The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1900-05-20

passed along to be up and go forward.
Away in the distance the heavy booming
Of guns told us plainly that the battle
was on. Hand in hand with the brave
GordOns and the Ill fated Black Watch,
we dashed into the swollen river up to
our necks in water We waded through
the stream, though II ran like a mill
race, carrying many a poor fellow off
his feet Then a scramble up the steep
bank, a hasty formation, and we were
or again in less time than it takes to
write 1t we had occupied the position as
signed us.
THE plunge in the river had, I must
say, revived US, but lying in the burning
sun In our wet clothes under a terrific
fire soon told on us. So exhausted were
We that many slept, myself among the
number, on that bloody hillside while
bullets did their deadly work around us.
Oh that day was a long one. We Oc-
casionally shifted our position, always
drawing nearer and nearer the enemy's
lines, until by evening the welcome order
was given to charge. Then what a scene.
Never, never shall l forget It. We arose
with bound and dashed forward, rend-
ing the air with a genuine Canadian
cheer, the first heard on the continent
Of darkest Africa The boys were no
longer men-tigers they might more truly
be called. Already two of the regiments
on the other bank of the river had gone
down, decimated under the terrible fire.
We felt that the day could be saved by
us. and we saved ii.
but what was your poor maynard
brother doing all this time? His best 1
know you will scold me again for disre-
garding your injunction to take care OF
myself Really, I had the intention Of
so doing, but you have no idea of the
fascination that sezes upon one in the
wild delirium of battle. For a time /
lay behind a friendly ant hill beside a
good-hearted Black Watch. who had
made room for me. How 1 got there
l shall never know, for It was away
forward In the firing line; but retire /
would not on account Of the effect II
might produce on the men Quickly we
chatted together until the fire got hotter
and hotter, when Il became evident that
the ant hill could no longer shelter us
both. With a here goes ] made a dash
still forward toward another shelter l
fancy I still hear his warning ringing in
my ears, For Gods sake, lie low; it's
terrible Just then a terrific discharge
rent the air. but 1 was safe. Next morn
ing at dawn as 1 CHANGED to pass the ant
hill, there lay my poor cOmrade, just as
l had left him-but no, his side was torn
into three gaping wounds. Poor boy, he
received what had been intended for me.
"On Monday Feb. 26. we were again
ordered forward. This time by Lord Rob
erts himself. who said that If any one
could do what was intended We could.
After sniping all the afternoon. toward
evening the word was passed to be ready
for an advance at 2 o'clock next morn
ing. How weird it seems to US stealing
forward in the gloom like ghosts hold
ing one another by the hand. Suddenly
the intense darkness was pierced by a
deadly discharge. 1t resembled a fash
Of vivid lightning then another, and still
another, as we went down in heaps. Then
IL was that our Canadian boys dug like
beavers, while our faithful supporters,
the Gordons and the Shropshires. could
do nothing to help US. BY early dawn we
had effected shelter and could see the
whites Of the enemys eyes not thirty
PAGES away. A moment later the white
flag was hoisted and Majuba avenged,
and that by the sturdy Canadian lads
come from affair."