Nelson Evening Màil MONDAY, JANUARY 26. DE WET'S WAR BOOK. INCIDENTS OF GUERILLA. TACTICS.

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume XXXVII, Issue 20, 26 January 1903, Page 2

Nelson Evening Màil MONDAY, JANUARY 26. DE WET'S WAR BOOK. INCIDENTS OF GUERILLA. TACTICS.

', HI. WE continue and conclude the notices of General Christian Rudolf De Wet's book on the Boer War from his own point of view. Having disposed of the controversial, biassed and mischievous portions of the work, the reader is left free to peruse the rest without the uncomfortable feeling that one is confronted by misstatements and even slanders by a former enemy who now profepses to be a loyal snhjeot, Thus genuine interest may be taken in the exploits of the man who may be regarded as chiefly responsible for the continuance of thb Boer War for mouths after it should have closed by the capture of the enemy's two capitals. ,#•*•*■ * In bis opening chapter De Wet' narrates 1 how "he went op conwfliando .j in September, 1899. The first inci- ] dent of note to which reference is ■ made is the disaster to the Britrish ( at Nicholson's Nek. De Wet's ac*- ( count and thafc of the British jom> c nals and. official reports naturally \ differ very materially. lie makes fl out that the British were driven \ from a fjtrong poeition, an4 that

they lost a large number of prisoners. After a. hot tire from both sides, he ' says white flags appeared in the I Kaflb krtwls on the left side of the . British position. '-.I immediately gave j the order to cease fire and to advance * towards the enemy. All at once the English blazed away at us again. On our part, we replied with vigour. But that did not continue long. In a very short time white flags fluttered above every kraal — the victory was ours." In spite of the hail of bullets through which his force advanced to the attack, De Wet says " our losses amounted to four killed and five wounded. As to the losses of the English, I myself counted 203 dead and wounded, aud there may have been many whom I did not see. In regard to our prisoners, as they marched, past me four deep I counted 817." '*-"-- p ***** * ' De Wet gave a helping hand or , took the chief part in all the imporItant reverses that befell our troops after the fall of Plomfonteih and Pretoria, and he attributes the Boer success to onr lack of knowledge in scouting. He says the British learnt tho art only during the latter part of the war, when they made use of what he calls the Boer deser tors— or "hand-uppers," the name "with 3 which they will be for ever branded before all the nations of the world.-' According to De Wet's own account it was De Wet who planned the ambush at Sauna's Post, when General !. Broadwood fell into a trap in the Koorn Spruit ravine. De Wet n gives his version of tbe affair in a plain straightforward way, of course placing the Boers in the very best and the British in the very worst light in the drama that was being enacted. 4s the outcome of the affair he says : — " Our loss was three killed and five wounded. . . I bad no time myself tc note the eneriiy*s losses, bnt from their own report it amounted to 350 dead and wounded. We captured 480 prisoners, seven guns, and 1 1-J waggons " * * * + r. With that curious desire to hide the total of losses which made it sc difficult to ascertain during the war the extent of the Boer casualties, De Wet makes Out that in spite ol Rthe British fire very few Boers were ever killed or even wounded. He treats the shelling of Boer positions by the British as pretty nmch x>f a farce. At Magersfontein "the enemy was shelling our positions unir ceasingly. Not a day passed but two of their lyddite guns dropped shells amongst us. Sometimes nut more than four or live reached us in =" 21 hours ; at other times from 50 tc 200, and once as many as 486. In spite of this, wc had but few mishaps ; indeed, I can only remember three instances of anyone being t . hurt by tbe shells," Passing to the phase of the wai wheu Boer successes became less numerous, when the British had at last "learnt the art of 6couting,'' and when the blockhouses began to restrict the ami of operations in spite oi the "slim" general's sneers afc the system, De Wet details tbe Boei* position at the end of May, 1900. While rejoicing at tbe capture of 500 Yeomanry at Lindloy, he regrets tbat many of the prisoners, instead of being sent east, were left in Pretoria, when that town fell, to be released by Lord Roberts and re-armf-d against tbe Boers. He blames tbe Transvaal Government for that circumstance. When Buller forced the Drakensbergs on June 17 panic seized the burghers. "We are uow," tiny fcaid, " surrounded on all sides. Pesistance and escape are eejually impossible for us." But they bad reckoned without tailing into account the enterprise of De Wet. As he was not immediately concerned in the fall of Pretoria, De Wet is silent concerning the events that contributed to that end. * * * * It waa not always the British and never the '''Bo"er8' r ivh'o' : ' : folUnct'' :, fche^i•' j plans " going agley," and one instance is the miscarriage of the scheme to destroy the British communications after the capture of Pretoria. De Wet says : — " If only our orders had been carried out a littlo more strictly, aod if only the most elementary rules of strategy had been observed in our efforts to break the English lines of com- j ' munication, Lord Poberts and his thousands of troops in Pretoria would have found themselves in the same plight as the Samaritans in 1 Samaria. — they would have peribhed of hunger.'' In one of their attacks upon a train orders wero given to storm, .'lirat the burghers failed to carry out tho order. " Had they £ done so," De Wet says,, "Lord I Kitchener would have fallen into ou,fe|ba*hds. ., ' Nobody Ikne^tfiaj^' 1,9 was in the train, and it was only later thjat we beard how, when the train stepped, he got a horse out Of one of the waggons, mounted » it, and disappeared into the * darkness-' of the night,*' The incident; :o*^;-L^r^ cape occurred at " Leeuwspruit '■■ Bridge. A twu had arrived from the south and the Burghers opened ' such a fierce fire upon it that it was brought to a standstill. General ■ Froneman at on**e gave orders to ' storm, but his men would not do so. [.• Had they known Lord Kitchener I was on board, the result might have ■ been different— at lea&t so J}e Wet says. Other incidents of note treated ;6f; in the book include the "famous crossing of the Magaiieeberg range under cover of tho night and within a few hundred yards of the British guns. This feat enabled Do Wet, who had been driven into the Trausvaal, to return to Orange. Oiireachr ing Orange territory, De Wet arranged his n^w plan of . campaign^ He says l-zg.. It v"wai%.v. .no^ :^th*4t^i concei ved the greal plan' of brtn gfng under arms all the burghers who had laid down their weapons and taken the oath of neutrality, and of sending them to operate in evei y part of the State." + * * * In couclusion De Wet repudiates the charge of driving cattle on to the lines of investment, and in giving details of how he broke through 60000 British troops he makes no Mela*-*' tion of cattle. He, however,. admits haying had 2000 men with him on that memorable occasion when the Seventh New Zealanders bore the brunt^ of the Boer onslaught at Bothasberg, although he erroneously statesth&fc it was Bimiijgfcoo's force; they; broke through. The account Of this affair, »a tola b^ Pe ytetyM less dramatic than the circumstancesl warranted, but there is ; a certain; degrdef of pride jespre§se<J at j^ef^; of hinr^cutting -his way through acordon of (#,OOO troops. The boot is highly entertaining throughout, and *£he reader will find the interest kept up till the finish, ....

At tbe Thealre Eoyal on Friday even- 1 ing Messrs Willou-jliby an d Geach promise tbe great farcial succes-* " ihe-j 1 Wri & ut >" b y the author of "<yk hat happened to Jones." The chief merit of this f«rcical coraody lies not ia any elaborate tangle of complications, but fo the constant succession of mirthful incidents and in the rapid interchange Of smart lines. Mr Singleton Sites, travelling ai Adolpbus Wright, is arrested on a charge of having robbed himself of 50,000 dollars, and of hariug forged his own name to hre own diaft. The robbery bas actually been committed by a clerk, who adopts the name and also the destination of Mr Sites Point Comfort, near New York. Tbe final sifcnation is that the fascinating lady detective tracks down the wrong Mr Wriiht, inspi os a seri •us paßsion at very short notice, hands lum over to the police, repents immediately afterward", and throws up her position in tbe detective force, with the prospect of a permanent matrimonial partnership with Singleton' Sites. "On and Off" will be staged on the Saturday. The bor plan is now open at Jackson's, a here soats may be secured. Tbe Nelson friends of Mr C. a. .Redgrave will be glad to hear that be has graduated .as an Associate of the Australasian association of Accountants. The I high standard required is proved by the fact that out of 14 candidates from Wellington Province only two succeeded in passing tlie examination. Mr Redgrave i3 employed in the Wellington office of Bethuno and Co., auctioneers and land agents The Japanese Government believe in the pineiple of keeping the world in- , formed as to the condition of affairs in the empire of ibe Far East, and have therefore issued a " Financial and Economical Annual/' One strikir g fact brought to light in thp publication is the i gteat increase which has taken place in the price of commodities throughout tbe ' country. For instance, in 1837 the ptice 1 of one kokn of Tice was 4.710 yen, wboreaa ' in 1900 it was 11.320 yen. Commodities , and wages are also rapidly approximating ■ .to the same standard as in ritber indnsV • : trial countries. Ono tf tbe strongest proofs of the industrial development oi I Japan is tho great improvement in the methods of communication. In 1872 i thore -were only 18 miles of railway in the country, whereas in 19000 1 thore .wero 3855 miles. 1 • A remarkable experiment to test the • relative effects of pura and adulterated foods on the human system is about to bf conducted by Dr Wiley, the chemist ol the United States Agricultural Depait- >? r merifc. Twelve-men employed in the de- > part ment will be bearded at tbo Govern- . ment's expense for six months, and will taste no food except that prepared under J Dr. Wiley's supervision. The men wil] ■ be divided into two sqoads. For twe > weeks six will lire on pure food and six j on adulterated foods containing bori< ( acid, borax, colouring matter, and othei chemicals u»ed in adalteraing Amereat - foods. At the ei;d of two weofcs the raer > will change places This alte nat. ion vi . diet will be continued during the entire t petiod of the experiment. The subject** . are all jn fine physical coudi ion. Every 1 morning they will all be weighed, their, J pulse, respiration, aud temperature wil be taken, and e yery effect of the diet ! carefully noted. Those martyrs to science all pave th it services willingly, and art delighted with the prospoct. of free board ■ for six months. No restrictions will be • impo ed on them cxco X )t tho snpervisior , of their diet, and the smokers will bo at ' 10-Afd a certain quantity cf tobacco. The renults of the experiment are to be em bodied in a report to Congress in connec ' tion with 1h« proposed Pure Food Bill. ; Forty meu («ays the Wellingfor > " Post ") are to be enfjajred immediatelj to commence the extension of tbe line oi 1 raiilway between Reefton and the Inaii' gahua Jnactiou on the co-operative prin , ciplo. Eighty men registered applica tints foi employment. This (remarks an . other exchange) is startling. When a ema 1 mining centre like .Reef ion can rol; i up eighty unemployed at a moment' 1 notice, it mak- s one reflect and wondei ■ how many unemployed tbe whole colony would produce at a pinch, Th- usands of dead trout were recentls found on the banks of several Mawke's i Bay streams after a heavy flood. The Maoris believe the mortality was caused through decomposed vegetable matter polluting tho water. On Thursday nex^,'at ll a.m , Messrs W. Rout and Sons will sell piano and f urnishings on behalf Mrs H, R. Bell, at her residence, Trafalgar-street South and during February tbe firm will conduct live slock sales afc Thorpe, Motueka Valley, and Foxhill. On Saturday next Mr W. Lock will sell on account of the Public Trustee, personal effects in the estate of John Frew, deceased ; also land and dwelling* in Waimea-street belonging to Mrs ailing ton. Mr Fist's sale is postponed till Tnesday week. Messr3 Bisley Bros. & Co. will sell at their yards, Richmond, on Wednesday next, a special line of milch cows, heifers, and ft ra cattle; on Saturday next, Osborne binders, stationery, furnishings, &.C. Full particulars will be found inthe auctioneers* advertising columns, also dates and particulars of forthcoming live stock sales. The JJel&on people will -shortly be ailed on lo decide upon a drainage scheme and it will be necessary hat a good one i chosen. Mrs Timkins sayß she is hot in favour of the .Friendly -or any Microbe or Skeptic tank system that empties its fluence on tho mud flat, while Mrs Gherkin says ebe is not in any scheme which, is costly and does not use tbe present sewers and connections, and Bob is agin paying more rates. But everyone agrees that Lock, the Universal Provider and Cheapest Honse Furnisher, is still sell ins hi3 great stock of new and stylish goods at low prices mnch lower than so called clearing or stock-taking sales. -Mr Lock se]lse.TO*ything recj[uired to make the home cosy. He sells for cash or on bis liberal Easy Payment system. No home is complete without one of Look's Go Carts or Atlas Sewing Machines.— Ad vt. Delicious butter— first grade. Ask for the Victory Buttkr, made?by the Nejspb ea ooerative Dairy Company Ltd. Brighttf-atf r,- A^v£. . iV _,. . rj ... ,,. xc Goleleii tipped Kozie at 2s (id is the most delicions Tea ever offered to the New Zealaud public, and will be greatly pprseciated by connoisseurs. R. Snodgras, Ag'nt.--Advt. English Furniture.— Wo have just landed a large shipment of Duchess pairs, marble top washstands, new designs, which we are clearing at £1 17s o'd per pair. Bisley Bros & 00. — Advt. ..Becejved a large shipment of Linoleums ex Niwaru from Lond n. Splendid ;;gu-»U{°y g,nd patter us in 3, 6, 9, 10ft Oin and tjjfeet widtlis fit greatly reduced prices foratdays. BMey Bros. & Co.- Advt. Carpets, Bugs, and Mats.— During our stock-taking sale' we are making substantial reductions. Our stock ik new and designs ozoollent. Bisley* Bro.s. <!t Co.— Adtrt. Special Price:— ls Lilies' l»o Roy Bicycles, assorted colours, with brakes and sundries, for 21 days, 48 17b tjl. Bisley Bros. & Co. -Advt. / ,JCp boye-fs of' Furnituto, Carpet", and ?^|^uhf^V~ , 'Dnring our stock-taking sale we are waking bis; reductions in all de-partinenfs. Bee prices on each article. Bisley Bros, and Co,— -Advl, K«zie Tea contains only the finest leaves of undoubted quality, and no common or exhaubted leaveß. — R. Snodgrass, Agent - Advt. [ House, Fabm and Station RjrsejuisiTi-s The recent extensive alterations in Messrs Bisley Bros, and Co.'s premises enables them to cany larger stocks of groceries, hardware, and produce, which they are now offering to thb public "at wholesale bates. Parcels delivered to any part of the Citv. Railway ; Station or Port. S locks include 500 bags AI siigar ftt 7s 6d ■?&■' : 4^X.:\^£i^XCtyMi teas in 51b; XQ^r-and 201b tins and 601b . chests yfy<nn Is 8d per lb Price's c'isj^em^X candles . .--from-"..: 6sLi. oatme^ ? coffee, etc. < Erodaoe*-rbra"o, pollard, chaff, barley, pottrtoes, g|-»'*-B-Beeas. i£feo*f£oJr riBM'AHp uijJnoj, Cs-f^feMng -wire;; wipe netting from<Bs felfe.^ n^s^EnqUire Gkocbbt Departmentßjßley Bros. . & €!&, Hw-dynriMet, Nelson. —Advt, --,- ;.. r ..^ : .„ Kozja Tea-^he enopuous salea testify 6 its real worth. Ask onr .'ji.gent, Mr B t ■Snodgraps for it.— Advt. ' I . '* (j