The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1895-05-26

mountains are the worst man-eaters in the
world. They will jump into the ranks and
carry off man. This fellow never
stirred, but was waiting for us
to approach near enough for him
to spring. Captain Adams ordered
out the gun. We placed it right in front
OF him and blew him in atoms. When we
! came out of the Poonah we were within a
| mile OF Gwallah. We could hear the firing
and knew the battle was in progress. Yet
| Captain Adams camped here He was
| nervous and afraid to go into action. He
was pale and walked around his tent all
day. When we had been in camp about a
day accommodating from the native
Royal Troops found us and reported to
observation-disclosures Stewart of the Eighty
sixth Regiment.
Presently Colonel Stewart came down
in rage and asked what reason Adams
had for not coming to the front, as he had
been ordered.
adams replied that his men were tired.
Colonel Stewart angrily ordered Adams
to get to the front at once. And when he
got there Adams was arrested. He was
afterward court-martialed and sent back to
the depot in Ireland. We found our regi-
ment out on skirmish duty, but the next
morning we were assigned to our places
and then went to the front. The Eighty
sixth was sent in advance, the First Bri-
gade OF Fusiliers, the Seventy-eighth
Highlanders (what they called the Ross
shire Buffs), the Bombay Artillery
and eleven native regiments of the Royal
Hindoo Infantry supporting us, all
of them being under the command of
Captain Gubbins. Presently Captain Loud
sent the order for the Eighty-sixth to
storm the gate Of the city. Then we formed
into forIorn hope and marched up behind
four guns. These blew down the gate and
In we marched. There was no resistance
offered US till we got well inside. Then
the gates were closed again and we found
ourselves surrounded. Captain Gubbins
faced the rear rank to the right about and
then ordered the bugler to sound the regi-
mental call. We fought our way to the
gate back to back, and lost twenty-three
men In about fifteen minutes. There were
l5,000 natives in the garrison. Loud came
to our rescue at once with the artillery,
put he dared not use the guns
on the gate for fear of killing his
own men. They started in to
chop the gate down. When they got in
side Captain Loud began to form his men
around u.s. While he was forming thus
native officer sneaked up behind him and
raised his tulwah, ready to cleave Loud
straight down the backbone.
"Sam Hunter, Belfast lad of our COM
pany, stood to the right and saw it all. He
stepped out in time and killed the native
just before his tulwah descended. Now, I'll
fell hnu,
for saving old LIQUIDS life. It's as good
story as any of Kipling's. The battle
lasted two hours. when the natives were
completely routed and about 500 of them
taken prisoners.
PRIVATE Hunter into the guard house for
leaving the ranks without permission. Of
course we understood this was all right so
far as Stewart was concerned, and he told
Hunter he wouldn't forget to report to
Loud why he had left the ranks. The next
day after that Hunter was brought up be-
tore Loud and the story was told. Colonel
Loud said Hunter had no business to leave
the ranks for any purpose without permits
sion, and then he gave him fourteen days
heavy marching orders and fourteen days
OF grog stopped. Oh, that's the way things
90 sometimes
All the prisoners we took were killed.
Inc slxty-eight officers were blown from
cannons and the 400 men were taken out
and shot, one by one. Each man was told
TO take out prisoner and shoot him. 1t
was all done in an off-hand way, and no
hollow square or anything like that.
There's another true story that ought
TO go along with the Hunter incident. We
told 1t to Kipling, but I don't know
whether he wrote it up. It happened at
Jancey, where we got the big treasures.
In the thick of the firing between drawn
lines Colonel Shower of the Second Regi-
ment rode across the lines to give an order
to Colonel Loud. On his way back, when
ne got about 200 feet away from our lines
| he fell OF his horse. wounded by native
| bullet.
"a man from Company 10 and myself