Fort Worth weekly gazette. [volume] (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1890-12-04

DICK nao no particular regard TOE uJS
Office as guard, which kept him from the
keen delight of scouting expeditions.
Rowe was supposed 10 employ his time
digging trenches but ne always stretched
himself OH his back with his sombrero
over his face, and Dick never inter-
fered.
'Whv not run away now, nobody
looking?'' resumed Dick.
"Rows shifted bis sombrero- from his
eyes and looked at the Basuto-''Wal,
do il boIted?'
Dick tapped his rife, and his eyes
glisteneG. "Shoot,'' he said-''per-
haps hit, perhaps miss-nefer shooted
white man. You run-gif you long
start. See that bush,'' pointing to
bush 200 yards off-''well, when you
get there-bang! l fire. Come. git
along
Rowe sat up. to get good look at his
extraordinary guard, and then burst
into laughter.
Dick looked disappointed for minute,
then smile spread over his shiny black
face. "No good, eh?-wen Skin-Jack
you run Tonight. l leaf you alone In
der tent
"whY do you wish me to escape,
Dick?''
:Oh, dunno. Tired doing this work.
Come here fight-not mind white man.
Maybe tink Skin-Jacket no hit Capt.
BIane.''
.'You're right there, Dick. I'm not
the man 10 strike another in the dark.
The man W no struck that blow was Capt.
Dalston.
"So-how you know?'
GIVE been thinking 1t over, and al
though have not proof l believe that II
anyone struck Blaine it was Dastou.'
'.No duce baas, replied Dick, "deT d
ruther believe Cap'n DGlston dan you
or me either-un if you doan escape you
es killed. You listen to me-you run to-
night.
Rowe, on the whole, was disposed to
take Dick advice. His mission had
failed. There was nothing to keep him
in the country, beyond The excitement
OF campaigning, which was now closed
TO him, and he had not the patience TO
wait the slow course of court martial.
His unframed nature ohafed under his
Imprisonment.
That nights events favored him. All
troops, and more especially untrieo
troops, are subject to spasms Of alarm,
violent attack that night. The nerves
of the men had been strung by the news
of the princes death. and the magma
ton of the young soldiers had been fed
upon awful tales of Zulu fierceness and
cruelty Moreover since lsadlana,
Lord Chelmsford himself had been PAIN
fully apprehensiye of q fresh reverse,
and his nervous state in q measure af-
fscted his men. The elaborate precau-
tions he took, even to the extent of
stretching wires and laying dynamite
without the lines, gave the men an ex-
agerated idea OF the prOwess of the en-
emy. 1t is bad to despise an enemy, but
il is worse to over estimate him.
Sentry duty should be done by trained
body of experienced men. When raw
recruits or young soldiers take to sentry
go in time OF war, they are apt, by their
blunders, to throw an entire army into
confusion. 1t was so on this night.
A sergeant and three of his men were
guarding front of hundred yards,
facing towards the south. from which
Zulu impi would most probably come.
The moon was shining brightly and they
had no trouble at first in clearly distin-
gushing objects within radius of fifty
yards. Beyond that the shimmering
light deceived the sight, but the country
was free from bush. aud every man was
certain he could spot 3 Zulu easily at
hundred yards, and an impi at half
mile.
Ry-and-bye, however, as the melan-
choly noises of the night rose from every
side, imagination began to work, and
they spoke in whispers of the terrible
mutilations which the Zulus practiced on
their victims.
Said Private Denning, a saturnine
fellow, with a love for the horrible:
'.First they crawl. and crawl, and crawl
like a-slimy snake, then they watches
YOU till you are off guard. Then 'soush'
goes tina: ugly lookin' stabbing spear
into you
:Good lor', Bill, don't. 1t makes me
shiver.''
Eyes: then they twist the blade round
In yer inside to let the blood run out
more freely; and then the black devils
rip you open, So, digging mis- thumb
into the others stomach with an upward
movement, to explain his meaning.
:Shut up, Denning,'' said the SER
geant; 'don't you see you're making
Joe trembie like leaf. Wish i could
get within ward of Zulu with my bay
onet - he muttered, glari.lg vlciously
over the veldt. "Why, what's that
over thereof he continued, eagerly.
'Don't, sergeant. said Joe, wipinR
his brow; sit ain t fair to make game of
me-.
81 IN not making game of you, lad.
Do you see anything over Thereof and
the sergeant pointed straight ahead.
His men gathered around him, follow
ing the direction of his finger with
straining glances, and, as it Is in tue
moonlight, becoming more puzzled aud
confused the more they looked.
ITS q root, said one.
"No it amt; it IS bush.''
"Stow that, you fool, there was no
bush there when We came; Its some
sneaking Zulu-that's what it is.
land look said Denniug, "there's
something TO the right, and blow me if
there's not q dark mass right behind
$50 there ISL said the sergeant,
sand it IS coming at quick rate
A dark mass, with a front of about
FIVE hundred yards, was rapidly bearing
down upon the men, and the moaning of
the wind seemed to bring IN their ears
the sound Of approaching steps.
"We'll give 'em a volley fret. men,
said the sergeant, grimly. ''That will