The representative. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1893-1901, 1895-07-03

and--but that Is getting ahead of the
tale, and you who read Kipling out to
be told some of the facts in Private Null
vaney's career that Kipling has not yet
set down ana probably never will, for
now he is writing jungle stories and bal
lads.
Private Mulvaney-that is to say, Will
liam McManus-was born in the Grecian
archipelago, on the island of Cephalonia,
in 1899. Both his father and mother
were Irish born and reared, and his faith
er was private in the Thirtieth regi-
ment of the line, that was then stationed
at Cephalonia along with the army of Oc-
cupatiOn, when the transfer of the Ion
ian group was made from Greece to Great
Britain. Two years and half later,
when the army was returning to Eng
land, the elder McManus died at sea and
was buried off the Island of Malta. He
had not been in the service long enough
tor his widow to be entitled to a pension,
but the company made mp purse for
her and she got back to Ireland. They
were very poor in ireland, and William
must needs work as soon as his years
would permit. In this way his education
was totally neglected, and it is not strict
ly true, as Kipling says, that "Mulvaney
wrote me an invitation on toOl-indent
KERNEL on the government railway
line in India, for truth to tell, neither
then nor thereafter could this barrack-
room hero either read or write.
When William was IS years old his
mother married again, and it was then
that he took up the sword of his father
and entered Her Majesty's service. He
enlisted at the Royal Barracks in Dublin
as volunteer for the Crimea. But the
peace OF Odessa was signed November
II of that year, and his draft was sent to-
the schools Of instruction at Curragh of
Kildare and Aldershot.
81 was consigned finally to the Eighty
sixth Royal County Downs, the very same
regiment that Mr.. Kipling calls the Black
Thrones. There were the Eighty-third
County Dublin Volunteers, the Eighty
seventh Royal Irish Fusilliers, the
Eighty eighth Connaught Rangers along
with us, and these made up the Irish brig
AIDES in the eighties that went to India.
"Eighty-six had been in India since
1843, and this draft in which l found my
self was to augment the depleted ranks of
that regiment. On the Goth of January.
1857, we embarked on the transport Nile
at Liverpool for Bombay. There were
$50 of u.s. all told, under Capt. Adams.
I'll tell you more about him presently.
We landed at Bombay the 10th of June
and were consigned to Coal Harbor Bar
racks. When we were there two days the
alarm of assembly sounded early in the
morning, and we were told to prepare for
marching at once 1t was o'clock in the
| morning and we were not armed; and no
one seemed to know what was up. Off we
went to Dungeree Green, mile down the
road, where we found a lot Of native mu-
tineers of the Twenty-irst Bombay Native
Infantry guarded by the Second Bombay
European Infantry. 1t was only the left
wing of the Twenty first that had mu-
tined, and it was then under guard. Their
right wing was in Alden, at the mouth of
the SueZ canal, at the time, and both
wings had been acting as marines for the
| East India Company.
well, we were drawn up in line, and
before we knew what was up the sentence
of the court martial was read both in Eng
fish and Hindustani. They had been
| tried for high treason and inSubordina
| ton, and the verdict was guilty.
"All at once battery of six guns was
| drawn up in front of our lines. The gun
ners were in shirt sleeves and wore he'll
| NETS. There was call for volunteers
| for volunteers to stand up in front of the
| guns and be blown to death without being
| tied. We were all raw recruits. We
thought it was horrible. There were
nearly 200 of the natives, and all but 80 of
| them came forth at the call of volunteers
They knelt down and prayed to Allah
| Mohammed and them went up and en-
| braced the guns, hurting defiance back at
the British. No shot was used only a
| blank cartridge and an extra heavy wad
| Oh, what a bloody scene that was. The
| air rained with blood and bits of flesh, and
| it fell on us like so much hail or snow
| The gunners were all bloody, like pig
| butchers, and had to change their swabs
every little while, for the blood and slime
or human flesh upon them. Six at time
were dispatched in this way. At the fear
| full sight many of the recruits and younger
| officers tainted. The 80 who did not vol
unteer were strapped to the guns.
"Our regiment was finally sent home to
England. Now, it's rule you know, that
if you volunteer to remain on in service
| at such time two years credit is given
you, which shortens the service to 10
years. I decided to stay in India. Col.
Stewart advised me not to do this. He
said good reports had been sent to the
home office about me and that it would be
better for me to go. But stayed-and if
l hadn't l probably wOul never have met
|
written up as Private Mulvaney, would L?
But could have stood that we'll enough.
The reason l did not go home was that
had no education, and I knew that
couldn't possibly be promoted out of the
ranks for that reason.
Where did first meet Kipling? That
was at the we'll Of Cawnpore. This was
the place of the massacre, you know. Five
of us were sitting around the well one
afternoon when a civilian rode up and dis
mounted He had field glasses and car
ried satchel He wasn't clearly shaver,
1 remember that. Charley Hood was
with me and Jack Crothy and Bill Gun,
and l don't remember the others.
"'Were any of you in Blood's Battery?'
Kipling said, as he came over and took a
seat. or course we didn't know who he
was. And l never found out his name till
was Just going to leave India, though
saw a good deal of him after that time.
"Bill Gun said he was in BlOod'S bat
terry.
"Then Kipling out with his bottle and
asked If we had any objection to tasting
his bottle. Oh we had no objections
and the bottle was soon empty. Then
Kipling went off and got another bottle
We soldiers couldn't buy it-regulation's
strict. Then he sat down and had g
long talk with Bill Gun and all of us
Bill had been in the first relief of Luck.
now and was hemmed in there by the
natives He told Kipling all about that
all about how the natives started in te
undermine their mine. He told him
| about digging a big nit where the WON.