The Washington weekly post. (Washington, D.C.) 1878-1916, 1900-02-20

many wounded under IRE, acknOw e'stges
the futiIity Of it. That veteran ard no'e
retired war correspondent, Archibald
Forbes. Ii. D., few years ago predict
cd. in an excellent article on the war OF
the future the hopeiessness Of sueeSf-
irg the wounded until after the hshting
was over.
One can understand any risk being TAX
en- when the enemy Is a savage ard cruel
one, and does not give quarter. but with
a humane and generous enemy Ike the
Boer, who has. and viii. no doubt. con-
tinue to treat cur wounded within the i'm
mediate vicinity Of their lines with con-
sheraton. this heroic folly Of picking up
the wounded should be discontinued
Comforts of the Ambulance frais-.
7 came across an excellent colonial am
brilance corps. the King williamsburg
Volunteers. who. next 10 the Guards an
bulance. was doing splendid WORK in the
field. Wounded arriving at the arnb'i-
lance were Immediately seen 10. given
CHEEKY cup of beef tea, cocoa. or other
stinulant. when they were lifted into
the ambulance wagon and taken down to
the Hotel Dieu. at Modder River. where
they awaited the coming of the ambu-
lance train. and were eventually taken on
the first stage OF their journey en- route
TO Cape Town. At the Orange River.
where the various cases were sorted and
arranged. the more serious and hopeless
were treated in hospital there. and the
others forwarded to the base hospital at
Wynberg. at Cape Town. The Red Cross
trains have every comfort within them
that a saloon passenger enjoys on the
Canadian Pacific Railway. The wounded
soldier hobbling or carried toward this
car has likely never seen or ENJOYED or
even dreamt of the comfort ard luxury
which awaits him, when. faint and weary
from the long waiting huddled next TO
dead and dying in the shade of the Hotel
Dieu, he is tenderly Fitted out of the
train. and is placed into a sweet, snowy
= hite berth, and is undreSsed and
sponged, and made comfortable with
cigarette and some soothing draught.
Womenkind, busy about the cars, IN the
shape of smart young Netley nurses,
sporting the bright scarlet jacket of the
institution, and soon hot meal Is pre-
pared. the delicate cooking Of which
Tommy has probably never experienced
in all his life. Surgeon Major Flemming.
recently of Soudan fame, is responsible
for all the little lodges and inventions in
these marveIously fitted ambulance trains.
70 the description of which | must devote
more space in another letter. For three
days the dead. the dying and the wound
ed thronged the Crown and Royal Hotel.
and when the sun declined. the steady
tramp of men with reversed arms was
heard moving toward a little spot about
zoe yards west of the hotel. where the
dead were inferred. By the side of fifty
OF his gallant Highlanders. poor, unlucky
Maj. Gen. Wauchope, the idol Of the bril-
gade. was laid TO rest. Next to him was
buried the gallant Lieut.. Col Goff, of the
Argyle and Sutherlands. who fell near
him on that fstal morning.
The last Of Gen. Wauchope.
1 could not refrain from stepping Up to
look al Wauchope's grave. | had been
with him in many campaigns, and loved
him as one of the finest soldiers of the
British Empire. In a soldiers shroud,
blanket. the great Highland chief and
hero of many campaigns, slept the last
sleep with rough wreath of flowers on
his breast. Wauchope seldom faced The
foe without being wounded. The last Sou
dan campaign, / believe, was the only
time he returned home without some WIS.,
ibe and tangible sign of his pluck and en-
durarce With a heart as tender and as
sweet as q woman's he had the courage
of a lion. His men adored MIN. as the
Russian soldiers loved Skobeleff. and
would do his bidding unflinching.y. There
must have been. therefore. some grave
mistake at MagersfOntein. Wauchope was
the first in the trenches and the first to
fall: and those trenches were lot taken.
So poignant was the grief Of his men as
they pressed forward that some sObbed,
others anxious TO get a glimpse or the
body before the earth was filled in, nearly
slipped me into the chasm. 1t was some
time before | could get out of the crowd,
but by what | heard in sullen tones from
those surging around me, was liked re
solve TO avenge their fallen chief when
the next chance came.
Mess-s. Glover & Sons, the proprletOrs
of the Crown and Royal, still tried to keep
I'D the appearance OF a hotel by kindly
preparing food for odd war correspond
ents and others stranded at Modder River.
Two smart young women busted about in
the kitchen, and tried TO make tasty things
out of timed salmon and bully beef 1t
must have been a trying experience for
those girls. suddenly confronted with the
most terrible phase of warfare. FOR the
wounded and dying were thronging every
passage and side walk of the building.
These girls were the only refreshing
touches of light 10 the greWsome picture.
They seemed to go about their work abso-
lutely Indifferent 10 the terrible scenes be-
ing enacted around them.
Among the Wounded.
To get into the little room in which our
lot cna no
the moor manned creatures who lay with
out the threshold. Two were Boer woun =
ed. and one was unconscious but of ere
thing. his feverish thirst. and would,
while we drank our modest tea, querL-
Iouslv ask for an iced lemon squash. Inc
piteous cry startled US considerably an
iced lemon squash"-Ye gods, what a
thing 10 ask for when sparklets and tepii
water with a dash of Angostura bitteTs in
1.-THE only liquor left in the hOtel-ani
which the sweet tooth Of the Beers couit
nor stomach-were priceless Injuries
There were some fifteen Beers wounded.
the majority of which were cheerful EEL
lows anxious 10 talk and show their ap
preciation for the way the hospital o.
derlies tended 10 their wants. Several
of them had ugly bayOnet wounds. The :
were all dressed carefully by the sur
geon. and eventually sent down In the
ambulance train. One especially intelli-
gent fellow, who was wounded in the
thigh. chatted with me in good English.
He had been one Of an advanced pest cut
of from the main trenches at Mage,sf0n-
TEN, and dep,ored the fact that he and
his CONTAINERS had Communicated three
of the finest race horses in Johannesburg
and that these animals were all shot IN
the FRAY Communicating VIII soon be an
accepted word in the soldiers vocabulary
It sounds better than lO0ting or pinching.
or even stealing. If one finds things stray
ing about with no particular owner il Is
considered quite fair play TO Immediately
commander il.
FREDERICK VILLIERS.
Copyright. lsoo. oy NatioEsl Press Agency. Re
publication q this dispatch X prohlbite8J
The Pacific Commerce.
From the Boston Journal
New significance is given TO the IA