Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1899-12-30

/ altern returned the spirited reply; III
IS inconsistent with my duty as a soldier
10 surrender my trust" An urgent ap-
peal was once more made by Mrs. Long p
friends IN the town 10 induce her TO quit
the fort and take up her residence IN one
OF the many homes placed at her dispo-
sal. But she stouty refused.
Two days afterward the attack COM
menced. For three hours and a half 700
Beers kept up continuous rihe-hre upon
the little fort al a range OF go yards. In
her own charmngly modest and simple
narrative, Mrs. Long thus describes her
feelings when she first found herself
under fire.
IL must humbly- confess that during
the first hour Of the firing I was dread
fully frightened. and took refuge under
a table. for IT'S imaginary shelter. Father
Walsh entering the hut Of that moment,
with his breviary in his hand, to look
for me. and not finding me as he ex-
pected. called me. ] lifted the table COW
or and poked my head out. saying. Here
am, Father My position struck me as
so ludicrous that I burst into hearty
~ OF laughter. Not TIN Il. NJ was
/ able 20 ascertain that, Notwithstanding
the terrible fire of the last four hours,
no a man had been wounded. My husband
knowing how anxious ! should be as 10
/ his safety, looked IN as often as he could
to cheer me"
But she very soon overcame these natu-
raj torrors, and got 50 used 10 the firing.
| even when the Beers brought a couple of
cannon 10 hear on the fort, that she FREE
quently slept right Through the cannon
ade
What with tending the sick and wound
/ ed, and making sandbags sometimes
| turning out as many as four dozen OF
them IN a day. AIRS. Longs time was
! fully occupied. Think OF her there one
woman, little more than a girl. alone
/ among sixty men fighting for their lives
against ten times their number! what
/ wonder that the men fought Ike heroes
| with this daintily bred English lazy snar-
| ing all their dangers and setting them ai
/ example Of patience and courage ana
! cheerfulness. She admitted that ut first
| she felt the absence Of any OF her Own
sex keenly. But the soldiers We're 50 de-
/ voted to her, so delicate I'm tncir soicitude
ana consideration for her. that she soon
| lost the sence Of loneliness
One day strange messenger arrived.
| little biack-and-tan terrier, with "A piece
/ OF paper folded in rag tied round us
/ neck IL was communication from
some friendly townfolk informing them
| That the Beers were quafreihhg anon
/ themselves furious with Dietrich Mule.
! for being such a fool as 10 allow ln
English those five days TO complete lhrN
| defenders OF the fort We're hfinS l'.
| hlgh-which hint. / need hardly say was
quickly taken.
| The garrison had nothing I'm the shape
Of gun with. which 90 meet the ire oi
the two siX-pouuders that The Beers hio
| iu position. But one day Mrs. Long suk-
gcsted 10 one OF The army service men
! that the monkey OF am ADysslnlai
pump which they had might perhaps De-
utilized. The idea WIS promptly seized
upon and ingenouslv carried ineo eXecu-
| ton. and the E0els were very much
amazed when a Cylindrical shot WelshNs
/ two pounds six ounces, formed or ROUND
crOWbar iron cased iu lead. came crasii-
| ing IN among them. Mrs. Long gun
/ as it was christened, proved very va
able addition TO the ornament oi t"it
] Mary.
through with rOuud-shot and rihe-buueis
! and the ESCAPES from ocath were $50 mira
| culOus that Lieutenant Long twice na"
/ the men assembled for specidi THANKS
| giving service conducted by Father Walsh
! ON one occasion cannOn-shot suugN
! the wall within an inch OF Mis. LONE p
/ head and covered her with dust ANA
/ debris ,,
| came down about her ears. and her cs-
cane from being crushed ia the ruins was
marvellous But she must neru@ woman
| Ike. go back 10 rescue her Things gnu
| Expressed truly feminine sorrow 10 uAA
! her hest bonnet smashed as DAT as "a pam
cake. and only one cup. TWO sauctl7. @"u
q couple OF plates left Of all her sheiishro
crOchery.
Meanwhile the men kept mp their spir-
Its with music and dancing. HOLD lhe
| Fort" with "a strictly local application
was a fsVorite chorus. and the men in
vented a version of the famous lingo
Ne don't want to fight but, by lingo! if
We've got the pluck. we've got the men,
and ammunition. too,
We've fought the Zulu king ana seke-
And the Beers shall never get into Fort
And hey never did though they tried
their utmost 90 drive out the gallant de-
Tenders with cannon and rines. ana, whdl
was worse. Greek fire. shot IN me-
| tslic tubes into the thatch of the roofs
Perhaps ii the Beers could only have
summoned up courage TO make deter
mined assault while the huis were blaz-
| ing and half the garrison occupied I'm put
ting out the flames. they might have cap
tured the fort. But they did not care 10
meet the stubborn defenders Of Fort Mary
hand 10 hand SO they coDtented them
selves with pOttiug at The gallant fellows
who fearlessly exposed themselves in their
efforts TO eXtnguish the fire. Those eff
forts were successful. though they cost
the lives Of TWO brave men who could il
be spared.
standing only on the defensive. They
made plucky little night s0rties. which
scared the Beers considerably and caused
them some loss. Twice conductor Par
sons OF the Army Service Corps sailed
out alone i'm the dark. and pitched rand
grtnalcs in among the enemy when pro-
duced q perfect panic among them. There
was vigorous sappingiand mining. TOO ON
the part Of the Royal Engineers, Who
made things very lively for the besiegers
Then the water ran short. a pint % daN
for each man was all that could be spar
ed: and this. though supplemented with
Tint bottle Of ale from the stores. was
terribly short ratiOns OF drink in the hot
test month of an African summer. PluCky
Mrs. Long found the privatiOn Of water
Tor washing more trying than ever the
thirst: and her iOv was intense when.
after many days Of this priyauon, She
discovered a big bath-sponge I'm its oil
cloth case still damp. one daily wipe
she and her husband allowed themselves
as q luxury, and then locked the sponge
uD At last the rain. which Tor many
weary hours they had watched delusing
the hills around, cOndescended 10 visit
them, and then they had rather more
water than they wanted; for the huts
beng on rOOhess since the fire. there was
no shelter from the pitiless doWnpOur.
The soldiers. always eager and ANXIOUS
10 protect Mrs Long. rugged up tar
pualin screen to shield her from the rain
when sleeping; but. despite their care she
often woke up drenched.
The news Of the disasters az Laing
Mex and Maiuba Hill was. of course,
promptly communicated 20 them by the
summons 20 surrender But Lieutenant
Long. though badly wounded himself,
living helpless with his faithful wife nurs-
ing him night and day, sent back the curt
answer: II shall hold out 90 the last
And the men looking al that brave woman
so paticnt and cheerful under her terrible