Barbour County index. [volume] (Medicine Lodge, Kan.) 1880-current, 1884-04-18
A NIGHT OF ADVENTURE.

A NIGHT or ADVENTURE.
In the sprng OF tho year 1871. when
the Rus ians were pushing their VIC
toriOus forces towards the city of their
conquered Zoe, ard England was wait
ing apprch nsivc of the result. | had
the fortune tu b. attached To- "A depot
battery Of garrison artillery I'm TIC
southern District. At that time there
was gruat scarcity OF >ubalterns i'm the
Royal Regiment. AMI | found myself
Che only o.iccr e that rank in battery
OF recruits some two hundre stron9.
As NAV be imagined. had quite rs
much work ON my hands as | cared for.
IL was with mingled feelings that /
heard the ncws that Lor b aconsiield
had determined on calling out the Re-
serves. On the one hand the act seem ii
prophetic of imminent war, with all the
chancos OF promotion and distinction
mat such prospect opens Ia the sol
d1eri while on the other thcr, Nns the
1mmediate certainty of plenty of addi-
lional hard work, and of ending trouble
with men just transferred from their
civil occupation, to the stirring life o.
tho army. On the whole. however. 1
think | rathereuioyed the exc tement
offered by the change.
One morning ! was called into the
toloneFs Office, informed that n large
detachment Of the reserve was to Join
my battery from Wales. and that was
10 proceed thither Immediately with n
trustworthy Sergeant and bring them
To the depot. The Colonel did not
scruplc To tell me that he would not
nave intrustc,t so difficult task to an
odlcer with rs little experience and
length ot service rs my, cl' had he had
uny ol<er to send; but as there was no
one AVAILABLE. hc must make u virtue Of
NECESSITY. and hoped / would prove
worthy oil the confidence repO G | i'm me-
Az the same time, hc gave me TO under
stand that, once the men wcr' i'm my
charge, | should be- he'd responsible for
any who managed 10 desert or other
wise absent themselves ON the :ourncy.
always Il SLICED re- -ponS blity, and
had, moreover. an idea whether well
or vi founded shall not pause To con-
shicr-that the small pay IL n subaltern
wac not intended 10 cover any duties of
great Importance. but wa merely an
income drawn FOR the performance of
certain liNcd pieces o. routine, .uch n.
Nbltlng guards, going round 90 inspect
The mems dinners. aud 80 on. can
not, therefore. say q n | at all relis'~I
the Orunr had u &c ciycd. espCc ally
since | could very we'll realize the dill
cuty of conveying forty rude Welsh
miners so long q distanC' through n
country WnknONn 10 them. I only
stipulated, howe Cr. that the Sergeant
Wuo Wa' tO he my companion should be-
man ! knew aud could trust. and who
could talk Welsh on Occa ion. Fortu-
natrty, lust such n one rs | needed was
aVailablc. and we star eel ON our Jour
nel determined o. make the best of II.
dO not intend here tO give an &C.
count at the manner In viii IN carried
ou' my mi sion. though, indeed. some
ot the incidents were amusing enough.
! was compelled pcriOrcc to stay longer
thhn had intended In Wales. gathering
my men together. and ON the morn no
81 our hnal departure half the popula-
on ot the country seemed tO be coll
lcctcd together tO see us oil. Had there
en- the least INV llingncss on the part
OF the new recruits 10 Join. | should
have been quite unable To muster them
among the crowds that attended. but
Doth they and their relatives were ONLY
700 willing To serve her Ma esty aud to
drink her health. Man after man was
ca RED aloit by his admiring friends.
dead drunk. and thrust into the car
riagcs anywhere and ANYHOW, till nv
number was complete. aud the amused
rn{lne driver could ut length start his
uain. Cf the whole party. think that
my f1h. my Sergeant and single total
"oStalner, who happened To be the sole
one ot my men who could speak word
OF English. were the only persons sober.
Kept my charges well supplied with
u nor, In defiance Of all precedent, car
req them from Eustun TO London
bridge In couple of omnibuses, and
bad them all safely housed i'm barracks
before they well knew they had started.
fear some of them must have felt very
III the day after. but that 81 course. i
could not help.
But the adventure am about To re-
late had little TO do with my reserve
mel. 10 took , lace on the second night
after my arrival in Wales. MY Sergeant
anu hat taken up quarters In a little
0ut-Of the-way village on the coast. not
lar rom the Menai Straits. FOR many
reasons do not care To give its name.
We had arr we'd there late i'm the even
ing, IS darkness was drawinr ON. and.
by use of my compan Gus knowledge of
the language, had found out the posi-
ton of the Only-place Of entertainment
that was avallablc-a | tile inn situat-
eel at some distance from. the town.
Was struck. on approaching IL. Ly the
Wild aud picturesque beauty of the To-
cality. IL was pcrched on the. top of
high'cliif. which seemed almost to
overhang the sea below: and. between
the door aud the verge Of the perpen-
dicular descent. unzuarded BY fence OF
rail. nothing in'crvencd but patch of
grass. blackcned apd w.thcrpd hy the
spray cast up by the westerly gales of
the equinox. aud not more than four
yards wide. why tho bu lder should
have selected such n spot was not easy
to say. Perhaps lie was q man who
loved the wild moods OF the ocean, and
found them harmoni with those OF
be own soul. Il looked the very place