CHITRAL AND THE N.W. FRONTIER CAMPAIGN. 448 rifles. The other half helped by carrying off the woundedand by rollingdown stones. The tribesmenheld the depression in the ridge over which the pass runs,and the flankingheights on either side, the hills rising, steep and rugged, to some 1,500 feet above the valley, mostly bare, but with clumps of trees clinging here and there to the rocky slopes.

Scotchmen were ordered to advance directly against the pass, on which the three batteries hadbeen playing since the action began.

Gordons and Borderers vied with each either in breasting the steep mountain side, so steep that the advance wasalways slow till the ground became easier near the crest. Onboth the front and the flank attacks there descended showers of stones and bullets,but happily the veryabruptness of the slope sheltered in a great degree those who wereascending it,and the losses were not heavy. There is no doubt Waterfield saved his brigade many casualties by sending them directly up the hillside, instead of along the mountain path. For the enemy's sungars had The two mountain batteries of the Royal Artillery (twelve guns) and the native battery (four) came into action against the enemy's breastworksfrom a lower ridgeopposite the pass. ThreeMaxims manned by infantrymen opened from the sameposition. The fire of the artillery wasmaterially assisted by the tribesmen having fixed their bannerson the been arranged specially with a view to bring a sungars, thus marking them off like so many targets on a range. The Maximswerenot so effective. Indeed, after the fight some of the prisoners said they had mistaken their rapid reports for the rattling tap of big drums, beaten to encourage the attack.After thebombardment had continued for some time and the fieldglasses showedthat it was beginning to tell on the defence, the infantry of the 2nd Brigade advanced heavycross fire on to the track, up which they expected theBritish advance would come. Instead of this, they were startled at seeing the Highlanders, the Sikhs, and the Guides making their way up precipitous slopes on which they thought no soldier would venture.

GeneralLow nowcalled Kinloch's brigadeto reinforce the attack. The Rifles'with the 15th Sikhs in support, were sent up COLONEL BATTYB.

the slope between the against the heights. At[ (Photo: J.Burke & Co.,Kintttck Wares.) first GeneralLow thought Guides' advance and the that these four battalions would be enoughfor the work, but later on, seeing how doggedly the enemy held on to theheights,he despatched the istBrigade to the support of their comrades.

Scottish battalions. The Bedfordshire men and the Dogras were directed against the extreme left of the enemy's position. The Rifles were in luck. Starting so much later than the leading brigade, they yet reached the crest with it. For by a happy chance they struck upon an abandoned Buddhist pilgrim road that was still practicable, though disused for centuries;it seems to have been unknown to the tribesmen, for there w< breastworks on it. Pushing rapidly up this, the Rifles reached the crest at the same time as the Scottish Borderers.

The plan of attack was that the two native regimentsof Waterfield'sbrigade, the Sikhs and the Guides, should ascend a steep spur on the enemy's right, gain the crest of the ridge, and turn against his flank. As the attack reached the crest and this turning movement developed, the two Scottish regiments, the King's Own ScottishBorderers and the Gordons, were to go for the front of the pass. It was expected that the spur to the right wouldbe climbedin three hours, but, though the attacking force were experienced mountaineers, it was five hours before the Sikhs and the Guides reached the crest. After the first three hours General Low gave up his plan of waiting to advance against the front till the flank was turned, and the As the ridge was approached the advancing regiments hael rushed several sungars with the bayonet, anelbeaten off more than one desperate downhill charge of the tribesmen. The first to top the ridge was an officer of the Gordons; climbing the rocky face in advance ot his men he found himself alone, and was rushed by a