THE SEVENTH IN A TIGHT CORNER.

Evening Star, Issue 11677, 8 February 1902, Page 3

THE SEVENTH IN A TIGHT CORNER.

Trooner Fraser, of the Seventh, writes to his faiuer at Timaru, under date Rooinek, December 28, concerning a lively brush they had with the Boers on Boring Day; “We had a lively time during Christmas week. On Boxing Day we shifted camp from Muller's Spruit to Rooinek. I was one of fifty who had to come np in the advance about 2 a.m., and we had a very sharp engagement before,, we could get to the nek we had to hold. We captured three Boers and wounded two. The outposts wore engaged most of the day. That night we moved out at 1 a..m., and marched till 3 a.m., when the scouts and Q.1.8.’s went to the left to hold a kopje, and the main body, consisting of about 150 New Zealanders and fifty of the 14th Hussars, moved on and halted at 3.30, waiting for daylight and a thick fog to lift. We lay down and went to sleep, except the flankers, who were about 20yds out from us. We were all drawn np in column of troops, and in about ten minutes’ time we got a real Christmas box from the Boers, lor a parry of thirty or forty of them got up to within 20yds of us. The flankers, thinking thev were scouts, took no notice of them tili they dismounted and began to lire on us. pouring in volley after volley. The horses till stampeded, dragging men with them. I will give you my experiences. I was asleep, and at the first shot my horse pulled back, jerking me on to my knees, and then the volleys came. A troop of horses coming from behind knocked me over, and my horse galloped away ns hard as it could. Just then a Hussar fell dead on top of me. shot through the head. I pushed him s»!V, grabbed my rifle, and lay as close to the ground as I could. After a few minutes the firing ceased, and wo all formed a circle in extended order. On looking round what a scene presented itself—horses and men lying all over tire place/ Numbers of men were stunned and otherwise hurt by horses coming over them. But they recovered in a few minutes. There was one Hussar killed and one wounded, one New Zealander wounded (Jim Thomson, of Pa reora), and one Queenslander wounded. The small casualty list is accounted fur by the fact that all the bullets were ‘shoulder high’; but it was the poor horses that suffered, about sixty of them being hit. I catr tell you that at the start there was a regular panic, but it was surprising how quickly order was restored. Colonels Garrett and White and Major Curzon were very pleased with the way the men behaved. We have an officer with ns to be proud of. I mean Dan Hickey (lientenair and adjutant). He mounted straight away, and had rallied the men ofr the sides of the kopje almost before the firing ceased. Colonel White to very proud of him, and said: ‘By gad, Hickey, you’re a beggar; you’re a real good man.’ Colonel Garrett was knocked down by a horse, but. getting up again, directed -things as cool a.s on parade, telling the men not to bustle, but to take things steady. The fog lifted in about half an hour, and then we had very hard work until about eleven o'clock searching all tire kopjes and caves. We found numbers of women and stores. We destroyed everything. Two Boevs were killed, three wounded, and several taken prisoners, so wo didn’t do so bid. When we, got back to camp we had to stand to arms, as the Boers came near the camp, driving in some of the outposts. However, when the big guns got to work they soon shifted. Altogether, it was a very lively day, ami i won’t forget coxing Hay in a hurry.' We received our Christmas gifts from the ladies of Natal to-day. They were really good, and included a packet of writing paper, towel, dull, book, two pipes, 11b of tobacco, twelve packets of cigarette. Many thanks to them, I say.’’