Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1877-12-07
THE PRINCE OF REPORTERs.


Some OF the Achievements Of A Feh.
ibaId Forbes, ReCounted BY him-
self.
Boston Commercial Bulletin.l
l was breakfasting with the col
lector Of Bareilly, that dull little
station of northwestern India,which
woke from its sleep one morning,
twenty years ago, to find every
bungalow swarming with black cut
throats, to see its judge hanged in
his own courthouse, and to be
filled with the groans Of women,
murdered with the children at their
breasts. We had been discussing
the visit of the Prince of Wales,
who was then at Agra, and had al
ready done much, by passing over
the scenes of the mutiny, to heal
up the scars it had made.
ENTER FORBES.
We were joyfully asserting to an
invitation to partake of some cham.
pagne, when the sound of wheels
was heard, and white.turbaned
servant presented a card:
"Mr. Archibald Forbes"
Charles Rattle, the collector, in
dulged in the little whistle which
is usually reserved for such supreme
moments of surprise as the first
track of a tiger or the first word of
truth in the evidence of a native
witness.
cts the correspondent of the
London Daily News" said he. "Met
him at Agra and asked him to look
me up in passing Bareilly. A very
decent fellow, l believe" And he
made the servant show Mr.. Forbes
into the study.
He was a tall, powerful man, this
Archibald Forbes, with cloSe-crop-
ped hair, and a very red face, look
ing not unlike a Russian soldier.
He shook hands little shyly, and
at once turned to examine the book
shelves, while the famous Laftte
was being tapped.
"Youll find some books of yours
there" said Rattle, "even a novel
you wrote in 1866"
At this Forbes started and looked
round a little nervously.
"Pm sorry for that" said he.
Sorry! Why?"
"If you have read it, you need
not ask. 1t is an attempt to set
forth the trials of a private soldiers
life. The Times came down on it
savagely, and said the book was
worthy of a 'ranker' and only fit for
the guard-room. In one respect
the Times was right. | was in the
ranks when l wrote it"
Spoken before a mixed company
of British officers and officials, there
was a certain courage in this con-
fession, and the strong man WINGED
as he made it..
"My father was a clergyman at
Elgin," he continued. 81 ran away
from home and enlisted. OF course
| suffered terribly at first, and that
book was the tale of my sufferings.
The criticism of the Times fairly
knocked me down"
"But you got up again." said
some one.
eyes; / think it rather steadied
my resolution to be a writer. But
| soon discovered l had no remark
able ability in that line"
"No remarkable abilityp cried
another; chow then do you &C
count for your astonishing success:"
A CAREER OF STRATEGY.
Strategy" he replied; nothing
but strategy. l never threw away
a chance. If there was ever a pos
sibility Of going first into a breach,
went. If there was ever a hope
of seeking information, even in the
cannon's mouth, / sought it. AT
the last colliery explosion in Eng
land / volunteered to go down in
the first basket of exploration-a
ticklish job. Those who had rela
tives in the pit refused to give place
to stranger, but persisted. | had
entered the basket and we were
just being swung into the black
shaft, which was still breathing
forth a blast of smoke and flame,