the only consistently and uniformly loyal race in the native army. Not a single soldier cast in his lot with the mutineers. Though worshippers of Siva, they proved their trust in their officers by requesting that the greased cartridges be served out to them, that they might show their opinion of the agitation.

A native of the independent kingdom of Nepal, Johnny Gurkha considers himself as much a foreigner in Hindustan as his British officer. The higher ranks are not alluded to as "native but as "Gurkha " officers, and the private is not a "sepoy sepoy" but a "rifleman." The recentlyproposed No. 9 (Gurkha) Mountain Battery would have had "first-class" and "secondclass" gunners in place of the "gunners" and "drivers' and "drivers" of every other battery of her Majesty's forces, had not the scheme fallen through. The term "driver" evidently smacks too much of the non-combatant for our little fire-eaters. And these men would not have been the isl Gurkhas at all, but the taller Limbus and Rais of Nepal, for Magars and Gurungs are too short of limb for either cavalry or artillery. A further distinction is that the Gurkha, alone of Asiatics in India, is addressed as "sahib" by men of other races.

general favourites wherever they went. They, on their part, thoroughly appreciated the kindness with which they were treated, and their wonderful and delightful experiences in Europe still afford an endless topic of conversation. The little Himalayans were intensely interested in everything they saw, the sea and the ships proving a source of great delight. Flying - fish, however, they could not at all understand. To such great wielders of the rod this mode of piscine locomotion seemed most improper. One of these fish having fallen on board the ship, was immediately pounced upon by Karbir and Amar Sing. Being asked what their friends in the regiment would think when told that fish could fly, the Gurkhas naïvely replied that they hadn't the slightest intention of mentioning the fact, as their reputations for veracity were at present good, and, should they try their comrades' credulity with this traveller's tale, no one would believe a word they might say for the rest of their service.

Major Lucas relates his anticipation of their astonishment at the sights of London. But they would never own to wonderment. When he asked what they thought of the size of the great city the Gurkhas casually replied, "Oh, it's a large place; very like the capital of our own country, only we haven't the railways!" Now we know that

"The wildest dreams of Kew are the facts of Khatmandu ";

utterly devoid of all sense of proportion, must have belied the national reputation for veracity. For, unlike most Orientals, Magars and Gurungs bear a good name for honesty and truth.

Their great delight was to go about the streets on the top of a bus, smoking contentedly and looking down on the teeming population the "street - bred people" the boundaries of whose mighty empire it was theirs to extend and to protect. Their efforts to learn English provided much amusement. The mistress of the house where they were staying inquired of the cook, "Well, cook, how are the Gurkhas getting on?" "Oh, they're gettin' on very well, ma'am, and they're learnin' English fine," was the reply, given in a rather astonished rather astonished tone. "I gave them some cakes and milk just now, and when they'd finished they said, "Very good!' So I said, 'Will you have some more?' and they answered, 'No, we'll bust!'" The cook's rendering of "No, bas" (we've had enough), whilst flattering their linguistic attainments, was most uncomplimentary to Gurkha

manners.

Gurkhas are born shikharis, and the two were enabled to enjoy some rabbit - shooting during their sojourn here. They became very fond of the sport, at which they excelled. When Conway brought them back from their tour through the Alps, they found Lieutenant Bruce waiting to take them straight to the Waziristan campaign. One morning, back from scouting with a grin on his

face, came one of the travellers and with great glee informed his officer that he had bagged "two rabbits," the "rabbits " being Waziri snipers whom he had successfully stalked. In this expedition the scouts did good work, and won the approval of the authorities, but were not actively employed again until the year 1897. On September the 29th of that year a telegram was received at Abbottabad, ordering the 5th Gurkhas to send 90 men, under Captain Lucas and Lieutenant Bruce, to join the Tirah Expeditionary Force as scouts. Many and deep were the heartburnings before the required number was finally selected, for all the men of both battalions of that fine regiment were wild to go on active service. On October 1 these two officers, with 51 men, marched from Abbottabad amid a scene of great enthusiasm, and 41 men were ordered down to Kohat from the wing of the 1st Battalion, then in the Kurram Valley. A fortnight later the 92 scouts of the 5th, and 40 from the 1-3rd Gurkhas, had assembled at Shinawari (the advanced base), and on the very next evening messages and invitations from the Afridis began to drop into camp. ualties occurred among the Gurkhas, though two men found bullet-holes through their pillow. At 4 A.M. the scouts arose to accept the challenge by heading the force told off to make a flank attack on Dargai. A most tedious climb in the dark followed, for the track soon disappeared and the way lay up a ravine full of big

No cas

boulders. Just after dawn a party of the enemy was seen, evidently making for a peak about 1500 feet above the valley, whence the line of advance was completely commanded. The Scouts were ordered to checkmate this move, and a grand race ensued, the lengthy Afridis having the advantage in distance. But the active little Nepalese, joining in with the esprit de corps for which they are justly renowned, and with all the earnestness of British schoolboys, won by a neck. Then were fired the first shots preceding the two days' hard fighting around Dargai and the Chagru Kotal. A small village lay a few hundred yards from the point occupied by the Scouts, whose rapid advance must have taken the enemy completely by surprise, for the women were still in the houses. The cunning of the Pathan was at once illustrated. Observing that the women were not fired upon, an Afridi forced his wife to accompany him across an exposed piece of ground, barely 500 yards from the Scouts, who, fearing lest a bad shot should inconvenience the lady, courteously abstained from the tempting "pot." The generosity was misplaced: no sooner had the man reached cover than he opened fire, mortally wounding a rifleman of the 2nd Gurkhas who stood by the side of Colonel Travers.

The Scouts, advancing, cleared another peak about 2000 yards from the main Dargai position. Their arrival evidently disconcerted the enemy, for a Pathan is keenly alive to the danger of a threatened line

of retreat, and batches of the more faint-hearted could be seen moving off before the frontal attack had fired a single shot. The knowledge that a strong flank attack was developing certainly hindered them from defending Dargai with the obstinacy and determination displayed two days later.

When the decision to withdraw from Dargai was formed, General Kempster's brigade was summoned to cover the retirement. The enemy, however, had been on the watch, and the moment the withdrawal commenced they swarmed up in thousands and attacked with great vigour. But Highlanders, Sikhs, and Gurkhas behaved with a steadiness that could not have been surpassed. Retiring with coolness and deliberation, they not only kept the foe at bay, but inflicted such severe losses that the retirement was soon allowed to proceed unmolested. The first and last shots of the day were fired by the Scouts, who, thanks to their adroitness in working through difficult ground, escaped without casualties. A particularly bad place traversed during the retirement had stopped all the animals except one ammunition mule which the Scouts had managed to bring along. The Afridis recognised the boxes and concentrated their fire on the animal struggling behind, hoping to tumble him down the hillside and so secure a welcome haul. The Scouts had reached cover, but seeing the driver fall, Rifleman Motiram Thapa pluckily dashed back over the most exposed ground, and though the sling of his rifle

was cut, his arm bruised, and the ground spattered with bullets, yet he succeeded in bringing the mule to cover and so saved the ammunition. For this courageous and useful act he was awarded the Order of Merit of the Third Class.

On October 20 Lieutenant Tillard with the scouts of the 3rd Gurkhas led the famous attack on Dargai, and were the first over the fire-swept zone. Joined in the cover they had reached by three companies of "The Prince of Wales' Own," they sadly watched their countrymen of that famous regiment shot down in making gallant attempt after attempt to cross the fatal spot.

A few days later large bodies of Afridis were seen streaming across the Khanki river, apparently making for heights commanding the camp. The 5th Scouts were ordered to seize the hill, and turning out as they were, they raced for the top and reached it in an incredibly short time. And none too soon! The summit was barely secured before the enemy appeared from the other side, but being greeted by an effective and deadly volley, they did not wait for

more.

General Gaselee's brigade having been ordered to advance from Gandaki in the direction of the Sampagha Pass, the Scouts moved out at dawn on the 29th to determine the enemy's position. This accomplished, they were detailed, supported by two companies of the "Queens," to cover the right flank of the advance. To effect this, the capture of a spur running parallel to the ground

traversed by the main column was a necessary preliminary. Taking every advantage of cover, the little men pushed rapidly up the hill under a fairly smart fire from three small sangars, which were promptly rushed by Captain Lucas and 35 men. In the meantime 20 scouts under Havildar Kaman Sing Burathoki had been told off to check a body of Afridis on the right flank. This duty was most admirably carried out by the havildar, who drove back and inflicted heavy loss on the enemy without suffering any casualties himself. That night the force bivouacked in the fields of the Mastura Valley, and, thanks to the non-arrival of the

baggage, by no means an uncommon incident, a most cheerless night was spent.

Sir William Lockhart resolved to capture the Arhanga Pass on the 31st, and instructed the Scouts to seize a hill on the right overlooking the pass. Covered by rapid fire from the artillery, the Nepalese skirmishers dashed forward, breasted the hill, and were the first to view the Afridi Tirah - the Promised Land of whose very existence many had doubted, and which, so ran the boast, had never before been gazed upon by unbelieving eyes.

Having now penetrated the heart of the enemy's country and forced the main passes, all hoped that opposition would soon cease; but how different was the result! From that moment a harassing guerilla warfare commenced, and continued without intermission until the arrival of the 2nd Division at Swaikot on Decem