work of a menacing character. The enemy could less
be tolerated in Palla than in the Gurkha outpost, for fire from the
former would have taken us absolutely in the flank, and the garrison was
not strong enough to provide the labour necessary for building an
entirely new series of traverses.

That very night Colonel Brander detailed the troops that were to take
Palla by assault at dawn. The storming-party was composed of three
companies of the 32nd under Major Peterson, assisted by the Sappers and
Miners with explosives under Captain Shepherd. Our four mountain-guns,
the 7-pounders under Captain Luke, and the 10-pounders under Captain
Easton, escorted by a company of Gurkhas, were detailed to occupy a
position on a ridge which overlooked Palla. The troops fell in at two in
the morning. The night was pitch-dark, but with such care were the
operations conducted that the troops had made a long detour, and got
into their respective positions before dawn, without an alarm being
raised.

Daylight was just breaking when Captain Shepherd crept up to the wall of
the house on the extreme left, where it was believed the majority of the
enemy were located, and laid his explosives. A tremendous explosion
followed, the whole side of the house falling in. A minute afterwards,
and Palla was alarmed and firing furiously all round, and even up in the
air. The jong also awoke, and from that time till the village was
finally ours poured a continuous storm of bullets into Palla, regardless
whether friend or foe was hit. Our guns on the ridge did their best to
quiet the jong, but without much effect. Against Tibetan walls, provided
as they are with head cover, our experience showed shrapnel to be almost
entirely useless.

A company of Pioneers followed Captain Shepherd into the breach he had
made. But they found themselves only in a small courtyard, with no means
of entering the rest of the village, except over or through high walls
lined by the enemy. All that could be done was to blow in another
breach. The preparations for doing this were attended with a good deal
of danger. Of three men who attempted to rush across the courtyard, two
were killed and the third mortally wounded. However, by creeping along
under cover of the wall, Captain Shepherd and Lieutenant Garstin were
able to lay the guncotton and light the fuse for another explosion. They
were fired at from a distance of a few yards, but escaped being hit by a
miracle. But the sec