The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1889-09-22
CHAPTER X.


- Nervvn. with his party of burghers,
lat the top of their speed toward Mr..
,.r,srrong's house. As they neared 1t
.,bor of Kaffirs were seen gathered
- If As these perceived the approach
,.ho borsemen there was a movement OF
s,-bt Init a chief who was with them, see
Tho smallness of the force approaching,
IL mon them to stand, and they at once
..+herad to meet the advancing horsemen.
..Halt."R 1nald shouted as he pulled up his
korea 15O wards from the house, There are
connie of hundred Of them; we shall be
-ddiad with spears if we charge them and
h,u throw away our lives without being
- o,,, assistance to our friends. Dismount
Iods and tie your horses up to the trees.
non,t tie them too firmly, for if they max
rus5 we must ride of and then return
AGAIN. Now get behind the trees and open
otoadv fire upon them. Each pick out
vour man and don't throw away shot.
Don't all fire together. Let the man on the
rioht fire fist, and then the one next to
him and 50 on, so that two or three of the
right hand men can be loaded again before
theIast on the left has emptied his rife"
A second or two later the first rifle spoke
o,,t and 4 native fell. Shot after shot was
fired and every bullet told. The two chiefs
were among the first who fell, and their
loss 10 5 me extent paralysed the advance
of the natives Some OF them ran back to
the belter under the house, but forty or
fftv of them with loud shouting rushed
forward.
.Jive them one volley," Ronald shouted,
sand then to your horses"
Every loaded gun was discharged; the
men unhitched their horses, sprang into
tber saddles, and dashed off. All were ac-
cnstomed 70 load on horseback, and as soon
as the cartridges were down and the caps
on Ronald led them b lck again. The ma
tiyes we're this time holding the orchard.
Ronald took s8 eep as if to cut them off
from the house, and, afraid of bel G sepa-
rated. they ran back to rejoin their com
raie A volley was poured in, and then a
charge was made upon them, sword and
pistol IN land.
Fra mluute or two there was a sharp
fight Many of the natives were shot or cut
down, lie several of the burghers re-
cs7ed assegai wounds.
ii rye body of natives were running up
10 the asSis ance of their comrades, when
the six men of the Mounted Rifles rode up.
Ile 9uNdHCluE tidllN6S pduo6u db bL6 SIRuU
ofthe soldiers, and before they could make
10 their minds to advance, the greater por-
ton of those who had occupied the orchard
we're killed.
Draw off fifty yards" Ronald ordered,
'snd reload rifles and pistols"
This was done, an several steady valleys
poured into the Kafirs.
That will do" Ronald said ''they are
beginning to slip off. Now charge straight
down to the house; aud my troopers will
leap off and enter. Theirs is fighting going
on In there still. Do you take our horses as
We dismOunt and ride of, and then open
fire agai on the rascals from a distance.
We shall be able to hold the house if we can
once entern
The plan was carried out. With des-
perate charge they burst through the
natives round the door, Ronald and the
troopers sprang to the ground, and threw
the reins of their horses to he colonisG who
caught them and rode off again.
''Clo the door behind J, u" Ronald said
he sprang forward into the passage,
which was crowded witl natives. The
troopers followed him, closing and barring
tie door behind them. There was sharp
light in the passage, but Ronald's two re-
7olYers, and the rifles of his ne were more
than match for the natives and in two or
three minutes the last of them fell.
CLOSE and bar all the shutters" Ronald
shouted, as he rushed into the dining-room.
over the bodies OF eight or ten natives lying
inside
His appearance was greeted with a hearty
cleer, and Mr.. Armstrong and three or four
others ran in through the door of an inner
room.
Thank God we are in time" Ronald
SAID, grasping Mr.. Armstrong; hand.
THANK God, indeed, the farmer replied.
We have had hot time for the last
hour"
Miss Armstrong is not hurt, L hope.n
No. she has escaped without a scratch.
and think that that's more than any of the
rest of US can say"
II must see about my men now" Ronald
aio; will you get all the shutters down
stairs fastened and barredr
Ronald ran out and found that his men
mad mad just succeeded in clearing the house
lney mad found several Kaffirs upsta RS
engaged In tue work of plundering. Some
VI snen mad been cut down, whilst others
nau jumped from the open windows. As
9Ioh as the shutters had been fastened,
ronald and his mea took their places at the
upper windows and opened fire upon the
TmaUlVes, who were already drawing off.
ne lre OF the defenders Of the house was
aIueu oy that of the burghers, and the re-
eAO A1tiFoo SOOl D6CdIno q nlRnN.
many cropping before they were out of
range OF the rifles As soon as the natives
Iere Ialrly In retreat Ronald again went
uo%nSIalrs, where he found Mr.. Armstrong
anu tne other defenders of the house engaged
~ amending upon the wounded. Ronald
looked around the room.
NY daughter is in there" Mr.. Armstrong
iaiu' pointing to the inner room. "She has
b HenaVed spendidly through it all, but she
DtoAe down when she found that the danger
e %os over. think we had better leave her
9ione Tor few minutes
~, NO onder.n Ronald said as he looked
io ou.u Cne room. Seven or eight natives
o 1t ueao close to the doorway, three or four
~; 4ers ;, IN other parts of the room, together
srJ ouIee white men and two women
i,u on the ground lay ia lie cloth, broken
ana dishes and the remains of feast
w. We. armstrong and four other farmers
ot5' e now engaged in attending to each
he he wounds and binding them up with
cIsS ages made out of strips of the table
A,r was never so pleased in my life," Mr..
son uSVro 6 SAID, las wnen heard the first
nv 49, ~ Oh your guns. Who you were, C uld
mr. NM course make out, but / supposed it
w." De party from one of the villages
lsro O u hao got news of the attack on US
b.-lO Is partly so, sir" Ronald said. 1--WE
tnrto DIX Oh our men besides myself, and
Sn,o zen or fifteen burghers joined us as we
door aIong l hear them riding up to the
Fsro Nv am sorry to say tat no more
gano. " oe obtained, for the attack has been
VILLAGES ana ana fear that three parts of the