The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1900-06-17
Suddenly of the front there breaks out

1t begins with a few muffied explosions
like the first bursting Of frecrackers in
barrel, then a roar Of them. The whole
pack Is of. There comes a whizzing
buzzing noise overhead; one OF the strays
Of the battlefield has passed you. 4 lit
tie thump and something strikes the
ground near by with a spiteful little kick
up of dust. At the same time there comes
a larger noise from the direction OF the
kopje, and a sound Ike that Of a small
planning mill whlrirg through the air.
mufaed report and a red cloud rises near
where the battery of horses are standing.
SO they've got a gun. too" you think
Yes, two OF them, or three. perhaps, for
more screeches and more red spurts fol-
low. The battery Of horse does not move,
the drivers sit apparently unconcerneo and
the men at the guns jump hither and
thither at their work The little puf1s OF
smoke still rise in the air in front.
Marked for Holiday.
But It IS Fourth OF July in front. and
you perceive that the little hollow into
which the infantry has disappeared is
q good place TO go. AS you mark the
rise. the hubble bubble grows clearer
a man is walking towards you. his coat
is hanging loose over his shoulder, his
arm is tied up in a white bandage, il has
red spots on it, May be the man is sTnoN-
ing pipe, "How's II going on UP there?"
you ask. "Oh. very good. sir. The Buns
is well in front" Ut might be any other
regiment, but the answer would be the
same)
This wounded man doesn't seem TO care
much He'd stay and chat with you if
YOU liked He's quite pleased with him
self. Perhaps he has visions OF the three
weeks holiday a Wynberg down in the
colony, where they feed men on tellies ard
give them flowers and where well-inten-
toned young ladies' speak freely without
introductions.
At any rate there doesn't seem to be
anything frightfuI about it. So you wish
him good luck and go on toward the knoll.
(O1 course, I am taking il for granted
that your curiosity is not yet saushed)
It IS. perhaps. here that you get the first
shock. as II were. for you suddenly come
upon the dressing station, pitched amidst
a little slut in the rocks. There are two
score of men sitting or lying about, the
doctors are operating in the center Some
men stand up, others lie down 10 It. The
doctor works ike a seams tress fitting
on a gown; he tries to seeing how much he
can do in minute in order that his Gus
toners shall not be kep4 waiting. There
is no complaining. Il is all very business
like; there is no tossing about, groaning,
no praying, although near by lie several
still figures covered up in brown blankets
with their hoo-nailed boots protruding or,
perhaps. only with a handkerchief or
helmet covering their faces. Names and
numbers viii be posted in the war office
tomorrow, and people will come and look
a. them and go away.
The bearers WITH the Red Cross ban
dages on their erms bring in more bur
dens. One Of the burdens is an officer He
Is badly hurt. The men grouped about
whisper. The surgeon greets him by
name. The man on the stretcher smiles
al him family.
Going to send me down the line, old
chap?' ne asks. The doctor makes 70 re-
ply He's busy bending over him. The
officer is going a longer journey than
down the line" you can see that at a
glance. The doctor whispers TO him. He
mods his head
How Easy to Get in the Row.
You may feel as if you were intruding;
a desire comes to you to see what all the
row is about over the crest OF the hill.
And it is strange now quickly you get
into it. 1t increases in clearness with ev-
cry step you take; now it is like the jolt
ing of a wagon. and now like the sound
OF boy running down the side of a
stretch of palings with a stick. You can
see the fighting men. Some are quite close
to you; others on SO far ahead that you
wonder how they got there. and they
are still moving forward. On, on. on,
they go,
They are on the foot of the kopje,
away of from the left little band has
almost gained the crest-the row is awful
there-but there is no smoke, no enemy,
nothing but invisible, death-dealing
sounds
The men laugh and talk; some lines
fan ar.d r.
dies in the grass.
Suddenly an officer comes galloping
back He is the first mounted man you
have seen for time.
The So-and-so's have turned the
flank" he shouts. The cavalry are work
ing up from behind. We've got them on
the rum Then off he goes to look for a
general, where the red flag waves on the
hill.
A lull follows, preceded by a few drop
ping obstinate sounding shots. Every
one moves forward. Looking back you
can see the water carts with their tug
cling mules. and far beyond the dark line
Of the transport. So you climb the hill
with the rest, and many limp figures are
there.
A few unkempt, bearded farmers,
some gray. some hardly more than boys,
lie here along the crest. If they are
alive they glare at you ar first. The
soldiers stand about and look at them
with curiosity, while others kneel beside
them and offer water bottles. Behind the
rocks in the well concealed trenches are
shining piles of ammunition. Pencil-like
mausers, clumsy Martins and, alas.
deadly explosive missils that the Tom
mics pick up and curse. II is overall
but the recovering, for shouting there is
none.
Where has the day gone Where are
the guns, and where are. the rest Of the
unkenpt bearded ones? Cleared, van
ished, made off with the guns that they
had laboriously drawn up TO the top of
the kopje,
They are back there some seven or
eight miles in another line Some NAV
be watching now from the river bank.
AS a Tommy facetiously remarked
They are not dead, but gone before"
And this is what a battle is like, and
not one battle, but many in South
Africa. There is a meaning there, here
are things that have caused one much
wonder and all these leave out of the
telling. James Barnes.