HE CAUGHT IT TOO!

Pukekohe & Waiuku Times, Volume 3, Issue 261, 31 December 1914, Page 2 (Supplement)

HE CAUGHT IT TOO!

Lord Kitchener tells the following story of the South African War. On one occasion General Botha scored off him rather neatly. While terms of peace wj?ro being discussed there acre several interviews between the two loaders before a working basis for a treaty was agn e<l upon. There was -till a goou dial ot skirmishing going on. and at the (lid of one interview General Botha got up with the remark "Well. I'm arrail I must be off." ''There's no hurry," replied Lord Kitchener, pleasantly; "you haven't got to citch a train, you know!'' General Botha laughed. "Perhaps not." he answered "but I must go now." B'dding L-ird Kitelteror good-bye. ho hurried off. Next morning came the news of a suc-ce-'i'ul Boer raid on a British armoured tra'n on the Delagoa line. "Ah!" Lord Kitchener eommontrd when the news was brought to him. "so General Botha did catch his train?"

GERMAN «PIES. Some peculiar storie? are told ef Cor man residents in the French towns, who after mobilisation, marched with the invading army through ihe districts in which thev formerly lived.

It is said that when the Germans intend Arras three officers made their way to an hotel and ordered lunch. One of the German* remarked that no sc-iv-'•'ttes were provided, so he called for the manager and asked him to rectify the onrission. The manager said be was sorrv. but he had not one in the hotel. "Why that's nonsense." said the officer. "I sold you six iloz>«n a month ago!"

i .screaming directly ovorjny head, had; popped, as eas'ly as yorf would throw j a stone through'a gla.vs window. 1 did [ not linger at the time to see what had happened, but evidently not only this but also several other shells had struck the same spot. The house, with at lea<st one adjoining it, was completely destroyed. You will find similar sights all through Berchem. sometimes single houses, sometimes blocks of half a dozen or more, sometimes the whole facade ripped off. leaving floors hanging with curtains, bed*, and occasional bits ol furniture still perched ju.st as they were. To tlte right, as far as the Avenue Cogels—a rather ornate residence street. reminding one of a Muclia postcard—this heavy lire was carried, and lor a quarter of a niile or so to the lett scarceIl v a block escaped. j " There was one house m the Boulevard Leopold which gave a startling picture of the destructive force of shell fire on such comparatively flimsy stuff a.s the I average city house. The houses in this I polikMicigh'bourhood are solid four-story stone buildings, severe in front, with winsome little walled gardens m the rear, with ]>oplar trees, grass, flowers, and exploded apparently in tho second story. The stairway, a bathroom, atm a little studio were the only things left intact. Such walls as were not smashed wer 0 punctured and gashed by fragments of shell. The whole building was an uncomfortable suggestion to anyone who fancied during the bombardment that.in the lower story of a house he was fairly safe. Kven an ordinary garden wall "suggested safety then, yet a brick wall, as one can see in countless place**, offered about as much resistance as tissue paper. That more were not kilhd —the number is thought to be not above thirty—was because most of the people had left the eastern part of the city, and those who stayed behind were hiding in tel- '. lars, wh'cb frequently in Antwerp have heavy arched concrete roof-. ' Tho material damage is estimated by tho Belgian municipal authorities at C? 000.000. Tliev think that about 300 buildings, most of them clwcllinz-houscs. were destroyed outright nnd 500 others more or less injured. My own impre- " s'on— only an impression—is that bOfl I is rather above than below the number

a.s possible. If the butchers, bakers, and candlestick makers had not resumed' their work within twelve days, indeed, «<ieps might he taken to compel thoni to do so. This proclainatirin, which was countersigned by saying that no one was asked to renounce his allegiance. which was a citizen's dearest possession in good tunes or bad. but that it, was necessary tor the town and the |MM»p|e to jeMinie their normal life a» .soon n s jxissiblo. If the butchers, bakers and candle•stick makers had not resumed their work within twelve days, indeed, ste,,,. might he taken to cuinpel them to o-r *>. Ibis proclamation, which was countersigned by the municipal authorities, concluded by Baying that no one w..s a>ked to renounce his allegiance, which wn s a citizen's possession in good tinns or bad. but that it was necessary fo rthetownandtlk people to resume their normal He as soon as passible. Another placard quoted an order of tho day issued to the Helgian Army several weeks ago. in which it was stated that Helgian soldiers captured bv the Hermans would be forced to fight the Russians in tho East. The placard denied tins emphatieallv and stated tha: none but German citizens could be p.<rnutted to serve in the German Araiv.

ENTRIES PLAY WITH CHILDREN

With the exception of m Vv squad, ,-.( marine* and landstunn troops and a mounted patrol now and then passing through the streets there were few German soldim in bight. Moot of them seemed to be of middle age— although possibly tho beards which had been Jeli uncut since the k'giuniiig of the war added to this iiiipro-siou-and of p-ace-lul not to say benevolent, mien. One saw sentries near the torts playing with Helgian children, and once toward sundown near one of the southern gate* n company of trench-diggers criiic »w ingnig m from their work, shovels ovei their -shoulders, and all singing a. s if they were on a picnic. They were too far away for m<> to catch theVords, but the tune wa s that of •'John Brow,is Body," and as they disappeared round the corner they sent roaring buck through the twilight the refrain of Glory glory, hallelujah, His soul goes inarching on. A legation secretary had assured u» that it would probably be impossible to get into Antwerp. A consular agent whom we met in Holland warned tie tu tear up everything that would remote y suggest we were correspondents, e'se the Gerniaus would ccitanily put us under arrest and keep us in gaol lor weeks. As a matter of fact, we did not even show a passport, but merely drifted in with the rest of the returning Anvor«oises, whom the German Mily perfunctorily glanced at as thcvK'nie'-'il the town. Indeed, the simpl l minded Helgian porter who was carrying our luggage, holding up his own passport, shouted out in German with a jerk ol bis head at list and the air of one frn-fld" speaking to another the startling words. "Two Englishmen!" Even this did n.ii stir the German s ntry from his placid guid-humour. EASY-GOING ARMED (AMI*. For a time. a« T passed the German officer*, who were plentiful nlong the Avenue do Knyser and the Flace do Meir, I stepped soinewhal a s one walking on thin ice, not pausing long enough in any one place lor one's. idciuhy. mi to speak, to sink in. Gradually I '><?- came aware tliat not only was I not being closely observed, but apparently not being observed at all. 1 dined in several of tlie restaurants, always Willi German nffiivrs near by. and once two were eating at a table touching our.*, while ono of our party, who had lived long in Antwerp and felt the fall ol the city keenly, talked in English of the bombardment with no attempt to conceal his feelings. ,So far :k ditiu'iing these officers was concerned or arousing t'oeir curiosity.' he might, apparently, have lnH'ii the paper on the wall. T tramped all over Antwerp and not once was asked for papers or noticed in .my way by the Germans, except once near the Malines Gate, when 1 started to lift an unexploded shell, about a foot ant a half long, to see how heavy it was. and a German sentry about a hundred yards away en led out something and shook ,r s head. When I left Antwerp my papers were asked for. but although they had not been vised the sentry merely glanced at the American pas-port and Jet me i>nss.

After this (txperienco in what, wn» vh inally an armed camp, it wa« somcwhat- surprising at Folkestone to s ce ar. American pa.v-poit. several consular passport issued by differ, nt Anmiioau Consuls mi consular paper and Mauipcu with the consular seal, a French "laissoz pn-scr" and "*auf eonduii'' and various other credentials swept aside as of nn roii-oqiicnce; to bo rushed off in charge of a constable to a private room, crossexamined I'.v three plain-clothes men. and liave all one's baggage searched, let tors and papers read. I do not mention this episode in any serine of criticism—.in American ulio chooses to wander abroad at a time like this would be the bi't to question any measures lor restricting immigration found necessary by tin- combatant ---the *e,t! of these officers was an admirable example of tintenacity witJi wli'cb (lie Itritisli niind. once it lias grasped an idea, pursues it to Ibe bitter end-lint the contrast «•«« quaint and interesting nevertheless.