78 Pages - The Black Vault

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is suitable to hold for other and defensive reasons.It may even be much better to take up your defensiveposition some way from the spot, and so away fromconcealed ground, wtiich enables the enemy to crawlup to very close range, concealed and unperceived,and to fire from cover which hides them even whenshooting. It would be better, if possible, to have theenemy in the open, or to have what is called a clear“field of fire.”A non-bullet-proof parapet or shelter which isvisible serves merely to attract bullets instead ofkeeping them out--the proof of thickness can beeasily and practically tested.When fired at by an enemy at close range fromnearly all round, a low parapet and shallow trenchare not of much use, as what bullets do not hit the defenderson one side hit those on another.6. It is not enough to keep strange men of the enemy’sbreed away from your actual defences, lettingthem go free to warn their friends of your existenceand whereabouts--even though they should not beunder temptation to impart any knowledge they mayhave obtained. “Another way,” as the cookery booksays, more economical in lives, would be as follows:Gather and warmly greet a sufficiency of strangers.Stuff well with chestnuts as to the large force aboutto join you in a few hours; garnish with corroborativedetail, and season according to taste with whiskeyor tobacco. This will very likely be sufficient for thenearest commando. Probable cost--some heavy andglib lying, but no lives will be expended.7. It is not business to allow lazy men (even thoughthey be brothers and neutrals) to sit and pick their25
teeth outside their kraals whilst tired soldiers arebreaking their hearts trying to do heavy Iabour inshort time. It is more the duty of a soldier to teachthe lazy neutral the dignity of Iabour, and by keepinghim under guard to prevent his going away totalk about it.By the time the above lessons had been well burntinto my brain, beyond all chance of forgetfulness,a strange thing happened. I had a fresh dream.26
Page 2: FMFRP 12-33The DefenseofDuffer’sD
Page 6 and 7: ABOUTTHE AUTHORMajor General Sir Er
Page 8 and 9: BACKGROUNDINFORMATION(THE BOER WAR)
Page 10: “/t was our own fault, and our ve
Page 13 and 14: — ,-
Page 15 and 16: UDUOFFHR’SUDUNIFT.GENERAL PLAN.Ma
Page 17 and 18: I had so often longed for. This was
Page 19 and 20: stores and tools, which had been du
Page 21 and 22: a most loyal Briton, and had been m
Page 23 and 24: silhouetted in the cheerful blaze o
Page 25 and 26: out the following lessons, the resu
Page 27 and 28: men each, one to the top of Waschou
Page 29 and 30: preached the guard of the north fro
Page 31: amazing alacrity, and looked as if
Page 35 and 36: horseshoe bend of the river, as thi
Page 37 and 38: It was astonishing what difficulty
Page 39 and 40: on top of that kop-je on the fur si
Page 41 and 42: at first halted and begun to be sus
Page 43 and 44: Eh’eam‘(0 was some power the gi
Page 45 and 46: Map 5The Dutchmen and Kaffirs were
Page 47 and 48: presence, with a close-range volley
Page 49 and 50: By the time I had gathered what was
Page 51 and 52: “We lay bare as the paunchof the
Page 53 and 54: is frontall round.12. Beware of bei
Page 55 and 56: ifth &eam“A frif/ing sum of miser
Page 57 and 58: Map 6vialed with grooves to fire th
Page 59 and 60: distributed in case of a long and p
Page 61 and 62: and the road south to see how matte
Page 63 and 64: we opened fire on the main body som
Page 65 and 66: True, we were not captured, and had
Page 67 and 68: sixth!!)ream“Sweet are the uses o
Page 69 and 70: advantages of the proposal.I resist
Page 71 and 72: any degree hampered by a fear of hi
Page 73 and 74: scooped out a little, or a shelf cu
Page 75 and 76: dream; all we could do meanwhile wa
Page 77 and 78: and a coat there peeping over the t
Page 79: musketry in the distance, and saw a

78 Pages - The Black Vault

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