During the Boer War, 1899 - 1902, a Boer who had been surprised in a donga① tried to escape by running. The British at once turned a pom-pom on him, and had his head blown clean off, the range being somewhat short. This, however, did not prevent the body from running about 30 yards before falling.
An Irish soldier who witnessed the occurrence was relating it to some of his comrades round the camp fire in the evening. "And would you believe it," he said, "he ran at least 30 yards after his head was shot off, and fell right on his face." Silence ensued for a moment or two, and then one of the listeners said, "How on earth could he fall on his face?"②
一八九九到一九零二年波爾戰爭期間，一個波爾人藏身乾涸的溝壑裏，受到突襲，奔跑逃命，英軍馬上用機關砲瞄準他，由於射程不遠，他整個頭顱給轟掉，但這無礙他繼續向前跑，跑了約三十碼才倒下。
當晚，目睹其事的一個愛爾蘭士兵和同袍圍坐營火之前，談到這件事，說道：「信不信由你，他頭顱給轟掉之後，仍然跑了至少三十碼，才臉朝下仆倒地上。」大家沉默了一會兒，然後一人說：「他怎麼可以臉朝下仆倒？」
①Donga是南非英語，指乾涸的溝壑。
②To fall on one's face是成語，指向前仆倒，其實不一定是說面孔着地。
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