Freeland tribune. (Freeland, Pa.) 1888-1921, 1900-01-18
TALES OF PLUCK
AND ADVENTURE.


Three Against Seventy.
Recklessly brave deeds, done against
such odds that failure seems inevitable,
sometimes by the very briIliancy of
their daring, end in success. Such
was an act performed in night of the
year 1888. 1t was in India, after the
uprising of that time. The rebellion
had been crushed, but many of the
mutineers had gathered into small
bands and taken to brigandage,
plundering the inhabitants of sur
rounding districts. Having been
trained in the use of arms, they soon
overawed the peaceful traders and
cultivators, and sometimes even
ventured to fall upon Europeans, who
were not in sufficient number to re-
sist.
One of the marauding gangs had
long infested the Barseah district,
and had contrived to escape from the
parties sent in pursuit. 1t happened
at last that village patel, Chummum
Singh by name, was taken prisoner.
He had given information against the
rebels, and in revenge they came down
upon him and his family and bore
them off to the Jungle, there to wreak
their vengeance upon them.
1t would have Jared ill with the
unfortunate village dignitary if a young
English officer, then doing duty with
a regiment of irregular cavalry, had
not suddenly arrived in the district.
He was on the march to join his corps,
and was fatigued with long Journey.
He no sooner heard of the outrage,
however, than he made up his mind
to teach the brigands lesson. All
the force he conld collect consisted of
five men of his own regiment, and
naik and six sepoys of the Bareilly
levy, but he started at once to pursue
the marauders.
Night was falling, and for twelve
miles he did not come up with them.
They had travelled far out of the way
to keep in haunts known only to their
followers. At last, in the dark wood
land, the Englishman saw the glare of
distant fire. His little force was
divided. The Bareilly men had lost
courage, and would take no part in
the forward movement. OF the re-
naming five, three were left in
charge of the horses, and with the
other two the young officer crept
through three miles of dense vegeta-
ton, till he approached the bivouac
of the robbers.
There lay the brigands, fully seventy
in number, while against them was
the little band of three determined
men. The Englishman was not
daunted. He had come to punish
the brigands, and he thought nothing
Of the odds against bin. The small
party fired volley, and followed it by
a rush into the bivouac.
The robbers, taken completely by
surprise, believed that a big band had
come against them, for the foe was so
fearless that they could not think
there were not plenty of soldiers be-
hind. They broke and fled, leaving
their plunder, their arms and their
captives. Thus in few minutes one
brave man put seventy to flight,
saved loyal subject from torture and
freed whole district from terror.
The name of Sir Evelyn Wood, now
Adjutant- General of the British army,
has many times since then been heard
of in connection with Englands midi
tary enterprises, but that officer never
did braver deed than when he at
tackled, almost single e-handed, a gang
OF ruthless brigands, and taught them
to respect the power of England and
English law.