WAR CORRESPONDENTS PURSUED BY REBELS.

Manawatu Standard, Volume IX, Issue 137, 15 May 1885, Page 2

WAR CORRESPONDENTS PURSUED BY REBELS.

(Per Hauroto, at' Wellington,) I AGE SPECIALS.]! : (UNITED PRSBS ASSOCIATION.) , The Sydney JZoening New . correspondent, telegraphing from Suakim, on May 6th, states : A reconnaisance was made last night extending to Thalkub, a native village some miles beyond Hasheen. The force making the reconnaissance included the : lately formed; New ; South Wales Corps, the Mounted Infantry, and the Bengal Lancers. After marching through the night, and taking the utmost care to guard against surprise, anil having the scouts well m the front and on the fianka the troops arrived at Thakulb just as day was dawning. The natives at once showed a hostile front, and being attacked by ""our'nie'h, a pretty sharp encounter ensuod iluring which fifty -of. .the. 'enemy were killed, a great number wounded, and twelve were taken prisoners. Two hundred goats and a number of donkeys were taken possession of. The tight was not a very long one, but was rather warm while it lasted. The Arabs retired beaten ami escaped into the mountain.-;, where of course" they were' not 'followed up, the British force being only a small one, and the object of the reconnaisahce so far being fully attained. The village was burned and the return march begun. That that return march was begun none too soon was shown by what happened to the Sydney Press correspondents. Directly the fight at Thakulb had terminated they jumped on their horses and rode back to Aasheen to be first to bring the news. Before they had gone far they became aware that they were being watched and followed by Arab scouts, and when about half way a number of Arabs closed' m upon them, yelling and brandishing ; spears, and throwing . their shorter spears like Assegais, and firing rifles. The Arabs were on camels, and it became a case of suuve qai pent with the' newspaper men. They sat kowh m their saddles rammed home persuaders, and did the- fastest match against time and Arab camels that they had thought possibla. =lAs it waa they had a.pretty narrow squeak for it, as the children oftho desert succeeded-ih . gettihg tolerably clos&to them more than once, and bullets, speaw, and camel sticks, flew around them as thickly as the rice and flowers that Were strewn upon the contingent when it marched down Sydney streets. But the newspaper men escaped, not wholly scatheless, however, for Mr Lainbic,' of the Sydney Morning iZdraW, m the leg. The affair was quite lively enough for the correspondents, however. Casualties among the troops during the reconnaissance and fight were not serious, only thr#e mon having being wounded, and ' no nj of thede belonged to the New Soath W.iles coqw. A second reconnaissance will probably be made. y