The Opelousas courier., 1900-03-10

One forgets many things in Is
years, and probably the story which ]
purpose retelling here is forgotten b.
Oil except the surviving actors in il
end their immediate friends. But The
memory Of such a signal instance oil
British pluck should not be allowed
TO die.
On Sunday, the 5th of December,
1880, the little town of Lydenberg, in
the Transvaal, was in a state of un-
wonted excitement. The whole popu-
tation was out in it's Sunday best to
give q hearty send-off to the Ninety
fourth regiment, which had been
quartered there for many months and
was now ordered to Pretoria. Both
officers and men had made themselves
extremely popular with all classes,
and the expressions of regret at their
departure was universal. Numbers
Of the inhabitants accompanied the
regiment on its way for five or six
miles. One lady and gentleman
Lieutenant Walter Long, the junior
subaltern of the Nine y-fourth, and
his pretty young wife-rode out as far
as Is miles. The colouel had paid
the lieutenant the high honor of leav-
ing him in sole command of the troops
left behind-a responsible position for
. youngster Of barely two-and-twenty.
As the lieutena t and his wife
turned their horses heads and babe
farewell to their comrades, Colonel
Anstruther called out:
"Good by, Mrs. Longl Look after
Long, and nrind you're o good little
adiutant. Good by, Long! Look
after my garden for me; remember I
expect to find it in as good order as I
leave it."
Both the colonel and the lieutenant
were enthusiastic gardeners.
AS the regiment tramped past, Mrs.
Long cried ont:
"Good by, Ninety-fourth! God
bless youi'
And the men shouted back:
"Good by, our ladyi God bless
ron, Mrs. Longl"
1t was a last farewell for many of
them, though they little thought it;
for afortnightlater Colonel Anstruther
and more than half his men were
killed at Bronkhorst Spruit.
Out on the open vsldt, about half a
mile from the town, were eight mill
tary huts, each 80 feet long by IS feet
vide, built two abreast, with an inter-
vening space OF 30 feet, the whole
forming a parailelogram rs yards in
length by 30 in breadth. . At the first
rumor of disafection among the Beers,
Lieu . 1ant Long resolved to withdraw
his men into these huts, and throw up
some kind of shelter round them, for
mp to this time they stood without the
slightest enclosure and utterly unpro-
tected. The force under His com
uaand consisted of so privates and
three non-commissioned officers of the
Ninety-fourth, seven privates and a
sergeant of the Royal Engineers, three
priyates and o conductor Of the Army
Service Corps-in oil, including DR..
Faavey of the Army Medical depart
ment and Lieutenant Long himself,
81 officers and men.
Mrs. Long, who had been living
with nor husband in q pretty little
cottage embowered in roses and frnit
trees at the lower end of the Town.
without a moments hesitation de-.
cided to leave her comfortable home
and take up her quarters with her
husband. Her many friends in Lyien-
berg tried in vain to dissuade her from
the step. She was offered a warm
welcome in half a dozen houses; but
the brave little woman said that her |,
place was beside her husband. So the
soldiers brought her belongings from
the pretty cottage to one of the huts,
showed their admiration for her pluck
by taking the greatest pains in making
her quarters as tasteful and comfort
able Is possible. There was, how
eyer, but scant accommodation for d
lady in the hut assigned TO her, which
sheltered under its roof three horses
whose every movement was distinctly
audible) besides herself and her hus-
band.
On the 18th of December they be-
gan throwing up works Of defence
round the hnts, and Mrs. Long de-
tho men by working as hard as
any Of them. On the 23d Of Deem
Der the appalling news reached them
Of the massacre of the Ninety-fourth
at Bronkhorst Spruit. But, stunned
though they were by the terrible it'd
they set to work more vigorously
than ever to complete their defences.
When the tiny fort was finished it was
Fort Mary, in honor OF Mrs.
and Father Walsh, d Roman
Catholic priest who had elected to
cast in his lot with the little garrison.
formally blessed il.
An envoy from the Beers. Dietrick
appeared, on the 9th OF De.
eember. with d proposal that the gar
rison should surrender and ACCEPT q
safe-conduct into Natal. His surprise
the youthful appearances Of the
commandment OF the fort was great.
dat ~Younkerl" he exclaimed iii CON
But stdat yonnkara was not
green a Mr.. Muller imagined. He
suggested writing ID Pretoria far HI.