. Battles of the nineteenth century . ey. Shut out, as we were, from all hope ofsuccour for several months by the wintry Hima-layas, but one course lay before our commander—at all risks to force the enemys positionbefore their Shinaka allies could come to theirassistance. To Nagdu, a gallant Dogra sepoy of one ofthe Kashmir Imperial Service regiments, thecredit is due for having discovered what waspossiblv the only practicable method of effectingour object. This man, like all his race, a goodcragsman, volunteered to explore the precipices 296 BATTLES OF THE NINETEENTH CENTURY. on the further s
. Battles of the nineteenth century . ey. Shut out, as we were, from all hope ofsuccour for several months by the wintry Hima-layas, but one course lay before our commander—at all risks to force the enemys positionbefore their Shinaka allies could come to theirassistance. To Nagdu, a gallant Dogra sepoy of one ofthe Kashmir Imperial Service regiments, thecredit is due for having discovered what waspossiblv the only practicable method of effectingour object. This man, like all his race, a goodcragsman, volunteered to explore the precipices 296 BATTLES OF THE NINETEENTH CENTURY. on the further side of the Nilt gorge, with aview of finding a point at which they could bescaled by our troops. Night after night he didthis at great risk, for the enemy, perceiving him,used to roll down rocks and fire upon him fromabove. At last on one dark night he actuallysucceeded in climbing quite alone from thebottom of the gorge to the top of the cliff,undetected b\ the enemy, and reached theioot of the four strong sarigas indicated in the. HE ACTUALLY SUCCEEDED IN CLIMBING QUITEALONE. illustration. The enemy evidently consideredthis to be a vulnerable point, for we had observedthat they used to roll down their rock avalanchesfrom these sangas at inter\-als each night, untilat last a regular shoot was worn apparently asa light streak against the darker cliff. Nagduclimbed down again in safety, returned to camp,and propounded his scheme. Nagdu, of his ownnative wit, realised a truth the ignorance ofwhich has on more than one occasion broughtcommanders to grief—namely, that an almostperpendicular cliff is but a treacherous positionunder certain circumstances, and proves a death-trap to those who would defend its pointed out that the cliff was so steep that the enemy would have to come out of theirsaiigas and lean over the edge of the precipicein order to fire at a scaling party, and this, hesaid, we ought to be able to prevent them fromdoing with a covering part}- of pic
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1900, bookdecade1900, bookpublisherlondo, bookyear1901
