Sport and War. By Major-General Bisset. (John Murray.)—This book records
the experiences of thirty years and more in fighting and hunting in South Africa. The fighting took place in the Kaffir wars, wars which the present generation, we fancy, know little about. The hunting, or rather the chief part of the hunting, was that which furnished amusement to the Duke of Edinburgh when he visited the colony some fifteen years ago, being then a midshipman on board the ,Euryalus.' Its climax was what our author describes as "a glorious day, when we killed six hundred head of game, all larger than horses." In our judgment, the warlike is the most interesting, as it is certainly the most valuable part of the book. The Kaffir war was about as serious a "little war" as we ever had on our hands, and neither the lessons which it taught us nor the heroism which it called forth ought to be forgotten. The heroism, it will be remembered, was on both sides, for the Kaffirs were as brave foes as we have ever encountered. They never asked, as they never gave quarter. Only once in the campaign did General Bisset see a Kaffir ask for mercy. He was taken prisoner, but as if it was destined that there should be no prisoners taken in that war, shot in an attempt at rescue before he reached the camp. General Bisset's is an excellent story of what was a very exciting campaign. It would have been made more intelligible and useful by a map, but as a narrative of adventure it is all that can be desired. Interesting sketches of native manners give a certain relief, not at all unnecessary, to a bloody story of barbarous cruelty and stern revenge. We must quote an anecdote which shows how insensible to fear a man may become :—
"Walpole was short-sighted and carried a double-barrelled pistol. The Kaffir would creep up and fire from the edge of the bush ; Walpole would make a dash at the spot where the smoke was visible, open the bush, and look for the Kaffir. Probably at the moment another shot would be fired at him from the other side of the road, when he would bound over there, just as a lion bounds to whore the ball strikes, and the same search would take place, until another shot was fired at him, and the same thing repeated."
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