The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1899-10-05
THE FORTUNES OF WAR.
inpossible Things Constantly Hap
pen When Wandering Bullets
Are Seeking Their Billets.

The glorious uncertainty of war has
passed into proverb, and truly there
is no knowing from moment to moment
what may occur. The improbable is
always happening, and every campaign
yields fresh batch of instances in
support of the statement. Thus in he
recent Hispano-American war a troop
er in the famous Roosevelt rough riders
who had passed unscathed through the
whole of the campaign Gncluding the
treacherous ambush in which the rough
riders lost SO many mem, while clean
ing out his carbine preparatory to leaV-
ing for his native land, came across
what he took to be a spent cartridge.
This he threw into his camp fire. A
fearful explosion Immediately took
place and burning brand from the
scattered fire struck the poor fellow
in the face, binding him in both eyes.
To go unframed through an arduous
and protracted campaign and then to be
permanently disabled by a cartridge
from ones own carbine is surely one OF
the hardest ironies for which inscruta-
BILE fate is responsible.
During one of the half-hearted bat
ties fought between the Chinese and the
Japs an incident happened which would
be all but incredible were it not vouched
for on the highest authority. Chinese
foot soldier was kneeling in the
trenches taking aim at japanese Of
ficer in the distance when a bullet from
Al ho of
rifle, passed down 1t, exploded the car
fridge and blew the mans face off.
When we take into consideration the
diameter of rife barrel and reckon
up the likelihood of a stray bullet strik-
ing it exactly in the center it will be
seen that the odds against this extraor-
binary incident were as millions to one.
And yet, strange to say, very similar
thing took place during the lombard
ment of Alexandria by the British in
1882. The Res-el-Din fort offered a stub
born resistance to the warships, and
several Of them had to train their guns
on the place before its big guns were
finally silenced. During the thick of
the engagement, just as one of these
monsters was ABOUT I'D NC lIIcu, d uuSC
proiectile from one of the ships entered
the fort and wedged itself firmly in the
muzzle of the gun, entirely precluding
its further use. When our victorious
bluejackets entered the fort they found
the cannon, with its strangely-plugged
muzzle, and photographed it. Marvel
Gus to relate, the heavy charge in the
gun was not exploded by the shock.
During the last Zulu war certain
chief of herculean build gave a great
deal of trouble to the British outposts.
He carried at his girdle brightly gilded
horseshoe, and superstitious Tommy At
kins said that as long as he carried this
curious charm no bullet would be able
to touch him. At last, however, young
lieutenant picked him off as he clam
bered over the rocks, and a rush was
made to secure the gilded horseshoe as
trophy Then curious discovery was
made. The bullet had passed clean
through the brawny savage, and, strik-
ing against either his ribs or his spine,
had been t1attened out roughly into
the shape Of horseshoe! Both bullet
and shoe are now in the possession of
the young officers mother, for he, poor
lad, persisted in a night attack not long
after killing the chief.--London Regi-
ment.