The St. Louis Republic. [volume] (St. Louis, Mo.) 1888-1919, 1900-07-08
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Speci,i Chrreepondence CT Tire sunday Re7''tii
BY RICHARD HARDING DAVIS.
Pretoria. April ls. 1909.-After the relief OF
1.adysm.th. General Butler announced tha'
his column would nor move again tor
week OF ten days. but at the end or ten
days he doubted II he could possibly move
for another three weeks.
This seemed too long time 70 ii" idle
in the corrugated zinc dusthln o. LADY
smith. and l accordingly sailed fcr Cape
Town, in order TO join Lord Roberts and
advance with his column from Bioemfon-
tein. But on arriving at Cape Town l
learned that General Roberts did not IN
tend 10 move for three weeks, either. ana
so decided to start back again at once. 10
say farewell 20 the British Army, TO go 10
Pretoria. and TO watch the Beers fighting
the same men I had just seen lighting
them. This change o. base, l should like l.
add. was taken with the full knowledge
and consent OF the English officials. both
civil and military.
From the Cape Town end Sir Alfred NH
ner instructed the commandant at Durham.
which is under the strictest MARTA! law. 10
offer no objection TO my leaving II for the
Transvaal. and Captain Lee Smith. the net
Ing ccmmandant. speeded me on my Journey
with all good viii and with many coasratu-
lations the chance before me OF COM
pairing at such short interval Of time the
two armies IN the field.
When once free OF the martial law Of
plain sailing before as the trip made by
the good ship Konig from that port 20
Delagoa Bay. but we had not sufficiently
calculated on the Portuguese colony at
Lorenzo MARQUEE. For this colony, as the
"bufer State between the British war;
ships on the deep sea and the South AZ
rican Republic. has erected such an in
tricate and complex series OF checks. coun-
Ter checks and entanglernents that II Is
easier Tor a rich man TO get into heaven
fhoV, Snr zfr,-,v
soldier Of fortune 10 cross over its neutral
territory into the ranks OF the Transvaal
Army.
l; was first necessary that / should take
en- oath before our Consul that ! did not
intend to fight I'm the Boer Army and to
obtain a sealed and STAMPED document
from him 10 that effect. On presenting this
and my American passport at the Office
of the Chief of Police / was given another
sealed and stamped document, stating that
] had not. during the hour I had spent in
Lorenzo Marquee searching for the Ameri-
can Consul. committed any serious crime
and that far the police were
cernsd l was at liberty to depart With
these I next appeared before the military
Governor and after again taking an oath
that did not intend TO do anything which
should strain the relations existing be
tween Great Britain and Portugal j OBJ
tanned one more passport With all Of these
presented myself at the Consulate Of
tne Ir6nSVaal fepuDuc, Wnere a most
courteous and alert young man gave me
third passport and q permit over the
Netherlands Railway TO Pretoria from ko-
matte Poort. which is the station where
the Trsnsvsal touches Portuguese territory.
on the day of my arrival at Lorenzo
Marquee the town was invaded by the
Irish-American Ambulance Corps from Chi
cago. and the Portusuese officials were
much upset In consequence. The sixty men,
hers OF the ambulance corps had been two
months in reaching South Africa, and al
every other port at which they had touched
had been most generously treated, local
port dues and taxes having been every
where raised for their benefit.
But their Red Cross badges could not
blindfold the Portuguese who kept them to
the letter OF the law, refusing TO pass the
Quinine and whisky, which apparently
formed tbs chief part Of their medical sup
pliee. and taxing them at the Custom-houss
two shillings before they would pass the
American flag. The ambulance corps ex-
pressed itself rather freely in consequence
ana. for the good Of ali. the American Con-