The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1899-10-16
J0UbERT IN CAMP
Boer General Preparing
for the Fray.
Has Only Fifteen Thousand Men At His
Disposal With Which TO
Invade Natal.

dispatch from correspondent VINO mas
been at Bloemfontein and Pretoria has
been telegraphed to the Chronicle:
.CHARLESTOWN. under Majuba
Hill. Tuesday, have just crossed the
frontier in a truck, which was placed
at my disposal by COmmandant Gener-
al Joubert, who reached the frontier
today and is staying in the main Boer
camp on the Rand river. | had a long |
talk with General Joubert in the
train. He said he deeply regretted the |
impending war, which he had done his |
utmost to avoid. He wonders that |
Queen Victoria never answered the |
letter he addressed to her on the sit |
uation.
Il notice everywhere a general devo-
| ton to the Queen and a pathetic be-
| lief that she will stop the war. Gen
| eral Joubert still believes in a South
| African Confederacy under an English
protectorate and attributes the pres
ent crisis TO Cecil Rhodes and Mr..
| Chamberlain. His last words to me
were, L leave it now to God. II may
| be His will that the Transvaal shall
| perish. | can only do my part
| The General was enthusiastically
| welcomed at the Boer camp. The Beers
are undisciplined and unorganized. and
the ambulance arrangements are very
defective, but the commissiariat is fair
| ly good. y majority of the Beers are
| unwilling to fight, but are quietly con-
| fident. They will overrun Natal. at
| lacking it from both sides in the
| neighborhood of lngego or Ladysmith.
The Beers are much afraid OF lyd-
dite shells and dumdum bullets. All
the unframed men are mounted. They
maintain a high reputation for shoot
ing. They have no uniform. All COM
plain bitterly at being compelled to
, leave their wives and children and
: farms at the mercy of the K1fiirs.
| There is mucn confusion in the camp.
! Heavy rains have deluged the lands
and blocked the roads. and horses. OK
en- and tents are mixed up together.
The men are seen arguing with their
officers. but there is no excitement or
loose firing.
1T is difficult to say exactly, but
suppose there are 5000 men in the
Rand river laager and others are CON
tinuipg to arrive. The horses are in
| excellent condition. | only saw five
guns-of a heavy French pattern. The
Photograph is constantly working OF
the hills.
Despite the heavy rain the grass |:
still dry and all the forage and wooC
required must be supplied from dis
lance. The country, both open an,
rocky, is well suited to the operation
of irregular cavalry.
There are no English troops her
except one outpost, which is statione
at Majuba Hill. But | am not allowe
to telegraph information as to- tn
movements of English troops. TIL
= Beers deprecate the general PAM
among the English in the Transvaa
who seem to think they are savage
They have constructed a few eartf
works to defend the railway and hol
a good technical position. They con
plain. however, of the lack of locomC
|. tives and the difficulty of working
single line"
The Daily Telegraph corresponds
at Newcastle, Natal. sends to his pap
- a similar message TO that of the Dai
Chronicle. He says he is sure tn
half of the Beers will offer no serio,
resistance TO the British troops.
The Free State says he. IN
made no preparations and il is douh
full if it can put a thousand men in q
field at present. Thousands of q
Uitlanders are unable to leave {
TranSvaal and their terror Is
great that many of them have join
the Boer levies, as the best means
escaping. Johannesburg can offer
serious defense if attacked. and III
\ toria. despite its five forts. is hopele:
- ly weak. Practically the whole BE
population has been called to arm
and the result has been a strange
armed and CARRIED guerilla mob of
. 900 or Whereabouts. 1t is declared u
the defective German cartridge ca:
have all been recalled and fresh n
munition made in America is bel
substituted. Thousands of the bu
), hers are attired in khaki and pu:
rees. so it is difficult to distingu
them from the British troops.
Last Friday the Boer Governm
arrived at the conclusion that the r
danger of British attack lies on the
tai side and thousands of men who
been sent in the direction of Delal
Bay at RhodeSia were recalled and
patched toward Standerton. | am {
isfied that General Joubert has 10
men between Standerton and Vol
rust. and am positive that he will
Ia wade Natal with that strength.
ILL., tainly serious and bloody actions
impending as soon as the Beers
recovered from the fatigue OF ira
There is no doubt, however, that
nly. women and children will be
treated. as will also probably unar1
. citizens"