MINUTES OE PROCEEDINGS OF 
im 
Dootma. We were visited by several heavy showers at this time which cooled 
the air, but made the carriage of our tents a trying matter to the elephants; 
these animals were shewing the effect of insufficient fodder, the grass 
being of a nature to cause dysentry* the particular trees on the leaves 
of which they feed, being always scarce and sometimes unattainable, they 
had consequently grown thin, several had died, and others had broken loose 
and escaped to join their wild brethren in the forest. 
At Faquaragoan we found in a hut, bundles upon bundles of letters, 
which had, days ago, been thrown away by the post carrier. From these 
we heard news of Bissen Singh, that frontier post had also been attacked. 
The old dirty monk I spoke of as having been there, had employed his hours 
of prayer at eve, in chanting aloud, not praises of Bhudda or lamentations for 
his sins, but in singing to friends outside the stockade intelligence of all 
going on inside. He had thus informed them that about noon daily, 100 
men of the garrison were employed in carrying up the pass the provisions 
from Pokeehaga, that 50 men were employed in cutting timber to strengthen 
and complete the stockade, leaving but a few as garrison, of which some 
were at that hour cooking. 
The never-sleeping little Ghoorkas had, however, heard noises in the woods 
on the morning of the 29th January, and reported it to Lieut. Udney 
and Major Dinning, who sent to find out the cause; on this messenger 
returning in great haste with positive news of strangers being in the forest, 
the assembly was sounded, but no sooner had the first notes been given, 
than there arose a yell and a rush from several hundred Bhooteas who had 
collected all around the stockade. The guard of Ghoorkas, however, were 
not quite unprepared, and commenced firing, whereupon the enemy retiring 
under cover of the surrounding wood, sent flights upon flights of arrows 
into the post; they soon, however, had enough, as the fire of the 44th 
Native Infantry increased every moment, and at length the enemy drew off. 
Major Dinning decided not to follow as he did not know the strength of the 
enemy, nor had he sufficient men to garrison the place besides. 
The stockading was literally filled with arrows, but only five men were 
wounded, and these slightly. The fear of the arrows being poisoned soon 
subsided, as no immediate ill effects were remarked. Swords, bows, and 
belts, with many marks of blood, were found in the woods, and men were 
distinctly seen being carried off by the road which led towards Chemny; in 
one group of -these was seen stalking the monastic-garmented old monk. 
Col. Richardson, with an escort, left Dootma Tor Bissen Singh (taking 
ammunition and stores), to see that the post was sufficiently strengthened to 
resist any more determined or lengthened attacks; and more especially to see 
that all necessary arrangements with reference to a good supply of water were 
made. 
On the 16th February we heard that the Left-Centre Column had been 
driven out of its frontier post at Tassagong, in the Bala Pass, with 
considerable loss, so that it was evident that almost simultaneous attacks 
had been made upon us by the Bhooteas along the whole frontier, and it 
reflected great credit on them, whatever it might upon us, that in two out 
of three attacks the “ ill-armed, despised Bhootea 33 had been successful. 
On the 20th of January we had held possession of every post that we 
considered it desirable to possess, before a fortnight from that date we had 
