The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1903-08-26
His View of 1t.

What a rummy sort O. thing war
is" says Richard Whiteing in 1.-The
Yellow Van" in the September Cen
fury. Travel thousands O. miles to
find you've got a quarrel with some
body that's just such another as your
self Great stretches o salt sea, an
dark nights, an winds howlin' all
around; an there you are push, push,
pushin' on TO get at the man you was
fated to kill from your cradle. Good
ness! 1t seems like havin' a row with
the next world. But there you find
the quarrel waitin' for you, manner
O. speakin' when you land. The flags
an the notices an the music is all
the news you get of 1t at first, an 1t
takes many a mile Of footin' heel an
toe, before you see an enemy's face.
An not that all at once, mind you
At first all you have to put up with,
for a long time, is little specks, nigh
a mile off, but you know they want
to kill you, an you got to kill them
Pop! pop! an p'r'aps no one much
the worse for 1t, but it's rummy all
the same. You feel you could go over
an ask 'em what's the trouble an set
tie it there an then.
CLOSE quarters is the FUNNIEST Of
all. Now you see the eyes O. your man,
an the color in his cheeks; an you got
to do him, or he'll do you. OF course,
if he's comm straight for you, you
put off thinkin' about it till you've
laid him out. But if you're dodgin'
about, dismounted. p'r'aps, an sparrin
for an openin', for the life O. you, you
can hardly help singing out, Hold on!
That sort O. thing came to me one
day. 1 was scoutin', advance line, over
rough country, great big stones copies,
they call EN- there), when from be-
hind one of 'em up jumps a Teller not
ten yards off. 1t was such a surprise
for both of us that we clean forgot to
shoot. We just stared each other
straight in the face-almost rude, as
they used to call it when 1 was a kid
By -, sir! we knew what was in
each others mind, without a word
We'd got to kill at short notice, an
we couldn't begin for shame.
Il dropped mine; his never stirred
from the stone where it was restin.
It's a fine day. says he, in English,
fur the time O. year
After that, believe me, couldn't
have let fly at him if he'd asked me to.
All 1 could manage was: Same to you,
rebel; same to you. How are you
gettin' on?'
Pretty fair he said, but I could
do with a bit O. fresh meat. An you
QOll Idp6ll " nave SUCH d Thing d@o a
pipe-light?'
Happy to oblige;' an tossed him
a box O. blazers. Take half, an kind
ly return balance, If you please
How d. you pick up livin.' said
the rebel, when you amt at this
work?'
Horses
Just my line. 'Scuse me, but you're
a trifle too far ahead of your lot; were
workin' round your flank
Just then the bugle sounded for US
to fall back.
Don't hurry he said only keep
on your hands an knees. Creep round
this way, an I'll stand drink
Awful stuff 1t was; yet, takin' one
thing with another, toothsome, too.
I'm a Burgersdorp man. says my
r1ate-for that's what 1t had come to
by this time. If you happen to be
round that way when this is over, look
me up, an it'll be your turn to stand
treat. If 1 amt in, don't bother. See
you pr APPS in the next world. Any
way, pass a drop o. water to one of our
wounded, an I'll cry quits wherever
1 may be-
Give us your fist An we grip
ped behind the stone Take my oath,
it was just like sayin' prayers, kneelin
an all.
''Then the bugle sung out again, en-
we crept back; an that was the last
of him.
"Rummy-like, If you come to think
of it, But that's life, if 1t amt ex-
actly war An it was war again
moment after, for 1 passed one or two