MISUSE OF THE WHITE FLAG.

Auckland Star, Volume XXX, Issue 293, 11 December 1899, Page 3

MISUSE OF THE WHITE FLAG.

WHERE THE BOERS HOWLED,

NATIVE ACCOUNTS

DURBAN, November 6.

The "Natal Mercury" publishes the following:—'Native eye-witnesses of the two big battles at Ladysmith have arrived at Maritzburg. They give jloAving accounts of the British sue-

The "Times of Natal" (had a. long inierview with the natives, and says: — | appears that after some figihting i'aa been going on on Thursday (Nov. 2) afternoon north of Ladysmith, the .Soe'rs got caught on open ground and frere in for a beating. They attempted the white flag trick, ma several white flags were raised. Firing at once ceased upon our side, Mr men advancing without firing, presumably to receive the enemy as prisoners, whereupon, as our men were dosing up, the Boers fired a volley, or volleys, into our men <at comparativeJy ilose range. No sooner did our men realise the treacherous misuse of the white flag than, without awaiting a second for orders, so it is said, three regiments of cavalry—Lancers, Hussars and Dragoons—followed- by the infantry with fixed bayonets, charged into the Boera and mowed'them down like grass, or, as the Kaffirs express it, "went through and through them like water, wiping them all off." From the Kaffirs' description the slaughter and wounding must have been terrific. The Boers "howled," say the Kaffirs, lor mercy, and never was such a. killmg.and cuttin. While the cavalry were cutting, and slashing, and lancing, the infantry were at work like furies with their cold steel in between the horses. The field was covei-ed -with bodies. The "men with petticoats," as the Kaffirs described the gallant Gordons, suffer-, ed very severely, judging by those the witnesses saw lying on the field.

A lot of prisoners and loot were captured and taken to Ladysmith, where quite a market or prize court sale went on. Boer blankets fetched 2s apiece.

Ladysmith is full of Boer prisoners and wounded, the'latter presenting horrible evidences of the swordsmanShip of the cavalry, evidence which | wil] endure for 'the lifetime of the * Tictiins, noses and ears being missing,' cutoff during the cavalry charges.

LOOTING A BOER. A funny account of a tragic affair is that afforded by a little Irish private tf the Fusiliers, authenticated by his who laughs every time the incident is mentioned (writes a corespondent in Ladysmith). "I l«m up '? a house," he said with a smile on iis brown corrugated face, " and there ; was a Boer back to me, with his rifle Pished through a hole in the stone ■"Wall. I brang me rifle to the ready and sez, 'Hello, me man,' arid the sick >yk uv him ud make an army mule Jay- 'Dhrop it,' I sez, 'and turn out y°ur pockets or I'll blow a hole athrough you. Gar on.' He dhropped Jt qiyck, a little Welshee slide thing J vid inds of bullets pushed into it. 'I've got more cartridges in me overeat,' he sez. 'Wait an' I'll get it.' Nivver mind yer overcoat,' I sez, 'but come wid me,' an' I gey him over to the corporal, an' tuk his horse to hide, an' t'lere was " the captain behind me laughing fit to split. I wint into the j iollse j sad there .w«re W>e <w**v «Wn'

quiet readm' the paper, an' not knowin' there was a sojer near him,. 'How dar y e come into my house,' he sez. "Niwer moind arguin,' I sez, and I wint rummagin' about, poking a clane handkerchief into the sleeve o' me ■tunic, an' fittin' on the pick of three watherproof coats. Where ivor I wint he kern -walkin' behoind, -saying, 'oh, there's nothin' there; there's nothin' there, at all.' 'Will ye g-o out the door? sez I, losin' me temper, 'or will ye go in. bits up the chimney?' Anyways I had no luck. I thried three overcoats for nothin'. On man of the Lancers got a hatful of money in the only wan he went throo. Don't be talkin' about overcoats." It is a pity to have "to tell the sequel. The desire for loot was so strong- upon the bold Fusilier that the next day he was found in an officers tent, Avhisky, it is "belietved, being the object of 'the raid.