The times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1897-1901, 1900-05-27
TEE WAR IN SOUTH AFRICA.


TEE WAR IN SOUTH AFRICA.
From scribner's Magaxine.)
No map nor photograph. nor written de-
soription. can give an idea OF the country
which lay between Butler and his goal. 1t
was an eruption Of high hills, linked to-
gether at every point without order or Sc
sequence. In most countries mountains and
| hills follow some natural law. The Cor
| difleras can be traced from the Amazon
River to Guatemala City; they make the
watershed Of two continents; the Great
Divide forms the backbone Of the States,
but these Natal hills have no lneal de-
scent. They are Legitimate children OF
no line. abandoned broadcast over the
| country. with no family likeness and no
home. They stand alone or shoulder to
shoulder. or at right angles, or at a tan
| gent or join hands across q valley. They
| never appear the same; some run to a
| sharp point, some stretch out forming a
| tableland. others are gigantic ant-hills,
| others perfect and accurately modelled
| ramparts. In ride Of half mile, every
hill completely loses Its original aspect
and character. They hide each other. or
| disguise each other. Each can be enfladed
| by the other. and not one gives up the Sc
! cret OF Its strategic value until its crest
| has been carried by the bayonet. To add
| to this confusion, the river Tugela has Sc
| lected the hills around Ladysmfth as oc-
cupyfng the country through which 1t will
endeavor to throw off its pursuers. 1t
darts through them as though striving to
escape, it doubles on its tracks, 1T sinks
out OF sight between them, and in the open
plain rises to the dignity Of waterfalls. 1t
runs uphill, and remains motionless on an
incline, and on the level ground twists and
turns SO frequently that when one says he
has crossed the Tugela he means he has
crossed 1t once at a drift. once at the
wrecked railroad bridge. and once over
pcntoon. And then he is not sure that he
is not still on the same side from which he
started.
A Battle In the Desert.
The roar Of the navy's four point-sev-
ems, their crash, their rush as they pass
ed, the shrill whine OF the shrapnel, the
barking of the howitzers, and the mechan-
ical, regular rattle Of the quick-fring
Maxims, which sounded like the clicking
Of many moving machines on hot sum-
mer's day, tore the air with such hideous
noises that ones skull ached from the
conclusion, and one could only be heard
by shouting. But more impressive by far
than this hot chorus Of mighty thunder
and petty hammering was the roar Of the
wind which was driven down into the val
ley beneath, and which swept UP again In
enormous waves OF sound. 1t reared like
a great hurricane at sea- The illusion
was SO complete, that you expected by
looking down, to see the Tugela lashing
at her banks. tossing the spray hundreds
OF feet in air, and battling with her sides
of rock. 1t was like the roar Of Niagara
in gale, and yet when you did look below
not leaf was stirring. and the Tugela
was slipping forward, fiat and sluggish,
and in peace.
How the English Took Pieter's Hill.
The long processin of yellow figures was
still advancing along the bottom of the
valley, toward the right, when On the ores:
OF the farthermost hill fourteen of them
appeared suddenly. and ran forward ard /,
sprang into the trenches. they looked ter !
ribly lonely and insufficient. perched I
against the blue sky on the highest and /
most distant of the three hills. and they /
ran. about, this way and that, as tkuo b |
they were very much surprised to fn1 /
that they were there. Then they settled !
down into the Boer trench. from cur ei:e !
of it. and began firing. their officer. as his
habit is. standing behind them. The hi l
they had taken had evidently been aban-
doned TO them by the enemy, and the I
fourteen men in khaki had taken 1t BY
default" But they disappeared SO sud-
denly into the trench that We knew they
were not enjoying their new position in
peace and everyone looked below them
to see the arriving reinforcement 8. They
came at last to he numbe Of ten.
and scampered about just as the oilers
had done. looking for cover. 1t seemed
as il we could almost hear the singing OF
the bullet when one OF them doiged,
and it was with a distinct sense of re-
lief, and Of freedom from further re-
that we saw the ten disap-
pear also. and become part of the yellow
stones about them. Then a very wonderful
movement began to agitate the men upon
the two remaining hills. They began to
creep up them, as you have seen seaweed
rise with the tide and envelope rock.
They moved in regiments, but each man
was as distinct as is letter Of the alpha
bet in each word on this page, back with
letters. We began to follow the for
tunes Of individual letters. 1t was
most selfish and cowardly occupation. for
you knew you were in no greater danger
than you would be in looking through
the glasses Of mutoscope The battle
unrolled before you like panorama. TIE
guns on our side of the valley had ceaSei,
the hurricane in the depths below had in
stantiy spent itself. and the birds and in
sects had again begun to fill our hill with
irowsy twitter and song.
The BOer SharpshoOters.
In all the fighting the Boer sharpshooter
plays an important part. Keep al eye ON
,ne of these marksmen. and you will get
IN object lesson in Boer tactics When
IN action begins the sharpshooter will sep
irate from the main body and proceed eau
iously until he secures a position within
.asy range (for the average Boer 800 yards
s an easy range) of the enemy. There he
will construct 'schanze." or cover. In
his '.schanze'' he will stretch himself ard
'repare for the business of the day, which
S to kill as many Englishmen as he can
Without betraying his own whereabouts.
lie has provided himself with a water-bot- J
le some hard bread and hiitnnR and GEN | !.