At present we are all in an entrenched camp on a range of hills called Odonia Orok, about 60 miles north-west of Mount Kilimanjaro. There are about 1,500 troops here, Punjaub infantry, mountain battery, Maxim guns, field hospital, and Mounted Rifles. The German force, reported to be over 2,000 strong, including native troops, is on a mountain called Longido, about west by south-west ten miles away, well intrenched, with Maxim guns.

On the evening of November 2 our fighting force moved out from here to attack the position. The main attack, consisting of the infantry, Maxim, and artillery, attacked the north-eastern side, and three troops of mounted Rifles went round the end of the mountain to cut off the enemy’s retreat.

The attack on our side opened the battle soon after daybreak. We forced the enemy to leave his lower trenches and take his position higher up the hills. The fight was very hot. We were only about one hundred strong, with neither guns nor Maxims, whilst they had a Maxim and far more troops, mostly natives as far as we could see. The fight lasted three hours. We were in fair cover in wooded country. They gave us a warm time, fairly raining bullets on to our position. Luckily their shooting was rotten, most of the bullets passing high in the trees. Most of the shooting was from 500 to 1,000 yards after the first half hour.

Hot work

It was on absolute impossibility to take the position with the troops we had, and without guns. Our casualties were eight killed, one missing, and five wounded. We retired three-quarters of a mile from the wood, where the wounded were attended to. The Germans did not attempt to follow us up. I think they had had enough, and I doubt whether they could have got their native troops to fight in the open. We reckon they suffered more severely than we did, especially early in the fight. After we had been fighting three-quarters of an hour our guns opened fire on the other side of the hill at their encampment and trenches. We gave a loud cheer and kept peppering away. The Germans then retired well up toward the top of the hill. It was very difficult to see them, as they were under such good cover and the slope was so great.

We were in a hot shop all the time, and the perspiration poured off us. I was heavily loaded with 150 rounds, haversack, field glasses, water bottle, and revolver. The nearest thing I had was when I was looking through my glasses from behind a tree, with my rifle leaning against it. A bullet tore the bark off and knocked my rifle down. The shot came from high up the hill – I could tell from the mark on the tree; it went into the ground close to my side and behind me. The next man, about five yards away, was shot dead; he was behind an ant-hill. I took fresh cover.

When the order came for us to retire they fairly let us have it, but their firing was very high. I worked from cover to cover, dodging across, and we were all fairly pumped by the time we got out of range. After we had rested and got the wounded fit to be moved, we retired on to the road back on to a kopje, about three miles off, where we off-saddled and fed the mules. All the time we could hear our main attack going on — it lasted nearly 12 hours.

The Indians’ success

The Punjabis got into the German main camp and entrenchments, but could not stay there, owing to the hot firing coming from the top of the hill, and also running short of ammunition and water. They retired at dark, and we got back to camp at 3 a.m., so from saddle-up we had been on the move for 46 hours on three biscuits and some cheese – most of which was melted. To finish up with, a storm broke soon after getting back, so we got no sleep. We are very hard worked here since, with continuous patrols and pickets in the trenches at night. We keep having heavy rain occasionally, but there is not much fever here.

Since I wrote you last we have been round about Kilimanjaro Mount, keeping an eye on the Masai as well as the Germans.