LITERATURE.
IHON STREAM. Two hundred and seventy waggons., two companies of infantry, one coma section' of guns, and one Maxim.. All' told: 436 white men and si}<s native drivers and leaders, all under the command of o ' Ucut.-colonel of yeomanry. ■ A large convoy with a small enough escort for such dangerous coantey./.f .■> i ' A\ "% "They* had Ir&Eod from a point lr the Western Transvaal the previous day, .whore ,they had left their column ln'order to T?el-fresh supplies from; the nearest Service Corps depot, passed safely through the dangerous Maaqwassiborg, with its dense busli and yawning dongas, past the spot where the live young - Kngpshmen had been murdered by ■> "~ Thbiorfler jTHc rcneg'sHci" scV-styiod '* landrost of Wolmeransstad. There had been no sign of JJoers; * ne*f»Sj*»JstW s ijeiiKeiov kop was finally and entirely deserted, and the convoy had out-spanned well put jot the busli on the open ' *■ ,veWt, and there every Jikeii- ' hood of their reaching their destina- ' tion without even smelling a Boer. At 5 *.m.j the next day the. convoy * was on the move again; and trck,l' king "steadily on, halted at midday. ■, _, in3panned, and were trekking again ." .the mounted hien forming the screen . l fight and left 'flankers, and reai I guard. ; The guns Jn the centre, and ?h< infantry marching stolidly along on *l cither side of the waggons. So con- ; try wis eleaS 4>»lß&=«iemy, that F many becane careless. I ■ One exception Jto this was Privati i Thomas. Brownlow, known " to his , imtfuatps n» T. B, Xowj T, B, was, 4, comparatively speaking, a young sol $ '• 'dier. ,■ ; .' r . : . ■ .• £ He had only about i eight, monthsf war service to his credit, and most of that hfid,been spent on the lines -». of communication. r He had jw&iowtjwtth' a'draft long after Pretoria had fallen, and up to the present; tjjno.. bad . . nevet f seen a Uocr, except as a prisoner, t, being conveyed d o wn counlrv under "/' ' c-ccrt. ;;:.■- t This was his first actual cxperi- «*- enco away from a railway, he felt * lonely and depressed, and he had a £ sort offeeling that something was f going to happen. - ' He was trying hard to keep it tt to himself; -indeed, he was C trying so hard that it was obvious ' . to 'those marcting near him. rt ..'' Wh 4 -! 5 U J? t fa Vfc '*&"*» ? " said & Bicky Bird—Walter Crane was hi.s l£v ' Kea ? Manns, hut-as a crane was thought to be'ji.fcird, wcil, hence the same, and. it. stuck to Mm ; no one ever thought of calling him anything else—-' Yxm ain't spoke for the last four 'ours by my ticker, w'at 1 left on the planner,."- Bird E. .was a Cockney. !jp Now, T. B. was moderately trjithj, Jul, and h* admitted that he*had:»rot * thehumpf : * " * '• * - \* " W'at you got the 'ump for ? " If rcpled Dicky Bird. "You ain't got * nothing togouse-aWatr H-you was ,f fed up J, could give yer some | Biropafy ; mfc -tfiv * eighteen monfs' | war service, afSTno kit worth speakg, - in' of, a bfister on me 'eel as big as g last niontt* pay, and only the fag !fc end of a shirt." |j-: tfffllS&P ; * h WHW-t of it ? " *'""-. w hy,^.replied Dicky Bird, "you i, . Mow tfte place we left yesiterdav. I K ' cashed it there in the spruit, 'and m hwg ft up'to dry the W.- 7 flesßel_blophißV hnd got under oue of ,& . the'waggons to 'ave a doss while jf "1 'adden been there above five js minutes when a bloke says to me, ? ■'• saj», ' Is this your shirt out 'ere, "> chum' ?' ' Yjjs,' I says, rprty like. $ •' Well,' 'e says, '■it.'ull be surgical £ Jwndiges soon if you don't get a i niove on.' " " ; ■' Com se I 'epped out lively like, ; and strike me pink, if I didn't see t, a bloomin goataplayin' hop-scotch * ,'Wiv i€ ; 'c'd scoffed the collar for 'is , - . aarly dinnei-, and 'ad one of the ;, sleeves 'iyebed up to 'is 'orns, which , made v :m look like a Uashi Bazouk ;; on the booze. But I give im booze. r ..Thai was some of 'is liver we 'ad f tore breakfast this mornin'.'' » T. B, made no reply to his friend's ?. story ; he did not even la«gh ; his depression was too deep, and they t trudged along in silence for several ; minutes. . _„.. f. , Dick Bird had been; depressed hiiur self on more than one occasion, and % he had no mind to let his pal get f • 'morbid if he could help it, so- he |~' returned once more to tjhe attack by i " Say, cully, how far do you h think it is to tho top of the rise ? " | "I UonH know." replied T. B. t .'■ About two miles, I should think.'' iU't y»u n pint of the very licst C'asttie Krewery it's over two 'ours ; and S| I'll lict you uuolber pint it's over J 3 - Hires 'ours from the top of the j£ iarst one to trie top of the next." t' "How going to prove it?" | saW T.-«^' 5 - ■■'•■ • ■'-' f- " Oh." repliod Dicky Bird, ;• we'll ask one of=- the conducto'"s>. 'Kre J comes one now." jj . And- a«_lln conductor came up them;, Dicky Bird .veiled out, K v " Say, dnim,. how far is to tho top Eg-" of that 'era rise'.' " EK " Which one? " surd the conductor. Mr " That one ahead, of course." R,r ..'.'l>h.-about-two h»urs," came the P'";- nsjilj', " and. about thre,- hours from ig t one to the other," mul then he caliph l tcied on towards the end of the m.' J convoy, which was beginning to lac little, P'■ f " Thorc you are'my son, I told ■:; JO" so," said Dicky Bird, " and now fc\ you owe ice two pints of the very fe' ; c e»t that ever was,." £ ..' " AH rfght/' rejoined T. B. i'lt's |, yours if we ever get in." 5 J< T/ ,ncan 1 " sa'd Dickv § ili ,™- nir y shouldn't we ? " b > " 1. don't know," replied T B fc got an idea that we shan't K et M'- ever since Kt. shake it i^^^^^^^^^^^^^Bm .wont a_^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^H
| Mgfit for ntaktog'bread .wiv. too, I'll give yer my word. " Our compaay cook put in lo dull 'e Was liiakin' up at Koom:>- ' ti'.Pobrt, and it blew the tog ptt the dixey—put too much in, the lac I. 'ead." i By this time,, the sun was begin- ■ ning to get low down on the horij/.on, and the leading waggons had I topped the rise and were beginning to descend into the shallow valley beneath, through which wandered the I'Ezyc Spruit, or Iron Stream. On iSis occasion there happened to i be some water in it, usually It was Iquite dry, and this-fact decided the officer commanding. J Had there been no water there, jit had- been his intention, after a short rest, to push on the same night : but, as fate would have it, ! thore was water, so the order was given to cross 1 on the other side, i park the waggon.s, and outspan. , Word was sent to the advance guard and flankers, who promptly hilled and dismounted, only too glad of the chance, for nothing is: more tiring than sitting in the saddle for hours at a walking pac. Then, as soon as posstble made their way back" to camp. Neither T. 11. or Dicky Bird' -were for guard that night, so as soon as they halted, oil •come their bandoliers, rifles were piled, and blankets lainied. Soon the welcome cry of •" Boil up for your tea," was heard coining from the different company cooks, . ami while T. B. fetched his own and Dicky Bird's rations, the latter wont over to the horse lines to find the friend who was the proud possessor of the Kno's. Kc was soon found', and Dicky Bird, after the exercise of considerable cajolery and the promise of much becr\ succeeded in getting a liberal dose for his Mend. Both the Eno's and the tea were "drunk, and the few biscuits they had ■£ left were eaten in silence ; even the usual cheerfulness of Dicky Bird seemed to bo clTectod by the low spirits of T. 8., and soon their blankets were unrolled and they lay down to sleep. T. 8., however, though very tiivd, • Could not sleep, and by the rfaint light of a young moon, -which" enj allied him to see'fairlv distinctly, he let bi» eyes wander over the posi- ", tion. '' Away on his right he could sec j_ the waggons formed tip into a J square with their treams of mules hitched up on either side of the dcsscl blooms, and here and there '" a small fire with Utile groups of natives squatting-around them. " *Pill are known in-the Army by ' s numbersv not by name. . s (To- bo continued.)
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Taranaki Daily News, Volume XLVII, Issue 794, 10 April 1905, Page 4
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1,443LITERATURE. Taranaki Daily News, Volume XLVII, Issue 794, 10 April 1905, Page 4
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