Introduction

At the turn of the century the storm clouds that had long been gathering in South Africa suddenly broke loose. Britain and the English-speaking South Africans went to war with the Dutch-descended Boers. The British newspaper, The Morning Post, offered a young reporter by the name of Winston Churchill the job of chief war correspondent to cover the story. He jumped at the chance. Soon after he arrived in South Africa he was traveling on a troop train when it was captured and he was taken prisoner.

After three weeks he escaped. The first night of his freedom he slept among the empty coal bags of a train. He hid during the day, and then the second night as he traveled he saw the lights of a mining town in the distance. He decided to chance his luck. He knocked on a door and a t…