The daily morning journal and courier., 1898-09-23

stringing knife. With it he would maim you for life.
 It is not possible in the terrific stress of Sudan warfare to detail fatigue par ties to overcome the resistance of wounded men and beat them to the field hospital. Hundreds died of their wounds as they lay on the battlefield, and those that did not die of their wounds had to be put out of their mis- cry. Terrible stories are told of this dire necessity. Those know best who have been engaged in battle with the Dervish what happened after the fight ing was over, and how the problem of dealing with the enemy's wounded was solved. In the campaign of 1855, par ties of English soldiers, commanded by English officers, used to go out to kill the wounded. One private prodded the helpless body between his shoulders with his bayonet. If there was no movement the party went on; if the .Dervish proved alive and squirmed, an- other private instantly blew his bains out.
 In one case remarkable for it's inevit- able cold blooded horror, it is said, the
 
 one of the most desperate of battles, were driven to madness by the voice of a wounded warrior who lay outside amid heaps of slain. All night a groan- ing cry of 'Allah! Allah!" rose into the silent night. Not the fierce sharp ring of the word when it is the War-cry for -headlong charge, but an imploring de- spairing moan; hour after hour that one word only. For Gods sake silence that man that was the feeling of all Council was held as to how it could be done. Soon three men were told off to get upon the sandbags of the little re- doubt at the corner of the zereba, and when the moon came out from behind the clouds, to fire volleys in the direc- tion from which the cry came. The yolleys were fired, but the cry went on. Finally it ceased. Whether the man was thus silenced or not was not ascer- tained, but in the morning there were only dead men in that part of the field. There were others, however, still alive. These could not be tended. Another story was current in those terrible days of how an officer, going up to a group of surgeons round wounded Dervish, and inquiring what was the matter, was told that nothing could be done with him, no one could approach him. He lay there with his knife cut ready with one of those sweeping ham-stringing cuts for any one who dared to come near. Whereupon the officer, still un- der the blood-ma dness of the fight and Seeing red" whipped out his own knife, avoided the rapid sweep of the wounded mans weapon, and drove his own to his heart.
 Such are some of the incidents of Soudan warfare As said above, the Dervish has learned to know us better, and has become tanner; but the pro- blem of dealing with his wounded must still remain. Was there any mention of Dervish wounded after the battle of the Atbara this year? And are there many of them in the hospitals in the rear? The correspondents have always re- mained strangely silent upon this sub ject. It has been denied in Parliament, we believe, that ever such things as we have described took place We'll, min isters are not less hypocritical than the rest of us, and possibly some of them knew that these things did happen. Whether they kneW 1t or not, there are dozens of men, like the writer of this article, who know that they happened because we were there and saw them. They do not make pleasant reading. But our military commanders in Egypt cannot be blamed for them; they are the cost of going to war with such people.-London Saturday Review.