The Calumet news. [volume] (Calumet, Mich.) 1907-1938, 1914-08-31
ENGLAND Will Use Her
Great Brown and Black
Force AGAINST Germans

uiNloh W MS name OF the WoIu SluSHs
England had conquered the Sink
country only eight years before the
great mutiny i'm 1857, and the Sinks
were too recently educated in Eng
lish power To join the revolt Sew
eral regiments OF these men, i'm fact
helped in subduing the mutiny and
performed notable service. They are
described by Lord Roberts as the
finest soldier of the east" and though
slow witted, are hardy brave, ODE
dent and loyal, To the death. They
are steady and merCiful in victory,
and will die at their posts rather than
surrender or retreat. England has
about 10000 of them and there are a
million more where they came from.
Cavalry From Deserts.
Another race wearing British uni
forms are the Rajputs, whose homes
are near Delhi, in the half desert
mountains to the north and west.
They are herdsmen and warriors only
and have been for centuries. Till the
English came they held the earlier ma
tive races in subsection. and were
a turbulent. chivalrous, honorable
people. They are Mohammed and
were the strength of the mutiny. Now
they are thoroughly contented with
their lot, and as the Bengal Horse
and Bengal i.ancers, are as fine a cav
airy as a commander could wish.
There are dozen regiments of these
men, superbly mounted. as each man
owns his own horse and their charg-
ers are their first point of pride and
honor.
Other cavalry from this region is
the Mahratta, chiefly recruited i'm the
Madras presidency. The Mahratta is
the Brahmin warrior, driven out of
the north by the Rajput, it is true,
but carving out new home with his
sword and maintaining equal battle
across the border from his new state,
till the English came and conquered
friend and foe alike. Natural hors-
emen, these of proud blood and high
caste, less hardy, but more dashing
than the Rajput, and among the finest
swordsmen i'm the world. There are
several regiments which boast that no
enemy has ever stood under one Of
their charges.
Little But Oh! My!
Last of the Indian troops and least
of stature, but not in valor comes the
Ghurka. He is mercenary, so far as
England is concerned, as his home is
free. He is happy in English service,
and has nothing that could lead him
to any unrest. During the mutny he,
along with the Sink was loyal, and as
result his numbers i'm the army have
increased.
The Ghurka, or more properly, the
Ghurkali, comes from across the In
dian frontier from Nepal one of the
few remaining independent Indian
states. His is the ruling tribe there |
and arms has been his profession |
since the earliest tradition. Now that
England fOrbids maraudinE he is glad |
to find professional employment in her
armies.
The Ghurka is small in stature and |
always on foot, as his own country is |
too rough for horses, and he has never
learned to ride. His craftsmanship is |
startling, and his value as a scout is |
increased even beyond his natural |
ability, by his constant use in border
fighting against Paythans and Afghan |
in the Himalayas. He is wiry, of al
most superhuman endurance and he
dearly loves To fight.
In spite of his craftsmanship, the |
great trouble the English have had |
in handling the Ghurka is in keeping |
him at long range. He is happiest |
when he is carving his foemon into |
little pieces and he does this with a |
peculiar knife the "Kakri," the wea-
pom of his ancestors. 1t is little over |
two feet long broader at the point |
than at the hilt, and curving sharply |
into a hook at the end. The edge is |
the inside of the curve, and then whole |
weapon is much like magnihed prun-
ing knife. There is no parry which |
will stop the swing of this knife, |
started from about the knee. and land |
ing If possible close to the arm-pit. |
The man who is once hit never fights |
again. There are 10000 Ghurkas in |
the Indian army, a million more at
home.
Mountaineers and Others.
Hardly Indian, yet attached to the |
Indian army is the Baluchi, a noun
taineer closely related to the Afghan |
and one who has been brought up to
regard courage as one of the highest |
and all redeeming virtue. He is n |
kind of Mohammedan i'm religion but
holds the precepts of the Koran light
ly, so long as he can fight. He is n |
horse breeder by trade, racer by
avocation, and a rider by nature. lie
Is of middle height very strong and
wiry an ideal cavalry man, and par
ticulary handy with the lance. In the
field he takes much To the customs of
his Arab ancestors and is swift, silent
and deadly.
There is hardly room To more than
mention few of England's other ma
tive troops, Burman finishes several
regiments of small brown. active in
fantry who are very little, like the
sweet maiden pictures in Mandaay.
Madras gives other regiments, farm
erS strong and Datient. There is "A reg |