'Personal Narrative of a pilgrimmage to Al-Madinah and Meccah. Vol. I' [‎269] (326/564)

XIV.—From BivAbhas Al-Madimh. 269
excellent in the use of weapons, and still train them to
act naturally and habitually in concert. The French
have given a model to Europe in the Chasseurs de
Vincennes,—a body capable of most perfect combination,
yet never more truly excellent than when each man is
fighting alone. We, I suppose, shall imitate them at
some future time. 1
A distant dropping of fire-arms ushered in the
evening of our first melancholy day at Bir Abbas. This,
said my companions, was a sign that the troops and
the hill-men were fighting. They communicated the
intelligence, as if it ought to be an effectual check
upon my impatience to proceed; it acted, however,
in the contrary way. I supposed that the Badawin, after
battling out the night, would be less warlike the next
day; the others, however, by no means agreed in opinion
with me. At Yambu' the whole party had boasted loudly
that the people of Al-Madinah could keep their Badawin
in order, and had twitted the boy Mohammed with their
superiority in this respect to his townsmen, the Meccans.
But now that a trial was impending, I saw none of the
fearlessness so conspicuous when peril was only pos
sible. The change was charitably to be explained by
the presence of their valuables; the " Sahharahs," like
conscience, making cowards of them all. But the young
Meccan, who, having sent on his box by sea from Yambu '
i~The first symptom of improvement will be a general training to
the Bayonet exercise. The British is, and for years has been, the
only army in Europe that does not learn the use of this weapon;
how long does it intend to be the sole authority on the side of ignor
ance? We laughed at the Calabrese levies, who in the French war
threw away their muskets and drew their stilettos ; and we cannot
understand why the Indian would always prefer a sabre to a rifle.
Yet we read without disgust of our men being compelled, by want of
proper training, to 44 club their muskets*' in hand-to-hand fights,
when they have in the bayonet the most formidable of offensive
weapons,—and of the Kafirs and other savages wresting the piece,
after drawing off its fire, from its unhappy possessor's grasp.