War Items.

Manawatu Herald, 15 March 1900, Page 2

War Items.

(From Cape papers.) News from Kimberley of 10th January says, "eggs are a shilling apiece, and horseflesh, of which there is an unlimited supply, is now served daily at all the camps." Fortunately that period is now passed. The De Beers Company on the same date were brewing Kaffir beer ! One Boer evidently had had enough on the 23rd January, as it is reported that a letter found on a Boer despatch rider, who was captured "on Sunday, says : " I am very glad at being transferred here from tho Modder, because while we were still at the intermediate the big guns of the British shot right where they never shot before. You should have seen our people run. I was busy with my sweet mealie pup, but hacn* to leave everything behind and run. Tt is better here."

News of 28rd January from Durban affords another glimpse of the outrageous conduct of the Boera. The report states, " The Hawarden Castle arrived to-day with fifty-seveA, refugees from Delagoa, including twenty-two Dundee and Newcastle oeople released from Pretoria prison. One is the old Postmaster at Rorke^v Drift, over seventy years of age^ wW" il though his old wife had fainted, ;vas dragged away, not even allowed *;o take any clothes or any supplies, md was penniless." ;

The love between the Free Staters md the Transvallers is also noted in Ourban as early as 26th of January. in the war it was stated as a p act that President Steyn had be■ome very unpopular in both Republics. Some time since he virtutook up his residence at Pretoria. Last week he paid a visit to Johannesburg, which he tried to 'teep secret, but he was recognised, md actually hooted when leaving a friend's house. The recent change of feeling is said to be due to a growing feeling that he has sold the

'?ree State. It is also stated that, ••eceni actions of the Transvaal are •igendering a bad feeling between the Republics.

The wife of a member of the Natal Assembly contributes to •V Times of Natal a heartrending escription of the farm at Enners- „,. 'ale after the Boers had left it. She ;ays the contents of the house were ■vn ashed to. atoms and distributed broadcast across the veldt. The liningroom was used for stabling Worses and cattle. The walls were . torn and smeared, v Upon one of the walls was written the name of J. Poure, by the side of which had been scratched with a nail " Damn England." Nothing was left untouched, even the oven in the kitcheii haying been smashed. Fowls had been shot, and a heap of turkeys, aboutfV sixty, were found dead. Bibles and hymn books were torn, and their leaves thrown about. There is an amusing story of the claiming of a Boer gun at Elandslaagte The first to reach it was a sergeant of the Gordons, and he claimed the gun, placing his sword in the muzzle as a sign of ownership. He turned his attention to something else, and a minute later' a lieutenant of the Devons rushed up exclaiming, " This gun belongs to the Devons." "It does neathing of the kind," came from an angry and kilted figure not far off, " she's my j*un." " Your gun !" exclaimed the lieutenant, " I reached it first." " You are a liar, and I am sorry to say it," was the excited reply. " But I was first, and there's ma sword in the gun's mooth, man." The Diggers' News relates what it calls an amusing story from Bloem- ' fontein. Boer families are allowed to .occupy empty houses, rent free, and the owners dare not make any

objection. In one case a Boer woman, who was. living in a house on these easy terms, went to a gentleman and asked him if he was the owner of the house. He admitted the soft impeachment, whereupon she informed him that the windows wanted some panes of glass, and told him he had better get it done as soon as possible, as well as sundry other repairs she mentioned. When he recovered from his stupefaction his reply was more . forcible than polite.