"For Valour."

Te Aroha News, Volume V, Issue 248, 21 March 1888, Page 4

"For Valour."

A tew Sundays ago, I was loaning about down in the Lake iJistrict, wher« T was fishing, when 1 saw an old soldier hitting at his door with sc\eral medab on his breast, the most prominent of which was that much-coveted bit of bron,:e, tho Victoria Cioss. I thought there might bo some amusement to be got oui of him, and so after pretence of asking if' he knew of any public house or hotel abt ut, I got talking to him. Pie^ently when he. spotted my fishing gear ho turned quo*>tionor, and 1 found out that he was a s real fisherman in liis way and know all tho bo-t pools about, and, better than all, he thoutrhfc he could square tho water-keeper of Colonel Hawtrey's ii\er; .so, after making; plans to meet him early next day. I pa^ed on, ltfexfc morning I found my friend all 1 eady. We fished all the morning with more or less luck. Colonel Haw trey j? keei>ci ua? most nffable, and even camy and ii>hed with us, condescending to partake of our frugal meal. 1 must say in justice to this man, though, that he utterly refused to accept nny tin, telling me that the Calonol always let Old Tommy do what he liked and bring a friend to help him do it. At last, about two o'clock after lunch, -vre sat and smoked our pipes, and I began talking to Old Tommy about his soldiering experiences, hoping to lead him up to the deed of daring which won his V.C., but I was saved tho trouble by the keeper, who suddenly said, "And now, Tom, tell the gentleman how you ran away and was rewarded lor it." ''Is that when you got your Cross, Tom?' 1 I asked. "Yes, sir,*' he answered, "and if you would like to hear about it, why, you'ie welcome '' 1 a--ure i him there wab nothing I should like better, so after all of ius refilling our pipe-* he set to work. " Well, you see, it was thi* way, sir ; many a man doe-> deeds of daring nnd foolishness to win this Cross, and theie^ many a man who deserves it wiio hasn t got it. Mind you, I don't say the authoiities ain't as fair as possible, but an otiicor has other : things to do in a light than to look about ! for individual deeds of daiing. Lor', why it's all luck, more or less ; now, between you and me, sir, — Frodsham here knows this story well, so he don'tcount -now, between I you and me, in my ease it would have been J much better to have marked ie, ' For Cowardice,' instead of ' For Valoar ' ; for, mark you, [ earned mine by running away instead of stopping to bo killed like all my pal*, biave chaps too they were. Of course you re member the last Afghan war : I was up there, one of a small party of ca\alry teconnoitring in advance, you know, and a pretty good dusting we were having too, for tho^e scoundrels u&ed to wait behind rock? and ] tang, ping, the bullet-? weie whistling about our heads, and they were miles oft loading their lille and waiting for us round some other corner. Lor' ! why I tell you when we got back to headquarter there were only two hoicesand a bacjiiage mule that kicked like the old thingummy bob and as a vile v. anted to go the other way, among the lot of us ea\alry ' Why, I walked most ot the w.iy into that infernal country and all the way out in one jackboot and a pair of Afghan breeches wrapped round the other foot ! Well, we happened to be up there during Christmas time, and though the prospects were not over lively, we did our best to make it a merry one. Theie was lot? of miow about and we made a snow man ani had a snowball fight. "In the evening double rations of rum were served out — some attempt was made at a plum pudding, only we had no suet, and the plums were rather dama2ed from having been for a fortnight in a haversack with the things brought up for this festive cccasion. We made ourselves very happy, though, and brewed some punch without lemons or sugar in an old flour keg, but I think it must have leaked, for it was empty very soon, but we managed to keep the bowl flowing over, a? the poet sings, while it lasted, and what with songs and toasts to absent friends, we were very comfortable round the camp fire. You'll be saying that lias nothing to do with the V.C. But I want you just to understand how we were situated, and after this explanation we'll move on to tiie important question. " Well, as I was saying, we were enjoying ourselves mightily, and we were all off our guard, which was very foolish ; but just as we wwyee y e getting sleepy an outpost came running in to say that he had been iired at by the enemy, who v ere coming along the valley in large numbers ; and sure enough we had only time to find our rifles and tilings, when they were upon us, and peppeiing at us from the top of the cliffs. Why the Dickens they couldn't be quietly enjoying their Christmas like decent people do I don't know. "The old Colonel he came tumbling out and roared out, ' Get out of the light of the fire ; boys, they can see you and you can't see them ;' so we skedaddled for shelter behind some broken ground with large rocKS and stones to cover us. " Then, I don't know how it happened, bat the captain and myself and two other men were cut off from the main body and surrounded at once by howling devils. For the brutes thought we were running away, and came out of their hiding places and attacked us with their swords, throwing away their old muzzle-loaders. One or two were still firing, however, and one of our patty of four fell dead almost directly. We ■were very well placed, as they couldn't get at our rear owing to the cliff, but I should have been happier if we had been more in number. The captain took the dead man's rifle, and we three meant to die hard. The next) to fall was the unfortunate officer himself, who was rash like, and ventured out a step and got cut down. The ammunition gave out, and the remaining man says to me, ' Tom,' said he, ' we've gofc to die, but I'm going to try and make a run for it?* anyhow : tnia is getting too warm for yours truly,' and run for it he did ; he pot about twenty or thirty yards when he fell, with his head literally chopped to pieces ; for you know those chaps only use one cut, straight down at the head. Well, it was getting light now, and I could see the main body about fitty yard off still firing into the onemy. I noticed too that those on a level with us only had swords, all the rifles being up on the top of the cliffs. Well, thinks I, this looks promising, and I summed up the situation. There was I, behind two stones, just able to keop the enemy at bay with my bayonet The riflemen were still plugging away at me, but there was scarcely Tight enough yet, thank God, and I was only rather cut about from the lead splashing off the rocks, but still one might kill me by accident. Then I thought, shall I run for it or shall 1 stop and be Killed here, like a gentleman, and then I noticed tho poor Captain's corpse, and, thinks I to myself, you've no farther use for it yourself, poor chap, and you're a light weight, being a small man, maybe you've got a mother who would like your body pickled and sent to her — though I didn't think of who was going to do it'— well, old chap, I can wrap your corpse .Tound my. head, you'll get all the blows and I save my skin, "No soonei said than done ; I picked him up with his legs hanging down on my eflt-hand Bide, and his head and arms on the

other. Then happened ono of those small Uiingd that important events so ofton turn upon. His metal sword sheath got in my light and ho I chucked it over my shoulder, as I hadn't had timo to unbuckle it, and it must have laid itself all along his body, for when I saw it next 1 shouldn't have known what it was, it was so cut and hacked about, and the body was hardly touched at all ; nothing serious that is to say. Well, we got to onr friends all safe, and I fainted dead off. They thought that they had got two corpses, but tho oddest part of it is that they hadn't got even one, for the Captain turned out not to bo dead after all, but most severely injured from a sword-cut ; his scalp wad nearly shaved off; it was tho blow that nearly stunned him moic than the wound. Well, I didn't get oil' scot-free cither, and was taken to tho reai-, but everybody was full of my great pluck, and as soon as the mountain men I w ere finally repulsed the old Colonel came and made much of me, and told me that ho wa 5*5 * proud of having such men under him, and ho was going to recommend mo for the V.C. In fact, lie made no such fuss for he was very fond of the gentleman who l.ad saved my head, that the doctoi had to order 1 him out of tho place. However, t felt jolly proud that day, and wasn't such a fool as to let out that I thought that it wa-, only a body that I was rescuing. Not I ! I just held my juw, and here's the V.C "Now, what I want to know X what would have happened if I had picked xip the other corpse, or if the Captain had been dead ? I havo told Colonel Jfawticy tho whole story, but ho always &aj r s, 'Never you mind, Tom, yon saved my life and you have a great reputation now ' For Valoui. 1 " —From the " Cambiidge Review."