MAIL NEWS

Otago Daily Times, Issue 11598, 5 December 1899, Page 5

MAIL NEWS

THE TREACHEROUS USE OF THE WHITE FLAG.

DUM-DUM BULLETS

BOER DISLIKE OF TIIE BAYONETS. SYDNEY, December 4. The Sydney Morning Herald's special war correspondent,- referring to Boer treachery, stiys that, the white flag lias been" used treacherously time after time, but that, unless their arms, are also thrown down when the flag is hoisted in future, he believes it will have no vhtue. It is doubtful whether the"" commanders have anything to do with these tactics, as where men are in a fix they are singularly apt to act on individual impulse when finding themselves in a tight corner. While the wounded were being attended to/ in the later fights a burgher from Pretoria deliberately aimed-at an English: doctor with his revolver. "Look out," shouted one of the escort, as he immediately - shot the, Boer, through the leg, whilst another infantry man clubbed him with his rifle.

One doctor stated that he had extracted at least a dozen expanding bullets from the wounded British. The^e had spread, m some cases, an inch .and a-half, making a ghastly wound. The bullets were sent to General While as a proof of what the enemy were using. The British, on the other hand, are exclusively using the nickel-plated bullets, which do not expand. ' ■ , : '.

Some of the Boer wounded insist that itis cruel to use the bayonet;.1 One of theni said: "It is murder, and'not fair fighting." In no part of the world, I suppose, adds the correspondent, is there a fighting force so indifferent to the bullet, yet with such a horror of steel. Examples of individual disregard of death multiply1 With' the campaign. One bent old Boer'was found mutilated by a splinter from a shrapnel shell. He had lain for a couple of days undiscovered. His pipe, tobacco, and matches lay beside him, showing that he had smoked like-a philosopher of heroic mould while his life ebbed away.

The writer states that it is impossible to over-estimate the moral effect of the capture of Cartoon's columns upon the Boers, as it amply counter-balanced the victories of. Dundee and Elandslaagte, and will further strengthen the enemy's arrogant

assumption,

THE BOMBARDMENT OF LADY-

SMITH,

In describing the opening of the bombardment of Ladysmith he states that there was screaming in the Kaffirs' camp and an outpouring of the blacks, as when one steps upon an anthill, but they very soon got used to it, and realised that the bark <f "Long Tom," the Boers' -heavy gun, was infinitely worse I;han his !bite. One man was hit on the hand-and another on the leg, but neither was seriously hurt, and a mule lost its tail. One would like to know actually what it cost the enemy in gun reliefs to wound two camp followers and maim a mule. "Long Tom," however, did not do so much damage as was expected, some of his shells burying themselves without bursting. Two guns from the warship Powerful at last got to work upon him.' The. onlookers upon the heights waited anxiously, but.Both, shells were short. The next pair appeared to burst right on the Boers. A big crowd of. townspeople, who had been crouching behind the rocks, waiting in fevered eagerness to see the Boer gun silenced, sprang to their feet and swung their hats and yelled exultingly. Long Tom's measure had been taken at last. Once he threw a shell at the naval guns, and in half an hour they had fired more rounds into him\than he got off since he started, and for the rest of the day he spoke no more.