Daily capital journal. (Salem, Oregon) 1903-1919, 1904-04-02

Tea. whenever BfemefUOn meb his
kind he brought with him to them a
blended curiosity and embarrassment.
Three days later he relieved the situa.
tion by disappearing totally and abso.
lutely. The places which had known
him knew him no more. He left
neither good-byes nor any future ad.
dress. So far as his associates knew
he might have been swallowed up by
some kindly earthquake. AS the years
passed his name fell less frequently
from the lips of former frien1S There
were occasional rumors that he had
been seen in different cities on the
Western frontier but though Alkire
always ran down the rumors he never
found his man. There came a time
when only Jim and one other remem.
bered him with any frequency.
Long months of waiting had dragged
themselves away and still Buller was
on the other side of the Tugela. The
frayed and dragglel rag that stood for
England still hung jauntily above the
beleagued town. Gaunt hunger and
fell disease had Joined hands with
the shells of the beseigers to make
life intolerable to those within the
stricken camp. The water supply
was foul beyond description and -en'
teic fever swept away men, women
and children alike. There was nurs'
ing to be done as well as fighting,
and the men that did both went about
their work quietly and cheerfuly
with the Anglo-Saxon reticence Of
feeling. They never thought of sur
render. It had been appointed them
ito sit tight and keep the flag flying,
and the work that had been set them
they would do. Only three days be
fore there had been a grand assault
along the line. The fighting had been
hand to hand and desperate. AT one
part of the line the fortiieatlons had
been taken three times by the Beers
and as many times won back by the
Gordon Highlanders. The dean and
wounded numbered many hundreds
before the enemy was finally repulsed.
All this had been but three days be.
fore, but the young American war
correspondent wandering despondent-
ly through the streets could hear the
sound of gay voices chanting from the
officers quarters the well-known re-
frain:
Jolly good song, jolly well sung,
Jolly good comrades every one"
He envied these tall gaunt broad
shouldered fellows their light hearts,
Many a time he had seen them in a
splitting zone of fire, so confident,
so easy. and so recklessly brave.
There was an inspiring quality In
their gallRntry that lifted their men
forward in spite Of themselves when
they wanted to in their alignment
back before the scattering fragments
of bursting shell. II they had much
to learn about scouting and general
ship, at least malingering was a word
not in the dictionary for them With
that thought, by contrast, the young
mans memory took him back again
to the fateful night that had changed
him from a laughing boy to a man
done with glee.
A soldier in khaki reused him from
his revery by stopping in front of
him. It was Simmons the body serY-
ant that had been assigned him to
care for his wants.
please, sir" said Simmons, That
ere scouting party under Lieutenant
Hastings is Already 10 leave, sir"
The American Joined Hastings lit
tie squad and slipped out with them
on the veldt The night was black
though il would be moonlight later
on, and the half dozen men picked
their way noislessly across the open
plain. They were detailed TO hnd
out whether a certain eminence In the
distance was yet occupied by the
enemy. Once one OF the men, stun
bled against an ant hill, grumbled
out a complaint at "the bloomin
country" but Hastings called back
in a sharp low voice:
silence in the ranks"
The moon came up and presently
flooded the veldt with light 50 thai
their advance became necessarily
more slow and cautious even than be
fore. They had reached some risinl
ground close 10 the foothills when
shot rang out.
"Oh, cried the man In front OF th'
correspondent. put both hands to hi'
head. and toppled over with a bullei
through his brain. There was scat
.o.-f,,, .rottaxy convarpfnn toward them