The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1896-04-02
WOLSELEY'S TALES
Tells Capt. al SORES Of His Army
Experiences.
AN ANECDOTE OF STANLEY
Used to Crawl In the Slush Before
Sebastopol to Keep Out of the
Russians Fire. While Graham
Eoldly stood Up and 8raved Ii.
FROM the Saturday Review.

IOHl the SATURDAY REVIEW.
But let us recur now to the charm of
intercourse with Lord Wolseley and to
the happy and kindly qualities which
endear him to his friends. He is at his
best when speaking of his war expert
ence, whether in the new world or in
the old. No one has ever given more
graphic sketches of Lee and Stonewall
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
equaled. Let us take a Crimean story
first. promising solely that memory,
however vivid, is not a photograph,
and in this instance Ii is careless OF
incidental Details which added but lit
tie local color to the picture. The tale
was elected by a question as to wheth-
er Lord Wolseley knew Charles Gordon
in the Crimea, and what he thought of
him.
"Oh. yes, / knew Gordon-knew him
very well. We were subalterns togeth-
err; young fellows. just beginning life,
full of spirits and go. In spite Of all
the hardships, the road before us
seemed bright, Observation-Disclosures
leading upward. Gerald Graham, Cor
don and / were often together in the
advanced works in front of the Redan.
We had already come to look on Gra-
ham s courage as something almost SUI
pernatural. You know his height-well
on to six feet six inches, / should say.
Well, he used to stand up on the
trenches and pay no more attention to
the Russian fire than If the bullets had
been snowballs. and when he was re-
lieved in the evening, instead of crawl
ing along the trench under cover, he
used to step out of 1t onto the open
ground and make a 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 II, but,
as it was repeated again and again.
their sharpshooters grew more numer-
Gus, till at last a perfect mob of them
moved to wait for Graham's appear
ance and then let fly. But he walked
away with his back to them, evening
after evening, as cool as cucumber,
and was never touched. Again and
again we demonstrated with him, told
him that he had no business to make
a cock-shy of himself, but nothing we
could say altered his resolution. He'd
be hung he said, before he'd take the
trouble to crawl a quarter of mile out
of his way to avoid the Russian fire
let them shoot, and he'd be " TO
them"
And YOU" we asked, interrupting
the narrator "how used you to go to
your tent?"
"Oh," he went on, modestly, with
CLEAN of humor in his eyes, i
crawled along the trench in the mud
and slush till | was we'll beyond guns
shot. / suppose my disposition was
calculating and ambitious. / did not
see what could be gained by getting a
bullet in the back for no reason"
And Gordon?" again we interrupt
ed.
That's the curious part of it," was
To- N ii aNy
don would link arms with Graham and
walk away as If a hailstorm of bullets
had no 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 with
the man who will probably be found to
have won enduring reputation, though
not exactly the fame of the heroic de-
fender of Khartoum.
war correspondence exclaimed
Lord Wolseley. Some OF them are
desperately brave, while others are
anything but heroes. The majority,
think, do their duty well, even when II
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 Ashantee campaign,
just after our landing. A square-built
little man came up to me and said.
speaking slowly and with an unmistak-
able American accent:
General allow me to introduce my
self | am the correspondent of the
/ New York Herald. L
TOO busy to attend to him, / cut
him short with: What can i do for
I you, sir?'
HE replied imperturbably, with the
same exasperating slowness: We'll,
ganaraI I want TO he as near YOU as
/ l can If there is any fightin to be
| seen.
Captain So-and-So has charge of
! all the arrangements concerning corre-
spondents, / rejoined, curtly; you had
better see him. And with this turned
on my heel and went about my bust
ness.
II saw no more of my correspondent
with the aggravated GOODNESS and slow
ness of speech for many a day. i did
I not even know whether he was accom-
panying the column or not.
Personally speaking. / was only in
danger once during the whole expedi-
ton. II was shortly before we entered
Coomassie. l had pressed forward
with the advanced troops, hoping 70
break the last effort at resistance and
have done with the AFFAIR, when the
enemy, utilizing the heavy covert
came down and fairly surrounded us
critical, and every man had to fight
for the enemy's fire was poured IN al
close quarters. They pressed upon US
from all sides. lodging from tree tc
tree. and continually edging closer
hoping to get hand to hand. In the
hottest of 1t my attention was caught
by a man i'm civilians clothes. some Is
or 20 yards in front of me, and iwhe
was completely surrounded by the ad
vancing savages. He seemed to pay M
heed to the danger he was in. but
kneeling on one knee, took aim anc
fired again and again. and l seem q
see that every time he fired blacl
man fell. l was fascinated by his dan
ger and GOODNESS. AS our main bod,
came up and the savages were driver
back. / went forward TO see that M
harm came TO my civilian friend. wh'
rose just as l reached him. To m,
establishment. IL was the correspond
ent OF the New York Herald. and h