IN THE RIFF.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 725, 26 January 1910, Page 8

IN THE RIFF.

A VOLUNTEER WITH THE SPANIARDS. Mr. E. Howard Jebb, writing in the "Glasgow Herald" under date November 18, states:— . . To start at the beginning, my first view of the campaign, was'early one morning, in August, and was on tho transport. Mahon, steaming slowly into Melilla. The sun. had just risen and the 6hafts of light were striking on the 1 Guigu, as the mountain is called which dominates Melilla, lighting up the ' ridges, while, the valleys stood sharply: outlined' in black. . .-. 1, i - ■ y'7 The first month; was uninteresting—a' small skirmish and four or five days' convoy work. The remainder of the time I spent in .'being instructed how to hold a rifle—l . who had been six years a British, officer. Still I had to put' up with it, and really it had; its amusing side.' I shall never forget:one blistering hot 'day, .with the sun. pouring down on, us, when, with all our equipment, we ran about for two hours like maniacs for, the benefit of a kinematograph operator, who: wanted: Sims of the:campaign! I nearly deserted, and I think it was only my sense of the ludicrous that saved me; 600 ; men charging with fixed bayonets, screaming "Vive Esp'ana" on - a miserable little , man with a kinematograph. It really was 'amusing. After this period of boredom came, the advance and battle on; the 20th, followed by the searohing of the villagos of so-called friendlics for armsand am-, munition';'- aild. 'we managed to find' a good deal more than arms, goats, chickens, 'and fruit being some. slight compensation for seeing, the very men. who had been fighting against us quietly smoking, in their villages and professing the utmost friendliness. I; saw some , few days later a Riff: selling grapes: to the troops with a clean Mauser bullet wound through his leg. I was shortly after this at the taking and burning of Nador,' a town ; standing on. the.edge. of. .the Marchica and' surrounded - by. ■ a well-cultivated plain, and .it was here I. very. nearly-finished- my service. I was wandering i about, in the prickly pears .that abound there, looking for fig trees, and, having wandered rather farther, than'l intended from camp without my rifle, I was suddenly awakened by a couple of bullets ping-ping overhead, and but for : the baa marksmanship , I oust have.' been finished , off,'; since the ffioors had crept up'within 200 yards. I took to-my heels and fled. ' Selouan was our next move, and I may say Ii was the first Englishman in it, as my regiment formed < the advance guard and entered lit first. It; is an interesting' place, forining . as, it did the " stronghold of tho Biff.leaders who rebelled against the . Sultani while. the stream on which it stands gives ap added attraction, and many an eel .have I sniggled out of it in the way I was..taught by an old Welshman, and which.is a revelation to the Spanish soldier,who, vrith a bent pin and; infinite: patiencesits for hours "fishing." There is-,a' saying-in- Sjpain that the fisherman needs much patience, but he who watches, for the fisherman; to catch a fish needs a thousand times more. I had a great find at a small village near Selouan;. , I had." gone: out -with-my company with orders ;to ; burn; the 'place, and, having' a'last look round a house before ;• I set fire to. it, noticed/a loose stone in: the floor. -,I. had; it up in' a moment, and there ;below me was a small cellar'.-filled 1 with : green tea.■:■'.'lt,may not .seem; much 1 to. those who do not know the Moorish- tea;; but when I say that it is a great deal. better than .China, its. value 'to us on campaign rations is understood. The officers.hid most; of it, but I I. got :some' fiveYor six 'pounds, some of w;hich I hope to bring to England : :;. Shortly■ 'after the '.'taking • ofSelouan' :came the disastrous", battle .of September 30,' and' I' had; : an- ; exciting.': experience then. During the ' retirement- my : company, .With two others, • left. to cover: the retreat;- and tho artillery liavmg run. out "of' ammunition, the enomy were closing in on is: from three sides.' There was one: great,; tall' fellow who' had been condescending .enough - to , make- me his jpdi l/gotitiTfl .bullets, one throughthe.: trousera.-and; -another-.-through' the.rolled blanket on my shoulder, and'as tha : coyer . I..had was ,sligh{;\.l .was;-beginning-to .think I was in rather a, bad, way, so resolved on stratagem,-and-instead of answering his: fire, as I h-ad been I made no ( reply for .thiw .shots, ,<phcn, thinkitfg. .lie' had got' me, he 'got up' from .behind his stone to advance; to some a' .little further oh, and I 'dropped him in his tracks..That;was number, one, but that did not finish.matters by any means, and irithin.n short time the enemy had' got within'a few yards of us; and; dropping; their-rifles; ■ were: throwing- stones. Thanks, however,'-' to the steadiness of the men, we beat them; off. and retired" carrying' oux 'dead and : wounded 'with us, and though we lost more than'9o, we. got them' all / out of' action' ivith the exception of one captain shot through the head; and I. shall now tell how we recoveredthe corpse 1 - only' four days ago, together with thosß left behind by another regiment.. My colonel had:'asked" permission - to bring in all the oorpsea.' the ' day: after the battle, but" had : teen ' refused, the, generalfnot' caring to risk more, casual-' ties; and. it weus, only . a week ago with, glaisses! that I ; could; 6oe from a;i hill - overlooking the. battlefield , jackals .- devouring tho corpses. Pour Moorish police we haa-attached:-to : .us said, however,...that.,we' could without' fear : now .'take .lie corpises and biiry. them, ; and the ge'neral'.givirig. permission'we sallied out 'with stretchera. arid our ,rifl«C . ,

' - The first we' came across was our. own' captain;'" recognisable' .by His. aluminium forearm,Chfc 05m.having!.been shot" away by ", a shell, in '.Cuba. Ho , was otherwise, quite ..unrecognisable,.,and' /presented..a terrible sight, •; .. Their,' burial that evening with full military .honours;. I:.shkll• never .forget. It was a most .imprfessive - ceremony. ;