The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1898-03-02
WYNNE'S COURAGE.


Roster, not only because Of the sun,
which was responsible for mere
100 degrees of temperature, but be-
cause of the inordinate number of
apparently immortal Arabs who
were marshaled or rather thrown
in battle array and who came rush
ing ever and again in yelping multi
tudes on the devoted bayonets of
little square OF British infantry
They fell, of course, in heaps before
the volleying rifles and machine
guns, but die they would not. Per
versity had taken flesh within them,
and they writhed, foaming with
pain, through sand and scrub, to
bury their steel, not in the bosoms,
but in the lower limbs and entrails
of their enemies.
There were young soldiers fasci-
mated by the fear of death, who
would watch them coming, power
less to ward OFF the blow, the empty
rife clutched foolishly in the trem
bling hand, till the fierce steel had
bitten out their life.
Marmaduke Wynne was a young
soldier; not SO young in years, but
this was his first battle, and he
was afraid-horribly, paralytically
afraid. He felt fear in his heart, in
his throat, in his arms, bis legs, his
feet and his hands. It had worked
its way into his revolver and his
sword; his very helmet seemed in
fected by it, and covered Imply on
his head. He stood at corner of
the square behind his men, not even
pretending to direct their fire, his
face whsfe under the suEburn, and
his eyes half closed to hide tho hor-
ror around him. He dared not look
up; if the fear once crept into his
brain he knew he must run; whittier
ne could not tell-perhaps into the
midst of the enemy for very shame.
He was surprised at his weakness,
though all his past life might have
told him that it was bound to come
upon him. Not that his soul was
cowardly: as a boy he had ever
dreamed of high deeds of knightly
prowess which he would do when
manhood had given him the power,
but now that his first maturity had
been entered he still felt himself, as
of old, powerless to realize his bravo
ambition. At Cairo he had blushed
at the anticipation of his coming
glory; here at the front facing the
enemy his stomach was sick with
fear and dishonor.
On came posse of fanatics, their
long knives afiame in the sunlight.
A shout, burst of smoke, a culver
of baTonets-they disappear, but
two more of Marmaduke's men are
gone. One had been just in front
of hi1n-the enemy had got SO far.
His lips blanch; the adjutant' IS voice
breaks in upon his ear.
Say, Wynne, this won't do. This
beggar's rifles sighted to $500.
That's all nonsense.
Another shout, another rush; the
boy slips back the sight, raises the
rife to his shoulder, picks out
horseman in the oncoming mob and
pulls the trigger.
"Got lint" says the adiutant tri-
umphantly as the man falls from
his saddle, thereby impeding the
rush of those behind. The boy
throws down the rifle and turns
away saying, 'Try 800, and keep
your men better in hand. Hepasses
on down the square.
Wynne dared not reply. He knew
his teeth would chatter if he opened
his mouth. How he envied the other
his GOODNESS, and yet hitherto he
had never thought him better man
than himself-scarcely had he deem
ed him as good. Itwas all aquestion
of temperament, he supposed. Ger
tainly that the latter had killed
the savage horseman was entirely
thanks to his nerves; there was no
courage required to shoot Il man 200
yards away if one only knew how
to do it. Then be reflected that he
himself was afraid to fire off bis re-
volver for fear of hitting his own
men. There was nothing cowardly
in that; it merely showed his COLI
sideration for others or ut worst his
lack of self confidence. And yet he
knew at the bottom OF his soul that
he was behaving ,lisgracefully.
He tried to pull himself together,
and as fresh charge came surgins
forward he made a movement as IT
of advance to meet il, bnt 4 spear
whizzed over his head, and in spite
of himself he shrank back. The
sayages rushed in upon his men
with a dreadful howl. and to his
horror they gave way. His sergeant,
on whom he had relied, was c1.t
down and the young soldiers fell
back. He tried to tell them to be
cte,dv but the words would not