The labor world., 1899-12-23
DOERS AS SOLDIERS.

r. H. Smith, Of Cheyenne, formerly
an officer in the United States army,
end now mining engineer, in the
pursuit Of his profession has spent
some time in the Transvaal. When
seen at the Fifth Avenue hotel Mr..
Smith said: "-s - w
II have frequently been asked Of late
what sort of soldiers the Beers make,
and where and how they got any mill
tary training, and I have seen many
articles in the press to the effect that
the trained English troops would cut
them up when they brought combi-g
nation of infantry, artillery and cav
airy against them. 1t is difficult
question. to answer as to what con-
stitutes soldier, and as to what con-
stitutes the proper training of one.
From a European or an American point
of view, perhaps, the Beers are not a
trained soldiery, and yet from their own
point Of view they are, for they have
all their lives been training and pre-
pairing for this very war; in which they
are now engaged. They are the finest
shots have ever seen, and the tremen-
dous losses they have inflicted on the
British forces in every fight so far
completely explodes the theory that
they had lost their skill as shots on
account of the disappearance of game
from the Transvaal country, and the
consequent necessary giving over OF
their favorite sport of hunting. Game
in abundance still lies near to hand in
that part of South Africa, and the
Beers, independently Of hunting, are
assiduous in their rifle practice, which
they carry on all the time. It is begun
with them as soon as they can walk,
and I have seen innumerable little
Beers shooting at marks on the veldt
there, some of whom could not have
been over five years Of age They they
are trained from their youth up to
endure all kinds of weather, to sub
sist on the Smallest possible amount OF
food when necessary and to go with
out water for long periods. AS a con-
sequence, they can live and thrive
where Tommy Atkins would starve
and parch, and can get along with
commissariat Of such fsmall dimensions
as would give the average European
soldiers pangs Of hunger only to think
how little it must contain
'Then, too, they have horses as hardy
and enduring as themselves, capable OF
doing a hundred mile march a day for
several days in succession, and tins
gives them great advantage, both Tor
attack and retreat. They know the
country they are fighting in, every pass
through the mountains, and where the
fewest men can be used to the great
est possible advantage. And in their
cavalry work they are unexcelled.
They understand open order work-that
is each individual relying to a large
extent on himself-and you will notice
that after each fight they manage to-
retreat with but few losses due to cap
ture, and with their arms and ammunt-
tion generally intact To sum 1t up,
should say that, with the geographical
and climatic conditions under which
they are fighting taken into considera-
ton, they are A No. soldiers. Trans
port them to another country and con-.
front them with different conditions,
and the story of their fighting would
probably read differently, but under ex-
listing circumstances I should say that
they were fully as good soldiers as. II
not better than, were the Indians in
the old days on our Western plains. n
New York Tribune.