THE BOER WAR.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 11924, 24 December 1900, Page 2

THE BOER WAR.

THE FIFTH CONTINGENT.

DULL TIMES AT FORT TULT.

(From Our Special Correspondent.)

FORT TULI CAMP, November 9.

We have boen in Fort Tuli now about five weeks, and have learnt nothing of what we aro going to do. T believe we were brought here en route for Pietersburg, and have been unable to move because of the difficulty'at this time of year of getting provisions and transport waggons through from Bulawnyo or Palapye. Many of the oxen already here ai-o reported to have been attacked by lung disease, and those 011 the road are beingknocked up from want of water and of grazing. Tho army store here lias been getting no supplies, and consequently the troops are on short rations. Fortunately a speculative storekeeper brought out a load of stores from Furio Furey. These were bought by Captains Dnlgleish and Currie, and issued to the. men, who are to pay for them when they draw on their pay.

For this last, month the men have had a very uninteresting time. There is nothing to do bub turn out to parade and attend to the horses. Host of the day has to be put in by.lounging about, writing an occasional loiter, 'and reading whatever comes in tlie way. The heat 13■ very great, the thermometer registering as much as 100 In 111 degrees in the shade. I often wonder where they get the shade.. I havo seen five trees worthy of the name within a radius of as many miles. The evenings arc cool and pleasant, but there is little or no twilight. The men, however, take' advantage of what there is, and spend the only bearable part of the, day in at hletir. competitions—running, jumping, boxing, etc. Several concerts have been got up' by the Colonel, and men from all the corps help to moke the waiting days pass merrily. In an "en route" camp like this, where there is nothing to do but wait for horse feed and rations and transport to move the troops oii to where they are wanted, the men are. impatient, the time drags, and the inaction is trying in the extreme.

General Carringlon arrived hero from Bulawayo on Oetolwr 20, and on the 22nd all the forces collected here were paraded for review. The General expressed himself well pleased with the troops, and remarked on the splendid condition of the Canterbury and Victorian horse,. Unfortunately, since the review the horse-feed has run out, and the horses for some days have had nothing but the grazing, which consists principally of dead leaves and (Iricd-up, coarse grass, which lias been trampled under by oxen. This is a serious state of things, and when it is considered that almost full rations of horse-feed were issued up to the day before the rations ran out, it is safe to conclude that someone has blundered. Tlie men themselves look upon tho short supplies in their own rations as ;i very secondary consideration.

LOST FOR NEARLY THREE DAYS. November 3.

One squadron of the Victorian Imperial Regiment came in from Bulawayo about 10 days ago. While marching through one of their men left the lines to have a shot at some game. After keeping along near the track for some distance, lie lay down to wait for the waggons, and soon fell asleep. When ho woke up he started back in the wrong direction, and. of course, soon discovered that he was lost. He wandered about all that day, and at night managed to shoot a buck. He had no knife, so ho pulled off a horn, anil managed to tear off some of the flesh. But thirst at length beat him, and after having scratched holes in the sand he had to give in, and he rolled under the shade of a tree. A search party was, of course, left behind to look for him. On the third day they found him. Ho was still conscious, but hi? tongue was swollen so much that lie could not speak. When he recovered lie told the men that the vultures had just begun to break off bits of branches, and were dropping these down on him to sea if he was 'still alivp.

THE HOSPITALS FOR SOLDIERS. I notice that a good deal of smoke is rising from the pages, of both Home and colonial paper? about the state of. tho hospitals, and the treatment of the sick over here. I have had no personal experience of hospital life in Rhodesia, but T have been able to get a pretty accurate knowledge oi the state of the hospitals and the general treatment of the men. In Beira, where the hospital ship was rigged up hurriedly, everything was, of necessity^ rough and ready, but tho men speak highly of their treatment, both by doctors and orderlies. In TJmtali a big private house was taken by the Chartered Company ami made into a hospital. Here Victorian nurses were in attendance, and the New Zealamlers and Yeomanry are lavish in their praise of; the treatment they received. The same may be said of the Bulawayo and Mafcking hospitals. In these there certainly appears to have been a good deal of crowding, but during active service and in a malarial-stricken country sucli as this there are hound to he ir.any insurmountable difficulties. , In the present camp tho management of the ambulance work 13 in tho hands of an efficient medical staff, under tho direction of Surgeon-captain Do Renzi, which speaks for itself. ■ ■Bamboo Creek and Marandcllas I have purposely omitted from the above, as I think there was cause for com.ilaint in the management at both these places. At Bamboo Creek there was practically no preparation made for tho comfort of the sick. The medical staff, no doubt from want of experience of the climatic effects on men. especially of healthy, robust physique, did not reem to realise the seriousness of some of their cases. At Marandellas there was better accommodation for the inmates, but, there were many complaints of the j boorish, ill-conditioned orderlies, who were I picked up more or less promiscuously, or I who offered their service?, hoping to avoid i the heavier duties of men in the ranks. The I huts were in a filthy condition. But wherever there have been nursiis there has been nothing; lacking in comfort and kindly , treatment. There certainly has been the ; unavoidable crowding—and herein lies the ' cause for complaint, but it is undoubtedly ■on the part of the overworked nurses. But ! they did their duty pleasantly and well, and [ they do not- complain, and the 'men all through | the R.F. Forces are unrestricted in their euloI giums of our colonial nurras.

RECENT CHANGES IK CAMP.

The chief veterinary staff, under Major Mann, have arrived in camp, and have been inspecting the horses of the different regiments.

Lieutenant Whyte, who lias been in charge of remounts brought through by the V.I.H. Squadron, is under order to-day to more off with 20 men on a water prospecting expedition. He is to rnpka back some miles towards Bulau-ayo. to a spot where a road comes out from Palapye. He is to explore this road to the loft, and find out whether there is water and grazing: for the transport waggons coming through. If iinsur.eessful, there is little, doubt the forces waiting here will havo to return to Bulawayq or Palapye. During .Mr Whyte's absence. Corporal Cox, who takes a great interest, in the horses, and who has proved himself a capable horseman, hay been given charge of the remounts.

CHANGES IN THE RANKS AND STAFF.

Sergeant-major Glendinning and Quartermaster Sergeant Manson are now acting on the staff of Colonel Wood. Sergeant Watt has been mode squadron S.-M., and Trooper Kain squadron quarter-master sergeant. 11. ft. Andrews has been made lance-corporal. Bugler Chcgwin, who' is also on the staff, has, with the assistance of Lieutenant Tnckey. formed a bugle bund, which plays selections between the posts every night. Lieutenant Tuckey, staff officer, takes a lively interest in the New Zoalanders, and mneli credit is due to him and Colonel Manners-Wood for the way in which they have endeavoured to make this waiting time pass as pleasantly and quickly as possible.

SOUTH AFRICAN MOUNTED CON

STABULARY.

A Mounted Constabulary Corps is being formed under the direction of Uenera.l BadenPowell, and volunteers from all the R.F. Forces. The following Now Zealanders have applied for enrolment:— Troopers Pcrham, Thomas M'Taggart, Hill, C. W. Andrews, T. Jeffries, Smith, J. H. Findloy, Tester, .1. F. Lindsay. Green, Reid. Cox and Kain have, been recommended foi commissions in the same force. These applications have been made conditionally, each man reserving the right to withdraw on racing a complete copy of the regulations, only an abstract of which is now in camp- The S.A.M.C. is being formed to serve in Transvaal and Orange River Colony.