A BRAVE SOLDIER.

New Zealand Graphic, Volume XIV, Issue IX, 2 March 1895, Page 196

A BRAVE SOLDIER.

Lord Wolsklky, in his reminiscences of the Crimean War published in the United Service Magazine, tells the following story of the coolness of a young soldier of the 2nd Battalion Rille Brigade. * The left of our third parallel — indeed of all the parallels in the right attack—rested upon the Woronzoff-road ravine. This young soldier was the left-hand sentry of the company posted there, and was told to keep a good look-out for the enemy to hie front and left flank. In a sortie the Russians

took possession of a long stretch of the third parallel, driving our trench guards from it. On the extreme right, near the magazine, our men under Gordon maintained a good stand up fight, holding on tenaciously to their position. After some delay, our support, coming forward, sent the Russians flying baek to their own works. The third parallel was re-occupied, and fresh sentries were posted beyond it. During this process the officer sent to the extreme left to post a sentry there found to his astonishment that there was one there already. It was the young rifleman who had been posted there eariy in the evening. He was coolly looking over the parapet, as if there had been no fighting in his neighbourhood, no charges and counter-charges, or no trenches taken and re-taken close beside him. Asked what he was doing there, he said he was a sentry. “ Bat bow comes it you are here alone! What took place when the

Russians jumped into the parallel and drove our men out!” Answering very calmly and in a matter of-fact fashion, he said, “ I stayed, because when I was posted here, the officer told me to remain until I was relieved. I saw the Russians come in, but none came at me, and I obeyed my orders." lam sorry to say I cannot say who he was, for I would fain record the name of so good, so brave a soldier.'