St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1890-06-08
HE WAS FRIGHTENED.
Not Under the Enemy's Fire, but
Before the Rifles of His Own

Not Under the fInemy's Fire, but
Before the Rifles of His Own
Soldiers.
New York Tribune.
WAS l ever afraid in battle?" said
an English army officer. MANY times.
But there are different kinds OF fright.
l nave served in India, in Egypt and in
Western Africa, but the worst funk [
was ever in was when there was no
enemy within thousands of miles of
me-"
Il was captain at the time and was
stationed at Port Royal, Jamaica. We
had just got a lot of recruits OH 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 whether they would fire
when you wanted them to present or
present when you wanted them to fire.
II had been sending them through a
practice one afternoon, and they were so
terribly stupid that got into vile
humor. The day was fearfully warm.
and the sun beat down So fiercely that
my horse, wicked brute, got into
almost an ungoyernable temper. l sat
on my horse at the right of the squad,
and was giving them volley practice at
long range. When my patience was en-
tlrely gone the men seemed to gain a
little sense and began to fire with rap
idity and accuracy. Things were run
ming as smoothly as clockWork, and
was soon soothed into cheerfuineSs de-
spite the heat. Not so my horse. He
was never more vicious.
''We were getting along so we'll by
this time that it was Ready! Present!
Fire!' and the yolley would ring out
like single report.
''Once | cried out 'Ready!' and the
work was as pretty as that of veterans,
s. Present. and every rifle went up
to the shoulders in perfect form. AT
the instant L was about to say 'Firep
my fretting horse bolted, cutting di-
rectly across the range. | was not
twenty feet from the squad. My eye
caught the giittering rifles leveled right
at me. and instinctively l closed my
ewes and ducked nv head. If you
know what British soldiers are you can
imagine my feelings, my terrible fear,
for as | have said before, | was never
never before in such funk | knew
that if opened mo mouth those recruits
would riddle my body with rifle balls, for
| they were expecting the word 'Firen and
probably would have taken any sound
for that. My desire to cry out AS you
wereW to get the rifles off my body, was
so great that had to clinch my teeth to
keep from crying out. Of course the
whole thing took only few seconds,
but it was many minutes longer than
| that to me.
when my plunging horse had car
ried me from before the motionless
rifles L managed to wheel him. AS he
came around l cried 'lrev and every
| one of those Stolid men obeyed the
| command with absolute precision. That
assured me all the more that had L
| opened my mouth while crossing their
range should have been dead man,
| for they were not drilled sufficiently to
| distinguish different order at the last
| instant, and yet followed ones words
with blind fidelity.
II 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 [ suddenly
wheeled and cried 'Firep But you may
we'll believe that this was not the case.
And | pledge you that never afterward
in rifle practice did l get caught in SO
dangerous and helpless situation"