WHAT A WAR CORRESPONDENT HAS TO DO.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LI, Issue 324, 16 January 1909, Page 4

WHAT A WAR CORRESPONDENT HAS TO DO.

'Jlii. -MELTO.N i'liloß CIIAL'S ABOUT | HIS EXPEIUE.NCES. Some time ago, when the trouble in the -Near East had reached an acute stage, a representative of Tit-Hits ran up against .Mr. .Mellon L'riur, the famous war artist and correspondent, in the .Strand, Loudon, and Under the shadow of the line old church of St. Clement Danes the following conversation ensued:—

The T.-li. man: "Oil to Bulgaria and Turkeyr" .Mr.' Prior (laughingly): ".Not this lime. In the first place' I don't believe a shot will lie lired. and, secondly, 1 inn getting a little too old for European campaigns. Tins entail a tremendous lot of 'Hustling' nowadays ill order to gel. ' live ' sketches and copy. The lights are conducted at such long' rangi —oit.'.i six anil seven miles—and I lie movements are carried out with such rapidity that a man requires a very good pair of legs and sirong constitution to keep up with the line of lire. I would not mind a .Nile expedition or a Zulu war, which can be taken in a more leisurely fashion. They would be a nice holiday." The T.-li. man: " From what I gainer you still have an eye for creature coinforts?" Alv. Prior (with a chuckle): "Well. 1 always believed in making myself comfortable. Other corre.-poudents u.-ecl 'to crack jokes about my call, in which 1 carried all the little'luxuries 1 possibly could; Inn they laugh hesi who laugh last, and the joke was mine when we had to camp in wild regions, right away from any commissariat.

" I remember that at Uluntli, where, ill 18711, Lord Chelmsford beat the Zulus in a decisive battle, 1 was the only man with a tent. Even Lord Chelmsford slept under a tarpaulin." And then, as 1 accompanied .Mr. Trior to his ollicc in the Illustrated London -News building for a smoke and chat, the famous war correspondent told me of the great loss he had at I'lundi. "That Zulu campaign," he said, "lasted about six months, and the liattle of Ulundi was practically the hist light. In the excitement I was robbed of mv sketch-books, containing notes of the vvliol* campaign. I was utterly broken up with disappointment, and 1 remember how I fell to the ground and hurst into tears. (Sir William tlordon ,Cumining, who was passing, called oui, ' .Never mmd, Prior, here's my notehook. Run almut and make vonr sketches again.' And this I. did,' hut the loss of my earlier sketches was irreparable.

"It is rather a tall order," Air. .Prior remarked, when J asked him to tell me something about his earliest, campaigns. " It means carrying my mind back over a distance of thirty-live years; for it was in 187,'j that l! made - mv first appearance on a battlelield in the Ashauti Win-. Anil I remember that I made a vow, when the enemy were veiling and screeching around us and -ending their slugs from all parts, thai if ever I gut out of that light alive .1 would lrv a more peaceful vocation, Jiul, alas! 1 have been false to mv vow. It was a case of 'What's bred in the bone.' etc.,

I suppose. ' " " ti.v the way, if ever you go out to that part of the world, don't forget your tips for the natives. 1 did, when 1 went out to the war in '7.'5. Jly luggage was put into a surf boat, manned solely :>y the natives of the coast, and as we paddled to the shore thev seemed to sing ■ You plenty dash me.' I paid no attention, not understanding wdiat thev 'meant, the result being that out of revenge for not having 'plenty dashed ' 11 i—meaning" paid them well—thev let the boat swing broadside on to the shore, ami the next heavy surf turned it over, landing my luggage and mvself in the water."

Mr. Prior knows his Africa well. In north, .south, east, and west of the 'Dark Continent he has seen service, and it was during the Egyptian campaign of 'Si thai he witnessed mh if the most desperate lighting in modern warfare. " I recall." he said, while chatting about his Egyptian experiences, "the figure of Colonel liurnaby as I saw him last, shortly before his heroic death. Three of us stood chatting together before the liattle of Abu Klea. when P.uriniby said, 'We are too close; the enemy have got our range: we must stand apart.' A little later lie rushed •Mil of the Hue lo the aid of two wounded men-an act which, hail he survived, would have won him the Victoria Cross. " Dili you ever hear, by the way. how the Standard was able to announce that peace had been signed between llrilou and Boer after the war of ISSI, not only before any other newspaper had the information, but also before the C.overniiienl had received the ollicial news from Ceiieral Sir Evelyn \Vo„,|'; " I knew one 'of Sir Evelyn Wood's aides-de-camp, and 1 asked him to give me the quiet tip when Kriigcr hail signed the peace document and Sir Evelyn was about to sign. The document w'as signed at (C.Neil's farm, at the bottom of iru.jnl.il Hill, ami a whole, crowd of war correspondents waited outside for the ollicial information. I had arrange.;, however, that as soon as the process of signing hail begun the aide-de-camp should come outside and wink at me, while I signalled to Cameron, the Standard correspondent, who was lvin» on the ground some distance a way wit!, a horse behind a boulder, by raisin., m

• : The whole thing worked oul exactly as I had planned, and Cameron was travelling as fast as his horse could take him to the camp telegraph station, when Sir Evelyn came out of the house and said to us. •llentlemen, I have to announce thai peace has been signed, but 1 shall block the telegraph wires uiilil my ollicial dispatch has reached the Ciovci-ninent.' And for many a long day it was a puzzle to (leneraj Wood as to how the news leaked out before the. floverniueut had received his mes-

" I never think of my South African campaigning days." Mr. Prior continued, •■without recalling that it was in the Jioer War of ISKI that I was credited with making one of the standard jokes of South Africa. In those (lavs we generally travelled from one lown tn another in heavy, uucouifoilable post carls., usually drawn by six horses. The roads were of (lie worst possible description. JSut I did hundreds of miles in these post carts, and on one. occasion, having a cheery colonial companion bv my ,ido. he asked how I liked South Africa, and wliai did I think of the country. Carefully ivadjustiiiL' mv piireiii'Z. I replied thill I thought it was a line country to live-er -out of.

r •••!!.• apparently tlioiijrht this sn,.|, ■, I •tociil joke Hint at tin. next town lie 101.l il ill ii public hiiicli -t.nlilt-. mill evidently it found its wnv int., H„. ,„,,,.,.. f.ir I" my astonishment 1 htiil made ' «'lml- «•'- i siilci'i'il- anil in now--one of tin. -tumhinl jokes „f South Africa." Mr. I'rior was hj, Suml, Afrii-a at. tin. tunc of tli,. Jameson iiai,l, ami lie r:willi.il some intcrcslin.. facts a visit In. paid t„ Dr. Jameson and Ms millionnir,. companions win, ( .ii K in ( .,.r ( .,| Hid liaitl. wlicu tlicv were in prison at I I'ri.loriii.

- I olitiiincil wriili'ii |.i'iiiiiu in visit tlic j.rUi.ni'is rrnin Kriijjcr mid (;,. m .| il ■•l»iil»'i-|."'siii.l llr Prior, "iiml loiiml l)r il I'l'M I.V hilMM'lf. ,vl iithi »tlii'i> i.f Hi,, lii'inniii'i-s „,.!•,. in a van) ••Ji«c l<\. (Ulii'i- of ih,. KHonnH-, «,.,,. ill ;.. lurjii. .|llil,llM:i}.|,.. lim | 11,,. v 11.,.iiK,-lv,.s by pluyiiiir nnirlili's. while huiuthcr iiiniisi'iiicnt. ua> (u (ni;,. i( ;„ liirn In -i.rvd lichiml nil impr |,tu bar. uf J!i'lliii<!liiii'< llm-M'. loiiki'il very |iidm-i-i|iic with a L,.\v,l 1i,.,l niiiiiil hU lieu,l MTvinj; drink-,. I tricil in.v liiuiil nt tin. imr business, ami if (lie worst should ever lomic tn the worst iiihl there is in. I'iii-tlit-r use for til,. service- <il' a waiiilerin;; skeleher. | ,liiillbc alii,. In turn barman with sum,, hoi,,, of wiruing a livelihood."