The Washington times., 1901-07-14
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More About the nocr Mar.

esque title Of book by James BarnC
which bears tho subtitle With the Sri
ism Army in the Veldt." and Is the late
contribution TO Contemporaueou histO,
on the subject OF the war in South Afric
MI Barnes Is not so agEressively pr
British as Julian Ralph, nor so pro-Bo
as Richard Harding Davis. He takes Il
ground that the Boer farmer has bee
misled by shrewd politicians. bat is d
estimable man and brave and sagaciol
fighter; and that the British while mo
ally right. have made some mistakes Z
these. however, he aIludes but gingeril
and the chief value of the book is not
its criticisms or estimate Of the can
paigns. but in the gIimpses it affords
conditions in South Africa as seen by
keen observer and picturesque writer.
The preface 10 the book, which is n,
a large one. contains an interesting an
rather funny Illustration of the gener;
fact that the man on the inside does NJ
see or cannot describe his own salier
qualities to the world. Mr. Barnes say:
Il remember wei looking over the
diary of a friend of mine an officer
who hau been through the campaign
from the beginning. He resolved when
ne started 10 make complete entry Of
promised TO do this I believe, for some
member OF his family-hiS mother or
his sister. He had been bitten by the
tarantgla of literature, and confessed
to have had a desire to see something
of his own in print ! had begged him
90 let me see his journal. because he
had been through many exciting
Ecenes. At last he consented, and
brought the well-thumbed and worn
covered book TO me He put IL down
gith a glance over his shoulder, as if
he was afraid somebody would see
what he was doing.
" Here il is he said, I m afraid IL
will bore you awfully.' -
The entries for the first week were
voluminous. They had a dash of the
literary descriptive, and, speaking
from newspaper standpoint, they
would have made good copy. He mad
been in Two battles within a week, and
his regiment had distinguished itself.
Ee had contributed to its record for
gallantry, but of that he said little.
Still. he told simply and very vividiy
what he had seen and how he felt.
At the end of a week the entries grew
shorter, but he was faithful, and re-
corded every day They grew shorter
yet. for the army was resting and he
had excuse for not covering more
space once he spread himself, and
described very humorously a sand
storm. At another time he put down
the score Of a cricket match: then the
date with the following:
At last / shall have something to
write about. We are off"
He made a good, honest attempt.
but IL would not work. He soon was
writing something after this fashion:
" Moved northeast of Blankfontein,
hot, dusty march; eighteen miles.
Water very bad. Mounted infantry
had Slight skirmish on left flank.
Parker OF -shires killed. Knew him
well. With me at Sandhurst Played
good game whist. Looks as If Beers
were clearing. Cigarettes are all out.
Further on, on the day when he was
mentioned in dispatches, 1 found the
following:
q Under fire all afternoon. Poor
Smythe badly hit- Left me in charge
of company. Men behaved splendidly.
Had some difficulty getting up ammu-
milton. Beers held kopje near rail-
way, when small party worked close
TO, on flank, and dislodged them. Very
tired tonight. Just returned from hos
pital. Poor Smythe bad way. Seven
men killed, eleven wounded. Sergeant
Jackson died in ambulance. Probably
more fighting tomorrow
"Ald on the morrow there was more
fighting. 1t lasted for an hour or so
in the morning. and there was big
entry in the officers diary. 1t was q
long and detailed account Of how he
found g chameleon, and experimental
with II in watching II change colors.
between hues, and he even made a
sketch Of 1t Il was very interesting,
but believe his sister or his mother
could have got quite as good an ac-
count (and had the name spelled cor
rectly into the bargaIn) out of Woods
Natural History"
This reminds one Of Hopkinson Smiths
aaracter sketch IN which the story of a
eroic act simmered down, when told by
le hero, in his log-book, into the SEN
nee:
boat
The first chapter of Mr.. Barnes book
,ntains a vivid account Of the way in
hich the war was taken by the people
London at the beginning and later on,
" be did not leave for the front until
tier Sir George White vas shut up in
His own attitude on the
ransvaal question is summed up in the
sginning Of the third chapter. He says:
"The country was fun of sedition.
Cape Town itself was the very hot-bed
of it. The Africsnder Bond and its
members, almost TO a man, hoped for
the success Of the burgher cause. They
are the pro-Boer party Of the colony.
But they differ from the Boer Of the
IranSyaal veldt-they claim no griev-
snce- Their animus is a racial dislike.
The actual fighting men from up cOun-
try are different. And now word as
10 these nghuug men-an Interpolation,
A oigre ssiOn. These Beers speak lit
tie English They know no more Of
what the rule Of England means than
Wild men in kamchatka. But their
tatherS have told them what II was
years ago. and what II was then il
must be now They do not know that 1
me great Empire has developed a CO.
onial government under which people /
1--we as free as in the most visionary
republic that mems minds have fcrm-
"a; that laws are now the same for
al men, black or white. brown or vel
ow. and they may speak any language
under the sun and walk as kings The
iberality Of the Government in Cape
JolOny they put down to weakness. toa
ear Of showing harshness lest the Eng
ish be Ousted. and this feeling many
# the leaders also, who know better
lave fed and kept alive. Politics. bad
,olitics. corruption and ignorance are
4 the bottom Of much of the trouble.
race hatred has done the rest. Many
" these Boer farmer soldiers have
,een told and believed beyond ques-
ion Of a doubt. that should the Brit
81 triumph, their houses will be taken,
heir lands cOufiScated, and they them
elves be deprived Of their liberty
hey do not read or write q am speak
ng o. the minority, perhaps. OF the
ldeT generation, but let US say the
.reat minority; they live BY the
Ford OF God, and are ruled BY, the
receats Of Judea; they think Ike men
I the Reformation; they act under
hese Influences like the people of
centuries. A plague of To-
usts Is visitation Of the wrath of
ne Almighty. Should they perish as
nation. II is Gods wIlir'
his Is almost the only place in which
, writer expresses an opinion on the
iracter Of BTiton and Boer. except that
consistently praises Tommy Atkins.