The St. Louis Republic. [volume] (St. Louis, Mo.) 1888-1919, 1900-07-08

lion the more humiIiatinE is that the Doors
| have learned from his diary that ~ IL not a
rorCOmhatant, as he claims. but i cuuiIflis-
Stored officer Of the Queen IL seems
heavy price to offer for ones liberty, and
especially so when the trick is found ont. II
makes one wonder II her Mnjesty IS not In
sore distress for officers If she gives com
missions to peers OF England VII" repudiaie
their oath Of allegiance To her for the sake
of their personal comfort.
Toward midday We had our first sight az
the Boer militant. He WAS fed-bcariei
farmer with a slouch hat. carrying Il band
o,ier over his shoulder and a Mauser In MS
hand He could not possibly appreciate the
intense interest with which we regarded
him. The Ambulance Corps surrounded him
In an a.iynirinG double circle Tie was rot
exactly what they had expected 10 see. lie
was neither feroc!ous nor su!lcn. nor Wiz
man OF the bush.
He was, instead. a simple. kindly eyed.
uUcducatcd farmer. He had been home on
fYrlougr t1. see his wife ana was gong
back asdin to tho firing line. He vas going
back without any pay. without any entIce-
n..rts of medals or rewards. or pensions,
without the assurance. that IN his absence
an Absent Minded Eegsar" fund or -.ofd
Mayor. fund would support his wife ana
children.
No one had offered him the freedom Of
any city: more Of the American Iniiilanaiies
who had dug their money OUT OF che soul
of his country had subscribed To give Inn
a hospital ship; no pretty !3dits poured "Ht
tea ter him AZ Sherrys under t!'e patron
age OF Mrs. LanGtry and Olga Netherr'It'
no kind frlends Preserved him with hT'n
glass, nor - housewife nur q cop? "s
Block on War;" or Baden-Fowe!is "Aifs
to Scouting" nor "a Kodak camera nor
bottle Of meat tabioids. nor a sPnTklet
sQueezer, nor a Mappin & WebD's Wis
watch, nor a patent water filter. r"l Knit
nicht cap. nor khaki patamas. nor pair
of S.owas>, RS Fancy going To VAR with
S;owasscrs and bottle Of tan dressing.
This Boer soldier had his bandolitr and hiS
rifle, and at parting the stationmasier. WhD
had been In the same commando SHOOK
hands with him and said. Good bye. Pet"
That was his send off, and 1t was likely
to be his epitaph.
At the next station he was Joined by
three more farmers and the son Of one Of
them a boy 10 years Of age. The boy was
not .lated at the idea Of his being "A soldier
He did not swagser nor tell OF what he
had already done to the BriiiSh. Wiiicn n
a bow of his age might have been pardOted.
Instead he put his rii.e in a corner and pro-
Iucei Il meiodeon on which for many hours
he continued TO draw forth mournful ard
eyecTab BILE sounds.
There are many boys In the Boer army.
-Four of them are sons Of Reitz. the Secre-
tary of State. Hts father told me pron -ly
o: how the youngest VINO was 10 years
old. covered British Tommy and called
upon him to hold up his hands As bis
comrades had already surrendered. the
Tommy threw down his gun and said 20
the boy: II don't care I'm blooming well
sicl; II this blooming war. anyway. Amt
youe' oh, no." protested young Rel;z
simply. for father says that when the war
is over he's going To send me back 10
school"
At every station along the Hire there
were a few Beers gathered TO cheer the
ambulance corps There were never more
than three or four men to do the cheering.
for every man who Is rot absolutely needed
tn direct a train or to work n telegraph
button IL at the front. and all have been
there once or twice already.