Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1890-05-17
WHEN HE WAS MOST FRIGHTENED
Not Under the Enemy's Fire, but Before
the Rifles of His Own Soldiers.

From the New York Tribune.
WAS L ever afraid in battle?" said an
English army officer. Many times. But there
are different kinds of fright. have served in
India, i'll Egypt and in western Africa, but the
worst funk L was ever in was when there was
no enemy within thousands of miles of me-
Il was a captain at the time and was stationed
at Port Royal, jamaica. We had just got lot
of recruits on our hands, the rawest, greenest
recruits you ever saw. l was drilling them in
rifle practice at long range, and had great
trouble to make them obey orders with precision
In fact, one could never be sure whe Their they
would fire when you wanted them to present
or present when you wanted them to fire.
Il had been sending them through practice
one afternoon and they were SO terribly
stupid that got into a vile humor The day
was fearfuliy warm, and the sun beat down SO
tiercely that my horse, wicked brute, got into
almost an ungovernable temper. L sat on nv
horse at the right of the squad, and was
giving them volley practice at long range.
When my patience was entirely gone the men
seemed to gain a little sense, and began to fire
with rapidlty and accuracy. Things were run
ming as smoothly as clockwork, and was soon
soothed into cheerfulness despite the heat.
Not so my horse. He was never more vicious.
I'VE were getting along well by this time
that it was Ready! Present! FireI and the
yoley would ring out like single report.
"Once | cried out Ready" and the work was
as pretty as that OF veterans.
Present. and every rifle went up to shout
ders i'll perfect form. At the very instant was
about to say Fire. my frettng horse bolted.
cutting directly across the range. | was not 20
feet from the squad. My eye caught the gilt
tering rifles leveed right at me and instinct
lively closed my eyes and ducked my head
If you know what British soldiers
are You can imagine my feelings my terrible
fear, for l said before, 1 was never before in
such funk | knew that if 1 opened nv
mouth those recruits would riddle my body
with rifle balls. for they were expecting the
word FIRE. and probably would have taken
any sound for that. Ny desire to cry out AS
you werer to get the rifles of my body, was so
great that had to clench my teeth to keep
from crying out OF course the whole thing
took only a few seconds, but it was many
minutes longer than that TO me.
When my plunging horse had carried me
from before the mOtlonless rifles | managed to
wheel him. As he came around cried fire.
and every one of those stolid men obeyed the
command with absolute precision. That as
mouth while crossing their range should have
been dead man. for they were not drilled
sufficiently to distinguish II different order at
the last instant, and yet followed ones words
with "a blind fidelity.
Il have often thought" added the officer,
with strange smile on his lips, ''that those
recruits fancIed had cut across them to test
their drill, for they showed no surprise, not
the faintest sign of emotion, when l suddenly
wheeled and cried Fire. But you may well
believe that this not the case. And
pledge you that never afterward in rifle prac-
tice did get caught i'll SO dangerous and help
laes tn ttn,,