Young Folks

Southern Cross, Volume 2, Issue 2, 14 April 1894, Page 11

Young Folks

A BRAVE DRUMMER BOY. Mr William-Porbes-Mitchell (formerly of the 93rd Sutherland Rifles) in his recently-published “ Reminiscences of the Great Mutiny, 1857-59,” relates the following 1 incident of the Siege of Lucknow : It was deemed necessary to signal to the Residency to let them know our position, and for this purpose our adjutant, Lieutenant William M‘Bean, Sergeant Hutchinson, and Drummer Ross, a boy of about twelve years of age but even small for his years, climbed to the top of the dome of the Shah Hujeef by means of a rude rope ladder which was fixed in it; thence with the regimental colour of the 93rd and a feather bonnet on the top of the staff they signalled to the Residency, and the little drummer sounded the regimental call on his bugle from the top of the dome. The signal was seen and answered from the Residency. But the enemy also saw the signalling and the daring adventurers on the dome, and turned their guns on them, sending several round shots quite close to them. Their object being gained, our men descended, but little Ross ran up the ladder again like a monkey, and holding on to the spire of the dome with his left hand he waved his feather bonnet, and then sounded the regimental call a second time, which he followed by the call known as “ The Cock of the Horth,” which he sounded as a blast of defiance to the enenijr. When peremptorily ordered to come down by Lieutenant M‘Bean he did so, but not before the little monkey had tooted out the two first verses of “ Yankee Doodle.” When little Ross reached the parapet at the foot of the dome he turned to Lieutenant M‘Bean and said, “Ye ken sir, I was born when the regiment was in Canada, when my mother was on a visit to an aunt in the States, and I could not come down till I had sung’ “ Yankee Doodle ” to make my American cousins envious when they hear of the deeds of the 93rd. Won’t the Yankees feel jealous when they hear that the little drummer boy in the regiment sang ‘ Yankee Doodle ’ under a hail of fire on the dome of the highest mosque in Lucknow.”