WITH THE CONTINGENT.

Otago Witness, Issue 2396, 1 February 1900, Page 28

WITH THE CONTINGENT.

SOME EXCITING WORK.

THE WOUNDING AND CAPTURE OF TROOPER BRADFORD.

(BY OUR WAR CORRESPONDENT, J. ELDER MOULTRAY.) British Camp, Arundel, South Africa, December 21, 1889.

After the despatch of my last letter, in which it will be remembered I referred to a gunner having been wounded, the unfortunate man died next clay, and his funeral proved quite an event in quiet little Naauwpoort. But, while it was taking place, I was witnessing a more stirring scene up at the front, whither I had gone immediately after the last letter was posted. The boom of guns at daybreak was the first intimation we had in camp that the restless Boers were again 'hatching trouble. As the day advanced the firing cessed, and I spent some time chatting with the men belonging to the newly-formed Imperial Scouts. They are acurious mixture of all ranks and conditions in life. One is an American doctor, another is a Frenchman, who was manager of a mine at Johannesburg, and a third is the son of a Transvaal holelkeeper, his mother and sister are in the Boers' hands at Colesberg, the town we are going to retake, and the hills arouad which can be plainly seen from our outposts. These men have a good opinion of the New Zealanclers, whom they consider good scouts. Their only fault, they say, is that they are too eager.

ATTACK ON THE CAMP,

It was when leturning to our own. lines from the Scouts' camp that the firing burst out again behind a hill, so 1 climbed to the top and looked over. The plain spread away to the left and in front for -everal miles, and to the right it terminated abruptly against a long high hill that ran out at right angles with the hill on which 1 v.-as standing. Our camp was pitched behind this high hill, and 1 could see several dai' figures on horses stealing along the loot oi ihe opposite kopjes towards the outer end of the hill, as if they, were going to pa-"S round into our camp. Suddenly they wheeled a^out and flew like the wind, while a rattle like a stick beiug drawn along a galvanised iron fence showed that the jßoer scouts had stumbled across one of our pickets, who poured in the usual hurried fire so commonly adopted by both sides in sudden emergencies, and usually quite harmless. As the runaways galloped behind a kopje the alarm was raised in camp, and the troops were soon hard at work harnessing the gun teams and saddling up the horses. It is always a stirring scene to see them, turning out, although it is becoming lather familiar, as there is now an alarm every day. When our troops at last rode out -upon the plain, the Boers had vanished behind the kopjes, but the firing- that had fii«t caused the alarm still continued in a desultory fashion, although the men shooting: were invisible owing to the undulating character of the country near the kopjes.

TRAPS,

Suddenly two Boers appeared riding straight down between two kopjes towards three of our scouts, wao were in a hollow. Neither party saw the other, and the Dutchman would probably have gone right into the trap had not some Dragoons made a, dash at them from behind {mother hillock. They wheeled and rode furiously back. Then our men dismounted arc! opened fire, the dust puffs rising from 'the ground at the heels of the Boers' horse's as the bullets struck the earth. But they got away, and I afterwards saw them through mv field glass dismount on a grassy knoll suk! examine their horses. After that tb' e-r-remountede -r -remounted and cantered across the veldl towards their lines.

1 was surprised to see a herd of cattle and a white horse feeding in a little valley, and although our scouts respectfully approached thorn they left them alone, and towards evening, when the firing had ceased, a Boer rod© out from behind a kopje and unfastened tho horse, which had been tethered. The whole thing was a trap, the Boers watching from tae neighbouring rqofc-clad kopios, waiting

patiently for some unwary troopers to ride tinder their rifle muzzles to capture and drive oft; the cattle. As the day drew to a close jour troops spread out over the plain, preceded by a line of scouts, before whose advance the Boers retreated, until the distant icopjes appeared deserted. I looked steadily at two of our men who were far in advance, and as they rode up towards Sannah's Dam streaks of fire and smoke started from the apparently deserted hillock's face, and every time a bullet hit the ground beneath the ihoofs of the now fast retreating steeds, a little spiral pillar of dust shot into the air. iWe see similar scenes every day now, but the thrilling sensation of anxiety never _ diminishes, and it is only when the excited troopers gallop into safety that one breathes freely. The loth December was

A THRILLING DAY

throughout, for while the grey clouds were dissolving before the rising sun I got up and after swallowing a hurried breakfast started off with Reuter's special for Vaal Kop, from which direction we could hear the thunder of artillery. A squadron of cavalry and two twelve-pounder field pieces had been left in possession of Vaal Kop all night,and a squadron of New Zealanders, under Captain Madocks, was marching out to relieve them. As our men streamed out upon the veldt, with the warm air fanning their faces and the morning "sun throwing their long shadows across the barren soil, a messenger rode up and announced that the Boers had shelled our outpost and driven it from Vaal Kop, and that the enemy were advancing at that moment to attack the camp. Captain Madocks at once took possession of a kopje near the signal station, and leaving his horse holders with the horses behind the hill, he lined hia men ouf; among the rocks and bushes, and awaited developments. Meantime

THE CAMP WAS ALARMED,

and soon, from our vantage point, we saw the Dragoon Guards, Enniskillings, and Hussars moving swiftly out on the plain beneath from behind the kopje held by the New Zealanders, and a clatter and rattle betrayed the presence of four twelve-pounders as they were dragged- by the prancing horses in the rear of the advancing host. It had gone barely a thousand yards to the left in the direction of Vaal Kop when a rapid rifle fire some 4000 yards to the right caused the brigade to wheel in the new direction, and it was soon hidden behind some low kopjes in front of us. Four ambulance waggons, their white tilts glaring in the brilliant sunlight, drove out upon the plain and halted, and then the Telegraph Troop followed in the track of the brigade, the long wire running from the reel as the nmles trotted along, looking like a thin black snake stretching across the grass for miles. A loud shouting and cracking of whips next announced the advent of the water carts, which always follow the troops everywhere, and under this scorching sun they are the most welcome feature in the column. The bang of a distant cannon drew our attention to the enemy's antics, and we were speculating as to the direction of their fire, when a cloud of smoke and dust, accompanied with an astounding crash on the plain beneath us, announced that we were in a direct line with

THE BOER ARTILLERY, and- we skipped with alacrity behind some rocks. We had been sitting right beneath the heliograph signallers, and the Boers having noticed the frequent flashing were now shelling the position. .Fortunately we did not have their attention long, for our brigade moved out again in the direction of Vaal Kop, and the Boer shells fell and burst in all direc-

tions around the troops, who rode straight across the veldt, completely ignoring the enemy's gunnery. "We Fcrambled down and gathered the fragments of the shell, which had made a hole in the ground about 10ft deep . and 3ft in diameter. It was a Krupp shell , about 3in calibre, and I think it could not ( have exceeded 121b in weight. Afterwards we ; climbed a kopje, and watched the artillery j come into action against Vaal Kop. Earth and rocks went skywards as the shells swept over the hills. No Boer could possibly have lived on it. After we had been firing 10 minutes j the scene was so absorbing that 1 did not , realise that the troops had all disappeared j from our vicinity, even the New Zealanders, j and that we were alone and within 800 yards ' of the Boer riflemen, Reuter's Special and I j separated. He crossed the kopje and made towards the ambulance, while I kept along the hillside, and after stumbling over stones for two miles, reached camp, overtaking on the way two correspondents of London papers, who had lost their horses, and were also making for camp. We found that in spite of the terrible shell fire to which our troops had been exposed all day there were no casualties. But the day was to have

A SAD TERMINATION. About 3 in the afternoon a number of our scouts were advancing towards the Boers, who had. been near us shortly before, when the Boers opened fire, and our scouts — five in number — having dismounted and left their horses in a slent, lay on their stomachs and returned the enemy's fire whenever they could get a chance, for the Boer has the nack of making himself well nigh invisible. Suddenly a patrol of carbineers, to which Lieutenant 'Jackson, of the A.S.C., had attached himself, came in sight and halted, but the lieutenant, anxious to see what was going on, rode along the railway line towards the enemy. There ,was a- volley, and Jackson reeled in the saddle. The party rode out of range, and the officer fell off his horse. The last words he uttered were " ride into camp and get assistance!" He expired soon after. Meantime the whole camp got under arms and turned out, but the entire trouble it transpired, had been caused by seven Boers, who promptly mounted and fled as usual, having succeeded in putting several hundred weary men to the trouble of saddling-up on a scorching hot day, with a cloudless, blue sky overhead that created the impression it was composed of molten brass. The heat seemed to burn our skulls through our hats, while an unquenchable thirst added to our torment. (Lieutenant Jackson's body was brought down to the base at Naauwpoort for burial, and on Sunday morning the little procession marched from the camp accompanied by the Suffolk's Band playing a beautiful slow march that was new to me. Nearfy half a battalion was present with reversed firms, and the coffin wrapped in a Union ' Jack was borne on the men's shoulders. All the. people in the village turned out, and I followed the funeral to the cemetery, where, among the lemon-scented pines, the young officer was laid to rest after an impre.-sive service. The little cemetery was full of men in khaki uniforms, interspersed with the white dresses of the girls from ■Naauwpoort, who crowded in among us in .their anxiety to witness the proceedings, as they had never seen a military funeral before. /While standing under the shadow of the trees, 'listening to the monotonous chant of the English burial service, it seemed hardly conceivable that the< man lying before us had at the

same hour the previous day been full of buo3"ant life, watching 1 with us Ihc morning's operations. i OUR GUNS OUTRANGED.

A refugee, who had a hotel in the Rand, told me that the French supplied the Boers with three batteries of guns, mid that tho man who was sent out to instruct them in the use of the weapons, stayed at his hotel, and boa.'ited that the British would never be able to get within range of them. As the Boer artillery both at Ladysmith, Stormborg, and Arundel has outranged and dispersed our field pieces, there was some truth in the boast, and it is not pleasant to reflect that the French guns are superior to ours. France herself learnt at Sedan what it was to be outranged in artillery.

MARRIAGE PRESENTS STOLEN.

A rather curious instar.ee of the manner in which current events are affecting every social function came to my knowledge at Arundel. A young lady, whose name I omit for obvious reasons, was engaged to be married about a month ago to a young man in the south, and all was ready for the ceremony, when the Boers crossed the border and entered Colesberg, about 10 miles distant. The marriage was postponed, and the presents were stored away in a room until happier times, but just the other day it was discovered that all the presents had been stolen. I leave lady readers to imagine the girl's feelings.

UNDER A HEAVY FIRE

As the sun rose on Monday, the 18th of December, it lit up the path of the New Zealand contingent as it moved silently across the veldt from the camp in the direction of Jasfontein farm, which lies several miles to the right of Sannah's Dam. The contingent formed an escort to Major-general French, his staff, and eight field guns, and the mission of the entire force was to discover the position and strength of the Boers on our right flank. As the troops moved out of camp at 3 a.m., they reached Jasfontein at an early hour and halted. No. 2 Company protected the artillery, which proceeded to shell the farm, after which No. 1 Company rode up and took possession of the place. The Boers had retreated hurriedly, as a lot of meat was found cooking at the fire. General French then ordered Major Robin to withdraw his men. At the moment a large body of Boers were seen galloping down a neighbouring kopje. The general then countermanded his order, and the New Zealanders again advanced towards the farm, when the whole face of a kopje to the right blazed forth fire and smoko, while the din of rifles became deafening. It was only the fact that scouts had been thrown forward in advance of the cornpan? by Major Robin that saved the whole of No. 1 Company from annihilation. The order was at once given to retire on the guns to a flank, thus unmasking the latter, but ere a shot could be fired the Boer artillery opened on our guns, which also retired. The discipline of the entire force was magnificent. One shell burst under an artillery horse, but, strange to say, did not injure it. Meantime our men were riding through

A DELUGE OF BULLETS, poured in at short range by over 200 Boers. The escapes were marvellous. Trooper Manders was slightly wounded in the wrist; Trooper Tubman got his overcoat, which was strapped in front of his saddle, torn with a bullet, while another ripped up the leather of his saddle wallet ; another trooper had the top knocked off his water bottle ; a carbine sling was pierced, and a cigarette was cut in halves between a man's teeth. But the worst fate befell

TROOPER BRADFORD,

who fell, and in the confusion was left on the field for aead. A wire fence entrapped several of our men. and it was while pulling it down that Bradford was shot. At this moment, when very little would have caused a panic, the Boers burst several shells amidst the ruck, but our boys rode proudly on, and evoked the praise of the staff for their splendid behaviour, while Major-general French expressed his admiration of their discipline and coolness under fire. Captain Kenna, an Imperial officer on the staff, who won the Victoria Cross at Omdurman, in the Soudan, said he never saw a rifle fire to equal that to which our men was exposed. One horse was killed and four wounded, and as our men rode out of range, the Boors were seen removing their dead and wounded in - three carts, so they must have suffered worse than we did. An ambulance waggon with a flag of truce was sent out to bring in Trooper Bradford, but the Boer commandant told the medical officer in charge that they had him in their possession, and that he was improving. They declined to give him up, so the wasrgon returned to camp without him. I understand he was shot in the neck and the back.

GENERAL

The weather has been dry and fine for several weeks, with the exception of two rain storms, one of which flooded the camp and washed oiil all the tents.

Everyone is dressed in khaki, and even tho gun carriages and store waggons are coloured yellow. A scout who had a white horse painted it khaki with a sponge, and as {he exposure is taking the colour off in strips it looks not unlike a tiger, to the amusement of the whole camp.

The o-iawera Mounted Rifles are well represented here in the contingent. Cantain Davies. Lieutenants Bartlett and Matthews, the latter having come from Home and joined us at the Cape, and about 20 men.

In flosinor this letter I must say that none of us have the least idea where we will spend Christmas. Both yesterday and to-day we have been simply lying in our tents waiting — and what we are waiting for no one knows.

Tarantulas are plentiful in camp,

I have just returned from a walk through the camp, and found all the men hearty and well.