The Globe-republican. [volume] (Dodge City, Kan.) 1889-1910, 1891-08-05
THE cURKHAS.


A FIGHTING Race That the E1Glish EiD6
Good Allies In War.
As Is well known, the Gurkh.s in"
habit the hill districts of Nepaul which
separate that kingdom from our north
ern territory. They are . mixed race
Except the western tribes, who arc tbs
best fighting mem, and are supposed 70
be the descendants of Hindu refugees
who fed from before the Mussulman IN
vasion and the Mongol tribes inhabtting
the Nepaulese hills Be that as it may,
their physioguomy is Of an unmistakaoly
Chinese or Tartar character, with small
eyes. fat noses, and meager whiskerS
They are sturdily built, but in stature
are very short; the average height OF a
Gurkha soldier can not be much over
five feet feet three inches 1t is true
that is England q diminutive stature il
apt to be accompanied by diminutive
chest but still I am not sure that
too much Importance is not attached in
these days to the height standard I
remember a Crimean veteran telling
me his experience. He was only
five feet four inches. and had great diff
iculty in being accepted as recruit,
but as he was of sturdy build. an ex-
ception was made in his favor. quote
his own picturesque language: while
it was peace. was always i'd away in
the center of the rear rank and KEEP out
Of sight as much as possible; but when
Vra 20 Tho CVsnoa 7 ynISSod
a hours duty the ole time, and did the
work Of many tall man dead or sick.
and at Inkerman a bullet went through
the air of my cad, which if 'ad been
a inch 'igier it would ave gone through
my cad"
Whether it is fighting hapd-to-hand
with the bayonet or with his national
weapon, the kukri. murderous-look-
ing curved knife, with the sharp edge
on the inside like sickle. or at long
range with the modern arms of pre-
cision, it is all one to the Gurkha,
and he thoroughly enjoys himself
either charging or skirmishing. These
kukris in their hands are formidable
weapons; with them they can bisect
goats or decapitate bullock, and. OF
course. can use them on the human
body with equal effect In one of their
frontier expeditions the Pathans were
retreating up the hillside pursued by
some GurkhaS One of them, the small
est man in his regiment. got above the
track by which the enemy were re-
treating, and crouched behind rock,
and on tall Pathan stopping just be
low him to fire, sprang out at him. and,
as reIated to me by an eyewitness, cut
his head in two like pumpkin. Another
he saw some Sepoys take refuge in
house, and little Gurkha crouch down
by q window, watching for his oppor-
tunity like a cat by q mouse-hole.
After some waiting q Pandy put
his head cautiously out to reconnoitre,
but he never drew it in again, the
Gurkha having cut it of with single
blow It must be confessed that there
is something Of the savage in the Gurk-
ha, and his employment against Euro
pean enemy might be objected to by
some over-sensitve philanthropists; but.
after all, if you are to be killed in
action. il does not matter much whether
your head is sliced in two by kukri or
pierced by bullet from Mark II.
magazine-ride, which. 1 suppose, may
be taken as the most civilized lethal
weapon now before the public. The
Gurkhas are Hindus in religion. but
they are not always averse to alcoholic
indulgence or to hobnobbing with their
English comrades, and in more than
one instance very close bonds of union
exist between British and Gurkha regi-
ments-Col Lyttleton, in New Re
view,