Our artillery fired
a great many rounds in that direction, but it was difficult to ascertain
what effect they had. It was apparent that the brunt of the fighting
during this phase of the action would fall upon the right party of
Ghurkhas, who now in the distance, as they climbed steadily up the steep
cliffs to our right front, looked like a string of tiny ants. They must
have climbed two to three thousand feet before they reached the ridge,
and thus gone into action at a height bordering on 20,000 feet. Before
they could get near the enemy they had to cross a steep strip of snow.
Ploughing through that within range of the enemy must have been somewhat
trying. They got near them at last and accounted for a good many,
including, it was afterwards ascertained, two important leaders. The
ridge on which the Tibetans made their stand contained several caves, in
which the enemy proceeded to hide, so that what followed must have been
a species of ratting, which resulted in the capture of a good many
prisoners.

Meanwhile the rest of our forces moved onwards, and the 40th Pathans
were at length sent in pursuit of several of the enemy who were seen
escaping upwards in the direction of a glacier, while the artillery from
their new position kept the latter moving with a few rounds of
shrapnel. After a lot of ammunition, breath, and muscular tissue had
been expended in this uphill pursuit, there was no sign left anywhere of
the enemy on or below the skyline. They had apparently disappeared over
the glacier.

We were then ready to march to camp. After a very short distance we
passed Zara, a small village alongside of which is a Chinese rest-house.
Close to the village we came upon our enemy's camp standing as they had
left it in the morning. We got from it a good deal of tsampa and found
more in the village itself, where they had evidently stored their
reserve of this, their only article of food. We were in need of firewood
too, and found a lot of useful logs lying about the camping ground, not
to mention a large number of tent poles made of good seasoned wood,
which burnt well that night in our own camp.

We camped about five miles further on, and about a thousand feet lower
down. To descend into a somewhat more plentiful air was a relief after
a night and a day on the Karo-La.

Our great difficulty that night was the lack of fodder. The mules had
had a long day and no grazing, and there was not a blade of anything to
give them