6 
EDITORIAL 
ing all this recent evidence in favor of the horse, false prophets 
were not wanting in our time to tell us that cavalry would be 
no longer a factor in future wars by reason of the modern long- 
range rifle and the quick-firing gun. 
The actual experience has proven the reverse to be true. 
Both in the South African war and in onr campaign in the 
Philippines nothing has been accomplished without the horse. 
If we recall the events in Natal we have seen that the Boer 
horsemen were driving before them the English infantry, quickly 
surrounding them and securely locking them up in beleaguered 
cities. The relief expeditions also were failures as long as the 
Boers were in force. All this was the result of the mobility of 
the Boer on his horse. It is as a war correspondent rather 
graphically describes : u We never see the Boers ; they fight on 
their bellies and seem to be as ignorant of the use of legs as a 
boiled egg. If pressed hard they will mount their fleet horses 
and disappear and reappear without being more than accident¬ 
ally hit. It is a case of the moving target. They follow our 
flanking movements as quickly as we can execute them,” etc. 
But this scene was changed as soon as Lord Roberts moved 
forward with his cavalry and horse artillery invading the Free 
State. The small Boer horse was not the equal of the big and 
enduring English cavalry mounts, and the Boers were not al¬ 
lowed to stop and to concentrate. Late reports also say that the 
Boer horses are giving out fast from insufficient food and dis¬ 
ease, while the English mounts remain so far in good and 
healthy condition, thanks to the intelligent care of our English 
army colleagues. Veterinary Major Huntington reports that 
he has effectually prevented the spread of the dreaded “Natal 
horse sickness ” by applying medicated nosebags to the horses 
at night, thereby preventing them from coming in contact with 
the dew of the grass which evidently harbors the germs of this 
disease. 
Similar is the work of the cavalry in the Philippines. Be¬ 
fore the advent of the American horse our people had become 
impatient about the slow progress of our army. Young’s cav- 
