Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1900-06-16

| is yet two miles or moro to the dark blue
shadows. but the air is SO clear that they
seem scarcely q thousand yards away.
Down upon the plain gallcps a battery
| OF artillery, the men flashing and the horses
stretching out. They seem regardless of
any heaps and burrows. they charge through
| a gap in the wire fencing and swcrve round
with a flourish q quarter of mile or so
further on. The men jump from their linn
bers- 1t seems hardly an instant, and there
| comes sharp Changing report, and then
sizzling, Kissing roar in defined diminu-
cndo.
Heavy Firing Begins.
little ball of smoke suddenly jumps
out of the sky over the black kopje. What
no! She bumps cries a Tommy. TOO
short" says someone, ard now there comes
another report. and then another. You
soon get used to them.
But the left and center the khaki men
are moving. the skirmishers out ahead,
trampinG steadily on at equal distances.
and behind them follow the grayish yellow
lines, waving and undulating. They seem
tG blend into the color of the ground and
1t is hard to follow them without the use
of the glasses. They disappear over a rise
i'll the plain not before observed. little
knot of men press forward by themselves
behind the others. They carry no arms, but
bear ominous looking brown canvas rolls
on their shoulders
1t Is not the time to philosophize, but
somehow the question: w nat Is the use
of 1t alp flashes into your mind Why
should the men the kopje want to kill
the other men advancing? Why should the
men on the plain want to make holes in the
men on the kopje? 1t is past all reasoning,
perhaps but. strange to say, there does not
appear to be anything horrible in it 1t has
all been done in such a casual manner 1t
looks quite harmless. 1t has not as yet the
contagious excitement of fire, a foot
ball game. 1t is a bit unreal and ineffective
as a spectacle.
Like Any Other Day.
You move closer down. AS you start for
ward, except for the regular discharge of
the battery guns, the day might be like any
other. The tame little ground birds hop
about close to your feet; a startled spring
box leaps and bounds over the veldt The
sky is clear and blue. 1t is growing very
hot You look at your watch and are sur
prised to find that folks at home gener-
ally in bed at this hour. Suddenly off the
front there breaks out noise.
1t begins with a few muffied explosions.
like the first bursting of firecrackers in
barrel: then roar of them. The whole
pack is off There comes whining buzz
zing noise overhead; one of the strays of
the battlefield has passed you. A little
thump and something strikes the ground
near by with a spiteful little kick up of
dust. At the same time there comes
larger noise from the direction of the kopie,
and sound like that of a small planning
mill whirling through the air A muffied
report and a red cloud rises near where
the battery of horses is standing.
so, they've got a gun, too, you think.
Yes. two Of them. or three perhaps: for
more screeches and more red spurts follow.
The battery of horses does not move. the
drivers sit apparently unconcerned and the
men at the guns jump hither and thither
at their work. The little puffs Of smoke
still rise in the air in front.
Marked for a Holiday.
But 1t is Fourth of July in front, and you
perceive that the little hollow into which
the infantry has disappeared is a good
place to go to. AS you mark the rise. the
hubble bubble grows clearer. A man is
walking toward you. his coat is hanging
loose over his shoulder, his arm is tied up
In a white bandage it has red spots on It,
Maybe the man IS smoking pipe. Flows
it going on up there?" you ask. "Oh, very
good. sir. The Bluffs is well in 'front.' Ut
might be any other regiment but the an
swer would be the same)
This wounded man doesn't seem to care
much. He'd stay and chat with you If you
liked. He's quite pleased with himself.
Perhaps he has visions of the three weeks
where they feed men on jellies and give
them flowers, and where well-intentioned
young ladies speak freely without introduce
ticns.
At any rate. there doesn't seem to be any,
thing frightful about it. So you wish him
course. am taking 1t for granted that your
curiosity is not yet satisfled) 1t is per-
haps here that you get the first shock, as
1t were. for you suddenly come upon the
SLUT in the rocks. There are two score of
men sitting or lying about. The doctors are
operating in the center. Some men stand
up. others He down to 1t. The doctor works