The Birmingham age-herald. [volume], June 22, 1913, EDITORIAL SECTION, Page 34, Image 33

About The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950

Image provided by: University of Alabama Libraries, Tuscaloosa, AL

                
TWO SOLDIERS
FIGHT FOR LIFE
Trapped in Pit While Forag
ing For Rations
USED HUMAN SHIELD
Stuffed Body of Warrior in Mouth of
Shaft to Prevent Natives From
Suffocating Them By Throw
ing Down Burning Grass
From the Wide World Magazine.
It was a couple of days after our first
fight with the Matabele. on November 4,
at the Inguesi river, that a small
party of Raaf’s horse were out foraging.
Rations were very scarce with our col
umn, which was under command of Maj.
Gould Adams, so we used to thoroughly
search the Matabele kraals to get sup
plies of grain. In those days the natives
were in the habit of storing grain in
enormous pits under their cattle kraals,
the entrance being through a narrow
shaft about three feet deep. You dropped
down through that and found yourself
in a vast cavern full of grain. At the
sides there would be big straw baskets
or big clay tubs in which we usually
found nuts and beans.
When 1 first struck one of these under
ground granaries it seemed to me like a
kind of All Baba’s cave. There was
very little fun about exploring it, though.
It was all solid hard work. Our method
was to send down our thinnest man. He
would make a sack of his shirt and so
send up the grain through the shaft.
Unhappily for me, I was usually selected
for this task, as there was very little
spare flesh about me at that time. The
grain gave out a kind of heat, and as
one worked at full pressure it was most
fatiguing.
One day our party had struck a large
kraa! and after carefully gping through
the huts for any stray Matabele we pro
ceeded to the cattle inclosure. Here 1
shed inv tunic and rifle anti dropped
through into the pit. A couple of fel
lows were posted a short distance off to
keep watch, the remainder being at the
mouth of tlie pit busy tilling the nose
bags with the grain that 1 sent up.
1 had been at work for about a quarter
of an hour and was thinking it time 1
had a rest, when all of a sudden hang!
hang! went the rifles, and 1 could hear
the Matabele yelling.
Left Alone
“Stay where you are; the niggers are
rig.it on us!" some one. shouted down to
me, and then off they went, leaving me
alone. Above l could hear a terrific
racket -shots, yells and the pattering of
feet.
As there was nothing to be done, and l
could not get out of the cave without
assistance. I promptly retired to the farth
est corner and cuddled up behind one of
tlic grain baskets In ease of trouble, for
1 had not even a knife on me.
By the amount of .veiling going on ttie
Matabele seemed In force and 1 began to
wonder bow things would pan out, and
whether our men would be compelled to
retire. I knew they would return sooner
or later, but there seemed a chance that
the interval might prove rather more ex
citing titan I wanted.
.\fter a wtiile. as I sat there, listen
ing Intently. 1 heard the Matabele it
tlte mouth of the pit. Fortunately, it
was only light jttsl under the entrance,
the rest of Lite cave being in deep
shadow. I'nless a very thorough searen
was made, therefore, 1 reckoned 1
should not he noticed.
Suddenly, plunk! down dropped a
Matabele into the grim pit. I crouched
Pad;, hardly daring to breathe, for
w hat might happen If lie discovered me
was not pleasant to contemplate. From
where i was hidden l could plaints
s,.„ him a stalwart young warrior
but what 1 observed particularly was
the fad that he had a couple of most
businesslike assegais, while I bail no
weapon at all.
The Matabele language is almost
iili nil cal with the Zulu, and I was there
fore able to understand when the In
truder shouted up to bis people that
there was no one in the pit. lie then
called to them to reach down and pull
him out, but the> told him to send
them up some nuts first.
Sulkily he made for one of the
baskets near him, and was soon busy
at the very game I had been occupied
at. I was now feeling mueli more at
CISC, as I reckoned that my unwelcome
visitor would soon leave.
Presently, however, 1 heard a yell
front the niggers on top. “Amaklwa!"
cilic wTilte men i, they shouted, and I
could hear the thud of their feet as they
rushed off. The young warrior, startled,
made a leap for the shaft, hut there
was no one to help hint up, for all his
friends had bolted. As he was strug
gling hard to try and climb out l
rushed and got him round the waist.
My word, didn't lie yell! Evidently he
thought tin spirits had got holtl of
bint. I soon found I had caught a Tar
tar. for the beggar managed to get an
arm clear and jabbed me down the
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ficiate, at Mobile, Ala, Dr. Alsberg
was speaking of the limitations of the
federal bnroau under the federal pure
food tew, appealing for closer co-opera
tion between federal and State author
ties and for uniformity of laws.
back with one of his assegais. We
rolled over .and over, and at last 1
got him by the throat and utarted to
choke him into insensibility, though he
still struggled furiously.
"Hurry up, Halgh,” came the cry, in
a, familiar voice. "Tito niggers are here
In hundreds, and there's not a mo
ment to spare.”
"Help!" I shouted. "I've got a fellow
down here, and if t let go lie'll stab
me.” With that, down through the hole
dropped my chum. O'Leary. In an in
stant lie had sized up the situation, and
gave the Matahele a crack over the
head with the butt end of his Martini,
whicli effectively quieted him
Rescuer trapped
‘‘We’ve got no time to waste," he
said. "Kneel down, so that I can reach
the top with my hands, then I’ll be
able to pull you out."
1 bent down, he got on my back and
shouldered himself up through the
shaft.
A second later he came down again
like a shot.
‘‘Good heavens!" he cried. "The brutes
are hack again, and they spotted me!"
We were now in quite a fix. I learned
from O’Leary that he had come back for
me alone, the lest having gone on as
haul as they could t«> bring up Raaf.
so as to attack the Matabele in force.
O’Leary had his rifle and about HO
rounds of ammuuitoin, also a revolver
and a few cartridges. The revolver he
handed to ine. We then retired to my
corner and listened.
There was a hot argument going on at
the mouth of the pit. but no one ven
tured down. All the better for us. we
thought, for every moment 'meant, that
help was getting nearer.
Presently we heard a shout, and soon
learned what it mean. Down the shaft
«ame a bundle of lighted thatch, then
another and another. In half a minute
the smoke was blinding.
O'Leary kept bis head well.
"Put that stuff out," he gasped.
"Throw grain at it. Get it out some
how, or we’re done for.
For the next few minutes we worked
like fury, but the Matabele gave us no
rest, throwing down more grass till the
place was aglow with fire and thick
with pungent smoke.
"Look here!" yelled O'Leary. "We’ve
got to plug that hole. Where’s that
blasted nigger?"
Turning round, he snatched at tlie un
< "hsciotis man's shoulders, bade me cat' ll
1-old. and by main force we heaved the
wan lor up the shaft lie had only been
stunned, and J could feel him kick feebly
as we lifted him. Suddenly we felt the
native's weight taken off our arms. Ho
began to go up the shaft.
"Hang on to his leg," shouted O'Leary.
"They're trying to hoist him out."
J hung on with all iny strength, but I
could still feel him going up. There must
have been quite a lot of Matabele pull
ing at him.
"Bend his leg over, or they’ll have him
out." snapped O’Leary.
1 pulled one way. O’Leary the other,
but it was a mighty hard job to keep
our human "cork" in position. The un
fortunate negro had by this time recov
ered his senses and was shouting his
opinion of the proceedings in no uncer
tain voice, kicking and struggling like a
madman, so that it was all we could do
to keep our hold on him.
Falling to achieve their object by main
strength, the Matabele up above now
tried another plan, and incldentaly showed
us what little value they attached to
human life—oven that of their own kith
and kin. Bringing up a musket, the.
shoved it down alongside the poor wretch
in the shaft ami pulled the trigger, no
doubt hoping to hit one of us. In the
confined space the report sounded like
thunder. but beyond scattering the
grain like a charge of srapnel the bul
let did us no damage. 1 believe, how
ever, that it passed clean through the
Matabele in the shaft, for they let go of
him. and we felt his body sag limply, but
we managed to keep him in position.
"Work round to my side," said O’Leary.
"I think we’ve got 'em heat.”
As he spoke, down came some nieces of
thatch, and more still, and then pieces
ol burning grass dropped past the figure
In the shaft. It was his life or ours,
however, so wo just held on grimly,
though our arms were aching and our
eyes blinded with smoke.
After a while the fire ceased and sud
denly the place was in darkness.
"What’s up now?" said O’Leary, !n
surprise. "Pull down our cork."
i sed roe As Shield
We hauled the warrior down, and he
dropped limply on the floor—stone dead,
killed by his own comrades.
O’Leary took one glance at the corpse,
then he stepped to the shaft, now dark
as night.
"See,’’ he said, “they’ve covered us up.
and I’m going to investigate. Get me one
of those assegais.”
Groping around. T found one and handed
it to him. O’Leary then stood on my
shoulder, and using the spear blade,
managed to slightly prise up the flat
stone which covered the top of the pit.
"Yen.” he said calmly, “they're putting
more thatch on, and are going to try to
roast us. But they')] defeat themselves.
All that stuff on the top is bone dry. and
when it’s well alight they won’t be able
to get near.” He oi used. then added in
a different voice, “I fon't know whether
we shall roast, but anyway, youngster,
you’re going to tayte hades for a while.”
With that he jumped down, leaving the
assegai In position under the stone, and
we took it in turns to get a small breath
of air by prising it up.
“There she goes,” said O’Leary, sud
denly, and I neard a dull roar as the
pile of thatch over the pit mouth caught
fire. We promptly retreated to the end
of the cave and lay down. Jt haa been
hot enough In the place before, but now
it got hotter than ever. I felt sick and
miserable, and also decidedly scared. 1
had no hope of getting out ullvc. and saw
r othing before me h it a dreadful death.
The temperature was rising moderate! >.
Kvery breath hurt my lungs, and the
rosrlng of the l’ire, to my excited fancy,
•coined to be getting louder and louder.
The
I
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new Recital Hall and Display Rooms, 1818
Second Avenue, and request the pleasure
of your presence at their
Formal Opening
Tuesday
and
Wednesday
June twenty-fourth and twenty-fifth, from
two until ten o’clock.
Souvenirs Music
I suppose 1 must have said something
which showed my state of mind, for the
iron nerved O'Leary toon brought me to
my senses.
' Don’t be an ass. lie growled. “This
will soon go off, and the smoke of the
fire will bring our fellows back double
quick.”
Presently it seemed to us that the place
"as a little cooler, and my companion
moved closer to the mouth of the pit.
"Come along,” he said. "The grass has
all burnt, I think, and I’m going to
shift this rock.”
Levering on the spear, he managed to
shift the atone somewhat, and a iitlle
light and air filtered down to us. bur the
neat and smell were :• ti 11 fearful. Not a
sound could we hear or the Matable;
they seemed to have cleared off tempo
rarily.
Talcing courage fro n this fact, O'Leary
— ' -
“OH! -^OH!”
Try “GJCTS-riy* the Painless \fw-Plnn
Corn Cure. Srr l our CoriiN Vanish
In a Hurry
“Whew! hurts way up to my heart.
I've tried almost everything for corns!”
Corn-sufferers, cornless joy ia at
hand. "GETS-IT” Is the only real en
emy any corn ever had. Put "GETS
“Well, Did Yon Ever! Come Over nml
See How Easy ‘GETS-IT* Got That
Corn!’*
fT" on in two seconds, and away thev
go, shrivel, vanish. No more cotton
rings to make the corn sharper and
more bulgy, no more bandages to stop
circulation and stick to the stocking,
no more salves to turn the flesh raw
and make the corn “pull,’' no more
knives or ra/.ors with danger of bleed
ing and blood poisoning.
“GETS-IT" is sold at druggists’ at
5 cents a bottle, or sent on receipt of
nrice to E. Lawrence & Co., Chicago.
Sold in Birmingham by Eugene Jacobs’
Drug Store. Oale Drug Co., (2 stores)
•F Vim avenu# aad Pratt station,
Pratt City, Ala.
made a big effort and shifted the stone
right off. Ae then dropped down, and
gave me a lift up. 1 got a glorious
breath of air. but had my hair all singed,
for tlie stuff at the mouth of the pit
was still burning.
Just then we heard shots on every side,
and soon, to our intense delight, our fel
lows were back at the kraal, having
driven the natives -ff. O’Leary got his
head out and shouted, and We were i
quickly hauled out. We got somewhat !
scorched in 'he process, but it was a |
trifle to what we had gone through. They
gave us water, and didn’t I drink!
1 could have emptied a river! I expected
a little sympathy^-,after cur narrow
squeak, but nil I got for my pains was
a horrible ragging from my captain for
losing my rifle.
The pluckv O’Leary Jefer became a
sergeant major in the . Matabela |
mounted police, and was the first AI. M.
I*, man to be killed In the ’Ofi rebellion.
I saw the poor fellow's grave at
Bernbesi river, on in?/ way back from our
fight at Thabas Amamba, In July, 180(1.
Bi(? Dam Across the Nile
From the Baltimore Sun.
The greater Assouan dam, which will
store twice as much water ae the first
section, which was completed In 1902. is
now finished. It will furnish enough
water from the Nile, the London Times
states, to do away with the system of
basin irrigation, in use for thousands of
years, and the fertile fields of Egypt can
now be cultivated all the year round. The
original dam, which cost about $12,500,000,
provided a storage capacity of 984,000.000
cubic meters of water; the present struc
ture for about 2,000,000,000.
Ninety yeais ago the Egyptian govern
men took the first steps for a greater
water supply, but it was not until 1889
that the British engineers, headed by
William Willcoeks, brought forth the so
lution by proposing to dam the Nile at
Assouan. The project was too ambitious
to secure financial support until Sir Ern
est Cassel. in 1898, provided the necessary
funds. The first dam was begun Feb
ruary. 1902. a year ahead of time. Tt is
the most important of public works of]
Egypt since Menes constructed the dike
across the river at Memphis, making pos
sible basin irrigation, the wonder of en- ^
gineers to this day.
Elasin irrigation cost about $15 an acre
in 5000 acre areas; from $25 to $30 on
small tracts, and land rented at from $15
to $25 an acre per year. Irrigation all the
> ear round, now made possible, costs $22
an acre and the rents are from $26 to $40.
He Knew One
From the Koyal Magazine.
"Some adjectives," said the teacher,
are made from nouns, such as dangerous,
meaning full of danger; and hazardous,
full of hazard. Can any boy give me an
other example?"
"Yes, sir," replied the fat. boy at the
end of the form, "Pious, full of pie.”
HUMBLE GOLF BALL NOT AS
INNOCENT AS IT LOOKS
From tlie New York World.
Ware the humble, innocent, white
coated golf ball! Beneath its shining, cor
rugated exterior lies a come-back for all
the blows it lias to suffer. It has a kick
in it for those who treat it disrespect
fully.
That kick may cost you your eyesight;
it may lay you up in a dark room for
weeks to save your burning eyes. It may
scar your face for life, or eat holes in
your hands. At any rate, if the kick
comes your way and your body is spared,
say good-by to your new golfiing sweater
and to those English-built trousers which
are the pride of your golfing life.
When the up-to-date ball blows up it
gets revenge in a second for all the
‘‘slices" and ‘‘cuts’’ it has received from
unfeeling drivers and brasseys and loft
err. in your incompetent hands. Golf balls
are no longer soulless things just pressed
out of gutta-percha. So several luckless
golfers recently have found out to their
sorrow. Days and nights in darkened
rooms have been their portion in order
that their sight might be saved.
^ our 191.1 golf ball is a work of art;
likewise a thing to be handled gingerly.
Robert V. Armstrong, a boy from Au
gusta, Ga.. studying at the Blair acad
eme at Blairstown. N. J., was playing
golf with a ball that seemed peculiarly
lively.
"I'm going to find out what's in it,” he
remarked to bis chum.
First he cut through the gutta-percha
shell and then lie came to a thick layer of
live rubber in strips, which wriggled and
squirmed. Next he came to a small rub
ber hall and be was cutting through when
—hiss-s-s—a squirt, and the boy fell back
with a scream.
Something that burned horribly bad
squirted full in both his eyes. He was
faint with pain when the doctor got there
and his eyes were so badly Inflamed that
he could not see. He was taken home
and it was a long time before he could
look at the light again.
Horace G. Gamble, a Philadelphia pro
fessional, all but lost both his eyes in al
most the same manner. He had been
playing with some English golf balls.
They were much livelier than the ordi
nary hall. Gamble took one to his work
shop and screwed It fast In a vice. He
hit it a smart blow with a hammer and
the ball blew up in his face.
It matters little what the core of the
golf hall consists of—It is the deteriorat
ing rubber plus the force of the explosion
which causes the injury to the eyes.
Rubber hardens only when quantities!
of sulphur are added to it. Sometimes
talco-magnesia also is added to complete
the process. When the rubber deterio
rates the sulphur is released and we get
sulphuric arid, only a trace perhaps, but
enough to burn the eve worse than, ni
trate of silver does. In addition the force
with which this released liquid Is driven
arrairist the eyeball causes added injury.
In golf balls with an acid core, the in
jury would be worse. This liquid is a
trade secret and its nature could not be
determined without an analysis. Sul
phuric acid is bad enough and in suffi
cient quantity might work serious dam
age to the eyes qr face.
Other balls are filled with gelatine or
soap or water. This is put in a Unv rub
ber bladder, tied up tight and then in
cased in a rubber shell which in turn is
wound with rubber strips. Finally the
whole is clamped within a gutta-percha
covering under hundreds of pounds press
ure.
In the case of the soap or gelatine, or
even the water, these deteriorate and mix
with the liquid—when the ball blows up
look out for trouble.
The T'nited States Golf association has
issued the following warning:
“Owing to the fact that serious acci
dents have occurred in the past few
years due to cutting open certain makes
of golf balls containing acids and other
sight-destroying compounds the I’nited
States Golf association warns all persons
to refrain from this dangerous practice.
Hydro-Aeroplane Meet at Monaco
From Popular Mechanics.
That there are only two ways of making
serviceable hydro-aeroplanes whs the
most valuable lesson learned in the In
ternational meet held at Monaco in
April, where many of the machines met
with disaster in getting clear of the
water or in lighting. One way is to
make the machine so big and .strong j
and powerful that it will come easily
off the top of the first wave. In either
case nower is the thing to he given first
consideration, and the machine should
he made as efficient as possible to uti
lize the power to the best advantage.
It is not a difficult matter to design
floats that will come off calm water
easily, but these same floats may be
useless w'hen under water, or when slam
ming head first, into a sea, unless there
is enough power to drag tfoe whole
machine out of the water, much after
the manner of pulling a cork. The float
for sea work is not the one that gets
off best, but the one that pulls out
easiest, and after that the best float
is the one that offers the least resis
tance when flying. Much of this diffi
culty would seem to be due to the Euro
pean practicing of using twin floats in
stead of a sinele-hull boat, as in Amer
ica, where little difficulty has ben ex
perienced.
Time Saving
Dorcas Won’t your meeting be very
late if all the members are going to take
part in the debate?
Mrs. Donas —Why, no, dear! We ll all
speak at once.
The Carriage
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needs it. The Sidway Guaranteed
has the only spring that properly pro
tects baby's spine, because it is ad
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large cushion tires of real rubber, not
composition; hood of special quality
Guaranteed Fabrikoid leather and
every part, every material used in it
Unconditionally Guaranteed
For Two Yuan
by the makers, The Sidway Mercan
tile Co., 1019 14th St, Elkhart, Ind.
Before you make a selection, seethe
Adjustable Crib Spring
Roomy Interior, Compact Folding
High Quality of Materials
See the Sidway at
Ben M. Jacobs & Bros.
1911-13 Third AvenuR I
hMHHPn