THAT TERRIBLE KNIFE.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LII, Issue 15821, 19 January 1915, Page 8

THAT TERRIBLE KNIFE.

Small wonder the Germans fear the Gurkha in the light of what Driver E. E. Suckling, A.S.C-, says in the following letter to his parents at Waltham Abbey : —

Their chief weapon of war is a knife, which they use with marvellous dexterity. On one occasion 1 saw, tethered to the ground, a goat about to bo killed for the Indians' meal. A Gurkha standing about 12yds away threw his knife at the goat with such deadly aim that its head "was cut clean off. They can throw those weapons a distance of 50yds, and have no difficulty in hitting their mark. They are terrible fighters. With their belief that to die in war means eternal Paradise, they have no hesitation in plunging right in the thick of battle. The only difficulty is to keep them from rushing" at the enemy before the order is given. They cannot wait, but must leave the trenches and wriggle their way up to where the enemv is, and then deal their deadly blow. Wo should be extremely thankful that we have such men. To my mind they are equal to any white man, and before the war is ended I have not the slightest doubt they will have done their full share.