ol weather was
splendid.

Moberly's servant soon had some tea and chupatties ready, and while we
were eating them, Bretherton, who had been out clearing some village on
the other side of the fort, came in.

There was lots of news, both to hear and relate, and we were hard at it
when there came the sound of a volley from the direction in which we
were expecting the baggage.

Somebody said, "Cuss those niggers! why can't they let us have our tea
in peace?"--it wasn't Stewart,--and there was a general scramble for
swords and belts. A company of the Pioneers was soon doubling off, while
the rest of us strolled up the road to see what the row was. We met the
baggage coming in, and heard that the 14th Sikh picket had heard some
people moving in the river bed, and had let drive a volley at
them--result unknown. As soon as the last of the baggage had passed, we
followed it, and the picket was withdrawn. Later that night we sent back
a messenger with an account of the day's fighting and the relief of
Mastuj to Gilgit, but the messenger--a levy--shortly returned, having
been fired on, and returned the fire, so it was evident that a good
many of the enemy were still sneaking about.

We officers slept in the fort that night, four or five of us in a room.
Mastuj is of the ordinary type of country fort, square, with a tower at
each end and one over the gateway, curtains between each tower about
eighteen to twenty feet high, and the towers another fifteen feet higher
still. The whole place is built of layers of stones and wood plastered
together with mud, while there is generally a keep or citadel inside
which commands the rest of the fort, and in which are the governor's and
women's quarters. In Mastuj, of course, we used these as officers'
quarters. The whole fort is a horribly dirty and tumble-down old place;
the roof of the officers' quarters had to be propped up, as it was
considered unsafe, and I quite believe it. The rooms had the usual hole
in the roof for the smoke to get out at, but Moberly had erected a stove
in his room, which was a great improvement.

CHAPTER VI

THE RECONNAISSANCE FROM MASTUJ

While at Mastuj we heard from Jones the story of the disaster at
Koragh--which I will give.

Ross, with Jones and about ninety-three Sikhs, left Mastuj on the 7th
March, with the intention of helping Edwardes and Fowler, who were
believed to be in danger at Reshun, and marched to Buni; leaving a
detachment there of