The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1899-09-24

beats" The religion injunclions are not
forgotten on the march and travel on the
Sabbath day is tabooed as much as posi-
BILE. Dom Paufs pre-eminence in The ma
ton is due TO his piety as much as any
thing else, and when ne was command1nt
general and military leader he could get
a following by raising his hand. The
Peers are almost as great fanatics in war
as the Mohammedans though their ma
ural stra tegy prevents them from reckless
" destroying themselves. Kruger rose TO
fame by taking hold of campaign against
the natives in which his predecessor had
failed This man did moi belong TO the
Dopper Church, which is the ultra -ortho-
dox branch of the Dutch Reformed that
is in the ascendant there. The Beers SAID
the Lord was against the other leader on
account of his heresy.
A Boer military camp, however, is not
entirely devoid of recreation. Shooting at
a mark is always in order and the young
men indulge in a rough sport that some
times proves serious. They can il throw
ing the ox-hide" and ii consists in tossing
a man up in the air just as the American
soldiers do with a blanket. About a dcz-
en- chaps grab The edges of an OX-hide and
from this throw a comrade in the air 50
high that when he strikes again he is un-
conscious and perhaps has broken a few
bones.
There is no doubt about the skill of
Boer with the rife, though the English
contend that the new generation has de-
Perforated vastly in this respect. This
may be true of those young men who
are growing up in The towns, but OF
those who live on the open veidt this can
not be said. Ii is common to see them
while riding at a good pace drop a bird
on the wing at 100 yards. In killing an OK
for meat on the march more than one bull
let is never used.
Tommy Atkins breads the Boer There
is such a cold unfeeling crack TO his rifle
that makes the English soldier pale, for
he knows the bullet is coming straight for
the center of his belt. Fighting against
the Maltabele or Bechuana is not such a
dangerous matter. The machine guns do
most of the work and the only reply is a
scattered volley of assegais and slugs
Kruger and Joubert know this and count
on this shrinking dread to keep the Eng
lish troops al a distance. Heretofore this
has been done.
VictOrs in Battle.
Five battles has Joubert had with Brit
ish troops. The number of troops engaged
on each side at these various engagements
have varied between $50 and 500 At
L.aings Mex the English lost 19O the Beers
"a; at Ingogo the British loss was 142. the
BOer II; at Md1uDa Hill the British loss
was $50, the Boer 3; at Bronkhorst Spruit
the British lost 120, the Beers ], and in the
Jameson raid 100 Reformers fell while the
Beers lost but 5. Thus while the English
troops have suffered in their fights with
the Beers to the extent of $50 men. the
Transvaal farmers loss has been but 50
and a this rate they believe they can at
least maintain a long war with the Eng
lish.
war with the Beers will prove a cost
ly proceeding 10 England for Krugei's
first move VIII be to rush over the border
10 Kimberly and wreck The diamond mines
that have produced $500 100000 worth of
diamonds in twenty-five years There is
militia regiment at Kimberly. but IL is
rot strong or well armed and they could
not withstand an attack by the Beers.
The johannesburg mines he could DESTROY
at his leisure. They produce 1925. 0o0
worth of gold every year. and are owned
almost entirely by Englishmen
Laing's Neck is a pass IN tho Drakcns-
berg mountains and 1t is the key to Natal.
Il Is Kruger's plan to secure this. and
from there ravish the colony of Natal.
It would be easy for him 10 destroy me