UNDER HEAVY BOMBARDMENT.

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume XXVIII, Issue 9303, 16 November 1901, Page 4

UNDER HEAVY BOMBARDMENT.

♦ A STOREKEEPER'S EXPERIENCE. PRETORIA, Sept. 20. About 11 -o'clock, a few nights back, a party of Boers was seen approaching towards a general store situated on the outskirts of the Belfast burgher refugee camp, with the evident intention of looting ft. The small blockhouses or forts guarding the camp shortly opened a heavy fire on the store itself, the officers m command thinking that the Boers were inside. For six hours a heavy fire was kept up, and at daybreak an inspection was made of. the store. The four walls were absolutely riddled with bullets, and holes of about six inches m diameter testified to the enormous number of bulTo the astonishment of the non-commis-sioned officer m charge of the inspecting party, the door of the store was opened, and a man staggered out, his pale face covered with bloexl, and his clothes stained with earth. He was speedily recognised as the manager of the store. The officer said he was unaware that anyone was m the habit of steeping m the store, and expressed his wonder that he had not beeu killed. Examination of the man showed that he had only been wounded by a splinter off a packing case hit by a bullet, and that, with the exception of a severe shock to his system, he was.unharmed. In a dazed sort of way the storeman told his story. How he had been asleep for some time, but was awakened by the noise of the bullets about him, the building being only of galvanised iron, and the forts about fifty yards away. The bullets went m at one side, coming out at the other. Ho piled up some bags of rice as a defence, but the bullets rushed right through, and. all along the floor. So he scratched a hole m the ground with his hands, m whioh he lay for some five hours or more. A portmanteau underneath his bed was struck m several places, and a safe m the store was pierced clean through by two bullets, the flattened lead being found inside. The terrible nature of his position can be understood by the fact that there was not, on one wall, a clear space of three inches m diameter, the bullets that passed through being so numerous. About 20,000 rounds of ammunition were expended by the British, and, being concentrated on one small building, and at short range, the effect of the fusillade can be better imagined than described. All tlie contents of the store were more or less damaged, and considerable loss was entailed. m^m^mmm■_—^_— ■■— _ [ , . , , , , , .