THE TRANSVAAL WAR.

Marlborough Express, Volume XXXIV, Issue 292, 13 December 1899, Page 4

THE TRANSVAAL WAR.

♦ \OnRI3EOaUROR BOY FIGHTING ATLvDYsMira. Private Chivers, who is at present serving with the D Company, 2nd Battalion Gordon Highlanders m Natal, is a son of Mr T. Chivers of the General Post Office, Oiirisroburch. Mr Chivers has placed a letter fr-m his son at the disposal of tae Lyttetton Titaes. he letter w«s written from Ijadysmich on 24 h October, just at the tima of th« fierce assaults by the Boers on the British position, and although Private Ohivers was not able to giva a connected review of the whole fighting, his letter furnishes some very interesting sidelights on the war : — «• I write these few lines (he says) from the trenches, where I am now lying, waiting for the enemy's approach. A second battle is at hand We fought the Hrat on Saturday, and, thank the L rd, I was sp-tred. W« lost, ab'iun 150 tue'» m my by talion alone, to say nothing of the otner battalions. Th« Boers had heavy I sses, but the number is not known, as they carry their dead am) wounded away with them. As for Saturday's fight, we were waiting patiently m Ladynmith, which is the base of operations, when the scuts signalled to camp that the e^my approaching the town. We were crderod away at once. My battali >n was 450 strong, and with u^ »ent the Devonshires and Man cheaters, aud an artillery force. We had not got far before the enemy fired on us with their artillery, and the fin* was returned with interest by our heavy guns. We were lying behind the artillory, while the two oppmiing forcfts e'tgagwi m a duel it lon.--range, which laited about an hour. I shall never forget the 'experience. The first man killed on our sidf had his head taken clean off by a shell. At the end of an hour we had silenced the enemy's gun«, but the worst was yet to come, for oar bat talion and two others had to finish the fight by facing abou' 5000 Boers armed with the Mauser rifl->. "We received the order to advance and open fire. Mv comrades were falling all around me, and some of the sights were the moot awful I have ever seen. We had four hour*' hard fighting, and 1 fired about 250 rounds of ammunition during that time. It seemed as if the enemy would never be driven nai b. Then we got the order to fix bayonets and charge. When the Boers «aw that line of charging troops, they retired down hill an-i across the ulain. Then the Lancers charged down on them with the lanee — a very beautiful sight to us. The Boers were cut down m all directions, «< me of them g 'ing down on thnir knees and begging for mercy. " At the end we had won the day. At the roll call we found 'hat we had lost almost every • fficer, and a lot of men. It wan awful to see the dead and wounded lying on the field, the wounded crying for help, wbioo we c.>uld not 'give them, because we had to hold the position m case the enemy sh uld return, fin thn- •.?-»re left there to bleed to d»ath. 1 cannot tell you more now, as we d > not know what second we may b« cail^d upon to defend the lines. While I am writing thin, I can hear the reports of the guns of my comrades fighting *htee miles away, where we have sent an advance party. " We are holding the main position at this moment, protecting the inhabitants of Lady smith. I have little time to write to friends, so you muGt tell them I am still alive,"