Omaha daily bee., 1900-02-07
STRUGGLE or norn ,>p huron.
side lights on the Cuutcst for
Supremacy in south ATricu.

ttucIdl lNGOertS stan, IS q Mlnltsoldn ny
birth. 81 years OF age. Most Of his boy
hood was spent in California, where his
father was a Congregational miaistcr. ST
the age Of 20 he driftcl into the western
mining camps. handled tire pick and shovel
for q time, then became a prospector, devel-
oping into a scout and daredevil. An In
dian fight was to him more welcome than
a meal, and many a red man was made
good by his trusty rifle. About ten years
ago he married an Iowa girl in California,
and together they went to South Africa.
Among the savages Of that country he had
abundant opportunities for his scouting
talent and skill as a m~arksman, and numer-
Gus thrilling adventures fell to his lot, With
Two companions he went into the wilderness
where chief Melme wao stirring up trouble
Tor the British and sent a bullet through
MS heart. This and other dashing achieve
ments led to his selection for the post Of
chief scout. Burnham and his wife were in
the Klondikc when the commission was
rendered. He is now on his way to South
Africa.
\ letter from a Black Watch man TO A
friend in Edinburgh says OF tho affair al,
Magorsfontein: 1T was one 81 the darkest
nights | have ever seen and the rain fell I'm
torrents. We were falling Syer rocks and
ant hills, as we could not see where we were
going to. We marched to about fifty Yards
from the foot OF the hill, our regiment in
front. We were all in a mass when a shower
Of bullets came down the hill and killed
hundreds. We were that taken by surprise
that We did not know what we were doing.
We lay down and fixed bayonets, and our
right half battalion charged, but were
mnusnl lnvrt, lF t1, -a., . 4"
the word to retire, and while we were doing
50 the bullets were flying like hailstones all
around us. 1t was a miracle how Is.
capped, and l got my rife blown out of my
hand and a bullet through my helmet. and
another gra2ed my leg, taking away a bit
of my spat. | never witnessed such a hor-
rible sight in my life"
Another Highlander, writing about the
same fight, says: The Blacl, Watch I'm
front made an attempt to charge the posi-
ticn, but We had to retire. and simply run
for it, the enemy blazing at us all the way
and dropping our fellows like skittles from
their splendid positions. There was nothing
for It but TO lie down and pretend to be
dead, and this l did about half-past . "A. m,
III, l suppose, + p. m, the sun pouring
down on me all the time. and not a drink
"a NhtNl al uuS, anu OdTp not SUR nard
or foot, and expecting every minute to be
my last.
it began to get dark, l managed to
wriggle my body through the shrub further
back, and after / had been at il some time.
on looking up, found myself right in front
OF another entertainment of the enemy. They
sent a few rounds at sne, but they struck
Just in front and ricochetted over my head.
After "a bit, it getting darker, l got up and
walked back, and there was nothing but
dead Highlanders all over the place"
The field hospital service of the British
army has already reached a high degree of
efficiency. The wounded are quickly and
well handled, as is shown by a statement
made by Sir William MacCormac, the dis
tinguished London surgeon, who is now at
the front, that on the day of the battle of
thu Tugela 500 patients passed through the
hospital. All the wounded were cleared
from the field within four hours after the
close of the battle and two days later all
were at the base. The work of the surgeons
ia lessened somewhat by the clean-cut
wounds made by the Mauser bullets Of the
enemy, which are more or less easily cared
for and which let a man get back to duty,
If at all, in a comparatively short time. I
The English surgeons, it seems, are expert
encing surprises over these wounds similar
to those experienced by the American sur
geons over wounds inflicted by Spanish bull
lets.
Former Postmaster General James told
this story the other day to a group of men
in New York City: Just after the
bombardment of Alexandria in Egypt
Grant, who happened at that time
to be in Long Branch, came up from there
to New York on a steamboat in
with himself General James,.
The conversation turned on the British as
sault upon Alexandria,, and General James
asked Grant if he had met General Wolseley
at any time during his tour around the
world, and If so what he thought of Wolseley !
as a military man.
Grant did not reply to the question, but
he expressed another opinion, which is sin
gularly Interesting at this time. Said he:
England has got another man named
who, in my opinion, will, if the
ever occurs through any war,
make for himself a name that will compare
with that of any of England's greatest gen
erals. That man has a real genius for con-
There is much confusion as to the rela-
tive rank of British generals now at the
front. Field Marshal Roberts is the com
mander-in-chief. and the next to him comes
General Lord Kitchener, his chief Of staff.
II. r. II. the duke of Connaught, who pleads
in vain to be above to go to the front,
even offering to waive all claims to his
rank, is next in rank to Lord Roberts. The
others rank as follows: General Sir Red
vers Butler, Lieutenant General Sir George
White, Lieutenant General Sir Frederic For
r~estier- Walker, Lieutenant General Lord
Lieutenant General Sir Francis
CIery, Lieutenant General Sir William Cat
acre. Lieutenant General j. ID. French,
Major General Sir Archibald Hunter, Major
General G. Barton, Major General N. Lyt-
Teton, Major General H. j. T. Hildyard,