426 
THE BIAEY OF THE 10th FIELD BATTEEY E.A. 
Tlie high angle of elevation apparently affected the volute springs as 
four or five failed to pull the guns back after firing, and it was neces¬ 
sary to lever them back with a handspike for several rounds. A 
steady fire was maintained on the enemy’s position till 1.15 p.m., 
No. 7 Mountain Battery and No. 8 Bengal Mountain Battery also 
firing from a position on a ridge on the right of the gorge and more 
directly in front of the enemy’s ridge; the Buffs also firing long 
range volleys from alongside the mountain batteries. The 20th 
Punjab Infantry made a detour up .a very steep place to the left to 
turn the enemy’s right. The Highland Light Infantry and the 21st 
Punjab Infantry attacked up the front slope to the position and the 
West Kent and the 16th Bengal i nfantry went on up the gorge to 
the actual pass. At 1.15 p.m. the infantry began to show well up 
the steep slopes to the position and a very careful fire was kept up 
over their heads, the setting of the fuzes being especially carefully 
checked. The last round was fired at 1.45 p.m. The result of the 
fire was that our infantry gained the crest with very little opposition 
and only one casualty. Had the enemy not been kept away from the 
crest by artillery fire up to the last, a very few men could have caused 
incalculable damage merely by rolling down stones. 
It was impossible to see if much damage was done to the enemy 
behind the crest but the fire undoubtedly accomplished its object in 
keeping down that of the enemy on our infantry during their very 
arduous ascent. The reverse slopes were found afterwards to be very 
steep. Many envelopes of shell were found four or five miles up the 
valley beyond. 
The ammunition expended by the battery was 476 rounds of 
shrapnel. 
The battery remained one day at the camp at the foot of the Pass 
and was then sent to Rustum, four miles from the entrance to Umbeyla 
Pass (two marches). 
It remained at Rustum till the 17th Jauuary when it was sent back 
to Hoti Mardan and the next day to Nowshera where it remained six 
and on the demobilization of the force returned to Rawal Pindi by 
route march (six marches). 
The battery reached its barracks on January 29th, just three days 
under six calendar months since it started. During the six months 
the men had been very healthy. At first, owing to the extreme heat, 
there were several cases of heat apoplexy, but nearly all returned to 
duty with the battery. Twenty-three men were sent back sick to the 
Base Hospital, of these five eventually returned to duty. One died 
of enteric fever. Two men died at the Malakand from heat apoplexy 
and two were drowned at Panjkora, as already mentioned. Three 
men were invalided home. - 
The total losses among the horses was seventeen. On getting back 
to cantonments the horses, though not exactly fat, were very fit as 
the scarcity of galls and casualties on the march home proved. Their 
coats were somewhat rusty in colour owing to the exposure to sun and 
