Worcester morning daily spy., 1898-02-27
ENGLAND's ARAB TROOPS.
CFrom London TimesN.


The coloneTs words produced an al
most magical effect With the Arabs
the fantasia must precede the fight. So
soon as the men heard these wholly un-
expected, but to them exceedingly well
come orders, there was a scene of the
most extraordinary excitement. In a
moment and of their own accord the
whole $50 men fell out of their ranks
and rushed off at full speed shouting,
brandishing their rifles, and leaping
toward their huts; and there, as is their
custom before going to battle, they
dOnned the amulets that heighten cour-
age and bring good fortune in war; the
armlets and necklaces of their wives;
and gave farewell embraces to those
dusky DANES, whose excitement was as
great as their own, for throughout all
the hut encampment now rose
the shrill luluing of the wo-
men and the din of beating TOM
toms. But the men wasted but little
time in these traditional observances.
Even as they had rushed off, so did they
soon hurry back, and were again drawn
up before Colonel Parsons, ready for the
march and eager for the light and the
looting of cattle which would be the re-
ward of victory
1t was expected that they would be
about five or six days away, but their
commissariat arrangements were very
simple; they had with them few cam
els to carry skins Of water and a little
flour. They had no baggage of any
sort; barefooted, and clad in scanty
robe of white cloth, each man carried
with him nothing but his rifle and ann
munition, and was quite prepared, if
given his handful of flour a day and a
sufticiency of water to march from one
end of the Soudan to the other Sons
Of the most warlike tribes of the Afri-
can Arabs-Hadendoa Benz Amer. and
others-theSe savage warriors presented
a splendid appearance as they stood
there drawn up awaiting the final order
that should let them loose, moving rest
lessly, murmur passing through their
ranks, like hounds with the prey in
sight still held back by the leash; while
their proud chiefs, clad in their pietur-
esque flowing robes of various colors,
rade UP and down the line on their
prancing horses
A little distance off stood all the wom-
en-, still lululng, clapping their hands
and encouraging their husbands with
brave words. All the warike instincts
Of, the race were uppermost, and one
felt that men like these need no tighter
discipline than that which now controls
them, when fighting under their chiefs,
to make them most formidable foe.
even if opposed to picked European
troops
At last The short, quick word of COM
mand was given, the bugle sounded and
they were off, a 16 hours march be-
tween them and the foe 1t was spec
tacle such as one seldom has the for
tune to behold The sun was just set
ting, red disk on the edge Of the broad
plain; and to the east the huge granite
buttresses and peaks of the Jebel Kas-
sala glowed in various tints of luminous
purple and copper-brown. As the bugle
sounded the chiefs waved their swords
and spurred their horses the men gave
yen and in a body broke into a quick
run, brandishing their rifles, 1eaping and
cheering as before, and rushed in the
direction of the setting sun, across the
plain of withered grass, soon to disap-
pear in the clouds of dust they raised.
So long as they We're in sight the wom-
Ell lulued and the tomtoms beat 1T
was, indeed a very fine setting out for
battle. I think that had even the most
peaceable individual of those who regard
all war with horror been present the
contagion of that excitement would
have found out in him and made to
tingle some hidden, unsupported fibre of
the old barbarian.