The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1898-09-25
Horrors of Sudan Warfare.


Now. there Is no Drawer. kinder man
in the world than the army doctor. In
his extemporized field-hospitsi. often I'M
der q heavy IRE with i hastily thrown
UP screen of eommisSariat cases. pack
saddles water-tanks or whatever came
handy. he performed miracles; he was
ready 10 minister 70 the wants OF al
wounded men. He was anxious 20 tend
the wounded Dervish whenever one might
be brought in. But no wounded DsrVIsa
ever was II was as much as any one
life was worth 10 go near wounded Der
wish. He would lie on the ground, glazing
about him like a Mild beast. Approach
him. and out came his carved ham-siring-
ing knife. With II ne would make vicious
sweeps. any one Of which would MAIN
you for life
II IS not possible in the terrific stress of
Sudan warfare TO detail fatigue parties 10
overcome the resistance OF wounded men
and beat them 10 the field-hOspitaL Hun
dreds 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 misery 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 lS55. parties
OF English soldiers, commanded By Eng
lish officers. used 20 so out TO XIII the
wounded. One private prodded the help
less body between his shoulders with his
bayones. II there was no movement the
party went on: II the Dervish proved alive
and sduirmed. another private instantly
blew his brains out.
In one case, remarkable for its tneVita-
bic cold-blooded horror. II is said. the
troops inside a zereba, the night after
one Of the most desperate OF battles, were
driven TO madness BY the voice Of 4 woun-
ded warrior who lay outside amidst heaps
of slain. All night a groaning cry OF
Allah Allah rose into the silent night
Not the fierce sharp ring OF the word
when ii is the war-cry for headiong
charge, but an imploring. despair.ng
moan; hour after hour that one word
only Fer Gods sake. silence that
man'-that was the feeling OF all Conn-
Gil was held as TO how IL could ne done.
Soon three men were told 10 get upon the
sand-bags of the little redoubt al the cor
ner of the zereba. and when the moon
came out from behind the clouds. TO IRE
volleys in the direction from which the
cry came. The volleys were fired. but the
cry went on. Finally II ceased. Whether
the man was thus silenced or not was not
ascertained. 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 An
other story was current in those terrible
days of how an officer going up 20 a
group of surgeons round wounded Der
wish. and inQuiring what was the mater.
was told that nothing could be done with
him. no one could approach him. He lay
there with his knife out, ready with one
OF those sweeping ham-stringing cuts for
any one who dared 10 come near Where
upon the officer. stll under the blood
madness Of the fight and seeing red.
whipped out his own Knife. avoided the
rapid sweep Of the wounded mans wes-
pom. and drove his own 70 his heart
Such are some OF the Incidents OF SUI
dan warfare As said above, the Dervish
has learned 10 know US better. and has
become tanner; but the problem Of deal
ing with his wounded must still remain.
Was there any mention OF Dervish wouu-
ded after the battle Of the Atbara this
year? And are there many OF them in
the hospitals in the rear? The correspond
ents have always remained strangely ST.
lent upon this subject. II has been de-
MED in parliament. we believe. that ever
such things as we have described took
place Well. ministers are not less hypo-
critical than the rest OF US. and possibly
some OF them knew that these things
did happen. Whether they knew II 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 pleas
ant reading. But our military command
ers in Egypt cannot he blamed for them;
they are the cost Of going 10 war with
such a people-London Saturday Review.