River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1902-11-27


while officers were rushing along the
rear of the lines of the square, shout
ing amid the din into the ears of the
men to aim low at their invisible foes.
Suddenly, on the left rear of the
square, where the heavy cavalry and
camel corps men had formed, an i'm
mense black mass which had broken
through the terrible circle of fire
doomed through the smoke cloud at
the very barrels of the rifles, and,
hurting itself upon the square with
the irresistible force of an avalanche.
broke through the lines. Some of the
cavalrymen, true to their instincts,
and lacking the infantrymen's train
iRg to meet such an emergency, broke
ranks and rushed at the enemy. The
others and the infantry stood their
ground, and by dint of terrific fight
ing closed the gap. Many of the hap
less cayalrymen thus shut out fell,
pierced by the bullets Of their com
rades. The tribesmen who had broken
through were quickly cut down:
though not before Col. Burraby and
many other gallant fellows had been
killed. Burnaby, you may recall re-
ceived a spear thrust in the throat
Gen. Stewart himself had narrow
| escape, his horse being slain under
him.
"Meanwhile one of the fercest ano
I bloodiest hand-to-hand fights IN the
annals Of warfare was in progress
all along the line. Every man, handl'
capped from the first by exhaustion
| though he was, knew that not only
| his own existence, but the lives OF
! the entire command, depended upon
the square being kept intact. Iom'
mics and tars fought like demons.
and for the first time l understood
how the expression to swear like
trooper probably had its origin, for
while they fought they swore con-
tinuously and horribly, and the
curses of the wounded would in any
other circumstances have been fright.
full to hear What they were up
against as you American say, will
be better understood when [ tell you
that those gigantic and absolutely
fearless blacks hurled themselves
upon the bayonets and deliberately
impaled themselves in order to reach:
and enable other warriors behind
them to attain, with their spears anc
long swords the men holding the
square.
''All this took place in few min
utes. Then the gatlings and other
guns got to work and the black mass
withered away in their fire and the
leaden hail from the rifles.
The result is matter of history.
Our casualties were officers and 81
non-commissioned officers and men
killed and S5' wounded. The tribes
men left about 1000 killed and
wounded on the field.
at was then that the incident re-
called by the lone Filipino with his
bolo occurred. Nearly an hour after
it was all over and the black host
had vanished, the men not engaged
in attending to the wounded and the
animals were drawn up awaiting or
ders. They were in loose lines, prop
ping themselves on their rifles and
discussing the battle. A thousand
yards away superb Fuzzy-Wuzzy
rose from amid the hillocks of slain
and looked wildly upon the scene of
carnage about him. He was of I'M
common stature and proportions.
even for these big athletic men of the
desert, and evidently a chief. His
actions attracted immediate atten-
ton. He gazed at the thin, grim
ranks of the conquerors from the
north who were blazing the way for
the advance of civilization into the
wild Businesses of his ancestors I;
scanned the horizon on every side in
vain for n trace of the Mahdi'S
mighty and reputed invincible CO.
horts; looked once more upon the
bodies heaped and strewn around
him, then picked up a shield and
spear, and with a scream of defiance
and despair charged upon the army
at full speed!
1.-THE Tommies who had supposed
he was wounded-as he doubtless
was, unless he had been simply
stunned by a bullet-were aston
ished beyond measure. Not quite
knowing whether to take him seri-
ously they were reluctant to kill him.
Besides, perhaps they felt a little
sympathetic admiration for him.
But the warrior was out for blood,
and evidently not disposed to listen
to argument. His poised spear
meant death to some one, and amid
cries of Don't shoot; 1T i'm a toss
with the butt!' Look out; 'e's as
mad as a March hare!' and Give it
to the poor beggar; it can't be
helped!' dozen men raised their
rifles, there was cracking fire, and
the warrior pitched forward and lay
about 100 yards from the detachment
OF guards.
THAT night, while soldiers and
sailors, exhausted as men rarely are,
were dreaming the battle over again,
or of those they had left behind in
the peaceful towns and villages of
England, / lay sleepless from nerv-
Gus excitement. watching the SEN
tries silhouetted in the violet night
and the great bright stars that
twinllled seemingly so near to earth
as to be almost within reach. The
vision of that solitary warrior, such
was the impression he made upon
me. REQUIRED with depressing per-
sistence, and, although / have seen
many terrible scenes of suffering
and heroism in war, as it frequently
has done since, and probably will
continue to do when / am alone with
my, +bouCbtS until o+ NV loc+ I,;1-o,,, =