SIDE LIGHTS ON WAR.

Taranaki Herald, Volume XLIX, Issue 11818, 16 November 1901, Page 3 (Supplement)

SIDE LIGHTS ON WAR.

Tl/fc MOST UEADLY FOES.

| According to the Spanish journal, I "El Impartial," tbe following are the I statistics of the death of Spanish soldiers in Coba: — ' Killed in battle 2,355 Died after from wounds ... 1,391 Died of Yellow Fever ... 20,629 Died of other causes, and especially from hunger ... 30,120 Missing ... ... ••• 74 Total 54,569 IN A FREE LIBRARY. The following anecdote is from the Academy :—: — The nevpsrooui was very full. • Workpeople curtailed their dinner hour, and even children going home from school looked in to see the late3t telegrams. Presently in came a, small boy in sailor suit and iuoffin cap, set welt back on his head ; so small was he , that any attempt to read the newspapers on thehigb. wooden stools was out of the question. He pattßed in the centre of, tbe room eagerly scanning the faces of; tbe many readers as though trying to solve a iifibiilt problem^ Presently he trotted up to a tall man ahsorbsd in the war teleglamt. The cbild pulled the man by the coat ; then in a high whisper, c Will you lift me a\) 1 I wants to see the list for mother.' Every head was turned. The concentrated gaze of all the readers focussed on the tall conn as be lifted tbe lad in bis arms. The chiM evidently could read, for his quick liyrht eyes followed his etubby forefinger line tor line down tbe loug broken coluains of names. We all watchei bim breathlessly. The finger was lifted. He gave a little wriggle in the tall n>an's arms, exclaiming joyfally, ' No, 'c ain't there,' and we felt that ' 'a ' belonged to every one of us. ' Mother won't never buy no paper till I bin and loofcjed, fer fear 'er' should see it s= udden like. Thank yoa sir.' The tall man pat the child down very gently. OKE TOrCH OF HATUBE. A Lidypuiith nurse, writing on 26th October to London said : • A touching little scene bappened yesterday. One of the Gordons had his arm amputated; a Boer in the uext bed had his arm ams pntated in exactly the same place I took charge of the latter as he was brought from the theatre, and on bis becoming conscious the two poor fellows eyed each other very much, until the good-natured Tommy could stand it no longer. ' $ister/ he called, f give him two cigarettes oat of my box. Here's ■ a match ; light cVne fer him, and tell him \ I sent them.' T took the cigarettes and ! message to the Boer, and he turned and i looked at Tommy in amazement,, and then qnite overcome, burst into tears and Tommy did the same, and I am afraid 1 was on the point of joiniug in the : chorus, bafc time would not permit." " IX DBATII THEY WERE NOT DIVIDED." A pathetic incident at Elands Laagte> is described (says the Daily Mail) in a latter from one or the bearer company : • We were oat looking for tbe wounded at night when tbe fight was over, When I came across an old white-bearded-B^er. He was lying behind a bit of a rock supporting himself on his elbow. I was a bit wary of the fellow at first, but wh p n I got nearer I saw that he was «.ro far gone io raise bis rifle. He was traspin^ harti for breath, and I saw he „H9 not loug f<>r this world. He motioned to me that he wanted to speak ! a..d I bent over him. He asked me to !go and find hie son, a boy of 13 summers, who was fighting by his side wben he fell. ' Well, I did as be asked me, and under a heap of wounded I found the poor lad, stone dead, and I carried him back to his father. Well, you know I'm not a chick«n-hearted sort of a fellow. I have seen a bit of fighting in my time, and that sort of a 1 thing knocks aII the out of a chap. ' But 1 had to turn away when that old Boer saw his dead lad, He huerged the body to liiiu and moaned ovor it, and carried on in a way that fetched a big lamp hi my fhront. Until that very (Moment I. ao v er thought how terrible war is. T never wanted to see another

shot fired. And when I looked , around again the old Boer was dead, clasping the cold hand of his dead boy.