CAMP NOTES FROM KLEINFONTEIN.

Auckland Star, Volume XXXI, Issue 67, 20 March 1900, Page 2

CAMP NOTES FROM KLEINFONTEIN.

TROOPER BOOTH'S DEATH

(By Telegraph from Wellington.)

From our War Correspondent.

KLEINFONTEIN CAMP, January 89. — On the 18th inst. the camp at Slingersfontein was early astir, and directly after breakfast No. 1 Company struck camp and moved off in company with about 1200 cavalry drawn from the Life Guards, Carbineers and New* South Wales Lancers, together with a battery of the Royal Horse Artillery, and a section of B.A.M. Corps, and two ambulance waggons, the whole beipg under the command of Colonel Porter. The direction taken was a north-east-•erly one, and as extreme caution w-as taken in posting out-riders and an advance patrol an encounter with the Boers was anticipated at any moment Our destination was a small farm called Kleinsfontein, about 10 miles distant from camp, and about four miles from the Orange Biver; but when we got about half-wny informa.tion came to hand that the Inniskilling Dragoons had been driven back by a .very heavy lire when reconnoitring in that direction, and as a good dam was close by Colonel Porter decided to camp by it and make a reconnaissance in force on the morrow. That day, however, our No. 1 Company, with Bemington's "Tigers," a company of Life Guards, and a section of the Boyal Horse Artillery, moved out and got into Kleinsfontein without firing » shot; but our patrols gave us informs ' tion that the enemy were on th kopjes, about two miles in front of v. The camp where we are is in aver exposed position, and there is absc lutely no shelter in front of us; bn fortunately there are some sma" ridges about half a mile to our reai to which we are continually retiring as ever since we came here the enem has been endeavouring to fix and trai a gun. upon us. So far, however, v to time of writing, they have not sue ceeded in getting it fixed. Two day after arriving here one of the "Tigers •was taken prisoner while on pair. duty, and we bad been here a wee before a casualty was reported. 1 was a Life Guardsman, who was she ■while on patrol duty, and though II Burns, took out an ambulance waggo and searched tbe ground, going withi 300 yards of the Boer lines, he wa unable to find the body of the mis* ing man. His horse afterwards turr ed up with a bullet wound on its heac . Since we have been here, furthe than putting out outposts and send ing out patrols each day, the men hay not been hard worked, while th horses have been properly in clove: There is a good-sized field of oate stubble, besides small enclosures c Indian corn and Timothy grass, an in the loft there must have been full 20 tons of Dutch chaff, which i v_ threshed straw (oaten or wheaten. '<_;;•■, cut into pieces about two inches lon ."••jand packed in large wool bales. A' th...' horses have put on a lot of cond ,y on - .since they have been here, an though r, they are all shedding thei coatsi thi. 0y.look a *-on£ way better fc their stay. ■_, . , , The homeste££. .ls not much to 100 at, but it makes „:, lk yery comfortabl camp. All our horses _?_? picketed vi s!er a quince tree fence, 't-^J 1 •* V*e me fire all bivouacking, some^-.f^ 111?' ov in the open, some on the otke"r&, sl~e c the quince fence, and others u_ff_3£!_~ huge fig tree fence. The officers are all located in a barn, while Lieut.-Col, Bemington, who is in command of the party, with his staff and officers, i_ accommodated in the farm-house There is a good orchard here, but iht Boers took care to clear all the fruil away, and the only thing when wxnarched in was green figs—not verj palatable —and mealies. The men soor learned to cook the latter, and enjoyec them. At first rations all round wer< pretty short here, but- latterly tb< men have been well cared for, beinj allowed one and three-quarters poundi of fresh meat per man per day; bu bread is still short. There is a drj canteen open by us, and just to givi some of your readers an idea of th< cost- of a few luxuries: —Jam, 1/3 pc tin; condensed milk, 1/6 per small tin sardines, 1/ per tin; fish, (salmon o fresh herrings) 1/6 per tin; Quake oats, 1/3 for a 21b pocket; a lib tin o treacle 1/; and so on. The value of sovereign is about six shillings, an when it is remembered that the me are only allowed to draw £2a mont of their wages it is easily seen thft they cannot allow themselves man luxuries if they want their money 1 last out the month. The mail which came to hand ear 1 this week- brought us letters ."**' papers with a full account of *j general elections, and great wr-*-* « satisfaction when it was seen *;iia* " majority of the Seddon Go;-7ernm^ had was thirty instead of aventy> - we had previously hear. T^* men cs -^ m^i^_3a__£eaji_jy*_2f»iir*.^ the su: « > three or four, together, poring ov< papers and reading and regardin their letters, until they must almoi know them off by heart. Even tl advertisements of New Zealan papers are welcome reading after b ing so long away from our ow country. Though nearly all their work lis been infantry work, forming outpos on - Maddock's hill and other kopje: our No. 2 company have been unde fire again. On Thusrday, 25th inst the Wo. 2 Company formed an escoi for a section of guns, which wer sent out from Slingersfontein to position on our left, and while dis mounting a shell from the enem; burst over the led horses, instant! killing Trooper Booth, and th General's and Lieut. Chaytor's horses and wounding two others. It was th only shell that came anywhere nea to our men during the day, am bursting with nicety of precision on. of the bullets it contained hit poo Booth on the head. He was frqn the North Otago Mounted Bifles about twenty-four years of age, am a great favourite in his own divisioi (the second), but owing to his quiet retiring nature he was not wel known among the other members o •the contingent. He was always wil ling to do anything for anybody ix trouble, and cheerful no matter ho. long he had been on duty. Poor fel low, he died doing his duty nobly He make the fourth brave New Zea lander who has given his life for th. Empire in this war. He was buriec alongside Sergeant Gourlay ano Trooper Connell, Major Bobin riding over to the funeral and bad. again on Friday. None of the others

Were hit; and is it not rather singular that all New Zealanders who' have been hit so far have been killed V All the sick horses that have gradually been collecting on our hands isnee we left the base at Xaauwpoort have been sent back there, and this will relieve a few of our men who have been left in charge at each camp as we left it. Trooper Ensor has been in charge of the sick horses left at Arundel for over four weeks now

I heard Major Robin (ell a man the other day he considered the war would be all over and (he men on their way home again by May. T fancy, however, that even if the Orange, Free Staters do give in, when we once get into their country it will take us fully four or five months to get into Pretoria. So July I consider the very earliest that will see New Zealanders on their way home

again. The scouts inform us that the force that is opposed to os just here is largely composed of members of the Kimberley Mounted Police, and that their chief mission is guarding' the telegraph wires that connect the Colesberg force with the main body in . the From a. high kopje about a mile from here it is possible, with good glasses, to see their baggage waggons going to and from NorvaFs Pont to their laager.

Captain Ward had a very narrow escape the otherd ya from being taken prisoner. He had ridden a long waj r in the morning without seeing anything of the enemy, and getting bolder on this account he rode to the top of a kopje and dismounting made a sketch of a laager that was about sixty miles away from him. He had taken no pains to conceal himself, and suddenly to his amazement sixtyeight Boers rode out and galloped away. Had they noticed him they must have either shot him and his orderly or else taken them prisoners, but thinking discretion the better part of valour (which is a very unusual thing for him) he sat quiet until they were well away.