The Cape Girardeau Democrat. (Cape Girardeau, Mo.) 1876-1909, 1900-03-10
GAMES OF WAR
Report That British Soldiers Play
Cricket Under Heavy Fire
In South Africa.

Americans who are prone to regard
the British national game, cricket, as q
sort of m~onstrously lazy libel on base
ball have never given followers Of that
alleged inane and sissyish game cred
1t for being of warlike natures. In
deed, cricket has been placed upon the
same ladylike basis as tennis in Ameri-
ca and its few followers here, mostly
British born, have always been regard.
ed as "softies," too feminine in their
nature to enjoy the rougher and faster
sport of baseball. Yet the following
excerpts taken from Cricket, the bril-
liant and entertaining English paper
devoted to the game, go to prove that
the English cricketer is a bold soldier.
In sooth it is essential that he should
be for Englishmen, whatever their
faults, are brave men and fair fighters,
and, of course, there never was a true
Briton, or untrue one, for that matter,
that did not play cricket. So it is only
natural, that cricketers should be found
in the army of South Africa. Though
cricket is a strange game to most Amer
leans the appended accounts of games
played under fire in South Africa and Of
stunning exhibitions of GOODNESS cannot
fail to prove interesting.
$50 many of our most famous crick-
eters are in South Africa and so much
time has been at their disposal while the
armies have been waiting for transport,
ETC., that it was inevitable that games Of
cricket should be played. 1t was also
inevitable that there should be points
about some of the matches which were
quite different from anything hitherto
seen on the cricket field. Early in the
history of the war, when L~adysmith
was first besieged, we heard that q
match was brought to apremature con-
clusion because the players attracted
the shells of the Beers, who do not seem
to be of a sporting turn of mind. From
time to time reports have come through
the Boer lines from Ladysmith Of Incl.
dents of as startling nature in connec-
tion with cricket matches. A CORE
spondent of the Daily Mail states that
during one of them a shell from the
Boer positions fell among the players.
one of whom was instantly killed.
When his friends came to pick him up
they found the ball tightly clasped in
his hand. The correspondent adds that
the player was % years old, but does not
say whether this had anything to do
with the accident. Again, in n private
letter it is stated hat a bowler was
about to deliver the ball when q shell
from the enemy blew him to pieces
this may possibly be the incident re-
ferred to by the newspaper corre-
spondent. Another writer says: The
light-heartedness of the troops is Won
derful. At Ladysmith they had a crick-
ct match during the bombardment, and
a man who was bowled declared that
the bowling Of the antagonist was a
good deal worse than the Boe- shells
But by far the most startling sto-y Of
the wal which has yet appeared is to
be found in a letter by Mr.. Bennett Bur-
leigh. the famous war correspondence Of
the Daily Telegraph: The Bee guns
he says. Cat Colenso) also began a Lit.
tie later throwing shrapnel, and the
machine gun firing solid shot at them.
But the gunners never flinched nor
WINGED. buckling to their work like
men who grip a heavy load. Nay. more.
some of themin derision began to "feid."
as at cricket, with the badly-aimed
spent shot of the machine T. Rum
ming aside they would make a catch,
and call: 'How's that, umpire" AZ
founding. and yet more astounding, fo-
this story is absolutely true!"-St.
Louis Republic.