Almost for the first time one gains some real idea
of the difficulties of the East African campaign, that prolonged tiger
hunt, in which every advantage of mobility, of choice of ground, ambush and
the like lay with the enemy; and over very tough physical obstacles, as,
for example, rivers so variable that, in the author's incisive phrase, they
"can rarely be relied upon, for very long together, either to furnish
drinking-water or to refrain from impeding transport." It is interesting to
note that Sir HUGH, while giving every credit to the remarkable personality
of the German commander, entirely demolishes the theory, so grateful to our
sentimentalists, that the absence of surrenders on the part of the enemy's
black troops was due to any devotion to VON LETTOW-VORBECK as leader; the
explanation being the characteristic German dodge of creating from the
natives a military caste so highly privileged, and consequently unpopular
with their fellows, that surrender, involving return to native civilian
life, became a practical impossibility.
* * * * *
Much the best part, and a good best, of _Sir Harry_ (COLLINS) is the
opening, which is not only delightful in itself but contains almost the
sole example of a chapter-long letter (of the kind usually so unconvincing
in fiction) in which I have found it possible to believe as being actually
written by one character to another.
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