THE BOER WAR.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXXVIII, Issue 11711, 22 July 1901, Page 5

THE BOER WAR.

PUNISHMENT OF REBELS. By Telegraph.—Press Association.—Copyright. {Received July 20,8.7 p.m.) London, July 19. Lord Kitchener has commuted 34 death sentences on Cape rebels to penal servitude for life in the Bermudas. •THE CAPE TROOPS. \fßeceived July 20, 4.40 p.m.) London, July 20. A Reuter despatch states that all the Cape troops will hereafter operate exclusively within Cape territory under colonial commanders to expel raiders and suppress rebellion, co-operatine; with the Imperial troops engaged beyond the frontier. MARTIAL LAW. London, July 19. Martial law has been extended to the Maclear and Eliott districts. EX-PRESIDENT STEYN. Capetown, July 19. / Thirty-two pounds were found in Steyn's waistcoat. j . REFUGEE CAMPS. ' London, July 19. ! Mrs. Fawcetfc and ■ other members ' of the Victorian League have been I included in the Government Committee appointed to visit the refugee camps in South Africa. Mr. Brodrick, Secretary for War, informed the House of Commons that women who are able to support themselves will be permitted to leave the refugee camps. BOY SOLDIERS. . . London, July 19. Schalk Burger has ordered the enlistment of all Boers aged 14 and over. LORD MILNER. London, < July 19. Lord Milner returns to South Africa on August 10. ARRIVAL OF A TROOPSHIP, (Received July 21, 5 p.m.) Albany, July 21. The troopship Britannic has arrived from the Cape. ARRIVAL OF MAJOR MAJOR AN T D TROOPERS. Another batch of troopers forming part of the Fourth and Fifth Contingents arrived from the South on Saturday morning, via the West Coast, by the s.s. Takapnna Major Major, who left Auckland with the Fifth Contingent, was the only officer. The others were Gunners Watkins and Douglas, and Troopers Stitchbury, McLeish, and Nightingale, under the command of Regimental Sergeant-Major Parker. Major Major leaves again to-day for Nelson, having received an appointment at the Ne'son College.

BACK FROM THE WAR. [BY TELEGRAPH.—OWN CORRESPONDENT.] Thames, Saturday. The two local volunteer companies, with their respective bands, turned out this evening and accorded Trooper W. N. Gordon a very hearty welcome home from South Africa. .. The trooper arrived by the twenty minutes to seven train from Auckland, > and was met at the Grahamstown station,: where he was cordially received by Captain. Adams, of the Hauraki Rifles, and Captain Shand, of the Thames No. 1 Rifles. He was afterwards placed in a carriage, and a procession formed, which, headed , by the combined bands marched up as far as Mary-; street corner, and then back to the Pacific Hotel, where an impromptu smoke concert was given. There was a large turn out of the public to witness the reception, but, unfortunately, heavy rain set in, which somewhat marred the proceedings. Very hearty cheers were given, however, by the public to the returned trooper at the railway station. ' • -' ■ .. COROMANDEL, Saturday. Messrs. Campbell and Nesbitt, two returned members of the Fifth Contingent, are expected back to Coromandel by the ,'Rotomahana to-night. The volunteers, under Captain Kenrick, and the town band, are proceeding to the wharf to give them a right royal reception. [by telegraph.—press association.] Timaru, Sunday. Dr. Thomas, of the Fourth and Fifth Contingents, was given a most enthusiastic reception on his return to Timaru last night.. The Mayor publicly welcomed him, and the thousands present gave prolonged cheers. Dr. Thomas was placed on the manual engine of the fire brigade, and the Port Guards (his old corps) manned the drag ropes, and drew the engine through the town to the doctor's private residence, • the battalion and

pipe oanas oeing in attendance, ana tue brigade forming a torchlight procession, The heartiness of the reception eclipsed all that have gone before. Dr. Thomas, in a short speech, said he had merely done his duty, and like others was glad to be home again. Cheers were renewed, and the doctor then retired. * Wellington', Saturday. At Woodville a hearty welcome was given the returning troopers at a social in the evening. It was resolved, that the balance of the more men fund in hand be devoted to the erection of a brass tablet in some prominent position in the town in honour of the men enlisted from this district. A' COLONIAL OFFICER ON CAMPAIGNING IN SOUTH AFRICA. ■■;.: At an' entertainment given at Hawera to Lieutenant-Colonel Davies, who has just returned from South Africa, that officer said: They sometimes had it a bit rough in South Africa, but over there they were well looked after in respect of food, etc. The Army Service Corps work and the commissariat work has been splendid—wonderful, marvellous. The departments of the British army had simply astonished the colonials, and in fact the world— wonderful way in which the enormous army was fed and looked afterthe regularity with which the enormous number of rations were served out. Of course, sometimes they had a pinch, but, on the whole, it was wonderful, and on the other hand they sometimes had an excess of luxuries. They had had poultry until he had seen the men turn up their noses at it. But, on the' whole, there was no real hardships in it. The climate was the finest climate in the world. No doubt there had been sickness, and the deaths from enteric have been more than the deaths from bullets. But he was sure there would have been many fewer deaths if the men would only have refrained from drinking water, which, in his opinion, was only fit for washing in. He had formed this opinion years ago when surveying in New Zealand, and never drank water and in Africa he was confirmed' in his view, so that he soon found that, although fairly tough, he could not afford to use water, and he never even carried a water bottle, or anything of the kind, since the beginning of the Kimberley march. ',< He had persuaded some comrades to throw away their water bottles, and they never had a day's illness since. He was perfectly certain that water was the danger in this world, even if you put whisky in it (a laugh), but it was all right if boiled. As to the Imperial ' army— the way, the British soldiers said, "We are all Imperial ; call us British"—dealing first with the .officers, some people talked slightingly of themj. but,

take them right through, they were the very finest set of men it was ever his fortune to meet. " The colonials received from diem the utmost kindness and consideration. The British soldier all the world knew—he could not be beaten— he was as brave a man as ever stepped into shoe leather; but sometimes they heard of invidious comparisons ; between the British and colonial. Well, look at the different way they were brought' lip. One was brought tip in a double rowj of houses, and never went so far away from his home that he could not meet a'. policeman who would prevent him getting lost. The other, when he was nine yearw old, was sent off on horseback with a bib of bread and butter in his hand, to do work that brought out all his self-reliance. There' was the totally different training, and of. course it told. But, having said that, let' him say that it was a delusion that the untrained colonial was good enough for a soldier. Many present would remember how he used to drum discipline into his; corps—and he would not wish them to think* for a minute that he had com© to the conclusion that you can relax discipline. Tha strongest discipline they could have the better, so long as it was just, and plenty of drill. He had come back stronger on this* point than ever he was before. "It was an, entire fallacy to think that because colonial troops had done well, therefore, you can ; get up os good an army without drill and* discipline as one with it. He was sorry to see a number of people had taken up this*" idea—Conan Doyle and others, for instance.. There was a great danger in it. Ho thought ho had a mission in life, and that was to preach against the doctrine every time he heard it. Every time he got up he was going to preach discipline. , - BELEAGUERED IN ZEERUST,. A NEW ZEALANDER'S EXPERIENCES.' INTERESTING INCIDENTS. - Mi-. Geo. S. Budge, of Panmure,. father" i of Gunner Albert M. Budge, who has been' beleaguered in Zeerust, with the No. 1 15-pounder New Zealand Battery, . was. very much disappointed on arrival of the Tagus to learn from the Defence Minister and Captain Major that No. 1 Battery was still shut up in Zeerust, when the others of the Fifth left Capetown, or at any rate, if relieved, the siege had been raised too late for them to return in the Tagus. Mr. Budge, sen. received a letter dated 14 days, ' prior to the sailing date of the Tagus, in. which his son states that outposts and scouts reported the approach of Lord Me-.' thuen's column, with a convoy 12 miles- < long for Zeerust and . Rustenburg. On ' Saturday last whilst reading Mr. Seddon's telegram, Mr. Budge received a letter from . the beleaguered little town, dated April 26. This letter bore on its face the postmarks, - Mafeking, May 2, and London, May 25. "j In a later letter he says that the No. I Battery won the cup in the football matchtheir latest- "crow." Gunner Budge writes as follows : —"I am nearly recovered from the fever, and getting quite; strong again, putting on weight every day. ■;. Zeerust is still in siege, the Boers all around us. Yesterday our guns opened fire on a,' considerable number located in two farmhouses, and a schoolhouse. We put '■■■ three shells into the schoolhouse, and Miss Shrap- v : nel accounted for three Boers killed. The Yeomanry were afterwards engaged, to- ;' gether with : the North Lancers and ours. There was a sharp rifle fire at sundown, . and at six this morning, our 15-pounder ' •-.-••■' opened fire on a bunch of beauties,. under a few trees. The first shell burst about 40 or 50 yards right in front of them, but did not kill any. Seven Scooted one way and two the other, hat in hand, their usual stylw of clearing out; we couldn't see their legs for dust. We estimated the number of the enemy round about outside just now at 1400.. Some of the prisoners are perfect sights Jan is about the red-hottest looking soldier you could imagine. I can't: describe him; he is any and every age, from: 16 to 60 ; nearly all have round or drooping shoul- . ders, with a slinking look, that makes you itch to punch his head, or kick him out oil the way. You just try to imagine a fellow: ' looking like a cross between a navvy and am

undertaker—dirty at that—and you have got: the gentle Boer in fighting ■ rig. Jan and Piet have a holy horror of our sweet lyddite; they say it stinks, and is not fair in war. Our fellows remind them of their habit of polluting water with filth worse than poison. , ' Most of us caught enteric, Doctor Goven says, through drinking standing water in wells and cisterns of farms which the Boers had looted, and then before leaving fouling with horrible filth, but in the hot weather it was simply awful to gofor hours in the dust and heat with your tongue and lips cracked, and burning hot;' we hadn't time to filter or hunt microbes. I have seen a man drink nearly half of e twogallon wooden bucket of water that stank awfully. There is a football match coming off between ours and the Home troops, with a cup for the winning team. I think our, battery can pull it off, they practice every' evening. Our Imperial comrades here are a splendid lot of fellows, and holy terrors to fight, but 'jhey can't loot live stock. Our Imperial Tommy can't catch a pig for saur kraut, nor tie up fowls with strips of bed sheeting. He sings out for Maori to catch his runaway porker, and tie up his fowls that • . are all over the shop. I saw one fellow—a corporal— into camp, grinning his head half off; he was proud, I tell you ; he' had a musical box, playing up, under one arm, and a little black and white sucking pig under the other, squealing like fits. I have not heard anything lately about ; any of us New Zealanders going Home tc England for a visit. I suppose that's off. The sketch will give you an idea of the country between Zeerust and Mafeking, and where our guns have been in position in the different fights between -;>> | Zeerust and Ottoshoop. ,