LORD WOLSELEY.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LI, Issue 190, 1 August 1908, Page 4

LORD WOLSELEY.

♦ Lord AVolscley has probably had more narrow escapes from death than any other living British officer, and some ot his experiences have been truly remarkable. In his younger days his lordship was so daring that he earned from the ; Ashantis the title of "The General who 1 Sever Stops.'' Vet. in spite of his courage, Lord Wolscloy,—like Lord Roberts—has his pet aversion. _ The later ollicer has a. rooted objection 'o cats, and Lord AVolseley's bete noir is any kind of reptile. " I. have never been able to get over this horror of reptiles,'' ' he has "said, "anil still fly from the harmless toad.''Lord Wolselev's earliest ambition was to 'become a soldier, and it is said Unit as a bov all his pocket-money was spent on books dealing with military subjects. When at last his ambition was realised, and he found himself in the army, he did not rest contented until lie had 'had a taste, of real lighting. "I. can.scarcely tell you how 1 felt on going into lily lirst 'action," he once- remarked. "ft is'a sensation hard to describe. Nine men out of ten don't know how they are going to behave. You look forward witli eagerness to see what a battle is like I remember that I was longing lo be shot at." He has certainly had ins wish "ratified many times, for on numerous occasions he has been where Ih" bullets whistled round him like raindrops, and he has been badly wounded more than once. Lord AYolselcv was on one occasion so severely wounded that he heard tho surgeons remark about, him: "lie is a deaf r un-" but probably the narrow-set escape he e»er had was owing to his great fonuness for sketching. During a certain campaign, while there was a lull in the proceedings, he wandered oil' with his sketch-book to '"^Tr^.ir^nn He was hardly out of sight of the camp when a senior ollicer sent for him to undertake » »■'«'", »' lsslon ; ~ A * future field-marshal was not theie, another officer volunteered-to go in his ul'ice This unfortunate man was capcut off. "So," says Lord AAolscb> w-hen he tells the story, "my fondues for drawing stood mem good stead at least once in my We.''