A LORD CLYDE STORY.

Waikato Argus, Volume IV, Issue 232, 8 January 1898, Page 5 (Supplement)

A LORD CLYDE STORY.

A few hout3 after the captura of the Socundcr Bigh durin* tho Indian Manity, Sir Colin Campbell attacked the Shah Nujjif. It was found to be a tough and murderous job, and tho difficulty was increased by the fact that one side of the walls was covered by a row of mud huts, which not only helped to protect the wall in that part, but gave shelter to the enemy's skirmishers. Sir Colin called for a party to advance and burn the huts in question. I and nine of my men volunteered. Sir Colin himself told me what to do, and to get a piece of port-fire from Coptain Peel. This I diJ, and off we set, The distance we had to traverse was insignificant. As soon as ever I got in the first hut I put the port-firo to the roof and fired tho grass, then on to the next; bat, alas! no sooner was o blaze well established than my men seized lighted brands right and left and set fire to every hui around. We were instautly in a circle of fire. The dry materials blazed like tirader ; one of my men's pouches blow up, and what with fire and smoke it was impossible to go f irther, so I ordered a retreat. Just as I got on the main road, who should I meet but Sir Colin himself with some of his staff. He called me, and. said : " You have not half burnt the huts, sir." I answered that I could burn so more on account of the firo, Sir Cjlin tamed on me like a wild tiger, shouting, •' Damn . ■ your eyes, sir! I will not allow you or any other man to tell me that the / fire is too hot 1' I was simply speechless ; I felt as if I could cry. I looked at General Mansfield who happily caught my mcanin j, for he said, " I think the officer means the firo of the burning huts." " Yes," I cried, "I was not afraid of the other fire,but one of my men's pouched blew up, and we were so surrounded by flames that I thought it better to retire." Sir Colin said: "All right, eir; it was my mistake," and so I returned,! terribly crestfallen. I lost three oat of the nine men who accompanied me In this work. I made my way to the place where our men where sheltering. I hoped to get some credit for tho work I had done, bat I got nothing but growls. Just then Sir Colin oame and, dismounting, sat down near us under shelter. He recoguised me, and called me and said: " You must not mind what I said just now, I qnite mistook your meaning ; sit: down." Then pointing to M'Bean, tbe adjutant of the 93rJ, who was sitting near, siid, " Let me introduce you to my friend M'Bean, a good Highlander and agr tud soldier." Accordingly we nodded to each other. I shall never forget the broad Scotch accent in which he spoke these words. Tuinking I was no longer wanted, I 8 duted and retired. I think Sir Colin grew impatient at tho losses we had sustained in our attempts on this place. Sir CoUd, at the close of the day, made still further rep iration ; for, seeking out . the distatchment of the Madras Fuiihers, he highly praised us, mide special mention of our exploit, and orderod a* to form his guard that night.—S. H. Jones Parry.

Years ago there lived in a Massachusetts town a justice of the peace, known as ' Squarj' Simmonds, a man noted for tho shortness of memory. Ha carried about him a slip of paper, on which was writ'en the brief marriage form which he us?d when called up«n to unite a pair in the bonds of matrimony. He never trusted himself to besrin the ceremony without reference to this document: One day at a country fair, in a neighbouring town, he was approached • by an elderly couple, who expressed their wish to be married then aud there. After * some conversation ' Square' agreed to perform the ceremony on tho spot, and the throe stepped.into a convenient horsa shed. ' Square' began to search for the important paper growing more and more perturbed as each succeeding pocket played him faNe. At lust he abandoned the search .' Are you willing to marry this "woman ?' ho asked the man, who replied with a prompt « Yes.' ' And you want to marry him ?' askod the justice, turning to the bride. 'I do,' said _ she, with promptness equal to the bridtferoom's. ' I hereby pronouce you according to the memorandum left at home in my other troupers' packet. A correspondent writes :la October, 1901—according to Holinshed the day ought to be tha 2Stlv of the month—Englishmen will be called upoa to celebrate the memory of King Alfred the-Great. Men will be called upon to honour the greatest amongst our Saxon Kings on the thousandth anniversary of the day on which his life'* work, all good as it hal been, came to an end.The Miyor of Winchester, the Bishop of the diocese, and other persons of influence have communed with on 3 another, and the result will most probably be that the uation will he asked to honour the Saxon King at Winchester. Winchester was his capital, more essentially perhaps the truly English capital in his time thin ever before or after. The memorial will, it is Hoped, take the form of an art gallery, a museum, and a library, of which . the last will be pirticularly apt as a monument of Alfred's true greatness. The Mayor, who ia very sangu:ne of success and his been eucouraged in his scheme by every authority consulted by hhn, hopes to mike the de-. tails of his scheme public early in tho coming year. Mr Frederic Harrison wiites to sty : With regard to the comm3inoratiou of our great Kmg on the thousandth anniversary of his deithin 1901, which I proposed iu my address at Birmingham lait month, may I state thatny suggestions were these : (l)Thafc the commemoration should be made truly national; (2) that it Bhould be undertaken by public authority and not by local committer ; (3) that it should include a memorial mouument of Alfred, . and not a local institution bearing his mm?.— London Ti'inw,