enerals Kinloch, Waterfield, and
Gatacre. When the news arrived of the danger at Chitral the
preparations were pressed forward, and on the 1st of April the troops
were moved forward, marching without tents, and water supplies for only
three weeks; and on the 2nd of April the second and third brigades were
at Dargai, a village at the foot of the Malakand Pass. There are three
passes into the Swat valley, namely, Malakand, Shakhot, and Morah; all
of these were held by the enemy, but as it had been given out that the
British intended to cross by the Shakhot Pass, to which the first
brigade had been sent, the enemy were not in such force at Malakand as
they should have been.

The fact was that when Sir R. Low learned that the greater part of the
enemy were at the Shakhot and Morah Passes he determined to mislead them
into staying there by acting as though he intended to attack the Shakhot
Pass, and for this purpose marched the first brigade in that direction
with orders to rejoin him if possible at Dargai by a forced night-march;
intending that the three brigades should meet on the 2nd of April at 8
a.m. and carry the pass before the enemy had discovered their intention.
The weather frustrated the carrying out of this plan, the night-march
had to be abandoned and the attack postponed until the 3rd, but the plan
of deceiving the enemy was quite successful, for the enemy had not time
to get across the hills to help their comrades in the Malakand Pass.
And this was fortunate, for the pass was so obstinately defended as it
was that all three brigades, with the exception of one regiment held in
reserve, were engaged in the attack.

The pass is through a valley gradually narrowing for about two miles
from Dargai, and at this point it bends for about a mile and a half to a
point where the hills drop precipitately into the pass. From this bend
the pass was strongly defended, the whole range on the west side being
held by the enemy. The 4th Sikhs were sent along the heights to guard
the left flank of the advance, and climbing up the sides cleared many
sangars of the enemy with great gallantry. The Guides Infantry had an
equally arduous task on the hills. Meanwhile the force advanced up the
valley. To quote from the General's despatch--

"When the infantry advance was ordered it soon became apparent that if
the assault was delayed till the position was turned by the Guides the
action would be unduly delayed and the Guides th