The daily morning journal and courier., 1901-11-23
BERMUDA'S PRISONERS.
LIFE OF THE 800 BURGHERS ON
 DARRKLL'S ISLAND.

| They Are Said to Be, for Capttves | Cheerful and COmfortabIe-They | Govern ThemseIves-Their Faro ant
 Pastimes-Hymn Singing at Nigh --ConsIderable Care in Guarding | Them.
 On Darrell's Island, one of the Der
 muda group, the British government has established Boer laager. Official ly 1t is known as the camp of the Boer prisoners of war, but the 800 captive
 burghers prefer to call it their laager There they pass their time as best
 they may, completely shut off from the
 outer world, but with very fair and habitable little world of their own; a
 prison, to be sure, but beautiful pris-
 on And as whole, the Boers are a cheerful and comfortable lot of pris- oners.
 Darrell's Island is a low-lying splin- ter of land mile away from Hamilton. It is about a mile long and less than a quarter as broad at it's greatest ex- panse. Its shores are varied, the bright tropical waves washing, here a gentle beach, and there an abrupt group of rocks. Rich shaded woodlands alternate with open spaces.
 There is more variety in that bit of land than the South Afrikanders would find in many a hundred miles of their own country. Perhaps that was one of the reasons for their great depression when they first landed. The contrast between the broad sweep of their own veldts and the little wave-pent prison home, jewel as it was, was to much for their spirits.
 But soon 1t was borne in upon them that they were going to have com fortable if not variegated life. What pleased them still more was the discov- cry that, within the limits of their is- land, they were free to do as they pleased, that except for certain broad restrictions they could establish a gov ernment of their own.
 The British prison authorities are very stringent in their conduct of the island settlement. A curious civilian who rowed past the line of guard buoys recently was shot in the band by watchful sentry Another, who gained access to the island by pretending to be a provision contractor, was put un- der arrest after he had been there a quarter of an hour, and spent some time in the guardhouse.
 On the Fourth of July party of pa triotic Americans, setting off rockets and fireworks from the nearby Isle of Wight were rudely interrupted by guard boat and were threate with arrest by the subaltern in charge, threat which might have been carried out but for the intervention of su- perior officer, who explained that the rockets might be mistaken for signals.
 To the visitor there is little about Darrelfs Island that suggests a prison. But for the restrictions against visitors and the wire lattices that shut off the anding it would be taken for an ordin- Try encampment The Boers live in big ,ell tents, seven to tent, set in groves If cedar and mangrove.
 From cock crow to curfew life in the l aager is one round of hustle and ac- ivity As the day dawns the burghers | urn out, and over their own campfires | oil coffee, which they drink black and
 
 0 roll call, and the routine of the day 'egins.
 At 6:3o the contractors $ boat steams Q the dock and unloads the daily sup lies of bread, meat and vegetables hat are served out to the burghers for ood. Each man in turn passes before he iron gates that bar the inclosure nd there receives his rations for the ay, then returns to quarters to pre- are breakfast.
 This meal eaten usually at ', consists 1ainly of coffee and graham bread. hose of the prisoners who are fortun- te enough to own chickens boil eggs; thers whose piscatorial ambitions ave been rewarded by q fortunate atch, fry fish caught on the previous ay and others yet, who are more for mate with the worlds goods than leir comrades purchase from the can zen such delicacies as their appetites ictate.
 Breakfast over, camp fatigues are the rder of the day Tents are cleared, adding aired and everything is put in pod order. Then the men scatter to { arious exercises, amusements and du- { es Some wash their clothing or bed ng or bathe in the warm ocean. 9th $ angle from the rocks for the gay { ued fish, some of which are more aautiful than edible. The mechanically inclined-and these 2 re many-apply themselves to their thes and turn out all sorts of toys, | ols and implements. The Boer is as { genious as q Down East Yankee and { most as fond of tinkering. l Some of the little models of wagons, yricultural machines, artillery and ilroad trains turned out by the pris- l lers are marvels of ingenuity and I aauty. These, together with the nap { n rings, paper knives, walking sticks, { ,nholders and other knick-knacks they E nd to the mainland to be sold to tour l ts It The proceeds of these sales go to ly tobacco and dainties for the tables. f ne burgher has succeeded with no oth- {
 material than what he was able to : 1t in the canteen, which is a sort of 2 eneral country store, in producing a .ry fair billiard table on which many ard contested games are played for lch stakes as pocket knives, fishbones eggs.
 The younger men spend the morning {
 the camp school, where both English Id Dutch are taught, and where they ,auire a rough and ready tuition in