New-York tribune., 1902-07-07
SENSATIONS IN BATTLE.
SCENES FROM THE VARIED EXPE-
RIENCES OF \ WAR COR
RESPONDENT
llian Ralph. in The London Express,

Julian Ralph in The London Express
AZ Kimberley they tell a story OF a soldier and
town toward some hills where the Beers
pcketed; II was raining very hard and the pelting
both drowned the lesser noises The men and UNI
began shooting before the two men got within
range.
The soldier saw where the Mauser balls struck the
earth and each up its little fouutan-lke jet Of
the red dust OF the veldt He quickened his pace IN
We're bound; and presently the little Jets OF sand
panion's feet In another two minutes bullets were
nying over their heads and striking the ground
unaware of this, He heard only the rain. and the
sand Jets escaped his observation.
You don't seem very much afraid Of bullets" the
eiyiIlsa 'r" w .' nH 20 ~, ,,,. ,,'' ' '"'
II never under fire" the civilian replied but
what do YOU mean by before? Are we in any
Are we" the soldier exclaimed; why man alive
DON you know that you are under fire now: Don I
us? n D9nf %,, You hear ihem m, siRgngf In,G s
ion. watched the ground. saw a bullet bed itself
NJ his feet-and then turned and back to Kim
berley with the speed of a deer. though ne was
middle aged and portly.
can appreciate that story because tn" hrst time
out li aGT%3rd m II wa1 al IL Lord Methuen Tst
and then gone around it 10 dislodge the Boers from
another position. Ny son. Lester. and climbed to
Beers had a field gun. We were siihouetted black
and white against @ the sky but our position seemed
night far below and before us
We did not then know that it was the custom Of
the Roers to detail crack shots work as sharp
shooters and To pick out individuals as their tar
with volleys. As we locked on we heard occasional
FAINT "a sounds IN the air Just before us and each
as one sees the mist of whales spout at great
The Beers retreated, the British swept ahead,
and We ran down the kopje TO catch up 10 the
sounds and habits OF dvn MsSser bullets tbat WE
a had
been potted at for ten or fifteen minutes but had
At the battle OF Dreifontein just before Bloeu-
f9ntcin. another case in point was the experience
r my son and h. A. Gwynne, OF Reuters-in
many importan- respects the greatest Of living
rocks on kopje until there came upon them such
a miller moth could have flown over the velit
%ihou1 nd n pfhS o mt B3tn men fe on Their faces
pulled it back before it had been raised six inches
for bullet grazed along the back of 1t even as he
neither one 'of of e ehy horae
were not the towards; but the fellows who went out
was shot though other mon and horses fell all
around them. one man shot three times while
a doctor was dressing him, and yet the doctor
who were In that war which inure men to danger.
sort of rnm9ncs of w Az %S Sb J'Ty m S GeSi[oS f tat
the books of who imagine what war must be
When Captain Lowther, Of the Scots Guards. and
three or four Of his men were being sniped at
while outpost duty, the dreamer about war
would have had the captains cheek hIanch while
scenes of his past life and OF the faces Of those
he Loved d. at o% hone c., He would try to steel his
turn TO his men and say either. Men, fear few
OF US will come out of this alive or Take cover,
ing of this accords with the facts
% Al hr S %h %eG ths9 s9d sRS}
AT When no he '9 apen 6eeame @
pressed by the impudence of the enemyIhe said
P are S So Cheeky M OSn a9d ro them he oT
of their holes The Guardsmen dashed ahead
and the Beers ieaped up and retired-as their
II was so with Captain Bowen. of the Kimberley
piGKeG h MN ma 3u bt Ito an him S t S men, ] SnI shOt nor
but ANNOYED He said to himself 'That fellow is
shooting at no but me. Does he think am
like wooden target with no self-respect or
veidt and devoted his most careful and ardent
to b dng aee 0T eea So ho a %
man could not move without exposing himself. and
Captain Bowen knew he had not hit the man. and
was obliged, reluctantly, TO get up and mount and
returning and had forgotten the incident. the Boer
again opened fire at him. and this time shot the
Brave men plenty in the army. So generally
being in great danger desplsed it-refusng to take
cover and even rushed upon the enemy. COwards
before the war closed that perhaps courage is one
of the commonest virtues
The truth is. OF course. that men settled with
Themselves whether they were or were not towards
There were a few correspondents-and especially
men of leisure pretending to be journasts-who
when a battle on and reappearing after IL was
over But today ] we are FefSnsidsring tS our first
either wounded or taken prisoner or Joined forces
We had artist with us who talked very like
timid man. and continually vowed that he would
was sure to be caught in some highly dangerous