San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1893-05-04
The Daily Eight.
THURSDAY, MAY 1, 1898 u
GIRDING UP THE LoINs.
A Curious Impulse That Soldiers
Feel in Moments of Danger.

the other day, and one of them
asked his comrade to stand by a
moment. The man stood by, and
the first speaker took an extra
hitch in the belt that held up his
overalls.
"That's queer" said Perry In
gram, who was passing at the time;
81 saw ten men do that in the face
of certain death, aid of the other
80 who were with us | guess nine
in every ten did the same. | know
| did, anyhow. Can't tell why, be-
cause never thought the matter
over, but I'll swear that if | ever
get into another fix like that again
III do the same thing over.
at was during the Basutu war of
1880. / was a trooper there at
the time, and was one of the 800
and odd that composed the Kim
berly Horse. If there ever was a
set Of nOt-care-a-cOntinental scalli-
wags in Queen Nictoria's uniform it
was that same gang of rough riders.
1--WE fought all right, of course,
but that was all we were good for.
Honestly, | think half the troop
was made up of eX-cOnvicts, and
the balance of that class Of adj
venturers who had pioneered the
road to the South African diamond
fields.
1--WE We're in fort on ThlOtse
Heights, the Basutus, about 5000
strong, were 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 fOrds above and
be.oW us, to do us up.
GAS it happened that morning,
about $50 of us were detailed to es-
cort a couple of 6-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
away.
"Well, 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 hounds
of hell.
Its all up now boys" thought |,
for when those chaps take it into
their heads to 90 the whole hog
and charge they do it.
"While | was thrusting another
cartridge into my rife | felt a bit
queer about the throat, and some
how, can't tell how, it seemed as
though my stomach was empty.
"NOW, | know what it is to be
scared, but | was not frightened
B 1t was just stand and fight till you
dropped dead full of spear holes.
81 laid down my rifle for a sec
Ond to loosen my revolver in its
case, and then from some inVOlun-
tary instinct that | cannot explain
| drew in my belt a couple of
inches around my waist. AS | did
so looked around at the fellows
nearest me. Every one of them
was cinching up just the same as
myself.
"JuSt for moment everything
on our side was silence, and the
Basutus We're not 20 yards away.
Then we all began blazing away
again, and yelling as men do 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.
"The strain was gone, the peril
of death over. Only moment be-
fore it had seemed as though our
= little band was to be wiped off the
earth. 1t was suffOcating day, so
l laid down my gun to wipe the
sweat and powder from my fore
head. Then | set about lOosening
my belt. AS l did so, l turned to
the ten fellows nearest me. Every
one of them was doing the same.
"Queer, isn't it, that a fellow
wants to cinch himself up in the
face of certain death?"
FOR SALE OR TO LEASE.