NEW ZEALANDERS AT THE FRONT.

Press, Volume LVIII, Issue 10997, 21 June 1901, Page 7

NEW ZEALANDERS AT THE FRONT.

A BRILLIANT PERFORMANCE. VIVID DESCRIPTIONS BY WAR COR- ' RESPONDENTS. » (from qub owjr cohekspo.vdiist.i LONDON, May 18. Already ths Sixth New Zealand Contingent have had a chance of distinguishing thcmsclv;**, which they have been prompt to seiz-. Mr Bennett Burleigh, tbe Special War Correspondent of ths "Daily Telegraph," writes of their p.rformance as follows : — "It is relatively but the other day since the Sixth Contingent of New Zealanders,. SSO strong, passed through this place (Brandfort) bound to Pretoria. Than these Antipodean 9 no finer troops have enroifed under the banner t-i the British Empire, regulars or auxiliaries, home-born or colonials. Like the 'Scots Greys' they stand second to none. Youthful, stalwart, active, keen-eyed, aglow with military ardour, no better men have ever taken the field. Their commaj-dii-g officer, Colonel Banks, had reason to be proud of ..he splendid fellows composing his regiment. "I hey had come on from seaboard. . '.straight from thc ..teamer. to join General Plamsr, and expected to detrain at Kroonstad. The Filth New 'Zetland Contingent, I or what was left of it, which they had coma Ito relieve, had just started south, en route for thar hom_s. There was sound of battle in the air, for 'the drive' of the scattered remnants of Christian d* Wet's and other commandos, which had been driven back from the invasion of Cape Colony, were being herded north upon Thate "Nelra lines. "At Bloemfontein, learning what was afoot, "thi:. eager New Zealand blood would have liked to detrain there and then and gallop away to join in the task. But no other oiders came out, and the Nejv Zeulardcrs, instead even of detraining at Kroonstad, were hurried through to Pretor.a. Then, under Colonel Bub.ngton, with, for comrades, soune of the Australasians, known a. 'Rcugh Riders' or Bushmen, they marched westward by the valley of Pretoria, cf which the Magliesberg chain forms the northern boundary. And, as I anticipated when I saw the men, the moment they got their chance and set eyes upon the enemy, they went for him with irresistible dash. "So fur as I have been able to learn, this is what happened: Covering a wide front with either wing, respectively Bushmen and New Zealanders, thrown far forward, the colonials were in quest cf the Boers*. De La Roy evidently'knew what was preparing for him, and was making a customary trek. But he had not gauged the quality of the daring and dashing spirits thai"were seeking his acquaintance. Once well round upon the enemy s flanks, Bushmen, and New Zealanders rode in furiously upon the Boers. They would take no denial, and pell-moil they crowded the scared Boers upon their own convoy and main body. Shaking the mus free and spurring their steeds, onwaTd swept the colonials, shooting and riding down all opposition. Waggons were captured, cannon were taken, and prisoners secured, and in -mat flight De La Rey's wmmondo spread and fled for safety in aJ directions. Ihe victory'was complete; its fruits were only iimiteo. by the inability ■of the colonial horses to go further, for the animals were ridden to a standstill.", The""Standard-" fecial cormspandeut has also abundance of praise for the magnificent charge" made by the Bphmen and New Zealanders. After describing tlep«----limina-y » ct * ol - -between General. Bobwgr ton's force and the Brers near Haartebeestfontein, the writer say*:— . "On the following day came the magnificent rush of the Bushmen and New/ealanders, resulting in the capture of he Boer guns. Tho capture was initially due, it is slid, to the Commandant's quarrelling with De la Rey as to General Babmgton s intentions. A noted Boer scant had got into the British camp, and ascertained, from the talk going on, that the column was to move next morning at half-past three. Returning with his informat:on to the Boer laager near Leeuwfontein he gave it as his opinion that the British meant to come -__> further. Smuts <* nd *«"?? adopted tbis view, but De la Rev thought otherwise.; they quarrelled over the matter, and De la Rey, who had only seventy men of his own with him— guns belonging .mostly to Smuts—withdrew in a race. Rmrits, the senior Commandant, was then free to pursue the in which Ramp and Wolmaranr. shared during the quarrel with the disaffected De la Rey, and that was to turn pn the .-.-jU-h rearguard early in the morning, and attempt tlie. capture of .the convoy. . "Unfortunately for the Boers, De Ja. Rey's knowledge of the game-proved to be correct . . On came the 1500 Boers, their guns and 5 transport? covering the-road for son.* distance. Soon after they trekked, 400 Boers were s-_nt round A ridge well outside the flank, to come in. as they calculated, on BabJ-gton's convoy, in rear ol the British ccluinu. By this time the column, instead of moving away, was coming toward them. Colonel Shekleton, with his Mounted Infantry, was holdiog the Haute; the Im ..trial Light Horre, after their doat Hm_. tebs-st-onfcein. were acting as rea-ward, while Colonel (-rey with the B_.-nnen and ths New Zealanders wereahead. Jwt as the 400 B**ier«* nad got round, rr.d had faE-rn on to the convoy, the co'-or-'a.*. issued through a nek, ar.d beheld the whole Bc-c-r force, as it appeared to tlitm. coming, towards them. * Th" sitrht wr~ too much fcr the darfc-.ng Bushmen and; New /_-_landers. wto_ECt up a shout, and made at full gallop ior the Boer?. The latter, taten eff their pnard. r,*-d **or the most p**rt pauic-s-trickei- a_ t-be sight, made no attempt at a stand. One cf the Boer gross in charge of _r. efficer of the Mtaats Artillery, w.i** -run out into: the vcl-it, and s.iv ed with adniirabls cool- J new. but the teams of Ike others were turned round and whippsd npwith the ora mad id_a of 'getting away. The transport. which was horsed entirely with nudes, sousrht to follow suit. ■-_.__ "The opportunity of the campaign had arrived, however, for tbe Bushmer. and New Zer-landers*. riding with looss rem. and firing off the backs of th-ir hor.es, went l head lor-*** at the enemy, turning tne wa- ?- , C ons nearest t-hem. and rnakma- pm-oner* . hi the Boers in charge. The- otlm ahead , saw'what was going on. and, abaraontr^ ' the- : r charge-?, they scattered and made off into the veldt. The figbtin? men. imbued \ with the one desire to get away, mads lit.le . or no attempt to return the ec-.on_a.-j fire, . and many were shot down or surrsrdered. . The veldt was covered with fleeing Bom. - Here a gun was stopped in its career by - a single Bushman, who. yelling t<_- the r drivers to null 4ip. wouM, with a "brace •of'flving shots, tumble a couple of artillerynton'cff tha limbers before he **■ bra prae. There, a pursning New Zealand-!., ivitli with the exhHaration of victory, dnirged a - whole dump of Boers, and got* home too. , without a senrtcb. The immunity of 7 the Colonials, indeed, was one of the most remarkable features of that half-mad. but wholly purposeful, charge. Outnumbered as they were by the Boers, who. if they had "I not been panic-stricken, might have prevented w»me of the. guns from being cantured, they took the affair so masterfully I, into their'hand?* that the enemy never had ■■*• a moment to think. , t_ "It'waa one yelling,, relentless rush, * with tbe Boers never __r»win_r rein, but en- * growed with tie idea of getting away from th*_o avenging how-ia-en. So on ths* Boem gaUoped, absaidoning t__-ir waggons and 8 guns and aouminition, and nevfcr 3-rew rein * until they reached the shelter of a strong 8 ridge, sax miles away. By that time the horse*, were exbausted, and the pursuit h ceased. Tlie spoil of the charge included * two fifteen-pounders (one of ours captured * by the enemy at Co-enso, and tbe other at " Stonnberg), one pcan-pom, «ix Maxims, . 15,000 rounds of small arms ammunition. £ 160 rifles, 55 waggons, 24 carts, and 14C a, pri-s-meis, and over 60 Boers kiHed and -w-unded. The loeees of the Bushmen aud f - New Zealanders were absolutely nil; 0015 f ~ one man -being hit in the hand. Ther. could be no better proof of the demoralisa i_»- tion and utter rout of tbe enemy.**