| caption: |
enemy very close behind; troops fire on Nagas |
| text: |
Now the enemy must be very close as the war-cries suddenly swell up to a terrifying hoarse scream which cannot be far behind. The millet obstructs the entire view downhill but the level bit of land of the ridge protruding from the slope is nearby below us and on this ridge we will be safe for the moment as the rifles will have a clear and wide shooting range. At that moment come the first shots and the bullets whistle over my head through the air. As I myself cannot see the enemy from here I think at first that these are merely warning shots fired by the sepoys around me in order to gain time to reach the safely of the even stretch. Only later I grasp that our advance troop had just reached this position and opened fire onto the enemy who, invisible to us, had come as close as forty metres to our rear guard with Balbahadur, just before the first shower of spears could come down on us. |
