I was wounded in a sortie made to capture a yan which was playing "Old Harry" with us. The Italian officer who was leading us made x hopeless blunder, led us into n regulwe death trap, and we only got out with the loss of three killed and three wounded. I got two bullets through me, one through the fleshy part. of the thigh and one through the shoulder, behind the shoulder blade. Luckily, no bones were touched and I am getting on first class. The shoulder healed up quickly and is now quite right, The: leg, which was rather " nasty big place, would not heal fur some time, but is now getting on fine, and Lam able to get about outside a little, with the aid of a pair of crutches. I have not suffered much pain from the wounds at all. It is the effect which it has on you rather than the wound itself which is so trying—its fever and the great weakness.
The sensation of being shot is a very peculiar one, I felt at the time as if I had received two heavy blows with a club or stone. There was no pain at all, and as I was able to go straight on I hardly realised that T had been shot, but thought it must have been bricks or something of that sort that had struck me, I managed te walk some way back even, but as I was blondin terribly I soon got faint and had to be carried in. However, of all this, more, too, later on. I am going to bore you with a {short daily account of the siege, but will give you a sort of sketch of how we stand rst. horrors, and hope to prodness we can get Peraonally I am jolly sick of war and its
away from it soon. T have seen my best friends hit, die, and be carried out and buried, all-in the space of a few hours poor old Oliphant, the very best chap there was, and everybody's friend, is buried in our little temporary cemetery by the First Secretary's house, beside poor Warren, of {my year, with whom I went to Jehol. Strouts is there, too, the senior captain of our marines, one of the nicest fellows possible, and the smartest officer we had, LARGE LIST OF CASUALTIES, Our total casualties up to date, in our small garrison of marines and volunteers, [amount to 60 killed and 92 wounded—152 in all—a large number out of so small gartison_when every available man is wanted. However, some of the wounded are coming out now, and are able to return
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