THE DIARY OF THE 10th FIELD BATTERY R.A. 
425 
13th October .—The force remained in camp at Mayat Killa till the 
13th, when it retired to Jhar. The battery was with the rearguard 
but no interference was offered to the force. 
The next day it marched to Mata Shah in the Salarzai Yalley. 
The Salarzai were not keen on fighting and contented themselves 
with sniping a little at nights and arguing about terms by day. 
1*6th October .—A reconnaisance in force was made up the Valley. 
The guns only went out (with eight horses in each team,) and with the 
cavalry went as far as Pushat (about 8 miles off). Small gatherings 
of men were seen on the lower hills, but as they made no hostile de¬ 
monstrations they were left alone. 
20th October .—The Salarzai came to terms, and the force withdrew. 
Six days marching brought the force back to the Malakand where 
it halted one day and then did two marches to Jallala just inside the 
frontier. 
The greater portion of the Malakand Field Force with the Head¬ 
quarters Staff remained in camp just within the Frontier for Novem¬ 
ber and December. The site of the camp was twice shifted. Early 
in November there was a serious outbreak of influenza among the 
battery horses, almost all taking it in turn, and as many as seventy 
had it at one time. The symptoms were high temperature, off their 
feed, discoloured membranes, and hind legs much swollen. After the 
sickness had abated, they were kept in hard work doing four drill 
orders a week (six guns and six wagons being turned out with eight 
horses in each team and the remainder as outriders) and working for 
long mornings over fine open undulating country. The going, how¬ 
ever, was rather heavy. Daring this period leave up to ten days was 
granted within twenty-four hours recall, and the O.C. accompanied 
an intelligence department reconnoissance of the passes into Buner and 
found that field artillery could get within nice range of three out of 
four of them. 
2nd January, 1898 .—The Force became the Buner Field Force 
and marched to Hoti Mardan. After halting there two days, the 
larger part of the force including the battery, made two marches to 
the foot of the Tungi Pass. A demonstration was also made against 
the Melandri and Ambeyla passes. The force camped about one 
mile from the entrance to the gorge up to the Tungi Pass. The pass 
was seen to be held by the enemy, and the C.O. went on with the 
range finders and reconnoitred the road up to and the position for the 
guns, which was close to the entrance of the gorge. 
7th January .—The battery paraded at 8’30 a.m. and went straight 
to the position with its escort of one troop of the 10th Bengal Lancers 
and two companies of the Buffs. It opened fire on the enemy at 9 a.m. 
The enemy were posted in sangars all along the ridge above the gorge 
and on the left of it. The battery ranged successively on their various 
positions ; the ranges varying from 2,000 to 2,500 yards. The angle 
of sight varied from 13 to 15 degrees. The guns had to be kept a 
little on the reverse slope of the position to get the required elevation. 
The frontage was somewhat limited, and the guns were at half interval. 
