The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1896-09-24
ENGLANo's BEST SCOUT.


Il
the MatabeIe War.
Wherever you go you find the Ameri-
can, and he is never in the rear ranks.
The best scout in the Matabele war IS
an American, Burnham, Texan, VINO
wears a Texan sombrero and rides
Texas saddle. He fights for the pleas
ure of fighting His education and hisI
natural powers of inductive reasoning, 4
says an English newspaper correspond
ent, raise him at once to high rank
among the scouts of this or any other
country" Burnham's eyes are the won
der of all beholders. They are small
rowing, blue eyes. Women fall in love
with them. Cecil Rhodes says they can.
see right through mountain when y
Matabele is on the other side of it. An
other correspondent declares the sin
envy little mamie is only five feet
four in height-to be a veritable pocket
edition of Hercules. Then he adds
most impressively: "And withal he IS
modest and truthful" which is some
thing wonderful and unaccountable I'M
South Africa.
Burnham's greatest feat was the
shooting of M'limo under circumstances
that would have done credit to Davy
Crockett. M'limo was the great witch
doctor of the Matabele. He started the
rebellion, saying that he could turn
away the bullets from Uncle Hiram
Maxim's patent music box into water
if his fellow countrtymen~IycHld--orn
bring him presents in return for the
favor. His throne was in cave which
was the center of pilgrimages for the
natives far and near. Burnham deter
mined to kill him. The British officers
laughed at his attempt as a fools
Grand" But he enlisted the assistance
of sturdy young Englishman named
Armstrong, and they started for
M'limO's cave. The hills were fairly
swarming with natives, and Burnham
and Armstrong travelled by night and
slept by day. They led their horses, 50
as to make as little noise as possible.
and also to keep them fresh, as they
knew after Milne had been killed it
would depend upon their horses wheth-
er they would be able to return to the
lager Or not.
VIXEN they arrived in sight of the
Gaze they found hundreds of natives
shout, but were Disguised to find that
MlimO himself was not there, being two
or three miles away. They sent the
negro servant whom they had brought
with them to tell the witch doctor that
some natives We're waiting for him with
great quantities of presents. Then, like
the good scouts they were, they moved
on some distance from the place where
they told the servant they would wait
for him, so as to be on guard in case he
played them false. But in doing so they
ran plump into a body of Kaffirs Had
the katfirs been Matabeae the two scouts
would have been killed then and there.
Burnham pretended they were in great
fear of M'limo and wanted to make him
presents. The Kaffirs persuaded the
Matabele to leave the scouts alone until
M'limO came and decided what should
be done with them. So they started
down the road from the cave to meet
Mlimo. When they met him Burnham
saw that if he shot M'limo the whofa
crowd of natives would be on them in
minute. After going through u
long orgy, M'limo invited them into a
cave alone and told the natives to clear
out. No sooner were they in the cave
than Durham sent bullet through
M'limO's skull.
I'VE didn't wait to lay the body
out" says Burnham, "but we ran for
our horses with all our might. The Mig
gers followed and shot at us repeated.
ly, but their aim was bad. We put our
horses to it for all they were worth
1t seemed to me that our horses jumped
over some rocks as high as their heads
and it is a wonder to me that they didnN
break their neclls and ours into the bar
gain" Though the killing of M'limt
did not have the effect that was ex-
pected, this detracts none from Burn.
hams daredevil cleverness.-N. Y Press