The Irish standard., 1902-01-04

naughty refusal, and all chance of in,
tervention seeming afar off, Kruger
called upon his people to continue the
struggle as long as ten burghers were
left. The appeal was answered from
an unexpected source.
Up to that time the Free Staters
though active in the Natal campaign
had not rendered such conspicuous
service as the Transvaal burghers
and there was some ill feeling on that
account. Now, under the leadership
Of Christian De Wet, they began Il
series of attacks that astonished both
armies. BY forced marches in the
night De Wet jumped from one place
to acknowledgements, Thaba'Nchu
Fourteen Streams. Frankfort, Sannall
Post-striking Kitchener, Maxwell
Hamilton and French, With such vigo1
and skill that no one could tell his
numbers. The Transvaal Beers, &C
customed to fighting from IL 'posi
tion," were amazed at his lodging in
htc open, and De Vets tactics put
hope in Kruger's heart.
But it soon became evident that the
Bocr ranks We're too much depleted
to withstand the advance of such over.
towering numbers on comparatively
level plain. The burghers complained
that they could get no positions, and
falling back day after day, gave the
impression Of want of courage. "You
cannot force Boer to fight in any
but his own STYLE" said Botha. He
himself hardly expected that his coun-
trymen would be able to change their
tactics.
On and on swept Roberts, letting
De Wet slip through his fingers to
raid Cape Colony. But the English
man cared not for that. He supposed
that, Pretoria fallen, the Bocr cause
would be lost. How little importance
Kruger attached to that was illus
tratcd by his reception of an American
messenger boy ut the very moment
when Roberts was pounding at the
gates of Pretoria with his naval guns.
This was an incident that could have
happened in no other country than a
simple, generous republic like the
Transvaal.
Jimmy Smith, commissioned by the
school children of Philadelphia to de-
liver memorial to President Krug-
err, had Travelled ten thousand miles
for the purpose, approaching which
the head Of the State gave him audi
cnce, though the boys appearance at
that moment was like the thirteenth
stroke of Il crazy clock. Everybody
else in Pretoria was trying to get
away. Cavalry and artillery thumb
cred along the streets. Il great mob was
busy saclling the government stores
and hystericaT refugees tlocked to the
railroad station, hoping to get passage
eastward.
In the midst Of this excitement jim
my Smith walked in, accompanied by
Hugh Sutherland and James Archi-
bald, two American newspaper men,
and calmly announced that lie must
see President Kruger. "Eut," pleaded
Secretary Rcitz Of Mr.. Archibald. who
nsrouscl Smiths cause. this is the
crisis of the republic. A WAR council
Is even now deciding whether Pretoria
shall stand siege or surrender.
would do anything for Americans but
not this"
Let the boy in," directed Kruger,
when the dcputation, which also in
rrus,ed Richard Harding Davis and
arrived ut Dom P,lurs house,
ind poor Mr.. Rcitz wrung his hands
in anguish. His Homer was good
enough to greet us kindly, shake hands
and make speech in reply to Jimmy
Smith. Mr.. Sutherland then came
forward with dress-suit case con-
tanning myriad clippings from Amer
lean newspapers portraying our SYM
patty with the Beers. which seemed
To delight Kruger.
That same night Dom Paul babe
good-by to his wife, whom he was
never to see again on earth, and quiet
ly departed with his cabinet. A few
days later a little rag belonging to
Lady Roberts -tluttered from the mast
on the Capitol Building in Pretoria,
and ten thousand English in solid
square below sang God Save the
Queen"-a requiem for the Boer ma
ton. And thus closed the second
chapter.
The third and passing epoch is cur
rent news. We know that the Eng
lish have thus far spent $S00,000,0 900
on the war, and have, according to
their own account, lost in killed 54s
officers and 5,S23 men; in wounded
1920 officers and 2S,O32 men; in miss
ing, II officers and 1000 men. The
deaths from diseases and accident
number 1O,73S. No burgher credits
these figures. The Beers still have
$4,000 men in the field. There is &
government with Schalk Burger as
Acting President. and Kruger, still
holding the real title, in Holland
where his people requested him to go