'History of the Indian Navy. (1613-1863).' [‎476] (495/622)

476
HISTORY OF THE INDIAN NAVY.
under command of Acting-Lieutenant Yates and Mr. Dunn.
He writes to Captain Campbell, under date " the llth of No
vember, Jungles near Aruntelyia, Porahat country " I am
now in the jungle with Captain Birch, seventy seamen and sixty
Coles, and a mass of armed natives. Our chief magazine is
still at Chyabassa, where we leave the hospital; there are
about twelve or fourteen sick on the average, which makes a
hole in our little force, when it.comes to be divided. We hear
many reports from Palarmo, as to the flight of the rebels in
that direction. The Commissioner believes there will be work
for us when we have hunted out these rebels here." Again
writing on the 22nd of November, from tfi Camp at Dorikala,
jungles of Western Singhbhoom," where he was employed
beating up the quarters of the rebels, he says :—" We are now
split into three parties, two constantly on the move. The
rebels are very active all round us, burning and looting, retir
ing when we advance, and breaking out afresh in another
place. I have placed Yates in permanent charge of Chucka-
derpore for the present, but have constant communication, and
have a small depot here. Captain Birch left me yesterday with
the Cole levies to hunt up some marauders in Porahat, and I
have had to be on the qui vive ever since, as a few hours after
he was gone, I received intelligence of a strong body of two
or three thousand men approaching, having heard of our dimi
nution of force. I have taken all precautions, got native look
outs on the hills round, and a masked gun with canister
defending our only approach. We are encamped in a very
picturesque place, in an amphitheatre of hills surrounded by
dense jungle. Urjoon Singh, the rebel Rajah, is encamped
some sixteen or twenty-four miles off* amongst the hills, as far
as we know, but the paths are very intricate. I made a re
connaissance along the jungle path, leading, as is supposed,
the nearest to his quarters, and found it blocked up with huge
trees in one place, done by a large body of men evidently
the same morning. I have lots to do, # and rode forty miles
the day before yesterday to Chuckaderpore and back, and was
not much the worse for it. I like the copper friction-tubes very
much, and nsed them once or twice in practice for the edifica
tion of the Coles, who, we have since heard, spread a report
# Though hard at work in the jungles and keeping up communications with
his Detachments at Chuckaderpore and Chyabassa, the rigorous requirements of
red-tape could not be denied, and we find him writing to Captain Campbell;—
" My stationery and official document department is in sad confusion, and owing
to the constant moving about, I shall not be able to send in abstracts for this
month,'as we are all separated, and I am half distracted sending money about,
and getting signatures for the Commissariat Department, who are in about five
different places. I will make the abstract come all right for batta An extra allowance of pay granted to soldiers involved in special field service or to public servants on special duty. and good
conduct. I shall have to send in an indent for stationery in a day or two. The
coil of rope and entrenching tools, also the water skins and planks, have arrived
at Chyabassa.'*