adventures and letters-第56章

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ting　as　sentry　and　when　the　man　tried　to　drive　it　away　it　thought　he　was　playing　with　it　and　kept　coming　back　and　finally　the　man　brought　it　in　to　the　colonel　and　cried　and　asked　if　it　might　have　half　of　his　rations　of　corn。　　Good　night　and　God　bless　you　all　with　all　my　love。　DICK。


March　15th；　1900。　DEAR　MOTHER：

I　am　on　my　way　back　to　Cape　Town。　　This　seemed　better　than　staying　with　Buller　who　will　not　move　for　two　or　three　weeks。　　I　shall　either　go　straight　up　to　Roberts；　or　we　will　return　to　London。　　I　have　seen　the　relief　of　Ladysmith　and　got　a　very　good　idea　of　it　all；　and　I　do　not　know　but　what　I　shall　quit　now。　　I　started　in　too　late　to　do　much　with　it　and　as　it　is　I　have　seen　a　great　deal。　　It　is　neither　an　interesting　country　nor　an　interesting　war。　　But　I　don't　have　to　stay　here　to　oblige　anybody。　　If　I　do　go　up　to　Roberts　it　will　only　be　to　stay　for　three　weeks　at　the　most　and　only　then　if　there　is　fighting。　　I　won't　go　if　he　is　resting　as　Buller　is。　　So　this　will　explain　why　we　start　home　so　soon。　　I　am　very　glad　I　came。　　I　would　have　been　very　sorry　always　if　I　had　not；　but　my　heart　is　not　in　it　as；　of　course；　it　was　in　our　war。　　Sometimes　they　fight　all　day　using　seven　or　eight　regiments　and　kill　a　terrible　lot　of　fine　soldiers　and　capture　forty　Boer　farmers　and　two　women。　　It　is　not　the　kind　of　war　I　care　to　report。　　〃Nor　mean　to！〃　　I　cannot　make　a　book　out　of　what　little　I've　seen　but　I　will　come　out　about　even。　　It　has　been　very　rough　on　Cecil。　　Today　I　went　to　the　Maine　and　asked　Lady　Randolph　to　give　me　a　lift　down　to　Cape　Town　as　　the　ship　gets　there　two　days　ahead　of　the　Castle　Steamer。　　　So；　they　were　apparently　very　glad　to　have　me　and　I　am　going　on　Saturday。　　I　like　it　on　the　ship　where　I　have　been　spending　the　day　as　it　is　fun　taking　care　of　the　wounded　and　listening　to　their　stories。　　I　am　to　write　an　article　for　her　next　Anglo　Saxon　magazine　on　the　Passing　of　the　War　Correspondent。　　The　idea　is　that　he　must　either　disappear　altogether　like　the　Vivandiere　or　be　allowed　to　do　his　work。　　As　it　is　now　the　Government　forces　him　upon　the　Generals　against　their　will　and　so　they　get　back　by　taking　it　out　of　him。　　Either　they　should　persuade　the　Government　that　their　objections　to　him　are　weighty　and　suppress　him　altogether；　or　recognize　him　as　a　part　of　the　outfit。　　I　don't　much　care　which　as　I　certainly　would　never　again　go　with　an　English　army。　　I　am　sorry　the　letters　home　have　been　so　dull　but　I　have　had　rather　hard　luck　straight　through；　and　the　distances　are　so　very　great　and　the　time　spent　in　covering　them　seems　very　wasteful。　　I　shall　be　glad　I　saw　it　because　it　is　the　biggest　thing　as　to　scale　that　I　ever　saw　of　the　sort；　and　I　could　not　have　afforded　to　have　missed　being　in　it。　　It　is　the　first　big　modern　war　and　all　the　conditions　and　weapons　are　new。　　I　don't　think　the　English　have　learned　anything　by　it；　because　the　fault　lies　entirely　with　their　officers　who　are　all　or　nearly　all　of　one　class。

DICK。


March　25th；　1900。　Cape　Town。

This　is　just　to　explain　our　plans　and　as　they　take　a　bit　of　explaining　this　is　meant　for　the　Houses　of　Clark　and　of　Davis。　　So；　pass　it　on　After　Ladysmith　was　relieved　Buller　decided　he　would　not　move　for　a　month；　so　I　came　back　to　join　Roberts。　　I　could　not　do　that　on　first　arriving　because　there　was　a　Mail　man　with　him。　　I　meant　to　do　it　later　as　a　Herald　man；　and　to　let　The　Mail　go。　　But　on　arriving　here；　having　spent　a　week　in　coming　and　having　sold　all　my　outfit　at　a　loss；　I　found　that　Roberts　did　not　intend　to　move　for　three　weeks　either。　　So　I　decided　I　had　seen　enough　to　justify　my　returning。　　There　were　other　reasons；　the　chief　one　being　that　the　English　irritated　me　and　I　had　so　little　sympathy　with　them　that　I　could　not　write　with　any　pleasure　of　their　work。　　My　sporting　blood　refused　to　boil　at　the　spectacle　of　such　a　monster　Empire　getting　the　worst　of　it　from　an　untrained　band　of　farmers　I　found　I　admired　the　farmers。　　So　we　decided　to　chuck　it　and　go　to　London。　　I　would　not　have　missed　it　for　anything。　　I　would　never　have　been　satisfied；　if　we　had　not　come。　　I　have　seen　much　of　the　country　and　the　people；　and　of　the　army　and　its　wonderful　organization　and　discipline。　　I　enjoyed　two

battlesand　the　relief　of　Ladysmith　is　one　of　the　things　to　have　seen；　almost　the　best；　if　not　the　best。　　Every　officer　and　correspondent　agrees　that　I　got　the　pick　of　the　fighting　and　the　〃best　story。〃　　By　the　way；　I　beat　all　the　London　papers　in　getting　out　the　news　by　one　day。　　At　least；　so　Pryor；　The　Mail　manager　tells　me。　　The　paper　was　very　much　pleased。　　We　have　now　decided　to　come　home　by　the　East　Coast。　　It　was　Cecil's　idea　and　wish　and　I　was　only　too　glad　to　do　it。　　She　says　we　certainly　will　never　come　to　this　country　again。　　God　help　us　if　we　doand　that　it　would　be　criminal　to　spend　seventeen　blank　days　on　the　West　coast　when　we　could　fill　in　the　entire　trip　North　on　the　East　Coast　at　many　ports。　　It　is　a　rather　complicated　trip　as　one　has　to　change　frequently　but　it　will　be　a　great　thing　to　have　seen。　　Cecil　has　really　seen　nothing　at　Cape　Town　and　on　this　trip　she　will　be　paid　for　all　the　boredom　that　has　gone　before。　　I　have　been　over　part　of　it　and　am　sure。　　Durban　alone　is　one　of　the　most　curious　cities　I　ever　saw。　　It　is　like　the　Midway　at　the　Fair。　　I　want　her　to　have　some　fun　out　of　this。　　She　has　been　so　unselfish　and　fine　all　through　and　I　hope　I　can　make　the　rest　of　the　adventure　to　her　liking　It　is　sure　to　be　for　after　Delagoa　Bay　it　is　all　real　Africa　not　the　shoddy　〃colonial〃　shopkeepers'　paradise　that　we　have　here。　　And　we　are　going　to　stop　off　at　Zanzibar　for　some　time　where　we　have　letters　to　everybody　and　where　Cecil　is　to　draw　the　Sultan　and　I　am　to　play　him　the　〃Typical　Tune　of　Zanzibar。〃　　You　will　see　by　our　route　that　we　spend　two　days　or　a　day　at　many　places　and　so　shall　get　a　good　idea　of　the　country。　　The　Konig　is　a　5；000　ton　ship　and　we　have　two　cabins　From　Port　Said　we　will　run　up　to　Cairo　to　get　a　dinner　and　then　over　to　Constantinople　to　see　Lloyd　Griscom　and　the　city　which　Cecil　has　never　visited。　　Then　to　Paris　by　way　of　the　Orient　Express。　　Then　London　and　back　with　Charley　to　Aix。　　I　feel　sure　that　one　more　course　there　will　cure　my　leg　for　always。　　As　it　is　it　has　not　touched　me　once　even　during　the　campaign　when　I　was　wet　and　had　to　climb　hills；　and　at　Ladysmith；　where　I　had　no　food　for　a　week。　　Of　course；　if　we　get　tired　on　the　way　up　we　may　go　straight　on　from　Port　Said　to　Marseilles　and　so　to　London。　　It　seems　funny　to　look　upon　Port　Said　as　being　at　home；　but　from　this　distance　it　seems　as　near　New　York　as　Boston　You　will　get　this　when　we　reach　Zanzibar　or　later　and　we　will　cable　when　we　can。

DICK。


It　was　said　at　the　time　that　Richard　left　the　British　forces　because　the　censors　would　not　permit　him　to　send　out　the　truth　about　Buller's　advance；　and　that　the　English　officials　resented　his　going　to　report　the　war　from　the　Boer　side。　　The　first　statement　my　brother　flatly　denied；　and　the　fact　that　it　was　through　the　direct　intervention　of　Sir　Alfred　Milner；　assisted　by　the　efforts　of　our　consul　Adelbert　S。　Hay　at　Pretoria；　that　Richard　was　enabled　to　reach　the　Boer　capital　seems　to　prove　the　latter　charge　equally　false。　　Although　throughout　the　war　my　brother's　sympathies　were　with　the　Boers；　and　in　spite　of　the　fact　that　the　papers　he　represented　wanted　him　to　report　the　war　from　the　Boer　side；　he　persisted　in　going　at　first　with　the　British　forces。　　His　reasons　were　that　he　wished　to　see　a　great　army；　with　all　modern　equipment　in　action；　and　that　practically　all　of　his　English　friends　were　with　the　British　army。　　〃My　only　reason　for　leaving　it〃；　he　wrote；　〃was　the　fact　that　I　found　myself　facing　a　month　of　idleness。　　Had　General　Buller　continued　his　advance　immediately　after　his　relief　of　Ladysmith　I　would　have　gone　with　his　column　and　would　probably　have　never　seen　a　Boer；　except　a　Boer　prisoner。〃

Royal　Hotel；


Durban；　Natal。　April　5th；　　1900。　DEAR　MOTHER：

We　arrived　here　to…day　and　got　off　in　a　special　tug　together。　　We　did　the　basket　trick　all　right；　although　the　next　time　it　came　down　a　swell　raised　the　tug　and　fractured　every　one　in　the　basket　except　Sangree　and　Rogers；　the　two　New　York　correspond