THE'OUTPOSTS.

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 604, 4 September 1909, Page 6

THE'OUTPOSTS.

J-: :/ f.VVAND^THE,.itAID!l?BS i ' onV 'Against tho greyrdarknoss'of!thought! sky '' and the thcusanditwinkling-lights' of. Kilbir.;•nic, Mount Victoria stood.put, l)!ack :: and- in- \ sorutablc,- its- right ridge 'sloping, away into • .i the shadowy darkness. ..Along, thowinding.. ridge, track strolled jjwo" who- cared ■ nothing ;, I for the. blackness—they, liked'it—nothing for.. ■ the , guy panorama'of lights strotohed.beneath ' them. 'Tiicy were' twin souls,' he, and she,' and. as'thoy strolled along,' ho -V ■' :*'■■'■ "Halt! . Who.gees thoro?"-.■ A fitfnro in khaki' evolved.'itself out'of .the darkness, arid a rifle" . . barrel swung round, wavered, and then stopped, ■;■ k' plumb "bead" on one of the twin sbule., • "Hero, : I say,.don't'shoo— I mean— hang it, what's tho garao?" '.-■'. 7 ....,■.;..■■< •■'-,: "Pass Friend—all's w011,' , , said tho. khaki figure, ironically, ,and .the souls ,fled.. -.Had . ' they' Continued ,: they .would, have .been'held nn' . all along tho ridge, for tho hill' was.'olivo with/ „ liien, 'khaki' men, who; lay'• in tho.folds; of' the.',' ground, behind tho' ti-scrub, , among the borilderf,: waiting Over;3oo of them there were, 'doing ■. outpost, duty.' Somewhoro .'1 on ■ the flata belo.w (were sixty odd; nicn—liostile who ' were going to worm their ■ way. through tho'. outpost .'linei . and : spy-'the); town.'"They (the '■ • Highland, Rifles) hoped to. ; outwit;the-other- ■' companies of the, Wellington ..Biflo Battalion, and.nearly did it. Bat "neariy.never killed a" mau," runs-an old nphdrism, and'tho'.kilties / •••. got no further than the outpost, lino. About 8.30 S.m. a evelist: arrived' at the Garrisbn:.Hall in . ucklo- Street with a ; . ■■message for , Lient.Colonel Duthie, 0.C., from the officer -in charge; of the outpost ..lino. (Majbr-.Mackintosh), .stat- , . ing that tho enemy had passed front. v and was.makiiig for. the loft. , ■ tious woro being.mado%'envelop ■■'hiln.- At' • nine''o'clock'n half company; of, Highlanders (under Lieutenant ■Willis): fell; into'the ■ ,'■■ ' . of somo' "P.':and'-Ks.",nnd wero.siiitably'wel- , epmed.: (Tha'othbr half (under , Captaiji M'Di.ar- , .mid), had better'luck..;.They crept ..up • to..- . within about 10 paces of-the outposts. , opened' fire; anddrovo tho line" back. Thereafter; thoy doubled, to ,tho right; and', rah through.; the- : . ■ . tunnel, at the other end of-which, by'all the rules of war; they .'.would have' oncopntered cpinplioations. ■Meanwhile; • "Begbio" lamps, weio- winking furiously, in. the dackness, and the signallers,"watching, the :winks, understood that- , tho business .was. t> ver. ; : ~..' ... '■'•"■■