NEW ZEALANDERS AT THE FRONT.

Colonist, Volume XLIII, Issue 9692, 23 January 1900, Page 3

NEW ZEALANDERS AT THE FRONT.

[Fbom Press Association's Special.]

Arundel, December 20.

I had to finish my last letter in a great hurry to catch the mail, and did not recount rather an amusing incident (as it happened) which occurred in capturing Plewman's farm, which I described therein. The Cape Mounted Policeman who accompanied us knew the farm well, and as soon as we got into the house went straight down to the cellar, as being the most likely place for any Boer to be concealed. He found it empty, and was just coming up again when a certain trooper from Christchurch started down. The trooper thought he was the first there, and on seeing a man emerging of course took him for a Boer, snd with a shout of " Ake you beggar," thrust at him with bim with his bayonet. The Cape Mounted Policeman luckily parried the thrust, and escaped with only a slight wound in the wrist. He was highly amused at the trooper's war cry, and took the matter as a great joke.

December 1-5

The horses are saddled up at 3.30 a.m. every day, after which we turn in again and try and snatch an hour or two more of Bleep. This is a precautionary measure in case of an alarm. As all seemed quiet in the afternoon, I formed one of a party of eight or nine ordered to go out and put an end to some wounded Boer horses wbich were roaming about some miles out of camp, and also to try to drive in an alleged mob of some twenty or thirty more sound ones. We passed the outlying mounted infantry picket, and were searching for the wounded horses when we saw a number of Boers in the distance galloping towards us, and shortly afterwards a cavalry patrol came by saying they had been heavily fired on, and that about 200 Boers were trying to work round our flank. The mounted infantry picket called us in and we remained with them, and almost at once our cavalry came streaming out of camp, the alarm having been promptly signalled in. A few shots were fired at some of the first and more enterprising of the Boers, when they all returned to their position, keeping well away and hidden behind ranges of hills. The whole camp, guns and all, turned out ut did nothing

December 16

At 6 a.m. No. 2 Company were ordered to proceed at once to Vaalkop (seven miles distant) a large solitary kopje in the middle of the veldt, there to relieve a company of Mounted Infantry, and to remain until they themselves were relieved the following day. A small force of two guns of the Boyal Horse Artillery, one squadron (120) of cavalry and one company mounted infantry (100) had been detached to hold this point, being relieved every twenty-four hours. As No. 2 Company were getting ready heavy artillery firing was heard in that direction, so no time was lost in getting under way. On emerging from a Jine of hills some two miles and a-half out of camp, a good view was obtained of Vaalkop, lying like an island towards the far end of a dead fiat plain, and it was then seen that our forces there were withdrawing before the fire of two heavy Boer guns which had been mounted during the night on the far hills well within their range at Vaalkop. The Boers were then seen working round to try and cut off the retreat. Our Company im- j mediately stopped their march and took up a strong position in some kopjes to intercept this manoeuvre, and had not the whole camp been alarmed and turned out the Company would have had a grand opportunity of paying the Boers back with their own salt. However, it was not to be, and the Boers disappeared on seeing masses of cavalry and guns and our Ne 1 Company, coming out of camp. This mass of troops went out on to the veldt, and appeared to wander about aimlessly, occasionaly halting till a shell from a long range Boer gun in another position moved it on. The shots from this gun were large but not very dangerous as from the extreme range they were fired they fell almost perpendicularly and buried themselves in the ground, the few that burst only throwing earth and a few stones about. Unless, therefore, they made a direct hit or fell very close not much damage was likely to result. Nevertheless it was extremely unpleasant to hear the great projectiles come shrieking towards one, and the suspense was intense until the. thing ended. The force eventually moved towards Vaalkop, and when within ran<*o par gone shelled it, bat the Boers had long

'.before cleared out. A further move towards a farm whioh had that morning been infested with Boers was then made* On the way our ponderous mass of troops came under fire of the other long-range Boer gun (or perhaps two guns), which had just before compelled our force to leave Vaalkop, and so the direction was changed until our mass got out of range. This time some of the shots fell very close, and continued doing so until the range was too long, but no damage was done. The farm was then bombarded, but, as everyone ought to have known, the Boers had long since left it. The force then returned to camp, having achieved nothing. No. 2 Company then returned to camp. The day was intensely hot, and everyone was sweltering in their tents, when suddenly, in the middle of the afternoon, the " alarm " went again, and m about five minutes the whole camp was again turned out. No one seemed to know what the alarm was, and troops and guns went scouring over the plain m all directions, with apparently no fixed object. Our orders were changed, three times in a few minutes. We eventually occupied a line of kopjes, and remained there till dusk, when we returned to camp, no one having seen anything, it turned out that an officer in charge of a cavalry patrol had been' " sniped " and shot dead a few miles out cf camp, and this caused the alarm. December 17th, (Sunday).

General French, who had arrived here the previous evening, assumed command of the troops in camp and shortly after definite orders were framed as to the action to he taken in case of an alarm, and a definite system of defence was devised. Everyone was very glad, as a repetition of yesterdaj's uncertainty would now be obviated, and no unnecessary alarn;s would be given. It was a relief to feel that we were now under a good General with a complete staff. A " shave " went round that we had to move to Modder Biver at once, where Lord Methuen was having some terrific fighting, but nothing came of it, though th 6 order was actually received, but was subsequently countermanded. The day passed quietly, the Boers evidently respecting the Sabbath. December 18.

We marched off at 3 a.m. as escort to the " O " Battery, R.H.A.— destination and object unknown. General French and staff headed our small column, No. 1 Company being in front, and No. 2 Company in rear of the six guns. We were led in darkness straight across the veldt, through a line of hills, to the back of the Boer position, and some three miles from it. As dawn broke we advanced on Jeasfontein Farm, where the Boers were known to occasionally take up their quarters for the night. When about a mile and a half from the farm the battery came into action, and sent a shell hurtling into it, and soon the silence of dawn was broken by a terrific bombardment. The Boer laager could now be seen 'away to our left all bustle and commotion. After the farm had been well shelled, No. 1 Company was sent forward to occupy it, and thoroughly search it. It was cautiously taken, and, as expected, proved empty, but two or three Boers had evidently slept there that night, and had doubtless received a rude awakening. They must, however, have slipped out unseen and unharmed. The Company, on completing the task, was withdrawing, when General French and his staff rode up, and ordered it to remain in occupation a little time longer, and enable him apparently to make a personal inspection and reconnaisance. In the meantime N0.~2 Company detached some men to hold some kopjes to our left rear, while the rest of the company remained with the guns. Presently our old long range friend of the 16th " Long John " began to bang shells at the battery, and some of them landed inconveniently close to our boys, who were on the far side of the battery from "Long John." They, however, all went too far, and, as, before, stuck in the ground. This went on till a sheltering dip was calmly reached. Just then Boers were reported to be coming round in the rear of our battery, so the remainder of No. 2 Company went back,and occupied the intervening ridges, but nothing more was seen of this reported force of Boers. From their position, however, the men of this Company saw Boers streaming out of their camp, and galloping round towards Jeasfontein farm, where by this time, General French and bis staff had arrived. As it appeared probable that this manoeuvre could not ba seen from the farm, an orderly (Trooper Tubman) was sent across the plain (about two miles and a-half) as hard as he could go, to give the warning. He arrived to find , that the Boer attack had already been dis-closed-in fact they had already begun firing. Lieutenent Lindsay had been sent forward with about twenty-five men to try to gain tbe ridge which the Boers were racing for, and he nearly reached it, but was intercepted by a wire fence, and so took up a position among the rocks where he was. He immediately commenced firing at the enemy, who were now rapidly occupying the ridges all round, and who at once poured a terrible fire on to his party, and on all parts of the farm. The bullets rat- [ tied all around like hailstones, and there | was nothing for it then but to retire. This ; could not be done till Lindsay's party were I got in. The staff and most of the horses were, by this time, partially under cover behind tbe farmhouse. The firing becoming more intense every minute, Captain Ward then rode out into the open, and beckoned Lindsay to come on. Lindsay had already retired from his position, and his men were collecting in a more sheltered place prior to running a second gauntlet to the farm. All this time "Long John's" shells were exploding all round to add to the turmoil. Lindsay's men then started to gallop acrosjf in twos and three, to the farm, a distance of about 150 yards over very bad and broken ground. One of the first to start wag Trooper George Bradford, who when halfacross was shot, and he dropped from his horse. Trooper Parkes had hig horse shot dead uuder him, but Sergeant Mahood, following him, pulled up, and got Parkes on to his horse, and the two got safely in. Several men saw Bradford and pulled up, but as he was motionless, with his head in a pool of blood, he was left for dead. All this time a perfect torrent of bullets was poured on these men, and also up round the farm. One or two other small parties

were out on the flanks, and likewise had to run the gauntlet to the farm, and then a ( dash across the open plain for about half a . mile into safety had to be made. This was accomplished without mishap, though a terrific fire was kept up on the retiring force all; the way. Trooper Maunder had a bullet through his water bottle, and one grazed hls wrist, while another passed through his rifle sling, and one through his tunic. Tro6per Tubman had one through his coat, and another hit his wallet. . Several other men had similar narrow escapes. Several horses were grazed, and three or four wounded more seriously. The Boers were from 250 to 600 yards distant from the farm. Our men fired ninety-four rounds, and the Boers must have fired twenty times as many, and it is a perfect miracle .thatiiot more ■damage was done. I think out salvation was,' '.due to the Boers having/ Magazine rifles/which caused their fire7to\be\wld and, hurried, and^ they .are ..certainly 'bad shqife'at a moving object. Theßoers hardly showed tEemselVes at all, • but still ,;Ve ftctsou'rited for at least two or three of them. (To be contimied).