LETTERS FROM THE FIRST CONTINGENT.

Press, Volume LVII, Issue 10589, 24 February 1900, Page 9

LETTERS FROM THE FIRST CONTINGENT.

Writing from Arhndel on December 22nd, Corporal W. H. Shepherd say's: — "We ore having'a» pretty easy time this toat.few days,.we.'haye not been out of camp *ith the ex&pt|on.of7myself. I have to turn out every morning to be ready by daylight to go oat with the p_tro_ as signaller, *«t I am exempt from all day duties. The •najority of the meti are enjoying good health, a few are suffering trota dysentry. A good few of the hontes are knocked up. Tdl —__ tlww ia a good chance of joining the volunteers! over fcere. They are advertising for men in all the papers for different volunteer corps, and also for police foty. They get better pay than we are Siting, go if he wants to go through a earnPaien now is his chance. A lot of the fellows are getting hctmesxk, aad wish the **r was at an -sod. When you answer the *«ter don't forget to send roe the "Weekly H*S9. * Tell (9_b hrother) Uhat I exP*<* to see him when the next lot cornea n *«n New Zealand. The Queen is sending •*ery nun who is lighting in South Africa * tin of chocolate as a Christmas present. * wil bring home tihe box as v. memento. *rc«n all apptai-mces I do not think the campaign w-jl be over for ■mne months, but cue thi©g I em certain of, and that is that we will beat- the Boers ia the finis-.

', I em gsftting as bWtck as a nigger. My nose has been skon-ned three or tour times j afa-dy with the sun. We all bad a great ! sell the otAier day. About three bags of | ma- came from New Zealand the o*i__er day, j aad we thought —lcie must bo a letter for every __» in the Contingent, but when we j opened them we fout d Bathing hot traces i from some one in Dunadin," The following letter was received from Trooper D. W. Prosser, of the First Ctmtlmjent, a cousin of Mr Thos, Gapes, of this city, and dated January 18th, 1900, at Rasfontein. After referring to some private matter he writes:—"l am very pleased to acknowledge the receipt of your letters, a_*s now have a little further news to give you, but I presume you have already read in your papers about the stand we made against the Boer*. No. 2 Company, numbering about 70 together with oO of tlie York Regiment held a bit. the Yorks doing •entry duty while we New Zealanders were having a nip, when we were suddenly awakened by a terrific rifle fire from the Boers, who heJd a small kopje on our left. During the night the Boers, to the number of about three hundred of t_eir Crack fhoU, got unobserved undor cover at the foot Of our lull about four hundred yards away from u« Behind these about seven hundred yards off they had five or six hundred men placed, who, about ten o'clock in the morning, opened fire on us heavily. While our attention waa engaged with these the front row of Boers*, unobserved by us. made a rapid advance on us under cover of their reserve, and we were not aware of their advance till they were right up to us, when tliey also opened fire on us as they ad- ; vanccd. killing the Captain of tlie Yorks. Then the New Zealanders were called on to show what stuff they were made of. The Boers were now within twenty yards , of us ,when our Captain called out:— -j "When are men who will follow mc to the charge?' Each of us then.fixed bayonets | and leapt to m*et the enemy. Two of our brave comrades went down, mortally wounded, and as we advanced the Boers turned and fled, but we dare not follow too far on account of the number of Boers further on at the back, but we fired volley after volley after them as they retreated, killini? numbers of them. We know we i killed thirty and wounded over a hundred of them. We captured one Bofr with a* bullet wound in his jaw, and he stated that the wounded Boers wtre crawling into camp till after dark that day. If we had retreated it would have been another Majtiba - Hill disaster. There would not ; have been. 0-3 of us left. The kopje is named the New Zealand Hill in hononr of our victory. The General had v? all. lined up in camp and sn.-'d b.* could not-praise and compliment tis enough ot the wtisfaction he felt at our coolness under fire." Trooper Prosser h*. been through the whole campaitrn, and this is the second letter received by the. "Press" from him.