The times., 1901-03-24
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As II it were not enough TO take
Bloemfontein, capture Cronjo, clear
the Boc-s Of the railway in the West,
relieve Kimberley, and rescue Lady
smith by reflex action,
But wherever Lord Roberts went
and whatever he did his army could
do no more ii had worked and fought
and suffered, been robbed of food,
and horses and strength; been Stralh-
ed. and exposed, and ured, ana shCt
down to the last degree that even Spch
an army could stand. Il had come TO
a halt that must have been accepted
even had il not been ordered. II could
not go on without food, IL could not
drag either food or men without horses
and mules and oxen. tl could not know
what sort ot warfare to so on with
until it's commander learned the man
ner and spisit in which the conquered
Free Stat.fs took their defeat There
were bridges To lee rvhailt rails to he
reiaid. hospitals 70 b' set up. oinCtrs
10 b, appointed i'm place of the lead
and sick and wounded. q new proNis-
iOnai or martial government to be eS-
tahlished, and protected until II won
its way.
The army did not know all this.
though 1t did realize a part OF it. But
the army did not care. 1t left il all to
'Bobs That was the difference be-
tween the people in England and The
makers and defenders of their Empire.
The people in England grumbled and
wanted to know. YOU know. The army
whisted and sang and rested and re-
cuperated. saying only, 'Bobs is doing
ii. BObs knows
In one Of The chapters on the taking of
Bloemfontein there is an account of a
dinner which was given by four Of the
war correspondents, at which Kip.ing of
fered a toast to
the health Of that parsonage who had
4 Il =
pire by riVeting her colonies TO her
side and who had added vast new ter
ritories to the realm And on this
he gave us the name of-kruger!
We find. too an account of a sing
song" gotten up hy some of the other cor
respondents, with the hearty approval of
Lord Roberts, who wished the men of
all ranks to be amused entertained. and
relieved from the strain to which they
had been subjected
Like a good many other people this
correspondent is of the opinion that there
ought to be a reform in British army
methods. but he does not think the Brit
ish Tommy can be much improved.
He says of rain-soaked camp which he
came across somewhere on the yeldt:
The Tomrnies We're walking up and
down in the rain. Their overcoats
were not only soaking wet, but. for
some strange military reason, were
split behind straight up to the small
OF each mans back so as to expose
all OF each leg TO the wet. A few
had put blankets over their coats, and
were also walking, walking, walking.
One was seated on a box with an au-
dtence of three others on boxes. and
was singing q music hall ditty VigoT-
ously through his nose Several who
walked about were Whistling All
seemed eitherVery happy or reasonably
M ffYFf for h.faiT
spirits than / can explain the motive
of the lion tamer's virago wife who
cried coward! at him when he left
her in the middle of an extra long
curtain lecture to go and sleep in the
lions cage.
They had been soaking wet and
chilled to the bone for days They
could cook nothing. boil nothing heat
nothing, for not a dry thing with
which TO make a fire could be found
upon the soaking veldt. They doubt
less had plenty TO eat, but it was all
timed stuff, and must have been
taken cold and eaten, each thing by
Itself, without the chance of making
toothsome combinations. Plenty Were
dying, plenty We're slckening. others
must have felt very uncomfortable;
yet those who We're of the mettle 10
survive were whistling. singing and
cracking Jokes. They are welcome to
crack one at me for speaking of my
own troubles. whore men have to live.
as / saw perhapP twenty thousand
hVlnS. between Bloemfontein and Nor
walls Point
The Tommies always whistle and
sing when II rains said one of the
officers on the train. That I had not
noticed; but | will say for Tommy
that except for two or three DAYS af-
ter our reverse at Maagersfontein. I
never say him when he was not cheer
full.
Tommy is the Queerest human I
ever saw-the most inexplicable When
his rations are down TO two biscuits
In three days you may hear the fact
mentioned, in an incidental way bv
man here and there, but no one growls
about II. as sailors would do When
Tommy Is marched IN suffocating heat
until his mates begin to drop out of
the ranks or fall on their faces from
the ranks, a play Of repartee will
spring up among them, and comical
IDEAS and phrases will fly from line
70 line. Tommy is seldom wittv-at
least, ! have heard little genuine wit
IN the ranks-but he is droll and com
ical in a high degree"
Altogether there is a considerable mass
# interesting information in this book. |
nd it is entertaining reading. CNew
York: Frederick A. Stokes Company.
1909