MOVEMENTS OF THE NEW ZEALANDERS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXXVIII, Issue 11687, 24 June 1901, Page 5

MOVEMENTS OF THE NEW ZEALANDERS.

! USEFUL \YQIV<, I " - I : soil!'; excitl-ig incidents. j i [r'SOM t'TJS OWN COBItt'SPOKDEiST.] j ; I'LVAAB'S RIVJJK, May 8, 1901. J | On April 19 General ITiubct's column occu- i i pied Bathfontcin, en route from Pietereburg I to Pretoria. Here the New Zealanders enI camped for a week to get into communieai Hon with General Kitchener's column march - I itiir from Mk'.d'.'lhury;. Captain icker, with ! Lieutenant McDonald. Surgeon-Captain. j O'Neill, and 40 New Zealnndors, marched ; the day following our arrival, and were *«e- ---' eessful in coming into communication with . General Kitchener. Major Vyles, with the J 1.8.C.'s (Austialians), was Bent to hold Kooi massie Drift, 55 railes distant, and Captain ' Mark bain, with Lieutenant Overtoil, was de- | spatched to hold Crocodile Kop Drift, 15 ! vnilo,! distant. Colonel Jeffries' corps held ! the drifts of the Oliphant River behind tho j main body. Tims, with General Kitchener's j column and Colonel Boston with tho Kino I Brigade, Genera.' Piumcr completed a cordon ! enclosing over 10 square miles of bush veldt ! country, in which were- Commandants ! Shroodor, Trichardt, and Pcurie. _ Viljoen j was also reported to be in the vicinity. The Intelligence Department, consisting of ! Messrs. McKeuzio, Brink, and Taylor, under j Captain Williams, had despatched native?, | who brought in valuable information. Mr. Taylor, formerly interpreter to the. Chartered Company, acted as guide to Captain Markham, who tool: 27, men, with Lieutenant Banks and Surgeon-Captain Curdy, out, after a party of Boers reported near Crocodile Kop. After chasing them two days, and asI sisting the Imperial Light Horse at tho capj ture of five waggons and four Boers, he rej ported to Major Vyles that Commandant J Shroocler intended crossing at Koomassie i j Drift. Lieutenant Rcid. of tho Bushmen, was despatched, and by strategy compelled { Shroocler to surrender with 4-2 men, 15 wag- ' gons, and a Maxim gun. Lieutenant Overi ton acted us escort to the Boer prisoners, ! who were left under guard a* Captain MarkI ion's camp, and 'hen scut on to General Plumer at Bathfontein. The following morning reinforcements wore sent to Crocodile Kop, and Captain ! Markhain started on the trail of CommanI dent Fnur:c. with 10 men, and' a large mob j of cattle, with waggon?, v. j.- accounted for. I Tlk» little banc! of New Zcalanders then • pushed on until they came up with the I Devons under Major Davis, of General KitI chener's column. The information they were able to give was of groat assistance, j practically leading to the catiture of nearly 100 Boers, with largo mobs of cattle and \ waggons. Lieutenant Wood, with Sergeant j Gallaher and six men. located Commandant Trichardt with 35 Boers and 19 waggons. A message was despatched to Captain Markham, who was at the spot within half-an-hour, only to find the enemy had surrendered to the West Australians of Kitchener's) column. However, the New Zealanders had the consolation of capturing 110 head of cattle. During their four days' march they covered 150 miles, marching almost night and day, with only one day's rations. Captain j Markham was commended for the assistance | he had given to General Plumer'? column. j Major Davis, of the Devon.-:, personally | congratulated our men on their march. Some I of the other officers of Kitchener's column j facetiously asked if the New Zealanders in- : cluded Kimberlev in their rounds. The whole of "PlumcrV column left BathI fontein on April 29, and trekked to Koomassie Drift, whore they were joined by Captain M.ukham's Wanderers. We reached Haartfontein on May '■'.. In passing through j the last pass en route for Pretoria, wo expected to have some fighting, as 400 Boers I with 6000 entile and , •vend waggons were j only haH-a-riav's march ahead of us. On May I 3, ju«r after dawn, a column of ?50 picked • from the whole of Phmier's column, and 1 under (he command of Major Vyles. started ' in pursuit of tho enemy. Fifteen New Zoa- : I'indcrs were chosen from each of the four ; squadrons. Major Fin lay, with Captains Markham and Cameron end Lieutenants Wallis and Bmka, wen- the New Zealand officers attached to the living column. Sur-geon-Captain Purely acted as medical officer, with Civil Sur :.n Davidson in charge of the nml>ulance toiigan. After four days. ! during which time they covered 120 miles of i country, capturing 32 !!,.-rs. 21 waggons ■ ] ) ,\ i ) head of cti'e, with rifles and aunmiiuI ,„!,;, thev reached final's River. i '1".,. main body under General PUnnai', ! will, Colonel Hanks and most of the New ! Zeahmders, arc at Silvorslcu, near Pretoria. I vi lucent GitpU.in Mill! an is .ml with 20 I men after seven liner* and 300 cattle. We 1 ~M„<r! to move from hero in a day or so, . hut whether we go back to Pretoria or start ' another trek no one seems to know.