The Marion daily mirror. (Marion, Ohio) 1892-1912, 1910-12-17

their ranks They rallied and rushed,
and again the foi~.dost fell before Will
sons men One by one the troopers
were picked off, and Major Wilson, see
ing that desperate chance must be
taken to save the small remnant of his
force, asked Burnham to break through
the enemys lines if possible, and bring
help from Forbes. Ingram and an in
experienced trooper named Gooding
were detailed to accompany Burnham.
One Of you might succeed" said Ma
jor Wilson, who saw a man drop at his
side as he spoke.
Taking the surviving horses, Burn
ham and his two comrades, leaping the
breastwork of human bodies and horses
carcasses, started their ride through the
line Of investing Kafirs. No sooner
were they on the open than the fire of
the kalirs was concentrated upon them.
Spears were hurled from every bush,
and although they and their horses were
often grazed, they escaped serious hurt.
From one side to the other they were
driven, Burnham using every wave Of
his mental energy to save them from
destruction. Every hollow in the ground
had become a lake and every rift a
roaring torrent from the night rains
IL was ride around this, through that,
over the cliffs, into the waters, swim
ming and climbing with the continual
Sne-zip OF the Kaifir bullets around
their heads. Every tric, Burnham
learned in the Southwest amongst the
Indians he used and those. no doubt,
saved their lives. When he came in
view of Forbes column he found them
surrounded like the party he had left.
Riding through the circle of attacking
natives he got into the ring Of fighting
troopers, who had all they could do to
hold their own against their enemies
Burnham delivered his message: "I
have been sent for re-enforcements by
Major Wilson, believe that we are
the only surviving members Of his
party" Major Forbes could not move
and could not spare enough men with
out risking the destruction of his troop,
and Buruhanl and his companions. see
ing the situation, joined in the fight and
helped to drive off the Matabele
Six weeks later the bodies of Viii
sons troops were found lying in a cir
Gle, where they fell, not one, with the
exception OF Burnham and his daring
companions, having escaped the relent-
less assagais of the Matabele
This would be enough bravery for
the average man, but not for Frederick
Russell Burnham. If there were any
thing of dangerous nature to be ac-
complished, Burnham generally was the
one to do it. So open did he volunteer
to do hair-raising deeds, and succeed in
doing them, that it became the habit in
Matabeleland for all eyes to turn his
way when death was to be dehed in the
performance of some act that would
make the ordinary man stand and trem-
bic
The next little service that Burnham
rendered the British Empire was the
killing of the notable God" Mlimo.
This deed alone probably saved thou
sands of lives, millions of pounds and
prevented the likelihood of an uprising
of the blacks in South Africa, for there
was a general unrest amongst them, and
many had secured modern arms and
they got a general idea of military tao
tics as practiced by the British, through
experience in their previous campaign.
For these reasons the second Matabele
war was much more serious than the
first So serious, in fact, that the Char
tered Company could not cope with it
and they called in Imperial troops. They
made very little difference as far as get
ting any results were concerned, and il
looked like a long and doubtful cam
paign.
The leading spirit of the Matabele
was Mlimo, brave and patriotic priest.
who hated the whites who had invaded
his country. So magnetic personality