New Zealanders and the Late War;

Otago Witness, Volume 12, Issue 2639, 12 October 1904, Page 69

New Zealanders and the Late War;

Or, SOLDIERS FROM THE LAND OF THE MOA.

By NEW ZEALANDER,

CHAPTER VII (continued). — "Aut Vincere, Auk Mori." —

The Seventh Contingent, raised to relieve the Fifth, consisted of nearly 600 men, ■under' the command of Lieutenant-colonel Porter, a New Zealand settler, who, hay-

ing fought all through the TMaori war, was

peculiarly fitted for the position of leader of a regiment in the guerilla stage of the

campaign. The contingent contained many officers and men who might be already con-sidered-"veterans-in the South African war, some of thenr having' risen from the ranks

by sheer force o£ ability and courage (among whom a- notable^ instance was Captain Coutts,, who had won the Queen's scarf as a trQoper~at Sanna'si Post," when in the First.Cantingent*, "and many who were to join in South Africa, 'having already served continuously for nearly 18 months, so that it was" expected by New Zsaland to do even "batter work that its It will 3>e shown 'in this chapter that this expectation was fulfilled — gallant and excellent

as had been the performances of the six previous contingents. The Seventh N.Z.M.R. s sailed from Wellington in the s.s. Gulf of Toronto, on April 6, 1901, the runniest and sweetest of afl the sunny months- in fair •New Zealand. Little did the crowds of ifciends who ?w those gallant men off from the Wellington wharf, imagine that nearly 50 of them~wonld never return to the country they loved so. well. Immediately on arrival at -Durban the Seventh were en-

trained for JEQerksdorp, to replace- the "S?irth

in Colonel Grey's brigade, which, just then, being 'moved to South-east Transvaal, left -Standerton, trekking for Ermelo^ the last E week in May, only a few days previous to -the .arrival* of 'the Sixth under General

Plumer. At this juncture Colonel Porter ■was invalided to Pretoria, by a. fall from his torse, and Major Abbott? assumed temporary command' - of the contingent. Colonel Grey's column in the Ermelo district, during' 12*0 month of June, was chiefly employed .chasing convoys. This ■was by no means so -unmomentous a portion .of the war, as it sounds. The Boars

did not submit tamely to the loss- of their ammunition _ and supply waggons. A .strong' rearguard generally hung about the , kopjes waitLng-to snipe an unwary advanced - .guard-. of the mounted men were jsenc forward to draw i?heir fire, which, as "anany of our- men have remarked, required r^-More Cold-blooded Courage — than anything else they had to do. Supposting, however, that the wily colonial sue- - ceeded in surprising the escort, very sharp, "though^ perhaps inglorious, scrimmages ensued. The- first treat" of this last description enjoyed by thx> Seventh occurred lats in June, near the VaaL - The Mounted In- • San-try bad_a gallop- efelQ. l .miles to head the - convoy, . and' 20 of **W&~ -New Zealanders caught up to it 4ong before the others. -Corporal J. A-strton -wrote home : — "We had ■« lively -time/ but the Boers' could not get the waggons away on account of the hot fire we kept up, while we, on the other iband, were not strong enough to drive" them back. However,- in the end we captured '10 waggons, eiglit Cape carts, 800 cattle, '60 ponies,, and' two prisoners, while two Boers were killed. Two of our men, both oF-Dunedin, were injured:, owing to their horses falling; J. Stewart had both arms .and his ribs broken, and J. Karnie sus--tained internal injuries." This will serve ■ as a 'fair specimen of many another convoy • skirmish. .The N.Z.M.R.'s and Quesnslanders had been now attached to Colonel Garratt's column, and during the next few days the New Zealandters bad a chance of a •fax more distinguished performance, being sent. .on July 22, -with a -flying column to attack General Smuts's commando, which "held a strong position on the Vaal River. *The Boers were- only driven from this posir tion, in spite of thfe us© of heavy artillery at close Tange, after a steady fight of five hours ; the capture of 127" prisoners and a -large quantity of convoy and cattle resulting.- ■ In 'this engagement three New - landers — Lieutenant Heckler, Sergea-nt- - major Callaway, and Corporal Vercoe— res- ■ cued two dismounted soldiers who, at a distance of 600 yds from the Boer position, ! were exposed to the fire of over 100 rifles, Callaway^ being dangerously wounded in j bringing them off. Colonel Garratt, who . witnessed the incident, recommended the j men for honourable mention in despatches. — Colonel Garratt, of the Sixth Dragoon. Guards, —

a cavalry officer of long experience in this •war, and in high favour with the Oom-maaider-in-ohief, was a leadsr whom the colonials might be, and were, most proud to serve under. No grumbling, but only admiration for bis tactics, is to bs found in the letters of the troopers whom he worked by night and day ; for his idea was to surprise the wily enemy by night maiehes. How considerable was his success may be estimated by tihe fact that for the month of July his> record ranked second in the list of operations of all the different

columns in the field.

In June Brigadier-colonel Grey had cabled to the New Zealand Premier "to say' that he was extremely, pleased* with the bejhaviour of the Seventh Contingent ,in r-e-cent fighting, and that Colonel Garratt was equally pleased with the New Zealanders was shown by a remark he made to another Imperial officer, that "the mounted troops serving with .him in August were the best ■he had ever seen in the field." This speech .was reported by Major Abbott, who naturally was very proud of such commendation of his men and the Queenslanders Yfho served with them. Colonel Saxratt's

column was one of Lord Kitchener's special mobile columns of picked men acting at this time directly under his orders. How mobile they were may be seen from, a list of a few of the places stopped at in July and August, for one night only, by this column, that had started out from Standerton towards Vryberg: — Springs, Vlakfontein, Wolvehock,' Lindeque, Vereeniging, Kroonstadt, Ventersberg road, weie mentioned in a string in the home letters. One march — made up the railway line — commencing at night and continuing all the next day, and covering 72 miles in 22 hours^ was the record march of the campaign. Among other hauls the column mad© wer& 460 Kaffirs, presumably disaffected to the British, and 610 Boer women and children — the women were assuredly contraband of war in this campaign — all to be sent to concentration camps. At this time Louis Botha, with a stron giCoree, had moved to the Zululand border, presumably with — The Intention of Re-invading Natal, — and forces were despatched to head him off. This was the great trek to Dongo"a Bush, one of the roughest, perhaps, in the . whole war. The column started from Newcastle on the 21st of September, and I marched through Utrecht, where the 17th

and 18th Hussars, the Inniskillings, and Fifth and Sixth West- Australians were picked! up ; and, after patrolling round Vryb&rg for a week, and finding the Boers both numerous and combative (as the New Zealandiens- experienced by the loss of several men while on outpost duty — Sergeant Dungan and Trooper Smith killed, and three wounded), met Louis Botha in. full force near his- farm. Three days' fighting ensued, and Colon-si White (who had been in the Jameson Raid, and led the ■Otago N.Z.M.R.'s in capturing a of kopjes), told the New Zealanders that it was the hottest fire he had been in since Mafeking was relieved. Colonel White won the hearts of the colonials by galloping back into the fire and carrying out a trooper whose horse had) been shot under him. Here the -Seventh met the Sixth N.Z.M.R.'s, General Plumer having brought up several columns for j — The Attempted Cornering of Louis Botha.—

When the heavy shell fire of the English had at last driven the Boers back, a general advance was made, and the force .followed hard on the commando's heels along the Zulyland border. The chase was a long one, and the country to bo trekked over was so rough that men who had foiling round Wakkerstroom thought that easy in comparison. After the column had blown up and burnt the small town of Paulpetersberg, it- had to be put on half rations. So small had been the rations of this noble column that it now amounted to only of flour per man, which they were fain to eke out with some bran filchedi from the horse feed. After four ■dajs of this, in pouring rain, with no blankets, the excitement may ba imagined when a small convoy was sighted' going east. A determined pursuit ended in the capture of this convoy, which proved to be part of that taken from Colonel Gough some time previously, and was most acceptable to the column, as it consisted chiefly of stores. In the Pongola bush country Colonel Garratt was most successful, returning to Newcastle at the end of the month with a large train of prisoners, refugees, stock, and waggons — among the most notable of the first being Potgieter, of Vlakfontein and train-wreck-ing notoriety. At Newcastle the column obtained: a much-needed rest, while remounts and fresh outfit were provided.

' It will be as well to insert here some , extracts from a published) interview with Surgeon-captain. Thomas Burns — the brave and well-beloved doctor of the First Contingent, — who was with the Seventh dur ing its first months of service, and had now .returned to New Zealand, leaving in his place Surgeon-major Gabites, of Timaru, who proved himself a worthy successor. On being asked' his opinion of the Seventh on active duty, Dr Burns said, "They are really capital fellows. They have little or no fear under fire ; they can shoot straight, and, though hard riders, know how to take care of their horses. In the latter respect they have a considerable advantage over the Imperial troops, as they have.. a thorough knowledge of horses, and can get more out of their mounts. Our lads also have another advantage over regulars, and that is, they can always be depended upon to sight their rifles at the first two or three shots." These opinions, from a man- too sensible to be blinded by partiality, cannot but gratify countrymen of the brave lads who risked their lives in the Empire's cause. j But no good qualities are without their defects. The resourcefulness and selfconfidence and pride in their work which made these men from the Land of Independence so valuable in guerilla warfare had their drawbacks, as had been noted in all the colonial forces, in making them proud, lacking in deference to superiors— in a word, unwilling to submit to the necessary discipline of military life. This hag been remarked by the Imperial officers of previous contingents, and valuable as these troops' services were when fighting was to the fore, it is probable that in camp there was a great deal of friction that would have been obviated if the men had been less anxious to assert the colonial motto of "I'm as good as you," which seems rather a sordid echo of "a man's a j man for a' that." It is to be supposed that even a colonial volunteer will admit that breaches o| discipline, musjj Ibe

checked ; perhaps he will explain \i hat punishments should be resorted to when the force is in the field and imprisonment is consequently impracticable.

The writer does not wish to be understood as approving of the method (common in the regular army) adopted by the ofticer who ordered a trooper of the Seventh to be punished by being

— Lashed to a Gun-wheel, —

but it is easy to perceive the difficulty which caused him to select it. There was a seene — the man's comrades cut the straps — Colonel Garratt Avas appealed to, and allowed the punishment so ignominious in the eyes of the New Zealanders to be remitted. The position must have been very difficult also for the colonial officers between their troopers and the Imperial senior officers ; and one can believe that often they would! prefer being attached to Imperial regiments to the trying work of attempting to control in camp the men -rith whom but a few months earlier, perhaps, they had been on a footing of equality. Lieutenant Harold L. Dickenson. of the Seventh (erstwhile one of the "Three Musketeers" of the First, and who was soon, alas! to lay down his life at Bothasberg), wrote home on December 26 from the camp at Vrede : " . , . Not much 'chop' being an officer here now. Plenty of hard work, especially for the officers commanding a squadron, as I am: too much responsibility. . . ." It is pleasant to know that later, when in fhe field, this fine young officer wrote that he was "in love with the veldt and the life of a soldier," and should he not get his captaincy in the present contingent, he hoped to do so in the Ninth.

— New Zealanders Surprised. —

On December 27 100 N.Z.M.R.'s and 95 Hussars were sent out at midnight to surprise some Boers, said to be in caves in the neighbourhood, and halting in a thick fog to wait for daylight, and for a company that was to join them, were surprised by 200 Boers, mistaking the sound of their horses for those of the expected troop. Many of the men were asleep, and -were awakened by a volley poured in at- 20 paces. A terrible scene ensued. The horses were stampeded, and the men panic-stricken for th© moment, but the admirable coolness of the officers saved the situation, Lieutenant Overlon, in- particular, exhibiting remarkable presence of mind, and in a few minutes the men were rallied. Some men and horses were injured in the first confused rush for cover, but a few of the troopers mounted and stopped the charge of tibjs maddened horses, keeping them going in a circle till other men came up and caught them. A stand was then made, and the Boers driven off into the fog; and, though numbers of the horses were shot and the men had' bullets through their hats and clothes, to their surprise they found only one man killed and three wounded. No doubt the horses' bodies had saved them.

On January 12 General Bullock took Colonel Garratt's place at Welcomefontein, and a day or two after a patrol of 100 of his Hussars were ambushed by De Wet with 700, men. Tha New Zealanders heard the firing in their camp, and in four minutes 500 men were in the saddle, and left camp at a gallop, returning with the rescued Hussars, after a stiff fight, it ."s said, in 35 minutes. The. Hussars had lost four killed and nine wounded. Since leaving Newcastle in the middle of November the column had bsen doing "line of communication" work in Orange Colony, protecting the building of blockhouses and making night marches after De Wet's and Botha's commandos of about 3000 strong Two days after the Hussars' affair they were relieved from the blockhouse work and proceeded to Frankfort. A sergeant, in a letter home, makes the significant remark, "These are great fighting men of De Wet's— -they are nearly all British or Irish Americans." Colonels Byng and Garratt successfully executed a movement to prevent De Wet's intended meeting with Botha, on the 30th, in the direction of Reitz, a.nd General Byng specially mentioned tho gallantry of the New Zealanders and South African Light Horse. During this operation the N.Z.M.R.'s performed an even

— Mere Important Piece of Work than that of their grand resistance before the end of the month at Bothasberg. After a night's march, Colonel Garratt° divided his column into three squadrons, and. keeping one in reserve, sent off two of them, the third, all New Zealanders, being under the command of Major Bauchop. At dayli?ht the Boer convoy was seen about a mile away, and the New Zealanders gave chase, dashing across the veldt in extended order. After a hard gallop and a: running fight of some- miles, they succeeded in break" ing through) the rearguard, and, with the loss of two killed and one wounded, captured the convoy and De Wet's guns— one 15-pounder and two pom-poms, the very guns which he had taken from the Yeomanry on Christmas Eve. Colonel Garratt gratified the New Zealanders by assuring them it was one of the best mounted charges he had ever seen, and two days later Lord Kitchener personally congratulated Major Bauchop by telegram. The escort of the convoy had been driven on to Colonel Byng's column, and he had taken 40 prisoners. A most tantalising incident m this affair was that De Wet himself (at the moment mistaken for Commandant Meyers), attempting a rescue of his guns, only escaped by leaving his cart and taking to horseback. It may be imagined 'how this slip between the. cup and the lip — one of the many slips of ihe slippery De Wet — dashed the pride- and joy of the New Zealanders in their exploit. However, as one of them remarked, it was "good enough for 50 men to have captured the guns with which De Wet was intending to blow a hole ill a line of blockhouses which was then beginning to cause him anxiety, as well as his Veldt-cornet, Wessells, and a lot of ammunition." Between Hamsmith and Heilbron Colonel Garratt captured 46 Boers, including (Commandant CeiUers. Colonel

Garratt's column was now brigaded under Coionel Byno with his column and Colonel Dunlop's. ' to operate in conjunction wit'i 11 others in

— The First of Lord Kitchener's Great Drives. —

Of this drive Trooper R. E. Burnettwrite*: — "Since then, Elliot, De Lisle, Byng, Garratt, Dawkins, Rimington, ani Eawlinson have all combined in a huge diive of the Boars, into the angle formed by the Heilbron-Wolverhock railway. During four days' driving we were 52 hours in the saddle, and the last two nights were fighting all the night. The- last night's fighting was something stupendous. Imagine flashlights, from four or five towns all going at once, six patrolling armoured trains up and down the lines all the time, and above all the roar of the 15-pounders firing graps and canister at 500ydi3 range the monotonous hammering of the pompoms, and the Colts, Maxims, and rifle fire making an accompaniment deadly and noisy, this being answered by a continuous Mauser volley all along the line. We lay all night — our hats full o? ammunition — waiting waiting for the inevitable rush and longing for morning. The Boers, luckily for us, thought our position too strong, but rushed the cordon aibout 600 yds farther along the line, four times — leaving a heap of dead saddled horses in front, but carting their dead away as usual.. De Wet himselt" broke through the cordon, killing eight S.A.L.H. and wounding another 15 who were in his way." And Lance-corporal Hatfield (son of fcbe late Bishop of' Wellington) says, "The whole line was a sheet of rifle fire for 15 miles." Of the next few weeks' work we have received few. accounts, for it was too arduous to allow of much letter writing except from hospital patients. February 12 the record great drive was begun, for De Wet was known to be within the new cordon formed, and it was hoped by sweeping from Heidelberg to Vrede to push him upon the blockhouses. Twenty columns were now employed, covering a front of 76 miles, and enclosing so large an area that only a few men could be allotted each post. Of

—The Last Day Before the Fight

at Bothasberg — (or Languewatcht, or Klip River, or Vrede, or Tweefontein — so many names it was called), Sergeant Conn (Otago) wrote: — "We formed what might be termed the base of a triangle, driving tike> Boers into the small angle formed by the two sides. Information was received that De Wet, with the Federal Commandants and 800 Boers, was in front of us. The Boers tr^ed occasionally to get through, but were always driven back. These minor attacks practically tried our strength. As .-we ad-" vanced the Boers became desperate, and the cordon was gradually becoming smaller around them. We had only, two days to finish it, and the enemy had either to surrender or fight." On the 23rd the men, in spite of the hardships they had been undergoing, were reported by their officers to be in great spirits, feeling sure that their chance was coming at last. The country was so rough that it had often taken a whole day to come 12 miles, and as soon as the bivouac was chosen and some food snatched, the men would be marched off to the tops of high hills or down deep dongas for the night duty, and the officers, having to be constantly visiting these pickets, got little sleep. They were now 11 days out from their starting point and two from their objective, so that the fatigue of all may 'be better imagined than described.

It was near midnight on the 23rdi of February when, as the troopers afterwards wrote, "the lowing of cattle and rumbling t of waggons and voices of women" were heard, about two miles away, by the Otago and Canterbury men. The moon wias obscured by clouds, and the pickets, consisting of only six men in each, stationed 100 yards apart, were napping in their overcoats on the damp ground 1 (a sentry mounting guard on each post) after a meal of freshly-slaughtered roast sheep they had cooked nn bivouacking, when the sentries roused them all. The officers in charge had all prepared andi sent word to Colonel Cox (N.S.W.), in command of the pom-pom, -with Rimington's Scouts, and in less than half an hour the Canterbury lads 'heard, across the deep donga up which some of the enemy had rushed, and which • separated them from their Otago comrades,

—A Terrible Outbreak of Firing.—

C. Dunford, one of our wounded, wrote home : "The Boers came up behind 6000 head of cattle, and then got right up to the post in the^darkness before we could tell what they were. Then wg got it from back and front. I must say the Boers are very game ; they came on us as if they -were going to a fair, as cool as can be." Another, J. Frame, wrote : "The form of attack was very good ; they rushed one post of six men, about 300 of them, with cattle drawn in front for cover, and, of course, succeeded in breaking through, as they Had only six- men, to oppose them. Of these six five are reported killed and one wounded." Another continues the tale : " The Boers, under De Wet, Steyn, and Menie Botha', then advanced along the trenches in a half circle, and poured a deadly fire upon all sides, which made our men's escape impossible. Although the odds were six to one, our men never left their .posts, and what was left of them kept firing away till their rifles were snatched from them by the enemy, . . . Our casualties were 23 killed and 45 wounded, and the only wonder is that ony of the 95 men escaped." Sergeant Minifie wrote: "When all our officers had been knocked over, I did my best to rally the anen and keep their pecker up. Most of us had run short of ammunition, and; I found from the captain of the pom-pom, under Colonel Cox. that a case of ammunition was coming up. We hung to the position for 15 minutes, and a good number of our fellows were bowled over. Ths norn-porn fired about 20 round* or $y said then.

jammed. The captain of it was shot, don d. 1 * In a short time the gunners were shot, and 1 the gallant Sergeant Minifie, with a couple of surviving Canterbury men, ran the gun 100 yards and tossed it over the cliff into the donga, thus saving it from th« enemy, before he fell severely wounded. The "

— Incidents of Individual Valour — andi still more courageous patient suf\'(?r> ing, reported in letters, are many, and how many must there have been vi which nothing wa* heard' Tho acknowledgments of thcii •■sneraftJes" oearage and kindness, too, aro na^ *" valy brave nicua make. C. Dw.roTn vi£t* that, having been shol through the bedy, and wrapped in his blanket by a comrade, and la-lev in his agonies having rolled out of it, two of fixe enemy stopped, after asking if ha were hurt, and, expresing their sorrow, wrapped him up in it again. Sergeant James Conn, on Otago boy, who wrote to his father a most modest account of his part in the struggle, after mentioning the casualties, said his wound was not dangerous, though his coat and) hat were riddledwith bullets, and added, "Now' I have no doubt you are confident after my explanation of the affair that I am fortunate in being alive at all. There is a satisfaction in knowing that I have had a Boer gallop at me, calling out 'Hands up !' and 1 thathis horse passed me riderless, the Boer having 'turned a seven.' " Of the Canterbury troop,

— All the Officers and Sergeants Fell.—

Two were killed. The little force gave a good account of themselves before thti enemy swept past them, for though Da Wet and Steyn escaped by way of tho donga, the stand the New Zealanders macb enabled 778 prisoners to be taken and 70 killed, and IQO wounded were found next, morning. That their losses were not heavier was accounted for by their taking cover, while they fired, behind the dead bodies of £he cattle.

—A Gallant Enemy Falls.—

Menie Botha was shot dead just after giving drink to the wounded) New Zealanders and preventing his men fromi stripping them. One of the wounded wrote home that Colonel White, after the battle, came riding along the posts; andi offered him "his gold cigarette case as I lay waiting for the doctor as patiently a® I could': but I saJdi, ' No, I want water,' and he put spurs to his horse and galloped off, and in a few minutes half a dozen men were going up and down the line with water bottles on each sidle of their horses." The pity and admiration expressed for them by their superior officers seems to have touched the men very deeply. The sight which met their eyes when day broke must, indeed, have been a sad one — 67 of the New Zealanders alone lay on the field of battle — 23 dead and. 44 wounded — ■out of 95 who had stoofj there in health and vigour the night before. Trooper Lytton Diteley, of Akaroa-,' wrote — An Account of the Whole- Engage-

ment —

of Bothasberg to his mother that is sa lucid and interesting that I shajli make no apology for quoting it in full. He dates from Harrismith Hospital, March 8, and begins: —

"We were at a place called Tweefontein, about 40 miles from here, and were, along with several other columns, engaged in driving the Boers on towards the blockhouses. The columns were spread out in a. thin, long line right across the country, day and night. Of course, we advanced during the day, and halted aiJ farms selected for defensive purposes. Ora February 23 we halted about 6 at Tweo fontein, and before 7 were all out on outpost. We built a, sangar. I was on

— Women serve as medical officers in ~ the "Russian army. In no other country of Europe is such employment si Vieil to *- nc

— A small farmer in Dijon often clear* a^ much as £300 pjr annum from the sale of snails, which he keeps in dry cellars o* in trenches under coverings of eaxtJi..

beat at half-past 12, when, just as .he moon was covered with a cloud, the Boers drove two or three thousand cattle on to the post on our left. Yelling, and shouting 'Hands up!' they charged right up to the firing line, and poured in some murderous volleys. The Otago posts were captured. All the men were either woundsd or killed outright. As soon as they had broken through the Boers changed their direction, and came up the line of outposts, pouring in a murderous fire at close quarters into the trenches from the left flank and from the rear. The corporal on our post was the first to get it. A bullet struck him above the temple, and laid the head open to the skull for several inches He just gave a cry and fell into the trench, when another ripped his calf open. The fire was something terrific The Boers were coming along the top of the ridge, walking along and leading their horses, and firing like the deuce. Bullets ! They were just like hailstones falling on cabbage leaves. Some of them would strike the ground in front of us, and whizz off viciously into the darkness. Bob Hardie got it next, right through the thigh, and then another one cut about half an inch deep into his thigh. They left four of us on the post. Almost immediately afterwards poor little Monafoan had his thigh shattered. He just had time to cry out, ' I'm hit,' when he fell back stone dead, shot clean through the heart. He never moved or uttered another sound. "Meanwhile the other two — Jack M-Kenzic aud I — were pouring it into them for all we were worth. By this time the Boers' were within 10 yards of us. Tavo or three of them yelled out, 'Hands up! Hands up !' Mac and I were now clear of the trench, and were firing away all we knew. ' » Then for the first time in my life I looked death fairly and squarely in the eye. Really, he's not such a bad old chap, after all ! Bullets were flying like hail. A j wild idea flashed through my brain, 'Perhaps I'll get clear through yet.' Just then a Boer on a grey horse rode to the front. ' I remember saying to myself, ' One more shot before I die.' Then lup and let drive at him, pulled the bolt of my rifle open, and shot the empty cartridge case out, Wh<*n a red hot wire flew through my chest, and at the same instant somebody hit me on the back with a sledge-hammer. At least that's what it felt like. My head swam round, and down I went like a 'fat ox. Up rushed a Jackie, and pointed his rifle at me as I lay on the ground. I was as cool as a cucumber, ' and thought, ' I ' wonder if it will hiirb like the other did.' "A long, long way off I heard Jack say, ' Don't fire, iwe surrender.' I had fallen partly 4n and partly 'out of tile trench, and the blood kept coming up my throat and choking me.

"By this time, of course, the Jackies were round us like a swarm of bees. I called to JMae -to help me up, when, to my surprise, a Boer stepped up, aad .putting his rifle down, caught me round the waist, and lifted me' on to my blanket in the rear of the sangar, and 'the subsequent proceedings interested me no more.' The Boers took all the rifles, bandoliers, coats, blankets, and leggings they could get hold of, and thc-n went on up the line to the nex£ post. They took all the South Island posts, and very nearly captured the pompom. All t<be gun detachment were killed but one, and he, with some help from some of our fellows, rolled the gun into a bog, where the Boers could not get it

"Daylight came at last, and, though I did net see.it, I believe it was a terrible sight to see tho outposts. Sixty-five of our poor fellows lay dead, dying; and wounded. Near us were 17 dead Boers, and in a donga furtlier over 30 more, and all along the line were cfcead and dying horses. It was awful. Oh, that dreadful morning. The moaning df some of the wounded, the piteous appeals for water than never came, the faint inquiry for tho doctor or the ambulance. Just before daylight a poor fellow, after hours of moaning and suffering, suddenly cried aloud in agony, "Oh, my God.' 'Then I heard someone say, 'He's gone.' Oh, it was horrible! A fellow thinks some awful rot when he gets wounded. By the way, mine is in the left shoulder, 'through the left lung, and out by the side of the spine. Of course, I bled like a stuck pig, and, do you know, when - the blood) waa , pouring down my back, I thought to myself how nice and warm it feels. I was quite pleased to feel jit running down, because I know it was through the v lungs, and I also knew if ix> bled inwardly I was a gone coon. It felt all right till the bleeding stopped, and from than till I was picked up by the ambulance about 10 next day I suffered the tortures of hell. Every time I drew s breath the air, instead of going into my lungs, would go bubbling out of my back. Then I got Mac, who escaped without _ a scratch, to roll my overcoat iip in a ball, and to lay me so that the coat pressed up againsfr the hole. That brought a ton of relief, and along with tho others I lay there granting and groaning till the ambulance, came. Do you know that, though I lay there suffering and bleeding for over nine hours, my brain the Avhole time was as clear as crystal. Only once I was n, bit confused and silly, and that was just after I had had a bad turn about daylight. When the Red Cross fellows came up "one of them gave me about half a pint olfi neat brandy, andi I reckon that stimulant saved my life.

"After that we had three killing days in the ambulance waggons, over som.6 deucedly rough ground, and got (here on, the 27th, and here we are yet, and likely to be. I'm in real good spirits, and though my left arm is for the tiin© being useless, still I'm all right and doing well. "There was a slight inward bleeding, and a little blood has collected on my left side, and causes a fair amount of pain. Otherwise, lam in no pain to speak of. Of course, I'm awfully short-winded, and sitting upright nearly chokes me- As long as I lie flat on my back and keep still I'm O.K. Two have died sine© the. fight, and on© has lost hds arm. The others are doing all right, and have gone dowft country. There are only five or fcix of ms left/ tigd w,hjja we ajre

stronger we're going down to the sea. You can't imagine how I'm longing to see the s«a again. W<" have a New Zealand sister here, and she is awfully kind to us. As to visitors — generals, colonel, majors, captains, and officers of all sorts have been to see us. Lord Kitchener was here, and personally lined the men up and congratulated them on the gallant stand they had made. The papers here have been full of praise for the New Zealanders. And they deserve it. I can tell you I feel proud to belong to the Seventh — they fought like tigers. We will be. leaving hers as soon as we are fit to move, and will leave. Africa about May lor so. The sick may be s€nt back by the mail steamer "

When they got to the hospital the first thought of most of these noble lads was to relieve their friends' anxiety by

— Making Light of Their Wounds— in the letters written for them. For instance, Trooper M"Lellan (who was in reality paralysed by his wounds) wrote : "Just a few lines to let you know that I am progressing favourably. The doctor of the hospital received a cablegram on behalf of my father, wanting to know how lam getting on. You need not worry, as I am getting on grand. It was during a night attack by the Boers that I got woxmded through both' legs and head, but you need no worry, as I will not be out on the veldt again, as our -time out here is nearly up. I am getting one "of the orderlies in this hospital to write for me. This is about all I have to say." A postscript in the same handwriting as that of the letter' says. "Your 'son is getting on immense, and he will be up in about a fortnight. He was unconscious for four days, but he is quite lively now. Don't be alarmed, he has a jolly good spirit." The day after the battle, to the unbounded pride and joy of the remnant of the New Zealanders, they were

— Lined Up to Receive LordKitchener, —

who, as Sergeant Conn reported, said in his address to the men, "I rode these weary miles to-day to tell you that I am proud of you. The large capture of 773 Boers, and also of many thousands of sheep and cattle, is entirely due to the gallantry displayed by the New Zealanders, who are all an honour to the little country from which you come. " I am gladt to think that the Boers happened to strike against you. You taught them a lesson they will not soon forget. They lost 70 killed and 100, wounded. I am writing home to- your Premier news of your gallant conduct. Good-bye, men." Sergeant Andrews wrote: "The, topic in camp to-night is "Lord Kitchener's sp'ee_eh. He said th© manner in which we held our posts was an example to the whole British army, and -not even the oldest hand out here • can remember another occasion when he left headquarters and praised) in person a column's action. On all former occasions he sent messages, always complimenttary, but on this occasion tie passed some score of columns operating conjointly with us, asked specially for New Zea'iandersi only, and delivered his speech." "Such praise, from him," wrote another, "is worth a lot to us soldiers." It is abundantly evident that even tbe independent hearts of the Seventh Contingent could feel elated at praises from their commanders, and rejoice when they saw tears in their eyes at the sight of the .gallant men who had fallen. One of them wrote: "Colonels Garratt, White, and Porter were greatly cut up over our losses. When they viewed the scene of the fight in the morning Colonel White exclaimed, 'By God ! they are all men,' and they have pjromised to erect monuments over our fellows' graves."'

The news was cabled to New Zealand as a "disaster to the Seventh Contingent,"' but though flags were hung half-mast high and memorial services held, and "the mourners went 'about the streets," the feeling was strong that we .had more cause to give thanks that they had acquitted themselves like men than even to grieve that we should see their faces no more. Their requiem might have been the lines : Nothing is here for tears, nothing to wail Or knock the breast, no weakness, no contempt, Dispraise or blame ; nothing but well and fair, And what may quiet us in a death so noble.

On March 6 Colonel Porter cabled news of the wounded to New Zealand, and stated that the regiment was on trek again, though its strength was llotw t only 280 being now left fit to take the field out of the original 580,.' and * added that Colonel Garratt was assuming General Byng's command and Colonel White that of the column. April 7, Colonel Porter cabled' that the column had) been operating all March in Orange Colony, in wretched weather and! on short rations, and had captured many prisoners. They were then on their way to Elandsfontein to meet the Ninth, as Lord Kitchener had promised the men after Bothasberg that they should be relieved as soon as possible. What a meeting that must have been between the remnant of the Seventh and their countrymen of the Ninth who had come to relieve them. What camp fire stories must have been told by the Seventh, what wondering questions put by the others — only Kipling could fitly" depict that scene.

The Seventh sailed for New Zealand from Durban, April 11, exactly 11 months after their arrival at that port.

(To be continued).)

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