LETTERS FROM OUR BOYS.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 11644, 30 January 1900, Page 3

LETTERS FROM OUR BOYS.

_ .Trooper W. Black,: late Otago Hussars, writing from Arundel, : < under1 date December 17, says:— "We are in the thick of it every day, ~attd at all times through the night, sleepingI'with?our clothes on. I never.:had.my clothes•loffr.for over a fortnight,' arid, washed; myself,'perhans, once in two days, so things'are not to.oj smooth.! but I think we shall:pull through all right.1-. . . The old general'thinks the world of the New Zealand o°y.s-, A P?rty of eight,of us were out yesterday, :and myself and Wilson ran 20 head' of. cuttle .and three horses belonging to the Boers from ;under their " eyes. ' . ''~-.. One captain got Aot yesterday, and rode over half a mile before he fell off. We had a great ' scrap' the other .day,- and we knocked them all: to bits."

\!& Utter '.from Corporal Townaend, of the. Otago_ : Hussars,; sanie "date, says:-^" This hot ctimata is playing^np with our horses; we have about.,so omthe sick list unfit to ride.- . .'-•.-

Mbs,t pit-the.men have been mbre;or,less,ill,-and one of oui chaps got shot naul carried- off!,by the Boers yesterday. The climajte seems to suit me . all' to; 'pieces., . '.■-. '. .. -.We ;have , got one of. the Permanent Artillery,men as,head cook, and they;.picked out fouvmeri to. help him—four who were not affeoted by the climate, and I was unfortunate.,enough t6;, be one of .them. I told the regimental, sergeant that I couldn't even boil water,;but he suia, • I■'don't ask you'what you can clot^-I want you to do it.' Two of us.went -toiMajor Robin ab.oiit "'it, and lie said wo were as good is regulars now;'and if General French heiirdr-ils talking about not liking this or that, ; well, be (Major BpEin>would be' very sorry for /us; .' : -However; he m.?/ 1'; the head fellow a ser.gearit and the rest of . ."corporals. . . .We get-.0ut..0f stable, -. ry, fatigue, and other duties, arid ~alj i._ V 'tip is to make coffee in the morn'_ rip- . night. -Now and a.'yam wb ■.'^j ) |fc^".' :' A ' we boil meat and potatoes, '« *V . mccl meat and ship :".b(sowv.^.,j:i. J ..--.. ■ be stuff we" buy,-we-would.be half-starved. ..- -.> . I had"a nar'-ow ohave'-the other day. They have- a horrible . ; habit of starting a^bout. l.jp'clock in the morn.'ing.wheri they want to ; . have a . skirmish - with xhe Boerp. . .-: . . ;\Vell, we had taken a farmnousethe day before, about.five einiles from ,where ; we are camped now, and 80 of us .left at i" o'dbek' to carnp^at this farm; but the Boars had come back through r the night. If we had gone, on Va few .minutes/longer, than.we did befqre, finding but, we'should have been in'Coles--.bergia'.'day or two'ago. We are tryin<* to get there1 as;it is, hut we want' to ■go altogether.' Gjeneral,French .thinks, we are the best scouts in■■;South.:Africa-.'1---; .;.'. Our horses want a Ww daysVspeUbadly";. •. . standing on the hotJ-stfnds.cracisHheir,-fetlocks and makes them lame; >j:".;. /, .;'We donft think anything of.be* ;ing fired at, unless, we are retiring,-when there as verychilly feeling '.»oes up, and down the backbone."..-:: ■ '-, - ■-.. ~: , ,|i.: ~ ; -~:(-, ~■ ...\ Cprpbral Jluir,-writing 'homo,-..tells his people to-'lqbk out for, the;-sketches in the Witness /(appeared, in the, issue pf-,January... 11)..- He says:—'.You will see a ; horse, caught by the hindrleg..' My squad, were on guard duty that iiight;-;and the fellpw . with• the overcoat on, holding the lantern, is myself.' The trooper on guard.fat,: the bullion room door when that sketch"I'jyas made is Trooper H. Orbell.".'■"' '