Democratic messenger. [volume] (Snow Hill, Md.) 1869-1973, 1902-11-29

mad time 10 form q square about our
baggage and animals when two mighty,
surging torrents of black humanity
swept upon us.
Three minutes after the first horde
got within range We could scarcely see
each other. owing to the smoke from
the rifles. There was no wind. The
atmosphere. heavy with the terrible
heat. as it seemed TO us, appeared to
con, eatrate the powder smoke in 4
dence. acrid. choking pail through
which ii was impossible TO see the on
rushing tribesmen. The screw guns
had 10 be cleared of sand before they
could be put into action. AS for the
Cuttings, they had TO be taken to
pieces and cleaned. Bluejackets in
side the square were doing this OK
peditiously. but with the utmost calm
ness, amid pandemonium, for the men
told of 10 look after the animals were
having the tussle of their lives. Some
of the camels and horses had been
wounded, and were squealing and
plunging madly. Meanwhile officers
were rushing along the rear of the
lines of the square, shouting 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
loomcd 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 infantrymens train
ing 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 fighting
closed the gap. Many of the hapless
cavalrymen thus shut out fell. pierced
by the bullets of their comrades. TIE
tribesmen who had broken through
were quickly cut down. though not
before Col. Burnaby and many oth,r
gallant fellows had been killed. Bur-
naby, you may recall, received spear
thrust in the throat. Gen. Stewart
himself had narrow escape, his horse
being slain under him.
Meanwhile one of the fiercest and
bloodiest hand-to-hand fights in the
annals of warfare was in progress all
along the line. Every man, handi-
capped from the first by exhaustion
through he was. knew that not only
his own existence, but the lives of the
entire command, depended upon the
square being kept intact. Tommies
and tars fought like demons, and for
the first time | understood how the
expression to swear like a trooper'
probably had its origin. for while they
fought they swore continuously and
horribly. and the curses of the wound
ed would in any other circumstances
have been frightful to hear. What
they were up against as you Ameri-
cans say. will be better understood
when tell you that those gigantic
and absolutely fearless blacks hurled
themselves upon the bayonets and de-
liberately impaled themselves in order
10 reach and enable other warriors
behind them TO attain, with their
spears and long swords the men hold
ing the square.
"All this took place in a 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 nine officers and 65
non-commissioned officers and men
killed and So wounded. The tribes
men left about 1000 killed and wound
ed on the field.
1T was then that the incident re-
called by the lone Filipino with his
bolo occurred. Nearly an hour after
ii was all over and the black host had
vanished. the men not engaged in at
tending TO the wounded and the ami
mails were drawn up awaiting orders
They were in loose lines, propping
themselves on their rifles and discuss
ing the battle. A thousand yards away
superb FuzzyWuzzy rose amid the
hillocks of slain and looked wildly
upon the scene of carnage about him.
He was Of uncommon stature and
proportions, even for these big ath-