The times., 1899-10-07
THE BoERs HARD TO DEFEAT.
a Former British PoIiceman's Opin-
ion of the south Africans.

ion of the South Africans.
OTTAWA, Oct. IF. X. Holder, for
merlyla member of the Bechuanaand po-
lice, is visiting this city. He spent six
teen years in South Africa, and says he
knows the Beers thoroughly. He says they
will fight, and it will take three British
soldiers TO one Boer to win the war.
The Beers" said Mr.. Holder, will
adopt the guerrilla warfare. Each man
Will carry his own food supply, and know
ing the ground so well, will have great
advantages over the invaders. The Beers
are good fighters and are making their last
stand for their homes"
Mr.. Holder was one of the mounted po
lice during the war in Rhodesia in 1898. He
tells the following incident of that war
"Lobengula," he said wanted to make
peace with the British, and thought that
by sending all his cash-3,000 sovereigns-
to the administrator of the Rhodesian
Chartered Company, the war would be
stopped. Accordingly Lobengula sent a
number of his men with the 5000 sover-
eigns. The blacks who had the money in
charge thought that so long as they de-
livered the coin to any white man it would
get to the Chartered Company and would
end the war. They met two troopers and
handed them the money and started back
TO Lobehgula, who then thought the wal
was over.
Meanwhile the Rhodesan officials had
not received any proofs of Lobenguia de-
string peace, and war was waged. The
two troopers hid the money and fought
the blacks. Major Wilson, one of the best
men in Rhodesia. started after Lobengula
in the hope of capturing him. Picking
thirty-five of the best men of his force
Major Wilson left his main body one day
and crossed a river near pace where he
thought the African chief was. During the
night the river swelled and Wilson and his
party were unable to return. They fell in
with number of blacks and, thinking
that Lobengula was among them, Wilson
ordered the chief to surrender promising
to spare his life
mo reply came and the whites openel /
fire. Instantly the woods were alive with
blacks, and after desperate fight w lson 3
party was wiped out, but not before they
had killed more blacks than were ain
throughout the rest of the war. After the
defeat of Lobengula and the restorat.ol OF
peace, ready money became scarce in Rho
desia and the Chartered Company's notes
were about the only money going.
Shortly afterward, gold sovereigns be
gan to be extensively circulated and people
wondered where the gold came from. Then
the story about Lobengula's desire for
peace and his sending the 5000 sovereigns
came out, An investigation was ordered,
the blacks who carried the money to TIE
troopers were brought before the main
body and they identified the two troopers
Rot off ard ad and
sentenced to fourteen years imprisonm ent
Had they delivered the money to tae Car
tered Company the war would have beel
averted. Major Wilson and many whites
would not have been sacrificed and the
friendly Lobengu,a would have escaped"
The Boer is among the best fighters in
the world. He loves his country with a
passionate patriotism. He is re-eminently
an agriculturist. In Cape Colony nearly
the whole of the wheat growing is done by
the Dutch farmers of the western province.
In theiinterior the bulk of the grain used
is supplied by the Dutch farmer of the
Transvaal. All the fruit crop is produced
by Beers. The Boers shun towns, shop
keeping and mining. All they ask is TO be
allowed to live undisturbed in a moderate
degree of comfort on their farms in a rude
plenty.
Pride, patriotism and religious faith
prevent the average Boer abandoning the
Hinterland, which he believes to be a gift
from the Almighty. Every boy becomes a
voter at sixteen, but the government is
practically an oligarchy. All the power is
concentrated in the hands of an executive
council supported by vote in the first
Raad, which needs only to number thir-
teen in order to have a constitutional ma
jority. Twenty-Five men in all more than
cover the number Who Tor a term of years
hold absolute power. A Uitlander TO be-
come a citizen must first renounee his allie
glance to any other country, and al the end
of eight or fifteen years the government
at its option, may give him the franchise. "