THE PATRIOTIC FUND.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume XXXXII, Issue 17, 22 January 1900, Page 3

THE PATRIOTIC FUND.

Wellington*," January 21. i TJie singing of " The Absent- i minded Beggar" at the performance < of the "Trip to Chinatown" by Mr. t "Wallace Brownlow has swelled the : local Patriotic Fund by some £ 10, which i was thrown on the stags on the various ; evenings. _ Dctnedin, Jar.uiry 21. The Floral Fete in aid of the Patriotic Fund was-a great success, j and is expected to realise £ 100. As a j compliment to the Second Contingent,; five bands massed and played " liule ; Britannia." Out of respect to tlio.se of \ the first contingent who fell, the 1 Hussars wore a band of crape on the ! arm. Tho weather only took up at the j last moment, otherwise Forbury Park would have been even more crowded than it was. j llawlra, January "20. • The concert last night in aid of the' PatrioticFur.il was a most; enthusiastic 1 r function, MO l-eing rea'ised, .£lO of which was contributed dining the shi«- | ing of " Tho 'Ai).seut-Sflir;..k-1 ii jy;\r.'', I Tho fund no-.v at, _Jio, ■ i,!;; [ tl;o " More Men" fund total i 3 c!j a e on £IOO. - •

liOKD MEUIUfiX'S i'OCIi jJATTLES.! XiExTjiii 1 . I 1 iiO. I Oi; J.i 11., ' WOUNDED. | OKAPHIC XAKKATIVK. j ,A very Ic-ues Inn, been (says the i. O J."'from Pnvuti' V.. of ISsseadon, v- i.o v.-,. ■ :-c at t'iit Li v., , ivhkh L". : ghiio I ■ ■ ' in -i. ; : ■<■•■] . ba ' . ! - tC- i.' ' fi'i t . . • v.. i; it ';i 1 ■; V. ■!' . . ■ i ■ ■i p':-OV jus!. 1 _. r Jf \ }-:ivd though, alter ffriiig '' throe c-t r'to ba: re? in Bj-iti>li to '\vn':i-A---l in the iV..:ih. J :J■. ■ ._u!." | lp:i- gCi.%' LO have J -i.e , f il.i.ili lllto 1 »;■ • '<) <Ji,c 1. : ii;• • r Through the e.df of: iv k-f; t'< struck me behind the Un< c ui,.? is stuck behind the loiu\ I il Mi £Ol Jr.' u?;'U i r nn operation as -icon as I am ;i t?it sUQDger. I do not e v 'pect serious

H.i:. 1 ' . .!' '' V' : .LLli it is i u>'Ci'. 1-ever.;:j i!} U-g day '..dl I Is forget the sights I saw that day. You - can imagine what it is like, when our 3 casualties were 78 killed outright, and . 300 odd wounded, many since dead. We had to come 700 miles from Jiodder River to Cape Town. Six j died in the train, and a great many wore under, their operations. My Jn.K.:. ha* ver. it.H'oiUinr.U Up to date we Ur.ve hnd t rvec oiikovs jJ- ified and .si.. '■ and 41 | privates killed and C? wounded. I jd.ui't know Low it w we were always

";p,ii ia the IVout of the fire. The IO. (i uil>l!;ivo 10-st, wry ho-'ivi'y, but they : • cannot stand what we can, as they are never away from England. It was a common sight to see men lying there without their heads or legs. One 1 shell of the enemy struck one of our guns, blowing six horses and seven mi:a to pieces. The saddest sight was when we reached the lioer trenches. They were lying three and four deep on top of one another, some of them , boys only 14 years of age, who had • been forced to fight for the Transvaal. It does seem dreadful that such young ! fellows should have their lives thrown iaway. You would be surprised at the ] J number o! English and Irish they ■, have lighting for them. We captured ' a lot of prisoners, amongst them ten < Englishmen. They told us they had made their homes in the Transvaal, and they had the alternative to quit the country in 12 hours, losing their

cattle and farms, or else fight. Some threw up their farms rather than j fight against the Mother Country. We are getting treated like lords here with everything you can think of—jellies, strawberries, &c. Visitors come in thousands, bringing cigars, pipes, cigarettes. Anything you like you can have, and I think we have earned it. At the last fight at Modder River we had nothing to eat for two days ; some of us were dying for water. A water-cart' came in sight, and some dozen of our men rushed %r a drink, right in the midst of a heavy fire, A sho: was lired at them, killing the driver, most of the men, and smashed the cart to pieces. They also fired on our ambulance, wounding .one of the

medical orderlies. They area treacherous lot of devils, and cannot light fair. If we could only get them on tho plains they would know it, but they get on top of hills, and we have to cross the plains and climb the hills to drive them out. I can assure you I do not want any more lighting, but if the war is not ended when I get better, I will go back and try my luck once more, J think I have been most fortunate in not 'osing some of my limbs." Tiie writer of the foregoing, who lis .not yet 25 years of age, has had an adventurous career, having taken i a fancy to sea-faring life whilst in his teens, and lie was the only survivor of 13 wen who were on a yard that was car l ied away in a storm in mid-oocan •xihtui three }ears since, an incident •vhieh was reported in the Argus. He concludes his letter by remarking that, having pulled tin ough shipwreck and war so f;ir, he hopes to come safely over this experience.