All sorts of stratagems are employed by belligerents in order to serve the end of the moment, and the present war has not been exception to the usual practice, in Francs and Belgium German "Gurkhas"" have endeavoured—to deceive the Allies, but in one case at least the decoys were wearing Sikh turbans. But in the hush fighting in East Africa the Germans have shown more skill and resource, Ropes were hidden under sand snd brushwood and stretched across paths and, when trodden on by our troops, brought down flags hoisted in the trees. By this means the ranges were accurately marked, fall of the flags was the signal for a heavy fire from sharpshooters and sometimes from machine guns, which had been hoisted into trees further to the rear, Another device was resorted to by the enemy: with some success. Hives of wild bees partially stupified by smoke, were placed under lids in the hush each side of narrow tracks, along which our troops must advance, sotie hours before the atta 2k began. Wires or cords, concealed in the same manner as those attached to the range-finding flags, lifted the lids when touched by the advancing troops, and swarms of infuriated bees, recovered from their temporary stupor, were let loose on the attackers. The ful ure of the attack ascertain poin* is said to have been due as much to this onslaught of the bees as to the German rifles and machine guns, many men being so horribly stung in the face or hands as to he temporarily blinded or rendered incapable of holding their weep us. Over 100 stings were extracted from one-of the men of the Loyal North Lancashires
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.