FIGHTING AT LINDEQUE DRIFT.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXXVIII, Issue 11782, 11 October 1901, Page 5

FIGHTING AT LINDEQUE DRIFT.

BRAVE NEW ZEALANDERS.

The following is extracted from a letter received from Lance-Corporal Hoy Vercoe, whose bravery at Lindeque Drift was referred to in the JIiiKAU) of October 2, giving an interesting account of the incident: — We have had a good many casualties since we have been in the field—eight killed, one died of wounds, and 30 wounded. I have not been in a really big engagement yet, but we bad a pretty hard go with Commandant Smuts at Lindequo Drift, on the Vaal River. We made a night march, leaving camp about two in ib morning to surround a farmhouse about five miles away, but when we got there the Boers had gone. Wo went on to & range of mountains over the Vaal, the Auckland Company acting as advance screen, that is, about 10 men spread out at 500 yds, between half-sections. We had just got through the range when we saw two Boers on the skyline, and three of us went after them anil captured them just as we got to the tail end of their convoy. We handed the prisoners over to some of our chaps, and soon 50 of us were in pursuit of the Boers. They cleared till they saw our strength, when they came back, and it took us all our time to prevent them retaking the convoy. They gob within 30yds of us once, and it just hung on a thread whether we

would have to abandon the convoy or not; ! but we stuck to our task convoy or not; hut we stuck to our task and drove them I back with considerable loss. We found out ! afterwards that there were 300 of them ■ attacking the 50 of us, so you can reckon we had a warm time. Next day we went out to shell a kopje, and the advance screen and supports got right up under the kopje before we knew the Boers were there. The Boers poured in a volley, killing eight horses and wounding eight of our men — three Qtieenslanders. two of the Royal Irish Rifles, and Colonel Tunbridge, of "the Queensl&nders. and two of the New Zealamlers. Later on m the day Sergeant Peterson and Sergeant-Major Callaway (who was wounded) and I galloped down to pick up two Queenslanders who were lying about 50yds from the Boer trenches. As I galloped on amid the hail of bullets, I thought of home and you all, and wondered if I should live to come through or see you all again, but though 1 knew what the odds were, I could never leave a comrade in the time of need. I was just getting my fellow on behind when a bullet whizzed close to my head, and Callaway, who had just got down, said, ' By jove, Vercoe, are you hit?' but I had no time to answer him, and my grand old horse struggled on under his terrible double load. As I galloped through that half-mile of cross-fire, I thought his back would break, but he kept on, and when 1 got about 700 yds from where we had started I jumped off, and the Queenslander rode out under cover." [Lance-Corporal Roy Vercoe belongs to Tauranga. ]