WILL HE WIN HER?

Manawatu Times, Volume IV, Issue 43, 29 May 1880, Page 4

WILL HE WIN HER?

BY JA.MES GRANT.

OJffiPTBE XXIV. (continued.) T-. * * i _ Jack Bonteine m particular wwars r . noisy, and headless/ for' -although, a Scotchman m blood and same, he had' „ very little of the Scot' in his temperaVment or, bearing, r , " You have'seen much of the world, 1 presume," said I, after some- remark ofl.is. • . '• "By jingo, I should think so — India,' China, Canada:— all that an officer 'can see'; but it's all bosh — there's nothing m it," replied the heedloss fellow. '• It has taught me one thing 1 , however." 1 " And that is P'- f f H Ability to dige&jt such tough ration beef as this, and such ammunition bread .■ without the aid, of any pills. ! " A few months ago, when at Cork, wehad.little thought p,f, being here, ! Mr Haddon)" said Archy Campbell a tall and fairhaired 74th man. "Suppose we were for Old Gib or Hull." ♦'•torch so ~you~cam© by Graham's Town, Gerard f ) -, "Of course, Bonteine." ' , , r " Did, you, look up any of the fellows m Fort England P" "No.'' . " ,'" •' Too -busy among the frauleins, with their thick ankles and yellow hair — '{'eh?". ■ " You are wrong Archy," said Douglas gravely, " I had something else to ' think of." ; ' . { - " By Jove, you have come back to us quite sulky, Gerard," persisted Bont«ine. " What is up .with you P [A.re* some swell friends telegraphing to tke. Horse Guards „ia your favor —or whatP" " I have had thoughts of my own Jack— thoughts m which you cannot share to make me sad enough." ♦* OJb. is that your case I beg pardon," ' said : Bonteine. ( 'Yott have -been at Malta, I. suppose," te added, turning \to mo. "I' rem^tober your regiment ljing^ tUerg witk o^rs." .- j

"And so do I interposed a smart little ensign, b^fore^l cpijld sp»ak, ■" The tiny, black^eyiid wOtixftiitare pretty there and trear^tKeir 'ftblaclc^laee faldettas naost -/becomingly. . :--Th?i* husbands though hbspitab^enougH,'' are not vary apcqmpdating. £Low»x.etr th^e signdKas knowjeiuragl^ t© ."' iinief ßtand the ' language of — stall we i call&b lbj,e"P~ yes—or flowers." : l;^Si»'ii-liffle' :: i*giPßtei&- fife«h from gchodl) V; said" the the corps, vath a sevbrity that iras not all mockery^ ■-•: , "■■■.-' -'•'■• :. ; " ; . " " You are right tb— aw— aw snub him Doctor Fawbs,'- lisped-Grravei. ".You be hanged, sir, said the doctor turning bluntly to the^startled Gruardsr man. "My name is Forbes, and I'll allow, no' Scotchman m his snobbery, or Englishman- m ignorance, to carica • tiirejfj/' ; : ~ -' : ■•'. ■■-■'■■■■'>■ . GrraVes/astbnishedby the Scotchman s caustic ; temper, -raised his eyebrows supercilldusly, and shrugged- his shoulder*! "^o. -.*;,': JiVrir-ir. vf.-,.:;. .. -: ;-.- . ; And as the ©vening passed on,, and the abduction' of those so dear to Douglas and to me :were;f6r'gbtten amid heedless • merriment, atid' the Madeira cask ~wWs i truhaieH i fro : m iand to hand, and endless jokes were vmade about Bob Jones tth^4djiitsinfcbf the "-*th, whose wife on his returnffrom a long tour of duty,~^6und-~in "his- hairbrush certain long, golden hairs that could never have belonged to his grizzled pate, and what a jolly row. she made: about it, writing a long letter to her- father, the rick woolstapler,, .demanded a maintainance ;,b"utr the< said letter being posteid by her Irish servant, Laudy Flannigan, and being underpaid, he had ; cu6 ; the i four corners off to inadto it suit the 'postal .authorities as tb weight. | 1 Frdlai Dr. f ! Foibes, &'■ grave, hard%jsadfed^ : and^ inielK^en^ Aberdonian;, I learned ni^tiy newfdetails^of the w,ar, ■a^d-tlie 'work- ; we J h.ad -in hand. ; San^iliiv 'tHe paramount chief, was rather accomplished as a Caffre diplo- [ matist," ahdf had ;arg«4 upon ';alHh» les- ; s«r chiefs i^the necessity Vpf / making a' , last struggle; for their, independance. ■■"■ Hp? had spread amongst the people »n ■ intense /dissatisfaction .at ; British rule, ■ and 'had enlisted, the .services .• and interestSiol the ijjjtlanjeni,. or , witrh tloctorSj m whose .prophecies, and predictions of .Qaeon^ictoria's .downfall the Gaifres placed'jmplicit reliance. He reiusedv to "kiss-rthe '?>stick* . of peace," Plough the Governor had tried to force him, : &t;the head of the 74th Ecgiment and battery of guns. - :- - ' " " Slay arid eat," i^as the cry of tjmlanjeni, and the " OaSres, whose, usual f oo'd'is'iidrh; roots, fand niilk, resorted to animar food asa / stimulus /to^ ferocity, arid^rbse m rebellion, committing dreadful,outrages along ; their frontier'/ At that tima it wai -known". 'that they possessed 3^ooo stand of arms, : six millions of ball cartridges^ and half a million of assegais,' • ■■-•.■•'■• -•' '■ • Terror spread. The farmers alraout entirely abandoned their kraals, and wifch-their families sought shelter m the towns or fprta, ? ,and the roads became .impassable -froinvthe quantity of. stock driven m, ■ $f ear; ' Fort ;-Cox, the 91st HighlandorS'teon. 1 came to blows with the Gaffres, of whom they shot two huny d'red, butibst two gallant officers and twenty privates. The Gaikas and Tambokws . rose .m arms,v fifteen thousand strong. Kreli, 'a chief wjidcoulil bring ten thousand -warror^intp^tlie. field, only .waited a fav.ourableibppprtunity' to do j so ; and along tK^ndges of the Amatbla mpuu» ! ujidfer "SaidUli; were now a vast of Caffre* -—how many thousands we k'iiß w; not as yet— ia po'sitioiagaihst: ot,' arid that ' position I knew must be f orced bjefore I could jeaTn tidings of Glariee'and her sister. I ipbgWd. for, the hour'bf; attack, for I hacti no p,ther object; m joining m the i couiest. Mywaggon, with our baggage," the; soldiers' ;iits, and other etcetra left i came into camp next jpaoriing, driven by Speke ran Bo ram el himielf. In it were many relics of the lost ones,*nd the sighl? of thoie thiugs filled my heart 1 .with;^ an agony, m which Douglaa^fu)|y shared; ' ■■■ Ca ryl f oft* was ; Slowly/ very slowly jfecoveringi -thai old] ;Dutchm4n ;«aid \ but nothing mere had been heard -at the village of the two ladies, so all our hopes oftlearping.'more ;.w.ere: based , Pn onr successf»il itorming the nssition' of Saft4Uli» -- : r '' -■■''*■• V:- :> <■''■■■ ■■•■:'/..

Theattire of ,t;he^4th Highlander and alsapi %s '9ls| Jwas siiiart; and serviced al?^,' though '-^o!-l6dk -a hero m the liniforin; pi the; British line— "that , specimen of how „ far -the force of docking" and beggary can : gb^-that cramping t)| tK« Uml s and curtailing of tho proportions of manp-lhat grotesque contrivance Ho scrape the'h'umah figure. do^to ; the shape <and smoothness pf, c^rrp|"r>Js impossible, ' "A regimental blouse and pair of Gampbell -tar ten- tre wi, a- Kilmarnpck ' foi-agt >jajp, andf a pair 6f feldtschben were speedily, provided ' for irie by ,the quarter-nAsW of 'ff.M.'s 74th Foot, belts and a rifle were given me, and a .few. days l»#r Mw .flpf< aitplunteer, pro tern., serving without heed to pay or promotion, m Douglas's .epmpany, and ! pn\the / m)ircH :l ihßjie v: r> BiostUW mountains, where all our 'hopes' were' centred. j liJ-For somevtime-ptiorftoi thi»,. all had been preparation m the camp an.4 early. oh the mpfniiig;p|; the 24th pfr June 'jtMS-; 74th Regiment crossed the border of '/ .: ;. : . :. , ■T/%O.ur.',rpujbe"ja'j pr«r^thbse level, and ;:grasiy plains 'at.t he base!of■the'Ki:»ut- '%&£ onthe ivUnmu* of which' "^ecbujd s '4ee 'the^ Caffrei n #atchinfj; our ,' advance bil6w?i'*.u .-..*• -..j;-/. ■■ ■" : j' " • iThero the C*p» corps mad* a dash ind^ recaptured^ some fprty of cattle from 'a .pa^ / : 6f Cafn^e ' marauy d«rs, of'#homtney shotHhripe or four irhile Tiditfg at "fuligallop: '"X-^iS, ■W« Jiriarchisd - along I stumbled over the corpse of one of them: I merely gave the body a casual glince ias I Mefppid ov«r i<i ;?bfrtrthc next |mo-. cry ©scaped me, whentJ -ww, .amonf , the string! of beads and ; tigers' teeth which enpirole:d t the 'brawny neck of the iavage; an JSurpptan ornament ■^-a gpl4 necHe^the ingoklet of Cla-iUQeii.V-f.-K.v./i.r.. h^-i^u-l i- : ' : i.' Jn an instant. possessed niyself pf it, arid, sur^ey^ grim say^gp sadl^V ' wis^f^lly.- , Siji . tpjigue jftjighi? jwre tpW- '$£ f|l >tiW

corrible secret of the sisters' fate:! but ib was still nowr— yea, still as death could make it. He had been shot through the head, and the bullets had ; completely shattered his left /temple) • foKthe Hoftentots oB the Cape "corps often fired both barrels at once. : (To be 'continued.)