按键盘上方向键 ← 或 → 可快速上下翻页，按键盘上的 Enter 键可回到本书目录页，按键盘上方向键 ↑ 可回到本页顶部！
————未阅读完？加入书签已便下次继续阅读！
o 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 correspondents who were hanging on by the upper edges。 Cecil loved the place which is the Midway Plaisance of cities and we had a good lunch and managed to get into the hotel where there are over twenty cots in the reading room； and hall。 The Commandant objected to our going to Praetoria and seemed inclined to refuse us passes to leave Durban for Delagoa Bay。 He also was rather fresh to Cecil； so I called him down very hard； and told him if he couldn't make up his mind whether we would go or not； I'd wire to some others who would help him to make up his mind quickly。 He said I was at liberty to do that； so I went out and burned wires over all of South Africa。 As he reads all the telegrams he naturally read mine and the next morning he was as humble and white as a head waiter。 But by ten o'clock my wires began to bear fruit and he began to catch it。 Milner wired him to send us on at once and apologized to us by another wire so all is well and we go vouched for by the High Commissioner。
DICK。
PRETORIA； May 18th； 1900。
DEAR DADAND OTHERS OF THE CLARK AND DAVIS FAMILIES：
I have not had time to write such a long letter as this one must be； as I have been working on my Ledger and Scribner stories。
Cecil and I started to the 〃front；〃 which was then May 4th； at Brandfort with Captain Von Loosberg； a German baron who married in New Orleans and became an American citizen and who is now in command of Loosberg's Artillery in the Free State。 The night we left； the English took Brandfort； so we decided to go only as far as Winburg。 The next morning the train despatcher informed us Winburg was taken； so we decided to go to Smalldeel； but that went during the afternoon； so we stopped at Kronstad。 From there； after a day's rest； we went to Ventersberg station； and rode across to Ventersberg town； about two hours away； and put up in Jones's Hotel。 The next day we went down to the Boer laagers on the Sand river and met President Steyn on the way。 He got out of his Cape Cart and gave Cecil a rose and Loosberg his