The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1894-02-28
The BALL CARTRIDGE.

4
| here. On us two and on Ferguson-for
/ be must help us-lies the onus of saving
dear old Macleod from the danger that
/ threatens him. The worst Of II is that
! our success in that direction. which we
/ must move heaven and earth 10 attain,
/ will most likely mean everlasting iS-
| nominy to the regiment, and our own
/ company in particular"
You arrive al this conclusion from
/ the position of G. company at the time
] the shots We're ired-that is TO say, when
/ the colonel was among the boUlders q {
| the back Of the hospital said Dalzell.
! quite So replied Frazer. "As you
| doubtless remember our company was
/ at right angles to the boulders some 500
| yards away, and was firing hard during
| the few minutes the colonel pulled UP
| there. 1t is true other companies in our
| half-battalion We're firing also; but they
| were extended much farther out on the
| plain. and a shot from them would not
have pierced NacleOd's cuff laterally in
! a neat hole like that. Had the ball come
| from either extremity Of the line, the
| sleeve would have been ripped length
! wise"
The lieutenant made no reply for a few
! moments. He sat abstractedly staring
4 at the sandy plain. and then he said:
/ An that you suggest is terribly true,
! Frazer. and vet, somehow, IL seems in
! comprehensive. All the men in our
company are such good fellows; even tho
! last batch Of recruits are as nice lot
! of lads as over Joined us. Before parade
/ this morning. | would have trusted my
J life TO any one of them. apd I'm not at
all sure that | would not do Il still Is
/ it not Just on the cards that there may
/ be some native dcviltry at the bottom
/ of this2"
! That is little too far-fetched. I am
! afraid" returned Frazer The country
/ all round is as fiat as billiard table.
and we used every available inch Of
! cover ourselves. \ Durderously inclined
/ native, even did such a one exist could
/ not have passed mnoticed. But here
I comes Ferguson; let us here whether he
/ can help US"
! The color-serCeant Of - company was
/ splendid specimen Of the Highland
! SDldier-a great blacS-beaTded man. from
/ whose six feet two Of stately growth the
! drillS Of twenty wears had failed to
! knock quite all the loose-hmbed liSsome
ness Of his mountaineering youth There
were many veterans in the corps who
/ had fought i'm Afghanistan and in Egypt,
! but for personal prowesS in tho field,
! the record Of this Stcru-visaged warrior
! OutdiStanCCd those Of all his comrades
/ Was il not written i'm the chronicles Of
! the regiment that his strong right arm
/ had saved the colors at Maiwand? and
] was not the ribbon of the Y. {. on his
j breast i'm token that he had snatched
! col. Macleod. soTcly wounded, from
among tho Arab spears at El Teb?
/ Frazer and Dalzell, watching him step
! onto the veranda and stiffening visibly
! as he approached his officers. could not
/ help thinking that but for the cOloncis
/ Injunction IL Ferguson ever had the
/ handling of him. it would go hard with
/ the niScreant who had tried TO undo that
/ brave rescue.
/ Tho color-serEcant halted with a salute
in front of the Bombay chairs. and stood
/ waiting. Capt. Frazer knew his man
/ too well tu beat about the bush and try
/ 90 break the news TO him gently. The
/ soldierly qualities of the veteran required
: Soldierly treatment, and his officer was
/ aware that whether he got il first or
! last. thc shock would he the same and
/ its effect equally well concealed.
/ Ferguson. said Frazer, the colonel
/ was shot at this morning on parade
/ with BAH cartridge. YOU Understandable
/ from the position he occupied at the
! time. ] am inclined to think the bullets
/ came from g company Can YOU Sug-
! gest and clew which may help TO trace
the scoundrel or mailman who fired
4 them?''
The angry glare in the sergeant's eyes
and a culver of the nOstrils were the
/ only sign he gave, except that there was
a scarce perceptible tremor in his voice
J as ne made answer: 1T must have been
an accident. sir; there's nae lad in G
( company-ay nor in a the regiment
: would willingly put his hand to sic a
/ dastardly deed
Frazer fastened to inform Ferguson Of
the previous attempt on the preceding
/ Tuesday, which had put the idea of &C
cident beyond the bounds of reasonable
! conjecture
IT'S nae matter" said the color
sergeant. "Sic an accident as that wad
be waur than a crime. I'm glad 10 ken
: that il is neither. by your honOr'S show
! ing Some puir body among the lads has
been stricken daft, and done this thing;
but l Gamma say who-before tomorrow
! night"
Both the officers started in surprise
| You suspect some one, them" eX-
| claimed Dalzell. you have noticed a
| strangeness in the manner of one of the
! men, and wish TO verify your suspi-
/ cions?"
| In that case, sergeant" added Fra
| ger. lit is your duty 10 cOnfide your sus-
! picions 10 us. This is a serious affair,
! in which We have the cOlOnel's positive
I orders not to act definitely without in
! forming him. 1t is my belief that if he
| can see his way 10 preventing a repeti-
ton of the attempt he will move heaven
and earth TO hush the whole thing up
II wadna TAX upon myself 10 act in
| the matter except under orders, sir re-
| piled the color-sergeant. the mair es-
| pecially as 1 hac nae mair suspicion than
a BARN. 1t is just that suspicion I'm
after getting. and by your honor's leave
| I'll get il tomorrow night
How do you mean TO go to work?'
| asked the captain.
I ken nae giud it will do tellin' We.
/ sir. Seem that I'll cen talk the risk
OF myself, ye maun let me haze my
ain way. and no speak ae word" re-
! piled Ferguson.
Now, the colOr-sergeant was a pFivil-
eyed old soldier and might on ordinary
occasions have presumed a good deal
more; but under the circumstances, his
answer was a little more than the cap
tain Of his company could stand.
Nonsense. Ferguson said the latter.
| sharply. You will either inform me at
once what steps you mean to take. or
take no steps at all. That is an order
| mind; and please remember that the
colonePs life may depend upon your de-
cision. There will be another blank
firing parade day after tomorrow. and
| he is not the man TO absent himself be-
cause Of what happened today"
The cOlor-sergeant was still standing
at attention. and his fingers clawed con-
he listened 10 the alternatives thus
! plainly placed before him: but he chose
: the one Frazer had expected, prefacing
his explanation with: Eye may ca me
| a fule. sir; but 1 ken better than that -
| And then he told how he had scraped
| acquaintance with one Rajab Ali. a ma
| tive Of Surat, who had recently estab-
lished himself in the Sudder Bazaar. os-
tensibly as an astrologer, but who to
Justify the sergeant's evident belief in
him, must have been a past master OF
| the black art as we'll. According to