Page:The Psychology of Jingoism.djvu/84

This page has been proofread, but needs to be validated.
72
The Psychology of Jingoism

captured during the early weeks of the war, and much of our ammunition was taken by the Boers. The latter have asserted that such expansive bullets as they have used consist of our captured ammunition, and it is known that the ordinary Mauser ammunition served out at the beginning of the war to the commandoes was neither explosive nor expansive. When Lord Roberts, on March 11th, addressed to the President of the two Republics his protest against the use of 'explosive' bullets, condemning them as a 'disgrace to any civilized Power,' he must have known (1) that Mr. Treves and other eminent surgeons had not only denied the use of 'explosive' bullets, but had reported: 'It is evident from their [i.e. the Boers'] wounds that the Lee-Metford is not so merciful as the Mauser;' (2) that Mark IV. or Dum-dum bullets had been in use by our troops when their ammunition had been taken, and (3) that the Webley expansive revolver-bullet had been in general use at Elandslaagte and elsewhere until a War Office order was issued, dated March 28th, prohibiting its use 'until further orders.'

All the available evidence tends to show that we invented and used expansive bullets against the Boers, and that such expansive