Two Good Stories.

Manawatu Herald, 10 April 1902, Page 3

Two Good Stories.

Two lovely stories which are told in England (writes the Post’s London correspondent) of a certain general, whom I prefer to designate simply as general Z—. He is famed for the richness and earnestness of his vocabulary. Daring the advance on Pretoria the officer commanding saw a solitary horseman riding about under a heavy fire, and sent an orderly with the pithy instruction — “ Tell that fool to get under cover unless he wishes to ba shot.” When the orderly returned be informed‘the commanding officer that the said horseman was General Z—. “ Dear me,” exclaimed the commanding officer, who is noted for his politeness, “ I hope General Z— was not much offended.” “ Well, sir, said the orderly, grinning, “ he told me to go to , that is, I mean,_ he said, you were a—well, the fact is I could not have said it better myself!” In the other case, a colonial officer had arrived in camp, and should have reported himself to General Z—, or else to his staff-officer—a not-good looking man of morose manners, or to the A.D.O.—a gilded youth with an eyeglass and a vacant stare. The general happened to fall in with the new arrival, and at once demanded why he had not reported himself. “ I did,” was the reply ; “ you were out, but I saw two officers.” “ Who were they ?” “ I don’t know.” “ Describe them.” “Well,” said the colonial captain, “ one was an uglylooking devil with a beastly temper.” “ Good,” exclaimed General Z—, delighted, “that’s my staff-officer exactly.” “ The other,” pursued the colonial, “ was a silly ass of a chap with an eyeglass.” “ Eight you are, my boy,” shouted the general, enthusiastically, “ the idiot’s my A.D.O. You’ve got ’em both exactly. Sorry to have troubled you !”