Excerpt from An Historic Speech: After-War Problems

Your words recall to my mind many an incident of those stirring times when we were opposing commanders in the Boer War. I may refer to two. On one occasion I was surrounded by Lord French - (laughter) - and was practically face to face with disaster. Nothing was left me but, by the most diligent scouting, to find a way out. I ventured into a place which bore the very appropriate name of Murderers' Gap - (laughter) - and I was the only man who came out alive. One account of that stated that one Boer escaped, but he probably had so many bul lets in him that he no further danger. (laughter.) I survived to be your guest to-night. (cheers) Two days after I broke through - blessed words in these times - (laughter) - and on a. Very dark night, I came to a railway, which I was just on the point of crossing, when we heard a train. Some of us felt in clined to wreck and capture that train, but for some reason or other I said, no, let it pass. You can imagine my feelings when some time afterwards I learned that the only freight on that train was Sir John French with one or two moving round from one part of his front to another to find out ho'vt7 I had broken through. (laughter.) If I had not missed that chance he would have been my guest, no doubt very welcome, though no doubt embarrassing. (laughter.) Fate has willed otherwise. I am his guest. (cheers) Those were very difficult and strenuous days in which one learned many a valuable lesson, good for all life. One of those lessons was that under stress of great difficulty practically every thing breaks down ultimately, and the only things that survive are really the simple human feelings of loyalty and comrade ship to your fellows, and patriotism which can stand any strain and bear you through all difficulty and privation. (hear, hear.) We soldiers know the extraordinary value of these simple feel ings, how far they go, and what strain they can bear, and hour ultimately they support the whole weight of civilization. That war was carried on by both sides in a sportsmanlike spirit, and' in a clean, chivalrous way - and out of that calamity has been produced the happy state Of affairs that you see to-day in South Africa, and which led to a new basis on which to build the larger and happier South Africa which is arising today.

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