Format: Single
…There was a far-off clapping of hands from the Gurkhas, and a roar from the Highlanders in the distance, but never a shot was fired by British or Afghan. The two little red dots moved forward in the open, parallel to the enemy’s front… |
This is from “The Drums of the Fore and Aft” in Wee Willie Winkie and Other Stories. An inexperienced British regiment has retreated in disarray before a furious charge by Afghan fanatics. Two drummer boys have been left behind in no-man’s-land, and they decide to march and countermarch across the front, beating the advance. The boys are killed by an Afghan volley, but the regiment is shamed into attacking, and the day is won. |
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