IN THE BOER RANKS.

New Zealand Times, Volume LXXI, Issue 4383, 14 June 1901, Page 2

IN THE BOER RANKS.

AN AUSTRIAN OFFICER’S VIEWS OF THE WAR. “Never has a war been fought in so civilisod a manner. English politics may be false, hut the English soldiery is absolutely honest and brave.” So writes, in "My Experiences of the Boer War,” Count Sternberg, an Austrian officer, a friend of Yillebois, who fought side by side with Cronje and De Wet, who saw the struggle beween Hoer and Briton with liis 'own eyes. Count Sternberg Is a fire-eater; he is like the mediaeval free-lance, and loves fighting for its own sake. There is something fascinating about war, he says, and when the trouble in South Africa began he first offered his sword to the English. Failing in Loudon he went to Brussels and interviewed Dr Leyds, although he wrote 'at the time;—“There can be no doubt mat England was long-suffering and that as far as this war was concerned she was justified in tfie eyes’of God and man;” and again, “The Boer Government was the worst Government in the world, and I, an Austrian, "say it.” While in London ’Count Sternberg, who knew South Africa, expressed the belief that at least 150.000 men would be necessary do bring the war to a successful issue,” and “became in consequence an object of ridicule eand pity.” Leyds. “a handsome, serious man. •speaking all languages with exceptional facility,” refused the Count a commission, “as the Boers only "obey their own leaders,” but allowed him. to 'go out as a newspapeer correspondent. LORD KITCHENER. Count Sternberg set out for Delagoa Bay, via me Suez Canal, and, making a short stay at Cairo, met Lord Kitchener, mere is ins pen picture; “One cannot help being struck by his imposing presence. He has a Bismarckiau head, with a lion’s mane, and one cannot deny that he has manly beauty. Ho is by no means popular His stern manner and his severity do not command the sympathy of the English Army. He is a remarkable man, very brusque, aud not fond of society.” Later in the book Count Sternberg writes; —“The former Sifdar of Egypt is, without doubt, the nitost talented English general, and jiossesses all the 'qualities of a great leader.” Count Sternberg himself appears to be'a very typical irresponsible soldier. He left Cairo by train for Port Said, and ho writes: ‘ “I got into the train, which was full e£ people—several English officers, coolies, functionaries, and two Turkish women. I stopped in the -neighbourhood of the latter, and climbing into the next coupe, which was connected by a gangway with the compartment “they occupied, attemfifed, in all "simplicity, to approach them. My efforts, however, were greeted with base ingratitude, and the old one poured on me a torrent of "what was probably coarse Arabic abuse!” To such a man a good many of the habits of Ills brother Boer'did not particularly appeal. He did not apparently much care for their coffee, and continually laments the difficulty of getting “more congenial drink. On “one occasion he had ordered some lager beer to be sent him, and this, he says, was intercepted and drunk by the doctors of the German ambulance. “It was a severe blow to me—real dark'Munich beer at five shillings a bottle, and there were to have been seventy-two.” And again:—“Herr Engelberts, a young Hollander, broke in with the cheering intelligence that .... since yesterday beer and whisky were procurable at the hotel at "Jacobsdal. My only reply was 'Joseph, saddle my horse.’ ” * On the ship during the journey home the Count says:—“l ate and drank ‘as much as I could to make up for the privations I had undergone.” * REITE AND KRUGER. At Pretoria Count Sternberg met Reitz. “He was one of the most honourable men on God’s earth, full of disinterested, fiery zeal, and certainly the greatest fanatic in the “country. Uniform, order, and discip- ' line were abominations in his eyes. Such a real Puritan one but rarely comes across.” “He “worked without ceasing, writing and arranging everything himself, and consequently some of the most important matters were very much at sixes and sevens. His iueas of the resources of England were too funny for words. He'had no conception of the forces which could be brought to bear by such a rich and powerful country, while his confidence in the success of the Boers bordered on the ridiculous." The personal description of Kruger is familiar. Of his government the Count says:—“Kruger is not a "President according to the real meaning of the word. He is a dictator. You will ask what Was the source of "Kruger’s power, and I believe that I have found the answer. The Government—which in this case was the President —had the disposal of a large mu inter of farms, the property of the State, which were leased gratis to burghers who had no property., ... It is conceivable that the fathers of families would ingratiate themselves with those in power in order to provide for their “offspring.” Steyn, he says, “was a model of sincerity and candour.” "De la Bey was a big “and dignified man with a splendid profile and an aristocratic hooked nose. He had ’a long grey beard, which gave him the look rather of a prophet than a general.” De'Wet, the most successful of them all, "was a small, modest sort of man, with something humble about him.” “Albrecht’s “bearing was dignified and selfcontained.” and he, like all the foreign mercenaries Count Sternberg met, bad "the greatest “contempt for the military virtues of the Boers.” “Cronje ‘gave me the impression of having more heart than mind. His vanity was visible in his eyes. He hated the English with his whole heart "and soul, and despised their mode of warfare: the Englishman to him was the incarnation of the most “horrible vices.” It is to be hoped that his stay in St Helena has caused the old Boer general to alter his views. VILEEBOIS. “Villebois was a splendid fellow, with a real Freiicn humour, and saw tno amusing side of everytlnng. me could not underscand the uoers at all. As an old soldier, their doings were incomprehensible to mm, ana their successes still more so. in his opinion, Botha was the most callable general, and he thought litue ol Joubert. “Villebois was loud in his praise of the English soldiers, and especially 01 encourage of-the English artillery. He did not like the English; he always said that they were greater enemies ot tne 1 reach than the Prussians, but he did not deny that they were ihrst-class soldiers. Count Sternberg gives the numbers of the enemy, not including the colonial rebels, as not exceeding 35,1i00 men. The Boers managed wonderfully well ’in the matter of ammunition supply, for theoretically there was no sort of organisation. The reason -why they never suffered ti-oin want of ammunition was that every one carried 300 cartridges on him, and never shot at random. The reason why Steyn joined hands with Kruger was, according to our author, that “the Free-Staters were poor; they could barely maintain their fiscal existence, and their first object was the annexation of the diamond fields." ‘ Ut the Boer rank and file Count Sternberg thinks highly. “People think at home that these Boers are half savages. I can only say that they are far more civilised than our peasants. The Boers are a proud, well-bred people with aristocratic instincts.” Count Sternberg was at the siege of Kimberley and afterwards at Paardeberg. H e seems to have -understood Lord Roberts’s strategy and have tried vainly to persuade Cronje that a turning movement was intended. He was captured two or three days before the finalLattle, and released on his undertaking to leave the country. THE ENGLISH ARMY. In passage after passage he extols “the valour and stubbornness of the British soldier. and he has plenty of praise too “for the British officer. ■The following passage may be taken 'as his conclusion: —"No Continental array

would have done better than the English with the same or even ‘greater numbers, and I personally doubt if, as regards practical equipment, technical smartness and readiness a Continental army would hw* done so well.”