THE BRAKSPRUIT FIGHT.

Auckland Star, Volume XXXIII, Issue 84, 10 April 1902, Page 5

THE BRAKSPRUIT FIGHT.

ACCOUNT OF THE ENGAGEMENT*

: CANADIAN GALLANTRY

LONDON, April 9

Ite "Standard's'" correspondent gays the reverse which the Boers met with at Erakspruit, in the Western Transvaal, on March 31, was the most decisive check in De la Key's carreer. General Walter Kitchener sent 1700 well mounted men under Colonel Cookson to reconnoitre as to the direction in which the Boers were located. General Hart was soon in touch with 500 Boers escorting a convoy, but the pursuit was soon relinquished on the news coming that 2000 Boers were ahead of the convoy.

Returning, Colonel Cookson halted at Brakspruit. A. shell from a Boer gun on a ridge 4000 yards distant dropped into'the camp, and masses of the en^my appeared on the flanks, leading to a general engagement.

Twenty-fo.ur Canadians and fortyfive mounteds were posted a mile and a half on Colonel Cookson's right, 500 yards beyond a belt of trees, and two companies of Artillery aJid Eifles held a farmhouse on the left flank, a thousand yards distant, while the remainder of their force stretched along to Brakspruit, covering the farmhouse.

Next to them were Keir's 28th Mounteds, Second Kitchener's Fighting Scouts, and the bulk of Cookson's Second Canadians and Bamant's force.

De la Rey sought to rush the farmhouse, which was the key of the position, the heavier guns aiming at the camp and the pom-poms concentrating their fire on the spruit.

Five hundred Boers, who occupied 8- ridge, riding in lines in extended order, galloped within five hundred yards of the farmhouse. A volley caused them to halt and the volleys were returned, but a cross fire of velleys of shells from the camp caused them to retreat to the ridge.

Meanwhile 600 Boers, under cover of the belt of Hrees, charged seventy Britishers and demanded their- surrender.

Lieut. Bruce Carruthers, who conimanded the Australians, shot the foremost at fifteen' paces.

His comrades,, who were shelterless, lay in the grass, and fired steadily and straight at the Boers, who .bolted back to the trees, some climbing and firing and others spreading in a line.

They were kept at bay for two hours and then they rushed and captured the fifteen survivors.

Carruthers alone was not seriously hurt. Be declined to go into the hospital. Some wished to shoot him, but others declared he was too brave a man to die in this way.

Several were wounded twice and

thrice

Gradually the British surrounded the Boers, whose defence was spirfted, but the enemy at four o'ck>ub were beaten off.

The Boer casualties totalled 273.