The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1900-02-11
cases points to q total I~nadeauacy to the re-
a%uirements. I conslder that an ofncers' hos
pltal OF 100 beds should be q sine qua non.

pital OF 100 beds should be o sine qua non.
Agraphic letter comes from a private soldier
who was IN tho disastrous affair OF Magers-
%fontoln. He writes:
II ever | felt any pleasure In writing a letter.
II IL this one. a. no doubt you will have soon In
the papers about tho fight at Magersfontein.
and whom we we're In that. both I and all the
other men engaged thought that we should
never live to come out OF II. ''' We
marched TO within thirty yards OF their
rifles. and then tas though q theatre
stage curtain had been lifted and q play COM
mencedl their fire started. and swept US as the
rain had been sweeping US from the Sunday
before. 80 Men and horses fell like skit-
ties. Those who were not shot and killed were
being trampled 10 death. OF course. all we
coul do was to get under cover. and get into
ZONE sort OF formation. This We eventually
did. and made an advance over a level plain.
and they swept us down like corn. After stick
ing at II for fifteen and one-half hours. we had
to retire. and again laid out In position. the
rain not having ceased from the time II
started on Sunday. Aud when we retired
TO our proper camp. and the roll was called.
there was a terrible death roll. . Gen.
Wauchope was killed within thirty yards from
tho trenches. We have n corporal
struck deaf and dumb with fright. 80 you can
form a faint idea what the shock was like. l
can assure you ! never ran as hard in my lie
as | ran the half mile 10 get under cover.
sounds well. doesn't ia British Tommy At
kins running2 But. believe me. the next at
tack We make the Beers will pay dearly for
what they have done and let II be as bad AZ II
may. IL can never be as bad as Il was on Mon
day. the 18th. and II | get through what other
| fa- anuaOanapta va hoya 70 face haliava ma
shall never forget the Hippo. We had lots
OF men take sunstroke, Their helmets got
knocked on 10 the rush. and one Of our Majors
went mad. and half the men are knocking about
historical. and. 1t Is no use denying It. the d.
vision dread the moment when they may get an
order to make another attack. and the best OF II
Is the enemy stand about four to one: but
never mind. There is not the slightest doubt
We shall manage II somehow. $50 The
feeding we are having Ia disRraceiul-one-
pound loaf between six men. and one biscuit
per man but. mind you. ! am not grumb!ing.
only q man must express his feelings TO some.
body. And so after reading about the repulse
OF the Highland Brigade, don't think they are
no use. II is not the mems fault: 1t Ia through
hero some words have been struck out.
Now. my dear mother and father. this may DO
the last letter l may ever write TO you. II II Is.
be sure | shall not die with my back to them"
A Sataf carbineer. who has lived twenty
years In South Africa. writes to his father In
England: They talk OF disbanding US as soon
rs We get through to Ladysmith. We cost the
Government too much. We get q shillings q
day and ratIons. We are the highest paid men
in the field. We don't care much II they do
disband us, as we are pretty tired Of being
rn.asal oho,,t hv N, pariaI IN nars Thav dop,t
understand the country or the Beers, and they
won't give us our way"
sergeant in the First Balloon Section. writ
ing to his relations about the fight at Modder
River. observes:
Il shall never forget the sight. had some
narrow s1ueaks the bullets got as close as my
coat. The troops we're fairly exhausted with
heat. would willingly have given any money
for a drink. A Major came to me and begged a
drink from our section he said he had not had
a bite or drink for two days. ! have not had
my clothes of for six days now, and have TO lie
down anywhere on the sand and rock with rife
and ammunition by my side. We CAPTURED
four Beers with their commander. One OF
them asked me for a chance. gave him one.
and he was Just going TO fire at me when I
dropped him. We are living on biscuits and
timed meat. which seems q luxury. Some
times We cannot get anything, | was up in the
balloon recommending this morning, and could
see the Beers with the glasses bringing In
stores and forage. | have been up In the
balloon several times. and | could see Kim
brrley quite plain. The Captain has Just called
me to his tent and given me a small bottle Of
Bass. nearly tainted at the name when he
asked me II I would like one"
TODAY publishes an interesting letter written
by a German officer with the besieging force
outside Ladysmith:
As you very well know he says In many
matters the English are a practical people. and
in those matters which concern them privately
they exhibit a shrewdness and an energy
which l. remarkable and worthy OF high praise.
1t ia the more remarkable that In matters with
regard to the practice OF war these good
qualities desert them. In this extraordinary
war the enemy's Generals have behaved In a
manner which must seem incredible TO
those who have not been here to see
for them selves. When the Government at Pre-.
toria had sure Information from DR.. Leyds
that Lord Salisbury and Mr.. Chamberlain had
made their plans for sending to Natal q redn-
forcement OF some infantry battalions. Col.
Kohner. late Of the Fourteenth Field Artillery.
and myself. went down TO tho English colony.
and remained there until a week after the Ia.
sue OF the ultimatum by President Kruger.
Thus We were able to bring back a useful re.
port upon almost every point affecting the re.
sources. organization, and morale OF Tour future
Although we lived nearly three months in
Iadysmtth. Pietermaritzhurg and Durham. We,
strange rs II does now seem. were never
recognized OF the least suspicion raised as to
the real nature Of our business. Major C,
formerly Of the French Foreign Legion. was
sent upon u similar mission to Cape Town.
Being an Irishman. he escaped attracting the
u ghtcst inconv"nient noti,e, Truly, the
English are the most unsusp!cious OF peoples
unl.r the sun. =.
We are a cosmopolitan band Of good
brothrrs-in-arms here around 1.adysmlth.
There l. first in rank Gen. Count Georges
ViIlebois de Mareuil. who was lately Colonel
commanding the first regiment OF the far
famed Foreign Legion Of. the French African
army. This distinguished of1cer speaks our
own language very well. as also he does Eng
lish. OF retired officers OF the French active
army: there are at G1e. sJ on the payhto,ls
with our friend Albrecht. who is keeping the
Baron Methuen unused. and the others are In
charge Of the ammunition suDplies-a duty
which cannot be i~ntrusted to Boer officers In
consequence OF their utter want OF method.
Won Rosenfeldt and Fried Muller cam by the
last steamer.
- ncs the siege commenced we have lost
out Of the foreign mess four officers killed In
the big gun batteries, The Colonels in the
siege batteries are paid one hundred and fifty
Transyaal sovereigns n month. | am remit
ting homo one hundred and twenty every
month. and. "a We expect this war to last for
six months yet. may look forward to hnylng