Page:The Strand Magazine (Volume 4).djvu/573

This page has been proofread, but needs to be validated.
ILLUSTRATED INTERVIEWS.
579

down the Avenue of the Champs Elysées. That afternoon, after incurring many dangers—indeed, imminent peril—I managed to get from the Prussian lines, and make my way to the railway station. There a special train arranged to take me to Calais, whence I sent my account to the Times of the entry of the German army into Paris."


(A Sketch by Col. Colville.)

Dr. Russell took from one of his great despatch boxes a number of volumes. Among them were the diaries of his trip to India when he accompanied the Prince of Wales as honorary private secretary. The Times asked Dr. Russell to act as their correspondent. Then trouble arose. Other correspondents wanted to go in the Serapis, but this was objected to. At last a compromise was arrived at.

"It was," said Dr. Russell, "to the effect that I could not write letters from the Serapis as the Times correspondent, and that the other newspaper correspondents might go to India on their own responsibility. Still letters did appear in the columns of the Times during the voyage out. I used to write to the editor personally, and he would put in my communication with the heading: 'We have received the following from a friend on board the Serapis.' It is impossible to describe all the rejoicings and festivities. I saw in Nepaul an army of 900 elephants for the hunting party arranged by Jung Bahadur, surely the biggest elephantine gathering on record! And such sport as there was. The Prince is a very steady rifle shot," and together we looked through the record of a day's shooting as chronicled in the diary:—

"H. R. H. Prince of Wales: One tiger 7ft. 6in.; one pig, two hares, one partridge.

"Lord Suffield: One tiger, 7ft. 9in.; one tiger's cub, three cheetahs.

"Prince Louis of Battenberg: One cheetah.

"Captain Rose: One tiger, 9ft. 6in., which charged the Prince of Wales, wounding his elephant.

"Russell: One cheetah.

"Col. Fitz-George: One pig."

And so forth. "Ellis, Prinsep, Sam Browne, Fayrer, various heads."

"One day we killed six tigers," said Dr. Russell, "of which the Prince shot five. The best work in this direction on the part of the Prince was a couple of tigers shot in an hour—one was killed with the first shot, the other creature took a long time to come out of its lair. We threw every soda-water bottle we had got with us at him until he was roused by one thrown by Jung Bahadur, which burst on a stone near his head. We left Bombay in the March of 1876, bringing home a grand menagerie and an infinite wealth of presents for the Prince. We arrived at Portsmouth on the 11th of May after visiting many of the principal cities homewards—and the following day made a state entry into London."

Dr. Russell's last campaigning experience was in 1879, when he accompanied Lord Wolseley to South Africa, and was at the taking of Sekukuni's stronghold. The close of the pleasant hours spent with the famous war correspondent was nearing, and lighting up our cigars, he looked back upon that well-remembered day when he met with the regrettable accident which resulted in his lameness.

"We had arrived within ten or twelve miles of Pretoria," he said, "and halted for the day. I said I would go on to Pretoria and get my