The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1901-08-04
A THRILLING STORY.

Mall from Ni1Oen s Drift South Africa. Is
a thrilling wzr story The correspondent
says.
It is early morning and bitterly cold.
Only the stars-frozen spangles Of light
in the heavens. only white rime Of frost
( on the ground. and between frost and
stars and empty silence, save that the
engine OF the mail train that has been
J! held up all night al the little veldJ sid
ing come the hiss and roar peculiar 70
its kind a feather Of steam shakes i'm
patiently al its SAFETY valve and the
sleepy passenger coaches behind are
ready as soon as light shall come 20 re-
sumo the interrupted journey 70 Pretoria.
But much may have happened in the
night Brother Bosr may have crept
down in the darkness and lifted a rail-
OF. worse. left a packet OF some Unpleas-
ant mess artfully hidden between ran and
ballast with the object of reducing the
rolling stock OF the imperial military
railways So We are going down the line
on the ganger's trolley to nose out these
modest destroyers that hide coyly be
hind sleepers and retire unobtrusively
10 the shelter OF nshplates
Three fun privates. one corporal Of en-
gineeTs. one correspondent Of the Daily
AIail-that was the trouey's passenger
list; and as the night thought OF her sins
and paied eastward TWO of the Tommies
gave the machine a shove and We were
of on our ten miles voyage OF discov-
cry. The road" was down hill and easy
going Tor a mile. and the enemy's c0un-
Try did not begin until we reached the
foot OF the slope. There We passed the
advanced post Of the siding guard SOL
itary Tommy hidden somewhere in the
semi-darkness, who challenged and was
silent
Then the search commenced. on the
QUEER edges OF the trolley the corporal
and a man stretched themselves full
length along q wooden platform. their
heads just oveTreaching the fore end Of
the trolley. their faces about % inches
above the rail The other two men trun-
died the car along. now running along
side pushing heavily. now sitting on the
back Of the platform propeiling the little
truck forward with an occasional kick on
the ground. 7 was seated amidships fac
ing forward. and the cold air. came to my
mouth and nOsa for all the world like a
dry ice spray-if such a thing could be.
There was now just enough light for the
two watchers tc see pretty clearly for -
yards ahead. and the uncanniness OF the
experience was passing Atkins. who
pushed on the right had a fine taste for
gruesOme anecdote. more particularly
in the matter of exploded mines. and his
conversation was not cheerful His rep
ertory included the stories Of the injudi-
cious corporal the inquisitive loyalist
the unfortunate goat and the circumspect
Boer
The story Of the inquisitive loyalist
was about a Boer who lived on a farm.
And when the English come along this
ere BOer discovered that he had never
been IN favor of the war from the first:
SO he was allowed to live on mis- farm.
provided he gave in mis- arms. So this
ere somethinged Boer handed in the
Tower musket with which he had been
plugging Tommies at 1900 yards and up
ward. and the fintlock. which was. so TO
speak. his second barrel. and was allowed
to live peacefully within sight of the
camp
And as every day passed his love for
the British increased. so that the camp
commandant allowed him TO visit the
camp and sell the brutal soldiery milk
and vegetables. But the smiahle COM
mandant was not the fool that his eye
glass and his drawl led you TO believe.
And he had a notion that the new con
vert to imperialism was in the habit-and
a disgusting habit il was-of cOmnunica-
ting with outside pals And once a cld-
vert was mysteriously blown up. and
nobody saw the Beers who did II. So the
commandant took that - - q won't
attempt 10 tone down the adjectiveSl
Boer into his confidence. The culvert
south of the siding had been blown up.
he said. but had been repaired he was
now having il carefully guarded. lie
did not intend having the other culvert,
which was north of the siding. watched.
as ne did not think the Beers would ex-
pertinent on that: besides. he did not
have the men to spare for that purpose. /
The Boer was touched by the confidence (
the guilelesG Philistine reposed IN him
and wept. That night the commandment
sent for the farmer end held him in con-
versation for two hours on agricultural /
prospects. what time two engineers laid /
down "A devilsh cOntrivance near the I
northern culvert.
And this was the way it was made. /
They dug a hole and placed therein a
camp kettle. Within that camp Kettle /
there were Is pounds Of dynamite In /
serted IN tLat camp kettle was the muz- /
zle Of q loaded Martini carhine. and at }
tached 10 the trigger Of that carbine I
Were wires that the foot of the most care /
full walker would not fail 20 catch Wen I
that night -
The story stops suddenly. two pairs Of I
hands grip the right-hand brake and the 4
trolley jars u a standstill
We are of in a second and the corporal /
gingerly scrapes away the earth piled I
around a thing that looks ike a bottle
with the neck protrudinE. II Is placed by
tn side Of the rail the bottle raised O. {
the rails level AMI had the truck gone
another dozen feet it would have smashed I
the neck.
This. said ;he corporal. and picking
his words as though some dlscordant
phrase would be sufficient 20 agitate the
contents. lis a new fake. ] am not going
TO take this along with me. Here. What's
your name. take this bottle ont about a0
yards and stick it on a rock whore we
can see IT,"
What's his name tucked the bottle un-
Ger his arm with as much uuConcern as
If II had been a bottle = beer and stroiled
10 the required distance I fancy it was
half that distance. for the bottle was
luite distinct in the broadening light
When What's his name rad got back The
four men took 80 their rifles and taking
steady aim. opened FIRE The third shot
took effect The little Black object frist
visible became instantly q broad white
Tan Of auCry. flaming light Only for
second. and then smoke was "a here the
Same had been ard she earth shook with
he roar Of the explosion
one" said the corporal laconicsnv
md the journey was resumed. Back %
he charge came the areciotsi Tqrnmia
Well this blank blank Boer was found
n a dozen different places the uezt morn
uE he pr0Gtci hT the couina1dart'E
confidence ana walked around tha ua-
-uar5ed cuivert in the early u0rrinr
tith dynamite cartridge and q wicked
.niIe Tommy .apsed i1to fiction at trIs
7oinf 10 sketch TIC B-ere R.se &c be-
salked r. his work - destruction.
Vow we are at the top ~ rar tsrk'
md there is clear ruu down to tha
TEXT siding Day here now orb es pe
-artle down ere steep grade Fr dietrrt
~