The daily morning journal and courier., 1900-04-07
A SOLDIER OF FORTUNE.

| AuSlIIdn AOulll ipViS III i$piiNtpi
 Talks About the War in South Af- | rica.
 Count Adelbert Sternberg young
 Austrian officer is enjoying London
 hospitality, after roughing 1t in the
 Boer camps, and, soldier of fortune as
 he is, he may be thankful for his good
 luck in avoiding imprisonment, along
 with Major Albrecht and other foreign
 CTS in the Dutch service. He was one of the prisoners taken by Lord Roberts forces at the opening of the campaign which transformed the military situa- tion He was released on parole, under
 the impression that he was a newspaper
 correspondent, and Lord Kitchener, if
 he ascertained the mistake, was too
 busy to put him under arrest He made
 his way with all possible dispatch to
 Cape Town, where he arrived barely in
 time to catch a fast liner for South
 ampton. Instead oftremaining under
 British guard as q prisoner of war, he
 now has the privilege of attending lun-
 cheon parties In London and of &C., cepting invitations for shooting in the | country, ad he is a welcome guest wherever he goes, for he has. many en- | tertaining stories to tell of his experi-
 ences in South Africa
 Count Sternberg seems to have joined
 the Dutch armies from sheer love of adventure, rather than from sympathy
 with the cause, and, as he has pair of
 sharp eyes, he has many interesting comments to make upon the campaign.
 He does not hesitate to criticise the tac- af ISrit ticI Tnrc yuh ho
 were responsible for the earliest re- verses, but is loud in sounding the praises of Lord Roberts, whose strat- egih' movement against Kimberley was complete surprise to General Cronje. The count himself caught glimpse of the British patrols when the turning movement was begun on the Riet river, and, riding through Jacobsdal to the Boer headquarters, he tried in vain to convince General Cronje of the real na- ture of the operations. He was laugh ed at until the laagers were captured and General French's brigades were re- ported at Kimberley Lord Methuens tactics had predisposed the Boer off, cers to believe that the British army would attack their positions in front,
 
 This intelligent Austrian observer gives an interesting account of the campaign conducted by Lord Methuen, He asserts that the Boers were aware of the fact that their position could be easily turned, but counted upon the de- livery of a frontal attack, without man oeuvre or hanking movement. He de- scribes the battle of Magersfontein as an act of stupendous folly on the part of the British staff. The effect of lyd- dite and of shell fire generally was in- significant. The losses of the Boers were so small in those battles as to seem almost incredible. The Dutch ar my at Magersfontein, which was erro neousy estimated at 10000 or 300O0 by British war correspondents, in reality was not over 12,O0O Only the bravest and most reckless Boers seemed to be in danger during the battle. The bulk of the force was protected against shell | and rifle fire. A Dutch army is thor oughly democratic in habit and man. ner, and is without organization and discipline. Every warrior looks after his own interests and protects himself ! when he is under fire. When not in ac- tion the warriors smoke their pipes and | talk over the plan of campaign, and | when they are in need of recreation ' unite in singing psalms and hymns.
 This Austrian soldier of fortune ex- presses a confident belief that the dis cipline and training of the present cam paign will render the British army the most experienced and powerful in Flu rope. The eyes of the staff have been opened to the realities of modern war fare and to the shortcomings of Alder shot training. Every soldier at Mod der river and al Magersfontein who att tempted either to stand or to fire when xneeling was the target for a sharp shooters bullet. The campaigns of the future are to be fought by soldiers &C., f ,ustomed to lie on the ground for hours and to shoot as they crawl. The color )f the British uniforms is also likely to he changed in consequence of eXperi- ance in South Africa Khaki is too a color for long range rifle practice and many life has been sac 'ificed on the veldt because a gleam of Hull red has offered a mark for the trained eye No conti- rental army without actual experience Il modern warfare will be able to com ,ete with British soldiers in the near 2 uture. This is the judgment of this