With the Troops IN SOUTH AFRICA.

Southern Cross, Volume 8, Issue 35, 22 December 1900, Page 4

With the Troops IN SOUTH AFRICA.

In a letter to Mr Maitland Leith, of Woodlands, Mr D. McKerchar, a member of the Fifth Contingent, ■writing from Zeerust nnder date October 22nd, states that the troops had been having a swim every day, and needed it badly owing to the fearful dust storms that had prevailed. He continues : —I have been to sea the doctor about a bad hand —it is nothing serious, but we have to be very careful here, for every little scratch takes months to heal. We have only had one good rain since we landed,' with one or two slight showers. That beats Southland, but 1 would not stop here all the same. Nothing can be grown without irrigation, which means great expense. Only little patches on the flat are cultivated. The country is very rough round about here, and when I was out scouting the other day it took me all my time to drag my horse up after me. We bad a big fight that day and the next, but did not lose many men. Zeerust was evacuated by the British about two months ago, and the Boers returned to it, but have now been routed. We left Malmany on 9th September, and have been travelling ever since, with a little scrap now and again. When about eight miles out we had abont five hours of it, and it was great to see the Boers flying up the hills, with the lyddite shells bursting right in their lines. Our squadron had three men slightly hart, but they are all about again. The bullets were flying thick amongst ns —one man was shot through the neck and another had bis horse shot just beside me. The next day was the worst of all, as the Boers got a pompom on to us. The Boers use all sorts of explosives and dum-dum and softnosed bullets. We took abont 60 prisoners in the two days. Six of them got planted in some tail reeds, and could not be found, so a fire was started, and they soon came running out. We are scattered all over the country now, and only part of the Fourth and Fifth Contingents are here. We are under Douglass—he is the man; no retreating—he goes right through everything. Jack Frisken and I have been made corporals since we came out this time. We have struck one or two orange groves in our travels, and I can tell you they suffered. We took them away on the wagons in sackfuls. We have a convoy three miles in length with ns. The troops include Bushmen and Tommies, and talking of the latter, the officers are strict with them —they can scarcely smile without leave—they get seven days for the least thing.