Jasper County Democrat, Volume 3, Number 7, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 26 May 1900 — Side Lights on. the Boer War. [ARTICLE]

Side Lights on. the Boer War.

What struck one of the special correspondents with Lord Methuen’s force invalided home was the uncanniness of the whole thing. There is no pomp of war, no stirring music, no gay uniforms, and, strangest thing of all, no visible enemy. What you see from the standpoint of the British staff is a number of men clad in khaki dodging their way up the hill, making for cover wherever possible. Two or three of them suddenly drop, perfiaps one gets up and presses forward again. The others lie where they fell, dead or sorely wounded. As the Boers always fire from cover and use smokeless powder, there is nowhere sign of them. A story comes from South Africa which speaks well for the constancy of the British soldier. Among the wounded brought in one day from Potgieter’s drift wa* * man of scanty clothing who held something in his closed hand. He had kept bls treasure in his hand for some eight hours. He showed it to the sister at the hospital. It was a ring. In explanation he said: “My girl gave me this ring, and when I was hit I made up my mind the Boers should never get It, so I kept it in my hand ready to swallow it if I wa* taken before the stretchers could reach me.” The wounded British soldier* often amuse themselves during convalescence by knitting and doing similar work. At The Gables, Surbiton, Eng., which has been opened by it* owners, Mr. and Mr*. Alfred Cooper, a* a convalescent home for returned soldiers, one man knitted a pair of stockings for his baby in a day. Others knit for themselves and tfheir wives, and a favorite article is a Berlin wool belt bearing the name of the owner and that of the action in which he was wounded. In st least one respect Gen. Cronje, the new Napoleon at St. Helena, will be better off than the one whose fortune was finally overthrown at Waterloo. The island has just been connected by csble with England and the Cape, so that the exiled Boer leader may keep in touch with current event*. A letter from a private who was on duty when the Boer prisoner* reached Cape Town says: "The nearest simile I can give you of their general qppearance is that of a whole let of bricklayer* coming from a brickfield after a hard day's work'. Some looked at our boys with a defiant gleam fa their eyes, paying particular attention to our lances." In shelling Ladysmith the Boers knocked off regularly for meals—the luncheon Interval being 11:30 to 12 for riflemen and 12 to 12:30 for guanera