WOLSELEY AND THE SNAKE

Evening Post, Volume LXXXV, Issue 110, 10 May 1913, Page 12

WOLSELEY AND THE SNAKE

ROBERTS OBJECTS TO CATS. A fine tribute to the late Lord Wolesley will be found in the autobiography of Sir William Butler. Wolesley, wrote Butler, who served under him in many campaigns, had "the best and most brilliant brain I ever met in the English Army. He was possessed of courage equal to his brain power. His body, had been mauled and smashed many time*. In Burmah a gingall bullet had torn his thigh to shreds. In the Crimea a shell smashed his face and blinded one eye. But no man who rode beside Wolseley could ever have imagined he had only half the power and sight with which he started life. I never knew him tired. I never knew his eye deceived." Possibly the only undignified retreat ever made by Lord " Wolseley occurred in India in 1858. After a long and dusty march in the very hot season, he sought the waters of one of the tanks surrounded with fine groves of trees-^-whicb are the. gifts of the pious and. charitable. Whilst he was rolling about in luxurious enjoyment, a yellow snake shook its tongue close to his face, and almost paralysed with terror he struck out for the stepped side of the bank as fast as if — to use his own words — he "were pursued by a whole zoological garden full of hostile and man-devouring beasts and reptiles." Lord Wolseley confessed to having more. than most men "a loathing horror and indescribable repugnance to all sorts of reptiles," which he was never able to overcome, and late in life would still "fly even from the.'harmlees toad.". There are many curious fears, of men who are accounted fearless. For instance, everybody knows that Lord Roberts (not exactly a. coward) is afraid of cat*.