Romance of The Bull= finch.

Horowhenua Chronicle, 11 January 1911, Page 4

Romance of The Bull= finch.

BOER WHO BECAME RHODES

SCHOLAR

A remarkable story conies from tho Bullfinch. in the last copy of the Bullfinch Miner to arrive in Sydney appears an account of a meeting of two men who had previously encountered one another as onemies on the field of I lie •Miner thus describes the incident:

"On Saturday, the 2(ltli ult., outside -joe "Walsh's store, two young men who had come to the M' inch to try their luck were .standing and having a conversation regarding the possibilities of our field, the same time were eyeing cac-fi other critically and cogitating where tli-ey had seen each other before. The conversation drifted round to the various parts they had been. "One of them mentioned that he was an Africander, and fought on the side of the .Boers during the war. It was then that the other remembered where he had seen hi' newlv-made chum.

"It appeared that the Africa tide; and the other, a 'Taffy.' Lie welly Wiliams, were in the. same light when the Afridander was captured He was a despatch rider to Genera! De la Rey. who was recognised a one of the only Boer generals who : ould give the British a run for their money. Mew. A\ illiains served in Remington's Guides, afterwards named Damant's Horse, when Colonel Damant, of the Kimberle.v (S.A.) Detective Force, took command. Mince the war "Williams lias •been in Canada, U.S.A. and -Mexico. He "had only been out from England about four months.

"They are now camping together, and a better* pair of mates could not be met on the field. The Africander, who is at present working at. the 'Finch, escaped from eapt-iv-itv when the 'Tigers' .snaffled him. He has also been wounded by an assegai at the timo of Dinizulu and Bambaata's rebellion in Natal. Tie has won a Rhodes Scholarship, and is said to be a devotee of nearly evorv athletic sport. "Williams is a motor mechanic, and is following' his trade here. He is an accomplished linguist, sneaking four different languages. Ho was seriously wounded at Tafel Kop battle, where the liners were victorious. The squadron in which he was serving was ambushed, and lost 75 inon in 20 minutes."