A BRAVE SOLDIER.
[TO THE EDITOR OF THE " gPECTATOR."] SIR,—Yon may, perhaps, consider the enclosed letter worthy of publication as an instance of quiet and sustained courage on the part of a private soldier. The father of the writer showed me the letter, which was written in pencil, and I was so much struck with it that I asked him to let me have it typed.—I
Field Force, South Africa, March 9th, 1900.
Mr DEAR PARENTS,—I am glad to say that my condition is more favourable than when I last wrote; in fact, I am getting on splendidly, the outside wounds are practically healed, but it will be some time before I am right again, the movement of my heart and lungs preventing the wound from healing inside. I promised when I last wrote to give you fuller details as to how I got wounded, so here goes. On Thursday morning, February 22nd, we evacuated a hill (known as Monte Christo on the English chart) which our battalion had held for four days, and retired on the River Tugela, where we had some food and a few hours well- earned rest. However, we got orders to fall in at 1.30 p.m., and advanced with the King's Royal Rifles for about a mile and a half across very hilly country, and under very heavy shell fire. Here we came in contact with our firing line, and we got orders to lay low as it was impossible to advance farther in daylight, and there was about a mile of plain in front of us. The rumour ran round, which, however, proved true, that we, supported by the King's Royal Rifles, wed to take two hills held by the enemy at the point of the bayonet, which we did successfully, and held them in spite of them trying to retake them four times daring the night. On Friday morning about 3.30 we commenced throwing up earth- works to protect us from a heavy shell fire expected from the left. We had finished that, and I had got nicely down under cover, when I was detailed as a messenger from the Major to the Colonel, who had command of the force on the right hill, we being on the left. The Major told me that he had sent four men, and they had been unable to find the Colonel, and I had been specially recommended to him by my company officer for the task, and I tell you I felt highly honoured, and vowed inwardly to find him or die in the attempt; but little did I think then what it was going to cost me. However, I got down to the bottom of the hill and crossed a space of about fifty yards between the two hills successfully and advanced up the other one, where I found the Devons entrenched on the ridge. Here I asked a Captain if he could direct me to my Colonel, and he said " Yes." Pointing across about eighty yards of at ground to the firing line, he said : " He is there ; but what do you want to know for ? ' I told him I was conveying a message from the other hill, and he said : " My dear man, if you value your life, don't go; there have been .dozens, of men knocked over trying to reinforce them," and to give me a better heart he told me I should have three cross•fires to contend with. However, I was determined to go, and pointed out to him that it was my duty to do so. So making myself as small as I could I darted across about thirty yards, and finding the rifle fire rather hot I laid down flat on the ground. After I had got my wind, and they had ceased firing a bit, I got up and covered another thirty yards with success, the fire being hotter than ever ; again I laid myself out flat and got my wind, I then being about twenty yards from the firing line, where there was plenty of cover, and I should have been safe, but they then had me spotted, for when I got up to make the final dash I had not gone more than five yards when I got it straight through the chest, this being about 5.30 a.m., and there I laid until 7 o'clock in the evening, the sun fetching the skin off my chest. I must close this long letter with my fondest love to you all from your loving P.S.—I hope you will not think I have written this for the sake of bravado, but it is simply the true facts of the case.
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