The morning times., 1896-03-22
~
SS~@~S
e~~-O~~-@D
Is!
Brave
Indian
Boy.

How comes it." asked a certain re-
markable subaltern or the East Galway
Rifles. that un-blooded Burmese boy
figures as your body servant.
You mean samiyaw?'' he said. "Oh,
that's a story. Want to hear h?''
1 nodded through the tobacco fumes.
well, hear it you shall. He's a won
derful youDgster, that same Samjyaw, and
once upon time saved two companies OF
Queen VictOria's tropps from being com
pletely wiped out. Nothing particular to
look at you may say-iUst the same as
and fine eyes. But, my friend. I owe debt
other Bdruah urchinS, with his brown skin
OF gratitude TO samjyaw which / fear 1
can never fully repay.
1t was during yle wax in Burmah King
Theebaw had been cutting up, and the
main body OF our
Gave Him trOOpSbad beensenttO
The Little Boy. takeMandaIav. Loose
detachments were
scattered here and there by way OF patrols,
TO keep the natives ia order. Now al the
capture or sJockade was Instrumental
from the burning houses. When they found
that British cOnquerers did not put their
capuyes to death, they nearly went wild
with gratitude. Samjyaw's mother act
ualy presented me with her son and heir.
We kept on our way up country for
close OH a week, never getting 20 much as
a sign of the enemy. At last me route led
rs into the heart Of jungle, where the long
grass rose high Us 4 mans head. and where
patches of bog and moss developed when
one was least expecting them. The cap
tain ordered u halt, and our pioneers set
70 work clearing a space through that
jungle. When half day mad been wasted
IN this way. the captain-O'KeIly was his
name-decided TO bivouac there while a
handful OF picked men went on a FambIe
10 flnd some way out OF the mess. Accord
ingiy we 'ouJspanned, as they say in
South Africa The two wagons were in
our center, and in one OF them sa my boy,
Samiyaw weRt tOSee hOwhe was getting
along, and found him with one OF the cor
pOralS, a man named Nellis NelIis had
tin whistle ard. was apparently teaching
IL TO Samjyaw. As 1 stood looking on the
brown urchin took the instrument from his
teacher and began 10 play an air. What
do you think the Incongruous air that NeIhs
! nad impaired TO samJyaw proved to be?
II was the word-famOus 'Garryowen. the
quickstep OF our regiment
Next day the wagons were sent back. and
/ Samjyaw with them, as they could not be
/ taken further into the
/ jungle. Thcboy wept II waea
/ and prayed TO be al Hot Fight.
/ lowed 10 accompany
/ US, butI would not near OF such a thing, as
| fighting might begin any minute. So he
| went back TO camp with thc wagons, and
| Corp. Nellis-at least, thought so at the
/ time.
Fighting began soon enough. We were
| halting for dinner one afternoon. when
| 'zip-p-pr went u Snyder rifle bullet over
my shoulder IL came from the Jungle. and
| without waiting for orders. every man was
onhisfeetinan instant. We werein sort OF
| open space, a clear mark for our foes III the
bush. while on our part we could not see
/ them at all. The fist shot was only Ike
the tap OF a conductor 5 baton To the grand
orchestral fusilade which followed Zip
| zip-zipr- came the bullets, and our men were
| rolling over ike skitjIes in an alley. Tie
/ attack came from every side. We had been
neatly surrounded. II was awful
| Let US run for it, whispered some one
| in the rear.
''Eyah. yesr shrieked another-'run.
boys; runr
! Meanwhile men were dropping around
me, and the Snyder bullets We're coming Ike
| hailstones. Arrows were coming. too.
and one OF them caught me in the side. I
think it was that arrow that woke me up.
! wiped the perSpirajion from my forehead
and yelled at the wavering men to charge.
IN vain! They shook their heads with saw
age despair. AMI turned TO fly instead. I
had resolved to charge alone into the bush,
/ in the hope that they would follow me, when
| something happened which changed
| everything.
"A small brown figure leaped out Of the
/ long grass and rushed to my side. 1t was
Samjyaw; and in his hand he waved some
thing that glittered in the sunlight. Before
! could speak or move he ciapped the
| shining something 10 his lips: and as sure as
I'm j British officer. it
Samiyaw Saved was Corp. NeIiis' tin
The Regiment. whistlei 'TOotle-tee-
toOtr went that bIcS-
sed whistle; AMI what think YOU did Sami-
| yaw play? Why. 'Garryowen, Of course.
Il small never forget that moment. There
stood the men irreSnluteIy gripping their
| bayOnets; there lay the wounded in the
blOod-Stained clearing: over our heads and
through our ranks the bullets tore theil
way. and in the midst Of all. smiling rogu-
!Shly through his eyes at me. stood the
| Burmese boy, play yinG the old familiar tune
the tune that Stirs the blood OF every Irish
soldier.
There was wild Irish war r-whOOp from
the men behind me. Somebody caught uT
Samiya W on his shoulder (I thinkft was my.
self, and, inspired by that tin whistle, we
went like madmen, helfer-S keller, through
the thick Of the Burmans' ambush. Fight
] tell you. those men forgot ali their panic
Then we wheeled and went for the feI
lows in the rear; bet they had taken alarm
and made off. We chased them two miles