BRITISH PLUCK.

Otago Witness, Issue 1916, 10 August 1888, Page 31

BRITISH PLUCK.

Marshal MacMahon's and Canrobert's opinions on the British soldiers have been published. Let me talk a little about the deeds of daring I have witnessed on the part of Britons, and of some that I have known them do which I have not seen. Britons are to be found wherever there \s a fight to be waged on the round globe. Endowed with just that amount of combativeness which makes them take a deep interest in every war, and risk their own lives rather than miss seeing a struggle, they often get into " tight " places which a foreigner might keep aloof from. I once saw a curious instance of this in Servia. Three Hungarian officers were with the Turkish forces in front of Alexinatz, for the purpose of watching operations, when a battle suddenly began. The three gentlemen got on their horses, and waited for a time, when suddenly the attack of the enemy developed in a very unpleasant manner toward the road leading into Nisch — the frontier Turkish town. Without a moment's delay, the Hungarian officers rode as hard as they could away from the Turkish army, declaring that they would not stop to run any more risk. Eight or 10 Englishmen who were there, including Dr Pitts, now of the St. Thomas' Hospital; Dr Armand Leslie, Dr Barker, and Dr White, all stopped, took their chauce with the Turks, and were throughout that dangerous fight "as cool as encumbers." One of the most desperate things done in the whole Russo-Turkish war was done in the Schipka Pass by poor Campbell, of Auchinleck, who, it' will be remembered, was killed in the storming of Sekokenui's stronghold. Campbell was assistant correspondent to me for a well-known London paper, and, like myself, took service with the Turks. One day he heard the Turkish generals discussing whether it was possible to drive the Eussians out of Fcrt Nicholas, a redoubt that terribly annoyed the Osmanli, and helped the Muscovite to advance. He at once volunteered to lead an assault, and being permitted, actually got into the redoubt, though in doing so and getting back

again, for it was impossible to hold the fort, he lost nearly every man be had with him. The Turks, * when they saw him achieve this feat, nearly worshipped him. At the burning of the bridge of TatarBazadjik, during Baker Pasha's retreat, it was absolutely necessary so to destroy it that the Russians could not follow the Turks. The bridge was lit at both ends, but unhappily the fire went out at the end farthest from the Turks. Two or three Englishmen, Burnaby and Studdy amongst them, actually ran across that bridge alone, fired it again, ari*d saved themselves by jumping into the water. It was an act of heroism which could not be surpassed. Englishmen are not always brave, it is true. Part of a battalion of the King's Own Rifles behaved very badly indeed one night on the Mehmoudieh Canal, in Egypt, despite all that Mr Childers and the Duke of Cambridge afterwards asserted to. the contrary; but, for the most part, they fought like heroes. I shall never forget the demeanour of the sailors on board the Temeraire ironclad, when she lay off the fort in the harbour of ' Alexandria, and began the bombardment of that place. The men were absolutely wild with delight, and though the shells from the enemy fell fast, and might hare killed all the gunners of the Temeraire, the fight was carried on aboard the British ship with all the zest that the sailors could have shared had they been engaged in a game of bowls. I need not talk about what was done aboard the Condor on that occasion ; but I wish I could describe to you the behaviour of the British tars when they landed and went along the streets of the burning city, afterwards guarding it at night when the whole force of Arabi Pasha was close at hand, and liable to come down on the place at any moment. Merry as grigs, they were always ready for a fight, and the more the fighting, the better they liked it. Perhaps one of the pluckiest things I ever saw was done by a Scotchman named Ronald Campbell, at the battle of Tchamchera, in the Caucasus. The Russians were in great force, and the Turks, who were trying to embark, were in danger of being all broken up and killed or captured, when Ronald Campbell volunteered to lead a charge of Circassian cavalry. His offer was accepted; the Circassians, with this brave fellow at their head, rushed at the Russians, and, riding through them, returned, having saved their comrades. Returned ? Well, not all of them ; but Ronald Campbell was unscathed, living still, to the satisfaction of his friends. —Echo.