The St. Louis Republic. [volume] (St. Louis, Mo.) 1888-1919, 1903-07-19

I up from the Fpruit bottom. and with. their
first appearance set to work. very slowly.
gradually increasing my speed as the move
t 41.1s. Of f., the adyancn. Lsneers became
most beautiful Charge Of the whois Boz e war
vi was 90 on 49,, We could hear the angry sounds
crowd. and then the veldt before US was
absd.b with u. flying Beers III It seemed as
they few toward ths hills. Hundreds OF
them passed within dozen. rods Of US.
ad mot mott un fs know Syr that sex
one time We had been an object OF fire
When the last OF the Lancsrs has thun-
a Pd Som se hs Nhs e1:r eeaa
through the head. But even this did not
Sof deay the Dskson in his
yslepins with Us. and in tent made for
that purpose he was soon at work. A cine
m Il aGis ~ any
It is wrapped in canvas and packed In
ri. It was Hs, when hen Dickson was done that the
to it. riding night and day that the precious
rs night sav reh tbS tbqa. ghou.
charge OF the LancerS ! was in the saddle
on the way to RrooHstadt, over 500 miles
away For ssventy-two hours / was in the
saddle. changing horses about every thirty
miles:
dozen Beer scouts saw me and gave chase,
but in the gathering darkness OF night I
managed to escape them. This was tho
longest ride took during my service in
South Africa, and We afterward learned that
the picture arrived in London Just few
hours within the allotted month.
Dickson was great at smelling battle. AT
mtdnIght; the day before the battle Of Dia-
mNn1 Ha ma Nt-ftt tha ark
There's going to be a fight out there to-
morrow morning. and we've got to git 1t
or bust" In few minutes our six horses
were dragging our heavy cart slowly and
quietly over the vedt. How Dickson always
got his information l am at loss to say.
but he seldom made mistake.
GOING INTO ACTION.
Toward morning We came to range of
hills in the darkness we could make out
Just three OF them, In a straight row, a
quarter of mile apart. Dickson chose the
center ore. 1t was high. free from shrubs
and covered with stones Ahead of US and
On ali sides Of the other hill We're the En-.
Sish. Ahead Of them and beyond the third
hill were the bcers. Dickson was figuring
that the Beers would attack at daybreek
and he also figured on British defeat. In
that case We would command the whole Of
tho field.
Hardly had dawn come when the sounds
of battle announced that one or the other of
the two sides had begun the conflict. The
Beers were under the command OF Botha
From our vantage point We could hear the
conflict beyond the second hill. Up and over
It charged the British cavalry and infantry.
The smoke of battle began rising ahead OF
US. All of this time our horses were stnnd-
Ing beside our big Cape cart. guarded by our
kaffirs. Dickson was cursing his luck and
/ was straining my eyes 10 catch 4 impse
of the fi6ht. Unless the Beers were victori,,
Gus and drove the British back we would
fail in getting a picture.
! don't know that Dickson prayed the En-
glish would be beaten, but l do know that
fantry came surging over the hill he
cheered. Yard by yard It seemed the battle
now crept nearer to Us The horses were
at last we saw the Bosr horsemen charging
over the hill Suddenly the air seemed to
he alive, with screeching things. AS looked
along the. smooth hillside 1 could see the
men and horses fall more plainly than II I
had been in the thick of the battle
Then over the Hill game the Boer. infan-
The smoke, the screeching shells. the
shouts dazed me. 1t looked as though the
remnants of the British force were benig
z!ed rush came the Eighteenth Regiment,
bayonets fixed, like a wall rushed UP against
the swarming Beers; ! had forgotten myself
beside me-a voice that was almost a roar:
Then found my legs. There was no more
every nerve there was in me to the work
/ knew that | vas taking the picture of
that battle. I knew that some day the
whole world would see it. And Willie Sparks
had taken it. It was glorious. Beside the
tripod stood Dickson, his eyes glued on the
little device which told him how fast was
going.
In an instant. lifting my eyes, I saw the
field of battle again. The Eighteenth was
piungiug through the Boer ranks Oh, for
the moment of victory! 1t was the victory
we wanted in the picture-the sight of the
fleeing Dutch. the triumphant. cheering
TomInies. the slaughter of the last charge
of the invincible Eighteenth
IT'S 800. Willie-keep 'er up" shouted
Dickson.
/ heard bullet spin close to my head It
was only moment later that heard
crash It was followed by a kaffir shrek,
a shout from Dickson. and from somewhere
received a terrific blow that sent me from
found the Cape cart smashed to bits, two
horses lying in their death struggles and the
hugo tripod on its side. A spoke from the