FIGHTING THE BLACK FLAGS

Dunstan Times, Issue 1163, 13 June 1884, Page 4

FIGHTING THE BLACK FLAGS

The Tonqmn correspondent -of the Timy* gives a graphic description of the capture of Sontay, furnished by a smart young captain of Marne Fu-i-Jiora, «.Tio had been in the thickest ol it: —“Tim most desperate work was on the first day. The flower of the French troops, the Tnrcos and (he Foreign I egion, were beaten back time after time. 1 have been told by an outsider that it was the running out of the Black Flat; ammunition which led to the fall of Fhiiesa. A Frenchman could not he expected to admit this, but my guide was full of admiration for Black Fla" gallantry. A Black Fla", ho said, was as good as the best Rut op, an soldier. In a hailstoin! of hullets diey took aim with weiy shot, and the projiortion ot French officers who fell showed their judgment When it came to the final assault they seized the Turco bayonets with their naked hands, and hurled the sturdy Arabs clown the slope. When finally, late in the 'evening, they were driven out, Liu J'uog Fu, the Black Flag chief, ofteied 200.000 ■do), to the man who would retake the lines, and at midnight the storm broke ngain. Bnt it was in vain. The fleet rained shells upon tltem Thft Hotch kiss guns played terrible havoc, and the Foreign l.egion were deteimined to hold what they had fought so hard 10 win. Bat it was an anxious night, nod, as a French officer remarked, ‘ A line thing it would have been if we had had correspondents there. Thev would have chronicled a defeat ’ With daylight the attack on the outer enceinte began with a heavy shelling from the fleet. The practice was excellent, for, tiring from a distance ct from two to three rniies, shells were dropped through the roof of the Royal Pagoda at the very foot of the tower, which served for a mark. The outer enceinte was tin exceedingly strong earthwork, with irom twelve to twenty guns mounted on the river face. Outside was a fir md ditch, and between that and the earthwork three or four yards deep of dense bamboo. At the west gate, where the main xdtack was made, the inq-.t was full ot spiked hamboas, and the approaches defended by thick log pallisadiug and chevaux de frise of painted bamboos. On this a terrific tire was opened. The whole top ot the gateway, built of 'urge slabs of conglomerate, was literally blown to pieces with bullets. There was h.rdly a square foot of the face that had not its shot mark Half a dozen shells exploded in and around it and crashed through the log stockade. It seemed impossible that any creature could be there and live, yet when it came to the final assault the Black Flag told off to stand between the bamboos and the wall was there, faithful to his post, with Ins cartridgebelt round his waist and his Win-

viic&uci repeating nue to tne lull. \) ith the full strength of the Foreign Legion outsioe, die drums besting and the bugle sounding the charge, he stood his ground and fired as steadily as if he were at practice. ( He shot Melle, the leader of the ■storming party of the Etrangeies, through the heart. With each bull, t ho brought down his man, and when the Legion broke ihiougli ho was bayouetted with' bis finger on the trigger. In recognition of his gallautry, the French buried him under the gate when, two days later, it was blocked up -the only B;ack Flag who received a giave to himself ; one of the vmy cw Black Flags who received a grave at all.