Daily inter mountain. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1881-1901, 1900-05-07

ambulances were on the field and the
wounded were being collected. The
brave men who had so stubbornly resist
ed had nothing to do with the ambu-
lances, and were not even aware ina,
they had come up behind them, so that
on this occasion it was impossible to
blame either side. I may add that this
is the only foundation for the statement
which once appeared that men of an
Irish regiment had aiken refuge behind
an ambulance.
after the attack on Vaal Krantz
much the same statements We're made
on that occasion. I was a personal wit
ness to the occurrence. A narrow defle
led down the hill toward Potgeiter's
Drift, n along this the ambulances in
cautiously advanced. One started in,
the stream of wagons no return vas pos
sible. and they had to move on and take
their chances in an ineNtricable tumble
below. A brigade of infantry was
bivouacking in a fold of the ground be-
tween two hills o the right. a corps of
mounted colonials and a cavalry regi-
ment were on the left and half the trans
port OF the column was gathered to-
gether in front. Such a position invited
shell fire, and the presence of the ambu-
lance. so far from guarding against it,
might reasonably be complained of as
w Ian NoSSS VI a III
lances have no right to come within the
field of fire, I believe, but l am not GER
tain that three miles is the limit. The
enemy, fortunately, could not see the
bulk of our troops and had no idea of
the damage that it was in their power to
lnfict, and only a few shells We're
thrown, the wagons and mounted men
crowding UP then under the lee of the
hill, escaped observation. and the she'll
ing ceased. Had a number of guns been
trained on this spot it is impossible to
estimate the loss that might have been
inflicted upon us: the agons could not
have retreated through the crowded de-
ME. the ambulanceS would have been
broken up. and l suppose there would
have been loud denunciation of the bar
barous Boer.
The day before the attack on Spion
kop two Beers advanced along the ton
OF that hill waving a large white lag. I
watched them until they arrived neal the
southermost point where they halted for
a few moments. holding the flag high in
the air to attract the attention of our
troops. l concluded that they wished to
make some communication to the gem
erai, but at this moment one of our field
guns dropped a shell on the very SPOT on
which they stood. 1t was a remarkably
good shot and the men Immediately dis
appeared. Three more shells were fired
AA oEia SUCCESSFUL anu CHeN were not
seen again. There was no question as to
whether they We're aimed at as that part
OF the hill had never been shelled before
and never was again: but indeed. there
was no attempt at concalment n the
gunnners were rather pleased at their
good shot. It was an extremely foolish
action and could not have possibly serv-
ed any purpose: there was no fighting Of
any sort in that neighborhood or on thar
flank of fha army aa1 fo. ra,-nro1 49,.
there had been nothing but intermittent
Smelling by our u n to which the Beers
had never replied. 1t could not be to pre-
vent the enemy observing our position as
the place had always been held by their
plckets and they continued on it until
driven OFF by our infantry next day. The
Boer may not always be very clean, but
he IS not all bad or nearly as black as he
has been painted. In balancing accounts
also we should bear in mind the kindness
ana consideration which the Beers have
invariably extended to our wounded
men: they have given us every possible
facility for removing them from the
HELD and When they have fallen into their
hands they have given them all the helm
thai their means allowed. On the battle
field itself and while the heat of combat
was still in their veins they have per-
formed many small acts of gentle cour-
tesy such as giving water from their own
water bottles. Under these circumstances
unworthy recrin1ination of a gallant enc
my is neither wise nor honorable.
The instances I have quoted, and
many more on both sides have been due
to misunderstanding, but there are 9TH
er cases. however, which l have not refer
red to and these, unfortunately so far,
Will not come within this category as
they are due toindividual follies or faults
or perhaps even to deliberate t~reachery.
But they are not fairly to be charged
against an army or a nation. War raised
to the surface the worst passions and
vices of men and whoever expects SOL
diers, whether they be English, French,
German or Beers, to act in the heal of
battle as gentlemen would act in a Lon
don drawing room, has very little knowl-
edge of the ferocity latent in human ma
ture.
THE charges of treachery have been
so generally made in regard to SO man
Indifferent parts of South Africa that I
can not pretend to deal with more thar
a few; but if all of those which have
come under my personal observation or
about which I have been able to inquire
from the trustworthy people who were
present turned out to be entirely false
or grossly misrepresented, it becomes
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