A Story of War

A strange incident last night. At about 11.45pm there is a noise of someone letting off his rifle continuously, pretty close, and gradually getting further away, as though he were running off down the road. At first I thought it was in the compound, and eventually I dismissed it as some lad letting off fireworks to celebrate. But no, Irving swears it was shooting and that some of the shots hit the MO’s mess and officer’s quarters. It beats me.

Today I visit the dentist for a stopping. I see in the Statesman that on the night  of February 5th/6th a madda khel lashkar let off 15 shots from 800 feet with a gun at Datta Khel fort. Two penetrated the walls, and eventually an airoplane from Miramshah dispersed the gang at 2.45am by moonlight.

One Assistant Surgeon here, an Anglo-Indian, had his own private practise at Razani, amongst the tribesmen, whom he treated in return for chicken and eggs. That’s a regular occurence, apparently, except with a British MO.