ers.

It is surprising how quickly the burgher forces can be levied. This
was made very apparent when Dr. Jameson marched into the country on
December 29, 1895. It is also well known that news travels quickly,
even in the outlying districts, and in this respect the Boers appear
to be quite as remarkable as the Kaffirs.

All this military discipline might seem to be only good in itself,
were it not for the fact that the Boers still retain their reputation
for being good shots. Even the young men are not behind their fathers
in the masterly manipulation of their rifles; in fact, while a large
number of Englishmen are reputed to be born with silver spoons in
their mouths, the birth-right of every Boer is undoubtedly the rifle.

Both in the Transvaal and Free State there exists a healthy spirit of
rivalry between Englishman and Boer in the shooting line. Competitions
are very frequently arranged; it is to the credit of the colonial
Englishman that he can give a good account of himself, and at the same
time hold his own against any Boer. This is fortunate, because the
Boer always respects a man who can record as many bull's-eyes as
himself, no matter what his nationality may be. The great opportunity
the Boer had of giving vent to his contempt for the English was when
the latter appeared on the battlefield in compact regiments, and
afforded the best possible target for shooting at from behind the now
proverbial stone.

In these times of universal political difficulties it may be
interesting to survey the position of the Orange Free State now that
war has actually broken out with Great Britain. There is a patriotism
lurking in the breast of the Boer which would indicate that his great
aim was the overthrow of the hated Englishman. It would not be
advisable to quote the opinion the generality of Boers have of the
poor Englishman; needless to say it is strong, emphatic,
comprehensive, and by no means complimentary. Obviously the origin of
such opinion concentrates in the fact that the Englishman is too
persevering in other people's countries, and, moreover, shows an
aptitude for developing the said countries which, in the opinion of
the Boer, is altogether too progressive. It is, of course, a pity that
the Englishman cannot accommodate himself to the antiquated ideas of
the Boer, because if he could, he would probably exonerate himself in
the Dutch eyes, and at the same time find himself away back in the
eighteenth century