Republican news item. [volume] (Laport, Pa.) 1896-19??, 1900-01-25
able addition to the armament of Fort


bullets, and the escapes from death
were so miraculous that Lieutenant
Long twice had the men assembled
for special thank sgiving service con
ducted by Father Walsh. On one oc-
casion cannon-shot struck the wall
within an inch of Mrs. Longs head
and covered her with dust and debris.
Another time the hut in which she
lived came down about her ears, and
her escape from being crushed in the
ruins was marvellous. But she must
needs, woman-like, go back to rescue
her things" and expressed truly
feminine sorrow to find her best bon
net smashed as fat as pancake, and
only one cup, two saucers and couple
OF plates left of all her cherished
crockery.
Meanwhile, the men kept up their
spirits with music and dancing "Hold
the Fort" with strictly local appli-
cation, was favorite chorus, and the
men invented a version Of the famous
Jingo song:
We don't want to fight but, by lingo, If we
do.
We We Sob t1f PUCK, We We SOt tHe tiltH,
and ammunition, too.
We've fought the Zulu king and Sekekuni,
too
And the Beers shall never get into Fort
Mary.
And they never did. though they tried
their utm st to drive out the gallant
defenders with cannon and rifles, and,
what was worse, Greek fire. shot in
metallic tubes into the thatch of the
roofs. Perhaps if the Boels could
only have summed up courage to
make determined assault while the
huts were blazing and half the gar
rison occupied in putting out the
flames. they might have captured the
fort. But they did not care to meet
the stubborn defenders of Fort Mary
hand to hand. SO they contented
themselves with potting at the gallant
fellows who fearlessly exposed them
selves in their efforts to extinguish
the fire. Those efforts were success
full, though they cost the lives of two
brave men who could i'll be spared.
But the garrison were not content
with standing only on the defensive.
They made pluck little night sorties,
which scared the Beers considerably
and caused them some loss. Twice
Conductor Parsons of the Army Ser
vice Corps sa lied out alone in the
dark and pit, he'd hand grenades in
among the enemy, which produced
p rfect panic among them. There
was vigorous sapping and mining,
too, on the part of tn Royal Engineers,
who made it lively for the besiegers.
Then the water ran short. A pint
day for each man was all that could
be spared and this was terribly short
rations OF drink i'll the hottest month
of an African summer. At last the
rain, which for many weary hours they
had watched deluSing the hills around,
condescended to visit them, and then
they had rather more water than they
wanted; for, the huts being all roof
less since the fire, there was no shell
ter from the pitiless downpour. The
soldiers, always eager and anxious to
protect Mrs. Long, rugged up tar
paulin screen to shield her from the
rain when sleeping; but, despite their
care, she often woke up dren ched.
The news of the disasters at Laing's
Mex and Ma uba Hill was, of course,
promptly communicated to them by
the enemy, accompanied by Il per-
emptory summons to surrender But
Lieutenant Long, though badly
wounded himself, with his faithful
wife nursing him night and day, sent
back the cnrt answer: II shall hold
out to the last" And the IN en-, looking
at that brave woman so patient and
ch eerful under her terrible load of
set Their teeth hard and swore
the Beers should never have Fort
Mary while there was man left to
handle rifle.
"And ever on the topmast roof the
old banner of England blew" At
first, indeed, it was but a merchant
ships ensign. How they hoisted
real union-!ack will let Mrs. Long
tell IN her own words:
''Our ships ensign had become.
whae with the wind aud what with the
bullets, a perfect shred; IN oreover we
were anxious to hoist real union
jack. A Geneva flag was discovered.
but though sufficient red and white
We're forthcoming to complete the
crosses, no blue was to he found.
Nothing daunted, the men came to me
to inquire if possessed such thing
as bit of dark blue for the new flag.
and, to their delight. l gave them
serge dress of the desired color. A
beautiful union-jack was very soon
made and hoisted, instead of the first"
On the 2Jth OF March the Beers
kept up furious cannonade and fusil.
lade all night. But the next morning,
to the surprise of the garrison, a white
flag was hoisted over the enemy's lines.
and under its protection Lieut. enant
Baker of the Sixtieth Rifles brought
them the humiliating news that peace
had been concluded with the Beers.
So the gallant defenders marched out
from the riddled and battered little
fort which for 81 days they had held
against ten tim their amber.
Mrs. Long was so thin and pulled
down that her friends in TvGarbo,,,