The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1895-12-21
TESTED THE SOLDIERS NERVE
An Incident show ng the PeriIs of Life I'm
the Jungles of India

An Incident show ng the PeriIs of Life In
| the Jungles of India.
From the New York Mercury.
The BLUM old major from the queens
army had listened attentively to the camp
fire tales of his companions. He put a
| fresh charge of fragrant tobacco in the
veteran pipe that he had been smoking
and the three occupants of the compart-
| ment lapsed into expectant silence, watt
| ing to hear from him.
The bravest man have ever met was
not on the field of battle" he began.
He was a soldier. but knew little about
his military record. and yet when 1 say
| he was the bravest man 1 ever knew |
| think ! know what I am talking about.
We were campaigning in India and for
months the command had simply been
idling time away. We were all thorough
ly tired Of life of routine military mac
tivity and finally a party of FIVE of us Sc
cured a two weeks leave of absence,
which we proposed to spend in a hunt
for big game. Very elaborate prepare
tons were made for the expedition, Two
tents and plenty Of provisions were pack
ed. while heavy hunting rifles. ammuni-
ton and all the paraphernalia necessary
to take care of big game was packed
with our outfit.
We'll. to be brief. we didn't have much
luck. The expedition from a hunters
point Of view. was a complete fzzle. You
can imagine we were all sorely disap-
pointed because we hadn't met anything
worth scalping on our trip.
1T was on the last night, / think be-
fore we broke camp. We were seated in
a glum group about our improvised table
specializing as to the reception we would
receive from our brother officers when
we returned crestfallen and empty hand
ed to headquarters. We expected, of
course. to be chaffed numerically.
Then, naturally enough the conversa-
ton turned to adventures. One of our
number was a senior regimental officer,
who had been through 10 years service
in India. He had been the guiding spirit
of our expedition. Seated a few feet
away from him and to his left was q
young junior company officer, who had
but recently Joined the command. We
had been eating fruit, which was of a
kind that bears very peculiar scent 1t
is tradition that this native fruit has a
strong attraction for several varieties of
venomous reptiles which are peculiar to
that climate. l, at least, am convinced
that there is something more than tradi-
rion in It,
''As have said. we were talking of adj
ventures, when, In a moment of silence
the blum old regimental officer, looking
steadily at the young lieutenant at his
lefS. slowly said
DO you think you could keep your
presence of mind under the most trying
circumstances, when your life depended
upon your GOODNESS and courageT
Dead silence followed the colonel's
question, and the young officer, looking
quizzically at his interrogator, replied:
Yes, think i could
Then the time has come when YOU
must be put to the test. Move not a mus
Gle until / tell you or you are a dead
man.
Then the bronzed old warrior slowly
drew his pistol from his holster and, TAX
ing deliberate aim. he fired shot at the
very feet of the man to whom he had adj
dressed his ominous question For the
space of a second we all sat like statues.
then the colonel. in tone of relief, ex-
claimed:
8 It's all right now. boys: I've killed
it,
We were all on our feet in an instant.
eager to know the danger that threatened
our young comrade. At his feet lay the
coiling. squirming body of a huge cobra.
the most venomous reptile that haunts
the tungles of India l think the man
who calmly faced that danger was the |
bravest man I've ever met said the I
major, and no one dissented.