A NATAL VOLUNTEER'S EX-PERIENCE.

Press, Volume LVII, Issue 10626, 9 April 1900, Page 6

A NATAL VOLUNTEER'S EXPERIENCE.

Mr Geo. Witty, of Templeton, has. received another letter from, his brother, Mr R. Witty, a member of Bethune's Mounted Infantry, and who wrote oh February 18th from Mount Rous, in Zululand. They were at the two big fights at Spion Kop and Vaalkrantz. Spion Kop was the worst for Bethune's Mounted Infantry as they lost heavily. It was terrible to see the dead and wounded; it was like a slaughterhouse. The fight at Vaalkrantz was the best, as nearly all tho work was done by the artillery and naval guns. It was just one continuous string of shells bursting in the Boer trenches, then the infantry advanced under cover of the artillery -fire and took the hill with very slight loss. The worst gun the Boers- had was a quick firer that could send out twenty lib shells in about a second. This gun being small, could be shifted about anywhere. The way the Boers did was to put one of .these guns into their ambulance waggon and shift it right up to the British lines and pop away. On one occasion it was seen what the Boers were doing, and the British turned one of the big guns on and blew the ambulance waggon to pieces. Mr Witty writes that they had (had very rough times, always on the move night and day. Food was often short, and for three weeks there was nothing but tinned beef and biscuits. When writing they were in a very rough, wild country, with a lot of bush, and it was fearfully hot both day arid night. The place was fairly alive with snakes from two feet to eighteen feet in length, the cobra being twelve feet to eighteen feet. The writer's company was close to the Tugela River, guarding two drifts to prevent the Boers from crossisg. There were only small parties of Boers in Zululand who were looting. The Mounted Infntry had two seven-pounders and a Maxim gun with them, and they were stationed close to Rorke's Drift.