The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1892-04-07

Eshnan, but he got there by way of Nor
mandy and the little Green Isle, and 20
comes honestly by any audacious propensi-
ties in his makeup. Archibald Forbes, the
war story teller of the day, gives my lord a
character for rare com animation of wit,
ability and courage, and poses him for a
hero in spite of himself ia an account Just
published CT the doings in the Zulu war of
1879, when Prince Napoleon was speared to
death in a skirmish, and plenty of dramatic
and striking things besides took place.
Lord William, or BILL as the Ioquacious
chronicler dubs him, had an uncle called
the Mad Marquis, I" by reason of his pranks;
brother, Lord Charlie" who lived fer
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 brigade of
Irregular" volunteer cavalry post de-
handing push and courage, but permitting
appy-go-lucky gait as to discipline
The brigade consisted OF a 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"
'Ferreira's Horse" and so on.
Being the right hand man of the gener-
al ostensibly responsible for the good &C
count of this nondescript brigade, "Bill'
was in his element. Originality couldn't
by any possibility upset the proprieties
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 sharp bargain, and the English
halted or 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 plumber of q, 900,
were scattered over the plains on the opDo-
site bank of the river, and having captured
a quantity of Martini-Henry rifles early in
the campaign, made targets for practice of
any live Engjshmen who exposed them
selves at the wsterside.
Ono day the 'Irreguars" were ordered to
cross over and drive off the ambitious
and spy out the land for
future advance in force upon Ulundi.
The orders were not to bring on an en-
gagement, for it was a time of partial
truce, but to retire in face of serious resist |
ance.
The crossing was made at monday, and |
Mr.. Forbes description of the scene reads |
like page of burlesque. These droll Ir-
regulars, be says, never took much pains |
about parading. Neither smartness nor
uniformity was desideratum. The fell !
lows dressed how they liked, or rather. per-
haps, how they could; their only weapon,
besides the revolver, Martini HI nry rifle, |
each man carried as seemed unto him best, |
providing that he carried it somehow, |
somewhere ABOUT himself or his pony. The |
only uniform accouterment was the bando- |