With Buller In Natal: A Born Leader

by G.A. Henty

It will be a long time before the story of the late war can be written fully and impartially. Even among the narratives of those who witnessed the engagements there are many differences and discrepancies, as is necessarily the case when the men who write are in different parts of the field. Until, then, the very meagre military dispatches are supplemented by much fuller details, anything like an accurate history of the war would be impossible. I have, however, endeavored to reconcile the various narratives of the fighting in Natal, and to make the account of the military occurrences as clear as possible. Fortunately this is not a history, but a story, to which the war forms the background, and, as is necessary in such a case, it is the heroes of my tale, the little band of lads from Johannesburg, rather than the leaders of the British troops, who are the most conspicuous characters in the narrative. As these, although possessed of many admirable qualities, had not the faculty of being at two places at once, I was obliged to confine the action of the story to Natal. With the doings of the main army I hope to deal next.

Genres: Historical Fiction, Fiction

192 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1900

About the author

George Alfred Henty, better known as G.A. Henty, began his storytelling career with his own children. After dinner, he would spend and hour or two in telling them a story that would continue the next day. Some stories took weeks! A friend was present one day and watched the spell-bound reaction of his children suggesting Henty write down his stories so others could enjoy them. He did. Henty wrote approximately 144 books in addition to stories for magazines and was known as "The Prince of Story-Tellers" and "The Boy's Own Historian." One of Mr. Henty's secretaries reported that he would quickly pace back and forth in his study dictating stories as fast as the secretary could record them.

Henty's stories revolve around fictional boy heroes during fascinating periods of history. His heroes are diligent, intelligent, and dedicated to their country and cause in the face, at times, of great peril... Henty's heroes fight wars, sail the seas, discover land, conquer evil empires, prospect for gold, and a host of other exciting adventures. Along the way, they meet famous personages... In short, Henty's heroes live through tumultuous historic eras meeting leaders of that time. Understanding the culture of the time period becomes second nature as well as comparing/contrasting the society of various cultures.

Reviews

[Katja Labonté · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars & 4/10 hearts. I enjoyed Chris and his friends, although I found the historical part of the book a little dragging. I disliked all the prejudice against the Boers; but I did enjoy the humour, and I enjoyed it more than “The Young Colonists.” I loved seeing all the heroism of the troops, as well.

A Favourite Quote: “Behind the column came a large body of men in civilian dress. Their appearance was as unkempt as that of the troops, but among these there was no approach to military order, and yet their heroism had been in no way inferior to that of the troops. These were the stretcher-bearers, who had in every fight carried on their work of mercy under the heaviest fire, and that without the excitement that nerves soldiers to face danger. Many of them had fallen while so engaged, but this had in no way unnerved their companions, who had not only carried on the work during daylight, but had often laboured all night until the last wounded man had been found and carried down to the hospital. When the names of the heroes of the force that relieved Ladysmith are recounted those of the stretcher-bearers are worthy of a place among them.”
A Favourite Humorous Quote: “‘I will get Captain Brookfield to draw up the kind of letter that ought to be sent, for I have not the least idea how I should address a commander-in-chief. Of course, a thing of this sort ought to be done in a formal sort of way; I could not very well say, “My dear general, my three friends don't care to accept your kind offer. Yours very truly.”’”

[Lydia · Rating 3 out of 5]

The story of Chris King and his friends as they live through part of the Boer / British war in South Africa.

As always, Henty does a great job making likable, heroic characters and setting them in the middle of the action of their time. I know absolutely nothing about this conflict, I honestly didn't even know it had happened, so I can't judge the veracity of the historical elements, but as that was also one of Henty's fortes, I'm guessing it's pretty accurate. (I'm also guessing it's rather biased, as unlike most of Henty's books, the Boers are never really shown to have any redeeming qualities, which he is generally better at portraying both sides of the conflict.)

Content notes: No language issues that I remember. No sensuality. There is a lot of war violence, stated matter of factly with gore not dwelt upon, but injuries and fatalities mentioned. Also at the beginning of the story, when the British are being forced out of the area, they are badly treated by Boers, including hurting women and children.