LORD ROBERTS.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LVII, Issue 189, 19 January 1915, Page 3

LORD ROBERTS.

CHARACTERISTIC STORIES. Of Lord Roberts many good stories I are told. The distinguished'soldier was I known to have a perfect horror of cats. His feelings about pussy were instiuc- I tive, and could neither be reasoned with [ 'nor overcome; indeed, it was actually I suggested early in the South African I campaign that the Dutch should always make a point of setting cats loose 'wherever the veteran commander wc.s likely to be. "'CAN'T YOU SEE I'M BUSY'" Typical of the man was an incident ' which was pictorially represented as ,' having occurred during ijie stress of the war in South Africa. The great FieldMarshal had his quarters '» a Boer dwelling, and a curly headed child had strayed into his presence. Roberts, laying aside the paper in which he had' been engrossed, took the little one on hisf knee, anil was fondly caressing her when an officer of his staff entered with some | question or other. "Can't you sec I'm busy?"' said the Commander-in-Chief, 'and file officer left him and the child. The incident has been perpetuated by what has become a- well-known picture. It may. nevertheless, be something of a nivtli. Lord Roberts loved children and especially boys -perhaps, like Gordon, he looked for a future soldier in them, dust as he left for South Africa lie received a note from three little boys, who told him they would pray for him every night wlieii they went to bed. Cn arrival at the front, when all was bustle and preparation. Lord Roberts found I time to reply to the letter, and i :;:!.! by saying. "1 hope, my dear children, you will pray for me always"

i- WEAKNESS Kol! |[<>i:sES|[OES. Unlike many soldiers. Lord Roberts viis singul-.irlv im-ii|>ei>titioii>. He was always willing to pit down thirteen to tabic; lie preferred travelling on a Friday, he married in Hay. and once, when setting out on a campaign, lie deliberately broke a band mirror in I\vo in order that it might fake up room in bis kit. On the other band, lie had a deeided 'weakness for hoive-dioe-:. and. when a friend at I'ortnish sent him on St. Patrick's Dav. a liors shoe, together willi a piece of shamrock, lie wrote back: "The horseshoe will be kept bv me as a souvenir, together with one I picked np the day T entered the Orange Free State and 1 another I found at l'nardehnrg Hie evening before (Seneral t'ronje and his force surrendered." HOW HE MASTERED 111X1)1

Lord Ko>crts wiisid<'i<'d that iii-niii3 ii Ollly til,; i'ilj):lcit\ I'i'l' tal.illL! |lilill>. 11l lS.jti liu was ull'iTcil an important post in Kashmir, Inn. when it bwam..' known that lie knew mxt to iioUiiiij; of Hindustani the ollVr was withdrawn.

Seeking out his ciih-i', it.- iiii|iiiicd whether, if he passed tiie nex:. < xam'naticn in this most dill'icult language, tin- first pjst vacant of the .-aine kind would be offered iiim. He was fold that this would of cour.-o be -o, but warned liini that no Engli.-huiun could master Iliiidir-tani uniler at least a year.

Young Robert- aid nothing, bat. prcciiriug the be.-t teacher in his power, lie set to work with a will, and hi two niiuitlis pas-ed the examination, lie aft;'! wards Lceamc a. real Hindustani s--lioiar. and was familiar with uiativ of the native dialects.

A l'l'TJ'. HAKLShR. When Lurd .Huberts ua- at Quebec i'oi liiu ijiii'ln':- T..rceiitenaiv celebration in .'.Kit*, lie went to til'' 'luxe) barber to have hi- hair cut. In :i lit of abseiilhi- ,iid not note that the man cropped hhn as closely as, a billiard ball, -o t.hat his lu-Inift fell over Lis eve.- almost. I.ui he tol.l with amusement afterwards bow lie discovered that the man had -old all the snippet- ill' hair J in' -u\tvcili|s. I i ■■TIIOt'OTIT 1 .MT(";I1T UK j wanted." I An in ,-[--!ijii,- auc-lide «a- told of j 'the vet"l'a:i -ohlier ahniit the ime of | llin south African war, which it is j .believe I has not vet been published ill 1 f:;. at. "I>ivain. ' The Vield-Marshah - ivlv .iii.k.-n b, lb- death ol his onlv -on. had been asked ; .y the i In'.crnniont j In tah.. !in tiie eliii I command. At an | interview 'bc-wc.i! land Jinborts and Mr. Balfour, the latter, with e;i'eat delicacy, hri ached the iiiiesfion ~f the vetei-an soldier's physical fitness i<j tmdeiL'o ih,. t'.iino- ordeal that lav before him. Th - rieUniar-hal prom],!!., reassured th.- Vrhn,: Minister mi thepnint. "You sec." 1". explained (]iii'e .iuiVlv. -I tia.iiL'ht :hat' possibly 1 inicdit b.. wanted, -o ! ha-.e hen keeping m .--,.!f o] ..onditioii.-" That was "Bobs" all ,«i.r. \hvavs fit. beeause he always to-v ear,- o l-> «■)> himself fit. not assuredly for hi-- own advancement. or '■»' on tl hcnc I hat'this ...eitit'-y "V/hi nr-d h ; s s„ r . vices.