The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1901-02-02

| LlGy were ldlhlIS kllGSt lueSe llELl
fighting men We're boys, after all.
/ was in General Botha's headquar
tiers one day, when an old grizzled bur
CHER came In and asked the general 70
an order on the arsenal for a carbine
Botha looked up rather impatiently
as several of the foreign legion ha
just been in on the same errand, be
cause carbines are easier to carry.
You cannot get a carbine," said tn
general but you can have a rifle.
And he started to write an order.
II am afraid a rifle won't do" an
swered the burgher, slowly
well" exclaimed Botha, 81 woult
like to know why rifle won't do? Yol
will take rifle or nothing"
The old Boer hesitated moment ant
then said: I'm sorry. I had just a.
soon take rifle, only my boy isn't bis
enough to carry one" He turned ano
beckoned to little understood child o.
about ten, who came forward. This
little chap was ready to go out to fight
but was not old enough to hold big
rifle. He could shoot and ride, and YET
he must have a small arm.
General Botha stepped out and pat
ted him on the back and spoke few
words of praise and then returned tc
his desk.
He got the carbine.
There was one little chap who was in
structed to stand guard at a certain
narrow pass in the range Of rocky
kopjes in the Majuba hill district. He
watched at his post for some time, be-
ing In a position where he could see the
veldt about the kopjes. During the day
he noticed a small party Of British
horsemen riding directly up the trail to-
ward him. He allowed them to come
on until within calling distance, and
then shouted out, Throw up your
hands or we will fret
The patrol, thinking, of course, the
rocks concealed many burghers, threw
down arms and signlfied their surren-
der. The boy then called them to dis
mount and march to the rear He
talked to himself as though receiving
and giving instructions from others,
and finally marched his prisoners into
his own camp before they knew that
they had been taken single handed by a
mere child.
On the memorable June 5th the great
army under Lord Roberts swarmed
into Pretoria. From every side,
through every road and over every
hillside came thousands upon thousands
of Britons in their brown uniforms,
well blackened by char and dirt. All
the week previous the burghers oppos-
ing them had fought step by step the
irresistible advance of the mightiest
army of modern times, and on the
evening of June the last of the Beers
retreated toward Middleburg.
At noon the next day the advance
guard came into the city, the famous
Guards brigade" a portion Of them,
being the same regiment that fought at
Bunker HILL The "Seots guards" the
"Coldstreams, the "Grenadiers" and
the "Horse guards" all over six feet
and as magnificent lot of fighting
men, as far as looks go, as the world
knows.
They lined the square in front of the
capitol building and allowed no one to
cross, and awaited the arrival of Lord
Roberts and his staff.
Just before the little field marshal ar
rived, d Suudu VI LIE lOWGIlHS
into the middle of the square
with a Boer prisoner AT first no one
paid any particular notice to him, but
gradually the great line of British SOL
1iers around the square became inter-
ested in this the latest captive.
He carried a rifle and a cartridge
belt, and his face was bronzed by the
African sun in months of campaigning.
But his rifle was longer than he was
himself. He was a boy of about ten
years In short Notwithstanding but
1 child
A handsome British officer standing |
lear me remarked, as he watched the |
Joy prisoner: "That's what the queens |
soldiers have to fight. If / were the |
suard of that child I think I would /
lave kept him out Of sight" /
These Boer boys have handled a gun
nce they were in frocks, and in all
hat time they have been taught to |
NOW the day would come when they
would have to assist in the defense of
heir country. They merely saddle up
heir horses, roll up blanket, take
-un and ride away with only the tear
III Godspeed of a mother or sister.
hey wear no uniforms but their ordi-
AIRY school clothes, they have no ban
ers of silk from town corporations, no
ugle strains direct their movements,
nd they receive no pay or reward.
hey simply go out to fight and to suf-
r privations just as they might go out
n the veldt to hunt the large game
18th which the country abounds.-San
francisco Examiner.