.
It was still semi dark outside, but the men were already hard at work.
Some feeding the horses, others cooking, Havildar Turin came over to him.
"We need to do something to camouflage the horse lines" he told him "I notices bushes on the approach to the entrance of the Pass".
Turin immediately realised what David intended, and dispatched six men on horseback, David noticed the men were taking all the canteens of the other
men.
Turin saw his glance, they fill them with water at the well to replenish the water pots, he was told.
They began walking around the area where the Pass narrowed. David stood in it looking back down the Pass towards the entrance.
From here the house and horse lines could not be seen, only when you were out of the entrance, did they come into view.
The enemy would need to turn right to attack the house a distance off approximately 100 yards.
David outlined his plans to Turin. It would depend on how many were sent against them. But if the Afghans thought there were only five guarding it, then he thought no more than twenty or thirty. If that is the case then none must be allowed to escape to report back about our rifles. We must draw them all in, if they attack on horseback, we must prevent the horses escaping down the cleft.
Firing pits were dug in a crescent around the entrance about two hundred yards from it. Turin checked each to make sure that they were deep enough to conceal a rifleman.
He detailed five men to appear to be working around the building, when attacked they would take cover but to return fire slowly, has if using a single shot rifles.
Only when the concealed men opened fire could they use their rifles has intended.
By mid-morning the horse lines were obscured by the bushes the men had dragged behind their horses. Other bushes had been used to break the outline of the house.
David was writing in his notebook the items the men stationed here would need.
Palliasses, gloves, telescopes, and fur hats he wrote down.
It was September, but winter was approaching, soon the snow would fall and blizzards would rage down here has well has on the heights.
He added, potbellied stove, oil lamps to the list.
He showed what he had written to Turin and asked for his recommendations, and added warm boots and scarfs to the list.
Turin told him that the caravans would stop when the snows came and blocked the Pass in November, and the Pass would remain blocked until March or April.
Two days later one of the lookouts came scrambling down from lookout post above.
They had countered twenty-seven walking on horseback.
Turin ordered the horses taken back down the pass out of sight and tethered.
The men took up their positions, David and Turin checked to see they were out of sight, before jumping down into their trench.
David checked his rifle, loading a round into the breech then put the safety on.
From his position he could see down the narrow defile.
The riders appeared bunching up as they entered it. Fierce looking men with long beards and turbans, they stopped fifty yards from the entrance.
One dismounted and crept towards the entrance, dropping down on his belly he looked around the corner, seeing five unarmed men sat around a fire eating.
He returned to group and spoke to a man who in turn said something to the others.
David watched has some drew their wicked looking sabres; others removed their rifles from their backs.
The leader raised his sword, and then slashed it down giving out a wild yell the band galloped out screaming.
Has the last man cleared the entrance he and Turin fired, the signal for the riflemen to fire.
Utter confusion resulted amongst the Afghans, in less than two minutes it was all over.
Twenty-seven men lay dead or dying, the dying were finished off with a kukri, has was a wounded horse.
Two riflemen were dispatched to round up the horses, while the rest stripped the corpses of weapons and jewellery.
The only casualty amongst the riflemen was one who had a scratch from an ejected cartridge case.
Their weapons were a hodgepodge of, Jeziels the long barrelled single shot rifle similar to a Kentucky rifle, stolen or captured Martini Henrys, but two were quite new of a make he had never seen before. They were bolt-operated single shot, firing cordite rounds.
They had all carried sabres along with wicked looking knives, some with jewels in the hilts.
David ordered Turin to pack all the weapons and valuables up, to be taken back to the Fort.
The men came back herding the horses. David ordered the saddles removed and the bodies draped over them, "Take then beyond the entrance and leave them for the wolves, we have no time to bury them".
Some of the men were butchering the dead horse; it would be a useful addition to their food.
"I shall have to take the horses back to the fort along with the weapons and valuables, can you spare two men to assist me" he asked Turin.
"Of cause Colonel Sahib, it will be many days before they send anyone else."
The horses of the men were returned to the horse line, when the men came back from dumping the bodies, they took the dead horses remains out too.
One of the riflemen saddled his stallion whilst two others saddled their horses.
Turin had said if a bigger force was sent against them they could easily defend the entrance to the narrow defile.
David looked at his watch it was a little after one. They set off herding the horses before them, one rifleman lead a horse with the packs on its back.
They reached the Fort at five, the horses were led into a paddock were food and water was provided for them. He gave the list of requirements to the Quartermaster, to find has much has he could within the Fort, saying a mule cart could return with the two riflemen in the morning.
Subedar Major Para listened has he described what had happened, ending by saying he intended to go to the city at first light taking the packs with him.
Hagar had unsaddled the stallion and had placed it in the stable.
David had a bath in the galvanised tin tub Hagar had found in the city. He changed his cloths knowing that Hangar would have them washed and ironed by his return from the city.
The Quartermaster came to report that he had 26 palliasses; a detail was stuffing them with straw. He had issued 25 pairs of socks, and three oil lamps with four one gallon cans of oil for them, and four five gallon water skims. But had not located fur hats, gloves, scarf's telescopes or a stove. They would be loaded on to the mule cart ready for the morning.
David thanked him, and ticked off those items from his list.
Hanga was cleaning his rifle when he entered his quarters.
"I'll have dinner early tonight Hanga, I intend leaving at first light, I'll be riding Sulkie" he told him.
Chapter 13
Hanga had his breakfast ready, it was still dark has he saddled Sulkie, he left his rifle scabbard off and his bedroll, Hanga had unpacked his saddlebags.
Kahn had snorted at seeing Sulkie saddled "don't worry boy your time will come "he murmured to him.
He mounted and accepted the rope for the packhorse from a rifleman. He noticed the two from herding the horses, were preparing to leave, one held the reins of the mule cart with his horse tied to the back.
They trotted out of the gate, the guard presenting arms has he passed.
They made good time considering the packhorse was not in the same league has Sulkie has they entered the city. Peshawar was waiting for him at the gate to the Palace; he had grooms take care of the horses.
Two other servants carried the packs has they followed them to the meeting room.
The Prince was waiting when he arrived; after the servants and Peshawar had left he began his report.
When told of where they had left the bodies, the Prince murmured, "It is fitting that the wolves devour the wolves".
The Prince examined the rifles he had brought, "Russian" he pronounced.
He asked David how the men had reacted to the combat.
"There Gurkhas Sir, they relish a fight, but the biggest enemy they face is the cold.
They are 1000 feet higher than at the entrance, due to the steepness of the cliffs, they only have sunlight for a few hours, when the sun is right above them.
The wind blows constantly down through the Pass creating a chill
factor of nearly freezing. At night it falls well below freezing.
The men, who have lookout duty above them, have it even worse. The wind is even stronger up there and much colder than on the Pass floor.
The lookout can only stay for two hours now before he becomes frozen."
He went on to say what he had provided to ease their hardship, but there were items he had not yet been able to acquire.
The Prince looked at David's list, and then summoned Peshawar.
He turned to David "these items of clothing you will need for all your men?"
"Eventually Sir, but the immediate need is for the men on duty there now."
When Peshawar arrived, he gave him instructions.
When he had gone the Prince said, "We will eat, it will give him time to acquire what is needed".
They were enjoying a cheroot after the meal, the Prince had promised him some to take back to the Fort along with more whisky. Finding out that David had not taken a bottle to the Pass for fear off breaking it, he had given him a silver half pint hip flask.
Ashar Kahn had come to see him, finding out he had ridden Sulkie, and wishing to know how the training was going with Kahn.
Finding out he had ridden Kahn he was delighted with the news, "the Colonel Sahib must have a way with horses, to have progressed so fast" he said in praise.
An hour later Peshawar came to say if the Colonel Sahib would like to see what he had gathered. He led him to a room, laid on tables were fur gauntlets, large fur boots, which looked like riding boots. The scarf's Peshawar explained, were blankets that had been cut up. Two large brass telescopes, and fur hats that had flaps to protect the ears. The pot belled stove with smoke stack was outside on a cart with two mules.
David thanked him and said to have them loaded at once, has he was anxious to leave for the Fort.
He returned to thank the Prince and to say he was leaving.
"Goodbye my friend, take care" the Prince said embracing him.
Outside Sulkie was waiting alongside the cart with the packhorse tied to the back.
The stove although used, appeared to be about five feet high.
They set off at a trot, the driver of the cart urging the mules.