9 September Afridi tribesmen, allied with the Afghans, attacked Fort Gulistan. Both the attacks were repulsed, and a relief column from Fort Lockhart, on its return trip, reinforced the signalling detachment positioned at Saragarhi, increasing its strength to three non-commissioned officers (NCOs) and eighteen other ranks (ORs). The battle Details of the Battle of Saragarhi are considered fairly accurate because Sepoy Gurmukh Singh signalled events to Fort Lockhart by heliograph as they occurred. Around 09:00, approximately 6,000–10,000 Afghans reach the signalling post at Saragarhi. Sepoy Gurmukh Singh signals to Colonel Haughton, situated in Fort Lockhart, that they are under attack. Haughton states he cannot send immediate help to Saragarhi. The soldiers in Saragarhi decide to fight to the last to prevent the enemy from reaching the forts. Sepoy Bhagwan Singh is the first soldier to be killed and Naik Lal Singh is seriously wounded. Naik Lal Singh and Sepoy Jiwa Singh reportedly carry the body of Bhagwan Singh back to the inner layer of the post. The Afghans break a portion of the wall of the picket. Haughton signals that he has estimated that there are between 10,000 and 14,000 Pashtuns attacking Saragarhi. The leaders of the Pashtun forces reportedly make promises to the soldiers to entice them to surrender. Reportedly two determined attempts are made to rush open the gate, but are unsuccessful. Later, the wall is breached. Thereafter, some of the fiercest hand-to-hand fighting occurred. Havildar Ishar Singh orders his men to fall back into the inner layer, whilst he remained to cover their retreat. After the inner layer was breached all but one of the defending soldiers were killed, along with many of the Pashtuns. Sepoy Gurmukh Singh, who communicated the battle to Haughton as signalman, was the last surviving defender. His last message was to ask for permission to pick up his rifle. Upon receiving permission he packed up the heliograph and held the door of his signalling shed. He is stated to have killed 40 Afghans and the Pashtuns were forced to set fire to the post to kill him. As he was dying, Singh is said to have yelled repeatedly the Sikh battle cry "Bole So Nihal, Sat Sri Akal!" ("One will be blessed eternally, who says that God is the ultimate truth!"). Weapons The weapons given and used by the Indian troops were of an older generation compared to the small arms issued