The evening times. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1895-1902, 1900-07-19

Johannesburg con tingent possessed the
qualifications OF Indifferent material and
respectful familiarity with the weapons en-
gaged-hence, their place in the van Of the
Boer attack. A'terward at NichoIson's Mex
and in circumstances better suited 70 their
method OF fighting. appeared the men OF
the back country-the true OBers Of the
Transvaal.
The ROer degeneracy has been confined
in great part TO the men OF the towns: the
others are shepherds. hunters, and trans
port riders. as in the days of their wars
against the Matabele. the Xosas. and the
Zulus. Game has grown pitiably less IN
quantity, but -pFopOrtiOnately more difficult
TO take. l 60 not find that Boer prowess
in the chase has markedly deprecated
The men of the WRkkerstroOm district
FOR instance-those nearest to the present
seat of war-take their herds for six
months Of every year into the highlands il
search OF forage and water. They live
there the traditional open life of the Boer.
dependent on their guns and woodcraft for
their sustenanCe.
Some two years ago / was present at a
wapenschouwiRg at RoodekOppen. in the
Heidelberg district and saw there an ex-
hibitiOn Of shooting on the part of the To-
cal commando that impressed me with the
present day craftsmanship of the Boer as
much as anything l have read OF ais PROV
ess in the past.
There was force Of 200 Beers mounted
on the customary veldt ponies. each man
with a remount. \ canvas target was rails
ed a mile distant and at the word the
whole commando Numbered down upon il.
riding loose reined guiding with their
knees. Some 300 yards from the mark the
men threw themselves 10 the ground and
in squads of twenty fred a hasty volley.
remoUnted. and rode back TO reform col
umn. The maneuvTe was executed as
smartly as anything l have seen done by
specially trained troops At BisIey or at
Aldershot. AS they Ea.Ioped away only a
few tattered ribbons remained fiuttering
IN the breeze The target was DO more.
TN that simple evolution lies the whole
secret Of Boer t2ctics-rapid advances ac-
curate volleys at short range. speedy re-
treats The retreat is as important as the
advance. and therein lies one explanation
Of the emplo ement Of the johannesburg
contingent at Elandslaagte They were the
only troops who could be trusted to re-
main beside cannon in position on q
hill.
In all the engagements since Glands
laagte the cannon have been withdrawn
so soon as the British advance became
definitely apparent. The Beers, freed from
the dl4LAOlabe VI ILelI a. lllleIE. nave puE-
sued their old tactics of rapid retreats
from the point OF most virulent attack
with cOmpensating attacks on flank In
Cartoons case the strategy, aided by the
old native trick of stampeding the enemy s
horse, proved successful.
To the Boer position has no import
ance save as a place to fight from. One
kopje top is the same as another kopje
top, and, if the enemy beset one overmuch,
ii is wise to remove TO another. With
cannon this maneuvre Is impossible. Men
must stand by the guns or lose them. The
typical BOer will lose them, and l question
if any of the old commandos will con-
sent to give battle hampered by station
airy or cumbersome artillery.
The strength Of the Beers, then, lies
in the back country Commands, who will
engage, maybe in considerable numbers.
but who will invariably avoid heavy as
sault by rapid retreats, followed by re-for-
nations on the flank of the opposing force.
The weakness lies in the inability to CO.
operate with artillery-not that their COM
manders do not understand its value. but
that the burghers resent its immobility.
The most serious weakness of the Boer
army is the scarcity Of its gunners. Al
ready there has been a terrible death rate
among the artillerists, and 1t must be re-
membered that each vacancy is a perma-
nent vacancy"