War's Brighter Side Part 27

Then we served out to the men the best rations we could raise and a bit of 'baccy apiece. They cooked away with a will, filled themselves out with breakfast, lay down beneath their wagons, and went to sleep.

Jimmy and I went to sleep too. At sunset we inspanned and made the 10 miles to the farm early. Our doctor met us there.

But I shall never hear "Dolly Day Dreams" again without thinking of bare veldt, black faces, and chlorodyne.

ANONYMOUS.

THE "N.C.O."

There's some one in the Army that I'd like to write about, For it's seldom that he gets his share of praise; He's as gallant as most lions and you can always hear him shout, Through the rattle of the battle now-a-days.

When we read in all the papers of the Comp'ny officers killed, We don't stop to think who has to take their place; But if we knew, our hearts with admiration would be filled For the N.C.O. with grim and grimy face.

His language on the barrack square, ain't quite what it should be, And it's probable he likes his whack of beer, But there's nothing like that voice of his, and never yet will be To steady the young soldier when he's feeling "Bullet-queer."

He's ahead in all the rushes, he's the last one to retire, And in battle's got a joke for every one; He doesn't seem to mind a d.a.m.n, when under Mauser fire, And he don't forget the wounded when the day is fought and won.

Then, Mr. Rudyard Kipling, here's more work for you to do, You've sung of gallant "Tommies" and their deeds, Just write about their N.C.O.'s and give them all their due, For good N.C.O.'s are what the Army needs.

C.

IS THE ART OF WAR REVOLUTIONISED?

BY. H. A. GWYNNE.

III.--_Cavalry._

The "Art of War," which, I must confess, is but a feeble equivalent for the _art militaire_ of the French, covers strategy and tactics. In discussing the duties of any particular arm in warfare it is obvious that the discussion must necessarily deal with tactics rather than strategy, which, I take it, will not undergo any great change as long as human nature remains subject to its present limitations. But the arm which I am now discussing has been and will be in the future even more the chief instrument used by a general who wishes to carry out big strategic movements. Wherefore cavalry must, above all things, be mobile, ready to move at the shortest moment, prepared in every respect to carry out quickly the ideas of the commander.

The "strategic arm," as the cavalry has been styled, has been called upon, during the present campaign, to face difficulties which have been almost unknown in former campaigns. First and foremost it has had to operate against an army of mounted infantry, more mobile than itself. Waterless plains, heat, and short rations, have been difficulties which in Europe would be absent. Foreign criticisms on the operations of our cavalry in the present campaign are based on false premises, inasmuch that their authors a.s.sume a plentiful supply of water, an equable climate, an easy transport, and a fair amount of supplies. They have not taken into account the fact that our cavalry have had to cut themselves off from all supplies in what, for all practical purposes, is a howling desert, for the English horses have steadily refused to touch the veldt-gra.s.s. If there is one criticism on the operations of our cavalry which can in any sense be justified, it is that in many cases we have made it an objective of our movements to charge the enemy. By doing so, we have perhaps sacrificed opportunities of outflanking the Boers for the illusive chance of proving the efficiency of the _arme blanche_ on an enemy, whose only weapon is a rifle. I once heard a distinguished cavalry officer declare that it was his conviction that in a two-mile race, starting fair, the Boer, mounted on his little African pony, would outpace our troopers riding a big English horse and carrying an equipment which reminded him of the picture of Father Christmas. But as over two million people have at different times criticised the weight of cavalry equipment, and n.o.body, except the Boer, has given us a remedy, we may leave this portion of our subject to lecturer--the U.S.

Inst.i.tute.

The great question which will have to be answered in the near future is whether the mounted force of an army is to be cavalry or mounted infantry. To my mind there can be no doubt about the answer. The mounted forces of the future will be cavalry, and in much greater proportion to infantry than at present. The great force of mounted infantry which we have raised in the present war is intended to cope with an army of Mounted Infantry opposed to us. Whether they will ever be used again is doubtful. But what certainly will be the case is that the cavalry of the future will have to know how to shoot, and must be provided with something better than a carbine to shoot with. And practically they will then be Mounted Infantry with an _arme blanche_.

"Shock tactics" will have to give place to long-range firing, and the cavalrymen of the future will be seen digging and holding trenches, holding kopjes, and _repelling with rifle fire the advance of the enemy's Cavalry_. This indeed will be a revolution.

CHAPTER XIV

MY HORSE OFFERED FOR SALE

_Kipling at last writes something that pleases the Boers--A Predikant's letter._

In the paper of March 30th we offered as complete and--you may be sure--as unique a newspaper as it was possible to produce. It contained the fresh news of the world, and it was at the same time full of the atmosphere of the army and the battlefield; of the outpourings of men who had laid down the sword and rifle to take up the pen. I wish I could reproduce the entire paper, but after all it was like many that followed, and to reproduce them all would make a book too c.u.mbrous to handle and too full of warlike and military subjects to interest at least half of the public. Practically the entire first page was given up to proclamations, and looked like a miniature h.o.a.rding hidden under miniature posters. These crowded over into two columns of the second page, which also contained the still swelling display of advertis.e.m.e.nts of lost horses and horses for sale.

Among the latter was this--

FIRST-CLa.s.s HUNTER FOR SALE.

Julian Ralph desires to sell his blooded hunter "Rattlesnake," a superb horse with noted pedigree. He is in splendid working condition (_aside--has caused his owner to wear a casing of lint, and to walk with difficulty on a heavy stick_.) The horse can be seen at the Red House behind the Dutch Reformed Church.

The italics in the above advertis.e.m.e.nt are inserted here, and were not in the newspaper. They suggest what novel forms advertis.e.m.e.nts would often take if the advertisers always truthfully explained why they wished to part with their property.

W. A. Koller, the town clerk, notified all residents to call upon him and make a true statement of the _bona fides_ of all their possessions in horseflesh. Captain P. Holland-Pryor, A.A.G., requested every burgher who had not given up any Government horse in his possession to do so without delay. Truly, the horse occupied a large share of interest and attention--much larger now that we were in need of horses than when they had come in abundance from every corner of the earth.

We published a remarkable address to the Free Staters by the Rev. A.

A. Van der Lingen, once a candidate for the Presidency. He asked them if it was right for them to a.s.sail the peaceful territories of the British when thousands of their kith and kin are enjoying a full and perfect measure of equality and justice. He demanded to know "what you think seriously, in your own minds, will become of you if you prosecute the war and lose." The "old soldiers of Bloemfontein"--it seems there were eight retired veterans--cheered the Field-Marshal with an address.

[Ill.u.s.tration: _Julian Ralph and his horse "Rattlesnake._"]

Our five-guinea compet.i.tion for the renaming of the Colony went on apace, and we recorded a great day of sport among the men of the Sixth Division, who enjoyed the band of the Buffs and the pipes of the Seaforths, Gordons, Black Watch, and Argyle and Sutherland Highlanders. Major the Honourable Robert White directed the sports with greater success than had attended anything of the kind among our troops on this side of Natal.

The soldiers still filed into our bare and dirty quarters asking for the paper, and one of them complained that it was not sent out to his camp, and that he had to come in and get it.

"Canadian, aren't you?" Mr. Kipling asked, "from out on the wheat belt?"

"Yes, sir."

"Why, man, then what are you talking about? You'd ride in to Winnipeg, twenty miles, to get a paper if you were at home."

Mr. Kipling on this day wrote a tribute to General Joubert, whose death had just been made known to us. Hours after he wrote the poem, when tired of waiting to see the proof, he walked over to the printing-office, broke in by way of a window, and set up the last line of it at one of the printers' cases. What the printers thought of him we never knew, but he never forgot that the first bit of paper he picked up from the floor of the editorial room, when he was looking for something that had fallen from the table, was a violent attack upon himself in a piece of a Free State newspaper.

The only bit of all our work that our compositors saved was this poem to Joubert. That and a portrait of the late firebrand, Borckenhagen, were the only ornaments they deemed worthy to decorate their composing-room walls.

There were at least two English-speaking men among them. I grant to them the benefit of the doubt whether my reflections should extend to them also.

THE FRIEND.

_(Edited by the War Correspondents with Lord Roberts' Force.)_

No. 12] BLOEMFONTEIN, FRIDAY, MARCH 30, 1900. [Price One Penny

LORD ROBERTS AND THE LATE GENERAL JOUBERT.

LORD ROBERTS' TELEGRAM OF SYMPATHY.

BLOEMFONTEIN.

_His Honour President Kruger, President of the South African Republic, Pretoria._

(Clear the line.) I have just received the news of General Joubert's death, and I desire at once to offer my sincere condolence to your Honour and the Burghers of the South African Republic on this sad event. I would ask you to convey to General Joubert's family the expression of my most respectful sympathy in their sad bereavement, and to a.s.sure them also from me that all ranks of Her Majesty's forces now serving in South Africa share my feeling of deep regret at the sudden and untimely end of so distinguished a General who devoted his life to the service of his country and whose personal gallantry was only surpa.s.sed by his humane conduct and chivalrous bearing under all circ.u.mstances.--ROBERTS.