THE SOUTH AFRICAN SITUATION.

Lyttelton Times, Volume CV, Issue 12421, 9 February 1901, Page 9

THE SOUTH AFRICAN SITUATION.

• WANTED; MORE MOUNTED MEN. | DEFENCE OP THE BRITISH TROOPS. j y ' , (By A. G-. HALES, in the “Daily News.”) It does not matter at this juncture what particular circumstances or combination of circumstances caused the present war between Great Britain and the Boer Repub* ' lies. The completion of. the disastrous struggle is what concerns us now. To me it seems that there can only be on© ending to it, unless our Empire is to sink to the level of a third-class Power. We must ■ win, and win right out, no matter what may bs the issue of Mr Kruger’s mission ■to the potentates of Europe. There is only one course open to the Beers; they must surrender unconditionally, and trust to the magnanimity, of the British nation in regard to settlements. ■ But I do not think that they will do so for a considerable time to come. The end is not yet. For the last four or five months we have been assured; by Ministerial organs that the war is practically over. Net we find nearly two hundred thousand of our troops still operating, .and not always successfully, In the enemy’s country, right up to the present moment. Personally, I think the first year of the .new century will bo as near its close as the last of the old now is before peace is positively assured in South Africa, for there are dark days still in store for us in the land of the Boers. . The. War Office officials have always underrated jmr enemies, not only in regard to their fighting qualities, but also an regard to their sagacity and their resources, 'unci to-day I think they are erring in the- Same direction as much as they ever did. We all know how ■“Fifty thousand horse and foot” were going to walk through and dear up Africa. IWe also know that two hundred and fifty thousand 1 have not yet accomplished that most desirable achievement, and just new Smother element is making itself felt which increases the gravity of the situation to an extent not dreamt of by men who have not made South Vta ■; deep and peculiar study j i'_o past year—namely, the--.spirit ox hostility that is, spreading amongst the Dutch population-of Cape Colony toIwards us and our army in the field, i The people in this country have been 'listening to the voice of one crying peace, jwhen there was no peace, and no immediate -.probability of peace, and have accordingly ‘built their house upon the sands, ’especially [their political house, which) because it is Jnot founded upon a rock, will be swept -away when the wave of public opinion is stirred to its greater depths. ‘'Where is this peace we have heard so much [about? Is ,it foreshadowed by the fact.[that the Boer commandant, De Wet, at the “(latter end of last'week captured a town,' [four hundred prisoners, and several gftns Ifrom' our forces, and that, too, -within easy [communicating distance of Cape, Colony? Us it portrayed in the Field-Marshal’s reiports which daily inform us that armed ( [bands of the enemy are riding rough-shod [through four-fifths of the places which we ■ took from them months ago at an infinite cost of blood and treasure? Is it outlined [by the indisputable evidence that goes to 'show that the railway line and the tele- . (graph line are brflken almost daily Where. is this peace? Is it emphasised by the {heart-sickening list of killed and wounded : jthait comes to us week by week with a regularity that is almost mathematical? It (is a peace that sprang into existence just (upon the threshold of a general election, a that had no existence outside the jtea'lms of - political fancy, and the sooner Aha nation awakens to that fact the better nor every man, woman and child in the. Emmirai; .. .

I io argue mar iiora l rtooerts nas already* [garnered the grain, and Lord Kitchener Las [only to carry it to market, is a fallacy which [shows how little is really known in this jcountry concerning, the campaign. To my mind, the real work of the war has yet to be done. . We need to pub another hundred thousand men along the railway line between Cape Town and the Modder River, and every man should he a mounted man, for it is not so much the number of men whom we have to fight as the vest extent of fcountry we are compelled to cover. Had bur generals been supplied with mounted riflemen instead of infantry six months-ago, this war would have been, completely stamped out by now, in my estimation; hilt instead of being stamped out, it has been allowed to smoulder and gather (fresh force, until at the' time of writing it looks as if it were going to blaze into a bigger thing than-it has ever been hitherto.. The next hatch of mounted men sent out to Africa should he small, light, wiry men. A ten-stone man, who has to ride, is of more use than a twelve-stone man. The big man , may he hitter with the bayonet, but the bayonet, has not, played a very important part in this campaign, and. when it comes to wear and tear work in the, saddle, every pound tells. The fighting gear I lid consist of bandolier andl carbine, no trappings, in the shape of straps and and bull-dog revolvers for officers or . A good pair oif field glasses for each , and no eye-glasses for anyone. There a hundred good reasons why we want e horsemen out that way, but one or will do to illustrate this article. At ent, when we want to attack a kopje . by the foe, our infantry have to ph over beautifully open ground to do ■‘■At:a thousand yards < they are a fair k for the foe. The men have to march Jily. Wo troops-in the world can run thousand yards hampered by their fightkit, and then Charge up a kopje. That ie .of the principal reasons why we have sred go much and done so little executo our foes. If the men were mounted

phey could charge a kopje at a headlong [gallop, lying all the lime nearly flab upon (their horses’ backs. They get over the : ground so quickly that' the Boers ■would have (Hattie time to fire as they charged, and a man lying flab upon a galloping horse is no easy thing for anyone to hit with a rifle. When they did got to the Ikopjes they would be fresh, and able to (push borne an advantage to the bitter end. j Concerning the Boer system of fighting in Ismail bands, instead of in large compact masses, abont which we have recently, beard Jko much idle talk, it strikes me that the lißoer leader has a perfect right to so dispose Sbl hxs forces as to do the most harm to us, fend;the most good for his cause and his [country. It is not our place to dictate to trim bow he shall fight. All we have got to do is bo go in and beat him, and prove to him that no matter how he may double and turn, in the end w r e are sure ; to get him. I isee nothing to object to in the fact that nthe Boer is giving us a continuous guerilla War. I always thought he would. In,'an article written at the end of last March to [the “ Daily News,” from Springfontein, I [(predicted that he would do so, and I canmot see any reasonable cause for complaint Wmceming his tactics. ■ . \ I do, however, see good and wholesome fcaus® to object to his European and Cape Colony policy in regard to the dissemination of wilful and wicked falsehoods anent *he conduct of our officers and men towards Jhis women and children. The emissaries of ■the Boer politicians have publicly stated, (that outrage and insult towards women and jbhildren is a common practice amongst our [soldiers, and that I consider as foul a lie as fever was spawned in this century or any other. Whilst in South Africa, I was at various times connected with forces acting tender the following Generals: Lord Methuen, General Gatacre, General French, General.. Clements, General Bundle, and General Brabant. I was also at various times in the immediate vicinity of the operations carried out under the orders of General Hector M’Donald, Bruce Hamilton. . General Boyes, and General Campbell. 1 law English, Irish, Scotch, Canadians, Am - Italians and Cape Colonials at work, and I ka.sayi irons my soul that not only was no.

outrage offered -to women during the’time X was at the front, but that the women received an amount of courtesy that was almost dainty in its thoroughness. , Concerning the children’s-part, the thought of such a charge makes me feel ill. Why, the roughest soldier I saw on the march always had a kind word for any child he came in contact with. Readers of the “ Daily News ” know well that I -have no sympathy with a certain land of British officer because he seemed to me to be a dandy, and not to know his business, and because he was overbearing to anything in the shape of a colonial; but the man who says that he or his fellows laid themselves out to injure or insult women I hold to be a liar, and the truth is not in him. I am a great admirer of the Boer fighting man. I honour him for the magnificent stand he has made against us. 1 think his record will stand comparison with the deeds of any nation, ancient or modern, for he has defied and fought the greatest Power that history has pourtrayed, and is doing it still. For his courage, fortitude, kindness to prisoners and wounded men, I honour him, and shall continue to do so ; but for those political wastrels who keep out of the fighting, and lie in- the ears of Europe concerning our officers and men, I have nothing but -loathing and contempt.