Chapter 16

David waited on Khan as Subedar Sultar gave the men waiting alongside their horses the order to mount. They trotted out of the Fort as the first rays of sunlight broke over the far away mountains. David pushed the troop hard, wanting to arrive as soon as possible while the sun lit the valley floor.

They arrived just before eleven. Tiger troop already had their horses saddled outside of the brushwood fence. They had their uniforms on but with an Afghan blanket wrapped around them to keep warm. Turin told the Cobra troop to go into the blockhouse where they would find their fur clothing on the bunks. David and Sultar followed him in. Turin indicated to Sultar which was his bunk with Turin’s furs upon it. As they changed into the furs, Turin brought them up to date.

It seemed the Afghans were preparing for some move against them but were trying to discover what they were up against. The cleft had so far deterred them, but Turin thought their next move might be to either launch an attack from the top of the valley walls or send men along the top to look down on them.

The men had managed to cut a path to the cliff top opposite the blockhouse and secure a good defensive position. Unfortunately there was no handy cave to provide shelter so they had built a shelter of sorts from boulders but they had been unable to fill in the gaps with mud due to it freezing. They had solved the problem by tearing up spare Afghan blankets to block the chinks. There was also a problem with the water pots freezing overnight and hot coals had to be put around them.

While Sultar started to organise his troop, David brought Turin up to date with the Palace, saying the men had five day leave, and he ten days. If they decided to go to the city they would find a billet in the Palace, but to warn the men not to discuss anything about the Fort, or the new rifles with anyone. He watched as Turin led his men out, taking the packhorses with them. Then he watched as men burdened with rifles, blanket rolls, rations and firewood started to climb the paths to the top.

David went to check up on Khan, finding him with two blankets over him as were all the other horses, and was satisfied he was alright. He returned to the cleft where two riflemen were already on guard and he noticed that the outdoor oil lamps had been set into the niches of the wall to prevent them being shot out by any Afghans. Sultar was consulting with his Havildar and two Naiks, obviously setting up guard schedules. Inside the blockhouse he found his saddlebags and bedroll on his bunk. The rifle scabbard was propped up against the wall and his saddle was underneath his bed.

He smiled. One of Tiger troop must have unsaddled Khan, he thought. He removed his saddlebags while he unrolled his bedroll, placing the groundsheet under the bed. Some of the riflemen not on duty were doing a similar thing, noticing a large kettle on top of the stove that glowed a dull red. He picked up his saddlebags, removed a cheroot, and then put them at the top of the bunk to be his pillows.

He lit the cheroot, drawing in the smoke and relaxing. He would keep a low profile allowing Sultar to organise his command without his commanding officer breathing down his neck. He wondered if Sultar would climb up to the two lookout points to check for himself, knowing that is what he would do.

It was over an hour later that Sultar entered the blockhouse and went straight to the stove to warm his hands. The fur hat’s flaps were down round his ears and the scarf was up over his face. He turned, seeing David laid on his bunk.

“It’s cold up there on the lookout posts isn’t it?” David said smiling.

“Yes Colonel Sahib, bitterly cold,” he replied, wondering how it was known he had been up there.

David sat up on the bunk, “I shall go up there too tomorrow. How are the men fixed for blankets?”

“They have five for each man. The Tigers have made stoves out of the oil tins which they place around the cave and hut to spread the heat out. The man on lookout also has a blanket to wrap around him.”

David asked, “Do you think the Afghans would try come along the crest at night time?”

“They would be mad to do so, Colonel Sahib. The ground is treacherous and all so icy.”

Someone brought him a mug of tea, but he refused it, “I must check the guards at the cleft.”

“Drink your tea Subedar. I shall check them,” David ordered.

He went out and the light was almost gone. The guards stood either side of the cleft entrance with their rifles slung on their shoulders. When they recognised him they came to the present. “Stand easy men,” David ordered. “Anything to report?”

“No Colonel Sahib, but I think we should light the oil lamps now,” one of the men said.

David looked down the cleft and dark shadows were forming in it. “Yes, I think you are right, Rifleman.”

He watched while one lit the lamps, noticing the other had un-slung his rifle to cover him. The light from the lamp lit up either side of the cleft. No one could pass it without being seen. “Listen hard men, the lives of your comrades are in your hands. Also remember, if the Afghans are out there they will be listening too. Should they appear then shoot right away. It doesn’t matter if you hit them or not, the main thing is that we have warning.”

“Very well, Colonel Sahib,” they replied.

He returned to the blockhouse and told Sultar that the lamps were lit, and what he had warned them about. Sultar thanked him. Food was served early so the men could get some sleep. It had been a long day.

During the night David heard men shuffling out to relieve the guards and then sounds of the relieved guards coming into the blockhouse. He was woken with a mug of tea so he swung his legs out from beneath the blankets, feeling the shock of cold air, even though the stove was a bright red. He cradled the mug in his hands for the warmth and drank quickly before it went cold. Once he was wearing his fur boots and coat, he began to feel a little more comfortable. He pulled down the flaps of his hat and, putting on his gloves, went outside.

The men were engaged in various tasks. A rider was returning from the well at the entrance of the Pass with water skins draped over another horse. He watched as the kitchen detail poured the water into a pot on the fire. The other skin was taken down to the horse lines. Then David saw the men tending fires around the water pots and realised they had frozen up.

Sultar came over to him, seeing him looking at the water pots. “Subedar Turin advised us to keep our water bottles filled in the blockhouse so there would be water in the morning for tea Colonel Sahib,” he murmured. David nodded and he went on to say that a four-man detail had ridden out leading horses to collect firewood from outside of the Pass. David knew that the troop required a great deal of wood to keep the fires going.

“I’m going up to see the lookouts’ positions. Is there anything they need?”

“Perhaps some firewood, Colonel Sahib.”

“Have the men make up a bundle which I can put on my back. I’m going to collect my rifle.”

In the blockhouse he slipped his ammunition belt over his shoulder then retrieved his hipflask and telescope from the saddlebag, slipping them into his pocket, finally putting his rifle over his shoulders. Outside the firewood was ready for him. This too went over his back.

Buffeted with the freezing cold wind, it took over half an hour struggling with his load to climb the steep path up to the new lookout post. At the top the wind was even fiercer. The hut was built against on outcrop that offered a degree of protection from the cold wind though. He un-slung the wood and rifle from his back, then crouched to enter, pushing aside the blanket that served as a door. The two Riflemen inside started to rise, but he indicated for them to stay as they were.

There was not sufficient headroom to stand so he sat down on the spare bed. They had three small fires in old oil tins burning, placed around the small chamber. Smoke escaping from a small hole in the roof kept it reasonably free. David looked around, and saw the tin can with a coiled cord attached to it used for messaging and smiled to himself. The men had thanked him for the firewood, and asked if he would like some tea.

He smiled and nodded, and then his eyes were drawn to some black rocks that had been used in the building. He asked one of them if he would dislodge a piece that protruded out from it. The man frowned but drew his kukri and pried a piece off. David put it in one of the fire tins and watched. After a few minutes it began to burn. He had been right, it was coal. The riflemen looked in amazement.

“We must look for the black rocks,” he told them.

They went outside and began to look around the area. Then one of the men cried out he had found them. It was behind the buttress, a coal seam almost three feet wide thrust up to the surface. He told the men to collect the pieces that had broken off while he entered the hut. He wrote a message in the notebook.

‘Send four men up with bars and hammers and with a long rope and 2 packhorse panniers.’

Putting the message in the tin he lowered it over the edge. Someone jerked the cord to say it had been received and he pulled it back up again. While he waited for the men to arrive, the guard was changed. He chuckled to himself as one of them explained to the man coming off guard that the Colonel Sahib had found rocks that burnt. He went forward to the lookout position where the lookout was lying on a sloping slab with a paillasse under him and a blanket for cover.

David could see with his telescope that there were only about 500 yards that could be seen along this rim before outcrops masked the view. But the opposite rim was clear for about a mile with a clear view of the road below in the valley.

He heard excited talking coming from the hut area and returned to find the men had arrived. He quickly explained what he wanted them to do, showing them the seam and stressing that it was only the black rocks that were to be removed. When a pannier had been filled he told the men to lower it down to the valley.

“When you have lowered twelve panniers you may return back down again, but leave the panniers, rope and tools here.”

He collected his rifle and set off back himself. On the valley floor quite a large pile of coal was growing. Sultar came over to him, a perplexed look on his face. David picked up a piece of coal and walked to the cook fire with Sultar following. He threw it in and then watched Sultar’s face when it ignited.

“It burns Colonel Sahib,” he gasped.

“Yes, it’s called coal. It burns slowly and gives out more heat than wood,” David explained.

Sultar gave orders for the coal to be brought over to the blockhouse and piled up. David explained to him they would still need to use wood to start a fire as coal needed a lot of heat to start it burning.

“I will send men up to the other lookout with a pannier and rope so they can draw up the rocks for the fires up there.”

Pleased with the discovery, David sat down on his bunk as a rifleman brought him a belated breakfast.

Sultar’s troop soon settled into a routine. Guards coming down from the crests reported snow flurries occurring during the nights. David was beginning to think the Afghans had decided to ignore them when, on the fifth day, a message came down from the buttress crest. Five Afghans were slowly making their way along the opposite crest. David and Sultar grabbed their rifles and began to climb up to the hut crest. They took up position on the slab alongside of the lookout, keeping well down.

“We must kill them all. No one must get back to warn that we have lookouts up here,” David said.

It was half an hour before the Afghans came around the outcrop, rifles in their hands. The guards waited until they were only two hundred yards away before opening fire as three of the Afghans were peering down onto the camp talking amongst themselves. The .303 bullets hit them with two falling over the ledge as the third crumpled. Sultar’s rifle fired again followed by David’s and the guards’ a split second later. The defenders advanced on the bodies, their rifles at the ready, but they were all dead, the bodies already stiffening in the freezing cold wind. All were carrying Russian rifles. They were stripped of ammunition belts, finding food in the pouches they had over their shoulders. The bodies were rolled over the edge, with the riflemen taking the rifles, ammunition belts and pouches back to the hut. The pouches were left with the guards, whilst the rifles and ammunition were lowered in a pannier. By the time the valley was floor was reached again the bodies were being slung over horses’ backs while two mounted riflemen waited to lead them out of the Pass.

David and Sultar were cleaning their rifles in the blockhouse, discussing the event. “They must have climbed up to the crest at least four miles away,” David murmured. “The lookouts reported them when they were three miles away. So there’s a good chance the Afghans will think they died of exposure when they don’t return. Either way it seems they are still intent on forcing an entrance.”

“Well if they are Colonel Sahib, they will have to make a move soon. The snows will come shortly and the Pass will be blocked until spring.”

“The question is, will they bother this late in the season, knowing the snows will render the Pass hopeless to them?” David added.

“The Afghans are a proud and vengeful people, Colonel Sahib. They will attack to take revenge for the losses they have incurred. They will wish to kill those who killed their men before the snows come.”

David pondered Sultar’s remarks, knowing there was an element of truth in it. “So if you were them how would you attack?” he asked.

“If it were me, I would attack just before dawn when it was still dark. The attack would be on foot, and I would throw as many men forward in a rush to take the guards unaware at the cleft. I would know that there would be casualties but when the cleft is taken I would send in my horses.”

David nodded, “That would be my strategy too.”

He continued, “It would be a long fight. So have 100 rounds of ammunition issued to the men. It can be kept in a saddlebag along with their water bottle. I think we will reduce the crest guards to two men. That way we will have twenty-two men including myself able to fight. The horses will need to be picketed further down the Pass now. The brushwood screen has served its purpose. As the attack will almost certainly come during darkness, we need to have more men on standby during that period than during daylight hours. Say fifteen for the night duty and seven for daylight.”

“Very well Colonel Sahib, I will take the night duty and you the daylight if that is agreeable?” David nodded. Sultar began crying out orders. Some men rushed to the ammunition chest and began to take it out whilst others started to take the horses down the Pass.

David went to collect Khan. “Alright boy, we’re going for a little walk,” he murmured, stroking his nose. By the time he arrived back Sultar had all the men gathered around him, talking to them. David saw four break away from the group. They split up into twos going to the paths that led to the crests.

Sultar came over to him. The men who had done lookout duty had said they could see the road up until about six pm quite clearly so he intended to mount the night group at seven until seven in the morning. David looked at his watch. It was nearly two pm. He told Sultar to take his group and try to get some sleep now. He would wake them with a meal, he said smiling. Sultar started to protest until David ordered him.

He checked the guard at the cleft before informing the Naik in his group to have hot food available at seven for the men doing the night duty. They would eat at six. He entered the blockhouse an hour later quietly, hearing snoring. He checked the stove adding a few lumps of coal, and then noticed the twenty clips of ammunition on his bunk. He put them into a saddlebag along with his saddle pistol and the pistol ammunition before leaving quietly.

He checked the guards again, ensuring they understood their orders before checking the rifle pits. Crouching down inside of the rifle pits offered some protection from the freezing wind.

At six he sat around the cook fire eating the goat stew and rice with the rest of the men. Two who finished left to replace the guards at the cleft. He sat smoking a cheroot as the men cleared up and then began to prepare the food for the other group.

At seven he and the remaining four men started taking plates of food into the blockhouse. Some were surprised at being waited on by their Colonel. He watched as the men filed out after they had finished, shouldering their rifles and carrying a saddlebag and a blanket. After his group had cleared away he told the remaining ones to go to bed.

He dropped into the rifle pit that Sultar was in with a blanket draped over his shoulders. Sultar explained he had told his men that one man could sleep, but the other in the pit must remain awake at all times.