THE ROUGH RIDERS.

Lyttelton Times, Volume CV, Issue 12422, 11 February 1901, Page 3

THE ROUGH RIDERS.

A PATROL ATTACKED,

-" AFFAIRS OF OUTPOSTS

LONG-RANGE SHOOTING,

A SCATTERED CONTINGENT

(By FRANK WILKIN. )

Vaal River, Coal-mines Drift, Dec. 16, 1900. There has'been nothing startling to chronicle for the last two weeks. The Boers .around the Drift camp have kept very quiet, and offered' no opposition, although patrols are taken out for miles. The last fight D Squadron had was up the Vaal River, towards. Klerksdorp where a patrol numbering some twenty horsemen were attacked by one hundred o'f the enemy. 'As usual the Boers, although possessing a great superiority in point of numbers, kept at a discreet distance, and our rifles had to be sometimes elevated considerably over the long-sight—2 800 yards—to obtain the range. The Mauser rifles are not supposed to carry nearly so far as ours, yet, even when we stopped firing, because our bullets could not carry the distance, they continued a heavy fusilade, which only ceased when we got tired and went home. There are three outposts away from the camp, and for a length, of time they were continually watched by Boer horsemen, who could be distinctly seen against the horizon. Occasionally these scouts would venture in rather close, and the outposts would try their luck at a long shot, never, so far as •we knew, successfully: • I remember one day we were keeping outpost on a stony kopje across the river, and three Boer mule Avaggons were driven up to some kaffir kraals about three miles out, where they were loaded with' the niggers' grain. The escort were sattered over the veldt, and presently . a few came pretity close to 'our position. We tried,them v.'ith the-long-sight, 2800:yard.", but-: the bullets fell quite 700 yards sort. So, elevating the rifles, we dispensed with the sights and fired well up in the air. The bullets, although they • must have/ been spent, fell right 'amongst them, this lime, and they lost .■notime in clearing out. Fearing that our fil in':; would bring over a- squadron of horsemen, 'which might involve the loss of-their waggons, the Boers made tracks back to their camp with what booty they had secured.

The Fifth. Contingent serins to be scattered to the four comers of Africa uow." 'Some are in the Artillery, others are on staffs, sick, or convalescent, and awaiting a chance to rejoin their companies, while the squadrons themselves are at stations very wide apart. The Canterbury troop (0 Squadron) is supposed to be at Bulawayo, while A and B Squadrons are in Klerksdorp and Ottos-! hoop respectively, or supposed to be.. Our squadron (D), which, is garrisoning this drift; is woefully reduced, only a.bout twenty-five fighting men being availa.ble to go out onpatrol after the three Cossack posts have 1 been filled, four mento each post. Excepting two fellows from the: First Contingent, whom we met near Bulawayo, we have not come across any of the First, Second, or Third Regiments as yet. And excepting what we read in the New Zealand papers we hear very little about them. News was brought into camp a few days ago telling of a disaster to the Second: Contingent, at a point some sixteen miles distant from here, where fifty-nine were wounded and four killed outright. We have now been supplied with tents, after the rain is all over and the weather has set fine, but they are very hot and stuffy in thenight time, and attract but few lodgers. Most of the men prefer sleeping in the airy, but water-tight, little whares they have erected.