On Guard.

Kaipara and Waitemata Echo, 17 July 1914, Page 8

On Guard.

, ' Soldiers doing sentry-go in warlike times have often very risky ; and responsible duties. When in a garrison town the dull monotony of guards' duties is seldom relieved by any variety, or made interesting by the chance of potting or being potted. But in Indian cantonments (i.e. garrisons) there is often a space of danger. Riile thieves abound, especially near the North-West Fron- ■ tier. Ghazis (religious fanatics) gc about looking for a permit intc Paradise by means of slaying an infidel European. Peshawar has often been the scene of the death of a 1 sentry by a shot from cover at night, by a rifle thief. Consequently special precautions are taken. A1 Quetta, too, which is in Baluchistan, a sentry's duties are no sinecure. Even at Rawalpindi, which is th< Aldershot of India, and not on th( j.^ frontier, desperate Pathans (pro- pflr 1 nounced Pat-hans) prowl looking foi '"• *•■ rifles. A private individual is ofte; ' safer in his bed without his revol ver, for a hillman may find o\\\ '■ \ through a servant of the presence of the weapon, and he would not be deterred from taking the ovmer'a life for the sake of getting his shoot-ing-iron. During the Tirah campaign, ir 1898, British sentries placed on t certain post were found dead ai night, the heads being on one side of the wall and the bodies on the • other ; rifles gone. The Genera; Officer got nervous after several of such deaths, and was not1 sorry when a colonel commanding a Goorkha regiment offered to place ■. some of his "Johnnies" on guard at that particular place. In the night, when all was still, a little Goorkha, wearing a pill-box hat, stood with fixed bayonet, his back against a wall about seven feet high. Presently a pebble dropped on his hat. The wary sentry did not'"' move, excepting to noiselessly and slowly raise his face to see where the trouble came from, keeping himself close against the wall. After a short time a face appeared over the top of the wali. The head was stretched forward to see what the quiet sentry was doing. Without a sound up went the rifle and the bayonet caught tht marauder under the chin. A shot dispatched him. It was then found that the Pathan had relied upon rousing the sentry's curiosity bj dropping a pebble on his head. This would cause him to look up, and, failing to see anything unusual, climb on the wall and loot over the other side. When his heac was sufficiently far over the wali the frontiersman would swing t sword and cut the soldier's heao off. The bbdy would fall back, leav ing the head on the other side. Many years ago, in different circumstances, an armed man was or duty in an open plain to watcb for any enemy. A bright .moon aided him. When the corporal' of his guard came to relieve him he was found to be dead—stabbed. The / next night -i and the next brought exactly similar experiences. Then it was found hard to get men to go on this post. Volunteers were asked for. One went. He had no need to be warned to keep his eyes peeled. An unbroken plain lay before him, with no place for a lurking enemy to hide in. Besides, the moon lit up the landscape and inspired the watcher with confidence. Nothing could be seen but a pig, which grunted as it wandered to and fro looking for food. Gradually in its perambulations tht animal came nearer the sentry, unti at last, nosing close, it slip ped between the man's legs am nearly threw him. The soldiei promptly shot the beast and fount it to be a man covered by a pig skin. Had he got the sentry dowi he would have planted a knife intc I him instantly."