Jasper County Democrat, Volume 2, Number 41, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 13 January 1900 — Page 6

AN AMERICAN GIRL ABROAD

CHAPTER HI (CintinUed) It i« gratifying to be able to state that during the whole of this evening the conduct of Miss Kosslyn was quite beyond reproach. Young Duncombe was in rather an eager and talkative mood perhaps from the cons<‘iotisness that he was entertaining those people; and she paid him the moat scrupulous and courteous attention. Whether he was in jest or in earnest. she listened; and he had adopted a kind of don't-you-think-so attitude toward her, and often her eyes smiled assent and approval even when she did not •peak. One could see that Queen Tita occasionally threw a glance toward the girl that seenuni to savor of sarcasm, hut women are like that, and are not to be heeded. Now, when we left this snug hostelry to return to our “Nameless Barge.” the two women led the way, and they had their arms interlinked and were engaged in conversation. What that conversation was we were not )H»rmitted to overbear; but on reaching the boat which waa alt lighted up, by the way. and in the darkness looked something like one of those illumined toy churches, with colored windows, that Italians used to sell in the streets it was found that Miss Peggy was pretending to )>e very much annoyed with her friend. She wore an injured air. When Murdoch had got out the gangboard and we were all in the saloon again, Mrs. Threepenriysfeit went •nd took down the banjo. “Come, now. Peggy, don’t be vexed. When I talk to you, it’s for your good. Come along, now, and we’ll have 'Carry me back to old Virginny’ as a kind of general good-night.” “Oh, no,” says Miss Peggy, “I’m afraid Mr. Duncombe would think it stupid, for no one knows the words.” Miss Peggy reaches over and takes the instrument that is handed to her. “No,” she says, “but I’ll try an English ballad I heard a little while ago I don’t know whether 1 can manage it with this thing.” She struck the strings, and almost directly we recognized the prelude of one of the quaintest and prettiest of the old ballad airs. And then Miss Peggy sang: “Early one morning, just as the sun was rising, I heard a maid sing in the valley below: *O, don’t deceive me! Oh, never leave me! How could you use a poor maiden so?’ ” And therewithal she looked across the table at Queen Tita, with eyes that s)*oke of injury and reproach, as clearly as the mischief in them would ajlow.

CHAPTER IV. All this world of young summer foliage was thirsting for rain; you could have lniagin<-d that the pendulous leaves of the lime-trees, hardly moving in the light air of the morning, were whispering among themselves, and listening for the first soft patterings of the longed for shower. They were likely to get it, too. The swifts •nd swallows were Hying low over the river, the sky was a uniform pale white, without any definite trace of cloud; there was a feeling of moisture in the faint•tirring wind. It was when we werw passing Holme Park that it began a fewtouches on hand or cheek, almost imperceptible, then heavier drops striking on the glassy surface of the stream, each with its little bell of air ami widening circle around it. The four of us were now together in the stern—Murdoch being engaged in the pantry. On this occaaion Jack Duncombe was entertaining us with a lively account of- certain gayeti«s and festivities that had taken place just before he Left town. Incidentally, lie mentioned the banjo crgze, and made merry over the number of people, among his own acquaintance, who. with a light tieart, had set about learning to play, •nd who had suddenly been brought up •bort, through want of ear or some other cause. “I had a try myself.” he said, modest ly; “but 1 soon got to the end of ;ny tether.” “But you play a little?" said Miss Peggy. “Oh, yes, a little -in a mechanical sort of way. It isn’t everybody has the extraordinary lightness of touch that you have." “I am not a player at all.” she said. “I •m only a strummer. Anyhow, my. banjo wants a thorough tuning some time or other, and 1 should be so much obliged t» you if you would help me; if you would •crew up the pegs while I tune the strings; it is much easier so.” “Not in the rain.” he protested; for a much less ready-witted young man than lie could not have failed to perceive the chance before him. “No; we will go into the saloon, and have a thorough overhauling of the strings. It will be a capital way of passing the time, for I don't •ee much prospect of the weather clearing at present ”

She was quite obedient., She rose, and ■hook the rain drops from her sleeves ■nd skirts, and passed through the door that he had courteously opened for her, he immediately following. When they had thus disappeared, Queen Tita was left alone with the steersman. "That young man had better take care,” she remarked, significantly. “Why, what have you to say against her now? Did you ever see anybody behave better—more simply and frankly •nd straightforwardly?” “If you only knew, it was when Peggy is best behaved that she is most dangerous,” was the dark answer. “She doesn't Uke ail that trouble for nothing, you may be sure.” < “You are always inventing spiteful things about women.” “Perhaps yon ean tell me how long it takes to tune up a banjo?”. They certainly were an unconscionable time about it. The rain had almost ceased: different lights were appearing in

BY WILLIAM BLACK.

the sky—warm grays that had a cheerful look about them; and the birds had resumed their singing, filling all the air with a harmonious music. We crossed the mouth of the River Rennet, thus beginning the long loop which we hoped to complete by means of the Thames, Severn. Avon and Rennet, with the intermediate canals, until we should return to this very spot. Nearing Parley, the towpath twice crosses the river; and now Jack Duncombe appears at the bow, and gets hold of the long pole, while Miss Rosslyn conies along and joins her friends aft. “I had no idea it had left off raining,” she observes, innocently. “I hope you got the banjo properly tuned?” one of us says to her. "Oh, yes; it is much better now,” she answers pleasantly, and with an artless air. “But Mr. Duncombe was too modest. He can play very fairly indeed. He played two or three things just to try the banjo, and I was quite surprised.” “Oh, you can give him some lessons, Peggy,” her friend says; but the young lady won’t look her way; and the sarcasm if any was intended is lost. We moored at Wallingford that night; and by the time that dinner was ready it’ was dusk enough to have the lamps and candles lighted. And perhaps, as we sat iu this little room and observed our young dramatist's feeble efforts to guess at what dishes were the handiwork of the amateur cooks the place looked all the more snug that the pattering of the rain on the roof was continually audible. Dinner over, the two women-folk retired to the upper end of the saloon, next to the big window; and Mrs. Threepen-ny-bit took down the banjo and, without a word, blinded it to Miss Peggy. “Ah, I know what will fetch you,” the girl said, with a not unkindly smile. She struck a few low notes of introduction, and theh began: "Once in the d<>ar dead days beyond recall.” It was an air that suited hercontralto voice admirably, and when she came to the refrain—" Just a song at twilight, when the lights are low” she .sang that with a very pretty pathos indeed; insomuch that when she had ended Queen Tita did not thank her with any speech, but she put her hand within the girl’s arm instead and let it remain there. With her disengaged arm Miss Peggy held out the banjo. "You now,” she said to Mr. Dmftombe. in her frank way. lie took the banjo from her, of courses? "Oh, 1 can't sing,” he said; "but I’ll try to give you some idea of a rather quaint little ballad that most people know of. though very few have heard the whole of it, 1 imagine." Then he sang, with good expression, if with no great voice: “It's I was a walking one morning in May To hear rhe birds singing and see lambkins play, I espied a young damsel, so sweetly sung she, Down by the Green Bushes where she chanced to meet me.” “Remember,” Said he, “the words were written down from memory, and I may have got them all wrong.” Then he went on: “ ‘Oh, why sire you loitering here, pretty ma id ?' ‘l’m waiting for my true love,’ softly she said; ‘Shall I be your true love, and will you agree To leave the Green Bushes and follow with me? “ ‘l'll buy you the beavers and fine silken gowns, I'll give you smart petticoats flounced to the ground. I'll buy you fine jewels, and live but for thee. If you'll leave your own true love and follow with me.’ ” “The flounced petticoats make me think the ballad must be old.” said the troubadour; and he continued: “ ’Oh, I want not your beavers, nor your silks, nor your hose, For I'm not »o poor as to marry for clothes; But if you'll prove constant and true unto me. Why, I'll leave the Green Bushes and follow with thee. “ 'Come, let us be going, kind sir, if you please. Ob, let us be going from under these trees, For yonder is coming my true love, I see. Down by the Green Bushes where he was to meet me.’ “And it's when he came there and found she was gone. He was nigh heart-broken, and cried out forlorn: ‘She has gone with another and forsaken me. And left the Green Bushes where she used to meet me.' ” “Well, now, I call that just delightful!” Miss Peggy cried, at once. “Why, I haven’t heard anything so quaint and pretty for many a day! Just delightful, I call it. Mr. Duncombe, it is always a shame to steal people's songs, and especially this one, that is in a kind of way. your own property; but, really, I should like to take it back home with me. Would you mind singing it over to me some other time? ,gl think 1 could remember it.” “But I will copy it out for you,” he said, instantly. “It would be too much trouble,” she rather faint-heartedly suggested. “It would give me a great de.al of pleasure to copy it out for you.” said he. quite earnestly, and she thanked him with her eyes cast down. We had some further playing and singing (but no “Virginny;? oh,-no; she was too well behaved; the time was not yet). And by-and-by the hour arrived, for our retiring to our several bunks. CHAPTER V. It rained the next morning, but the afternoon was clearing, though there was still an April look about the banked-up clouds, with their breadths of bronze or saffron-hued lights here and there. We had had some thoughts of pushing on t«

Oxford that evening; but as rain began to fall again, and as we wished Miss Peggy’s first impressions of the famous university town to be favorable, we resolved upon passing the night at Abingdon. Indeed, we were all of us glad to get in out of the wet; and when waterproofs had been removed, and candles lighted, the blinds drawn, and Murdoch’s ml. strations placed on the table, it did not much matter to us what part of England happened to be lying alongside our gunwale. We had no music this evening, for every one was busy in getting his or her things ready for going ashore on the following morning. Alas! for our fond desire that Miss Peggy should approach Oxford under favorable influences of weather. All that night it rained hard; in the morning it was raining hard; when we left Abingdon .it was pouring in torrents.

Well, we may get a better day before we leave Oxford. We are not likely to encounter a worse. The rain keeps pegging away, in a steady, unmistakable, business-like fashion, as we draw nearer to those half-hidden spires among the trees. The river is quite deserted; there is not a single boat out on the swollen and rushing stream. And so we get on to Salters rafts, and secure our moorings there; while Jack Duncombe good-nat-uredly volunteers to remain behind and settle up with Palinurus, and see our luggage forwarded to the hotel. In a few- minutes three of us are in a cab, and driving through the wan,-cold, dripping black-gray thoroughfares. And it is little that the grave and learned seniors of those halls and colleges suspect that a ceriain Miss Peggy has arrived in Oxford town.

Now, whether it was that the gay morning that had raised Miss Peggy’s spirits, and thereby in a measure softened her heart, or whether it was that she was bent on a little willful mischief after having played Miss Propriety during these past few days, she was now showing herself a good deal kinder to Jack Duncombe, and he was proportionately grateful, as he went with the women from shop to shop and carried their parcels for them.

We went to the Canal Company's office to get our permit, and then walked along to the first lock—a little toy box kind of basin it looked; and there we loitered about for awhile in expectation of the "Nameless Barge” making its appearance. Time passed, and there was no sign. Of course it waa all very well for those young people to be placidly content with this delay, and to heed nothing so long as they could stroll up and down in the sunlight and the blowing winds — her eyes from time to time showing that he was doing his best to amuse her; but more serious people, who had been reading the morning papers of the hurricanes and inundations that had recently prevailed over the whole country, and whose last glimpse of the Isis was a yellowcolored stream rushing like a mill race, to be anxious. Accordingly it was proposed, and unanimously agreed, that we should make our way back along the river bank, to gain some tidings. When, at length we came in sight of our gallant craft and her composite crew, we found that Captain Columbus was making preparations for getting her under a bridge, aud also that about half the population of Oxford had come out to see the performance. When we looked at the low arch, and at the headstrong current, it was with no feelings of satisfaction; nevertheless we all embarked, to see what, was about to happen, and Murdoch took the tiller, while the towrope was passed to the Horse-Marine. Now, we should have run no serious risk but for this circumstance: half of the bridge had recently fallen down, and the authorities, instead of rebuilding it, had contented themselves with blocking up the roadway. Accordingly, when, as we had almost expected, the “Nameless Barge” got caught under the arch, we found the masonry just above our heads displaying a series of very alarming cracks; and the question was as to which of those big blocks, loosened by the friction of the boat, would come crushing dawn upon us. However, the worst that befell us was that we got our eyes filled with dust and our hands half flayed with the gritty stone, and eventually we were dragged through, and towed to a place of seclusion. And that was but the beginning of our new experiences; for when—Columbus and the Horse-Marine having reappeared —we went on to the first lock of the canal, we found the toy basin so narrow that we had to detach our fenders before we could enter. Then came another bridge that had almost barred our way by reason of the lowness of the arch. And that again was as nothing to the succeeding bridges we encountered as we got into the open country. Nevertheless, we managed to get on somehow, and these recurrent delays and difficulties only served to give variety and incident to our patient progress. (To be continued.)

Paraguay's Particular Fleas.

Perhaps the plague In Paraguay la merely an attack of pigue or sand-flea. This Insect Is called nigua in the native language. In 1870 It killed a whole colony of Englishmen consisting of 200 families, turning the colony, which was at Itape, into a cemetery. A German colony at Acegua was driven out. The pigue causes buboes and attacks the warmest parts of the body—that is, the cavities of the groin and arm-pit—Just the same spots as the Eastern plague. It attacks Englishmen and German preferentially, and avoids those that use but little soap. Soap cleans the body, and the pigue likes clean persons to eat. It also avoids people who eat more or less poisonous food. A man saturated with alcohols, Boca gin, nicotine and Paseo de Julio cookery is pretty well safe from the sand flea.—Buenos Ayres Herald.

Elephant Shooting in Ceylon.

The elephant shooting of Ceylon is the best in the world and the easiest attainable. The reason all the Ceylon elephants have not been exterminated Is that they have been carefully preserved by the Government, which regulates the shooting according to the number of animals.

Of Coarse Not.

Great Author—That really is the moat senseless story I ever wrote. His Wife—-Are you going to sign your name to it? “Why, If 1 didn’t tiny wouldn’t take It*—T-lfe.

CLEVER BOER RUSE.

SOUNDED THE “RECALL" FOR BRITISH TROOPS. English Obeyed the Bugle and Left Their Comrades to Be Surrounded— General Gatacre Promptly Shoots a False Guide—Wauchope's Death. There was no cause for London to complain of lack of news from South Africa Monday morning. The most important dispatches that had come over the cables in many days were given out Sunday night by the war office. One piece of information contained the details of another British blunder, or which amounts to the same thing—of the success of a brilliant bit of Boer strategy. During the progress of an attack on the Boers at Colesburg by some of Gen. French's command the Boers demonstrated their acquaintance with the British bugle calls. They sounded the "recall,” and three companies of four of the Suffolks, which had just been ordered to charge, obeyed the order, leaving the remaining company unsupported. These were surrounded and taken prisoners by the Boers. Telegrams from Rensbnrg say seven officers and thirty men of the Suffolks were killed and that about fifty were captured. Gen. French’s announcement that the Essex regiment has been sent to replace the Suffolks is more bitter to the latter's friends than the list of casualties, as the only inference deducible from this fact is that the Suffolks disgraced themselves and their flirg by bolting and leaving a few of their more stanch comrades to fill the Pretoria jails. Lord De La Warr, in a graphic description of the battle of Magersfoutein, says: ,

"It is useless to disguise the fact that a large percentage of the troops are losing heart for a campaign comprised of a succession of frontal attacks on an invisible foe. securely intrenched and unreachable. Our men fought admirably, but they were asked to perform miracles. Don’t blame them and don't blame the gallant general, who was the first

BOERS MOVING A BIG GUN INTO ACTION.

victim of the terrible disaster which overcame the Highland brigade. They marched in quarter column to thetr doom. Gen. Wauchope's last words: ‘For God’s sake, men. do not blame me for this,’ will gladden the hearts of his numberless friends. There was no accord between Gen. Methuen and Gen. Wauehope in regard to the best methods of attack. Gen. Methuen’s plan prevailed, and the mistake lost 700 men. A private of the Irish Rifles who fought at Stormberg, in a letter to his home, says that when Gen. Gatacre saw the position the guide had led the troops into he shot the guide dead with his own revolver.

FEW VICTIMS OF PLAGUE.

Bubonic Disease in Hawaii Vigorously Held in Check. There have been six deaths from bubonic plague iu Honolulu. Five of them occurred within a period of thirty-six hours, Dec. 11 and 12. The sixth occurred Dec. 14. Strict quarantine of the districts in which the plague appeared has been established. A house-to-house cleaning of all the infected districts has been made, and it is believed that no more eases will develop, or if they do that there will be no chance of the disease gaining a foothold or assuming the proportions of an epidemic. Of the six victims four were Chinese, one was a Gilbert islander and one a Hawaiian woman. The four Chinese and the Hawaiian woman died in the Asiatic quarter of the city. The Gilbert islander died some distance away in another quarter. With the outbreak of the plague a complete system of public medical attendance was inaugurated. Every ease of sickness of whatever nature is reported immediately to the board, of health and a physician from the bojird is sent to make an examination and brake certain that it is not a case of plague. Every death is thoroughly investigated. It is feared that the bubonic plague has reached Manila, and the health authorities are exercising the utmost vigilance to prevent the spread of the scourge. Two suspicious deaths have already occurred.

Told in a Few Lines.

Mingo, Ohio, had a $7,000 fire. Christian political party is a new one in Chicago. Consolidated oil company, capital $2,000.000, has been incorporated, Trenton, N. J. Russia has a standing army of 1,800,000 men. London’s new water supply will cost £17,000,000. Only one man in 203 is over six feet in height. . ( - The London churches are to have a soldiers’ Sunday. ’» -**• The sea of Galilee is 633 feet below the Mediterranean. John J. Gorman, Chicago, swallowed carbolic acid. Fatal. In 1890 more than 250,000 tons of phosphate was shipped from Florida.

LIFE LOSS OF SPANISH WAR.

Statistical Exhibit of the Government Shows Volunteer Mortality. A pamphlet has been issued by the adjutant general’s office in Washington under the title of “Statistical Exhibit of Strength of Volunteer Forces Called into Service During the War with Spain, with Losses from All Causes.” The volunteer force consisted of 10,017 officers and 213,218 enlisted men, a total of 223,235 who were engaged in’the war. The deaths numbered 148 officers and 4,356 men. During the war fourteen volunteer officers and four officers of the regular army holding volunteer commissions were killed in action, three died from wounds, 119 from disease and eleven from other causes, of whom three were suicides. Of the enlisted men 190 were killed in action, 78 others died from wounds received and 3.729 from disease. There were, further, 159 deaths of enlisted men from various causes. 97 of whom died from accidents, 21 were drowned, 11 were suicides and 30 were victims of murder or homicide. Desertions from the ranks numbered 3.069.

The total losses in the, volunteer forces were 1,718 officers, including eight dismissed, besides resignations and discharges, and 30,588 men. including 23,363 Mischarged for disability by court martial ahd by order. In the list of officers killed in action. Kansas and South Dakota lead with 3 each; Nebraska had 2, while no other State had more than one. Of enlisted men killed in action or dying from wounds received iu action. Nebraska lost 32, Kansas 30 and South Dakota 24; New York lost 15, while 26 of the States had no losses. In the total number of enlisted men who died from all causes. New York leads with 417, Illinois 28i, Massachusetts 274, Pennsylvania 239. Ohio 225 and Michigan 205. Nevada lost but one man. The losses of men from murder or homicide were three from Alabama, three from North Carolina, two each from Florida, Kentucky, New York and Virginia, and one each from nine other States, besides seven among the I nited States volunteers. Of the suicides of enlisted men, three each came from Ala-

bama and New York and two each from Florida, Kentucky and Tennessee. In deaths from disease among enlisted men New York had 380 out of about 20,000 enlisted, Illinois had 274 out of about 13.000, Massachusetts 265 out of about 6,800, Ohio 219 out of less than 14,000. Pennsylvania 216 out of less than 17,000 and Michigan 200 out of less than 6,600. In desertions from the ranks New Aork is charged with 514. or about 2*£ per cent, while North Dakota and the District of Columbia had none and Utah had but one. Tennessee hnd 249 out of a total of about 6,000, about 4 per cent. One desertion is charged to “general officers and staff.”

The Comic Side OF The News

London is on the Thames and the qui vive.

Portugal lias not yet said what she is going to do! It is agreed that the bubonic plague shall not be annexed. When it eomes to holding a job a gentleman named Diaz of Mexico can give most anybody pointers. Boston has a "Jack the Slasher” with a penchant for destroying fur goods. His career should be cut short.

Nequeshong, the son of Sahgonahkato, is dead. He was not so much a man of letters as his father, but may he rest well.

Cecil Rhodes is said to be applying the Boer prisoners with new clothing. Cecil is bound to have a following if it costs a mint.

French dragoons have been routed by strikers and driven out of St. Etienne. “Fin de sieele” evidently means the same as it did in 1799.

The Washington Post says Consul Hay is journeying to South Africa with a live lord. It was hardly to be expected that he would accompany a dead one. A curious man bent over the swiftly flowing Chicago river so fondly that he fell in. Free baths should be strictly prohibited in the river, admitting that the temptation is now very strong. Mr. McCoy says he put the Hon. Peter Maher beyond the pale of glory by a corkscrew punch. It’s the old story—“a twist of the Wrist’.’’ The agricultural department is deeply interested in the raising of cranberries. Thanksgiving dinners are bound to have far-reaching .effects. A gentleman named John Wanamaker is suspected of preparation for a'long, deep, unconventional laugh, in which the Hon. Matthew S. Quay is not expected to join. For the burial of the century question ’let all men be truly thankful.

CAMPAIGN IN LUZON.

d SEVERE BLOW INFLICTED ON THE FILIPINOS. Fight in Which Seventy-four Insurgent* Are Killed - Americans Lose Four—Lient. Gi 11 more Safe in Man ila— Tells Thrilling Story of His Captivity. The campaign against the Filipino insurgents who have been massing in theprovince of Cavite during the last few weeks has been opened by Gen. Bates in decisive fashion, and a severe blow has been inflicted on the rebels —not without a serious loss to the American troops, however. Preliminary reconnoissances have been made by Col. Birkhimer with a battalion of the Twenty-eighth volunteers and one gun at Novaleta, by MsK Taggart with two battalions of the sak-e regiment, at Perez, das Marinas, and by a detachment of the Fourth infantry south of Imus. The American force under Col. Birkhimer was strongly opposed by the rebels, who were attacked in a strongly fortified position. Sixty-five of the insurgents were killed in their trenches and forty were wounded. The Americans lost three killed, including a lieutenant. Twenty were wounded. Thirty-five rifles were captured. Gen. Schwau’s command, which is now at Binaug. also had an engagement with the Filipinos, in which nine of the enemy were killed and twen-ty-six captured. The American losses in this fight were one killed and eleven wounded. Gen. Schwan has been working to the southeast, near Santa Rosa, along the Laguna de Bay. Gilmore Safe at Manila. Lieut. Gillmore of the cruiser Yorktown, who was captured by the insurgents near Baler many months ago, arrived at Manila Saturday night by boat from Vigan. He was attired in a Spanish uniform when he landed. Naval officers are rejoiced at the escape of Lieut. Gillmore. During most of the time he was in the hands of the rebels he was treated very harshly', and he is thin and weak. He very modestly tells a thrilling story of his adventures. lie says that he and his companions were halfstarved when they were rescued on Dec. 18 on the Abulut river. In the tight near Baler, where Lieut. Gillmore was captured, four of the landing party which he commanded were killed. These-were Dillon. Marcy, McDonald and Nygtrd. Three of the men.. Winders, Vanville and Woodbury, were wounded. The survivors of the party, who came to Manila with Lieut. Gillmore, are Walton. Voudoet, Ellsworth. Edwards, Petersen. Anderson and Brasolese.

After the men were captured they were all taken to San Isidro, where Lieut. Gillmore. who had been wounded in the knee, recovered from the effects of his injury. They were hurried from one place to another, frequently so weak as to be Jjardly able to move, yet always fearful fit meeting the fate of one who fell by the wayside and was promptly bayoneted: subsisting on horseflesh part of the lime and nearly starved all the time: confined in convents aud filthy prisons between forced marches back and forth, necessitated by the uncertainty as to where the Americans would strike next; unsuitably and insufficiently clothed and cruelly treated; ordered shot and then left unarmed to the mercy of savages by a captain who had not the heart to carry out the death sentence, and finally rescued by a detachment of American soldiers as they were building rafts in the almost vain hope of floating down a river to the oceaq—all this makes a story as thrilling as any ever told by prisonersof war. Yet there is one feature that, lightens the gloom of it all. Mercy and kindness were occasionally encountered. Aguinaldo personally treated the men a» well as circumstances would permit, and the Filipinos in some of the villages through which they passed actually jeopardized their lives to make the lot of the Americans a little easier. Indeed, Lieut. Gillmore is of the opinion that one of - them—Senor Vera of Vigan—was executed for befriending them.

WAR NEWS IN BRIEF.

A new armored train recently reached Gen. Buller from Durban. Twenty cases of enteric fever are reported in Methuen's camp. The situation at the ilodder and Tugela rivers remains practically unchanged. A Cape Town dispatch says that an exchange of prisoners is under consideration. The transports Majestic and Mongolian have arrived at Durban with 3,000 troops. Eight additional militia regiments have been called out. Seven of these will serve in Ireland. All officers on leave from Central Asian garrisons have been commanded to rejoin their colors forthwith. One important effect of the success of Gen. French is that it will probably have a deterrent influence on Dutch disaffection. Dordrecht is menaced with an attack by a superior force of Boers and the resources of defense by the garrison is unknown. Thornycroft’s horse had a skirmish with the Boers near the Tugela. The British suffered no losses, but the Boers had several casualties. The correspondent. Lynch, who was recently captured by the Boers outside -Ladysmith, has arrived at Lorenzo Marquez. His captors apparently released® him. A British firm has secured the Government contract for the new seven-span bridge over the Tugela river at Colensb. The firm is working night and day to complete the order. Cecil Rhodes supplied Boer prisoners at Kimberley with new clothing. Lord Methuen has ordered a large marble headstone to be erected in the burial ground dear headquarters. It will be inseribeil .with the words, “Erected to I the memory of the qffieers and men who ’ 1 fell at Magersfontein." ..private for • volunteer equipment -ilfri‘Stt«Jig? ’Some of thecounties have given sums as high as £30,000. It is computed that the province’s have already raised nearly £600,000, while London is raising £120,000 for thecity corps.