The aegis & intelligencer. [volume] (Bel Air, Md.) 1864-1923, 1900-09-14
: a TEST
I OF FRIENDSHIP.
Story of the Matabe1e
Rising In South Africa.
4 By Colonel r. s. Baden-Powell,
the Hero of Mafeking.

were making the best of our way to re-
Join the Fort Salisbury column, which we
calculated to find at the upper drift of
the little hyatt river. But our horses
were pretty well done and we were not
able to make the progress we had hoped.
Evening was already drawing on when
we found ourselves still some IL or 10
| miles from our point. And ON that open,
rolling veldt, with nothing but the slight
track too guide one, we had agreed that
the safest way was not to try and push
ahead In the dark; so. twilight being but
| short entr'acte here in Africa, George
and I were already beginning to look for
a suitable spot to make our bivouac for
the night.
Suddenly he exclaimed: "Heavens!
There they are"
1 saw nothing. but he had eyes like a
hawk, and l always trusted him to see
things while l received his reports with
an invariable calmness, which. | flattered
myself, counterbalanced his usual i'm
petuous, eager haste.
So on this occasion I merely remarked,
"It's rather case for 'hurrah' than
heavens think"
"You IDIOT he replied. cts not the
| column that I see: it's lot of niggers,
hang them! Right in our path, too, wait
| ing for us. Here. we had better get out
| of this
And as we wheeled our horses sharply
| round several Matabele heads popped up
| among the grass and powders of the
| rough ground over which we were then
| traveling-much nearer to us than the
| first that he Ind seen. We could even
recognize the nature of their headdresses,
| of which there were two or three varie.
| ties. and hence we CLEANED that several
| regiments lay close by.
| And so we cantered off with the idea OF
making a wide detour, to work round
| their flank and to regain our road. il pos
| sible, beyond them.
| But In the meantime we meant to ascer.
| tain all we could about their strength and
| probable intentions.
| There is something of delight in the
shock of surprise in coming suddenly
| upon an enemy. 1t is in its way not un.
| like plunge into cold water and its in
| MIGRATING after effects. For moment
the heart tightens, and then from tired
| dragging creature you are suddenly
transformed into a man endowed with d
| fresh flow of life and kecnness. And in
/ acting men against men, there is an ex
element such as transcends anything one
| feels when contending with a mere wild
| animal, for against you you have allied
| all the cruelty and cunning of the beast
coupled with the human intelligence and
\ an aptitude for fighting as great as if not
| greater than your own.
So it was with George and me. Put
on our mettle. our fatigues were forgot
ten, and we proceeded with all alacrity
II To 70 fha c
disposition. But in doing so we soon
saw enough to make us consult our owl
present safety. At one point indeed we
nearly ran into n party of them. who had
crept rapidly down dongn with the In
| tention of cutting us off. but just in time
| we viewed them. and as we wheeled
about and galloped off we were saluted
by shower of assagais. Luckily for us
we were just beyond their range, but
| the ringing CRATE and clatter as they fell
| among the stones Ind an ugly sound
| more so even than the banging of the few
rifle shots whose bullets whistled high
| and harmless overhead. And. dodgine
| In and out among the stones, we canter
| ed off. laughing at our escape while still
| the same dropping shots were fired as in
salute.
l was riding slightly in advance when
suddenly heard a crash behind me and
turning, saw poor Georges horse pitch
| heavily forward on its head, half rolling
| over on its rider. The final parting shot
had struck it. Through the twilight
could see the agony in poor Georges face
and eyes. and as the horse, in its convul.
sion. rolled back off him he tried to raise
himself upon his hands, but dropped
down fiat, insensible.
/ turned back to him, slid from the sad
die, and, finging the reins over old Tou.
Ions head, in a moment / was on my
knees beside him. He was evidently in
bad plight-his horse dead shot through
the neck as it had turned to pass an ant
heap, and poor George himself injured to
an extent which l only discovered when
on passing my arm between his legs to
raise him on to my shoulders. l found
| him bleeding from n crushed and broken
thigh.
AS i approached my horse with my
burden the old brute tossed up his head
and, not liking my appearance, began
| for the first time in his life, to work anx.
iously away from me. For moment il
looked as if he would break into n trot
and then into wild, senseless canter
l and my heart sank within me, but luck.
lily the dragging reins caught under his
feet and jerked him back to reason and
obedience. Shouldering my poor friend
| on to the pommel of the saddle so that
he lay face down across the wallets,
mounted and headed away into the friend.
~ darkness which was now gathering
over the veldt. In spite of the horror OF
the situation l could not help for the mo.
ment comparing it all to the fun known
as the "Zereba race" Gymkhana sports.
A few shots We're fired as we cantered
laboriously away. and within n minute
could hear the bloodthirsty "chuggu" cry
| of the Natahele as they went to work on
the dead horse with their stabbing ASA
gals. This. like a carcass thrown tc
wolves, most luckily delayed them and
gave me just the start l wanted, and moi
pursuit.
For an hour or more / steadily pressed
| along, keeping a straight course away
| from the enemy. and then, turning in the
| direction of the Southern Cross. which
| now WAS hcaming bright atbwart the
| sky, once more / headed toward the prob
| able line of our main force.
All this time poor George had practi-
4
again he would rouse himself and then,
with quiyering cry, fall back into limp
insensibility.
| / had refined into a walk and had got
him more comfortably rested in my arms
| when consciousness at length returned to
| him, but his anguish was evidently I'M
bearable. His former sick insensibility
was better far than this later train of
torture, spasms mixed with deep groaned
| curses. AT first he held out manfully,
| and, gnawing the end of my wallet strap
between his teeth, he faced the pain; but
nature could not stand it long, and final
| ly he begged me just to drop him where
| we were.
AT first / refused to dismount and
pointed out to him the danger that our
| foes might still be hunting ON our track,
| and happily once more he swooned away.
| But it did not last long. Once more he
woke to consciousness and pain. and this
time lie ordered ME so earnestly to lay
him down that, coming to a rocky donga
in which small spruit gurgled inviting
ly, halted there and, dismounting. low
cred him as gently as l could upon the
ground. l gave him a sup of whisky
| and water from my flask, and after knee
haltering Toulon lit a small fire in the
hollow of the rocks and put the billy on
to boil some soup.
And then l turned on George to try
to dress his hurt. Poor chap! His eyes
were open, but evidently without in
telligence, and quick drawn sobs showed
how the pain was racking him. Ripping
up his blood soaked breeches. l saw by
the feeble CLINT of freight enough of
the mangled thigh to show how hopeless
was his case. / poured him ont stifiish
dose of whisky mixed with chlorodyne
sa5 WsltsG miSReahtlE yatshsaE til hg