ust time to
fire off his rifle before the Tibetans rushed to our walls and had their
muskets through our loopholes. The enemy did not for the moment attempt
to scale, but contented themselves with firing into the post through the
loopholes they had taken. This delay proved fatal to their plans, for it
gave the small garrison time to rise and arm. The brunt of the Tibetan
fire was directed on the courtyard of the house where the tents of the
members of the mission were pitched. Major Murray, who had rushed out of
bed half clad, first directed his attention to this spot. The Sikhs,
emerging from their tents with bandolier and rifle, in extraordinary
costumes, were directed towards the loopholes. Some were sent on the
roof of the mission-house, whence they could enfilade the attackers.
Elsewhere various junior officers had taken command. Captain Luke, who,
owing to sickness, had not gone on with the Karo la column, took charge
of the Gurkhas on the south and west fronts. Lieutenant Franklin, the
medical officer of the 8th Gurkhas, rallied Gurkhas and Pioneers to the
loopholes on the east and north. Lieutenant Lynch, the treasure-chest
officer, who had a guard of about twenty Gurkhas, took his men to the
main gate to the south. There were at this time in hospital about a
dozen Sikhs, who had been badly burnt in a lamentable gunpowder
explosion a few days previously. These men, bandaged and crippled as
they were, rose from their couches, made their painful way to the tops
of the houses, and fired into the enemy below. About a dozen Tibetans
had just begun to scramble over the wall by the time the defenders had
manned the whole position, which was now not only held by fighting men,
but by various members of the mission, including Colonel Younghusband,
who had emerged with revolvers and sporting guns. A few of the enemy got
inside the defences, and were immediately shot down.

Our fire was so heavy and so well directed that it is supposed that not
more than ten minutes elapsed from the time the first shot was fired to
the time the enemy began to withdraw. The withdrawal, however, was only
to the shelter of trees and ditches a few hundred yards away, whence a
long but almost harmless fusillade was kept up on the post. After about
twenty minutes of this firing, Major Murray determined on a rally.
Lieutenant Lynch with his treasure guard dashed out from the south gate.
Some five-and-twenty Tibetans were discovered hiding in a smal