Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1871-06-24
TO BAY.
Az ENGLISH OFFICERS STORY.

~ Won may be quite sure. being only nine
teen was most tremendously anxious to o.,
NV commission. and when AT last was gazet
t'd u tAe ? 9TH Foot, did not give nv tailor
ituci Test mn my uniform anu the parapheTna-
La OF my outfit were sent home
dare say. tO the old and sac. il is very rid =
CulcU> bat to me 1t was glorious. that first put
ing On q military garments. The bedroom
cor a. locked; wa quite alone. There was
tait CASVai glass by the bedside, and what was
UieTe 70 prevent me from struJting about, a.
-caIllt Ia the face almost a. ay tightly buttonel
tuhlc. Ii did not tit me perfectly, / knew; but
having II altered would necesSitate it, being Ia
Ken away. and that idea vas insUppOrtable. So
Kept my things just a. they we're, and IN the
hot stage Of scarlet fever in which | then was
The fact % my regiment being ordered out to
China DID not give me mach unCaSineSs, for
even in q chinese war there did not seem much
csUse for discomfort, since l believed that the
and.
/ viii not trouble you with the account Of our
long Journey out, and our landing in the CeleS-
tai Empire. Let it suffice when tell yOu that
uTon our arrival il was TO find hOstlitieS in fuli
progress. and. boy rs 1 was, had 10 take my
tIrn with the rest, smelt powder, heard the
NhlZ q bullets and saw my smart uniform
SuIlt u with mud and filth.
II wa hot work in both senses or the word.
Now We were waiing in TiveT-b6d or creek.
viii the blazing sun above Us, and the rank.
stTeamy heat rising from the slime; now we
were stOTming mud fort, or chasing the enemy
over the SWampy riee-felds or through cane
hTakas. while the next day, perhaps, we were ac-
Ccmpanying some lOOting expedition.
At last. after making pretty good progress up
the country, we StOTmed town, which / will
call here Ling-PO- II had been n pretty tough
job. for the mud walls had been held by a strong
party Of Braves However, at last, the day was
OuTs' the Braves were supposed 10 DC driven out,
and We hal taken possession, the men diStribu-
ting themselves pretty well over the place, and
j vac along with half a dozen of the bandsmen,
who were ON their way to the place chosen for
headquarters, there to deposit their instrument
previous To going upon ambulance duty: the
helping Of the wounded being, as perhaps You
are aware, the duty OF the bandSmen in time of
war.
We were rather indifferently armed, the
baEd>men having only those short, Roman
looking swOrdS-yery blunt ones tOo--and though
Lad nv sword and a revolver, 1 had received a
TASTY thrust through the right arm from the
sItar Of a Brave,-a hurt which neceSsitated
the wounded limb being carried in sling, and
made me feel more sick and faint than cared
To own amongst men who would have looked
UPON my injury as n mere scratch
The town was evidently a large, denseIy pOpu-
lated place. full Of crooked lanes, streets, and
blind alleys, among which we kept wandering
Tor quite an hour before We were compelled 70
own that we had lost our way.
- II vel be kind enough to take the lads, Mr..
Grey. We II folly We, - said one of the bandsmen,
turning suddenly round upon me and scratching
Lis puzzled pate.
- I'm ready enough 10 lead Dennis" said;
''bUt I'm about done up Tor want OF a little
= alter. was thinking Of asking you ~ carry
me-
-. / IN thinking. sir. that We nav lust as well
SIT down in the shade and wait, tor the head
quaTtheTs il jiSt as likely 10 come u w, as we
are 70 get to II. \ big place like this would
puzzle q maI-maker."
Il thought u tell you, SIT, that there's a
couple of Chinese been following Us for the last
i've minutes aid another OF the men, land
I amt a. II We had rifles
looked uneasily back down the long, narrow,
sun iarei street, but there was not a soul vis-
be. Al vas still a. death, save for a distant
shot or two. which seemed u come from quite
another part Of the town, and % indicate that
The lighting was not entirely at an end The
houses on either hand were closely suffered,
and Presented the most blank Of aspects, and
though We scanned the windows above, not a
watching face was visible.
/ could not help owning that, should we be
attacked by some detached body Of the Braves,
our chances would be very small; and I should
have blamed myself for want OF care, had not
the difficulty OF finding ones way through such
a wilderness become more and m0re evident at
each stride we took
=. II 5 my belafe, sir, that Corporal Smiths
la'hnS u intirely wrong said the Irishman,
Lead yourself, then" said the corporal,
grufiiy, a. he tucked his large Ophicleide be-
Meath his arm. and paused 70 wipe the Perspira-
Ton from his forehead
.- tell you what, SIR" said another man Jour
best Ccrnet player, ''we had better make a
G . Tor it, don't like the look OF this at all.
Why. what's wrong?" said I testify, for all
The time there was n dizzy sensation in my
head, and the street looked misty before my
We are being lodged, sir, and no mistake;
and II We take refuge in one Of these houses we
shall perhaps only be burned out"
Trying To rouse myself, I hurriedly took
glance at our position We were evidently In
Oie OF the lower parts Of the town; and the sire
wherein We were was one Of the narrOwest had
seen since in the country. Every here and
there alleys ran of II right angles but each au-
Parently ended in eSl-ds-S0e, and % enter one
of them might have been like running into a
ting ourselves. To make matters worse, too,
there was at one end OF the street, the g'int of
arms; and a moment after four or FIVE Braves
appeared
Fortunately, the peril that threatened our lit
tle party seemed 70 clear my head from the
~ sly sensatiOn; and tried 70 devise some pan
iSr iIni-. ediate execution
"Ihey viii come upon Us suddenly from one
OF the narrow streets II they mean To attack u.s."
thought, and, giving the signal to my men,
turned of sharply u the right, and We walked
rapidly in new direction, in the hope that IL
might bring us 70 where some Of our own men
were collected.
That We were in danger felt sure. Nyman
knew II, too; but al the same, in a hght-hearted,
reckless fashion, could hear them joking To-
getheT.
&c / tell you what" said one. '.the bard 5 as
good a. broken ny, II we don't get back. What
did you say, Dennis?''
-.S}tned intirely," was the reply; land, be-
dad. IN glad have Mt got 70 blow now, for
We more wind left than would put out one
Of WILDLY Flanaghan's dips, and they were
twenty-:Our 10 the pound How are you, cor
IOral?"
- Blown" was the gruff reply.
Then We went on in silence for q short dis
lance. hut only To stop short q We turned
corner. Tor there was a burst Of yells in the dis
lance. and the clangOr Of a gong, and we be
came aware Of the fact that about thirty Braves
were ia Close pursuit Of a couple OF our men,
EEO were evidently hard pressed
o. Come on" shouted, with my blood SEEM
~ o. Toll, but long before we could reach the
>IGt, We saw the two poor fellows Oyertaken, and
fall pierced with a score OF spear-wOmds-
90 Come back, sir, quick, come back!' ex-
claimed a voice, and the sword armed hand OF
tlr stout Ophicleide-player was laid upon my
ann 90 le : ike rushing on death. and-here,
quick down here" he shouted, hurriediy;
'.tAo~e fellows who have been lodging us are
closing up"
A glance revealed our position plainly enOugf:
Ve we're between two fires, and, darting down
Harrow lane, We hastily pursued it, winding.
- Our people mast hear the noise soon, and
clear the town" whispered the corporal 70 me,
a, lie forced his arm under mine g II I'd ur,
CT, you Re a bit Weak-that's the way NV
Then, men, Keep together: IL : our only chance |"
The lane seemed A. II 10 would have Ro end;
and al the time there were our enemies yelling
and shouting IN full pursuit- II we were over
taken, We knew what our fate must be-instant
death, or else some horrible torture for In their