Trooper R. Griffin.

Daily Telegraph (Napier), Issue 9833, 4 August 1900, Page 8

Trooper R. Griffin.

Mr John Griffin, has received a long andinteresting letter from his son Robert, who left New Zealand with the Fifth Contingent. He describes at length the railway journey from Biera to Marandellas. "At Bamboo Cieek," he says, "we had to mount guard on the horses, in the picket lines, owing to the number of wild animals. The lions came pretty close at times, and you have to keep your eyes open." Describing the country, Trooper Griffin said it is of a sandy nature, with an abundance of kopjes. "It is very easy to see why the British have lost so many men," he continues, "as these kopjes afford splendid shelter, enabling the men posted behind to pick off the enemy at leisure." At Marandellas the New Zealanders were to be fitted out wi;h everything necessary for the campaign, and then proceed to the front. *'"l expect you will be surprised to hear that I have left the New Zealand contingent," says the writer. " Unfortutiately Captain Tanner was taken bad with fever, and invalided home. When hs left the company seemed to go to pieces. There was a lack of system, and the brunt of the work fell on a few. Captain Tanner was a really good officer, and extremely popular with the men. I got disgusted with the way atfairs were going, and with hi. Macfarlane, Whittle, and about thirty six other members of the company.left and joined the Royal Artillery. We got the same pay, and worked with officers who know their drill. The battery I have joined is called the fifteen-pouuder, and the guns are now on their way up here. The work is far more interesting than mounted infantry." "Marandellas is the base camp, and the goods are taken from here to Buluwayo by mule and bullock teams, the journey being a twenty days' march. We will have to sleep out every night— not a nice prospect, is it? However, we are here and will have to make the best of it. I should like to have a shot at the Boers with our fifteen-pounder. There is also a "Pom-Pom" battery here, their guns firing 400 rounds a minute, so you can imagine they will be fairly deadly.'