The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1900-02-17

NAVY GUNNERS At LADYSMITH.
A Lively Description of Few
ssTries" Mt the BoerS


London, Feb. 1.-THE Daily Mail prints
another letter from George W. Stevens,
its brilliant war correspondent, VINO re-
Gently died of fever at Ladysmith. The
letter was sent from the besieged town
Dec. 6 and is in part as follows:
There goes that thing on Gun HILL
said the Captain No. don't get up: have
some draught beer
Il did have some 1raught beer.
Wait and see if ne fires again. If he
does wen go up into the coming tower
and have both guns in action toge-'
"Booml The Captain picked up his stick.
Come on, he said.
I'VE got up Out of the rocking chairs
and went out past the meat safe under
the big canvas of the naval contingent's
wardroom, with its table piled with stuff
to read. Trust the sailor to make hin,
self al home. As we passed through the
camp the bluejackets rose to a man and
lined up trinity on either side. Trust the
sailor 90 keep mis- self-respect, even in
five weeks belea guered Ladysmith
Up notwithstanding ladder of rock and
we came out on a green hill top. Amona
the orderly trenches, the sites of the de-
ported tents, Were rougher irregular
piSANhVs Vi uOi6-lOOlpTlllIS OIL smell.
An Atheistic Gunner.
That gunner said the Captain, wav-
ing his stick at Surprise hill is a Ger
man. Nobody but German atheist would
have fired on US at breakfast. lunch and
dinner the same Sunday. 1t got too hot
when he put one ten yards from the cook
Anybody else we could have spared
I'VE come to what looks like sandbag
redoubt, but in reality Ii is a coming
tower. On either side. from behind a
sandPag epaulement. a 12-pounder and a
Maxim thrust forth vigilant eyes. The
sandbag plating of the coming tower was
six feet thick and shoulder high; The riv-
cts We're red earth, loose but binding; on
the parapets sprouted tufts of grass. un-
abashed and rejoicing in the summer
weather.
Against the parapet leaned a couple OF
men with the clean-cut, clean-shaven law
and chin of the naval officer, and half a.
dozen bearded bluejackets. They stared
hard out of sun-puckered eyes over the
pillows of kopje and veldt
forward we looked down on the one At
gun; after we looked up to the other. on
bow and beam and quarter we looked o,rt
TO the enemy's fleet. Deserted Pepwort h s
Hill was on the port bow; Gun Hill under
Lombards kop, on the starboard; Bulwan
abeam, Middle Hill astern; Surprise Hill
on the port quarter Every line was cut
in adamaUt The Helpma akaar ridge
with its little black ants acraWl on their
hills was crushed fiat beneath us.
"a couple of vedettes racing over the
pale green plain northward looked as IL we
could have jump on their heads
1t seemed We could have tossed
biscuit g" over to 'Lombard's koo.
The great yellow emplacement OF
the Beers fourth big piece on
Gun Hill stood up like a Spithead fort
Telescope, Telephone, Balloon.
Through the big telescope that swings
on SITS pivot in the center of the tower you
could see that the Beers were loafng
around their guns dressed in dirty mus
tard color.
"'Left-hapd Gun Hill fired. sir said a
biuejacl0et, with his eyes glued to bnocu-
lars. Presently we heard the weary pin
ions of the shell and saw the little puff of
white below.
Ring up Mr. Halsey.' said the Captain.
Then 1 was aware of a sort of tarpaulin
cupboard under the breastwork of creep
ing trails of wire on The ground and OF a
couple of sappers.
THE corporal turned down his page of
magazine, laid 1t on the parapet and
dived under the tarpauln.
q" 'Ting-a-lng-a-lin buzzed the tele-
phone bell.
THE gaunt, empowering mountains, the
long. smooth, deadly guns-and the tele-
phone bell!
Visions of Home.
The mountains and the guns went out
There loated before me visions of that
roaring office of the Daily Mail instead
and the warm. rustling vestibuie of a play
house on December night This is the
way we make war now only for the in
slant II was half joke and half homesiclS-
ness. Where were we? What were we
doing? no.,
Right-hand Gun Hin fred sir came
the even voice of the bluejacket. AT the
balloon
Captain wants to speak to you. SIR