The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1900-02-18

harry Skins strip 10 the buff, and,
1otnfng hands, wade into rnidstrean. Some
81 them lose their foothoid and founder
undss mater, 10 te pulled up by their fel-
iovs. cbHfkhiig tifid Ispiutterlns-1 but no,
one Ii wasfftd away, 4ndpresentlya chain
Of men extends from bankxto bank, form
fnr breakwater against which the spate
0harres fmpotently, roaring and channg.
Above this barrier body OF armed sikhs
GROSS TO the further side. there to guard
the passage OF the column from the posi-
bility Of stack Arms and ammunition
are passetf acroes, and mex sfhe frightened
Chinese cooifes, spiutterinx, protesting.
tabbtffn6, wffh their loads on their heads.
and tfYeir legs swaytng this way and that
with the tug Of the current. are bundled
ACROSS amid the laughter of the Skhs and
the Malays. Last Of all comes the gun,
rsmo,Hrted now upon its carriage, which
b drassud. through the river, running
along its bed. with wave OF broken
water to mark its passage. and dozen
gunners noundering ahead Of IT,
"AH across before the dawn, and not
load or a. man lostt says the commander
through teeth chattering with cold. II call
fhat@s real good business.'
tfYss.yl says the political officer and
now we'll make these beggars sit up
The coolies and their loads are left with
3 small baggage guard In a clump or
Jungle. The rest OF the force. about
eighty strong. splits up into three parties.
the center, with the gun. taking up a po-
sition about a hundred yards from the
village, the others wheeling off to right
and left Ia outhank the enemy and get as
far, TO- the rear uf the place as
may be possible. A faint ffffte 1T, gray
ish yellow is vfsibie Nj the cast; sbo wing
amid lowering masses OF purple cloud. :
The dawn IS beginning 10 break. From
tho scrub In which the men are posted In
the front of the attack the village. can be
seen distinctly, the matched roofs within .
the stockade running In long ridges at
right Angles to the trunks of the clustering
palm trees The cocks ARE Growing loud
"; few sleepy fowls ny down from their
percfes with faint rustling OF feathers:
dogs whine disnally; the door Of a house
opens. and a figure appears huddIed to tho
chm In bedcloth. looking dreamily forth
at the coming day. From a hut near at
hand rises the sound OF Moham-
medan prayer chanted by a single
voice In shrili falsetto. Then
another door Is hitched aside. and
= woman. bearing baby on her arm and
a cluster of empty gourds In her other
hand. climbs painfully down the steep
stair ladder. Two or three naked brats
follow her. scrambiing earthward in gro
tssque attitudes.
At the sight the political officer swears
aloud THE place In crammed with wo-
men and Children he Gays to the com
msnder OF the force.
'Wti the beggars give In II we call
upon them to surrender" asks the lat
ter.
mot they. They'll bolt like rabbits II
they find they're In too tight a place, and
with all this thick Jungle so close we
shan't really knock them II they don't
stand up 20 u.s.
Tho commander swears In his turn.
~Then what shall l dor" he asks.
: The political officer knits his forehead
Into anxious Fuckers. Theoretically he
holds the opinion that II II 4 mistake TO
Introduce civilized practices which the
enemy can neither be expected to under
stand or appreciate, into warfare wag.d
With semi-barbarous people; but theory
and the real thing are ever far apart
One OF the little naked creatures within
pcra piainuvcly as II runs behind It's
mother. and its cry IL borne 10 the agent
on the stili air Of the morning The word
lies with him The success OF the little
expedition may depend upon the attack
being a complete surprise. but he knows
that besides the women and children there
are many in the rebel village who have
no quarrel with the government. who are
merely following their chiefs from sheer
fnrcs OF bset, and who, even 81 they run
away. from the white men al first viii
READILY come In II once tho chiefs are put
10 hight. For the sake OF these innocent
mon and women Is II not worth sacriRo.
ing momentary success: win not the
moro n,creifnl course, even though Il mean
b hlow Ia personal ambition. prove In
fhc end the better tyr tho state he serves
Again the whifnpcr OF the child come. 10
inm. mingled with the soft tones of the
mothers voice. lie turns To the com
mandcr with somcthins like q groan, 1T
snay DO al ~roag-@ he says. Hbus must
give them a chance of, eoming in
The nsssssess scout. l~s, > gus " az his
Mde. and he bssis hin, sn 30 the village
lie tegts y leaf from his roekstbook and
scffnhlss "A few lines In sprawiing Arabic
Characters from right TO left
give this 10 the chief" he saws. "and
tell him from me that he Is In the hol.
low our hands; that he Is surrounded
On Al sides BY the soyernments folk.
thAt We have guns rice! pots OF IRE
tshslho ana fssy niawpires srookes tsbesl
II he VIII bow his hcaa, he and ali his
people shaif ~ par,ioned II he hs ohstin-
ate. Nc wifi stnitc the village and hid
him make ready hts breast against our
attack. Go speedily. and hid him send me
an answer In no longer time than Il
takes 20 chew apid OF betel nut"
jelayang steps out OF cover and strulls
toward the village. Tho people are an
atoos now, making their way down 10
the STREAM, for the morning additions,
IN la1ch ihey, never omit. and a cluster ~
sliers e~aasiAd ' m efeshar against the
cold pcctS iie scout At tho gateway az
tho stocksde The white men >aust on
the ground smoking placidiy. awaiting the
return Of their messenger
Presently the ugly face Of Jelavans
peeps through tie brushWcod lie sqaats
deliberately befrra tho white man, and
question Is needed before he can be IN.
duced 20 speak. The cBlmncss ~ NsiayS
on such occasions Is always Irritating IN
Its cnripsetenerFs lts-.
what does ~ s,y'S aueries the white
man. l"'
"He Fsa,Fa 'Tslesi. that he is afraid," re-
plies the scout The frank manner IN
which the Malsys lay claim to a total
eesense OF courage without extenuatior
or apology ~ often oewildering.
Does ne say nothing mores'
mo, Tuan. nothing more. only that he
Is afraid that perchance the white fuik
will trap him. Therefore. being afraid.
n viii hast no dealings wi,h white peo-
pa ARK FFl$tth gfgH