How The Boers Get Ammunition and Other Supplies.
+- . (St. James's Budget.) Frederick Englehardt, a British subject who has been in the Boer service since the outbreak of the war, reached Liverpool the other day from the front, and had a story to tell a representative of the St. James's Budget which throws some light upon the methods of the Boers and the manner in which they obtain their supplies. To make our readers at home with the ex-Boer officer, it may be said that he is of Irish descent, and, strangely enough, an anti-Home Ruler. He was in Africa since a few months before the raid, and imbibed some of the feelings of the Drakes, relatives of his who fought for the British during the war of 1880-81, but joined the Boers because of their (the Drakes') bad treatment by the j British Government of the <lay when j we handed the Transvaal back to the Dutch. When the war started he joined Joubert, and saw a good deal of fighting on the Natal border. He was slightly wounded at Elandslaajgte» t and on his recovery joined the commandos around Ladysmith. On the relief of that town he crossed the country, and was with Snyman during the latter part of the siege of Maf eking, but left in disgust when the so-called " fighting general " refused to support Eloff, after that officer had captured one of the forts and sent an urgent request for assistance. After this service he was with De Wet and fought Colonel Bullock's command at Honing Spruit ; and from that on he acted as a convoy officer, trekking here and j there from the depots in the low veldt with ammunition and stores to various commandos in the field. Asked whether the Boers had much ammunition he Said, 4r Plenty of it. In the caves, in the fastnesses of the hills beyond the Limpopo Valley they have arms and ammunition enough to last for years. Some were placed there before the war, as it was believed the last stand would be made in the bush veldt; most of the rifles and ball cartridges" were brought up from the arsenals in Pretoria at* the time of the flight frojn the town. Still more is being now, brought in." " How, and from where?" Landed in the ordinary way., and sent from the Continent of E'ur"6p6 — chiefly from France, Austria, and Holland. Some months back many tons of stuff were landed on the coast of Namaqualand and trekked over the country and right through the British lines to the commandos. Another time we got dozens' of cases of Mauser cartridges through Natal; they were landed from boats on the JVlazeppa rocks and carted up in ordinary waggons without question from anyjbody. More cases of ball cartridges and rifles were put ashore in St. Lucia Bay. But most of the gun running has been done by way of Delagoa Bay and Beira. The work of getting the stuff overland is somewhat tedious ; but up to the present' I don't think the Boers have lost a single case of cartridges." " How are the stores shipped down V" " That I never learned; but from what I heard I believe they are shipped from the European ports on trading vessels, and . on I,he high seas transferred to small craft that meet them by arrangement. I should say that the' ' goods ' are not , landed in the watched "harbours; but are put ■ ashore in creeks ' and on, .the beach in lonely , places where' tn'ere is nobody to watch. I was told that for days and nights no Government^ craft were seen, and the risk of running cargoes is practically nil.'' "Had you many adventures? while convoying ?" , ' "No ; I had a few. The work was very easy. My waggon was one that was captured' from the British. It was very light, and with ■& good span of mules we cd"uld coyer ground quickly. Once near ' Krugersdorp I thought capture was in sight when a cavalry patrol passed within a quarter of c. mile of us We k-jpt on our course, and when we, were nearest the patrol an Officer, took out his field-glasses and looked at us. Probably the British waggon satisfied him that all was well. Anyhow, he let us pass. We trekked mostly by night, and lay in hiding by day. A good service of Kaffir scouts thrown out all around us for miles kept us -well informed, so that when we approached any danger we altered our course and. got clear. From what I heard and saw of the British I know the Boer intelligence department is teti times botter than theirs. My last trek was completed the "night before the fight at Vlakfontein. We had brought ammunition down to the commando a few hours> before the battle, which was a terrible affair at closequarters I admit that some of the xwoundod were shot where they ley; but I must in justice deny that the shooting was done by Boers. It was- the work of an Italian fellow .. witlj q. black beard and a British soldier's 'smasher' hat with a coloured pugaree. Most of. the atrocities were committed by those, , mercenaries;, wao are very hard to keep in hand. They think of nothing "T>ut loot, loot, loot. They rob the 1 living and the de&d. I think there are as many Europeans in tho field as there^ are up-country and colonial Dutch put together. I have read papers* since I arrived here which allege that the Bours~ are hard up for munitions and clothing. You may take it from me they are not. Some of the by owners may look miserable ; -they have that look at the best of times; and if a commando is short of ammunition to-day it gets it to-mor-row. It is all nonsense, too. to say that there is a scarcity of rifles. The Boers have to-day "almost over* rifle they captured from tho British, and an abundance of Lee-Metfor-.i ammunition." " What do you think the next move will be ?" " Just what must be apparent to anybody. Before I came away «t was decided to shift down and spread the war through the colony, leaving sufficient men in Bmall banes to keep large British forces in the north. The principal commandants are confident that they will yet have the bulk of the Cape Boers in the field, and there is no denying the fact that they are gathering m larfis bodies v of recruits in the colony. Like the river, in the poem, the war threatens to go on forever. At tfcevery least it will last for nine months longer, and possibly enough it will go on for nine months ar&jr that. The burghers believe that they will tire the British »ut, and there ie a growing belief that witnin a month or two England wul ask for a conference to settle terms In the meantime rest assured that the Boers are well off f,>r generally, are full of -hope, and ge»such numbers of recruits that instead of growing weak by reason ol captures and casualties they actually gather strength day by day.
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Bibliographic details
Taranaki Herald, Volume XLIX, Issue 11823, 21 November 1901, Page 1
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1,192How The Boers Get Ammunition and Other Supplies. Taranaki Herald, Volume XLIX, Issue 11823, 21 November 1901, Page 1
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