Jasper County Democrat, Volume 4, Number 12, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 29 June 1901 — A Target for Lead, [ARTICLE]

A Target for Lead,

Tlip British officer, says Julian Ralph in “An American with Lord Roberts,” is likely to be a high and mighty person, when you meet him first, but he softens in time into an exceedingly good fellow. Yet at any moment he may be expected to perform a picturesque action In a truly British manner. At the battle of Dreefontein several officers were under a shower of bullets that camo like water shot out of a nee-dle-bath. They were all pressing their bodies down, as if they would like to press them Into the earth. Suddenly one very tall fellow Jbegan to rise. First he got on his knees, then he straightened up on his feet to his full stature, and stood in that spray of lead, the only target on the field. He fumbled for his eye-glass, found it, contorted his cheek as a man does to fit such an ornament Into his face, and then drawled out: “Aw, I say, I wondah where these bullet? are coming from!” He continued to stand and stare at the kopje where the Boers lay, and presently he drawled again, while the air yvas tattered with shot and buzzing with noise: “Aw, I say, can any of you fellahs see where they come from?” The other “fellahs” squirmed and wriggled as if they tvere going to get up and hdlp him look, but not one raised -his head or his body an inch. “Get down, Reggie, you silly fool!” said one. “You’re doing what the Boers want, and that isn’t playing the game.” At that Reggie adjusted his glass anew, and after one long, hard stare at the Invisible enemy, slowly returned, to embrace his mother earth.