The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1898-05-08

swept with their bullets, and the
weather was blazing hot.
AT the we had been ordered
forward Findlater said. Il was just
Getting my dinner out of my knspsack.
There being no time to eat IL i VI IL
back. and 1 never had that dinner
missed it" This was an anti-ciimax
to my civilians thrill at thousands OF
miles of distance. But II was a r u
toucho Of nature. and 1t had a grim hui
NOR mic Findlater hardly
So the speech of Colonel Matthias.
Men of the Gordon Highlanders. the
general says that position must .
taken. The Gordon Highlanders viii
take it," Findlater could not be sure
whether these were the coloneTs exact
words. but he spoke to their effect
Now, we were on the brink of testing
the problem which stephen crane
studies-the feeling a soldier has while
i'm battle. mo" was Findiater's ver-
dict. Il don't ~recollect anything else
than this-how quickly could we get
across? We had to cross that gap. we
had to take the hill. and n sooner II
was all done the better" Nor by dist
of an endless questioning could i pun
from him any deliverance more de-
tailed. A task Is set: let's do III quick
ly: we're doing it-those appeared 10
have been the stages of the plain SOL
dier's mind.
Wait, though. there was the whistle
of the Afridi bullets. and the heavier
roar OF the British artillery. Would
those noises not stamp themselves
upon the mind? "A bullet" said Find
later, makes "a sough very lk the
buzz OF a bee, and you almost O
for IL as you look for a bee. It's a
trile uncanny to begin with, but soon
you don't mind. only you think vague
ly who, or what. will get hit next. As
to the artillery. l don't fancy IL could
have ever dislodged the Afridis: moth
ing but a bayonet charge could do
that. They had feet upon feet of sol
id rock from behind which they were
firing down upon us" Next to the
wounding of Findlater. which took
place three parts across the belt which
the Gordons were rushing with fixed
Won II had got On a little bit,
he recalled, when ! felt a touch In
one of my left toes. That was the
glance of a bullet. but no harm had
been done. A second bullet hit my
chanter, but fortunately did not dc
sufficient damage to prevent it from
being used. Suddenly my right les
gave way under me. and | slid dowr
into a heap. There was no pain, there
"A been no shock, simply my leg wa'
useless"
The blood ran from his mike anC
uNtu his XIII ftus the MIL Nhi' u
now i'm his knapsack. ana still has IL
splotches of scarlet. He saw tina
stream. but his single thought va
THE tune, the tune; 1t means tn
charge. and must be kept up If we'r
to lake the HILL Here was "A stat
of human affairs worth inquiring into
and / asked Findlater What train q
thoughts he had i'm falling down. II
confessed hat he could not help ms
could not even reason out Why n
should have continued to play-simpl
he did. We'll" he put il quietly, an
his was all-'well. | was there to pla,
That was my duty. and | suppose any
body would have don the same. NJ
pipes slid rather off my shoulder as
fell. but ! managed To get my bac
against a stone. and thus could pla!
The last I remember | was still gel
ting out the tune, then | tainted Tn
meant loss of blood. and suosequent
the wound caused him acute sufferin
The bullet a gone through the ank
at a downward slant. breaking Il
main bones i'm it's progress.
If | were to sum M my impressic
of Piper Findlater / should say TIL
he is a hero who recoils at the vel
idea of being a hero. Findlater al
his story must be taken together. e
when you understand the first, "
u realize how the second was possibl
: Both would be fairly hall-marked I
u the Victoria cross, for which the a.
mirable piper has been recommends