News, Views and Opinions.

Auckland Star, Volume XXXI, Issue 65, 17 March 1900, Page 1 (Supplement)

News, Views and Opinions.

• The "Telegraph" fells this native Je"-end of Spionkop; "Many years since, there died a celebrated Zulu chief. At his funeral an enormous python put in an appearance. A youthful warrior, thirsting for glory, 'sprang forward and struck the reptile, cutting its tail from its body. The chief witch-doctor averred the python was the spook of a war-like ancestor of the recently-departed chief, so the stump-tailed python became sacred. This stump-tailed snake —or another of the same jiattern—appears from time to time. At every appearance the Boers say some event of great poi*tent is about to happen. Spionkop, which is "little more than a kopje," means the hill of spring- and was socalled because the Boer Foertrekkers flying from British law paused at this hill when they crossed the Draicensberg, to decide in what direction they should move."

I have heard several stories of the shady methods adopted by a certain class" of refugee to "raise the wind," (remarks a writer in the "Natal Mercury") hut for downright impudence and imposture the following, fol* the (truth of which 1 can vouch, must be given first rank. The facts are these: The other morning a lady, in answering a knock at the door of her house, found a man standing in a most abject attitude, eoatless and shoeless, and with a story that he was living at one of the, refugee camps, had been shamefully illi-treated., and had his ■missing garments stolen by some of Jiis fellow-unfortunates. The lady's heart immediately melted, and she sent the fellow away with a, good coat and vest and a pair of shoes, in addition to having' provided him with a thoroughly good breakfast. That same evening', judge of the Judy's surprise when a '"refugee" whom she recognised as her visitor of the ir\"nang'turned up in exactly the same halfdad condition and with exactly the game tale of woe. After hearing his the lady reminded the rascal ,ihat lie had already paid her a visit. and the answer was, "Great Scott! I thought this was the same house. I suppose I had better clear?" That. was exactly the lady's opinion, and she also remarked that it was well for the jmposter that a policeman was not within hail, or he would have got time 'to cool his heels in her Majesty's prison. Naturally, the lady was highly indignant at the way in which she had been duped, especially as she had previously sent all the cast-off clothing in her household to the refugee camps, and on this occasion gave away clothing which was perfectly good. Such acts as these do much to discourage the charitable, and I hope that the exposure of this wily individual's little ruse Mill prevent other people from being- taken in, as it is very hard on really deserving refugees that their unhappy condition should thus be traded upon.

' It is related that over forty years ■ago Paul Kruo-er was tending-' his cattle in the neighbourhood ol! what is now known, as Mnritzburg, and had the assistance of a. Hottentot. Tired of eating1 biltong1, he yearned for a change of diet, s-jo lie practiced /the art of fishingl in jhe neighbouring1 stream', and "succeeded in landing- an eel—the eel was soon afterwards transferred to the frying-pan, and put on the fire to cook/ Paul then went to look after his cattle. During- his absence the Hottentot returned, bringing with him" a well-fed grass snake— a tit-bit for himself. The tolty observing- that his baas's eel was cooked removed it from the pan to another receptacle to await lunger's coming, and put, the snake on the pan to fry, and then left to attend to other duties. Paul now returned, and was attracted by the sweet smelling- savour proceeding from the pan, which he then and there removed from the fire, and hungrily devoured its contents. The boy now returned and proceeded to the fire in search of his snake, but found it gone. He turned to his baas and asked where it was. Rruger replied that he had not seen it, so the boy explained Avhere he had put the eel and showed it to him. Then was Kruger wroth, and grasped his rifle, hurling words of reproach and other un-Biblical phrases at the boy, and said to him: "Sit down there, and don't yon move until I tell you—if lam sick after eating that snake, I'll shoot you dead." And Kmger kept guard, rifle in hand, for over two hours, and, luckily for the boy, Kruger, having <i Boer's constitution, did not fall sick, and is alive until this day.

..Captain Slocum, who is tell!""- !" the '"Century" of his voj^age round the world alone in a, little sloop, im: ■Spray, was familiar with most of the ports in which he found himself on his journey of 46,000 miles. One of these was Buenos Ayres. There he looked in vain for the man who once sold.whisky and coffins in Buenos Ayres; the march of civilisation had crushed him—memory only clung1 to his name. "Enterprising man that he was, I fain would have looked him tip, I remember the tiers of whiskyoarrels, ranged on end, on. one side of the store, while on. the other side, and divided by a thin partition, were the coffins in the same order, of all sizes, and in great numbers. The unique arrangement seemed in order, for as <> cask was emptied, a coffin might be *Jnled. Besides cheap whisky, and many other liquors, he sold "cider," which he manufactured from damaged ■Malaga raisins. Within the scope of his enterprise was also the sale of mineral waters, not entirely blameless °f the germs of disease. The man surely catered to all the tastes, wants, and conditions of his customers."

It seems that a young lady of Royal birth, who was well known in London society some few years ago as Mile. Pc Borbon, is just now the defendant IJi a very unpleasant trial which is creating a great sensation in Madrid. She was the eldest daughter of the Infant Don Enrique,-Duke of Senile, out born before wedlock. Upon the infant marrying her mother, Dona Elga de Castellvi y Shelly, she became, according to the'law of Spain, legitimate. Her mother, it seems, has never hked her, and wishing- her second daughter to assume her father's rank, has declared that Dona Maria Luisa is Sot" the daughter of the late Duke of Seville. The Queen Regent, and indeed the entire population of Madrid, Rre in favour of the unfortunate but popular duchess, and her unnatural mother has to be closely guarded aa she goes to and from the Palace of Justice lest she might fall a victim to popular fury. Dona Maria Luisa, by the way, resided for some years in the Convent of the Assumption in Kensington Square, London

He says: "Of Mr Steevens' marvellous faculty of reproducing- the sights he saw, I had early proof. Late one night, probably in '04, a wholesale perfumery store just opposite Newgate Prison tooK fire. It was an exceptional sight, flames of the most varied tints bursting into the clear night air. And for well on an hour I stood and watched. On my return I felt so much the nnusualness of the spectacle that I had begun to try to describe it in paper, dog-tired though I was. Within a fewmimites Steevens came in. 'See the fire?' was my question. 'Yes,' was his answer, 'and I think it's worth putting in the paper.' So after a smoke and a talk he set to work. Next day his description of the scene, written between one and two in the morning, and unsigned, of course, appeared in the 'Pall Mall.' To me, who had watched the infinite variety of unsuspected beauties caused by this extraordinary conflagration, the description was a revela,tion. All that was on the film of my brain waiting to be developed, and much more, was there in such burning Anglo-Saxon that a, blind man who had had the description read to him could have seen the best part of that gorgeous flare-up." WHAT IT FEELS LIKE TO BE BOMBARDED. Mr Steevens writes: "And now what does it feel like to be bombarded? At first, and especially first thing in the morning,, it is quite an ■uncbmi fortable sensation. You know that gunners are looking for you through telescopes; tha.t every spot, is commanded by one big gun, and most by a dozen. You hear the squeal of the things all above, the crash and pop all about, and wonder when your turn will come. Perhaps one falls quite