The St. Louis Republic. [volume] (St. Louis, Mo.) 1888-1919, 1900-07-08

sui persuaded the Portuguese railway Off
| Gals 10 speed the corps on its way in :.
| special train before. as he significantly sN-
| pressed Il. in the phrase of Jameson Tai.
| memory, they upset tn. apple cart w
overlook them the next morning n no
matte Puort where they Were safely inside
the Beer boundary. and were swapping their
fingers az United States secret service Off
GERS. British ConsUls and Portuguese Gov
errors
Eornatie Poort was a sunny. well cared
for little town. with clean. smart looking
station. II might have been competing for
one Of those prizes which the Pennsylvania
Railroad gives 10 the stations on the .::le
that are kept up "a the highest standard
OF attractireness- II only needed kcmatie
PooTt spelled In geraniums. with a border
OF clam shells. to be in the highly COM
menGed class
u is hard 10 say exactly what We ex-
rected to find. Since 1 have reached the
Transvlai / have been SO busy taking in
new ideas about the Boer and getting rid
of most of the old ones that the original
picture / had of him has become dim and
elusive. Yet mine was probably the i'm
preston OF him which Is still held by some
millions OF my fellow-countryrnen.
A young man Fl f starched khaki uniform
put his head in AT the window OF the rail-
road carriage, and at sight of the ladies
took off his hat. That was my first meet
wanted passports. and he asked In excel
lent English IL l would come with him 10
the commandaat. The commandant was
an immense. jolly, busy man, In a suit of
ready-made store clothes and a white
helmet. He shook hands ard bowed ard
laughed and brought me TO a grave, long
bearded man, who looked like weli-to-do
New Jersey farmer. The farmer wrote his
initials on my passport and gave some or
ders TO the railway official in the red hat.
That is all right row. said the COM
mandant. You need not open your lug
gage. Il is all passed"
In the meantime railway porter, hav-
ing found that the Portuguese had reserved
my compartment, hunted up a large blue
and white sign with an inscription to the
same effect. and fastened II 10 the door of
the carriage. He also shock hands and
bowed and smiled. Another official brought
a bottle of most excellent French wine
wrapped up in a newspaper. and suggested.
as II was going TO be a warm ride, that
| had better accept this with his compli-
ments.
The Chicago contingent were waving the
American flag and cheering. and for the
moment Americans were popular. but apart
from all possible question of sef-seeking
have seldom met with greater good-natured
kindness and politeness than I encountered
on my first entrance into the Transvaal.
continued ever since.
Imagine one of our railroad conductors n
home lifting his hat when he asks you for
your ticket and saying Thank you wnen
he gets 1t. He would be a poor-spirtted
conductor who would co that. II he prop
erIy appreciates his position. he would be
more likely to shake you by the shoulder
and scowl at you and at your ticket as
though he suspected you OF having bought
1t at q scalpers Office.
We moved of between great stretches OF
light green mountains that turned as they
receded into light-hiue and purple There
were but few trees. Dark willows and
straight poplars fringed the waterways, but
the general landscape of bare hills and val
leyS was light-green, covered with the
same cacti and mesquite bushes that ono
finds IN Texas. The sun was a gorgeous.
blazing South African sun. that pierced
the clouds fercely that II robbed them
of the shadow which IN mere temperate
zones Is found on the side nearest to the
earth. They were instead masses of spot
less white. without motion or apparent
moisture. like vast cotton halls. Of the dead
white which one sees on tho icing of a cake