Welsh Newspapers

Search 15 million Welsh newspaper articles

Hide Articles List

11 articles on this Page

TOUT ATKQfS; AT HOME AND ABROAD.…

News
Cite
Share

[ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.] TOUT ATKQfS; AT HOME AND ABROAD. ■ I A Glimpse at His Private I Life. By SERGEANT CROWSFOOT." NO. IV. FAMILIARITY BREEDS CONTEMPT. How true is the old saying, Famili- arity breeds contempt." It is even so with death. War deadens the finer feelings of a soldier's nature, and renders him stoical. Familiarity with death in all shapes robs him of his terror- inspiring power, and makes him appear almost common-place. I once saw four men playing cards in a hut, when some- one came up and told them of the rather sudden death of a comrade, who had been a favourite among them. They looked up with expressions of pained surprise, and stopped the game to make a few remarks, but presently they picked up the cards again and resumed their play. This may seem heartless to some people but I think, on mature con- sideration, that under the circumstances I (we were on active service) it was the wisest course to pursue^ for if we all fell to thinking about and bemoaning our troubles we should get ourselves into a despondent state. It would never do to be asking ourselves the question during an outbreak of cholera, for instance, Who will be the next ?" No, when cholera makes its appearance every effort is put forth, and no expense saved, to keep up the spirits of the men. The band is continually playing lively music: dancing, smoking concerts, sports are resorted to in fact, every possible form of amusement is indulged in; and it is for this reason, I believe, that the practice prevails in the Army of the band playing the very liveliest tunes when coming home from a funeral. To afford a slight notion of HOW A SOLDIER FARES WHEN ON ACTIVE SERVICE, I will here make an extract from a diary which I kept during the Burmese War of 1885 and 1886. It is dated Friday, January 9th, 1886. We were occupying at the time a large, barn-like building, which had once been used by Bhuddist priests There are about twelve hours of darkness at this time of the year, and the only pastime we have is a game of cards, with a much-worn pack, minus five or six. Even this little amusement is limited, as we have only a very miserable diminutive lamp (which we made our- selves). Even the wick is manufactured by us. Moreover, we have to sit on the floor fo play. The light is just sufficient to enable us to see the cards, the remain- ing part of the huge room being shrouded in the deepest gloom. From out of this obscurity we would often hear a murmur or a groan wrenched from some un- fortunate fellow suffering from jungle malaria, or fever and ague, who had crawled into what might be called his bed, made up on the hard boards, where he would lie down in the darkness through the long, weary hours of the night, without a soul to con- verse with, not to mention atten- dance. He cannot sleep his head and body is racked with pain. Some- times I leave the little circle of light where I am playing, and, prompted by a good impulse, go over and speak to one of these unfortunates, and take his burn- ing hand in mine, when I. notice his voice grows husky with emotion, as if touched with this simple act of human sympathy." If one does not happen to be quite well his life is indeed a miserable one for the time being. I say this partly because he is unable to take unto himself that great consoler, pacifier, and general friend of mankind, his pipe. Some people may think I am joking, but it IS ASTONISHING WHAT COMFORT IS DERIVED FROM A SMOKE under trying circumstances. Smoking is, without a doubt, a blessing to the solitary, and in the words of Kingsley, I may say that tobacco in indeed." A lone man's companion, a bachelor's friend, a hungry man's food, a sad man's cor- dial, a wakeful man's sleep, and a chilly man's fire. It is not often that soldiers exhibit any trace of emotion they regard it as a weakness in a man, and are very unde- monstrative so far as the affections are concerned. I will just make one more extract from my diary. It is a poor description of a stormy night during the" Monsoon," or rainy season. We were occupying the z' same building as before mentioned. It was a fearful night last night, and an especially wretched one for me, as I was kept awake the greater part of it by the many annoyances which are so common in Burmah during the wet season. I was pestered by mosquitos and startled by the stampede of rats over- head..who seemed to be keeping up a commemoration ball among the rafters. The Tucktoo (a hideous reptile like a lizard, about a foot long, and so called from the peculiar noise it makes I do not know its zoological name), likewise, contributed not a little in making me miserable, for he would chase the rats- of which he was particularly fond—ever and anon emitting his strange croak, with which was often mingled the death scream of some unfortunate little rat. Added to this, there was the din of the down- pouring rain, varied by crashes of thunder. A fearful storm was raging, as the incessant lightning making itself visible through every chink and crack of the wooden Avails amply testified, and I in my misery thought upon the poor. soldiers who were benighted upon the road, and I took comfort at the thought g that I was better off than they. I inwardly cursed Burmah, and slapped my face until j it tingled in my frantic but futile efforts to I annihilate a legion of mosquitos which were buzzing about my head. This, of course, only added to my vexation of spirit. One can form a vivid idea of the plagues of Egypt after having experienced a night with the mosquitos. I have often heard doubtful wishes for the future welfare of the whole mosquito tribe ex- pressed in the dead hours of the night by men who were acting as breakfast, dinner, and supper to the little miscreants. 'Why, oh why, would they not go to other men,' I thought, who were asleep, and eat them ? But no, they must all congregate around me.' It is said that it is only the female mosquito that bites. If that be true then I ought to feel flattered, and endeavour to appreciate the delicate attentions paid me. To make matters worse I suddenly became aware about 1 a.m., much to my disgust, that a small cascade of water was falling upon me from overhead, where the roof was leaking, and I consequently had to take up my bed and walk where I thought I should be more comfortable. The rain was still falling like a solid sheet of water, and sounded on the wooden roof of our domicile as though a cataract were descending upon it. The noise of the rain alone would cause one to raise his voice if he wished to make himself heard. Besides all these little pleasanties (?) I must riot forgst tQ mention the wind which caiiie in fitful and violent gusts, and howled around our dwelling and 'sighed like a ghost that strove to gain admittance to its old domain.' If there was a ghost out there I thought he would certainly get wet, if he didn't catch his death of cold. I had touched the bottom I had drunk the cup of misery to its dregs, and I became stolidly resigned to my fate, and from the thought I derived sufficient contentment to become face- tious. However, at about two o'clock, I dropped asleep, the storm having abated. I will now proceed to speak a little of TOMMY ATKINS'S LIFE IN ENGLAND. Some soldiers are excessively dull, almost wooden, when they first join the army; but they get levened up con- siderably before they have served twelve months. The army is one huge training school for making men. The drill sergeant has a good deal to do with this. He has already been made famous for his peculiar sayings, but I know of none so funny as that utterd to a man who stood next to me one day at recruits' I drill. -The drill sergeant came up to him .with the glare of a tiger in his eyes, and said look here youngster, I think about the best thing you can do is to go and cut two green sticks for yourself, and walk off the face of the earth altogether." He certainly had had a lot of trouble with the man. As an instance of the stupidity ,vil of the recruits, a certain well-known temperance advocate, and a minister of the Gospel in India, used to tell the following and amusing ancedote :-He was walking across the parade ground of a barracks one day in India, when he espied a recruit who had only recently arrived in the country, awkwardly stand- ing smoking a cheroot, of which he sremed particularly proud (he could never afford to pay for them in England). As the man did not give him the salute he was entitled to, as chaplain to the forces, he walked up to him and said, Where's your salute my man ? Eh," replied the recruit. The chaplain reiterated the quest ion, when, with a broad grin, and taking the cheroot from 1, his mouth and holding it up triumphantly, he cried "Why, eere it be zur, to be zure." He had mistaken the word salute for cheroot. Adverting to the subject of drill. It is curious what effect DRILL AND A SYSTEM OF STRICT DISCIPLINE have upon soldiers. After a long train- ing the soldier becomes almost an automa- tion in the hands of -his commanding officer, though not quite" a mere machine of murder," as one of the poets called him. Still he comes very near to being a human machine. He acts upon words of command from sheer force of habit, and when in the ranks he will not budge without an order under any circum- stances. So strong is the habit of obedience implanted in the breast of the old soldier that he obeys somet;mes with- out thinking. A story is told, but I am inclined to think it is rather over drawn of an old soldier, one Christmastide who was carrying a pudding from the cook- house to the barrack-room, when "a way behind him from love of1 fun, and know- ing the old fellow's pecularity shouted out sharply, Attention," when down went the veteran's hands to his side to the position of attention, and down went the pudding to the ground. Whosoever would be a soldier, before all things it is necessary that he place himself entirely in subjeccion to his officers. This may be said to contain the soldiers creed and I must say that. as far as my observation has served me they act up to their creed to the very letter. It is to this cause; and this alone, in my opinion, that we owe so much of our national greatness.

-",-..-.-".---BARRY DOCK WEEKLY…

[No title]

'..:PENARTll VESTRY

THE LATE MR. J. P. JONES-

AROUND PESARTH.

j-BARRY

ICONGL Y CYMRY.

ARFERIADAU HYNOD.

Y DIWEDDAR DR. C. J. JONES,…

DR. GURNOS JONES.