The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1892-01-24

armed Maxabout batteries were literally
pounded to pieces bv the shells from the
two ships. The Temeraire was too big to
go close in, and would have been too much
exposed to the Egyptian guns 10 make
good shooting at short range. but
Charley Beresford ran his little boat
right in under the batteries and poured
his fire into them till the astonished gun
ners bolted for their lives. The whole
fleet saw it and sent up round after round
of cheers, and Admiral Seymour, grim
old sea-dog who never wasted a bit of sem
timent on anybody, could not refrain from
running up signal, "Well done, Con-
DOR" Later in the day the Condor was
ordered in shore to defend the palace from
Arabs victorious troops, and Lord Charles
performed this duty so well that he not
only rescued the khedive from certain
death, but saved the city of Alexandra
from total destruction. For that days
work Admiral Seymour gothic thanks OF
parliament, a peerage and t2o, 900; while
Charley Beresford, who certainly did the
best of the work, was proud and glad to
get silver medal and post-captain's
commission.
Two years later he was in the thick of
the fighting in the Soudan, where he COM
manded the naval brigade. and where he
had an almost unique experience. At the
the terrific conhict of Abu Klea, where Sir
Herbert Stewards force encountered an
overwhelming host of Arabs, Lord Charles
and his men had charge OF the machine
gun which moved down the enemy IN
heaps, and did great deal to save the
whole force from humiliation. When the
battle was over and the appalling clutch
er's bill" was taken count OF, 1t was found
that every man in charge of the machine
gun had been killed, except Lord Charles
Berestord. There were no wounded. The
k-.k. l. 81 So
were dead except the captain, who stood
among the piled-up corpses, still ready to
work his gun or do any other duty that
lay to his hand. He was not even touched,
and it was no wonder that his men be-
lieved him invulnerable. When the rem
nant of the little army marched forward
to Gubat, the post of honor, that is to say,
of danger, namely, the command of the
Zereba, or desert fort, in which the
wounded and disabled soldiers and all the
of war were left, was entrusted
to Lord Charles Beresford, who bravely
and cheerfully held it until relief arrived.
His greatest exploit of all remains to be
recounted. Saiior-like, he firmly believed
that the way to take Khartoum and rescue
General Gordon was not by land, but by
water, and having helped to get the boats
up the Nile, he took little unarmored
steamer, fitted with a couple of machine
guns, and boldly made for the forts of
khartoum. There he found another
steamer which had gone up before him
and most foolishly returned, wrecked in
the river and in a most perilous position.
He rescued all of her people, and, as his
boilers were by this time shot through, he
coolly anchored under the forts for day
and night, keeping them under control
with his machine guns, while his Scotch
engineer patched the boilers. Such
another piece of work was never done
under such circumstances in any part of
the world, and it was nothing short of
marvel that soul survived TO tell the
tale. To his infinite disgust his gallantry
was thrown away, except for the example
1t gave to others. He was ordered TO re-
tire and the seige OF khartoum was aban-
doned; whereas, if Lord Charles Beresford
had been allowed his way, there is no
doubt the Mahdi would have been driven
out OF Khartoum, Gordon would have
been saved and the course of history in
upper Egypt would have been changed.
Lord Charles had been member of par
lament for six years before this, but had
been too much on active service to take
any part in politics. On his return from
the Soudan, however, he was elected by a
metropolitan constituency, and aroused
immense interest by his appearance in the
house of commons, with his honors fresh
upon him. The idea of Charley Beresford
being a serious politician had never en-
tered anybody's head; but he speedily
took the house by storm by the ablest
speech on the naval estimates that had
ever been made. His broad-shouldcred
oratory and his nautical phrases de-
lighted his hearers, while his deep
and complete mastery of
The -saahi ectesaQMmars1e1~ahs ir respect.
He rose at once to the position of an
authority, and the next year he was taken
INTO Lord Salisbury's ministry as junior
ord OF the admiralty. Every body begun
70 realize by this time that "Charley"
beresford was not by any means the
'houghtless tiibberty- gibbet that he
seemed to be. Yet at this most response
Die period of his life he did thing which
vas quite in his old style. He had mar
lied some years before dear, good, pretty
girl, whom he was Just as much in love
With as ever, and being one day on board
he queens yacht at Portsmouth. in his
official capacity, with the queen, he saw
another yacht go past, on board of which
What he was doing, he ran up private
signal, conveying a message to his wife,
Just as If he had been on his own quarter
ieck on the Condor. What the signal was
las never been made public, but those who
know say it consisted of certain code words
.sking Lady Charles to keep two dances
or him at the ball to be given at Ports
mouth that night. The next thing he
knew he was under arrest for violating the
equation which forbids any private sig
lai to be made from a royal yacht. He
placed the resignation of his
office and his naval rank in the
queens hands, only to receive them back
lext day with gracious rebuke for his
fauT pas.
This little bit of human nature made
aim more popular than ever; but a more
serious matter was ahead. In 1888 he took
, stand which is most unusual in so young
l minister. He required that financial
provision should Immediately be made for
raising the strength of the navy to that of
my other two naval nations combined.
The cabinet was divided, but Lord Sails
bury decided against the proposal at that
lime, and Lord Charles Beresford TOOK
he dignitied course of retiring from the
He went to the Mediterranean in COM
nand of magnificent ship, the Tn
iaunted, where he was probably much
happier than at Whitehall. But his policv
has since been fully adopted by Lord
Sallsbury's ministry, mainly through Mr..
joschen's influence; and wherever bold
heart and good, clear head in naval
Affairs are needed in future, whether in
council or in war, the nation will not ba
1t any loss to know where to seek them.
EDWARD WAKEFIELD.
NO MORE BRIC-A-BRAC.