Impressions of a War Correspondent | Page 3

called out to them,
"S---- has been killed down there; better bring him in." They turned
back immediately, and one of them, J. Gillespie, got off his horse and
lifted the corpse on to the saddle, they holding it in position by hanging
on to a leg on either side, and walked back, while the bullets were
whistling around them, and knocking up little spurts of dirt on the
ground in front of them. It was a most ghastly sight; the head of the
corpse bobbed about with the motion of the horse, and the lips of the
corpse were drawn back in a horrible grin, as if he were laughing

idiotically at them for trying to qualify for a Victoria Cross with a
corpse. I really think they deserved it just as much as if he had been
alive.
A curious thing happened to a horse of one of the men who were
performing this feat. The owner found when he had returned to
Ladysmith that his water-bottle, which was attached to his saddle, had
been perforated by a bullet. Showing it to another in the evening, they
came to the conclusion, from the position of the holes, that it would be
impossible for the holes to be made in the position they were without
wounding the horse. The next day, on examining the horse, he found a
bullet had actually passed through and through him, and yet apparently
he seemed none the worse.
There was another but different instance of a horse carrying a corpse at
the battle of Lombard's Kop. There was no leering and hideous
grinning at us, however, as the rider's head had been blown clean away
by a Boer shell. The 5th Lancers were riding out on our right, when a
single horse came galloping past them, clattering furiously over the
stony veldt. No wonder the men stared; it was a sight to be remembered.
The rider was firmly fixed in the deep cavalry saddle; the reins tossed
loose with the horse's mane, and both hands were clenched against
either side of his breast; and the head was cut off clean at the shoulders.
Perhaps in the spasm of that death-tear the rider had gripped his horse's
sides with his long-spurred heels; perhaps the horse also was wounded;
anyhow, with head down, and wild and terrified eyes, his shoulders
foam-bespewed, he tore past as if in horror of the ghastly burden he
carried.
How wonderfully expressive are the eyes of these cavalry horses at
times! There it seemed sheer horror; but often when wounded they look
towards one with a world of pitiful appeal for relief; in their dumbness
loud-voicedly reproachful against the horrors of war.
Two men being killed on one horse seems rather a tall order, yet it is
perfectly true. It happened at the cavalry charge after Elandslaagte.
Some of the Boers stood their ground with great stubbornness till our
cavalry were only a few yards away. One middle-aged, bearded fellow

stayed just a little too long, and had not time to get to his horse, which
was a few yards away. He scrambled up behind a brother Boer who
was just mounting, but almost immediately the 5th Lancers were upon
them. There was a farrier-corporal, an immensely big, powerful fellow,
who singled them out. They were galloping down a slight incline as
hard as they could get their horse to travel, but their pursuer was
gaining on them at every stride. When he came within striking distance
he jammed his spurs into his big horse, who sprang forward like a tiger.
Weight of man and horse, impetus of gallop and hill, focused in that
bright lance-point held as in a vice. It pierced the left side of the back
of the man behind, and the point came out through the right side of the
man in front, who, with a convulsive movement, threw up his hands,
flinging his rifle in the air. The Lancer could not withdraw his lance as
the men swayed and dropped from their horse, but galloped on into the
gathering darkness punctured with rifle flashes here and there and
flitting forms that might be friend or foe. This poor fellow was killed a
few days after at the battle of Rietfontein. How heartily the Boers hated
these Lancers! They would have liked so much to have had lances
barred as against the rules of war; and it would certainly have made an
immense difference if our side had succeeded in getting a few more
chances, especially at the commencement of the war, of using the
lance.
The natives, numbers of whom were looking on at this battle, were
greatly delighted with the cavalry charge. It seemed to take their fancy
even more than did the artillery. "Great fight,