TWENTY AUSTRALIANS HOLD A KOPJE AGAINST 400 BOERS.

Otago Witness, Issue 2416, 28 June 1900, Page 31

TWENTY AUSTRALIANS HOLD A KOPJE AGAINST 400 BOERS.

The Daily Mail of May 10 had an interesting letter from its special correspondent at Bethany, Mr A. G. Sales, forwarding a Boer's account of the incident near Colesberg, in which 20 Australians held a kopje against 400 Boers : —

'• There were about 400 of us," said the Eoer. " all picked men," and when the commandant called to us to go arcl take the kopje we sprang up eagerly and- dashed down over some hills, meaning to cross the gully and charge up the kopie, where those 20 men. were waiting for us. But we did not know the Australians — then. We know them now. Scarcely had. we risen to our feet when they loosed their rifles on us, and not a shot was wasted. They did not fire as regular soldiers nearly alway3 do, volley after volley, straight in front of them, but every one picked his man, and shot to kill. They fired like lightning, too. never dwelling on the trigger, yet never wildly wasting lead, and all around us our best and boldest dropped, until we dared not face them. We dropped to cover and tried to pick them off, but they were cool and watchful, throwing no chance away. Wo tried to crawl from rock to rock to hem them in, but they, holding their fire until our burghers moved, plugged us with lead until we l dared not stir a step ahead, and all the time the British troops, with all their convoy, were slowly but safely falling back through the kopjes, where we had hoped to hem them, in. Then once again we tried to rush the hill, and once ( ;again they drove us back, though our guns were playing on the heights they held. We could not face their fire. ."AUSTRALIA'S HERE TO STAY."

" Then we got ready to sweep the hills with guns, but our commandant, admiring those brave few who would not budge before us, in spite of our numbers, sent an officer to ask them to surrender, promising them all the honours of war. But they sent iis word to come and take them if we could. And then our officer - -asked ' them, three times if they would hold xrp their hands, and at the third time a grim sergeant rose and answered him, 'Go back and tell your commandant that Australia's here to stay.' And there they stayed and fought us hour by hour, holding us back, when but for them victory would nave been with us. Wo shelled them all along their scattered line, and tried to rush them under cover of the artillery fire; but they only held their posts with stouter hearts, and shot the straighter when the fire was hottest, and we could do nothing bul lie there and swear at them, though we admired them for their stubborn, pluck. They held the hill till all their men were safe, and then, clashing down the other side, jumped into their saddles and made off. carrying their wounded with them. They were but 20 men, and we 400."