422 THE DIARY OF THE 10th. FIELD BATTERY R.A. 
light scale without tents, and all superfluous kit was sent back to Khar. 
Fortunately, the battery retained its tents (having made arrangements 
to send them to Khar before marching next day) as it rained so heavily 
that the move was postponed till the 16th when it was decided to go 
on rain or no rain. 
16th August .—On the 16th August about midday the rain stopped 
and at 1 p.m. the brigade marched. The road was a rough country 
one and several detours through fields had to be made. The going 
was very heavy. The battery got into camp at Jhana about 5 p.m, 
and bivouacked. The camp perimeter was hastily entrenched. The 
Major went on with a quarter company of sappers and miners to in¬ 
spect the road through Jliana village. The enemy were seen in force 
on the Lahdaki spur about four miles on. 
17th August. —The six guns moved off at 6.45 a.m. but were con¬ 
siderably delayed at the entrance to Jhana village as the General’s 
order was for the battery to go through in rear fearing it might block 
the only road. This was certainly very narrow and winding, requiring 
careful driving, but only one slight check occured. After clearing the 
village, the guns trotted for nearly three and a half miles along a 
rough, heavy road and came into .action at 8.50 a.m.. The mountain 
batteries opened fire about five minutes before. The guns were in 
action on the low end of a spur running down from the hills, and the 
enemy in sangars with several standards on a spur facing it about 
1,500 yards off. The hills and the two spurs formed a sort of horse 
shoe round a valley much intersected with nullahs. The enemy’s 
right rested on the Swat River with only a narrow causeway between 
the precipitous end of the spur and the river. Two regiments of 
native infantry and No. 8 Bengal Mountain Battery went up our spur 
to attack the enemy's left across the hills at the top. The Guides 
Cavalry halted on our left, and the West Kent Regiment waited in 
rear of the guns to attack in front after the position had been shelled 
About 10 a.m., the'frontal attack commenced, the guns continued fir¬ 
ing over the heads of the infantry till they were well up to the position. 
The frontal attack met with very little opposition. In the meanwhile 
two wagons had been ordered up. from Jhana and had reached the 
battery. At 10.40 a.m. the battery was ordered to limber up and re¬ 
turn to Jhana where the baggage and escort were threatened by a 
gathering of the enemy on the hills above ; but these had cleared off 
before the battery got back as it was considerably delayed at Jhana 
village by transport blocking the road. After an hour’s halt during 
which the men had breakfasts and the horses were watered and fed, 
the battery returned to Khar, reaching camp about 5.45 p.m. The 
ammunition expended was 132 rounds of shrapnel. The shooting ap¬ 
peared very good. The G.O.C. of the 3rd Brigade which was at 
Rustum near the Ambeyla pass wired a few days later to say he had 
received news stating that the “ Bunerwals had suffered very heavily 
. . . . the effect of the guns is reported to have been remarkable.” 
During the next ten days whilst the 1st Brigade went into Upper 
Swat, the battery remained at Khar. 
