Mizoram, 1872: Kungnung
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BY LONDON: 1873. Indpaedia is an archive. It neither agrees nor disagrees |
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Kungnung
There must have been some great defect in the tactics of the Lushais to account for their signal defeat. It appears that the very night before, a great council of aU the chiefs of the families of Vonolel and Lalpoong had been held in the village of Kungnung ; and then Poiboi had been induced to throw in his lot finally against us.
At this meeting, the course of action to be pur- sued against us on the following day was decided on. One party was to divert the attention of the main force, while the other, stealing down the ravine, would, when the troops were considered &r enough advanced, attack the coolies, who, they imagined, would be unprotected. They thus hoped, by killing a number of the coolies, so to demoralise the rest that, being deprived of our means of transport, we should be compelled to retire; this idea, as we have seen, was better conceived than carried out.
Mr. Edgar imagines that this scheme originated with the head man of Tingridum, who had stated truly that our weak point was the long line of coolies following the main body. Darpong ad- vised Mr. Edgar of this plan of operations of the Lushais before the firing commenced, probably out of spite for him of Tingridum, with whom he had a quarrel, carefully fostered by the authorities.
The principal causes of the utter failure on the part of the Lushais, I believe to be these. In the first place they were not sure which of the two routes we would take, though they probably in- dined to the one reconnoitred the day before, and consequently were afraid to concentrate their forces on either. Secondly, the hour fixed for marching was earlier than usual, and it is probable that the party the advanced guard fell in with was the one intended to watch the coolies. They had not had time to finish their ambuscading arrangements before we met, and scattered them so completely that only a few were able to carry out their in- structions, while the advance on Kungnung was so rapid that the enemy were unable to collect in sufficient force to make an effectual resistance at the stockades.
Discompiture Of The Lushais
From accounts afterwards received by Mr.Edgar, it seems probable that the Lushai loss in killed and wounded was over sixty.
The utter discomfiture of the Lushais was evident from the fact of their leaving so many of their dead in the ravine, having only time to cut off and carry away the heads of two of these; and even when next day a party was sent down to bum the dead bodies, and to recover some great-coats, &c., which had been overlooked, the former were found lying as they had been left, no attempt apparently having been made by their friends to remove them.
Among the slain were two head men, one of whom was Poiboi's chief adviser. We got seven muskets, and in one of their havresacks was found some of our own smooth-bore ammunition, ap- parently identifying the owner with one of the raiders of 1871, at Monirkhal or Nudigram.
Kungnung contained twenty-two houses situ- ated on the slope of a peak five thousand feet in height, just south of which Muthilen rises to a height of nearly six thousand feet. The approach on all sides is very difficult, the slopes of the hill being exceedingly precipitous and broken by huge masses of rock.
The hills south and east of this range assume quite a different character from those to the north- west and west, being much more rocky, and conse- quently less jungly ; long grass and bracken taking the place of the irritating undergrowth of thorny jungle previously met with.
Surklang is an immense mass of peaks tossed about in wild confusion, the rocks dropping out in irregular strata, now horizontal, now following the general inclination of the spurs ; and further to the east the Lengteng range presents the appearance of a large buttressed wall, its top being square and level for the greater part of its length, and the west face precipitous — a few narrow spurs giving the idea of buttresses, and the almost perfectly horizontal rocky strata the idea of courses of masonry; a few trees appear near the summit.
Reconnaissancr
From Kungnung we could see nearly every station in our rear as far as No.6; and as the mantle of night descended on the hills, the gleam- ing fires appearing one by one on the successive ridges marked the position of each camp.
In order to follow up the successes of the 25th, the General issued instructions to Colonel Roberts to take a force, consisting of two steel guns of the Mountain Battery, and a hundred men from the 22nd and 45th regiments, and burn the village of Taikum on the 26th.
As already stated, the Artillery could not get into camp on the 25th, so the force for the Taikum Expedition was delayed in starting till twelve noon. The path to Taikum lay due east, descending for about a mile and a half till it reached the head of the stream just below the saddle connecting Surklang and Muthilen, whence ascending again it joined the path reconnoitred on the 24th.
From this reconnaissance it was evident that the guns would never reach Taikum that day, if carried on elephants ; consequently, the General decided that they should be carried by coolies. Sixteen men were told off for each gun, viz., six for the gun itself, which weighed a hundred and fifty pounds, six for the carriage, and two for each wheel, besides four for the ammunition boxes, each box containing nine rounds.
On arriving at the joom in which we had before discovered the granaries, we found all but two had been burnt. These two had been pulled down, but the grain had not been removed.
Proceeding onwards some little distance, the road suddenly turned and ran round the re- entering angle between two large spurs. Across this valley, about a mile off, we perceived a strong stockade, built across the road, command- ing it thoroughly. A steep rocky ravine ran up on its right flank, and a large number of the enemy were collected at that point.
If the troops could have been got nearer, Colonel Roberts would have advanced the infantry under cover of the artillery. The nature of the ground did not allow of this, except at the risk of heavy loss. So a detour was made, entailing a long and weary drag up and down steep spurs^ at one time attaining the height of six thousand feet, till at last we struck the road again about a mile beyond the stockade.
Disappearance Of The Head-Man
The Lushais had been watching our movements from various points, and finding their stockade turned, they retired at once to their village. Soon after we started from the camp Mr. Edgar discovered that the head-man of Tingridum had disappeared, and it was supposed had gone in the direction of Taikum.
Notice of this was sent to Colonel Roberts. We soon, however, met the supposed fugitive near the stockade, accompanied by three of the villagers, waving their hands about to show they were un- armed. The head-man said he had gone so far to get rice for Darpong, and showed us a little in his hand as proof; but as there was plenty at Kung- nung, and the amount he had with him was scarcely sufficient for one meal, this was an evident falsehood.
As soon as the villagers discovered that we intended to go on to their village, they tried to get away. They were stopped, however, and made to accompany the force.
In consequence of the detour and the frequent delays to enable the guns to keep up with the troops, it was five o'clock when, on turning a comer, we came in sight of Taikum. This village is situated on the summit of a small hill, contains about two hundred houses, and is surrounded by a strong palisado. It was full of men.
We were then distant twelve hundred yards from it, and commanded the village thoroughly, a small level piece of ground on the right of the road affording ample space for bringing the guns into action, which was accordingly done. The Lushais had evidently become aware of our ap- proach, and collected all their force in a large open space at the top of the village to watch our movement.
The three villagers squatted near the guns to see what would happen to their friends and houses. The practice was excellent. At the first there was a movement among the enemy, as if they were going to run away, but nothing im- mediately following they stood firm. The Sepoys also, not knowing the time necessary for the flight of the projectiles, gave vent to a few mur- murs of disappointment, which were speedily changed to cries of delight, as the puff of smoke just over the village, followed by the report, an- nounced the bursting of the shell.
Shell-Practice
The fuze having been set for a longer range, the villagers could not have seen it burst, as they still remained where they were. To the Lushais with us, it appeared as if it had gone on to the hill across the valley, " a day's journey off,** as they wonderingly said to each other.
The second gun was beautifully laid, and the shell burst in the very centre of the group of men, who seemed completely paralyzed at first, but soon commenced to run down the narrow streets. A few appeared to be incapable of motion, but others returned to carry them off.
In the meantime Colonel Roberts, directing Captain Blackwood to fire two more rounds at the retreating foe, advanced rapidly with the in- fantry, and as the latter entered the village from one side, the former evacuated it on the other, firing only two shots, without effect, as they dis- appeared down the hill sides. It was nearly six o'clock then, and it was useless to pursue them ; so the village was set fire to at once.
A few of the Goorkas had secured some pigs, which, being too big to be carried whole, were killed with a knock on the head, and the shoulders and the hind-quarters were sliced off with two or three strokes of their handy kookries. Then all the troops having fallen in again, the return march commenced.
As we gained the knoll from which the guns had been fired, and looked back, the scene was very striking. Behind a huge misty mountain the calm moon rose bright and clear in the pale green sky, illumining the far off ranges, while nearer, the red flames and smoke, and sparks, swept away to the left by the evening breeze, lighted up the foreground with a ruddy glow, to which intensity was added by the deep black mass of huge forest which partially hid Taikun from our gaze ; while, below in the wide slip be- tween us and the village, a small stream flowed, reflecting on its surface the red glare of the flames.
Fortunate was it that we had the moon to guide our returning steps over the weary five miles that lay before us, as even with its assistance it was nearly eleven p.m., before we reached the camp, after a rather hard day's work.
Poiboi Fined
Beacon signals had informed the neighbouring villages of the intended attack on us on the 25th, and the inhabitants of Chepui and Tingridum and Kholel had again fled into the jungles ; but the judicious measures taken by the officers com- manding at Chepui and Tuibum, succeeded in restoring confidence and they soon returned.
In consequence of the Tingridum head-man having left the camp without leave on the 2nd, he was fined one hundred and thirty baskets of rice, a pig, and a goat. A man was sent on the 27th to Tingridum, to tell the villagers to deliver these articles to the officers at Chepui, and this was done at once.
Darpong was also sent on to Poiboi, to tell him that, as he had attacked us on the 25th, the General had altered the terms on which he would consent to receive him, and that, in addition to giving up his captives, he must pay a fine of rice, metuas, pigs, goats, and fowls.
On the 27th a party escorted a large body of coolies to the jooms near Taikum, and brought bearing little bamboo strips, which swinging about in the wind make a doleful rattling sound.
Intolerable Nuisance
The General had a hut constructed for himself and Staff above the village. The houses would not have been uncomfortable dwellings, but for the rats which swarmed at nights, scampering over our faces or falling from the roof. The only way to ensure ourselves against these little an- noyances was to put up musquito curtains, fasten- ing them down securely at the sides and ends.
