GUERILLA WARFARE IN SOUTH AFRICA.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 7014, 1 February 1901, Page 7

GUERILLA WARFARE IN SOUTH AFRICA.

■■.'•' ♦ .. •■ . CHASING DE WET. HIS -TACTICS. MB F. B. HUGHES'S EXPERIENCE WITH BRABANT'S HORSE. Mr F. B. Hughes, who left Christchurch .with the Third Contingent, in the Knight Templar, as a war. correspondent, returned by the' Orient, and reached Christchurch ©n Thursday last. Mr Hughes sailed for Sdatii Africa in February. Several articles, fcom his pen from the front have, appeared in these columns, and readers who perused them will remember that he broke . rthrough the Boer lines, and so parted with ■ the Rough Riders. He thus lost touch •with 1 tie contingent, whose fortunes and doings he was intended to follow and 'chronicle, and was in Wepener during the •iege. Colonel Dalgetty pressed him to 'enter Brabant's Horse. He joined the JFirst Regiment of this force, and accepted '• commission as lieutenant, becoming an 'officer straight away. His regiment; went ' 'frcfii Wepener, and after taking part in a ''" -minor fight at Thabanchu, was attached to 'General Rundte's column, the eighth division: Their task was to clear the country jwest from Thabanchu, and to do this they jweat with the main column. It really ineajit- clearing the Orange Free State to •the Basuto and Martabele borders." They ■were from six to eight weeks after Prinsloo tod his commandos, but eventually rounded ;them up in Fauresburg, where they surxendered. . . ■ It was from there that De Wet escaped. The First Regiment- was attached to Lord 'Metbuen's division, and, in conjunction with .General Knox's and others, followed /up the f ugitive A whom, in turn, several - divisions of the army have been pursuing : ever since. Mr Hughes said that De Wet •had earned a reputation' among newspaper leaders for good fighting qualities. But ;Mr Hughes's opinion was that, had De •Wet been a fighting man he would have 'been cornered and captured or killed long fcgo. But he is not a fighting man, as ;Britons understand it. When pressed he gets away, leaving a rear-guard to keep Ids. enemy, in play witib a pom-pom.' Has [enemy stops to reconnoitre, and De Wet thu9 gains time to get his main body off ; to a safe distance. His enemy, not knowring the force actually to be dealt with, has to act with caution, and when De ;Wet's main body is safe, the reax-guard, feeing the best mounted, get away too. jWfcen fairly bailed up his men are given" jnotice where to rendezvous, and they disjperse- in all directions during the night, jto meet as soon as possible at the appoint jed place. In thi9 they are greatly helped 'by 'tiheir~ knowledge of the country and by 'the assistance given them by the ' Boer ■farmers. Mr Hughes's last fight with De |Wet?was at Wet Kopjes, in -the Orange Tree State. His regiment !had located the 'enemy the day before,' and at half -past'