The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1892-04-02

comes honestly by any audaclous propensl-
ties in his makeup. Archibald Forbes, the
war story teller Of the day, gives my lord
character for rare combination OF wit,
ability and courage, and poses him for a
hero in spite of himself in an account just
published of the doings in the Zulu war OF
1879, when Prince Napoleon was speared to
death in skirmish, and plenty of dramatic
and striking things besides took place.
Lord William, or "Bill, as the loquacious
chronicler dubs him, had an uncle called
the mad Marquis" by reason of his pranks;
a brother, Lord Charlie" who lived for
larks only, and had himself broken nearly
every bone in his body, some of them over
and over, at steeplechasing before he set
foot in wild Zululand hence it might be
supposed that plodding ways of fighting
would have no attraction for him. Fortune
smiled on him, too, and when he reached
the Transvaal berth awaited him as chief
of staff to the commander of a brigade of
Irregular" volunteer cavalry, post de-
manding push and courage, but permitting
a happy -go-lucky gait as to discipline.
The brigade consisted of thousand men
scraped together from the ranks of broken
gentlemen, runaway sailors, fugitives and
adventures lettering in south African
towns, and semi-European settlers sent
adrift by the Zulu invaders. The thou
sand was subdivided into bodies separate
and semi-independent, and these units were
made up of clans of various nationalities,
both hemispheres being represented. The
several bodies were known by the names of
their commanders as Bakers Horse"
"D'Arcy's Horse" 'Beddington's Horse"
"FerreiraS HOrSeo and so on,
Being the right hand man of the gener-
al ostensibly responsible for the good &C
count of this nondescript brigade, "BilP'
was in his element. Originality couldn't
by any possibility upset the proprlet1es.
BY hook and crook the versatile adjutant
humored and pounded the uncouth and
cantankerous elements of the "ragtag"
brigade into something like soldierly ship
shape, and the column started toward the
Zulu stronghold at Ulundi, the royal kraal
of his duskiness, Cetewayo. The Zulu
chief appeared not to wish to fight, but to
drive a sharp bargain, and the English
halted on the banks of the Umvaloosi
pending negotiations, taking time by the
forelock to intrench, plant batteries and
put their arms and ammunition in lighting
trim. The Zulus, to the number OF 2O,OO0,
were scattered over the plains on the oppo-
site bank OF the river, and having captured
a quantity of Martini rifles early in
the campaign, made targets for practice OF
any live Englishmen who exposed them
selves at the waterside.
One day the '-Irregulars" were ordered to
cross over and drive off the ambitious
sharpshooters and spy out the land for
future advance in force upon Ulundi.
The orders were not to bring on an en-
gagement, for 1t was Time OF partlai
truce, but TO retare IN lace OF serious resiS'-
ance.
The crossing was made at MONDAY, ana
Mr.. Forbes description OF the scene reads
like page OF Duriesque. Ihese aroli IT
regulars, F" he says, never TOOK mucn pans
about paradlng. Neitner, sInarVH irs lioi
uniformity was a deslderatum. Inc lei
lows dressed now they nked, OF ratner' per
haps, how they could; tnelr only weapon
besides the revolver d Martlni-henry rue
each man carried as seemed unto MIN nest'
provlding that ne carrieu ~ solnen 1,
somewhere about hlmse1 or MS pony. Inc
only UNIFORM accouterinent was 'ne panoo-
leer, in which the cartridges were carried.
When they got ready they mounted; when
he found around him reasonable number
of mounted men, the leader of a corps
started, his fellows followed in files, and
the men who were late overlook the de.
tachment at canter."
During the muster before crossing the gen
eral and his staff officer sat on their horses
in front of headquarters waiting '9or their
fellows to come on the ground. Presently
Baker came along at the head of his assort-
ment of .miscreants; Ferreira, leading his
particular bandits, was visible in the off
ing" and the patient general headed the
struggling procession toward the river.
At the waterside Beresford galloped to the
front and took his place with the scouts.
The Zulu marksmen quickly espied their
game and began to ply their new tangled
toys the Martini-H enrys.' A few shells
hunted them out in their rocky covers, and
seeing general skedaddle of ebony wool
and tan hides Beresford and his scouts
1.zL.l +l,o xuota,. and ra11opad ir,