Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1899-12-18

ne uiSnt nave seen the 1oD through.
By the way, Captain Travers of the
Devons was Grazed on the knuckle by
bullet at the same moment as anoth
er smashed his water bottle.
The Gordons had reached the brow
of the kopje. and the Imperial light
horse were a little ahead OF them.
'Ye're gluttons for the fighting said
Gordon. but we've got yer bellyfui
the day Mon said another, there's
nae doot that this is yer Darga!.' The
Gordons who were not at Darga! are
as proud of it, By the way. as the Cor
dons who were there.
when the cease Ere sounded. the
Gordons were standing n far TOO close
line-a splendid target. OF which the
enemy did not fail 10 take advantage.
For some unexplained reason some one
used the word retire IL the hearing of
bugler. | have since discovered that
tie retire was sounded by Boer with
a bugle near the Gordons. close enough
to cause the regiment 10 think the or
der was meant for them. The same
trick was tried on the DublinS at Ia
lana without success. Retire be adj
jective.' be sailor didn't say-and
promptly sounded the advance. In they
went, the Light horse on their right.
cursing for all they were worth, curses
not loud, but deep. Man fell behind
man. but the line never wavered nor
broke till the bayonetS got among the
Beers. AS one man prodded n Boer
he remarked in a broad Scotch accent:
L remember Majuba. You'll remem-
Der EIandslaagte' | don't think the
victims memory of Elandslaagte was
very prolonged. 'Yon's for Jock said
another. with a thrust. adding. with
a second thrust, And yon's for my
SELL
THE Beers could not stand up to
cold steel. They knelt and held up
their hands and cried mercy. Mercy
they got: but in some instances they
returned treachery and got justice.
Trooper White of company. Imperial
Light horse, was running beside Cap
tain Mullins and a couple of troopers
when three Beers held up their hands.
Don't fire. said Captain Mullins. 4
fourth Boer. standing close to the
three. then aimed at Captain Mullins,
but hit Trooper White. infiicting n
wound from which he has since died.
Then he shot Captain Mullins through
their rifles and attempted to get in
their shots before the reward of their
treachery could be inflicted. But they
failed. A Manchester soldier told me
that an old Boer prayed for quarter
to his pal. The pal gave it. withdraw
ing his bayonet: but after he had
passed on the old Boer put a bullet
through his head. There was piece
of cold steel in the old Beers ribs be-
fore very long"
OF Scott Chisholm, the colonel OF
the Imperial Light horse. the London
Standards correspondent writes: NO
death has been more severely felt than
the coloners. He was good man and
a good soldier, brave to the point of
recklesSness. a wonderful. inspiring
leader and, as l judged from about
a months knowledge of him, single
minded. fervent in all his work. pas
sionately in earnest. His regiment al
most worshiped him. During the
fight he only took cover once or twice.
going from troop to troop praising and
encouraging the men in words that
were always well chosen. for no man
could phrase his blame or praise more
aptly. At the last ridge he stopped
to tie up the leg of n wounded trooper
and was shot himself in the leg. Two
of the men went to his assistance, but
he waved them off. telling them to go
on with their fighting and 70 leave him
alone. Then he was shot in one of the
lungs. and the men went TO his help.
but while they were trying to get him
to cover a bullet lodged in his head
and killed him. The last words be
was heard TO say were. My fellows
are doing we'll His fellows will al
ways remember that.
1.-THE last time I saw him was at the
outspan before the battle began. He
came to a group Of us and gave one or
two orders in such pleasant words that
one knew that to obey him must in IL
self be q real delight. Then he sat
down and gossiped with us. first about
his luck in the morning. when a shell
that hit the ground between his horses
feet had failed to burst, and afterward
about luck in general. He advised the
officers to tell their men to sleep while
they could. and then he said. Now I'll
go and get half an hours sleep myself
But at that moment an aid-de-camp
came. saying that General French
wanted to see him. When the colonel
returned, it was to order his regiment
to saddle up and prepare TO mount. In
half an hour he was leading the attack
on the first kopje. Experienced Off
GERS have told me that they never
knew the sentiment of attachment be-
tween n commanding officer and his
force establish itself so quickly. l be-
lieve that not n man in the Light horse
cared where he went or what happen
ed so long as he took II out of al least
one Boer for Scott Chisholm's death.
They had no bayonets. but they went
in with dubbed carbines or prodded
with the muzZle end"
Letters from soldiers at the front are
also coming in now. Corporal Rupert
Wickham writes after the battle of
ElandsIaapf Here I am in hosDital