384 OPERATIONS OP THE IRRAWADY COLUMN, UPPER BURMAH. 
February 11th. —At 3 a.m. we were turned out by a tremendous fire 
and sound of beating gongs on the Scintong and Sadon far sides of 
the fort, and the Kachins made a determined assault, actually getting 
up to the Ghoorka gate and pulling out some of the pangies. We 
beat them off with hand grenades and rifle fire. Their advance was 
aided by old nullahs and large rocks, which enabled them to get within 
20 or 30 yards of the post under cover. They drew off about 5 a.m. 
dragging their dead and wounded with them, as we only saw marks of 
blood when the day dawned ; onr loss, one sapper severely wounded, 
one sapper slightly wounded. Supply of water finished. 
February 12th. —At 9 a.m. we sallied out for water. Lieutenant 
Harrison decided to try the spring 400 yards distant, where the enemy 
had only two stockades, instead of the nearer but more dangerous one 
from which water had been obtained on the 9th. A party of Ghoorkas, 
supported by some of the 3rd Burmah, turned the Kachins out without 
loss to ourselves, though several Kachins were bagged. Water for 
four days was secured, and reservoirs made by burying water-proof 
sheets. In the afternoon Lieutenant Harrison and myself constructed 
bombs out of empty jam and milk tins, with a gun-cotton primer 
inside, packed with stones and sand, and a 10-second Bickford’s fuze 
attached. We did this because our hand grenades were finished. 
February 13th. —Enemy fired all day and all last night; we could 
hear them working in the jungle building stockades, and could see 
them stockading Sadon village below us. Last night we persuaded 
three Panthays to try and take notes to Myitkyina ; we let them out 
at dusk. 
February 14t7i. —On waking up we found that the Kachins had estab¬ 
lished themselves on a rock 150 yards from the post, and were raking 
the whole post with their fire. We resolved to have them out of it, 
and Lieuteuant Harrison and myself emerged with 20 Ghoorkas and 
20 Sikhs of 3rd Burmah. After half-an-hour’s sharp fighting we 
turned them out, and found that their position behind the rock was 
supported by three square earthworks, whose parapets were about four 
feet high and two feet thick, rivetted on either side with bamboos, the 
whole loopholed and surrounded with high spiked fencing, and the 
ground round stuck with pangies. One of our men trod on a pangie 
and it went through the sole of his boot and his foot and came out at 
the top. Our loss was one sepoy shot through the thigh, and four 
slightly wounded. We destroyed the enemy’s works and burnt the 
fencing, bringing several bundles of neatly-made fascines into the 
post. 
February 15th. —Messengers arrived from the North-Eastern Column, 
which had arrived within 40 miles of Sadon, to ask if Major Yule 
wanted any co-operation. We sent back word of the position we 
were in. 
February 17th. —Enemy firing at regular intervals through day and 
night. We tried to make rockets to signal Myitkyina, but without 
success. Yesterday we captured arrows with coils of sulphur round 
them, evidently for setting our roofs on fire. To-day two of these 
