The Savannah morning news., 1904-12-27

Ait ponNH btlWteu mari anu the 'front.'.
Their spiritual masters accompanied
them to see that they did their work
well.
: They came by night many miles over
steep mountain cliffs and rocky ra-
vines, perhaps silently, with determined
purpose, weighing the odds; or. maybe,
boastfully with song and Jest saying:
I'VE will steal in upon these English
before dawn and Stay them in their
beds. Then we win hold the fort and
kill all who come near.
They came in the gray before dawn
and hid in a gully beside the camp.
AT the reVeille sounded and the sem
try left the bastion. Then they sprang
up and rushed, sword in hand, their
rifles slung behind their backs at tho
wall.
The whole attack was directed on
the southeast front, an unscalable wall
of solid masonry. with bastions at
each corner four feet thick and ten
feet high. They rushed at the bas-
lions, the only point on that side they
might scramble over.
They knew nothing of the fort and
it's tracing. Perhaps they had expect
ed to find the mission encamped in
tents on the open ground. But from the
shallow nullah, where they lay con-
cealed only 200 yards distant and
watched the sentry, they could survey
this uncOmpromising front which they
had set themselves to attack with the
naked sword.
They had no artillery. no guncotton,
no material for storming. but they had
come from Lhasa to take Kang-Ma and
they would not turn back. They hoped
TO scale the wall and annihilate the
garrison that held it.
They came on undismayed, even as
men flushed with victory. The Sc
poys said they must be drunk or drug
ged. They rushed to the bottom Of
the wall, tore out stones and flung them
at the garrison they leaped up and
scrambled to gain foothold and lift
themselves on to the parapet, to seize
the muzzles Of rifles they fell bull
let-plerced, and some turned savage
ly on the wall again.
It was only a question of time, OF
minutes, and the cool, mechanical fire
of the Twenty-third would have drop
ped every man. But at last they
turned and fed.
A hundred and six bodies were left
near the wall Sixty more were killed
in the pursuit. Was ever such hope
less. helpless struggle. such desperate
and Intellectual gallantry?
Almost before II was light the yak
corps, with its small escort of thirty
rifles of the Second Gurkhas was start
ing on the road TO Kalutsho. It pass
ed the hiding place OF the Thibetans
without noticing the few hundred men
IN rusty-colored cloaks breathing quiet
~ among tho brown stones.
Then the Thibetans made their
charge, just as the transport had pass
ed and a detachment of them
swerved off on the yaks. Two Thibe-
tan drivers in our service stod d.
rectly in their path.
who are you?" cried one OF the en-
envy.
"Only a yak driver" was the
frightened answer.
Then take that" the Thlbetan said
slashing at his arm with no intent to
kill.
The Gurka escort took up a position
behind a sangar and opened fire-all
save one man, who stood by his yak
and refused to come under cover, de-
spite the shouts and warnings OF his
comrades. He killed several, but fell
himself, hacked with seven sword cuts.
The Thibetans were driven on and
Joined the rout from the fort. The
whole affair lasted less than ten min
utes.
British casualties were the isolated
Gurkha killed, two men in the fort
slightly wounded by stones, and three
Of the Gurkhas behind the sangars Sc
verely wounded, two by sword-cuts
and one by a bullet in the neck.
And what was the fame that smoi-
dered in these men and lighted them
20 action?
They might have been Paladins or
crusaders. But Buddhists are not IA
natics. They do not stake eternity on
a single existence. They have no NAH
dis or juggernaut cars. And the Thi-
betans, we are told, are not patriots.
Politicians say that they want the
British In their country. that they are
priest-ridden and hate and fear their
iamas. What, then. drove them on?
Certainly not fear No people on
earth have shown a greater contempt
FOR death. Their lamas were with
them until the final assault. Twenty
shaven polls were found hiding In the
nullah down which the Thibetans had
crept in the dark. and were irnme-
diately dispatched.
What promises and cajoleries and
threats the holy men used no one VIII
ever knew. But whatever the aiterna-
tive. their simple followers preferred
death. Edmund Candler.