n of South Africa. The Nationalists immediately began to make life
uncomfortable for him. Balked in their attempt to keep the Union out of
the struggle they took another tack. After the Botha campaign in German
South-West Africa was well under way, a member of the Opposition asked
the Minister of Defense the following question in Parliament: "How much
has South Africa paid for horses in the field and the Nationalists
sought to make some political capital out of an expenditure that they
remounts?" The Union forces employed thousands of called "waste."

Smuts sent over to Army Headquarters to get the figures. He was told
that it would take twenty clerks at least four weeks to compile the
data.

"Never mind," was his laconic comment. The next day happened to be
Question Day in the House. As soon as the query about the remount charge
came up Smuts calmly rose in his seat and replied:

"It was exactly eight million one hundred and sixty-nine thousand
pounds, ten shillings and sixpence." He then sat down without any
further remark.

[Illustration: _Photograph Copyright by Harris & Ewing_

GENERAL J. C. SMUTS]

When one of his colleagues asked him where he got this information he
said:

"I dug it out of my own mind. It will take the Nationalists a month to
figure it out and by that time they will have forgotten all about it."
And it was forgotten.

Smuts not only has a keen sense of humor but is swift on the retort.
While speaking at a party rally in his district not many years after the
Boer War he was continually interrupted by an ex-soldier. He stopped his
speech and asked the man to state his grievance. The heckler said:

"General de la Rey guaranteed the men fighting under him a living."

Quick as a flash Smuts replied:

"Nonsense. What he guaranteed you was certain death."

Like many men conspicuous in public life Smuts gets up early and has
polished off a good day's work before the average business man has
settled down to his job. There is a big difference between his methods
of work and those of Lloyd George. The British Prime Minister only goes
to the House of Commons when he has to make a speech or when some
important question is up for discussion. Smuts attends practically every
session of Parliament, at least he did while I was in Capetown.

One reason was that on account of the extraordinary position in which he
found himself, any moment might have produced a division carrying with
it disastrous re