Evening bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1895-1912, 1902-01-09
RICHARD CROKER.
WAR TIMES UNPLEASANT
FOR MAN IN THE MINORITY

speak a word or move a step on peril
OF his life, the Generals personal
guide spent the remaining hours, while
battalions struggled about under fire,
wondering where and how many were
the crossings.
The minority of one was liberated
later and severely reprimanded for
having friends VINO knew his baptismal
name.
The keeper of little store at Koo
doesberg was faced some weeks later
by the same proposition of how one
man unarmed Is to keep his end up
against an army. Gen. MacdOnald's
brigade had been sent out twenty-five
miles west from Lord Methuen's camp
into a rough prairie called Griqualand
West to occupy Koodoesberg Drift,
which commanded the western road
from Hopeton to Kimberly.
The idea was to act as though max
ing a genuine attempt to relieve the
diamond capital from that side while
! Gen. French made his ride from the
! east. Two squadrons OF iancers were
| spread out as a screen of scouts in
front OF Macdonald's killed troops as
they tramped out to Koodoesberg on
q blazing hot Sunday.
A few shots wfistled among the Ian
GERS in the last two miles OF their jour
ney and then the drift was held with
out a fight. The storekeeper, one
Blankenberg. stood at his door consid'
ering his probable fate when Macdon.
aid came up to him.
What do you mean by harboring
| Beers to shoot at my menu asked the
General.
IL" stammered the storekeeper.
y loyal British subject. see no Beers
toi fortnight"
Come. Gomez" said Macdonald.
NO" protested Blankenberg. Il see
no Beers. | loyal. Everybody knows
ne. | all right. Everybody knows
me-"
Everybody knows lot OF scoun
dI els" was Macdonald's Interpretation
o; this proof OF loyalty, and Blanken.
berg's conversation turned to other
things as he and the General walked
to the head of the lane leading to the
/ drift. and the storekeeper Indicated
the negotiable crossings up and down
the river.
The next evening the Beers made
sharp attack on Macdonalus piCkets,
and the loyal subject looked uneasy.
| for some of ..Is Kafiirs had received
passes that at.ernoon to ride out anu
round up his cattle and sheep int
Biankenbergs kraal. However, he got
his hocks herded and perhaps includ
ed a few score Of somebody elses.
He had .Len numbered up and noted
on a paper which he took TO the Gen
eIal with the explanation that bis
II loneliness to the troops was as much
as his lite was worth should they ever
leave and the Beers come back. He
suggested that the inventory he com
pleted and the whole collection taken
over by the British authorizes.
For his part he was a loyal British
subject and would not complain II they
deported him down to Cape Town 50
that no suspicion OF him as a secret
service agent should be harbored by
his British fellow subjects.
1t happened just as he planned. With
the liberal ideas oil amateur appraisers
who are valuing other people goods
when the owner is present and an eS.
pert the officers of the Army Service
Corps gave him certified vouchers
stamped Tor the sum agreed upon for
all his belongings, and BlankenberG
departed from his store ana concealed
mis- contentment,
Another to find himself alone against
a multitude was Sam Marks, million
airC. member of the financial house
which had the concession OF several
TIansyaal monopolies, Including the
maputacture of alcohol. His fine pri
waite residence eight miles nOrtheasl
o. Pretoria, near Gerste Fabriken, had
bathrooms, billiard rooms, garuens anC
ali enclosure for tame pets.
When British brigade was quarter
ed near his doors Mr.. Marks, septua
genarian, found himself the least con
siderable person on his own property
The junior staff and others made fire,
o. his bathrooms and billiard rooms
without first troubling to make thei
hosts acquaintance. II they did hav,
: anything to say to him 1t was To dc
mand the whereabouts of sOmethin;
they wanted
. "Do anything you like, only let M,
= alone. I'm n busy man" he pleaded
They did everything they liked T.
= get iirewoOd they uprooted the post
: Ground his tame animal enclosure |
any Of the pets straycd little It wa
0 soon brought down with an army hu
let.
\ hot argument sprang up over tn
! correct name of the pet deer that wa
SHOT, ana the sportsmon marched int
:, hr, Marks room to learn what II wa,
;. He was resigned to anything tina
+ might happen and told them.
Dear little thing, he used to ga
Out OF my hand said the old MAJ
Was II long shot, eh?'