The Lafayette advertiser. [volume] (Vermilionville [i.e. Lafayette], La.) 1865-19??, 1893-05-30
C,NCHlNG UP FOR TROUBLE.
A Curious impulse That Soldiers Feel In
Moments of Danger.

A Curious I'm pulse That Soldiers Feel In
Moments of Danger.
There were two men lowering heavy
cask OF wine into a cellar the other day,
and one of them asked his comrade to
stand by moment. The man stood by
and the first speaker took an extra hitch
Ia the belt of his overalls.
'That's queer" said Perry Ingram,
who was passing at the time Il saw lo
men do that in the face of certain death,
and of the other $50 who were with us
I guess nine in every 10 did the same. !
know l did anyhow. Can't tell why,
because l never thought the matter over,
but I'll swear that if ever get into an
other fix like that again I'll do the same
thing over.
sIt was during the Basutu war of 1880.
| was trooper there, and was one OF the
500 and odd that composed the Kimberley
Horse. # there ever was set OF not
esre-a-continental scalawags in Queen
Victoria's uniform, it was that same
gang of rough ridere.
I'VE fought all right, of course, bnt
that all we were good for. Honestly, l
think half the troop was made up OF ex-
convicts and the balance of that class OF
adventures who had pioneered the road
to the South African diamond fields.
I'VE were in fort on Thlotse heights.
\The Basutus, about 5000 strong, were
VsAusing themselves plotting at us from
%her side of the Thlotse river, and
they took it into their heads to
Ply - warriors across the stream,
ei 1eve and below rs. to do us
! aAs II hats. .
2so Of IN were 2so ulsa. morning aooI'
sf e-pounders upts Hill seSl. Is efD q COUPE .',
below, and on our fem trim t6fhn t6fS .lon
tus got between us and ~ encamnmenf
1--WE threw out in opensle while the,
rode down on us-they wereve1l ,nount
ed, were those Basutus-and Ve had OF
ders to hold fire until they wye abou
100 yards away.
"Well, when they came within th
given distance we fired, but instead q
soaring them by killing off hundred q
% the beggars still came ON. Dismoun1
ing from their horses, they seized thei
AsSegais. The hill was black with them
and they rushed on us like the hounds @
hell
It's all up now, boys, thought l, 70
when those chaps take it into their head
to go the whgle hog and charge tine,
do it.
while ! was thrusting another car
fridge into my rife felt a bit auee
about the throat, and somehow. can
tell how. # seemed as though my stom
ach was empty.
"Now, know what 1t is to be scared
:. but / was not frightened then. Ther,
was no time to get frightened. It wa
just stand and fight till you dropped
dead full of spear holes.
i Il laid down my rifle for second t.
feoeen my revolver In its case, and ther
from some involuntary instinct that
cannot explnin / drew in my belt a cou
I pie Of inches around my waist. As die
fso ! Looked at the fellows nearest me-
Every one Of them was cinching up just
thu 1ame a. myself.
"Just for q moment everything on our
tide was silence, and the Basutus were
not 10 yards away. Then we all began
blazing away again and yelling as men
do IN battle
"The FIRE frightened the blacks. They
came within 80 yards of us, then turned
tail and fed. We kept blazing away at
the beggars a. long as they were in
/ range. and then suddenly ceased
The strain was gone, the peril Of
death over. Only q moment before it
had seemed = though our little band was
to b wiped of the earth. It was suf-
locating day, .so laid down my gun 10
wipe the sweat and powder from my
forehead
sThen I eet' about. ioosening my belt.
~ I "a . turned to the 10 fellows
nsese6t ma Every one Of them was do
ing - G11ns.
ssfpeF. ian*it that > fellow wants 70
cinch hlnes6 up n the facs~ Of certain
deathx San Tra9c cisco Examines.