The Neihart herald. [volume] (Neihart, Mont.) 1890-1901, 1896-02-29
TESTED THE SOLDIERS NERVE.
An Incident Showing the Perils OF Life
the JungIes of India.

IA ouuSlts VI AEtfds
The bluff old major from the
queens army had listened attentive
ly to the campfire tales of his COM
panions. He put a fresh charge Of
fragrant tobacco in the veteran pipe
that he had been smoking, and the
three occupants of the compartment
lapsed into %expectant silence, wait
ing to hear from him.
1.-THE bravest man I have ever met
was not on the field of battle, The be-
gan. He was a soldier, but I know
little about his military record. and
yet when | say he was the bravest
man l ever knew / think I know
what I am talking about. We were
campaigning in India, and for some
months the command had simply
been idling time away. We were
all thoroughly tired of a life of rou-
tine military inactivity, and finally
a party of five of us secured a two
weeks leave of absence, which "
proposed to spend in a hunt for big
game.
lone of our number was q senior
regimental officer, who had been
through ten years service in India.
He had been the guiding spirit of
our expedition. Seated a few feet
away from him and to his left WIS
d young junior company officer,
who had but recently joined the
command. We had been eating
fruit, which was of a kind that
bears a very peculiar scent. It is a
tradition that this native fruit has a
strong attraction for several varie-
ties Of venomous reptiles, which are
peculiar to that climate. at least
am convinced that there is somo-
thing more than tradition in it.
LAS I have said, We were talking
of adventures when, in a moment of
silence, the bluff old regi1nental Off
Ger, looking steadily at the young
lieutenant to his left, slowly said:
"'Do you think you could keep
your presence of mind under the
most trying circumstances, whom
your lie depended upon your cool
ness and courage?'
dead silence followed the colo
nel's question, and the young Off
Ger, looking quizzioally at his inter
rogator, replied:
"'Yes, I think I could
"'Ihen the time has come when
you must be put to the test. Move
not a muscle until I tell you, or you
are a dead man.
"Then the bronzed old warrior
slowly drew his pistol from his hol-
ster, and, taking deliberate aim, lie
fired a shot at the very feet Of the
man to whom he had addressed his
ominous question. For the space Of q
second we all sat like statues; then
the colonel, in a tone of %rolicf, ex-
claimed:
cts all right now, boys. I've
killed it,
"We were all On our feet in an ill.,
slant, eager to know what danger
had threatened \ young comTade,
At his feet lay the coiling, squirm-
ing body of a hugo cobra, the most
venomOus' reptile that haunt5 the
iungles of India. ! think the man
who calmly faced that danger was
the bravest man I've ever met" said
the major, and no one dissented.--
New York Mercury.
vogt and Huxley.
Like Huxley, his English proto
type, Vogt was also an admirable
lecturer. Vogt never allowed the
opportunity of a pun to escape him.
and his bonmots were at times
hardly more elegant than they were
appropriate, but. for ali that, he was
very popular, and equally so with
the few women students of his class
as with the men. He spoke il
French with a decided German in
tonation, frequently relieving him
self of a sigh brought about by IL
uncomfortably asthmatio condition
His powerful bodily frame, dispro
p%ortionably shortened through ;
generous development of tissue
about the equatorial region, was il
. marked contrast to the tall aa(
nearly upright carriage Of Professor
. Huxley, whose slightly STOPPING
head and shoulders reduced some
what what might otherwise have
, been considered moro than averae,
, height. Huxley never entered thu
class lecture room except in Il dros
in which lie was immediately pre-
, pared to Ga to the street; Vogt rare
ly appeared without acoat which Iii;
, not in one Or mor places show vlsi
, BILE signs Of underlying shirt sleeves
Popular Science Monthly.
Fireless locomotives.
On the line of railway from ID,
heart of the city of Marseilles to IN
metropolis in the quarter of ST