The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1898-10-21

ut was the last day of Mahdlsm, and
the greatest. They could never get near
and they refused to hold back. BY now
the ground before US was all white with
dead mems drapery. Rifles grew red
hot; the soldiers seized them BY the
slIngs and dragged them back to the
reserve to change for cool ones. It was
not a battle, but an execution"
This Is Mr.. Stevens account OF the
now famous charge of the Twenty-first
Lancers-a charge whereof it must be
said, as of that Of the Light Brigade at
Balaklava, at was magnificent, but 1t
was not war
"Verglng somewhat westward, to the
rear of Gebel Surgham. they came on
some 800 dervlshes. Their scouts had
been over the ground thousand yards
ahead of them, and 1t was clear for a
charge. only to cut them OF It was
thought better to get little west OF
them, the left wheel, and thus gall
lop down on hem and drive them away
from their supports. The trumpets sang
out the order, the troops gllded into line
and, four sQuadrons in column, the
Twenty-hrst Lancers swung into their
first charge"
Knee 10 knee they swept on tin they
were but 200 yards from the enemy.
Then suddenlV-then in a tiaSh-they
saw the trap. Between them and the
800 there yawned suddenly deep ra-
vine; out OF the ravine there sprang
Instantly q cloud OF dark heads and a
brandIshinE lightning OF swords and o
thunder OF savage voices. Mahmud
smiled when he heard the tale in prison
al HALO. and said It was their favoFite
stratagen. It had succeeded. Three
thousand, II there was one, TO n short
800; but IL was too late to check noY.
Must go through with 1t now. The
biunders OF British cavalry are the fer
tile seed OF British glory. Knee to knee
the Lancers whirled on. One hundred
yards-hftF-knee to knee
slap! 1T was Just like that said
captain, bringing his fist hard into
his open palm. Through the swords
mon they shore without checklng-Rnd
then came the khor. The colonel at their
head, riding straight through every
thing without sword or revolver drawn,
found his horse on It's head and the
swords swooping about his own. He got
the charger up again and rode on
straight, unhrmed, through everything.
The squndrons followed him down the
fall Horses plunged, Numbered, re-
covered, fell. Dervlshes on the ground
lay for the ham-stringlng cut. officers
plstoled them In passing over as one
drops O stone into bucket; troopers
thrust till lances broke, then cut; ev-
erybody went on straight through ev-
erything.
"And through everything, clean out
the other side they came-those that
kept up or got up In time. The others
were on the Rround-ln pieces by now,
FOR the cruel swords shore through
shoulder and thigh and carved the dead
into fiiiets. Twenty-four OF these, and
of those that came out seVenty-four
had felt sword or bullet or spear. Few
horses stald behind among the swords.
but nearly 1870 were wounded. Lieuten-
ant Robert Grenfell's troop came on
place with jump as well as q jump In.
II left officer, center guide. and both
flank guides, ten killed, and eleven
wounded. Yet when they burst strag-
Cling out thelr only thought was to
rally aud TO go In again, Rally No. O.
yelled n sergeant, 20 manglod across the
face that his body was n cascade of
blood. and nose and checks tapped hid
eously as ne yelled: Fall out. sergeant,
you're wounded. said the subaltcrn OF
his troop. No, sir, fall I'M came the
hoarse nnswcr and the man reeled In
his saddle Fan IN No fall In! Where
are the devils? Show me the dCvllsp
And No. ln-four whole men out OF
thirty.
"They chafed and stamped, and
blasphemod to 80 through them again,