Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1900-06-09
Lots of Americans Are Fighting
With the British.
ALWAYS MAKE GOOD SOLDIERS
Cowboys Who Are Expert in the
Handling Of Horses
PRIVATE TODD'S BRAVERY
Copyright. 1860. by James Barnes.)


| Written for The Evening Star.
CAPE TOWN. May 5. 1900.
| 1t Is not surprising that the con-
! fict between the Boer republics and
| Great Britain should have attracted
the adventures of all nations 1t
| has been every war. but the number
| of them engaged on both sides in this
| test is somewhat astonishing. Every squad
| ron of the regular horse recruited In the
| colony contains sprinkling Of foreigners
| and a quota of Americans. The ranks of
| the Royal Canadians contain many vet
| eran of the Spanish-American war.
| With the shipments of mules and horses
| from Texas and the southern states have
come many young fellows used to roughing
| it and well acquainted with life on the
| prairies service in the American army.
A large majority of them have sought the
| recruiting camps and donned the khaki
uniforms Of the queen. Without exception
| they have made good soldiers. and their
officers have spoken of them in terms of
praise.
| Before proceeding to the front after 1
| landed in Cape Town last November l visit
| ed the camp at Rosebank, where the South
African Light Horse was being mustered for
! instruction. 1t was a motley collection of
odds and ends of all callings and profess
| sions and from all chimes and countries.
situations, steamship stokers. old soldiers,
good sorts. bad sorts. young fellows of
wealth and position, who had given up their
all at home and had come out to serve as
common troopers in the forces. and some
Yankees.
"Chaps From Home"
I had gone out to witness the enrolment
| Of two steamer friends Of mine who be-
longed to the CHAPS from home class. We
entered the gate and strolled up to the
open field used in peace time as a show
ground for the annual fair. There were a
| number of half-baked troopers riding here
and there on i!l-trained and ungroomed
Basuto ponies. A straightforward. soldierly
man with the characteristic voice of the
drill sergeant was instructing them Some
wore uniforms and had been there before;
some were citizens and didn't understand.
Some could ride. and some were evidently
| making their first acquaintance with a sad
die. The sight was amusing, and we stopped
| to watch it. But suddenly our attention
was directed to another part of the field.
A knot of spectators stood around an
erratic whirlwind in the shape of horse
and man. We ran over and Joined them.
1t reminded me of the broncho busting that
1 had witnessed many times on some of
our western ranches. The little demon of a
horse plunged and jumped in the same fam
tastic stiff-iegged fashion. 1t was minia-
ture wild west show. but the rider was a
game He stuck to it. So did the
bucker: but at last. when he had been sub
dred into a trembling, snorting captive l
had time to get the right focus and look at
the man in the saddle. He was short and
wiry, and did not need a second glance to
tell me where he came from. Texas is full
of men like him-Frederick Remington has
made the world acquainted with his type.
He was American cowboy. from his bat
tered leather-banded hat to his high-heeled
boots. 1 spoke to an officer standing near
me and his first words confirmed my epin-
ion.
ha rya ho1-a tyr,ha
Yankees with US. and give them all the
bad horses to ride. This chap here told me
he could ride anything with hair on it. and
Judge he's right"
ATypicaI Cowboy.
1t was hard work. but the cowboy APP
parently enjoyed it, for he jumped off one
refractory brute only to get on another that
took him careering out across the parade
ground. through hedge and back again.
He plunged into some shrubbery. but still
held on, and in half an hour that pony was
fairly busted.
The other day I asked one of the officers
of Roberts Horse, to which regiment the
cowboy was drafted, what had become OF
him. The officer recalled the man Well but
could not remember his name. or l should
record 1T here Sad to say. he told me also
that he was killed and buried on the field
at Sanna's Post. 1 sorry to hear it.
In my minds eye l can see the broncho
buster now with his thin. sun-browned race
and deep-set, eager eyes.
Occasionally. one went in and about
the ranks of the volunteer cavalry. he
would see the same face multiplied. and oc-
casionally catch the drawl or twang that
stamped the owner coming from across |
the water. The westerner invariably seemed
happy. but eager to chat with his country |
men, They were somewhat free with their |
criticisms. and could not get the Aldershot |
methods into their systems or reasoning. |
But, as say. they were good soldiers. did |
their duty and were always popular with |
their fellows. The Australians. New Zea-
landers and Tasmanians were more like
them in speech and methods than were the |
young fellows from home, and think |
that open life in a wide country breeds a |
similarity of type.
Beers Played This Game.
1 want to tell a story of what Yankee
did at this same battle of Sanna's Post,
better known as Corne Spruit. 1t was told |
to me by his officer. and. fortunately |
enough, this time I got the name of the
hero 1t was Todd He had enlisted at
Cape Town. and had shown from the very
outset that he was familiar with horse and
rifle. That he was a natural soldier. too, |
the tale proves. Every one knows the his
tory of this little disaster. but. in order to
recall It, 1 shall tell in short detail how the
thing happened and what led up to 1t.
mounted force. consisting principally
of irregular horse from the colonies. two
batteries Of Royal Horse Artillery. 90 and
"U." all under command Of Gen Broad