The Savannah morning news., 1901-11-10

| ala, ana at the time when L VlSlte1
them their ''laager" was an illustration
OF how happy prisoners of war can be.
When l visited them" sounds very
simple, but 1t wasn't as easy as it
sounds. The British prison authorities
! are very stringent in their conduct OF
the island settlement-a curious civili-
an who rowed past the line of guard
buoys recently was shot in the hand
by a watchful sentry. Another who
gained access to the island by pretend
ing to be a. provision contractor was
put under arrest after he had been
There a quarter of an hour, and spent
some time in the guard house. On the
| Fourth of July a party of patriotic
Americans, setting off rockets and IRE
works from the nearby Isle of Wight,
were rudely interrupted by guard
| boat and were threatened with arrest
| by the subaltern in charge, a threat
which might have been carried out but
for the Intervention of a superior Off
GER, who explained that the rockets
might be mistaken for signals. | be-
| lieVe / am the only civilian who has
| had free run Of the island, and when
| the commanding officer who escorted
me was called from my side for a
moment a sentry promptly jammed his
| bayonet against the third button of
my waistcoat and demanded my pedi-
| gree. / am particularly attached to
| that button, and / demonstrated so
| earnestly that he retracted his stab
| Der one inch, and there we two stood
until the commandant reached me.
To the visitor there is little about
DarrelPs Island that suggests pris-
| on. But for the restrictions against
visitors and the wire lattices that shut
OFF the landing it would be taken for
an ordinary encampment. The Beers
live in big bell tents, seven to tent,
| set in groves Of cedar and mangrove.
| From cock-crow to curfew life in the
lager is one round of hustle and ac-
| tivity. AS the day dawns the bughers
| turn out and over their own camp
| fires boil hot coffee, which they drink
black and strong enough to kill man
| with sensitive nerves. Two hours later
| they answer to roll call, and the rou-
| tine of the day begins. At $50 the
| contractors boat steams to the dock
and unloads the daily supplies of bread,
| meat and vegetables that are served
out to the burghers for food. Each
| man in turn passes before the iron
| gates that bar the enclosure-gateS of
| the wire ENHANCEMENT that serve to
| divide the Boer laager from the guards
| camp-and there receives his rations
| for the day, then returns to quarters
to prepare breakfast. This meal, eaten
usually at seven, consists mainly of
| coffee and graham bread. Those of the
| prisoners who are fortunate enough to
own chickens boil eggs; others, whose
piscatoral ambitions have been re-
| Warded by fortunate catch, fry fish
| caught on the previous day, and others
| yet, who are more fortunate with the
| worlds goods than their comrades,
purchase such delicacies as their APP
petites dictate from the canteen.
Breakfast over. camp fatigues are
the order of the day. Tents are cleared
Of bedding and aired, and everything
| is put in good order. Then the men
scatter to various exercises, amuse-
ments and duties-some wash their
| clothing or bedding, or battle in the
warm ocean. Others angle from the
| rocks for the gay-hued fish, some of
which are more beautiful than edible.
| The mechanically inclined-and these
are many-apply themselves to their
| latheS and turn out all sorts of tovs.
| tools and implements. The Boer is
as ingenious as Down East Yankee,
| and almost as fond of tinkering. Some
| of the little models of wagons agri-
| cultural machines, artillery and rail-
| road trains turned out by the prisoners
are marvels of ingenuity and beauty
| These, together with napkin rings, pa
per knives, walking sticks, penholders
| and other knick- knacks, they send to
| the mainland to be sold to tourists The
proceeds of these sales go to buy to-
! bacco and dainties for the table. One
| burgher has succeeded with no other
| material than what he was able to get
| in the canteen. which is a sort of gen.
eral country table, on which many hard
contested games are played for such
stakes as pocket knives, fishbones or
eggs.
The younger men spend the morning
at the camp school, where both English
and Dutch are taught, and where they
! acquire a rough and ready tuition in the
| three RS. Here as many as fifty pupils
| form a class, which is held either out
| in the open or in a large marquee,
| where tables ands forms and black
| board are set.
The noon hour is the dinner hour.
when the prisoners busy themselves
cooking and consuming the meat and
vegetables they have received as
rations earlier in the day. Special ia
| cilities to cook food have been afford
ed those of the burghers who wish to
avail themselves of the field kitchens
and here they carry so much of their
| allowance of coal and timber as will
serve to cook their meals. The meal
over, the men wash their pans, in an
adjoining stream of hot water the
waste that the condensors eject in the
| process of producing the fresh water
which in times of drought, is served to
| the men.
MONDAY meal over such of the pris-
oners who care to volunteer to do work
outside of the lager go under guard
to the duty assigned them, and during
my trip, l found five or six laying the
brick foundations for one of the big
water condensors already referred to-
| Most of the burghers, however, prefer
to spend the afternoon in sports. Some
| play cricket at low tide on the dried
out mango swamps. Others play a sort
OF modified football. Contests of
| strength and speed are popular, but
the homemade billiard table and the
tennis court are the centers of amuse-
| ment. The tennis court was made by
| the prisoners, after balls, racket and a
net had been sent by the Association
| for Providing Amusement to the Boer
| Prisoners of War" They have taken
to the game with delight, and there is
great rivalry among them. One of the
best double" teams is made up of lit
tie Piet Cronje, the 15-year old cousin
and Lieut.. Vandeventer, the shortest
and tallest prisoners I'm camp. The
| lieutenant stands six feet six and his
| partner is four feet six. Together they
cover a lot of ground. On the anniver-
sary of the birthday of Queen Wilhel-
| nina of Holland a. field day was held
| with contests i'm running, jumping, OBJ
stacle racing, weight throwing, ball
| and tennis, besides an exhibit of the
| products of the lager.