Herald and news. [volume] (West Randolph, Vt.) 1878-1943, 1903-02-12
Their Last
Charge az
BY JOHN W. HARDING.
IIIIEARD Nc 80 Ion the PhiIIp

L EAAD the latest from Lhe PnlAp
pines?' queried young Lieut..
Gay at the Raconteurs' club, as he
glanced up from his newspaper at a
number Of the members who, cigar in
mouth, were enjoying the post-pran-
dial hour Of dolce far niente utterly
indifferent, in their contentment and
comfortable surroundings, 20 the
wind that ratified and the rain that
beat against the windows Of their
Fifth avenue clubhouse. Here's q
single Filipino who has the sand to
charge a whole American column!
"Wowl" chorused his listeners, in
credulously "Aud what happened 10
the gentle Tagalog?"
"He isn't, or / suppose 81 is safe 70
say wasn't, Tagalog, but Moro re-
piled the lieutenant, though / sup
pose all Fiipinos are alike 10 US here.
As to what happened to him, the dis
patch leaves IL to the Imagination
There was silence for a moment
then a slight, elegant man of medium
height, with clean-cut features and a
gray pointed beard, remarked quietly;
"That recalls a similar and very ex-
traordinary incident which / witnessed
in the Soudan in 1855"
The speaker was Stanford Hylish, a
visiting English journalist and ex-waI
spondent, 10 whom the courte-
sizes OF the club had been extended.
The entire company was attention i'm
mediately, and Mr.. Hyish, on being
pressed, continued:
at was during the operations be-
gun too late, alas! for the rescue OF
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 1900 Tommies and bluejackets
at Abu Klea fought of 10000 tribes
men whose valor is immortalized in
Kipling's barraek-room ballad Fuzzy
Wuzzy.'
"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 a 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 hhiva'
fame, was Of the expedition, and re-
ioicing nightly thereat, caring moth
ing Off he had any premonition OF
his fate) that il was to mark the
close of his adventurous career. Not
having been able TO get himself sent
&c, the front, he had secured several
months leave of absence, and, armed
with a shotgun, had oyertaken 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.
1--WE had made a forced march of
IS hours and were nearing the wells
at Abu Klea. Not man had had
morsel to eat or a drop to drink
during all that time. Most of MS
were on the verge of prostration
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 penetrated our worn and in many
eases ragged clothing. The scouts.
dashing in at breakneck speed, APP
prised us of danger, and we barely
had time to form a square about our
baggage and animals when two
mighty, surging torrents of black hu-
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 was no wind.
The atmosphere, heavy with the ter
rible heat, as IL seemed TO us, ap-
peared to concentrate the powder
smoke in a dense, acrid, choking pail
through which it was impossible TO
see the onrushing tribesmen. Inc
screw guns had to be cleared OF sand
before they could be put into action
AS for the gatlings, they had TO De
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 we're having the tussle OF
their lives. Some of the eameis ana
horses had been wounded, and were
soueaIing and plunging madly. Mean