Edgefield advertiser. [volume] (Edgefield, S.C.) 1836-current, 1893-05-11
C1NCHING UP FoRTROUBLE
A Curious Impulse That Soldiers
Feel in Moments of Danger.

A Curious Impulse That Soldiers
Feel i'm Moments of Danger.
San Francisco Examiner.
There were two men lowering q
heavy cask of wine into cellar
the other day, and one of them
asked his comrade to stand by, and
the first speaker took an extra
hitch in the belt of his overalls.
"That's queer" said Perry In
gram, who was passing al the time !:
"I saw ten men do that in the face
of certain death, and of the other
$50 who were with us I guess nine
in every ten did the same. I know
I did, anyhow. Can't tell why, be-
cause 1 never thought the matter
over, but I'll swear that if ever
get into another fix like that again
I'll do the same thing over.
"It was during the Basutu war
of 1880. 1 was a trooper there,
and was one of the 500 and odd
that composed the Kimberly
Horse. If there ever Was a set of
not-care-a-continental scalawags
in Queen Victoria's uniform it was
that same gang of rough riders.
"We fought all right, of course,
but that was all we were good for.
Honestly, I think half the troop
was made up of ex-convicts, and
the balance of that class of ad-
venturers who had pioneered the
road to the South African diamond
fields.
"We were in fort at Thlotse
Heights; the Basutus, about 5000
strong, we're amusing themselves
plotting at US from the other side
of the Thlotse River, and one day
they took it into their heads to
send about 1900 warriors across
the stream, over tords above and
below us, to do us up.
GAS it happened that morning,
about $50 of us were detailed to
escort couple of six-pounders up
the hill to the fort from below, and
on our return trip the Basutus got
between US and the encampment.
"We threw out in open file while
they rode down on us-they were
we'll mounted, were those Basutus
and we had orders to hold fire
until they were about 100 yards
S=s'We1I, when they came within
the given distance we fired, but in
stead of soaring them by killing
off a hundred or SO, the beggars
still came on. Dismounting from
their horses they seized their
assegals-the hill was black with
them-and they rushed on US like
the hounds of hell.
a'It's all up now, boys thought
II, for when those chaps take it
into their heads to go the whole
hog and charge they do it.
aWhile I was thrusting another
cartridge into my rifle 1 felt a bit
quoer about the throat, and some
how, 1 can't tell how, it seemed as
though my stomach was empty.
"Now, I know what it is to be
scared, but 1 was not frightened
then. There was no time to get
frightened. 1t was just stand and
fight till you drop dead full of
spear holes.
"I laid down my rille for a Sec
ond to loosen my revolver in its
case, and then, from some invol-
untary instinct that I cannot ex-
plain, Idrew in my belt couple
of inches around my waist. AS I
did SO 1 looked around at the fell
lows nearest me. Every one was
cinching up just the same as my
self.
"Just for moment everything
on eur side was silence, and the
Basutus were not seventy yards
away. Then we all began blazing
away again and yelling, as men 90
in battle.
"The fire frightened the blacks.
They came within fifty yards of
us, then turned tail and fled. We
kept blazing away at the beggars
as long as they were in range, and
then suddenly ceased
aThe strain was gone, the peril
of death over. Only moment
before it had seemed as though our
little band was to be wiped off the
earth. 1t was suffocating day.
so | laid down my gun to wipe the
I'D 49,, I ,oo,rJo. f,o,oo ,,,1, fora