A WARRIOR’S LAST BLOW.

Southern Cross, Volume 1, Issue 35, 25 November 1893, Page 13

A WARRIOR’S LAST BLOW.

The mountains of northern Afghanistan are a cold and dismal region in winter at the best of times; but re'ser had they looked colder, bleaker, and more dismal altogether than just about daybreak on a chill, dreary morning in January, 1842. On either side of a deep, narrow, gloomy gorge vast black precipices rose hundreds of feet into the air, flecked with streaks of ghostly white by the snow that had lodged in the clefts and hollows. Here and there among the rocks the skeletons of a few leafless trees looked gauntly down upon the dreary valley which

seemed ns saak and silent and lonely as ihe .SEfErath' of a; t»Eab- In the lieart of tha t savage solitiad© it might -well astonish any one io- bean severa -words j>f. 'English, »s&tl those, 100, spoken jby the veice of a young child. •

Tin - ®© %urs baJ yust issued from a deep cavern, car■ffat'her’ cleft, in the rock, "in which fdWy seemed.(to have takes* shelter fo** ih® night- _ The foremost a ta.l3, gaunt; sinewy Asiatic, with Mis shaggy’ -black hair twisted isni©» long emv\s ] after the Beloochi feishaon, a heavy Afghan jezaxl on his shoulder, and a and a sb®g dagger in his silken girdle —Looked! jnsM the man for such a wild region ;■ bat the s-hght, delicate-fe-itm-edriSsigTiKh lady who followed him. and tha httle- gsrl whom she led hv the hancHwere tlcnvery hast people one would have- expected to . meet in the depths ef this grim wilder-

ness. ... Both looked pale and worn, as it snc-h roisgli. travelling were far too much for their strength ; and a very pretty sight it was to sc© how careful the fierce? warri®r vr.is of them both, helping the mother whenever she stumbled! amoag the sharp .stones, end carrying tbe child in his stioug firms through the great snow-drifts that ha-cl swept across the nanow break-neck path every here and there. But ;ill this while his keen, black eye kept glancing back oyer his shoulder, or looking restlessly from .'•i le to side, as if expecting every moment the app© ounce of an enemy. How they came there is easily told They were th© wife and daughter of Colonel Tlarcourt, r.n English officer, who having been detached to take charge of a hill fort on the British lino of advance upon Cabcol (the Afghan capital) had left them with the main army as-being more likely to be safe there. Bat now the army itself, having -been driven out of Cabool by the Afghans, had been attacked among the mountains m its retreat toward the frontier of India, and completely destroyed. Amid toe great slaug’hter, IVXrs liar con 1 1 and her little Minnie had been saved with groat difficulty by their friend Ismail ]3go—;i, brave Belooehi chief in the English service, who was now doing his best to- bring them safely to the fort where Captain Harcourfc was in command. ; But even Ismail’s strong nerves i trembled as he suddenly saw far in | the distance a line of nark figures : coming over the xcozen hill-side swift ; and merciless as pursuing wo.ves. j The Afghans were on their trail. |

Had he been alone, the daring Beloochi Avon Id have feared nothing, for lie had faced worse odds before now, a.id it ho had to run for his life, few infill m those mountains could have overtaken him. Bat as he looked at the tired Avoman and the helpless child, his heart sank Avitkin him. He- caught up Minnie, and and strode onward through mud and snow, Avliile the little girl nestled her golden head against his shoulder as if feeling quite safe in ins hands. But there was no one to cany poor Mis Haroouif, aa'liosg delicate feet we e already sorely cut by the sharp stones ; and do- what they might, the pursuers gained on them, uttering ■yells of savage triumph Avhich made the lady shudder, and Ismail clinch his teeth grimly. Just then a sudden turn round a sharp cornei- .showed them, high on the rocky ridge beyond, the fort for which they were making. But between them and it yawned a hideous chasm several hundred feet in depth, spanned by one of those perilous bridges which one also sees in South America, consisting merely of two ropes, one above another, the lower for the met. and the uppei for the bands. Hanging above that dreadful gulf, the two cords looked no bigger than spider s threads; but this was their only chance. Snatching off his scarf, Ismail blindfolded Mrs Harcourt with it, and bidding IMinmo shut her eyes and cling’ tightly to his neck, he led the mother fomvard to tne ropes, placed her hand on the upper one and her

foot on the lower, anif/teffii lieu to go forward and. -.fear'nothhDLgi;uixtiltlS.he!' felt herself on firm ground. Then he stepped in front of her, and holding the child in One arm went feerfcssly along the terrible passage. At that moment the Afghans came over the brow of the hill behind, and raised a howl of fury as ihey saw their p- ey about to - escape.-- One man levelled his rifle at the fugitives, but instantly, lowered ft'’again, for they could nut. fit e at Ismail without the risk of hitfingiyii'SHarcourt orMinme,. whose ran sum ,w on 1 d make them rich f< >r life. If it was possible to take the pair alive, the-Afghans were determine I to do it. .

And now the excitement of this race for life and death rose to a height. Down came the pursuers with frightful yells, plunging headlong’ through the Snow, while the fugitives cruivled foot by foot along the perilous bridge. Now they were half-way across, now three-quarters, and now, with a long, deep breath of relief, the brave Beioochi set down Minnie on the opposite bank, and placed Mrs Harcourt beside her. But as he rose to his feet again, three rifles cracked at once, and poor’ f small fell heavily upon his lace among the stones. “ Shavash !” (wc’l done) reared the Afghan leader. “ Eor ward, comrades, there is no one to stop ns now.” Shouting .wildly, the cruel gang darted toward the bridge, and were already some distance along it, when isrnarl Beg, mortally wounded though he was, raised himself on his knees with a last effort, and with one furious slash of his dagger cut the upper rope right through. Gae wild cry rang

through the air as the fierce pursuers fell headlong down fho black unfathomable depth below, and then ail was silent.

That very evening. Colonel Harcourt, having seen his wife and child safely established-in the fort, sallied forth at' the head of a party of his best men, and brought In the body of poor Ismail, which was buried next day with military honours under a tree, in a corner of the great courtyard,- with a simple wooden cross over it, npou which the Colonel engraved with his own hand : “ Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.” —Selected.