A LETTER FROM THE FRONT

New Zealand Mail, Issue 1509, 31 January 1901, Page 65

A LETTER FROM THE FRONT

■SERGEANT BEZAR WRITES ; HOME.

From KoekemdOr, 8.A., under - date 2oth November, Sergeant F. W. Bezar, of the New Zealand: Battery, says: There has been no writing for the last few days, for we have been outside the ordinary lines of communication. We are at this very Maori-like-named place, guarding a railway bridge. It, is about fifteen miles from Pochefstroom: The Royal Engineers are repairing it. This bridge was blown up by the Boers in July last. It is expected to be finished itt a few days, when the line will be clear through from Johannesburg to Klerksdorp. Whilst out yesterday exercising the horses, we came across an electric fuse about 200 yards long, but apparently it had refused to act. There ar# not many of the enemy hereabouts, but it is thought that General Xandburg jg hovering far - away //with - a- ' small oamaiando; hut ‘that ‘ are ’ hear there can be no dpubt-, for they captured a Bushman wfip y©niured out of bounds; but we retaliated this morning by capturing three of their scouts, who are now left to repent in a little tent named “ Safe Retreat.” They will he. transferred to. Klerksdorp pn the first opportunity.. We sent three Cape boys «n Friday to mind the mules on -the yeldt; - but, alas, only two of them and fifteen out of twenty mules came back. We are under, a. Major Williams just now-detached from •General Douglas. Our Battery has gained : 4 verjr_f v good name. My training in, iHe- Permanent jxtillery hks me in ! good need. ■ ! - Al bUfc fpr -my. sight, which is : improving; but T eannot venture out in; the sun without glasses; I am of opinion that: we shall put in Christmas here or at Pochefstroom 1 ■ Our extras ‘oh that festive occasion may be a lot of rum or a plug of smoke. We have = had some ahoro lively' weather, but as we now enjoy the luxury of tents we do not mind it very much. The water.’here is_ very fishy; its colour prevents us seeing the little beggars until they succumb to the heat' then they.float on the surface. Bid l teil you, if not, you, of course, must have read’of, the shooting by the Boers seventy-five Kaffirs and Cape boys when they took Klerksdorp. THey buried them, or. rather, threw them into caves, ©lose to the town. I went up the other day to have a look through the caves. What a gruesome sight! And as they were not all decomposed, you can readily understand the state of the atmosphere thereabouts. That was an act which the Kaffirs are not likely to forget readily. The surrendering of that place to. forty-five Boers and only eighteen of them armed, was one of those strange things which need a lot of ex.plan ,’on to convince people that it was file vi. -t thing to do, especially when we take into account the fact that the defending force had in stock 300,000 rounds of small arm ammunition and 15000 rounds of 15-pounder ammunition, nrhioh, of course, was partly used against to as we went up to it. The civilians were furious; they all Had to report themselves every morning up to the 16th, when we entered. I am sorry to say one of ©ur prisoners escaped last

night. (What about the “ Safe Retreat f”) Trouble is in store for some one. I hear the First Contingent are off home—lucky dogs! Well, they richly deserve a good spell. December 3rd.—The bridge is now completed, and trains run over it daily; I have nothing further to add this time, so wishing you all a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year, I will ring off.