Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1901-08-03


but perhaps that is the fault of the
too inquisitiye visitor
Fortunately the citizens Of Lady
smith seem to have no objection to liv-
ing the siege Ger again in fancy. On
summer evenings, with a long iced
whisky and soda beside them, they will
talk dreamily Of the days when the
muddy water OF the Kip was their one
and only tipple. Or when the dining
room Of the Royal is place of lights
and laughter and appetizing odors, they
will recall the delicacies Of a horsefesh
menu, as they toy with an entree OF
the orthodox sort.
And really they do not look any the
worse for their former priyations TO
enjoy the distinction of having been
through the siege" seems to have been
earned easily enough by some at least
Of the civilians. | was assured by resi-
dents Of Ladysmith that there are peo-
pie living in the town now British by
birth, though evidently not by breeding,
who, when the siege began. refused, to
Join the Town Guard. or to do anything
to assist in the deHnse Of the place.
GRIM MEMORIALS.
In the smoking room and the hotel
lounge you get the comedy OF the siege.
The tragedy needs no telling No words
are wanting to impress 1t on the i'm
agination Of the visitor. The wonder Is
that there is so little to show in the
way Of destruction for all the energy
OF the Boer Long Toms. The Royal
hotel was certainly well peppered. The
doors and walls display plentiful signs
OF bormbardment, and the management
wisely refrain from re-papering and re-
decorating these historic places. From
my bedroom window one stared
straight across at table-topped Bull
wanna, and the walls Of the room were
fairly ripped UP with fragments Of
she'll
The tower and the belfry Of the Town
Han also stand as they have stood
since they made the acquaintance of a
weighty billet-douX from the Boer gun
ners. One side is completely smashed
in. How the battered masonry holds
together is one OF those little puzzles
thoughtfuly provided by the munich
pality for the benefit OF tourists. A
corner has been clipped. of a church.
too, and the vestrymen are as thought
full as the councillors. They leave the
thing just as 1t is--even 10 the pile OF
stones in The pathway. The guardian
Of antiquities in the Roman Forum
could not be more careful 10 preserve
unimpaired these relics of an agitating
past
The town Of Ladysmith itself has but
few interests and but little attraction
for the stranger A dull. dirty, slat-
ternly little town sprawling shameless
~ and shapelessy beneath its tall blue
gums and beside its arid kopjes. The
mean coolie novels, the architectural
sQualor OF the Highstreet. the unpic-
turesque open spaces the dusty, stray
Cling hedges, the stunted thorn trees
the turgid, noiseless, earthly river
these things combine 10 make a some
what unfavorable impression. until one
remembers all that lies behind the
snlendid deeds that here were done. the
quiet endurance, the heroic fortitude
OF the half-staryed garrison, and. re-
membering these things, even the COM
monplace and the ugly become glorlfled
In the light Of an honest and worthy
patriotism.
HISTORIC SUBURBS.
The story Of the siege. however. Is as
ISOLATED rather with the outskirts OF the
town. with the perimeter OF rocky. red
dish. low-lying kopjes held for so many
weeks by our troops. And of these the
one which the stranger naturally de-
sires most TO visit Is the long, gently
undulating range. originally called
"Platrand. but immortalised since the
siege as Casar's Camp and Wagon
Hin. Every inch OF the ground Is his
toric, every stone has almost sacred as
for the Briton, and | might
also add. for the Beers as well. for on
that grim. harsh 9th OF January the
Beers fought as vallantly and az well
rs we did. There. on this bare, stony.
most unromantic hill. Briton and Boer
faced each other with equal bravery
and almost equal tenacity for. fifteen
long awful hours.
On the extreme eastern spur of. War
on Hin. hard by a solitary mimosa.
stands simple stone cairn. Here fell a
few Of the engineers who were engaged
making the emplacement for a couple
OF naval guns az the very moment Of
the Boer attack. on January 6 there
were practically no defences on the hin.
The stone schantzes TO be seen now
were constructed later Apropos OF
these stone schantzes I discovered a
few yards down the southern slope ~
the hill hole dug In the earth. with a
few stones piled In front. This had eyI-
IDENTIFY been used by one Of our Marks
men, who took POT shots at the Boer
snipers on the Hill opposite About two
feet below the hole was slab of Stone
and almost every inch OF THE stone
was marked by noer bullets. THE siab
must have been plasterei with lead
For fifteen hundred yards range that
might be called fair shooting.
THE BRAVE THAT ARE NO MORE
Passing along Wagon Hill one come.
10 a rounded grassy sweep OF tho hin.
top At this lonely spot a stone mon
ument iserected. and bears the following
the Glory OF GOO ana
IN memory Of the following ofY,oer, N
:. efsessh and men Of the ist DatsAliea. |