The Roanoke times. [volume] (Roanoke, Va.) 1890-1895, 1892-11-06

s ~; - dom Here is the
<SS a story of an Amer
Yankee from Boston, at that-who went
Through fire and water" in the British
service and lived to tell of it. He was
surgeon in the English feet, and his COM
rades in the affair called him doctor"
simply, and in recalling his faithful nara
tive l respect the incog., which he pre-
ferred.
1t was in 1862, before the Scpoy mutiny,
and the incident was connected with the
British conquests that led To the famous
outbreak in 1857. The English captured
Rangoon from the Burmese, and in retail
iation the Burmese captured Pegu, the
capital of a division of Burmah, whose
people loved the British chiefly because
both hated the Burmese. The ship to
which the doctor was attached sailed up
the river to recapture Pegu, but got
aground when twenty-five miles from the
town, and the troops were placed in cut
ters TO be rowed to the scene of assault.
The banks of the river were lined with
hostile natives, but they made no demon
stration except to sound their wild alarms
over the presence of a war fleet.
The heat was intense and the boats were
without awnings, while the sailors were
all clad in heavy uniform stuff that added
to their misery The doctor soon sue
cumbed to sunstroke and became partly
insensble. He realized after time that
he was lying on II litter upon the deck of a
Burmese riceboat. His companions were
a cabin boy of fourteen and some half
naked Hindoos, who were litter bearers
belonging to the hospital department The
boat WAS moored on the bank of the river
opposite the place of attack. where there
were supposed to be no Burmese enemies.
and the sailors and medical corps were all
at the scene of lighting
Sounds of battle reached the doctor ears,
and the rattle of musketry, the booming
of cannon and the horrible hubbub created
by the Burmese war gongs stirred his al
ready overheated brain to the verge of in
sanity, and he could scarcely restrain the
impulse To plunge into the river and hurry
to the battlefield. Finally he awolie from
ao delirl o% spell to find 20 thing silent
non boom, not Il musket Shot to stir the
heavy air of the low delta of the Irrawaddy
The Hindoos We're squatting on their
launches, smoking, but the cabin boy was
alert, and tried in vain to arouse the intel
hgence of the half mad doctor. Finally
The Hindoos made stir, put down their
pipes and accommodated the high bank
above the boat. Immediately they were
seized with terror aud began to shout,
"Burmee, Burmee man; Sahib (master),
Sahib-Burmee man" The boy took it
up, and again accommodating reported to
the prostrate man that a force of Burmese
was upon the bank, and wild shouts from
that quarter confirmed the startling news
The riceboat was floating house, with a
timbered roof and sides, and door and win
dow openings, but was not proof against
the bullets which the Burmese soon hurled
at it.
The Hindoo attendants slipped off into
the water and swan away, leaving the
helpless patient alone with the boy The
Burmese turned their fire upon the Hin
docs in the water, and the boy took advan
tage of the incident to urge the doctor to
save himself, at the same time drawing n
sailors jacket and trousers over his naked
chest and limbs. He also pointed through
door to the English warboats moored
under the bank some distance up stream,
and half carried and half dragged the poor
man to the edge of the scow aud hurried
him into the water.
The doctor was in a state of excitement
resembling, as he said, mania a potu, and he
struck out nadly, followed at every stroke
by the bullets of the Burmese, who hadn't
yet mustered courage to attack the Gov
cred boat. The doctor let his body low in
the water, SO as to expose only his head,
and the bullets generally passed beyond
him. IN energy that seemed superhuman
bnoyed up the swimmer until he nearly
reached the friendly boats, where he saw
a few marines in charge; then suddenly he
tainted. y sailor pulled the smallest cut
ter from shore and dragged the drowning
man on board
The doctor relapsed into semi-insensihil-
1ty after his rescue, and was aroused by
sudden outburst of musketry to find him
Self lying under the awning of the ships
launch. The canvas above him showed by
the little streaks of sunlight streaming
through that the boat was II target and the
shots We're taking effect The Burmese had