Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1896-08-12
sheet of flame blew along the two ends

sheet of flame blew along the two ends
of the square.
Before the almost simultaneous dis
charge the front Of the attacking force
melted away. Men lay writhing amid
the wet leaves or crawled on hands and
knees through the bush, but the Mussul-
man, with visions of black eyed houris
and the tree of Sedrat before his eyes,
has little fear of death; SO with loud
yells the foe spread out and at full speed
made for the breastwork.
independent firing - commence!
roared the colonel, and after captain
and ieutenants repeated the order, the
Haussas, who, used 10 frontier warfare
from childhccd, think themselves marks
1hen, took snap shots at the fitting fig
ures. but did little harm beyond clip
ping clusters of leaves from overhangine
cottonwoods. Meantime the West In
dians, who are accustomed to drill Ill
battalions, and fancy they are quite
equal to white infantry, after desul-
| tory shot or two stood silent with bayo-
nets at guard. Next moment the assail-
ants swept at the defense only to be met
by glistening wall Of steel, and for a
short space both aides were locked in q
| deadly struggle, the officers working
their revolvers until the barrels were
hot, while the troops fired as fast as
they could thrust i'll the cartridges.
| Nothing human could face the murder
GUS rifle blast, and in a few seconds the
foe broke away and fled to the bush.
For awhile the smoke hung heavily
over camp on the damp air, then slowly
melted away, and as the colonel recov-
cred his breath he felt his wrist burned
by the back splitting of his heated re-
Evolver
"That was sharp work, 1ieutenantP'
he said to the young officer OF the west
Indians. "We shall have breathing time
now, and then they will come back.
How have your men come out of it?'
cat least two dead, sir, and more
wounded; but the Haussas got it worse
than we did," was the answer as the
colonel passed along the line.
An hour went by, minute following
minute slowly-very slowly-as the
shadows of the cottonwoods crept across
the clearing, for, the moon was sinking
behind the western forests. The SHIN
mering silver patches on the grass mar.
rowed and shortened, but still much OF
the camp lay bright and clear in the
light. Here and there wounded
Haussa nroaned family as he struggled
to repress cry that would have been
unworthy in believer III the Prophet,
while the west Indian, who possesses
neither the resignation Of the Christian
nor the heathen's contempt of death,
groaned over his hurts Or hurled horri-
BILE curses at the heads of the invisible
foe.
'sSilence, menl' said their lieutenant
sternly, while the constabulary captain
smiled as he remarked: ''Those fellows
of yours are good to fight, but they have
not the stamina Of mine. The moon
lights going; still if these brutes come
back they could pick us off man by man
if they were only able to hit anything.
As it is, we shall get it hot The woods
are full Of them" Then he grasped the
shoulder of his friend and thrust him
forward into the shadow, as line Of
flame burst out Of the bush and flight
of bullets passed ove1 TIE heads of the
crouching men.
Without waiting for the word No.
| company of the west Indians fired vol.
ley, but as the smoke wreaths blew in
the mems faces q mocking yell from
the forest told that it had done no harm,
while with q rattle the troops turned
over the sniders to shake out the empty
shells.
independent firing commenced
the officers shouted, and the men.
crouching beneath the frail defense o1
the breastwork, fired at the flash of theil
assailants' pieces, with probably littls
result, for the forest was dark, while
the line of branches which defended the
British front was clear and distinct and
the blue barrels glinted i'll the moon
light. From behind every cottonwood
root and wide baobab trunk bright
CLEANS shot out. Every now and then 9
soldier dropped his rife with a clattel
and collapsed, moaning heap, amid
the wet underground, until the mems
hearts grew sick as they realized how
they were at their opponents mercy,
and they longed for the dawn, wheI
they should meet their skulking foe-face
to face.
It was one thing, the west indians
thought, to stand back to back and face
1ld, +La o1,o,, br1f fn COT, 6, oOYr1
rade by ones side loosen his grasp Oh
his weapon and roll over, tearing at the
leaves or lie still and cough away hi
life's blood and be able to do nothing
but be still and bear it was a different
matter. So the men fidgeted and nut
tered until the colonel realized that il
this kind of thing went Oh much Longer
they would be beyond all control.
While the officers, with smoke grimet
faces and dried up throats, walked vi
and down the line, exposing themselve.
recklessly to the desultory firing to en-
courage their men, there was a stirring
, in the forest, and presently in grim 81
lence and spread out well the foe rushed
, toward the camp.
! Ot6duy, uC1i-StOeeuJ No1o . Ato
tlev' roared the colonel, as with over
!, strained nerves few Of the soldiers
pulled their triggers and the bullet
tore up the grass harmlessly few yard
, ahead.
ga company fire-ready No. 2l'
shouted the Iieutenants, but the mel
| were now past all control. They ha
: comrades blood to averge and shoute
} and yelled as they thrust cartridge afte
cartridge into the chamber as fast a
thev could turn the sniders over. Th
: fever of the fight was On them, for the
, now felt their time had come after th
weary waiting.
! "Meet them with the bayonetP' Th
colonel hardly knew his own voice,
, sounded SO hoa1se and cracked. Then b
, gasped: "Good heavens! What wa
that?' For above the rattle of the riff
r the words Courage, mes bravesF' ran
, cut sharp and clear through the smoke
. Dropping his smoking revolver b
, sprang among his men shouting. "Ceas
r firer' But the hammering of the snidel
. drowned his voice and the acrid smol
Ia cboked him, and he stood i'll silent ho
ror and watched the fight. 1t did IL
- last long. The swarm of savages ha