before they could get
into the open were so strongly attacked in the rocky defiles from which
they tried to issue, that they could make no headway and had to return
to camp.

Meanwhile Sir Bindon Blood had arrived to take over the command, and
decided to postpone further endeavours to relieve Chakdara till the next
day. The intervening night seems to have been a quiet one, and before
dawn the British force commenced to move. The attack was unexpected at
so early an hour: the enemy were surprised and driven out from the
heights to the east of the Malakand position; and the command of ground
thus gained enabled this successful column to clear the flank of the
exit from the Malakand, and to ensure the unopposed initial advance of
the main body. Before reaching the open valley, however, strong parties
of the enemy were found holding the rocky spurs and kopjes intervening.
These after sharp fighting were carried with the bayonet by the Guides,
35th and 45th Sikhs, and the way was opened, the cavalry doing great
execution amongst the flying enemy.

Meanwhile the small garrison of Chakdara had, for the space of six days
and nights, been undergoing no mean adventures. It will be remembered
that Lieutenants Rattray and Minchin (the Political Officer) were, on
the afternoon of July 26th, playing polo at Khar, some seven or eight
miles away down the Swat Valley. Warned there of impending trouble they
rode back through the gathering storm to their post, the little fort of
Chakdara situated on the north bank of the Swat River. Soon after ten
o'clock that night a beacon, lighted by a friendly hand across the
valley, gave timely notice that an attack was imminent. The garrison,
two companies of the 45th Sikhs and twenty men of the 11th Bengal
Lancers, hurried to their posts, and after a short delay the assault
began, and never ceased for the best part of a week!

The fort was badly situated for defence, being indeed more a bridge-head
guard than a fort. The rock on which it stood was commanded by a great
spur running down to it from the west; and the only obstacle that
prevented that spur being occupied in full by the enemy was a small
tower, used for signalling purposes and occupied by a few Sikhs. The
story of that little post is an epic in itself; surrounded on all sides,
isolated from all help, with scanty food, and at the end no water, for
six days and nights it gallantly held its own.

As for the fort itself, it was so compl