Colonel Fullerton in Spinwam All hearts break, that it’s raining death
Today in Thal, heroes’ blood is being shed
The khaki uniform will be our coffin
Soldiers, come home – the fresh wildflowers have wilted and died
Pasthun have become wolves, humanity no longer exists
Murder’s a common occurrence and no one hear your noise
The flower has turned into ashes, every sound means a shot
Look at that Colonel over there; he’ll yearn eternally for his boys
Mighty Fully, we crave Your mercy, here You’re Rahim and you’re Rahman,
Today you’re Alfa and you’re Omega, we crave your Mercy or a pint of beer.
But we never see rain of mercy here, only rain of death by any Afghan
Whether in Thal or Spinwam, or Ali Mirali Mir
They are content with discord, They are content with blood,
They will never be content with a ferenghee khan.
Angel of death’s veil is coated over lives all around
Freedom from the Forbidden, a ray of light
Help one another, soldiers, else life doesn’t sound;
Help one another and follow your Colonel to the fight!
Dear Readers, after many months a special issue with many news is available in the best shops of Peshawar. Unfortunately, we must regret that also if new issues were not published, subscribers have not any right for reimbursement, and this number being a special one, must be payed separately.
But the price is nothing compared with the beauty of last ballad written by your beloved Winkie and available also in the last book of his Peshawar barrack ballads with many other poetic poems.
What is happening on the Frontier?
Let’s start from west where Muletail with is friends has been captured by some Afridis, retending they were the Tajiks inhabitants of Mir Zakah. We left our hero when the Afridis were attacked by some warriors just out the mysterious tower out of the village. Which is his secret?
Probably the attacker are Tajiks which did not rally under Powanda’s jihad, his army has won an important battle destroying the reinforcement sent to Tochi Valley and now Fullerton entrenched in Mir Ali Mirali is trying to form a last resistance with the rest of the defeated units from Tochi, Bannu and Thal.
The Afridis counter attack after conquering Thal and Spinwam, is splitted in three. On the west Abu Zar is rallying his ever winning troops,including Wali second son of Sher Khan, to attack and conquer Mir Ali Mirali breaking the communication line between Bannu and Tochi valley.
Rastum Bajadur with his ruffians is waiting for Vousden attack from Bannu, to receive timely support by his father Sher Khan and destroy the Anglez, opening the road to Bannu.
More South Mandrake is well entrenched in Tank and his Colonel Murchison is patrolling out of Jandala to refrain and intercept waziris bands movement,
keeping a special eye on Zarin after Mandrake defeated El Quartah at the battle of Palosina. and Mulehead gave him to his snakes.
(for more info about Palosina battle see link:
https://leadadventureforum.com/index.php?topic=131610.315)
But what is happening in the North?
In Chitral Muletail khan (the nephew of Mulehead, not his son who is actually in Mir Zakah) tried in vain to stop a relief column, which reached safely Fort Bulgur
(for more details see following link:
https://leadadventureforum.com/index.php?topic=131610.375#top)
North west of Chitral a new gamer is trying to force his arrival
But their route pass thru Zebak and his fierce tribesmen will be a though nut to crack
(for more details about the siege see
https://leadadventureforum.com/index.php?topic=131610.390)
The town’s defenders, including Mummar Am Salad, Chieftain of Zebak, flee for their lives towards the foothills of the Hindu Kush while Russian casualties were light. Politically this was to be considered a victory for Faizabad and Bad Ass Khan in gaining control once again of Zebak and it’s surrounding area. It will be reported that the Tajiks played a major role in the victory and the Russian’s were there in more of an observer’s role.Colonel Blaramberg now awaits further instruction from General Skobelev. Mummar Am Salad and what is left of the heroic defenders of Zebak now are making their way over Nuksan Pass into the Chitral to seek help from Chitrali tribes and any others that could help them exact revenge on the Tajiks and their newly found Tsarist allies.
Close to the black mountain, precisely in the village of Parbal Gali, following is the report by one of our best reporters, Mr Crisp, moving on the Frontier like an old veteran:
“There was ‘undreds of ‘em there was! Wild ‘eathens screaming down from the mountain in their white pyjamas, tulwars flashing in the sun, an’ they ‘ad a cannon too! An ‘orrible sight to behold!” On the 10th of September Major Angus W. MacGhee, Seaforth Highlanders, led a combined column to the border village of Parbal Gali. The column was attacked by ambuscade by a force of no less than two hundred Chagarzais and Hazaras. Parbal Gali falls well within the Indian border so this must be seen as an escalation of violence against friendly Pathan allies and so met with swift reprisal.
Upon his return to the Darband cantonment Major MacGhee immediately refit and organized a column to conduct punitive actions against the villages north of the border suspected of harbouring and aiding the malcontents.
Further north east the military column cross the Indus River just before the confluence with the Hunza River, the river could be passed on a bridge of a series of stones connected by planks
Zibbib and his men are waiting for nothing more than an opportunity to take Maa Din and abandon the cheerful group, but they know that it will not be easy... they are involved in a military expedition and there is a serious risk of having to fight... and in front of them beyond the Kanjutis could be the Russians, also interested in the son of El Osprey, and Dad Mahomed a pathan from Quetta, a notorious ruffian and assassin, captured last year in Bokhara by Capt. Bower and already escaped...
And if this were not enough, they will have to find the mysterious village of Sust, a kind of Shangri'-la', a place that few travelers have found and that for many has represented death, by frostbite or falling into the ravines or getting lost in the endless mountains of the Pamir ...
From the sunny plains of Punjab, to the snow-capped peaks of the Pamirs, the adventures of a hero without spot and without fear, who with a small group of trusted soldiers goes where three Empires meet, in search of the lost City of Sust...
Unfortunately Zibibb and Flashy are unaware that two watchful eyes are controlling the scene...
But other news come from Shakot valley, as reported by the ubiquitous Crisp:
"Once I saw the signal... I would call for the retreat of my cavalry, signaling the fallback of the army, and we would return by separate routes to the fortress tower near Shakot Pass."
--Gul Akbar Khan
ON AUGUST 19, 1890 -- THE DAY AFTER HIS FAILED ATTACK ON DARGAI CANTONMENTS -- THE ABOVE COMMUNICATION FROM GUL AKBAR KHAN TO HIS SUB-COMMANDERS WAS INTERCEPTED BY THE INTELLIGENCE STAFF OF BRIGADIER GENERAL STEWART RUFF-HUSBAND, COMMANDER 1ST BRIGADE, PESHAWAR FIELD FORCE.
The one thing Gul Akbar Khan and his forces managed to accomplish was to steal away with his sister FARAH AKBAR, her husband NAZIM GUL (the last Headman of Dargai prior to its punitive destruction) and their three sons RAZA MUHAMMAD, BABA MUHAMMAD, & GAZA MUHAMMAD -- all of whom were being detained within 1st Brigade's Cantonments prior to the attack.
Upon receipt of the intercept, Brig. Gen. Ruff-Husband ordered 1st Brigade to immediately prepare for a forced march over Malakand Pass and on to the Shakhot Valley via the SHAKHOT PASS, to be followed by a coordinated assault on the Fortress Tower that faces the Pass from inside the Valley, with the object of RECAPTURING the High Value Enemy Prisoners recently freed by Gul Akbar and, if need be, destroying said tower in the process.
In preparation for this fight, 1st Brigade's 2 Mountain Batteries boasting a combined 6 Screw-Guns would be joined by E/B RHA's 3 x 9-pounder Horse Artillery Guns, which had reached Dargai on August 18th just in time to help defeat Gul Akbar's attack on the Cantonments.
ON AUGUST 20, 1890, 2nd Brigade, Peshawar Field Force arrived at Dargai. Personnel, supply, and transport preparations for 1st Brigade's imminent departure already complete, Brig. Gnl. Ruff-Husband and his staff briefed 2nd Brigade C.O. Brig. Gnl. McGilligan and his staff on current conditions, handed over command of the Cantonments and control of the vital Malakand Pass to the North, and bid adieu. Plans were made for communications between the Brigades to be maintained via heliograph, or in cases of inclement weather conditions via courier.
Despite the punishing heat, 1st Brigade set off right after noon that same day, with 9th Gurkhas taking point, followed by 12th Bengal Cavalry, 23rd Sikh Pioneers, No. 2 (Dejara) & No. 3 (Peshawar) Mt. Batteries, and 17th Punjabis, with 92nd Highlanders bringing up the rear. Almost all of these units had suffered some casualties during the attacks on Dargai Cantonments, but most of these had been WIA and (thanks to some good die rolls) nearly all returned to the active duty ranks over the intervening days. Total KIA were 13 (an admittedly unlucky number), with the hardest hit unit being 9th Gurkhas, who alone suffered 5 KIA. Still, in Brigadier General Ruff-Husband's judgement his Brigade remains strong enough to launch this new operation.
MEANWHILE IN SHAKHOT VALLEY ITSELF...
The retreating Lashkar of Gul Akbar impatiently awaits delivery of their overdue TENTS, which remain under HOLY WAR RUSH ORDER in the workshop of Lewanay Habibi’s (AKA: "Crazy Habibi's") PUKKA PAVILION PALACE...
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