The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1894-04-01
NO FUN FIGHTING IN AFRICA.
Story of the Hardships In the Bush
When tho Hunted Turned Hunters.
From The London Daily Telegraph.


When tho Hunted Turned Hunters.
From the London Daily Telegraph.
Writing from Invati, Matabeleland ON
Jan. /, q member Of Wilson's party saws.
Have just received your letter. l nearly
yelled with Joy when received it, as it
is such toss up when we ever get our
letters. We are all longing for papers,
as we hear that they are full OF the war.
Will you get as many illustrated ones as
you can collect, and send them, as they
may reach me some day, and we know
nothing of what the press saws about us2
You may see by this time that am alive,
and | heartily thank Cod that | am
spared after what we have been through
IL dehes me trying 10 explain on
paper what we have gone through.
and only those who have had exper-
fence can understand. | was one Of
the 100 men sent forward to capture
"Loben" on the Shaugani river We
started with five days rations of meal.
On our arrival at the kings kraal Mai.
Wilson and thirty men entered the kraal
Tor village, thinking they would easily
take the king They were, however, inn
mediately surrounded by thousands of
Matabeles. At the same moment we dis
covered that the bush was black with
them, and we were very soon hemmed in.
We could see the major and his men fight
ing desperately, but were powerless to
rescue them, as volleys of bullets were
poured into Us. Maj. Wilson and his
party have never been heard of since, and
there is no doubt that they were cut up
TO a man.
for six whole days we were absolutely
without food and we had TO take to eat
ing our own borses, owing TO our being
cut off by the blacks in the thick bush.
OH the awful remembrance of that hor-
nf 10 pD fr1ar ffeV,
TO one another, as it was like a horrible
nightmare, and it will be many long day
before we shall regain our spirits. For
days and nights we never slept, and if we
tried to light a fire 10 cook our horse
flese, we were Immediately fired on.
There is no doubt that we should have
been starved out and butchered, as most
of our horses had been shot or disabled, if
IL had not been for fearful thunder
storm, under cover Of which we made
desperate rush, leaving our gun carriages
and all our blankets, capes, etc, behind.
Upon the few horses we had we carried
the wounded ana sick men. / shall never
forget that night.
For twenty-five miles we marched
through the bush. The only thing that
kept US going was the knowledge that we
were marching for our lives. The next
day we came to halt and found that the
niggers were still following US up. We
formed Il lddEBff anu bnG commanding
officer saw that he could do no more, and
that there was nothing for it but to FIGHT
as long as we had strength. We cut our
way through the bush, while the niggers
blazed at us with their elephant guns on
either side. At last they left us, and just
as we had shot two horses and were
drinking their blood-as we had not had
a morsel for forty-eight hours, and had
been fighting or marching all the time
we saw Mr.. Selous at the headsof the re-
lief party. Some of our fellows really
broke down with JOY. l am in good health,
but some OF the men will never really
recover, as the fatigue and hunger have
shattered their constitutions. Not few
of US are without shirts to our backs,
myself included boots made out Of
saddle wallets; and all are more or less
in rags