The Saint Paul globe., 1900-04-12
MAD DASH FOR LIBERTY
THRILLING EXPERIENCES OF WAR
CORRESPONDENT HALE IN
SOUTH AFRICA
SHOT DOWN BY THE BoERs
His Companion Killed While At
tempting to Escape Capture
Beers Treat Englishmen
GraciOusly.

Correspondents of the Associated Press.
LONDON, April S-H. Hale, corre-
spondent of the Daily News, who was
wounded and taken a prisoner to Bloem-
fontein before that place fell into the
hands Of the British, has written a vivid
description of his experiences. His
companion was Mr.. Lambie, Of the Mel
bourne Age. Mr.. Hale's story follows:
I'VE had drifted a few hundred yards
behind the advance party, but were a
good distance in front of the rear guard,
when some horsemen made a dash from
the kopjes which we were skirting, and
the rifles began to speak. There was no
time for poetry, it was a case of sit
tight and ride hard or surrender and be
made prisoners. Lambie shouted to me-
Let's make dash, Hale and we made
it. The Beers were very close to us be-
fore we knew anything concerning their
presence. Some of them were behind u.s.
and some extended along the edge of the
kopjes, by which we had to pass to get
to the British line in front. All of them
were galloping in on US, shooting as they
rode, and shouting to US to surrender
and had we been wise men we would
have thrown up our hands, for it was al
most hopeless to try and ride through
the rain Of lead that whistled around u.s.
1t was no wonder we were hit, the won
der to me is that we were not filled with
lead, for some of the bullets came so
close to me that think 1 should know
them If l met them in shop win
dow.
I'VE were racing by this time Lam
| 91n 10
length on my little veldt pony, and
when not more than 100 yards away
from the Mauser rifles that had closed in
on US from the. kopjes A voice called
out in good English: Throw up your
hands, you id FOOLS but the galloping
fever was on US both and we only
crouched lower on our horses backs and
rode all the harder, for even a barnyard
fowl loves liberty.
LAMBIE KILLED.
"All at once I saw my comrade throw
up his hands with a spasmodic gesture
He rose in his stirrups and faAy bound
ed nigh out of his saddle, and N he spun
round IN the air 1 saw the nd blood
On the white face, and I knew that
death had come to him sudden and
sharp. Again the rifles speak, and the
lead was closer to me than ever a friend
sticks in time of trouble, and 1 knew
In my heart that the next few strides
would settle things. The black pony
was galloping gamely under my weight.
Would he carry me safely out of that
line of fire, or would he fail me? sud
denly something seemed to touch me on
the right temple. 1t was not like a
blow 1t was not shock. For half a
second 1 was conscious, knew 1 was
hit, knew that the reins had fallen from
my neryeless hands, knew that I was
lying down upon the horses back and
my head hanging below his throat
Then all the world went out in one mad
wh1rl. Earth and heaven seemed to me
taken away as if by magic. My horse
seemed to rise with me, not to fall
then all was chaos
When next I knew I was in this
planet l was in the saddle again riding
between two Beers, who were supporting
me in the saddle as 1 swayed from side
to side. There was halt, man with
q kindly face took my head in his hands.
while another poured water down my
throat. Then they carried me to a
spot beneath some shrubbery and laid
me gently down: A man examined me,
washed me and then bound up nv
wounded temple. I began to see things
plainly, blue sky above me, a group
Of hardy men, all armed with rifles, T
saw l was prisoner.
BOER CHARACTERISTICS
The same good-looking young fellow
with the curly beard bent over me agar,
Feel any better now, old fellow?'
stared hard at the speaker for he smoke
like an Einglishman, and a welI-educated
fellow. Yes, I'm better; am a prisoner
Amt 1? Yes Are you an English
man" | asked. He laughed. Not IT, he
said. I'm Boer, born and bred. and
am the man who bowled you over.
What on earth made you do such a fool
ish trick as to try to ride from our
rifles at that distance? I did not think
l was welcome in these parts Don't
make a jest Of it, man. the Boer said.
gravely, rather thank God that you are
living man at present. It was His hand
that saved you. Nothing else could have
done it, He spoke reverently There
was no cant in the sentiment he ut
tered; his face was too open, too manly,