The Irish standard., 1900-09-22
hills. They carried off their dead 4"
"Read us that poem, Jack; about
carrying off the dead"

carrying off the dead"
"Go on. Jack, give us your poem"
Jack, a tall, sandy fellow, with a
couple of weeks of unshaven beard on
his chin, muttered an embarrassed
remonstrance, but the clamor for his
poem continued until he finally went
to his tent to fetch it.
Its a poem Jack wrote about the
kind of victories the British have been
winning" said one of the "brigade"
by way of explanation.
Presently the poet returned, and
with long preface of excuses, which
was howled down, he read his poem.
ut is not much of poem rs far as
poetry goes" said Jack alphabetically,
as he sat down on roll of blankets
In the corner, "but it describes some Of
these thrilling British victories to T."
-'-"That's right" added a siege-of-
Ladysmith man. "Why there were
lots of times down at Ladysmith when
there were less than eight hundred
Beers penning up ten thousand British
in the town. was in one fight myself
where eighty Beers surrounded and
captured one hundred and eighty Brit
1sh regulars. These stories about the
British retreating because of over
whelming Boer forces are pure fakes.
don't know of a fight in which the
Beers outnumbered the British, al
though, of course, they held better DO
sitions.
"And as for losses, the Beers never
lose heavily; usually two or three
killed and a dozen or so wounded. The
greatest loss they ever had in fight
was less than one hundred.
''The Tommies' have it in for us, all
right. They'd give good deal to get
hold Of the Irish-American brigade.
We've given them some hard trekking
up through the Free State"
eyes," explained another, eve ST.
perintended the blowing up of the
bridges whenever the Beers had to fall
back. In all the retreats we brought
up the rear and destroyed railroad cul-
verts and bridges. The "Tommies'
have seen many Il sign Compliments
of the Irish Brigade hung up on Il
wrecked bridge, and I'll bet they don't
love us much on account of it,"
"Sure, his own brother told him that
no 1,n In Get, r,
where he was. So did Captain Theron
Captain Theron warned him that there
was still time to get away, but Cronje
wouldn't go, and so Captain Theron
escaped with about 300 men. Cronje
even got orders from Pretoria to retire
while there was still time, but lie
wouldn't obey them.
''And look at Joubert ut Ladysmith
At one time he had the town prac-
tically taken, but General White sent
out and asked for four days to bury
his dead. Joubcrt gave him the four
days. Then White asked for two
more, and .Joubert gave him them. We
could see the British working hard
every one of those days throwing up IL
long line of new defenses around the
town. Old Jo,lbert was too much of IL
peace man. He was too easy"
Yes, and what did General Roberts
say to Louis Botha when Botha asked
for six hours to bury his dead? Roberts
said, Not Il minute, even though
Botha had Il number of "Iommes' to
bury, besides his own men.
"You heard how Roberts tried to
bride Louis Botla last week, didn't
you? He sent Il letter through n rene
gade Pretoria burgher named De
So,lza to Louis Botha's Wife. who is
in Pretoria, and asked her to deliver
1t to General BOtha. She was given IL
pass to so to her husband, who was
with his commando Oh the railroad
east Of Pretoria. The letter offered
Botha Il 100000 Il year position under
the British government il he would
surrender all his arms.
"Botha sent word back to Roberts
that he was not the kind who sold
out, and that he intended to fight to
the end. lie said that he had no au-
thority to surrender and asked for six
days urmisticc to send the matter to
the executive council. Roberts said he
would give five days, but that. only the
country cast of Pretoria would be al
lowed the armistcc. Botha said that
the armisticc would extend over both
the Transvaal and Free State, which
Roberts refused. Dotha then sent
word to Roberts that he did not wish
his wife to be used as a messenger,
and that if she could not be allowed
to come to see him without acting in
that capacity he preferred not to see
her at all.
"The real fact is that Roberts is be-
ginning to see that he's up against Il
tough proposition. The 'Tommies' lost
fearfully at Bronkhorshoek when they
marched east from Pretoria, and Rob
erts knows that he hasn't got men
enough to whip the Beers in these
mountains. He'd only be too glad to
finish it up by bribing the Boer lead
ers, if he could. I'll bet anything that
Roberts will try to turn over the COM
mand to some other general and get