THE DIARY OF THE 10th FIELD BATTERY R.A. 
423 
29th Aiigust .—-The battery marched at 6 a.m. to Ghakdara (about 8 
miles). The horses had to be led singly over the suspension bridge 
there and the carriages unlimbered and run over by hand. The battery 
got in by 9.30 a.m., but it was late in the afternoon before the camels 
and baggage arrived and heavy rain fell during that time. 
30th August .—The battery marched with Colonel Reid’s column con¬ 
sisting of one native cavalry and two native infantry regiments to 
Uch where it remained five days in an entrenched camp. 
General Wodehouse took over command from Colonel Reid. Orders 
were first received for the battery, on the advance of the column to 
return to Chakdara but it was afterwards decided to take the guns on. 
4th September .—The guns (leaving the wagons at Uch under the 
Captain) marched at 5 a.m. with orders to halt at Serai (8 miles) for 
orders. The O.C. went on with the rest of the troops to investigate 
the practicability of the road, one company of native infantry re¬ 
maining with the guns. After halting for an hour and a half at Serai, 
the battery went on. The road for about four miles was good, it 
then entered a narrow defile down to the Panjkora River, about two 
miles long. In one place an extra pair of horses had to be hooked in 
to each team to get the guns up. 
The O.C. joined the battery here. Shortly afterwards in the middle 
of the defile, orders came for the battery to encamp in the first con¬ 
venient spot, but the road being only from eight to ten feet wide, 
it had to go on to the bottom of the defile and halted about 11.45 in a 
small open space of level sand by the Panikora River, about one and 
a half miles short of the bridge. There was no shade and the heat 
was very great. Orders were . then received to return to Serai that 
evening as the causeway by the river to the bridge was considered 
impassable, but General Wodehouse, the G.O.C., came back, and 
after talking the matter over gave the order to go on. While halted 
here, some excitement was caused by a rumour from the front that 
the heights across the river and opposite the bridge, which was round 
a bend, were held by the enemy, and the guns were brought into 
action and holes dug for the trails so that they could cover the heights 
on the bank opposite to the place where the battery was halted; but 
the rumour proved a false one. The transport camels, which had been 
temporarily unloaded, were reloaded and the baggage sent on about 
4 p.m., the hope being that they would be clear of the causeway 
before the battery got to it, but though the battery did not start till 
5 p.m., on reaching the causeway about half a mile on, it found the 
transport all blocked and a delay of three quarters of ah hour occurred 
due to the ambulance tongas which had- stuck at a bad corner on the 
causeway. The gunners were sent on to the spot, and, with some of 
the escort, improved the road and manhandled the tongas across. 
They continued to work at the road whilst the camel transport walked 
along, but at this place teams had to be unhooked and horses led over 
singly, and the limbers and guns manhandled over separately. The 
rest of the causeway though requiring nice driving was safely tra¬ 
versed, but it was 7,45 p,m, before the last gun got into camp. 
