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

tba ono uaar Guard, always in view but
stea5i1', Inning. This well ordered flight
was o,,r snare. and suddenly from out
of a daa,s water course sprang thousands
of Catet.aro,s warriors and herded the
borsa,sso,, On both TANKS and in front
Tbonsands more arose from out the tall
gross and a.yolley from their stolen Mar
tini-Henrv rifles knocked three of Beres-
fora,s soo,,ts from their saddles Under
the swift, order to retire the whole dis
ordered cavalcade had put about, leaving
Reresford and his scouts in the rear. One
of the men who went down under the
Zulu fire was seen to arise and try to stag
DER 10 bis feet. The Zulus were close upon
him and detected signs Of life in the fallen
soldier as quickly as did his comrades.
Reresford was the last man in the re-
treating column, and hasty glance told
him that a swift gallop would enable him
to reach the poor fellows side ahead of the
bloodtbirsty ssivages. Riding back, he dis
mounted ana ordered the luckless one to
get nm on his pony. "The wounded man,
dazed as he was, even in his extremity was
not less full of self abnegation than was
the man who was risking his own life in
tha effort TO save his. He babe Beresford
remount and go. Why he said, in his
simple. manly logic, why should two die
when death was inevitable but to one|
Then it was that the quaint, resourceful
humor of his race supplied Beresford with
the weapon that prevailed over the wound
ed mans unseltishness. The recording
angel perhaps did not record the oath that
buttressed his threatening mien when he
swore, with clenched lists, that he would
punch the wounded mans head if he did
not allow his life to be saved. This dron
argument prevailed. Bill partly lifted,
partly hustled the man into his saddle,
then scrambled up somehow IN front of him
and set the beast a-golng after the other
horsemen. He only just did it. Another
moments delay and both must have been
assegaied. As it was the swift footed Zulus
chased them up the slope, and the least
mistake made by the pony must have been
fatal"
In fact the deed would have miscarried
but for an lm1tator OF Beresford's humane
courage One Sergt OToole, OF the scouts.
turned back in the nick of time, got be-
tween the precious burden on the pony
and the bowling Zulu pursuers and shot
down one after another OF the nearest saw
ages, and then galloped up to aid Beresford
keep the fainting soldier in saddle until
safety was reached. In time other 'Irreg-
ulars'' recovered pluck and formed rear
guard that kept the enemy at bay by hand
to hand encounters, waged with revolvers
and dubbed rifles. The majority of the
Zulus had snapped their javelins for Mar
tini-Henrys, and these they handled SO
clumsily that the 'Irregulars," poor as
they were, outfought the superior hordes
and got back across the Umvaloosi with
their wounded. "Of course, numbered with
wounded and fainting man occupying his
saddle while he perched on the pommel,
Beresford was unable to do anything to-
ward self protection, and over and over
again on the return ride he and the man
behind him were in desperate straits, and
but for O'Toole and other comrades must
have gone down. When they alighted in
the laager you could not have told whether
it was rescuer or rescued who was the
wounded man, so smeared was Beresford
with borrowed blood.
ut was one of Ireland's good days; If at
home she is the 'distressful country wher-
ever bold deeds are to be done and military
honor to be gained, no nation carries the
head higher out of the dust. II originally
Norman, the Waterford family (Beres-
ford) has been Irish now for six centuries,
Apd cT1 IlpJe,l lrr1G N