Waterbury Democrat. [volume] (Waterbury [Connecticut]) 1900-1903, 1902-11-29

mouth, were enjoying the posIt-pran-
dial hour of dolce far niente, utterly
Indifferent, in their contentment and
comfortable surroundings. to the
wind that ratified and the rain that
beat against the windows of their
Fifth avenue clubhouse Here's a
single Filipino who has the sand to
charge a whole American column!"
''Wow!" chorused his listeners, in
credulously. "And what happened to
the gentle Tagalog?'
'.He isn't, or 1 suppose it is safe to
say wasn't, a Tagalog, but Moro" re-
piled the lieutenant. Though 1 sup
pose all Filipinos are alike to US here.
As to what happened to him, the dis
patch leaves it to the imagination"
There was silence for moment,
then slight, elegant man of medium
/, height, with clean-cut features and a
gray pointed beard, remarked quietly:
THAT recalls similar and very ex-
traordinary incident which L witnessed
in the Soudan in 1885,"
The speaker was Stanford Hylish, a
visiting English journalist and ex-war
correspondents, to whom the courte-
The entire company was attention i'm
mediateiy, and Mr.. Hylish, on being
pressed, continued:
"It was during the operations, b.
gun too late, alas! for the rescue q
Gordon at Khartoum. | was with the
column commanded by Gen. Sir Her
bert Stewart, which made that famous
dash across the desert to Metemneh
when 1,5G0 Tommies and bluejackets
at Abu Klea fought Off 10000 tribes
men whose valor is immortalized in
Kipling's barrack-room ballad Fuzzy
Wuzzy.'
The column was made up of the
Sussex regiment, mounted infantry,
q camel corps of guardsmen, and a
detachment of men-o'-war's men,
with troop of the Nineteenth hus-
sars acting as scouts. We hurried
along with us four screw guns and
couple of gatlings. Big Col. Fred
Burnaby. of The Ride to Khiva'
fame, was of the expedition, and re-
joicing nightly thereat, caring moth
ing (if he had any prenonition of
his fate) that it was to mark the
close of his adventurous career. Not
having been able to get himself sent
t. the front, he had secured several
months leave of absence, and, armed
with shotgun, had overtaken the
army on the Nile, having lodged, by
avoiding the Egyptian towns, impera-
tive orders to return telegraphed to
every point OF possible interception
by the war department authorities,
who had learned of his departure.
s'We had made forced march OF
Is hours and were nearing the wells
at Abu Klea. Not a man had had a
morsel to eat OF drop to drink
during all that time. Most of us
were on the verge of prostitution
from fatigue and the torture caused
by the sand and fine dust which
clogged our mouths, ears and nos
trils, causing an intolerable thirst,
and peaetrated our worn and in many
cases ragged clothing. The scouts,
flashing in at breakneck speed, APP
prised us of danger, and we barely,
had time to form square about our
baggage and animals when two
mighty, surging torrents of black hui
mainly 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 vas no wind
The atmosphere, heavy with the ter
rible heat, as it seemed to us, APP
peared to concentrate the powder
smoke in a dense, acrid. choking pail
through which it was impossible to
IL.
screw guns had to be cleared of sand
before they could be put into action
As for the gatlings, they had to be
taken to pieces and cleaned. Blue
jackets inside the square were doing
this expeditiously, but with the ut
most calmness, amid pandemonium,
for the men told off TO look after the
animals were having the tussle of
their lives. Some of the camels and
horses had been wounded, and were
Squealing and plugging madly. Meaa-
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 inn
mense black mass which had brol1ea
through the terrible circle of ire
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
ing to meet such an emergency, broke
ranks and rushed at the enemy. The
others and The infantry stood their
ground, and oy dint of terrific fight
ing closed the gap. Many of the hap
less cavalrymen 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. Burnaby and
many other gallant fellows had been
killed. Burnaby, you may recall, re-
ceived spear thrust in the throat.
Gen. Stewart himself had a narrow
escape, his horse, being slain under
him.