The morning call., 1892-11-06


| firing Il was magnificent sight to view
| from the hills.
Thousands of dummies were planted out
to represent the enemy. wooden batteries
| were mounted on the hills at all command
ing points. The dummies were life size
boards, cut to represent the head and
shoulders OF men lying In trenches.
up on the hills live men were stationed
In protected pits, from which they rolled
down inflated calico balls of large size 10
represent charging enemies. Then the
battle firing began. The cavalry ad-
vanced TO reconnoter and then fell back,
while the artillery opened fire with real
shell to silence the enemy. Under cover OF
the artillery the infantry advanced, hring
ball cartridges.
AFTER a five days fighting the results
were umpired. The record was shown to
the native chiefs The dummies were cut TO
pieces with bullets, the mountain batteries
blown to atoms aud the calico balls riddled
to pieces. 1t was carefully explained 10
them that this was mere operation win
10000 men out OF a possible army OF 30O,OOO,
ready to take ground directly 1t became
necessary.
''The whole scene was magnificent. The
roaring OF battle and bursting of shells, the
rush OF lead, and above all, the awful
accuracy of the shooting as shown on the
dummies were most Impressive, and the
native chiefs took the lesson thoroughly TO
heart, as II was intended they should.
There were good many comic incidents
connected with that disDlay. One officer,
swell representative from nelghborlng
| State, sent TO view the operations, cut
| comic figure.
''He had ridden to the bottom of a steep
| bill, which his horse could not climb. See
| ing couple of natives he beekoned to them
| and tossed them rupee to hold his horse
| while he climbed the rock.
when he came down again they were
| gone, horse and all. He was not aware OF
the confirmed thleving propensltles OF the
hill men. He had to get home as best he
| could in his cavalry boots.
| again. it was terrible nuisance to keep
| the fiery GoOrk has and Sikhs on either side
| from turning sham battle into real luvari-
| ably when they came together as invaders
and defenders, or vice versa, each side,
| worked up TO terrific excitement, would for
| get 1t was a sham fight, and. emitting their
| respective war slogans, would rnSh for one
| another. lt kept their officers busy galop-
| ing their horses to and fro beating back
| their men from actual combat.
| Both peoples live for fighting alone. The
| Sikhs are stalwaTt men of feet and over
and the Goorkhas are sinewy little noun
| taineers OF feet average. Which would
| beat the other in battle? Well, it would
| puzzle any one 10 say. 1t would be fight
| worth seeing, and no safe betting Uu either
side.
Transport? Well, the elephant-bat-
| terles are all done away with. The ele-
| plants were good enough until they came
|
| break about them they would bolt helter
! skelter la all directions, running over every
! thing and every bOdy-killing right and left.
! 1t was found necessary TO have bullock
team behind every elephant to do the haul
| ing directly the fire began.
| You can head back frightened bullocks
| or horses, but an eiephant-well, just try 1t.
| Mules are the favorite animals for trans
| port. 1t Is marvellous how hardy they are.
| II have seen two occasions when mule
1 Clrn nd aH Nnll- Had h..cft
over heels down precpice 400 feet deep
an incline you cOu ldn't crawl up.
''On both occasions they got up, shook
| themselves and were recaught and har-
messed. / should explain that when the
| mules load is not broken from its fasten-
| ings when he falls he is generally done ior-
| his back gets broken.
when the load is disengaged he Is very
| rarely hurt l havs seen camels and bull
| locks shy on narrow track or stumble on
| their feet and topple over, load and all,
| into the rayines below That means death
| OF course In such case within half an
hour thousands OF vulturss will surround
the carcasses and next morning you will
| see nothing but the clean skeletons.
Now a mule never SHES or stumbles In
the wrong place. They are much too
| crafty. Two natives of the invading force
were captured with mule and brought be-
fore General LOckhart. One was Sikh
and the other GoOrkha They were ques-
toned on the whereabouts Of the enemy,
but maintained a Loyalty stubborn silence.
FINALLY. under pressure, the Sikh cOm-
meneed a voluble explanatiun-all false
hood, of course. Immediately the loyal
| Goorkha fell upon him and commenced
pounding him numerically as traitor.
They are always so terribly in earnest, these
natives.
The Hill men in the vicinity OF where we
operated are the most extraordinary thieves
ever met. They actually steal a sheet
from under you as you sleep upon II.
Greasng themselves all over, they squirm
black and naked on their bellies past the
sentrles i'll the dark. They take all risks of
being snot with great cheerfulness.
"Worming into n mans tent they will
tickle him with feather while he sleeps.
files and winged insects are common all
| night lcng. AS the sleeper turns restlessly
| over the thief will pull the sheet little out
ward. and so he keeps on tickling till be has
| got his sheet
They prize calico highly. and steal sheets
with great delight. One man got into
swell artillery officers tent who woke next
morning TO find every scrap of his heavy
| gold lacing cut off and stolen.
'On another occasion man got into
| soldiers tent To prevent this thieving all
| rifles are chained and locked In rack,
| while the owner sings the key round his
| neck.
There are ten men 10 a tent. The thief
| finding he couldn't take one rifle without
| stealing the key, settled the matter by walk
Ing OH Will lDe WHOie TICK anu ten flUeS,
| Sentries? Have you read Rudyard Kip
| ling's description of these people? Try
your hand as sentry among them. You
| can't see or hear them in the darkness.
| They are like silent snakes. OF course
sentry would shoot in a minute If he could
see or hear anything to shoot at-but he
! doesn't
THAT is why they are supposed TO be the
most expert thieves in the world. Did you
every try 10 catch creased pig by the tail
| Nnta fft,aao l-...ff IN huf
| you can't do that with hllmap.
| Mule batteries? Well, mule battery
| can be taken off the mule and set 10 work in
one aud a half minutes. The guns are six
| and seven Founders, breech- loading with O
range OF 5000 yards.
Native cavalrymen find their own horses
| and are given their uniforms and about IS
month, feeding themselves.
| infantry get less wages, of course. The
| cavalry are mounted on what are called
country breeds, a cross between the Arab
| ana the Australian horse. They are too
| light for draft purposes, however, and ar
tillery horses are always Australian. The
Arab is no use for draft. either, but makes
good light cavalry horse.
Here at Quettah. below Candabar, In
| Afghanistan, If you will look at the na p,
| England is well fortified and prepared.
During Beaconstied's tenure England made
the IoadDed and commenced railroad to
| Candahar. When Gladstone came into
power. however, the railroad was pulled up.
| AT present 1t lies in sections, carefully
watched and guarded, all ready to lay along
the roadbed in case IF Russian invasion
England is we'll defended in that direc-
tion but at the Indus-well there we go into
conhoential matters again and, of course,
my mouth is sealed.
Forts? No. it is no use building forts
on the Indus. They would be shelled from
the commanding hills opposite and rendered
untenable. The only method of warfare
there is to hold the hills and cover the ra-
getting through.
But that Is not easy to do. One young