The Calumet news. [volume] (Calumet, Mich.) 1907-1938, 1914-08-31


and Soudanese troops against Ger
many.
England has in her Indian army one
of the finest bodies Of troops in the
world. Constant frontier warfare has
given them training such as none Of
the men involved in the European war
have had. They are hardy brave, eff
cient, DANGEROUS To any foe. The Sou
danese are, if possible, better.
England has about 100000 trained
native troops, in addition To her white
army. All are largely otlicered by
Englishmen, all are drilled and equip
troops. They are under rigid disci-
pine and can be depended On Ia obey
orders and keep the rules Of civilized
warfare. Also. they can ne depend
ed upon To fight like tigers, and To give
any German troops an argument they
would never forget.
The English army has at one time or
another fought against all OF the peo-
pies whose sons now fiji her ranks and
has tested their Caliber. She found
that the best way of keeping her con-
quered nations quiet was To set them
To guarding themselves, and hardly
one of the fighting races under her do
minion, but has its own quota of
troops. This keeps them out of mis-
chief. The military castles in the ma
tive peoples find a place for them
selves, and are too contented with the
high pay, honor and good conditions
of the English service to think of re-
volts. Also each knows that there are
other regiments Of trained men who
have been their hereditary enemies,
and that if they should mutiny Eng
land could subdue them without call
ing on her white army. The plan has
worked splendidly, and the troops OF
black, and brown. and yellow skin are
not only loyal to the empire. but re-
spond To the call of the field with joy.
Fuzzy uzzy Leads.
Probably the best of these native
troops from the fighting point of view,
are the Soudanese, both horse and
foot and camel corps. Chinese" Cor
don learned their lighting powers to
this cost, and IL took England many
hard fought campaigns to bring them
into subsection. 1t was against them
that Kitchener won his reputation in
Egypt.
For centuries the Soudan has fur
nished splendid soldiers To the world.
Egypt used them. the Bible refers To
them as Philippians, and Rome found
them her best cavalry calling them
Lybians, from the country, or Nu-
bians from their race They have fur
nished guards To the emperors of
To caliph and sultan
In many countries, and II has been
only for the last few hundred years
that they have withdrawn into them
selves. The early attempts of the
English to open the Upper Nile were
followed by what is known as the
revolt Of the Mahdi and the wiping out
of General Gordon's army. Kitchener's
iNlltli Npuii NfiililAA AAliiiiS
them.
The men that have been enlisted are
OF the fighting class, and their fathers
have been warriors for centuries. OF
mixed Arab and Negro stock. they
are not quite jet black. big, raw boned
and with amazing endurance. They
like best to live in the open, and the
desert has taught them that neither
food or water is necessary To keep up
their spirits. They can fast for days
and be none the worse. They are fine
swordsmen, splendid riders and won
derful shots. And they are very, very
hard to kill. England has some 10000
Of them and could easily get many
thousands more.
Sinks BEST in East"
Next in order of value come the
Sinks. These six-foot soldiers are re-
cruited in India i'm the northern part
Of the Punjab, and are by nature
farmers and herdsmen as well as
warriors. The Sink is not necessarily
a member of any particular trlbe'
though the Jat tribe, the best OF that
region, and probably partly OF Egyp-
tian descent furnishes most of Eng
lands recruits. The Sink is member
of certain sect a religious order
formed in n revolt from Brahminism'
He has no idols. worships no God. re-
jects the caste system. and lives under
n strict and healthful code of morals
even the smoking of tobacco being for
hidden. The marks of the Sink are long
hair, which must be worn twisted
around a steel dagger, short drawers
such as appear so frequently in the
pictures of East Indians and the adj