The times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1897-1901, 1900-06-17
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! ing running 50 many dozen times round the deck
in slippers and pyiamas in order to keep them
selves in good condition. then plunging into a
cold bath, and coming back 10 the deck
again in aannels as fresh and ., blooming ming
sbout South Africa in the little Libraries they had
drought along with them ard which they ex.
changed for similar books that other msn had
| brought on board. They were emphaticaliy, the
/ best Of Enclshmon-wide awake, well informed,
| proud polished polite. considerate. and abound
| ing with animal health and high spirits
The more saw OF them the more i resented all
| that we hear about various fanatieal people on
earth who celebrated for not being AFRAID 10
die-the Sudan deryishes, the stolid Turks, the
| differing Alhaniais, and now, last of all. these
wooden headed BoeTs. OF some of these we are
believe themselves in Gods special
| And what Of these English! Are they afraid to
| die? Who would say such thing-or think 1t for
moment-of these splendid fellows who have led
| Englands ranks against every fanatic on earth
| except the Turkf They as ready to die as
| any man. and they rank above their foes as
| towers rise above the lowly grass, because they
risk their lives with the full knowledge OF what
1 they are doing and because in risking themselves
| they risk the most enyiable lot Of which any man
can boast.
Naturally Mr.. Ralph does not think much
| of the Boer. He states. among other
| things that the better-class Boer has often
| come to battle in his carriage, like gem
| tleman driving to the Derby, and when 1t
was time to re. ire has done so in the same
way leaving s vassals to cover his re-
treat He also says that many men fight
| ing On the Boer side delivered themselves
up to the column with which he was, say
| ing that they had no sympathy with the
Boer cause, but had simply been given the
| choice to fall in as recruits or be shot.
| These men were usually Of English blood,
| or partly So
Mr. Ralph was at the battles of Graspan,
| Modder River and Magersfontein. and
| two of the later chapters in his book are
, Christmas With Methuen's Army" and
| THE Relief of Kimberley" Some of the
| incidents which he witnessed on the bat
| tlefield are thrilling, as well as interest
| ing and some are comic, but all are pic
turesquely described. An interesting scrap
| of history is that given in the chapter on
the battle of Magersfontein, in which
| two Highland regiments were so shock
| ingly cut up. 1t has thus far been a mat
| ter of doubt just who was responsible for
| that catastrophe, though Lord Methuen
| was of course, generally blamed for it. Mr..
Ralph says:
| The Scotch maintain that when General Wau-
ohope returned TO his quarters the night before
| the battle after receiving his orders from Lord
| Meihuen. he was seen to be troubled.
| To of his intinsates he is said to have
remarked that his instructions were so vague that
| orders and that Lord Methuen dsplfdsed
| and in reply reminded him that chief in CON-
| mand he had given what orders SCENE! best to
him.
| nrrirg the march it is said that General Wau
| chope exclaimed more than once, this is mad
ness!'' Finally, JUS: before the disaster. he de-
| Glazed again that 10 advance he was dong. i.
| close formation against an INDICATED enemy, was
| mad business. and that. orders or orders, he
| would spread his men out in open formation
| lie gave the order. Il was carried TO the FIST
/ t,aga-
be executed the troops found themselves in q
| butchers shop one Scotch Tommy express
| cd ii.
nrtn to approach to within fifty yards of their
| tr,aches. but the distance varies with every
count from fifty to three hundred yards. The
| men. who were seized with panic, their
| coir AIDES fall either side and in front Of
then. and-they
1t is needles TO enlarge upon that distressing
| event. They back. They were overcome.
| They did not distinguish between their officers
and their comrades. There panic, disorder,
chaos. They had suffered a surprise and shock
| sch p,rhaps such mass Of men has known
in modern times At about $3.50 o'clock
night. the Highland Brigade, led by General
Wauchope, moved down upon the veldt. 1t was
| very dark and still intensely cold
The men advanced in quarter column order. 1t
| is not 4 matter of military Importance. but it
is fact that they supposed they were to cross
| the veldt and attack the enemy on the kopje.
/
ease. swinging along without though. Q. i'm
mediate attack. chat;ing-even to such extent
/ that their officers babe them make less noise.
Neither officers men knew Of the existence OF
| the formidable trenches that along the veldt
in front Of them.
By one II those unfortunate and irreparable
accidents whcn happen rarel, in the British army
| two OF the loosed theif guns during this
short march. ard many critics and historians may
say that this apprised the Beers Of the British
approach. 1t is my belief. however, based On
good authority. that the Beers employed scout
10 walk ahead and on the eytrcme right OF the
British and Hash Light WHEN they reached
certain point hich had been agreed upon.
The Scotch Misunderstanding tho Gordons.
who did not go into battle until later-kept in
quarter-column formation, and meeting line Of
Nsal bushes, and later thcket of thorny cactus,
deployed out of the way and around these.
Suddenly the light was flashed on the right,
Boer rife was fired on the left, and the whole
long hidden trench belched fame, and riddled
ranks with bullets 1t had been as
if the earth had opened. and from a cleft that
far reached fire had belcbed
am. shot had swept the veldt
That is a specimen OF this correspond
ent's style of describing battle. He de-
scribes the sound of rife firing as he has
heard it. as sounding like the frying OF
fat or the cracking and swapping OF green
wood in a blaze. The song Of individual
bullets is described as being much like
the magnifed notes Of mosquito.
claimed by certain people in this country
as typical patriot and God-fearing peas
ant, Mr.. Ralph has more or less uneom
plimentary things 10 say. These are some
of them, quoted from men whom he in
terviewed on the subject:
They are reiisi-;s:: shat is. they go TO church,
and are fond Of thinking themselves ia Gods
keeping, but they never let religion interfere
with business AT a horse trade they will cheat
the back teeth out VI your head.
And again:
man had been sent to Boer house to col
lect some taxes that were long overdue. He rode
mp to the house, called out the head Of the fam
lily, and stated his GRAND. The Boer turned on
his heel and went indoors at once. Presently he
came out again with his loaded gun.
See here" he said, II own this house and
all the land SO far you can see around you. 1t
is mine. ! am king here. You go back and tell
Paul Kruger that il he sends another here
for that FIVE pounds .! taxes will kill the man.
As for you. IL you say any more about it will
shoot you"
This indicates that, even after Boerland
is conquered, there may be some slight
difficulty in bringing the Inhabitants around
to modern ways of thinking. New York:
Frederick A. Stokes & Coz
THE Story Of the Beers" is volume
prepared by C. W. Van der Hoogt, under
the authority of the South African Repub-
lies 1t contains statements by many Boer
leaders of the history and principles of
their cause and is Interesting for several
reasons. II is perhaps the most comprehen-
sive statement of the Boer side Of the
question which has yet appeared. There is
also an article on 'The Policy Of Media
tion," by Montagu White.
The several chapters contain THE Strug-
gle OF the Beers to Maintain Their Inde-