CAPTAIN HALSEY.

Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1722, 12 April 1913, Page 14

CAPTAIN HALSEY.

STIRRING PAGE IN HIS LIFE

Tho following brilliant article by tho late Mr. W. G. Steevens, war coi - - rcspondent, gives a graphic idea of tho days when Captain Ilalsey, now commanding 11.M.5. New Zealand, served as officer commanding one of tlio redoubts at Ladysmith "There goes that stinker on Gun Hill," said tlio captain. "No, don't get up; havo some draught beer." I'did have sOmo draught beer. "Wait and seo if ho fires again. If lie does we'll go up,into tho conning-tower, and have botli guns in action toge " Boom 1 Tho captain picked up his stick. "Como oiie," he said. Wo got up out of tho rocking chairs, and went out past the swinging Aeat6afe, under the big canvas of tho wardroom, with its tabic piled witli stutf to read. Trust tho sailor to make himself at home. As wc passed through tho camp tho bluejackcts roso to a man and lined up trimly on cither side. Trust the sailor to keep his self-respect, even, in fivo weeks' beleaguered Ladysmitli. Up a knee-lposeuing ladder of rock, and wo came out on to tho green hill-top, 'ivkero tliey first had their camp. Among tho orderly trenches, the sites of tho deported tents, wero rougher irregular blotches of hole—footprints of shell. ; "That giinner," said the captain,' waving his stick at Surprise Hill, "is a German. Nobody but a German atheist would have fired on us at breakfast, lunch, and dinner the samo Sunday. It got <too hot, when he put one ten yards from tho cook. Anybody else wo could have spared; then wo had to go." Wo come towliat looks. liko a sandbag redoubt, but in tho eyes of heaven is a ■oraining-tower. On either side, from behind a sandbag epaulment, a 12-pounder and a Maxim thrust fortli vigilant eyes. . The sandbag plating of tho conning-tower was six feet thick and 6houlder-hijjh; tho rivets were red earth, loose but binding; on the parapets sprouted tufts of grass, unabashed and rejoicing in tlio summer weather. Against the parapet learned a couple of men with tlio clean-cut, cleanshaven jaw and chin of the naval officer, and half a dozen bearded bluejackets. They stared hard out of sun-puckered eyes over tho billows of lropjo and veldt. Forward ,we looked down on the ono 4.7; aft we looked up to tho other. On bow and beam and quarter wo looked >out to the enemy's fleet. Deserted Pepworth's was on the port-bow, Gun Hill, under Lombard's Kop, on tho starboard, liulwan abeam, Middle Hill astern, Surpriso Hill on tho port-quarter. Eve 17 outline was cut in adamant. The Helpmakaar Ridge, with its little black ants a-crawl on their hill, was crushed flat benea,th us. A couple of vedettes racing over the polo green plain northward looked as if H-o could jump on to their heads. Wo could have tossed a biscuit over to Lombard's Kop. Tho great yellow emplacement of their fourth big piece on, Gun Hill stood up liko a. Spithead Tort. Through the big telescope that swings on its pivot in tho centre of tho tower you could see that: the Boers were loafing round it dressed in dirty mustard-colour. "Left-hand Gun Hill fired, sir," said a

tlio enemy is plugging shell Into you and! • ycu can't possibly plug back. Even though they spared their shell, it mado nil tlio world of difference to know that tho sailors could reach tho big guns if they ever became unbearable. It makes all tho difference to tho Boers, too, I suspoet; for ns sure as Lady Anno or Bloody Mary gets on to them they shut up in a round or two. To have tho very men among you makes tho difference between rain-waver and brine. Tlio other day they 6ent a 12-pounder 11 ]> to Caesar's Cainp under a boy who, if lie wore not commanding big men round a big gun in a big war, might with lucl be in the fifth form. "There's a 91-pounder up there," said a high officer, who might just have been his grandfather. "All right, sir,"'said tho child serenely) "we'll knock him out.'-' i Fivo bells! 1 ' Tho rock-rending double bans' floats over you unheard; the hot iron hills 6wim away. Five bells—and you are 011 deck, swishing through cool blue water among whiteclad ladies in long chairs, going home. 0 Lord, how long? But tlio 6ailors have not seen home for two years, which is two less than their ■usual spell. This is their holiday. "Of course, we enjoy it," they say, almost apologising for saving us; "wo so seldom get a chance." Tho Royal Navy is tlio salt of tho sea and the salt of tho earth also. And "Mister" Ilalsey is ono grain of them.