382 OPERATIONS OF THE IRRAWADY COLUMN, UPPER BURMAH. 
On 7th February I left Myitkyina on my way to join No. 6 Bombay 
Mountain Battery to relieve Lieutenant Brownlow, I had intended to 
make four marches arriving on 10th at Sadon. At Myitkyina I was 
told that an escort was really unnecessary as the people were so fond 
of us, but as a jemadar and 12 sowars Ghoorka Mounted Infantry were 
going up I might take them. I had with me 15 mules carrying rum, 
which was urgently required. On morning of 9th I left H. Pong at 
6 a.m., intending to halt at Kritu some 11 miles from H. Pong. About 
8.30 a.m. a hatless sowar of the advanced party galloped back with his 
sword drawn and informed me that the jemadar and four men had 
been fired on crossing the Nam Li, and a pony had been shot dead. 
I hurried on with four men, leaving our horses with two men to wait 
for the convoy. I met the advance party returning, and with them 
advanced to the river and extended on the bank ; I had with me the 
jemadar, who was a Sikh, and eight of the Ghoorkas. The Kachins 
greeted us with a volley from 40 or 50 pieces. On reconnoitring I 
found that their line consisted of stockades on the opposite bank for 
about 120 yards; leaving the jemadar and five men lying down oppo¬ 
site the stockade, I crossed the stream, which was about 70 yards 
wide, with three Ghoorkas, some 80 yards lower than the ford. The 
Kachins fired heavily at us, but luckily hit no one, though the water 
round us flew up. The river was about four feet deep and very rocky. 
We got into the flank of their trenches and turned them out of half, 
I then sent for the rest of my party and cleared all the trenches. 
The Kachins bolted through the jungle leaving an enormous quantity 
of cooked food in their trenches. I waited for the convoy and ponies, 
and pushed on on foot. The road was blocked with fallen trees ; we 
heard the enemy in the jungle, but they only fired a few shots. We 
arrived at Kritu about 11 a.m., and found the village empty ; I resolved 
to try and push on to Sadon, another 12 miles. No sooner had we left 
the village than a hot fire opened on us from the jungle and rear. I 
placed four men as rear-guard to fire occasional volleys, closed up my 
convoy, and, with the jemadar and five men with me ahead, we pushed 
on and on; the rest of my men had to hold the mounted infantry 
ponies. The Kachins, augmented by the population of several villages 
we passed through, followed us in the jungle for miles, firing inces¬ 
santly, but luckily hitting no one. About six miles from Sadon, on 
the top of a hill 7000 feet high, a volley was fired at us from a stockade 
built across the road ; this was concealed by a bend, and we did not 
see it till they opened fire on us at about 100 yards range. The 
jemadar fell shot through the chest while standing beside me. A 
Ghoorka was grazed on the foot, having half his boot carried away. 
I pulled the jemadar into the jungle, and made my men lie down 
while I formed my plans. It was impossible to rush the stockade, as 
heavy abattis had been made in front of it, so I determined to go 
down the side of the hill and come up again on the flank of the 
stockade, accordingly with two Ghoorkas I crossed the road, leaving 
three others lying down in front. As we crossed the enemy fired a volley 
at us, one shot hitting me in the left arm, luckily missing the bone. We 
proceeded to cut our way down and up again through the thick jungle, 
