THE FOURTH COMMENT.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXXVII, Issue 11433, 25 July 1900, Page 5

THE FOURTH COMMENT.

. JOURNEY TO MARANDELLAS. ' ADVENTURES EN ROUTE. [froii.ottr SPECIAL WAR CORRESPONDENT.] [By Telegraph from Dunedin). Maraxdeuas, May 29,1900. Hero we are at last, at the base camp of Marandellas, some 124 miles inside the Rhodesian border, and,heartily thankful we .are to bo here. At Beira we had to remain in camp for three weeks, and dysentery broke out, and for a week before woleft we had about 40 men in the hospital. Thefever is not of. a very violent,form, and tte majority of the men recover after a week's nursing.

Our first stage was to Bamboo Creek, where wo found all tho evils of Beira aggravated. From Bamboo Creek wo were sent forward in small detachments owing to i the insufficiency of rolling stock. We had some lively experiences on the road. Tho engine drawing the train I was on ran out of water about,2o miles from Bamboo Creek, just about haff-a-mile from the next water tank. Wo all got out of the trucks, attached drag ropes, to the engine and hauled her about half the distance, but we came to a stiff grade, and there we remained for 12 hours. We despatched a nigger back to Bamboo Creek asking the authorities to send up another engine, but we made a fatal mistake in paying him first. Then a train came down the line and drew us on to tho water tank, where we again got up steam and resumed . our journey. Fortunately the line was duplicated at this point, and we were able to pass the .other train. Our next stopping place was Unitali, four miles inside the Rhodesian border, where we disembarked our horses, watered and fed. The last of our men, with the exception of those in the hospital in Unitali, arrived here to-day. About 20 of our contingent aro still in the hospitals, but there are no cases that need cause any alarm to friends in New Zealand. When in Beira there was a considerable amount of competition among the different contingents in the matter of trucking horses, Before our turn came tie record was held by the West Australians, who trucked 100 in 59 minutes. No. 10 company of our contingent succeeded in lowering the record by no less than,2s minutes, having trucked 100 horses in 34 minutes, Several attempts have since been mado 1:0 lower our record, but they lave all proved unsuccessful. A considerable amount of gold mining is being done here, but the reefs have not yet proved very rich. I think the future of the country, as far as we have seen it, will depend on cattle-rearing. Naturally, stores are very dear, and particularly so at this time, when the railway authorities will carry nothing but war material. While waiting the arrival of a train a morning or two ago, I went into the only hotel in the place and had a plate of porridge, for which I was charged ss, A drill book "Regulations for Mounted Infantry, 1899," has been issued to us, so our drill has been altered to a large extent. It is no doubt desirable that there should be a uniform drill throughout the whole of the Rhodesian Field Force. It is understood that the whole of the Fourth Contingent are to constitute a regi- ; ment to be called the " First New Zealand Regiment Mounted Rifles." The staff appointments in connection with it have not yet been made. Mr. Rutherford, well known in banking circles in Now Zealand and Fiji, arrived some days ago, and obtained a commission from the General, but it is not yet decided to which company he will bo attached. The following appointments have been confirmed:— No. 9 Company, Shatters to be sergeant-major ; G. A. Ross, Jolly, Collis, and A. ii. White, to be sergeants ; Bowling, Roberts, Jones, Newman, and Orbcll, to be corporals. SergeantMajor Jickell, of No. 10 Company, to be regimental-sergeant-major ;■ and Sergeant Saxby to be sergeant-major. We are anxious to be moved on to *he fighting line. We expect the order to march at any moment. - '

THE MILITARY SITUATION IN SOUTH AFRICA. ', The military writer for the Times, discussing the situation on Juno 15, says that as a whole it i 3 probably unique. A powerful force is in tlio heart of the enomy's country. Another powerful forco has just orossod the - frontier on the south-east. A third is ready to advance towards tho capital from the south-west. A fourth will shortly commence operations from,the north. ._ Tho sustained offonsivo in the Transvaal, however, depends entirely upon tho security of.communioations which havo recently been skilfully out, in a manner recalling the exploits of Stuart and of Sheridan in the American Civil war. , Ono result of this interruption of tho railway has boon to forco an action upon Lord Roberts near Pretoria. In tho absenoeof railway communication living upon the country became necessary, and the concentration of the Boors, •> in - tho neighbourhood, '.■ as; he significantly remtirks, "interfered with the collection of supplies." The maintenance of the lino'across tho Orange River v Colony to Pretoria is thus tho essential requirement at the present juuoturo. :' Lord Roberts telegraphs that Sir R.Bullor, with whom ho has communicated, "will no doubt soon make the presence of hi* force in the field felt"'t. For the moment, however, tho principal military need seems to bo. to break the Boor forces in and noar ;tho triangle—Heilbron-Vrede-Bothlehein. ■ It is clear from reoent'expeftOuoe that ! tho ;. situation ) in ; this • quarter '; has been misjudged., > ami ' it is ; still \ involved in mujch --'!.••■ ■ •;' ..,..•.■>•'.■--,..-■..'•.•.?■'- -'■•■ .',. i ■ .■;■-'■:• •:..•.■,■;■;■■■. ,•>:..:.:"

Lioutfmant-General Rundle's operations tavq' not Vjoch borne out by the facts."J Tho ooun- 1 ■ try is extremely . difficult and Mo progresd lwi been roado. If the Boers have- boon pr&'j Wntod from moving "southwards, they have; ividontly boon able to operate only tofteffeo-1 'tirely: westward. v .Tho','bnomy, states a/'Eeuyf ter telegram from; Hnmmonia on the Htlu; "seem to l biiTO. had-fresh life infused into; them," and Lleiitenant-Genoral'Riradle'a DiJ vision appears to bo practically on tlio dei fonsive, burring /attempts of the Boers to', move south of the lino Ham'monia-Pioksburg.! Tho direct guardianship of the railway, will! now doubtless be more carefully considered,, and Lord Roberta reports that ho is able to,' hpid the line between Pretoria, and tho Rho- 1 . loiter _" in strength';" but, unless there is an.' immediate collapse in tho district referred to,j it must bo reduced to order without delay,! and Bethlehem especially will have to bo ooJJ oupied. It may, therefore, provo necessary j for Sir R. Buller to lend a hand by occupying Y* o< fe before undertaking extended opera-' tions in the Transvaal, For the present, at l?ast, ho cannot bo in a position to strike' north through Krmelo for tho Lorenzo, Mar-,' quez railway, and ho must depend for supply! on tho Natal line. Whether this lino has boon! destroyed between Yolksrust and Heidelberg! wo do not yofc know. If not, and if the tun-! nel can bo made available for traflio in a* short time, a very important lino of supplywill become available and tho presence of, Sir R. Buller's force will soon mako itsel£ felt, whilo tiio occupation of Stahdertoa would go far towards isolating tho Orange*' River Colony from the Transvaal. Tho successful raid upon our lino of communications involves nothing more serious than a temporary sot-back to tho military operations; but the disasters to tho forces at' Lindloy and Roodeval form unwelcome audi-' lions to other unpleasant incidents of the campaign. Tho lessons of successful war have I to be re-learned at every period, ■ and it is perhaps a. disadvantage to the British soldier! that the characteristics of his opponents differ 60 widely and that lus peace training is mainly i carried out in a country which for centuriesf has-not been tho sccno of warlike operations.) Our forces are now, simultaneously, waging! war in the mountainous districts of Northern' Natal and near tho eastern frontier of the Orango River Colony, in the rolling plains! between Kroonstad and Johannesburg, in thoj delta extending between Taku and Pekiu.i and in the foyer-stricken alluvial belt between! tho Atlantio and Kumassi. The methods of the Boors, the Chinese, and tho Ashantia differ as markedly as the geographical conditions. In war thero is always some new; experience to be gained, and if tho plain warn-.' ing involved in the recent check to our opera-} tions in South' Africa is taken to heart, the effect upon the military situation will, a(' Lord Roberts expects, prove only temporary,^

A BOER LINE OP RETREAT. In the immediate future tho, Portuguese 1 colony of East Africa his to": fear a danger similar to that which threatened Switzerland in January, 1871, when Bourbaki, with 80,000 men (tho French army of the.Vosgos), tools refugo from his German pursuers on Swiss territory. The Swiss anticipated the danger by mobilising the greater portion of their army, and massing it on tho frontier, so that when the French troop 3 entered Switzerland they were immediately surrounded and disarmed without a shot being fired. '. ' Are the Portuguese 'authorities prepared! for a similar contingency? It appears highly probable that, to escape the sweep of tlio' British net, some Boor commandos will fall! back upon tho Portuguoso frontior. and fe-i vade the territory of our ancient ally. The normal military force of this Portu-i peso colony consists of 4888 men, of whom) 3246 aro natives—Goanese, Inhambane, and Quillinamo Kaffirs, and a sprinkling of Loam da negroes. ~-.... ' ■ " | These black troops would prove of little* avail to check the Boer invaders. Other re' sources, therefore, would have to bo drawn upon. Tho Portuguese colonial troop 3 avail' able for tho purpose aro constituted as fol* lows:— ' -

First, there is a special colonial regiment of four battalions, of which only one bat* talion is now in East Africa. The men composing it aro picked men, and trained to act! either a3 infantry or artillery. Its strength' may bo estimated at 16 officers and 381 ranis} and file. .■_""' . . ...

Tho remainder, of tho colonial army is* made up of mixed corps, Portuguese whites,! and natives, tho men of'the. Home army being sent out as a punishment to servo' in them, whilo tho natives either enlist voluntarily or are conscripted. Of these mixed: corps five rifle battalions are permanently ire East Africa, and have quite recently been reinforced by a line battalion, an eight-! gun battery of mountain artillery, and a bat-' talion of engineers from Europe, , . '• Approximately, therefore, tho strength'ofi the colonial garrison is 5900 officers and men —not a very formidable force as far as numbers aro concerned to protect the long; frontier lino. The number of field guns is not forthcoming, but tho guns consist of 9' pounder and 15-poundcr steel brocch-londtng Krupps, sighted up to 2.5 miles, and tha mountain guns are 7-pounder bronze breech,-* loaders, ~, , ' All the infantry, line, colonial, and native,,; are now armed with the Kropatschekf magazine rifle. This weapon has a calibre ot .315-inch, weighs about 101b,, is sighted up/ to 2400 yds, and holds nine rounds in the' magazine, which is on the lube system, like* tho French rifles.' Lastly, the local police corps in the colony have a few machine- guns,; modern Maxims, and Montigny Mitrailleuses, the latter dating from 1871.