The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1898-03-05

"Yes. ] have thought for years that Chi
nese Gordon might be alive and working
to convert the Sudanese, but since Slatin
Pasha told in his book of having been
lsbown GorGon's trunkless head / have not
dared even to hope. / left the Sudan the
year before the fall of Kbartum. after four
or five years army service there. Thus
spoke the Rev. George r. G. Fisher to tho
New York Press. Mr.. Fisher looks more
like the minister and missionary that he
is than like a soldier who had endured the
horrors of the Sudan campaigns. Ayoung
Scotchlnan OF a rowing disposition, he On
listed when under agc in tho medical de-
partment of the British army, being a field
dresser, q position corresponding to our
hospital steward.
ssTwice, 2 said Mr.. Fisher in relating
some of his own experiences, 81 have left
our lines and gone out to tho advance
over q fire swept plain to bring in the
wounded. The first time was under a rain
of asscgais, spears which the Sudanese
throw with terrible accuracy. They seem
to bend themselves almost double and leap
a foot or so into the air, and the. assegai,
which is 5 or @ feet long, seldom fails to
hit the mark, provided tho distance is not
more than 80 to 50 feet. Tho soldier l
brought in had been disabled, and the
spears fell thick about us, but wo escaped.
s'TEe second time the danger was far
greater The leg Of tho soldier had been
broken below the knee by q bullet, and he
lay 200 or 800 feet from our front rank,
tho intervening distance. being swept by
tho cross fire of the enemy. Two men had
gone out to bring in their comrade, but
after reaching him they laid fiat on tho
sand, making themselves as inconspicuous
as possible. 1t was evident that they in
tended to stay there until tho cross fire
slackened and wero making no efforts to
get back with the wounded man.
arhe surgeon said to me: Fisher, |
shall have to ask you to go out and get
that man. Those fellows will never bring
him in. So / frightened my belt and
started ON a run
"You have seen the spatters from big
drops CT rain on a stone sidewalk? Well.
that's tho way the sund looked as the bull
let's tore it up. When / reached him, l got
down on my knees and tied up the wound,
which was bleeding profusely. While do
ing this / folt a blow on the side of my
helmet which almost stunned me. ] had
turned my head a trife, and the bullet,
instead of striking full on, gave glancing
blow and 80 my life was saved again.
AFTER tho wound was dressed ] said to
tine two rescuers: Now, we'll have to get
out Of here and back into the lines with
him. So come on In such an emergency
I had authority over them. Then ! turned
to the wounded soldier, saying, This will
hurt you q bit, old man, but you stand-ib
md we'll get you back After some re-
luctance the two men rose up, having put
their burden on tho stretcher, and we seud.
Fortunately none of us was hit, but we
had the music of the bullets to accompany
US all tho way il.
American soldiers don't know, can
hardly imagine, what it is to go through a
campaign with tho thermometer 1877 de-
grces under the ice wagon. Did we have
ice? Yes. 1t was made at the base OF
supplies by an ether process from the con-
dcnsed water OF the Red sea.
"But about the heat. 1t cracked u
lips with a snap that could be heard. 1t
made us psrspiro SO that we could hear the
ooze ID our shoes and made our clothing
wringing wet. Yet there were not SO
many cases Of sunstroke as one would sup
pose. Orders were given that just as soon
as a man showed signs of collapse he
should be taken care OF.
"The most thrilling sight I saw in all
my service was when thousands and thou
sands Of Sndanese charged the York and
Lancaster regiment at tho battle of Kns-
sessine, Aug. 28, 1882. The soldiers were
resting, many Of them in their tents,
which had been put Up tor protection from