The pioneer press. (Miller, Hand County, S.D.) 1893-190?, 1900-01-18
BOERS AS FIGHTERS.
NO MUSIC AS THEY ENTER IN
THEIR BATTLES.
but They Sing "Old Hundred" In Solemn
Measured Tone - Their Two Great
Allies In Their War with Great
Britain.

There are no bands in the Boer
armies. The farmer soldiers of the two
republics make or receive charges in
silence, their minds intent upon aim
and upon strategy. If it is charge.
they advance in scattered and what
seems to be a confused manner. In
reality it is only the Beers natural or
der, in which they fight best. A retreat
looks like a rout, because each man
tries to save himself as quickly as pos
sible. A rout is almost impossible, be-
cause the farmers do not understand
how to lose their heads" They scat
ter and when a place Of safety has been
reached, they come together again as
If nothing had happened, writes cor
respondent familiar with their meth
DDS. While they have no martial mu-
sic, in the ordinary sense, they have
martial music of the most impressive
kind, in the extraordinary sense. Each
night before turning in" and each
morning before breakfast, and also be-
fore going to battle, if there is OPP
portunity, the entire army, with heads
uncovered, joins in singing "Old Hun
dred." Each note is prolonged SIX
beats and the effect is solemn and even
awful, so much of resolution, of stern
and relentless resolve, do they put into
the singing. The two strongest points
about this practically ununiformed and
strangely organized Doer army are
botn individual-tIe individual ability
Of the Boer at strategy and his indi-
vidual ability as sharpshooter.
The favorite topic of conversation
among the Beers has always been how
come to destroy the republics, how to
fight the great defensive war which
every Boer has felt sure would inevita-
bly, come. The plans that are being
carried out and will be carried out are
the result Of years upon years OF study
Of the situation by the burghers of all
ranks, consulting together upon the
stoops of their matched houses of
evenings. The Boer Is natural STRAIT
egist, willy, crafty, hard to corner quick
to seize the slightest advantage, quick
to see advantage where even trained
soldiers of other nations would fail to
Sc it.
The Beers are armed with the Mann
licher gun, and as is generally known,
are excellent marksmen. President
Kruger has been buying these arms in
large quantities ever since the Jane
son raid and the practical failure of
the British to punish the raiders. Gen.
Joubert took me into a storehouse at
Pretoria filed with thousands of these
rifles. Isn't 1t beauty" he said,
picking up one of them and patting it
affectionately. AT twenty yards 1t
will shoot through fifty inches of
pine"
The Mannlicher bullet travels with
a velocity of 1000 feet per second. At
1000 yards it will pierce two inches
of solid ash and three inches Of pine.
At 1000 yards the bullet, IL it does
not fiatten, will bore hole right
through bone without splitting. This
rifle has barrel thirty inches long,
and weighs eight pounds. It's caliber
is 80. 1t is hair-triggered, has a pis-
tol grip, and the Boer carries 1t slung
over his shoulder by strap.
In the last two years the country
men have been putting away the old
smoothbore and providing themselves
with the Mannlicher. In killing game
they use bullet of which the lead
point is exposed SO that it "mush-
rooms" when it strikes. On entering
the bullet expands and tears an ugly
hole. II 1t strikes sidewise, the effect
is horrible.