Democratic messenger. [volume] (Snow Hill, Md.) 1869-1973, 1902-11-29
Two Warriors and Their Last CHARGE.

By JOHN W. HARDING,
Author of The Gate of the Kiss"

Heard the latest from the Pnlnp-
pines?" queried young Lieut.. Gay at
the Raconteurs' club, as he glanced up
from his newspaper at a number OF
TIE members who, cigar in mouth.
were enjoying the pcst-praadial hour
OF dolce far nlente, utterly Indifferent.
in their contentment and comfortable
surroundings, TO the wind that rat
tied and the rain that beat against
the windows or their Fifth Avenue
clubhouse. Here's a single Filipino
who has the sand 10 charge a whole
American column"
Wow" chorused his listeners, in
credulously. And what happened TO
the gentle Tagalog?"
He isn't, or / suppose ii is safe to
say wasn't a Tagalog. but Moro re-
piled the lieutenant. though | sup
pose all Filipinos are alike TO us here.
AS to what happened TO him, the dis
patch leaves it TO the imagination.
This is all it says:
Manila. Sept. 27-Three compa-
MES of infantry, commanded by Capt.
Eli A. Helmnick of the 10th regiment.
left Camp Wears. Island @. Mindaaao.
Thursday, TO reconnoitre the Moro
forts and recover stolen arms. They
encountered only slight opposition.
The column captured and destroyed
the Butig forts. A few Moros were
killed. The American troops had no
casualties. A fana.ical Moro, armed
with bolo. charged the column alone"
There was silence for a moment. as
each man. impressed by the dispatch
writer's laconic reference to the in
cident, mentally paid his tribute of
pity and respect TO the battle-frenzied
patriot of the distant isle who thus su-
perbly had defied fate and the might
of his country's conquerors and, armed
with a useless sword, had courted a
warriors death from half thousand
lightning bolts. Then slight, elegant
man of medium height. with clean-cut
features and a gray pointed beard re-
marked quietly:
That recalls a similar and very ex-
traordinary incident which | witnessed
in the Soudan in 1885,"
The speaker was Stanford Hylish, a
visiting English journalist and ex-
war correspondent. to whom the cour-
tesies of the club had been extended.
The entire company was attention i'm
mediately, and Mr.. Hylish, on being
pressed, continued:
1T was during the operations. begun
too late. alas. for the rescue of Cor
don at Khartoum. | was with the col
umn commanded by Gen. Sir Herbert
Stewart. which made that famous dash
across the desert 10 Metemneh when
1900 Tommies and bluejackets at Abu
Klea fought off 10000 tribesmen whose
valor is immortalized in Kipling's
barrack-room ballad Fuzzy Wuzzy':
AN ere's TO you, FuzzyWuzzy, with
your 'ayrick cad of air
You big black boundin' beggar-for
you broke a British square
The column was made up of the
Sussex regiment. mounted infantry.
a camel corps of guardsmen. and a
detachment of men-o-war's men, with
troop of the Nineteenth Hussars
acting as scouts. We hurried along
with us four screw guns and a couple
of gatlings. Big Col. Fred Burnaby
of The Ride TO Khiva' fame. was of
the expedition, and rejoicing nightly
thereat. caring nothing (if he had any
premonition of his fate) that il was to
mark the close of his adventurous ca
reer. Not having been able TO ge.
himself sent TO the front. he had Sc
cured several months leave of alb
sence. and, armed with a shotgun. had
overtaken the army on the Nile, hav-
ing lodged, by avoiding the Egyptian
towns. imperative orders TO return
telegraphed to every point of possible
interception by the war Office authori-
ties, who had learned of his departure.
I'VE had made forced march of is
hours and were nearing the wells at
Abu Klea. Not a man had had a NOR
sci to eat or drop to drink during
all that time. Most of us were on the
verge of prostration from fatigue and
the torture caused by the sand and fine
dust which clogged our mouths. ears,
and nostrils, causing an intolerable
thirst, and penetrated our worn and
in many cases ragged clothing. The
scouts dashing in at breakneck speed
apprised US OF danger, and we barely