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

ing sent on to feel the way. There isn't any glory about it; only the chance of being killed little earlier The blood in my head was beating like a pump, and my tongue was as hard and as dry as leather. The one thing in all the world l then wanted was a good gulp at a quart of beer
 Some of the blacks up the rocks un- derstood what we were up to, and we could see them jumping and dashing down to the main body to give warn ing.
 Shall have pot at them?'aslled Jenkins, whose fingers were playing nervously With the trigger.
 'No, you fool; keep quiet" I bawled
 He lost all feeling of thirst and wear mess. I've seen men like him before, but I've never seen such a wretched Knightsbrldge clerk panting to get at the throat of the enemy, who could break his weak back before he could utter curse.
 Let's do a rush for it before those chaps get down." I shouted.
 l think those in the square must have wondered what we were doing We scampered along as fast as weary limbs would carry us. The arid desert breath brought with it the frenzed yelling of the Sudanese, and carried it away to our men. We were nearly mile ahead of them and Jenkins was tearing along like a maniac.
 In the dash his helmet fell off. He did not stop to pick it up; but he ploughed on through the sand as though life itself were at the end of the race.
 "You-you fool" I called to him, "You'll get the stroke" for he had only his red cotton handkerchief tied about his farehead.
 He gave his head slight turn. His thin drawn face looked as if it were tied up in a knot. His lips were as tight as the doors of hell. All the blood
 seemed to have been knocked out of him, for the color of his complexion
 was ashen. His eyes were protruding;
 fierce, angry, defiant with hate. When a soldier gets in that state there's no stopping him. It's not the brave men that score a victory. It's the mad men. The war cries of the tumultuous throng away before us broke like a cannon roar upon our ears. The force of the Moslems was almost hid behind
 the rocks that studded the plain. Up the sweep Of the hill, however there was a cluster and they opened fire on us,
 But we were scattered, crouching low and speeding on swiftly, so that he must have been a good marksman who picked off any one of us. looked behind The outstretched
 skirmishers were slowly following us
 up, and far away in the rear was the heaving, confused square.
 The rugged, solitary heap of rock was not more than thirty yards from us when we saw horde of the fanatics
 sweeping the side of the hill and com ing in our direction as swift as the wind
 An oath burst from my lips.
 Let's go back. men," panted Its
 no good Every one of us will be cut down if we go on"
 Let us go on; let us go on" screamed Jenkins in a thin, excited voice. ....
 I was about to reply when Bright, on the other side of me. was hit in the mouth with bullet For about three seconds he danced backwards, and then, when the red stream spurted from between his torn lips, he hung his head and reeled forward to the ground
 That was a chance shot--I'll swear !, it was a chance shot" exclaimed Jen- kins, becoming furious. Dry up and don't talk like a fooll" | My eyes were filled with sand and were aching. '"They couldn't hit me like that; by heavens, they couldn't; and the little fellow with no helmet, his tunic loose and torn, his fingers clutching his gun l in an iron grasp, and his body shaking | with the tremendous emotion that | seized him, stood up under that mad | dening African sun and hissed, with | frothy lips, defiance to the enemy. Back! back!' insisted; and four of l the men turned.
 Back! Whats the good of going l back now?" Jenkins screeched "We
 can-can get to the top of the--of the rock afore the beggars get-get within
 q hundred yards of us. Whats the good of going back?" | With spring he was off before us.
 l would have liked to have hit him in l the stomach with a butt-end but he was dashing like one infuriated. It was the widest thing on earth to l do. But we had to follow him. and all | the time the bullets whstling about us.
 There was no keeping pace with the | idiot Before we quite realized the aw- | fulness of the position, he had clam ! bered to the top of the rock, waving the | handkerchief he had been wearing on | his head. A perfect shower of bullets l whizzed about him, but he only laughed, and the rest of us crouched 1 for an instant in the shelter of the | boulders.
 Another shot came tearing the air. With his handkerchief Jenkins sig
 nailed, Missed to the left!'' | I was an awful sight, him standing | there alone-exposed to 8 hundred guns.
 Once more came the yell of the bull | lets.
 Missed to the right" signalled Jen-
 kins.
 My heart stood still with wonder. | Again came volley. For a moment Jenkins endeavored to steady himself. Bulls eye" he signalled 1 Then he tottered and came rolling down the rough stones. | I jumped to him where he lay with
 two bullets lodged in his breast. l rl,,