The Montgomery advertiser. [volume] (Montgomery, Ala.) 1885-1982, 1902-07-10

was shot, though other men and horses
fell all around them. One man was shot
three times while a doctor was dressing
him. and yet the doctor escaped.
1t is these experiences, common as rain
to all who were in that war; which inure
men to danger, cause them to belittle it.
and utterly destroy that sort of romance
OF wa which We imbibe from the books
of men who imagine what war must be
without having experienced it's various
phases.
When Captain Lowther of the Scots
Guards and three or four of his men
were being sniped d. while on outpost
duty, tho dreamer about war would have
had the captains check blanch, while
through his brain would roll a pano-
rama of the Scenes of his past life and
of the faces of those he loved at home.
He would try to steel his nerves, he
! would set or '1ock his jaw, he would
turn to his men and say either, Men,
1 fear few of us will come out of this
alive" or Take cover quick, and shoot
whenever you see a head" Nothing of
this accords with the facts
The bullets whistIed around the men
and spattered the earth at their feet,
while they STROBE abe al to the outposts
to which they were ordered. At last
possibly when the captain became inn
pressed by the impudence of the enemy
he said to his men: I'VE will stop those
fellows. They are too cheeky. Forward,
men and roll them out of their holes"
Tho Guardsmen dashed ahead and the
Beers leaped up and retired-as was their
almost invariabIe custom.
1t was so with Captain Bowen of the
Kimberley volunteer forces In lively
skirmish, fight a Boer picked him out
from HE hOt ID che
and shot at him until it seemed to the
captain like a persecution. He grew
Vexed-not angry, because that implies
losing self-control-but annoyed. He said
to himself, THAT fellow is shooting at
no one but me- Does he think | am like
wooden target, with no self-rcspect or
ability to answer back?' He lay down
on the veldt and devoted his most care
ful and ardent efforts to Kidding the
world of that insolent Hoer. He made
the Beers hiding place so hot that the
mar could not move without exposing
himself, and therefore stopped shooting.
Captain Bowen knew he had not hit the
man. and was Obliged. reluctantly to get
up and amount and ride after his men.
half hour later. when he was return
ing and had forgotten the incident the
Boer again opened fire at him, and this
time shot the captain in the mouth.
Brave men We're plenty in the army. So
generally of their way to put themselves
in danger. or who, being in great dam
ger, despised it-refusing to take cover.
and even rushed upon the enemy. Cow
ards were so very, very few that one
came to think before the war closed tina
perhaps courage is one of the commonest
virtues.
4 The truth is. of course, that men set
tiled with themselves whether they were
or were not towards before they entered
either the army or the war. There were
a few correspondents-and especially men
of leisure pretending 90 be Journalists
who reused doubts as to their courage
by disappearing when n battle was on
and reappearing after it was over But
today we are reconsidering our first
Judgment. because several of these very
men were either wounded or taken pris-
oners, or joined forces and fought with
the best before the war ended
We had an artist with US who talked
very like a timid man. and continually
vowed that he would never go under fire
gain; yet in every battle he was sure to
be caught in some highly dangerous cor
ner or plight. and II became impossible to
think him a coward. One day another ar
fist, who had been almost foolhardy with
his bravery up to that time was sud-
denly seized with what the English call
'funk'-or fright. This was at DFefon-
tein-a terrible battle. whose fercencss
has not had the celebrity it deserves.
The artist was standing beside his
horse, holding the reins and sketchinE.
Suddenly the Beers opened every sort Of
fire upon bunch of horses just behind
him. Shells screamed and burst above
and behind him. bullets sang their high
keyed, insistent notes beside his ears. and
pom-pom shells screamed and burst closer
than any one would care to have them