ATTACK ON A DACOIT STRONGHOLD 



deadly terror of these men that they would give no informa- 

 tion of their movements ; and once or twice, when located 

 by the police, even connived at their escape ! 



Finally, when all other measures had failed, the authori- 

 ties decided to employ mounted men, and on the recom- 

 mendation of Colonel H , the then Inspector-General 



of Police, G , a promising young" officer of the 



2nd Bombay Lancers, was drafted into the police and 

 stationed on special duty at Kathiawar, as a suitable centre 

 from which to conduct the operations. 



He had not been there long when one morning he 

 received information that the dacoits were in a village 

 about sixteen miles distant. He rode off at once, accom- 

 panied by his sowars, and on arrival found the gang 

 entrenched, or rather, concealed in a pit which they had 

 dug. 



This method of defensive warfare had doubtless been 

 adopted at the suggestion of the Barwattis, for the par- 

 ticular tribe of these people, who were now members of the 

 gang, are in the habit of entrenching themselves in pits, 

 which they fortify, erecting a standard in the centre under 

 which they fight. 



In these circumstances it would perhaps have been 

 wiser, as the military critics subsequently observed, to 

 have attacked the entrenchments on foot, and in skirmishing 



order ; but G , being young, and full of military ardour, 



probajbly thinking also that his men would feel more at 

 home mounted than on foot, charged the stronghold at 

 once. 



The dacoits, most of whom had fire-arms of sorts, 

 reserved their fire till the attacking party were within a 



few yards of their trench and then fired a volley. G , 



who was leading the charge, was struck by seven bullets 

 and fell dead ; but his Resildar,* assuming command at 

 once, led the men on, and a terrible revenge they took, 

 for in the hand-to-hand encounter that ensued the greater 

 number of their opponents were killed outright or cut 

 down. 



G had been so great a favourite with all classes 



that all the Europeans, and many natives of Kathiawar, 

 * Native cavalry officer. 



231 



