THE BOY WHO CLIMBED THE FORTRESS

Northern Advocate, 7 February 1934, Page 2

THE BOY WHO CLIMBED THE FORTRESS

HOW MICHAEL MAGNEB WON THE VICTORIA CROSS; -

Michael Magner was only fourteen years bid when he joined .the Army, and he went as a drummer-boy to AbJ s r sinia towards the end of 1867.

The. Abyssinians were then ruled by a fierce robber chief, called the Emperor Theodore. He was a proud, cruel man, and in a fit of bad temper he seized"' sbni© ofour missionaries and loaded .them with chains, and shut, them up in a’'prison. •" ■ " ;■ .Queen Victoria sent a- friendly letter to Him, begging him to release, the prisoners. Instead of 1 doing so, tixe tyrant also imprisoned the envoys who brought the lettei. Thereupon a British' Army was landed on .the. shores of the Red Sea, and it marched into Abyssinia to rescue the unfortunate captives. ' It had,to force its way through 400 miles oi wild country, which was seamed with deep abysses, and defended by hardy hillsmeh. But at last, iafter marching for several months, the British Afiny reached the Itrbh'glxold of tliq' Emperor Theodore. It was a great plateau, 9000 feet above atniile long.and’ a hal&. rand) it seethed as) if nb; troops could ever make their way into it..

A steep and' narrow • path, covered with great rbe% and fenced in bydark, • towering cliffs, ’was the only means of approach. Magdala, as this gigantic- natural; fortress - : was r called, Was, indeed, ahbtixef"'Gibraltar. * TheEmperor Theodore felt so certain that it could never be taken that he scornfully watched the British ti*oops camping in the plain two miles below. At 4 o’clock in. the afternoon, on Easter, Monday xir 1868, a storming, party -set out from the British camp. The Engiheers Wexxt first; and then came the 33rd -Regiment, witii Michael -Magner, their drummer-boy, at their head, his drum-sticks ready to drum them in a wild charge up the dax-k, grim heights. For some time they slowly, climbed over the rocks in silence, and the rain began to fall in torrents. Suddenly the thubder-cloud which had been hanging over ■ - iahd-; .the Ttipise of the/ attackers lost ;in t - the -roiling .{J?: ' Y" , ' It the artiUery ,pf ;j:he heavens cafhe to the aid'of the army of fescue, for the Engineers came running back, calling out that they could not; blow open the gate. Even now, xxo one; knows exactly what happened, it is {said that the Engineers forgot to brifig. any gunpowder with them. Howeve? that may be, one fgct is clear —the 33r(j. Regiment had to capture the fortress without help. T)xe clambered up the<wHd4?s||lp an-ditwps,: followed ‘ Scrambling like ' a kitten over the' boulders and! through the bushes, he raced ahead of the officers and men, but came at last? to a full stop. He had reached the gats to the. great stronghold. The wall feet high, and: set with stakes. ~'■ . ■ ''A'"J;--

iip,” said the Vflruhniierboy| to Befgin, a tail: v lrislunaii whostoqd beside him; and Bergin lifted, hint up. • The drummer-boy had reached the top’of the. wa11.;.. Thcnj’ with a rousing che|r, he turnedround and shouted that he tad found amnpcning, and -an .a few' moments ttid" 331il wete inside Magdala and' tearing up the slope to rescue the prisoners. Spnie Abyssinians Hung themselves in the > way, and lired upon them. Their old however, did not go off. ■The, torrent's pf,rain from the thunder clodd had wetted the gunpowder. Neter were a great kingdom and an enormous fortress so swiftly conquered, for less than a quarter of an hour the-lcolours of the brave drummer-boy ; s regiment were planted on the huge mountain as a signal that the army of xesque. had - out the iwork entrusted fid" it. , ’ : j

\th>n Michael Magner returned to England, Queen Victoira sent for him andj pinned upon his breast the Yiotona Cross —a fit decoration for such a bifave sonuof- JOld - England, r : .-