The Portland daily press., 1896-03-11
STORY OF LORD WoLsELEY.
Used to Crawl in the Slush to Avoid
Bullets That Gen. Gorden Often
COurted.

The Courage of War Correspondents
Henry nj. Stanley Was Too Busy Shoot
ing Negroes to Notice Danger to Him.
self.
But let US recur now to the charm OF
intercourse with Lord Wolseley, and to
the happy and kindly qualities which en-
dear him to his friends, says writer in
the Saturday Review. He is at his best
when speaking of his war experience,
| whether in the new world or in the old.
No one has ever given more graphic
sketches of Lee and of Stonowall jackson
than Lord Wolseley can give, as the
French say, between the pear and the
cheese, and his stories of the Crimea, OF
the Indian mutiny, Of wars IN China and
Africa are hardly to be equalled. Let US
take a Crimean story first, promising
solely that memory, however vivid, is
not photograph, and in this instance it
is careless of individual details, which
added little but local color to the pic-
ture. Tho tale was elicired by question
as to whether Lord Wolseley knew Charles
Gordon in the Crimea and what he
thought OF him.
ooh, yes, l knew Gordon-knew him
very we'll. We were subalterns together;
young fellows. just beginning life, full
of spirits and go. In spite Of all the
hardships the road before US seemed
bright, always leading up
ward. Gerald Graham, Gordon and ]
were often together in the advanced
works in front of the Redan. We had
already come to look on Graham 5 courage
as something almost supernatural. You
know his height-well on to feet 6
inches, should say. Well, he used to
stand up on the trenches and pay no
more attention 10 the Russian fire than
| if the bullets had been snow balls, and
when he was relieved in the evening, in
stead of crawling along the trench under
cover, ne used to step out of it on to the
open ground and make Decline for his
quarters, At first the Russians were too
astonished at this piece of cheek to take
any steps to put an end to IT, but az 1t
was repeated again and again their
sharpshooters grew more numerous, till
at last perfect mob of them moved to
wait for Graham's appearance and then
ct fly. But he walked away with his
lack to them, evening after evening, as
cool as cucumber, and was never
touched. Again and again we remon-
strated with him, told him he had no
business to make cock-shy OF himself,
but nothing I'VE could say altered his re-
solution. fled be bung he said, be-
fore he'd take the trouble to crawl a
quarter of mile out of his way to avoid
the Russian fre-let them shoot and he d
| be id to them
"And you've asked, interrupting the
narrator, "now used you to go to your
tent?"
"Oh," he went on, modsstly, with a
CLEAN of humor in his eyes, II crawled
along the trench In the mud and slush
till I was we'll beyond gunshot. I sup
pose my disposition was calculating and
ambitious. did not see what could be
gained by getting bullet in the back
| for no reason" y ST.
."And Gordon?p again uninterrupted.
"That's the curious part of it," was
| the reply. "One evening Charley Gordon
would link arms with Graham and walk
away as if a hailstorm Of bullets had nc
power to hurt him, and the very next
| evening he would crawl along the trench
after me as If he would like to hide in the
| slush.''
The second story Is concerned withIthe
man who will probably be found to have
won enduring reputation, though not ex-
aotly the fame of the heroic defender OF
| Khartoum. 81 81.
"War correspondents p exclaimed Lord
Wolseley. "Soaneo of them are desper-
atsly brave, while others are anything
but heroes The majority. l think, dc
their duty we'll, even when 1t leads them
| into tight places. By the way, TALKING
of tight places and war correspondents,
remember an incident that may interest
you. 1t was at the beginning of the
Ashanti campaign, just after our land
| ing. A square-built little man came up
to, me and said, speaking slowly and with
an unmistakahle American accent:
General, allow me to introduce my
self, I am the correspondent of the New
York Herald. l.
"Too busy to attend to him. cut him
short with: What can 1 do for you,
sir?'
"He replied imperturbably, with the
same exasperating slowness: We'll,
general, want to be as near you as can
if..there is any fghtin' to be SEEM
1"Capt So-and-So has charge of all the
arrangements concerning correspondents,
rejoined, ourtly; you had better see
him. And with this l turned on my
heel and went sbout my business.
L
with the aggravating GOODNESS and slow
ness of speech for many day. I did not
even know whether he was accompanying
the column OF not.
Personally speaking, I was only in
danger once during the whole expedition.
1t was shorty lsfnre we entered Coomas-
sie I had pressed forward with the adj
vanced troops. hoping to break the last
effort at resistance and have done with
the affair, when the enemy. utilizing the
heavy covert, came down and fairly sur
rounded us. For few minutes the posi-
tion was critical and every man had to
fight, for the enemy's fire was poured
In at close quarters They pressed upon
us from all sides. dodging from tree to
tree. and continually edging closer, hop
ing to get hand to Land. In the hottest Of
it my attention was caught by a man in
civilians olothes, some fifteen or twenty
yards in front of me, and who was COM
pletely surrounded by the advancing saw
ages. He seemed to pay no heed to the
danger he was in, but, kneeling on one
knee, took aim and fired again and again,