The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1901-08-03
A THRILLING WAR STORY
AN EXCITING HUNT FOR BOER DYNA-
MITE FROM A HAND CAR.
Told in the Dead of Night While the
Narrator Was Engaged in Serious
Business ON the NeIdt.


Letter in London Mail.
II is early morning and bitterly cold.
Only the stars-frozen spangles of light-in
the heavens: only a whise rhine OF frost on
the ground and betwee frost and stars an
empty silence. save that from the engine OF
the mail train that has been held up all
night at the little veldt siding come the
hiss and roar peculiar TO its kind. y feather
OF steam shakes impatientiy AT its safety
valve. for the wakeful engine and the
sleepy passenger coaches behind are ready
as soon as light shah rome TO resume the
interrupted journey - Pretoria.
But much may have happened in the
night Brother Boer may have crept down
i'm the darkness and lifted a rail, or worse.
left a packet Of some unpleasant mess art
fully hidden between rail and ballast with
the object Of reducing the rolling stock or
the imperial military railways. So we are
going down the lire on the CANCERS troll
ley 10 nose out these modest destroyers
that hide c0yiy behind sleepers and retire
unobtrusivsly 10 the shelter of hshpiates.
Before heaven ana "a critical public, |
declare j an nc hero. although the men
who were with me we're. They knew the
risk they ram dia NOT. Perhaps If 1 had
known the risks / was about 10 take
should not nave gone; certain it is l will
never go again.
Three full privates. one corporal of en-
Fineers. one war correspondent OF the Daily
Mail-that was the trolley's passenger list
and as the night thought OF her sins and
paled eastward two OF The Tommies gave
the mschine 2 shove and we were of on
cur zen miles voyage OF discovery. The
''roai' W8s down hill and easy going tor
a mile. and the enemy's country did not
begin until we reached the foot of the
SLOPE. There we passed the advanced post
OF the siding guard-a solitary Tommy hid
den somewhere In the semi-daTkness. who
challenged and VAS silent.
Then the search commenced. On the
outer edges o. the trolley the corporal and
q man stretched themselves fun length
along a wooden platform, their heads just
ovcsTcachinE ne fore end of the trolley.
their faces about twenty inches above the
rail-. The other two men trundled the car
along. now unning alongside. pushing
heavily. now sitting on the back OF tho
platform prOuelllng the little truck for
ward With an occasional Kick At the
ground. L was seated amidships. facing
forward. and the cold air came 10 my
mouth and nose fOr ali the world like q
dry Ice Spray-if such a th!ng could be.
There was now just enough isgkt for the
two watchers to sec pretty clearly twenty
yards ahead. and The uncanniness of the
eNper4ence was passing Atkins. VINO
pushed Ou the right had a fine taste for
greWs0me antciote. more particularly in
tie matter OF exploded mines. md his con-
versetion was not cheerful. His repertory
Included the stories o. the fniGdi-iOu~ cor
poral. the irouisitivc lOyalist. the unfor-
tunate goat and the circumsrect Boer
II I~SQUISITIVE LOYALlST
The story Of the inguisltlve loyaist was
about q Beer who lived on a farm. Ana
when the English came along this ere Bocr
discovered that he had rcver been in favor
Of the war from the very first. 20 was al
lowed "a live on mis- farm. provided be gave
I'm hts arms So this ere sO~methingcd Bpcr
HANDED la the Tower musket with which ne
had been plugging Tomnies Al 1000 yards