The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1899-09-24

oatmeal, until tho kernels arc soil ana then eaon
with salt or milk and sugar.
On q campaign tho Bosrs observe very strict
rules II man fires after the order is given 10
cease tho oommandant fines him Every night the
lights arc put out carly and the men turn In bo-
hind tho lager This 10 a circular impromptu
fertilization made by flashing all the wagons TO-
gether and affords good protection against bull
let's Their method when attacked is to send out a
line at double quick drop 70 the knees take steady
aim and FIRE, rushing back 10 tho lager then. TO
give way 10 a second party They have always
been successful In native warfare this way, but
against trained English soldiers with machine
guns they would have small chance.
A long campaign is no hardship 10 tho Boer.
When the alarm comes the women OF the house.
and nearly every Boor has family Of ten, twelve,
or eighteen, Of whom two-thirds are girls get him
half dozen pieces Of bfttonp and supply Of
coffee and tobacco. while the boys saddle and
equip the best horse in the stable OF course every
lad who can stand q march also goes TO the 'front.'
for the Boer children are taught to rife at
early age and II 10 q common sight to meet on the
open veldt two or three strapping girls swinging
along with a rife on the look-ous for hartbeeste
or turkey burzarda In fact tho women count
on doing their share Of the lighting Since the
Beers left Cape Colony In 1885 the feminine portion
have been accustomed 10 loading a rifle behind
the laager and II necessary firing II at black face
In case OF war with tho English they arc supposed
TO look after tho focks and herds and defend
the homestead. and every Boer hut In tho Trans
vaal in wartime 10 fortified block house do
Tended by company Of girls and boys with tho
mother Of the home In command.
What they most fear Is an uprising Of the ma
tives tho very thought Of which gives every white
person in South Africa chill Of horror. Kruger
TIL -
o5 900 men in the Transvaal and Orange Free
State. but around him are 3o7, 600 natives. little
better than savages, who arc only waiting for an
opportunity to massacre white mon, not being
particular whether they are Beers or English.
The English town Of Durham, Natal, contains
1000 white persona just north Of them are
500, 900 Zulus, who are the bravest black fighters
in South Africa. No ono knows what attitude the
blacks would take In case Of an English Boer
war, but both Queen Victoria and Dom Paul
dread an uprising in this quarter.
As fighter tho Boer Is q mixture Of strategy
and religion. Before going into baltic each cap
tain leads his troops in prayer for the Boer chill
dren are brought up on the Heidelberg catechism.
and tbe first thing they learn is the answer TO the
question: What Is the only comfort In life and In
death?" Tho army then Joins in singing Old
Hundred, every man" as ono Englishman de-
Of time, each note being prolonged for at least
six beats" The religious iniunctons are
not forgotten on the march and travel on tho
Sabbath day In avoided as much as possible.
Dom Pauls eminence in the nation is due TO his
piety as much any thing else, and when he was
commandant general and military leader he could
get following by raising his hand The Boers
are almost as great fanatics in war as the Moham-
medans, though their natural strategy prevents
them from recklessly destroying themselves.
Kruger rose 10 fame by taking hold Of a campaign
against the natives in which his predecessor had
failed This man did not belong to the Doppcr
Church. which is the ultra-orthodox branch Of the
Dutch Reformed that 10 in the ascendant there
The Beers said tho Lord was against the other
leader on account OF his heresy.
A Boer military camp. however Is not entirely
devoid Of recreation. Shooting AZ o mark 10
always in order and the young men indulge In
rough sport that sometimes proves senous They
call II throwing the OF hide, and IL consists In
tossing man up In the air Just 90 the American
soldiers do with blanket About dozen chaps
grab tho edges Of an OK hide and from this throw
a comrade In the air so high that whom he strikes
again he is unconscious and perhaps has broken
few bones
There is no doubt about the skill Of Boer with
the rife, though the English contend that the new
generation has deterorated 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 vedt this cannot DO said. II Ia common
to see them while riding at . good pace drop q
bird on the wing at 100 yards. In killing an OK
for meat on the march more than ono bullet 10
never used
Tommy Atkins breads the Boer. There La a
cold unfeeling crack to his rife that makes the
oh Foy he he h,,ll. Ia
coming straight for the centre Of his belt Fight
ing against tho Matabele or Bechuana Is not such
q dangerous matter. The machine guns do most
OF the work and the only reply is o scattered vol
Icy OF assegais and sluga Kruger and Joubert
know this and count On this shrinking dread TO
keep the English troops at a distance Hereto
fore this has been done
Five battles has Joubert had with British
troops. The number Of troops ngaged on each
side at these various engagements have varied
between $50 and 800 At Laings Mex tn Q
English lost 100, the Beers "a: at Ingogo the
British loss was 142, tho Boer 49, at Maiuba
Hill the British loss $50 the Boer 5; at Bronx
horst Spruit, the British lost 100 the Beers /,
and in tho Jameson raid 100 Reformers fell while
the Beers lost but s. Thus while the
English troops have suffered in their fights with
the Beers to the extent Of 832 men. the Transvaal
they believe they can at least maintain a long
war with tho English.
war with the Beers will provo a costly pro-
ceeding to England, for Kruger's first move will
be to rush over the border TO Kimberley and wreck
diamond mines that have produced $500 900 600
worth Of diamonds in twenty five years There Is
militia regiment at Kimberley. but II Is not
strong or we'll armed and could not Withstand. an
attack by the Beers The Johannesburg mines
he could destroy at his leisure Thoy produce
SIPS, 900, 900 worth OF gold every year and arc
owned most entirely by Englshmen
Laing's Mex is a pass in tho Drakensberg mount
tains and 1t is the key to Natal II Is Krusers
plan TO secure this. and from there harry the
colony of Natal. II would be easy for him to
destroy the railroad communications, as the Mex
is pierced by tunnel 1la feet long and the Natal
railroad worms it's way around mountain
peaks at a great height and ono sortie would
suffice TO destroy Its usefulness.
The Beers have been experimenting in the
last two years with devices to utilize the railroads
IN the Transvsal in event Of war and to this end
have employed skilful engineers TO construct
fortified cars consisting simply of steel bod
with an oval covering Of wrought steel This