The river press. [volume] (Fort Benton, Mont.) 1880-current, 1881-01-26
WAR PICTURES.
Archibald Forbes. Description OF Pleyna
and I~sanduHa.

ATCnfDaEG Il OEDeS1 DGSCFEpAAOM O4 II Akd
and I~sandula.
From the Lecture of Mr.. Forbes.
AS an example Of the eloquent terms in de-
s%cription into which Mr.. Forbes often and
naturally, falls, the concluding remarks re-
garding the campaign which contained the
battle Of Plevna IS q leading feature are given
again in the exact words of the speaker:
'Plevna lay down yonder in its snug val
lev among the foliage, calm aid serene, like
q sleeping babe amid a pack of rag;Dg wolves
the sunlight glinting on the spires Of its
non belching fire and iron. Close to us the
f%enera}, with set face and terribly eager eyes,
the working Of his lips and fingers belieing
his forced composure. And at our feet hell
itself, raging in all its lurid splendor, and its
fell horror. a chaos of noises came back to
us on the light summer Winds-the crackle
Of the musketry fire, the ping Of bullets, the
crash Of exploding shells, loud shouts Of men
bent on death or victory, shrieks and yells Of
anguish, aye, even groans, SO near are we.
Look at that swift rush; see the upheaval of
flashing bayonets; listen to the roar of tri-
umph, sharpened by theclash of steel against
steel. There is an answering hurrah from the
gunners above US, for the Russian infantry
have carried at the bayonet's point the first
Turkish position. But they get no farther.
See the stubborn, gallant fellows there stand
ing leade,less-for nearly all the officers are
doWn-sternly waiting death for want Of
leaders either to cheer them forward or march
them back. A craving that is almost ~irresis-
tible m over one to abandon ~inaction and
to do Notwithstanding, no matter what
in this acme, this climax of concentrated
surges up IN the brain like strong drink. You,
sitting quietly here, can have no idea how
hard it is, in such CONFUSION Of emotion, to
bide at rest and write out q telegram, in pen
Gil, with industrious accuracy-hoW difficult
to compose coherently when the brain is on
fire and the pulses are bounding as if they
would burst"
After describing the visit to the battle
ground where the massacre of Isandula oc-
cured, and thesubsequent battle of Ulundi, in
which the British were victorious, and how,
after the latter battle, Lord Chelmsford an
nounced lfor some reason) that he should not
despatch q courier until next day, then Mr..
Forbes showed how he saw in this decision
his opportunity, and how he started at once
for Landmarks Drift, 100 miles away, the
nearest telegraph station. He reached it, af-
ter some Of the most exciting incidents of his
life. The. closing passage was as follows,
using again Mr.. Forbes exact language.
Il could see the dark figures Of Zulus
against the blaze Of the fires in the destroyed
kraals to right and left of my track, and
their shouts came to me in the still night air.
At length I hopelessly lost my way, and there
was no recourse but to halt till the moon
should rise and show me nay whereabouts.
The longest 30 minutes | ever spent in my
life was while sitting on my trembling horse
in a little open glade Of the brush, my hand
on thu butt of my revolver, waiting for the
moons rays to flash down into the hollow.
At leagth they came, I discerned the right
direction, and half an hour more Twas in
side of the reserve camp of Etonganeni, and
telling the news to a circle of eager listeners.
The great danger was past. It was a remote
chance that / should meet with molestation
during the rest Of my ride. The excursion
was prolonged and arduous, but the recon-
pense was adequate. I had the good fortune
m he thanked for tho fidinra II had harna tn
the general commanding in chief and the
Governor Of South Africa, and it was some
thing for a correspondent to be proud of
that it was his narrative of the combat and
of the victory, wired to the colonial official,
and BY that functionary wired to his official
supervisors at home, which her majesty's
minister read to the House Of Commons, as
the only intelligence they had received up to
date