TOUGH CUSTOMERS.

Kumara Times, Issue 949, 15 October 1879, Page 3

TOUGH CUSTOMERS.

Th&t British officer are by no means the“ Carpet knights” some would represent (hem to be, may be gathered from the folio wing clip from a letter by the Daily News special correspondent with the army on the Zulu frontier, Mr Forbes:—“We have some wonderfully hard men out here in this force—men who seem not to know what fatigue tneans. Lord Chelmsford appears able to ride for ever. His military secretary, Colonel North Crealock, leads his own pack horse on his chief’s long stretches on horseback. Captain Steward, General Marshall’s brigade-major, has lived in the saddle ever since he left the ship. General Clifford contrives to content himself with three hours sleep out of the 24 ; ann Colonel Duller goes on a three days’ ride with half-a-dozen biscuits, a pannikin, and a couple of ounces of coffee, wi,hout sugar. An instance of dogged physical hardness came, however,under my notice the other day, that stimulated my special admiration. I was sleeping the other night in a tent at Washbatik, half wav between Sunday River and Dundee. About one o’clock I heard a voice outside that I thought I knew, asking for •water. Getting out into the moonlight T found, alone and on foot, the Hon Guy Dawnay, attached to General Marshall’s staff On the previous day he had left XTtrecht with an urgent despatch from Lord Chelmsford to General Marshall. He had ridden hard the 40 miles to when his horse vyas heattn. He could not get another so he started on a night tramp to - find his chief, wherever he might be. \\ hen 1 saw him he had done fourteen .miles in three hours. He had his drink of tvater, and started anew quite cheerily. He reached Sunday River by daylight, twelve miles further on, and finally, still on foot, fan into his chief twelve miles nearer Ladysmith somewhere about breakfast time, still game, (hough footsore.

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