The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1898-07-27
Varied and Active Military Ser
vice Of a BFitiShGT.
HE is NOW HERE IN THE U. S. A.
Has Been i'm Fighting in Egypt and
South Africa With Cecil
RhOdes-In Pretoria:

Private Thomas Davis. sometime
trooper in the Royal Horse Artillery
in the Egyptian campaign of 1929, a
pioneer in Mashonaland under the
Rhodesian company; in Colonel Penny
feathers company of Kaffir fighters in
MatabeIeland in 80; a native COM
missioner in charge>of tn Massey dis
trict: member of Jameison's raiders
on the TransvaaI; prisoner in Pre-
tOria; a scout with F. c. Seloug for
General Carrington's famous band of
cavalrymen, and one of the six white
men having in charge the exploring
party under Major Forbes, of the
TranscOntinental Telegraph company,
surveying from the Transvaal to
the north, is a private in Company l.,
Fourteenth Regiment, L. S. A, now on
troopship City of Puebla bound for
Manila.
Private Davis sailed from Bira,
Portuguese seaport, for Mashonaland,
last winter, on a Norwegian ship bound
for Savannah in ballast to load tur-
pentine. Along with him was friend,
a young American, also invalided home
from South Africa, having been at
tackled with the fever there, and who
persuaded Davis to go to San Fran
cisco. COnvalescing there, he was
soon an applicant for enlistment under
the Stars and Stripes and has with
heart and soul espOused the cause of
liberty in the Orient
This SCARED veteran is but thirty
years of age and relates with mOdesty
his achievements in the many engage
ments with the savages of South Af-
rica. Three times has he been wound
ed. A dreadful mark on his left cheek
shows the cruel force of a ricOchettlng
bullet, and he has wounds on his limbs.
On his side, is a deep furrOw plowed
by another piece of Lead. Another gal
liant young Englishman who has joined
Uncle Sans forces was a COmrade of
Davis in Africa. Gunner Fishbowl, of
the Astor Battery, which lately passed
through Honolulu on its way to the
Philippines. Davis and FishbOwl Will
say hOwdy-dO at Manila Eaxt month
possibly.
Davis was but 16 years of age when
he enlisted in England for the Egypt
ian campaign under Sir Garnet VOL
seley and the storming of Tel Ell Ke-
bir took place soon after he arrived in
Egypt. He was literally baptized in
blood. After the troubles on the Nile
had quieted down. and the unfortunate
Gordon fell at KhartOum, the young
trooper went to South Africa to take
service with the famous Cecil Rhodes.
He was given a command in the Ma
shOna war and then appointed a native
commissioner, having learned to speak
the Kaffir language fluently. During
the fights with the natives Davis had
become an expert in the handling OF
the rapid fire Maxim gun. 1t saved
us from annihilatiOn more times than
[ can tell" Under the proper ad-
justment Of the intricate springs some
of these guns were capable of firing 900
rounds minute. When asked why the
natives did not take advantage OF this
fact it was explained that though they
might capture a gun sometimes they
always managed to jam or disable 1t
in some way before it could be Of much
service to them.
This reminds one of the time when
the Gatling rapid fire guns were
! found by the local revolutiOnists Of
| SO to have been left by the native SOL
diers in such a condition that the first
| turn of the handle would put them
out of use.
! Of course in the service Of Colonel
! Rhodes. Of the South African Com
pany, Davis was thrown in contact
with all the famous men who are max
| ing history in the dark continent. With
John Hays Hammond and Scout Bur
man, both Americans, he formed warm
! friendships and when, with the cap
! tured raiders of DR.. JameisOn's party
! he spent a fortnight in the BOer jail
! at Pretoria. he was not forgotten.
! Liberated by Dom Paul, Davis was
again employed in the expansion Of the
! English possessions to the north. with
/ 100 Sikhs and 800 Zulus, Davis, and
with him six other white men, went
TO survey the TranscOntinentaI Iele-
graph line towards Egypt. For some
months the party succeeded in keeping
up very well. But the blackwater few
er set in and soon out Of the numer-
Gus and well equipped band that had
started out from Rhodesia not a single
Sikh and hlEr twenty ZuluS and the