Herald and news. [volume] (West Randolph, Vt.) 1878-1943, 1899-06-15
THE DRUMS Of THE
FORE AND AFT.
By RUDYARD KIPLING.
AVID little ana shalI lend faem.

Tydfilshire Own Royal LOYAL Light In
fantry Regimental District 329A :"
but the army through all its barracks
and canteens knows them now as the
Fore and Aft. +" They may in time do
something that shall make their new
title honorable, but at present they are
bitterly ashamed. and the man who
calls them Fore and Aft does so at
the risk Of the head which is ON his
shoulders
Two words breathed into the stables
OF certain cavalry regiment will bring
the men out into the streets with belts
and mops and bad language, but whis-
per of Fore and Aft will bring out
this regiment with rifles.
Their one excuse is that they came
again and did their best to finish the
job in style. But for a time all their
world knows that they were openly
beaten. whipped dumb cowed, shaking
and afraid. The men know it: their
officers know it the Horse Guards know
it, and when the next war comes the
enemy win know it also. There are two
or three regiments Of the line that have
a black mark against their names which
they viii then wipe out. and it will be
excessively inconvenient for the troops
upon whom they do their wiping.
The courage Of the British soldier is
officially supposed 10 be above proof.
and as a general rule. it is so. The
exceptions are decently shoveled ont Of
sight. only TO be referred to in the
freshet Of unguarded talk that occa-
sionally swamps mess table at mid
night. Then one hears strange and hor-
rible stories Of men not following their
officers, Of orders being given by those
who had no right TO give them, and Of
disgrace that, but for the standing luck
Of the British army, might have ended
in brilliant disaster These are un-
pleasant stories to listen to, and the
messes tell them under their breath sit
ting by the big wood fires, and the young
officer bows bis head and thinks to him
self. please God, his men shall never be
have unhandily.
The British soldier is not altogether
to be blamed for occasional lapses, but
this verdict he should not know. a
moderately intelligent general will
waste six months in mastering the craft
Of the particular war that he may be
waging. a colonel may utterly misun-
derstand the capacity Of his regiment
for three months after il has taken the
field, and even company commander
may err and be deceived as to the tenn
per and temperament of his own hand
full. wherefore the soldier. and the sol
der Of today more particularly. should
not be blamed for falling back He
should be shot or hanged afterward-
pour encourager les autres-but he
should not be vilified in newspapers. for
that is want of tact and waste Of space.
He has. let us say, been in the service
Of the empress for perhaps four years
He will leave in another two years. He
has no inherited morals. and four years
are not sufficient to drive toughness in
to his fiber, OF 10 teach him how holy
thing is his regiment He wants TO
drink. he wants to enjoy himself-in
India he wants TO save money-and he
does not in the lesst like getting hurt
He has received Just sufficient education
TO make him understand half the pur-
port of the orders he receives and 10
speculate on the nature Of clean, incised
and SCATTERING wounds Thus. If he is
told to deploy under fire preparatory TO
an attack. be knows that he runs a
very great risk Of being killed while he
is deploying, and suspects that he is be-
ing thrown away 10 gain ten minutes
time He may either deploy with des-
perate swiftness. or he may shuttle or
bunch or break. according TO the disci- I
pline under which he has lain for four
years.
Armed with imperfect knowledge. |
cursed with the rudiments Of an imagi- /
nation, hampered by the intense selfish |
ness of the lower classes and unsup- I
ported by any regimental associations,
this young man is suddenly introduced =
10 an enemy who in eastern lands is al 4
ways ugly, generally tall and hairy 4
and frequently noisy. II he looks TO The
right and the left and sees old soldiers
men of l2 years service. who. he
knows. know what they are about
taking charge. rush OF demonstration
without embarrassment he is coDsoled
and applies his shoulder 70 the butt OF
his rifle with a stout heart His peace
is the greater If he hears senior. who
has taught him his soldering and bro
ken his head ON occasion, whispering
They'll shout and carry on like this
for five minutes Then they i rush in.
and then we've got 'em by the short
hairs
But. on the other hand If he sees
,nly men of his own term Of service
.urning white and playing with their
Triggers and saying, What the hell's
M nowT while the company com
handlers are sweating into their sword
,ilts and shouting. Front rank. TX
,ayonetsl Steady there-steady sight
ar sOO-no. for 500 Lie down, all
steady Front rank, kneelr and SO
orth. he becomes unhappy and grows
l.. baar1 a fsrf1n- !