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Show ' LEADER OF BOER ARMY. General Joubert, the, Fighter, and His Contempt For the English. General P. J. Joubert is the most celebrated fighter in' South Africa. He in vice president and the commander-in-chief of the Boer army, and is looked on as the country's savior in the event of war with England. The general is 68 years old now, and scarred by many a wound from English bullet and native assegai. Yet he is sturdy of. frame and keen of eve. He led the Boers at Ma-juba Ma-juba Hill, where 2S0 English gave up their lives, General Joubert losing but five. men. He bear 'the English at Laing's Neck, commanded the forces at Bronkh'orst and Spruit, and finally caught Jameson like a rat in a trap through quick mobilization of troops. He fought in the native wars when Paul Kruger was commander, and these two became bosom friends. They and one other Boer were selected tb conduct tbe affairs of the Transvaal when it was in rebellion against England Eng-land in 1881. and General Joubert has several times come within a few votes of beating Oim Paul for the presidency. He will probably be the next to assume that position, as he holds different views from Kruger. He believes that' if the franchise were given to the Uit-! Uit-! landers in a reasonable time they would I become good citizens and that this is i the way to solve the problem. At the I same time he will not sanction any sort of a revolt, and when the Jameson I raiders were landed safely in Pretoria jail he was one who favored shooting j them. ' . Oom Paul's diplomatic powers stand out in distinct contrast to Joubert, who is essential;' a lover of powder. Ten thousand Boers were gathered about the jail, speculating as to the fate of the prisoners. Some were for instant death, and others, as a grim joke, suggested sug-gested cutting off their ears. This was taken up by the press immediately, and in a few hours the world was shuddering shudder-ing at the bloodthirstiness of the Transvaal burghers. In the meantime the question was being settled by Oom Paul, who was trying to save the lives of the prisoners, and to this end used every art of persuasion with Joubert, the two being closeted a whole night. Oom Paul finally prevailed, and Joubert Jou-bert went out before the assembly to win them over to the lenient position. This was his speech: "Fellow burghers, burgh-ers, if you had a beautiful flock of sheep, and a neighbor's dogs got into tr.e pasture ana Kiueu inem. wia-would wia-would you do? Would you take your rifle and straightway proceed to shoot those dogs, thus making yourself liable to greater damage than the value of the sheep destroyed, or would you lay hold on those dogs and carry them to your neighbor, saying: 'Now, here's your dogs. 1 caught them in the act. Pay me and they shall.be returned.' " The general waited a moment for the words to take effect, and then .added: "We have the neighbor's dogs in jail. What shall we do with them?" There was hardly a voice against returning I the prisoners to the English, and events I proved how wise the Boets had been. I Joubert can collect his whole army in I forty-eight hours, a speedier mobiliza-I mobiliza-I tion than any other nation can boast of. He has divided the Transvaal into seventeen divisions, each under a commander. com-mander. They are subdivided into sections, sec-tions, commanded by field cornets and assistant field cornets. When the tocsin toc-sin is sounded ther officers ride from one "farm to another until the. whole I country is warned. The Boer has rifle I and ammunition, ready, and a piece or I "biltong" or dried beef, on which he can subsist for two weeks. He. jumps on his horse and hurries-to the gathering gather-ing place, leaving the-women to farm and herd the cattle. ., General Joubert kno.vs the might or the English, but has little respect for their marksmanship. "When I was a boy," he told the writer, "an English ( regiment was quartered on our farm. One dav three hartbeeste sprang up on the veldt and half the regiment shot at them and missed. I and two other lads then brought our rifles to our shoulders, shoul-ders, and each brought down one beeste. That is the way we shoot at the English." .. - |