Forest City press. (Forest City, Potter County, D.T. [S.D.]) 1883-19??, 1915-02-03
feud. which descends from generation

humorous situations. All these ieudS
are temporarily dropped as long as the
man wears the kings uniform, but are
resumed when they go on leave or
1uflough. IL is not uncommon for a
Pathan to be absent without leave and
TO write to his regiment. explaining
the circumstances over which he has
no control. prevent his Immediate re-
turn. but by the blessing of God, the
obstacles will soon be removed and
then he Will return to serve the Tirkas
the Colonel Sahib. At times he
never shows up, which means that the
obstacles saw him first. More often
he arrives some time, as likely as not.
with a freshly healed wound upon him.
In either case, long before the British
officers know the result, it has been
discussed and forgotten by the native
ranks. so fast docs news travel i'm the
east. Perhaps Il native officer will tell
ms double company commander. "Sher
Gul Khan is dead or is coming back"
Have Fought $50 Years.
And the history of the Indian army.
To write ii would be to write !; novel.
the most exciting. the most thrilling,
True history novel ever put i'm print
One hundred and fifty years of war of
almost constant fighting from the first
struggling days. when the army was Il
handful of drilled natives leading
hordes of the best that Asia could lro-
wv OoNIi W tIt PRESENT.. feISl0 WAS
conquered once. ~Afghanistan twice,
Burma conquered and added to the en-
pire. China invaded three times, VIC
tories won i'm north Africa, in central.
east and west Africa. the cloud of
mystery over Thibet lifted and Lfassa
occupied. the frontier guarded and the
einperor's peace preserved. That is the
history of the Indian army. Hardly a
year has passed but powder has
burned and some part of the great ma
Ichfne has borne the test of VAR and won
new fame. Now they nave the SUI
preme honor of fighting alongside iheir
comrades OF the English service i'm
France and Belgium. Sir John French
says they AVE fulfilled all eNpectl-
tons. No higher praise could be given
Tor the utmost was expected.
No account Of the Indian army is
complete without Il mention of the
Guides. Gods own guides" as they
| are called. the corps. part infantry and
part cavalry. who for more thaE 60
years have been the guards of the gate
way of the frontier. Two companies
Sikhs. two companies Pathans. two of
Punjabi Mussalnlans, and two Nicar.
of all the fighting races of the east.
| these with two suuadrons of cavalry
form the corps of Guides. Their MS
tory alone is Il romance. Raised by Sir
Harry. the first regiment to wear
khaki. whose use has since become
L - y ~ t"SA &N>A IN e.
Mardan. the record is one long story
of successful fighting against odds. ono
instance is typical OF all. When at the
close of the first phase of the second
Afghan war. Sir Louis Cavaghnari was
dispatched to Kabul as agent, he took
with him as escort. one squadron of
Guides with w British Officers. the
senior of whom. Fitzgerald, had just
won the Victoria Cross for leading n
charge, which for want of g%alloping
ground was conducted not in line but
i'm file. Sir Louis and his escort w@re
treacherously attacked in the residency.
whose position, hopeless from the first
against thousands. which assailed it,
became a death trap when artillery
was brought to bear.
Bravery Of tho Gods.
Commanded from every side. outnum-
bered by hundreds to one. the Guides
(mainly Sikhs) took the offensive and
charged out on the guns. Three times
| they got them. ThrSe times weigh of
numbers drove them off. Each charge
cost n British officer. At last when n
summons to surrender had three times
been refused, though life was prom
ised and Il safe conduct back to India
because as q Sikh commander said,
1--WE have eaten Sirkar's salt, to sur
! render to Sirkar's arms does not sort
with our army With a residency in
flames above and around them they
OES6ALN YIN. tStANSS IN Silsti IIi6 III W
the last time hacked down eight times
their number before they were finished.
That story is typical of the Guides.
Just as the Guides are the best type
OF the Indian army. other regiments
car show incidents glorious when the
Terah war opened with the attack on
the Malay Kane pass; two posts forts
and Saraghari bore the first fierce
rush. The latter was an unfinished
outpost. Had time permitted. the gar
~s-0~ .~,,1 40, 1--.@ $500 M -
uprising came as a surprise. The gar
risOn of Saraghari was so men of the
Thirty-sixth Sikhs. Summoned to sur
render, the native officer sternly re-
fused and In answer to the threat,
! which was the alternative to the snr.
render, said "The Sirkar has entrusted
this post to the Thirty-sixth; if you
al it. come and take it."
Tho challenge was accepted and the
Sikhs. continued he utterly unequal
fight till every round was expended.
Then they set it on fire and went down
fighting like tigers in the blazing ruins.
Then Bathans afterward admitted that
the last survivor held the guard room
door with a bayonet. killing IL of them.
and then retired inside. shouting his
war cry and challenging them to come
in and get him until the ruined tower
crashed down on him.
A Valued Flag.
Their Is a regiment to which the
writer had the honor to belong for a
short time. 1t Is noted for WI things;
It Is the second best shooting unit in
the British empire. and it carries be-
sides the kings colors n the regi-
mental colors. which carries on it a
text from the Koran. That flag was
captured at the battle of Sholingar
by two companies of what was then
the Twentieth Madras infantry. These
two grenadier companies found them
II 0nIVYn0 mi - A ma