The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1899-07-12

/ feat the Afghans had the rocky hills to
fly to, where the fire from the guerrilla
tribes in aid would cover their retreat.
In the event of victory these same tribes
would rusl1 down and lend their weight
to the rout of the British.
The scrtw guns We're TO shell the head
of each Afghan rush that was made in
close formation. and the cavalry, held
in reserve in the right valley, were to
gently stimulate the break up which
would follow on the combined attack.
The brigadier, sitting upon rock
overlooking the valley, would watch
the battle unrolled at his feet. The Fore
and Aft would debouch from the cen
tral gorge, the Gurkhas from the left
and the highlanders from the right, for
the reason that the left flank of the
enemy seemed as though it required
the most hammering. 1t was not every
day that an Afghan force would take
ground in the open, and the brigadier
was resolved to make the most of it.
eff we only had few more men,
he said plaintively, eve could surround
the creatures and crumble 'em up thor
oughly. AS it is, I'm afraid we can only
cut them up as they run. It's a great
pity.
The Fore and Aft had enjoyed unbro-
ken peace for FIVE days and were begin
ming, in spite of dysentery, to recover
their nerve. But they were not happy,
for they did not know the work in
hand and, had they known, would not
have known how to do it. Throughout
those FIVE days in which old soldiers
might have taught them the craft of the
game they discussed together their mis-
adventures in the past-how such a
one was alive at dawn and dead ere the
dusk, and with what shrieks and strug-
giles such another had given up his soul
under the Afghan knife. Death was
new and horrible thing to the sons OF me-
chanics who were used to die decently
of zymotic disease, and their careful
conservation in barracks had done moth
ing to make them look upon it with
| less dread
Very early in the dawn the bugles be-
gan to blow. and the Fore and Aft, tiled
with misguided enthusiasm, turned
ont without waiting for cup of coffee
and biscuit and were rewarded by
being kept under arms in the cold while
the other regiments leisurely prepared
for the frav
The Fore and Aft waited, leaning upon
their rifles and listening to the protests
of their empty stomachs. The colonel
did his best to remedy the default OF
lining as soon as it was borne in upon
him that the affair would not begin at
once, and so we'll did he succeed that
the coffee was just ready when-the
men moved off, their band leading
Even then there had been mistake IN
time, and the Fore and Aft came out
into the valley ten minutes before the
proper hour. Their band.wheeled to the
right after reaching the open and re-
tired behind little rocky knoll, still
playing. while the regiment went past
It was not pleasant sight that open
ed on the unobstructed view, for the
lower end of the valley appeared to be
filed by an arr position-real and
actual regiments attired in red coats
and-of this there was no doubt-hring
Martini-Hepry bullets, which cut up
the ground 100 yards in front of the
leading company Over that pockmark-
ed ground the regiment had to pass,
and it opened the ball with general
and profound courtesy to the piping
pickets, ducking in perfect time, as
though it had been brazed on rod.
Being half capable of thinking for
itself, it fired volley by the simple
process of pitching its rife into its
shoulder and pulling the trigger The
bullets may have accounted for some OF
the watchers on the hillside, but they
certainly did not affect the mass of enc
nv in front, while the noise of the rifles
drowned any orders that might have
been given
Good God!" said the brigadier, sit
ting on the rock high above ali. "That
regiment has spoiled the whole show.
Hurry up the others. d let the screw
guns get off
But the screw guns, in working round
the heights. had stumbled upon wasps'
nest of small mud fort, which they
incontinently shelled at 500 yards, to
the huge discomfort of the occupants,
who were unaccustomed to weapons OF
such devilish precision.
The Fore and Aft continued to go for
ward, but with shortened stride. Where
were the other regiments, and why did
these niggers use Martins? They took
open order instinctively, lying down
and firing at random, rushing a few
PAGES forward and lying down again,
according to the regulations. Once in
this formation each man felt himself
desperately alone and edged in toward
his fellow for comforts sake.
Tbon +ha crack of his neighbOr' S rife