The Bad Lands cow boy. [volume] (Little Missouri, Dakota [i.e. N.D.]) 1884-1886, 1885-07-23

Otthe same Kind, were concluded by
Chacha presenting bull to DR.. Zol.
Ter. ss= RI 5S,. 81 .Sssi5 ,55fa3}is L
How Lord Wolseley Lost the Vic
toria Medal "A.
T., A b.ilding called the: Khoorsheyd
Null, at lucknow, (Happy Palace but
better known IS the Mess House" had
to be taken. Atjar o heavy fire Of three,
hours from Peels guns Sir Colin deter
mined to carry it by Storm. 1t was "a
formidable plnco; massive in its struct.
ure, surrounded by a ditch 10 feel
broad and scarped with masonry, md be. T.
You'd that a loop-holed mud vail.
There were draw bridges, but it wss
not known whether they were down o,
not. Sir Colin gave the command Of
the storming column to Capt. Garnet :
WoIseley, of the Nlnetieth, with instruc-
tions that in the event of the draw
bridges being up, and his not being able
to effect an entrance, he was 10 leave
his men under cover and return and re.
port to him. II was not the first storm
ing column which Wolseley had led.
Years before he had had that honor in
carrying tho stronghold of the Burmese
Chief, Myat- toon, and had been severe.
ly wounded. He was more fortunate in
his attack on the Mess House. The
storniers hid to run the gantiet Of q
very heavy fire from the .neighboring
buildings, but they entered the place
with little opposition, as the. enemy had
retired, 1eaviMg the draw bridge down.
Calling upon his bugler to sound the
advance" to intimate to- Sir Colin his
success, he ran up the steps Of tho
building and planted the British flag
upon the roof. But no sooner was the
ensign displayed than the enemy opened
fire from every gun which they could
bring to bear, and twice was the flag
struck down, but only to be replaced by
Wolseley, assisted strange coincidence!
by Gyoung officer of the Bengal Ar 1
tillery, Lieut.. Frederick Roberts, now
Sir F ! Roberts, Bart, v. G., e. c. b..
But there was another building in the
hands Of the enemy, the Notice Mahal,
pearl of Palaces, the last post which
separated the sbesieged from their de-
iyerers. Wolseley's task, as intrusted
to him by Sir Colin Campbell, was ao-
complished by. the taking of the Mess
House. He had no instructions to do
more. But there are moments in battle
when opportunities are to be seized in
spite of instructions" and when what
seems rashness in o commander is really
the genius which justlies daring Gar
net Wolseley was not man. to bid his
stormers retire under cover and ustand
Of ease" while he saw before him prize
which might be won by bold hearts with
0 dash. He made q rush Mt the Notice.
Mahal, followed with joyful alacrity by
his gallant fellows. The way from the
garden of the Mess House to
the grateway of the Notice Mahal
was swept by the enemy's fire, bull
the GATEWAY was reached. TWAS, how.
ever, built up and loopholed, and
through these :loopholes a murderous
fire was poured upon the attacking pnr-
ty. Ready in resource and cool, Wolse.:
ley sent back an officer with some men.
to bring up crowbars and pickaxes to
smash through the brickwork. This
was done, but it was hard fight to get
the -enemYs fire under, and the stormers
lost many brave fellows. at length,
however, an aperture was made in the
wall, and through this Wolseley and
his men scrambled into the courtyard
OF the palace. Fighting hand to hand
they drove the enemy from room to
room and from yard to yard toward the
river, on the banks Of which the Notice.
Mahal was built Here the fugitives
threw themselves into the water and !.
sought escape in swimming across. It
was whom the men were returning with
the tools which he had sent for to batter
down the gateway that Wolseley fairly
earned the cross by q gallant act OF dnr-
ing. Private Andrews, who had been his
servant in the Crimea, ran from under
shelter to show his comrades the way
across. He was Immediately shot
through the body from one of the loop
holes and fell. Wolseley saw. this and I
rushed to his assistance. Raising him up
he bore him back in his arms to a place Of
safety, under o shower Of bullets, by one
of which Andrews was again wounded.
Now WoolseIey had gained the Notice,
Mahal, but he had not gained Sir Col.
ms goodwill. The old chief was furi-
GUS ct an officer exceeding his instruc-
tons, and Wolseley was advised to keep
out Of his way until his ire cooled. But
the erst leader Of the stormers Of
Ciudad- Rodrigo was not likely to be
long angry with a kindred spirit whose
disobedient daring must have recalled
to him the memory of his own fiery
courage, when youth md hope were his I
only fortune. He gave Cnpt. Garnet
Wolseley Q .aswigging'' for presnming to
take the Notice Mahal without orders,
and mentioned him in his dispatches for
the courage and ability he had display
ed, but he was not named for the v. !
C.-The United Service Magazine.