The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1899-07-19

I 11SQianQetS- cduully COui1HSAoinS ei1SAA
puls to God (for it matters as much to
! dead man whether he has been shot
In a border scufle or at Waterloo),
opened out and fired according to their
custom-that is to say, without heat
and without intervals-while the screw
guns, having disposed of the imrerti-
nent mud fort aforementioned, dropped
shell after shell into the clusters round
the Pickering green standards on the
heights.
eCharrgin is an unfortunate neces-
sit7,'' murmured the color sergeant of
the right company of the highlanders.
cit makes the men sweer so, but I
am thinkin that it will come to a
Charge if these black devils stand much
longer. Stewart, man, you're frin
into the eye Of the SIN, and he'll not
take any harm for government ammu-
neetion. A foot lower and a great deal
slower! What are the English doin?
They re very quiet there in the center
Runnin again?
The English were Tot running. They
we're hacking and hewing and stab
bing, for, though one white man is sell
dom physically match for an Afghan
in a sheepskin or wadded coat, yet
through the pressure of many white
men behind and certain thirst for re-
yenge in his heart he becomes capable
of doing much with both ends of his
rife. The Fore and Aft held their fire
till one bullet could drive through five
or six men, and the front Of the Afghan
force gave on the volley. They then Sc
lected their men and slew them with
deep gasps and short hacking coughs
and groanings of leather belts against
strained bodies and realized for the first
time that an Afghan attacked is far
less formidable than an Afghan attack
ing, which fact old soldiers might have
told them.
But they had no old soldiers in their
| ranks.
| The Gurkhas' stall at the bazaar was
the noisiest, for the men were engaged
to nasty noise, as of beef being cut
on the block-with the kukri, which
they preferred to the bayonet, well
knowing how the Afghan hates the half
moon blade.
AS the Afghans wavered the green
standards on the mountain moved down
to assist them in last rally, which
was unwise. The lancers, chafng IN the
right gorge, had thrice dispatched their
only subaltern as galloper to report on
the progress of affairs. On the third oc-
casion he returned with bullet Craze
on his knee, swearing strange oaths in
Hindustanee and saying that all things
were ready. So that squadron swung
round the right CT the highlanders with
wicked whistling Of wind in the pen
mons of its lances and fell upon the
remnant just when, according to all
the rules of war. it should have waited
for the foe to show more signs OF wav-
ering.
But it was a dainty charge, deftly
delivered, and it ended by the cavalry
finding itself at the head of the pass by
which the Afghans intended to retreat,
and down the track that the lances
had made streamed two companies OF
highlanders, which was never intended
BY the brigadier The new development
was successful. It detached the emery
from his base as a sponge is torn from
rock and left him ringed about with
FIRE in that pitiless plain. And as a
sponge is chased round the bathtub by
the hand Of the bather, SO were the At
ghans chased till they broke into little
detachments much more difficult to dis
tose of than large masses
'.See" quoth the brigadier. Every
thing has come as l arranged. We've
cut their base, and now We'll bucket
EN- to pieces
a direct hap,mering was all that the
brigadier had dared to hope for, consld-
ering the size of tie force at his dis
posal, but men who stand or fall by the
errors of their opponents may be Tor
given for turning chance into design
The bucketing went forward merrlly.
The Afghan forces were upon the run
-luC Ou VI w CdAlSU NO4fSS NAO oA4oAN
and bite over their shoulders The red
lances dipped by twos and threes. and,
with shrek, up rose the lance butt,
like spar on stormy sea- as the troop
er, cantering forward, cleared his point
The lancers kept between their prey and
the steep hills, for all who could were
trying to escape from the valley OF
death. The highlanders gave the fugl-
tives 900 yards law, and then brought
them down, gasping and choking, ere
they could reach the protection OF the
powders above. The Gurkhas followed
suit, but the Fore and Aft were killing
on their own account, for they had pen
ned a mass of men between their bay
onets and wall Of rock, and the flash
Of the rifles was lighting the wadded
coats
eve cannot hold them, Captain
Sahibl" painted ressaidar of lancers
''Let us try the carbine. The lance ls
good, but it wastes time.