The daily news., 1900-04-10
SUFFERINGS OF The
BRITISH IN AFRICA
a Correspondent Graphically
Describes the Conditions.
WATER AND FOOD SCARCE
cal sun and In Burning Sands With
out Meat or Drink For2pts Every
thing But His Insulated Thirst.

LONDON, April "A correspondents
says that though the British soldier has
thirSJcd in the thirStirst countries IF the
Slpbr, he admits the vrldt to be- d fresh
experience. Aden, India, Egypt, Sou
dan, they are sometimes not hotter. not
dryer, not dustier, bat less endurable for
some reason. II Is the army and South
Africa together, no doubt, which Is the
cause, for men who have lived in Kim
berley, Johannesburg, Bloemfontein and
Natal are only now, while campaigning,
acquiring the experience of the army
with It's lnceSSant tramplng, the cease
eSS log Of dust which hangs abOat its
camps. And To that must be added the
compulsory life III the sun-the sun at
Its hottest and dryest hours, the absence
Of shade, the parcEing suction Of the
sInd, which is bed, chair and table.
Ii viii be curious 60 live without a
water bottle Slung about ones shoulder.
One can scarcely remember the day
when water was not regarded with rev
erence and jealous envy when it could
be made 20 run cleAr, continuous and
unvalued by turn of the finger. Here,
where one knows by tried limbs the
weight Of what one drinks, thought Of
water flowing through pipes seems a
dream Of paradise. And such water.
Water through which one could see,
which left no mud at the bottom Of the
mug aud did not stain what it was split
on. Why, the water we drink here Is
often too thick even ~ filter. One can
not pump it through a Berkfelt candle.
At Ramdan this was "a big pond
what was left of moisture III the dam.
Ole bathed in il only under the most
pressing cOnpulsion Of cleanliness. The
water was very shallow, but the mud
was black and deep. One sank to the
knees if he tried to walk, and 80 sat
gently half in mud and half in brown
syrup and thanked God for water. One
rose from it with the green leeches hang
ing about his body like bits of sea weed
aud with sprinklng Of insects. Horses
looked aSki2lce at that pool, but the men
drank Of il freely, and drank Of it where
they could get it. The horses ho0f5 had
churned it into green liquid like tur-
tie soup.
At 3 o'clock the soldier has been l2
hours under fire; his last meal was bis
cult ID hours back, when he had fallen i'll
at ; q clock in the morning after marching
all day before. But he is aware neither
Of WEAKNESS or hunger, in the fever Of
his thirst. The flush of his face, stained
brown by the sun, has a dry, twisted
look, like the parched stem of a scrub.
though all the moisture has been wTung
from it. One grows to know that look
out here. His fingers never leave his
water bottle, nor his eyes the green
fringe of bush along the river. Another
hour aud the guns cease firing; new
fight begins far away to the right The
sun is going down and he can see moth
ing to the left of him but hot gold
glare of dust, then ont Of it man leaps .
and makes a dash toward the river.
There is sharp ring Of an order lost .
and a quick Stammer Of additional shots,
the man swing around and pitches for
ward on his back.
The battle grows louder on the right,
the Howitzer battery has come into ac-
ton, brownish puffs Of lyddite are burst
ing along the kopje. But the man lying
in the scrub pays no heed 10 it. His arms
are spread out fiat. his fingers dug into
the sand. He is pulling himself slowly
forward, his eyes glaring ahead through
the scrub. When a bullet strikes near
him he stops a moment, but goes on
again.
80 in half an hour he covers about 30
wards. He can see the cool hollow Of
the river, but there Is only brown grass
along its banks and his only chance lies
in dash. He is on all fours for spring
but he gets no further. A rife has been
following the faint trail Of dust above
him and he sinks down in a lump with
q hnllat thrnngh the head