The daily morning journal and courier., 1896-12-10


 Lots of the shots fell short and knocked up little puffs of sand like clouds.
 'I4ord" grunted Thompson, With the square chin, ''hev I been struck?" There was a great tear across his shoulder Somebody gave a tug at his jacket and his gray flannel shirt was redder than a parade-tunic. Tt doan't hurt; not blamed bit"
 Then he sat down and tainted.
 q do wonder if I'm to be hit" whined Jenkins.
 He could hardly hold his rifle He was trembling, his lips as white as his cheek, and his eyes shifting as though he expected to see the bullet coming. Every time there was the whistle of one he started. .-..
 He was a miserable little beggar, thin-legged and narrow-chested think he came from Knightsbridge way. He had been a clerk. But he was no good at that, and his folks turned him out of doors, and then how he lived till he joined the Fifty-third 1 I'm blessed if I know. He hadn't enough food as a youngster At least, it looked like that. He and I were among the sllirmish- CTS. I don't think there was much chance of us being picked off quicker than the others; but Jenkins hand was so shaky he couldn't stick cartridge in his rife. When I tried to lodge a cartridge some sand blew in and it damned. That's the sort of thing that worries man when fighting. | How these blacks pelted us! We all began grumbling at not firing back.
 Don't waste anything!" the colonel yelled above the noise Don't throw anything away. Don't shoot till you see the whites of their eyes. Then let | in to then!"
 The air was suffocating. A hot reek seemed to hang over us, and I began to feel sick, felt like tumbling when a fellows cheek was slit down as with sabre.
 There was an awful row among the men with the machine guns "Go on, pull up there!" and down came the thong on the mule which would spring forward. Hold hard, you fool; do you want to break the square?" and then the mules head would be jerked.
 Fletcher whined little Jenkins, If I should be killed, you might-lnight let my gal know She's a-a slavey, as lives in-Almighty!" | A bullet crashed through his helmet and went into mans shoulder behind Jenkins staggered as though he had been hit
 That's pretty narrow squeak. It's a good job you're a little un,'' I said, trying to laugh.
 Jenkins did laugh, but rather strangely.
 '"That's your first taste of war" I added. It'll put life into you like gill of rum. You'll be all right when you get up to the blacks. You won't have time to funk it. You'll have to fight like the very devil. Buck up,'
 He laughed again. And I don't think he trembled quite so much.
 How terribly slow our advance was It was a crawl We were huddled to- gether, first swaying this way, then 1 that. We were tired, dirty and be- draggled. We didn't seem to be talk ing much notice of the enemy We were letting loose at one another with our tongues. There was the rattle of l gIn- carriages and the click Of the ri- 1 f1es. The baggage in the center of the square was constantly getting into a hopeless muddle, and the officers were fuming. And then the ambulance men got in the way, and all was confusion, and men dropping wounded. The banging of the guns up the rocks was almost lost in the din. | "Skirmishers out!" the order was | given, and away lot of us dashed to the front
 That's enough! that's enough; come | back, lot of you!'' Only few of the men went back.
 The rest started off at the double quick. We were glad of bit of elbow room and a bit of excitement. Painting and exhausted, we pushed on. The sand threw up the hot glare of the sun into our faces I shut my eyes, for the pain was terrible.
 One of the men shouted "Hurrah!" We thought him 2 laundering idiot wasting his breath.
 Hold up a bit!" shrieked the officer | who came with us.
 We were about five hundred paces in front of the square, and we could hear |, the screaming cameIs, and away in front of us rose the yells of the fanati- cal Sudanese calling on Allah to help in the staying of the infidels. There was a strange stiffness where we were, and the singing of the enemy, and the shouting of our men, and the pinging of the guns up the rocks only marked the stiffness
 I could hear the hard breathing of little Jenkins, who was not more than five paces from me.
 "Blown?" I asked.
 "Rather!" he answered. 'I wish those beggers would come out and let us ave pop at 'em."
 I lookwed at him. He was sprawling on his stomach in the sand, and holding his hand over the breech. His eyes were flaming and his nostrils wide with excitement
 He had caught the war-fever. I had | been wondering if he would.
 frightened of being killed, Jenk- ins?' I asked.
 Killed be ---!'
 His little body was shaking with eagerness.
 He was full of fight His breathing was quick, not so much because of the exertion as thirst to come up with the blacks.
 Fletcher" said the officer to me, q