DE WET'S LUCK.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 7296, 8 January 1902, Page 2

DE WET'S LUCK.

A NEW ZEALANDERS STORY. A Wellington member of the Fifth Contingent lately back from the front, tell? the following story as to how De Web escaped Lord Methuen: — " For a long time," said the trooper, " we were circling round, backwards and forwards, almost always in touch with De Wet, but it looked as if we were afraid to go for him. After a lot of this work < ifc became apparent that General Methuen's object was to drive De Wet into Oliphant's Nek, a pass that a handful of resolute men wjbh plenty of ammunition, stationed on the" Transvaal side, could hold against an army. While we were doing the shepherding business on the Cape side, Methuen was working round to the other end of the Pass where he stationed two companies of Imperial troops, with orders to hold Ihe Pass at all costs. It was agreed that fourteen guns should be fired at our end as a signal that De Wet was in the Pass, and that we held our end. On Methuen rejoining us, everything seemed to go as we wanted. De Wet and his column, not liking our stirring him up, turned into the Pass ; the signal was given, and everyone was more or less excited by the expectation that the slippery Dutchman would be captured. He went in all right, and kept on going ; and he passed out at the other end without let or hindrance ! Once in the open he was lost again. The revulsion of feeling caused by this disappointment was only equalled by wonder as to what had happened to the two companies at the outlet of the nek. Lord Methuen was so cut up by the failure or miscarriage of his tactics, that he made no attempt to conceal, his chagrin. It afterwards turned out that at the time we were driving De Wtet into the trap, Baden Powell was stuck up at Rustenburg, and General lan Hamilton, when on his way to the relief of the town, found Methuen's two companies, and though he was informed what their purpose was, over-ruled the officers and marched the companies off to the relief of 'B-P-' What this interference has cost the Empire it would be difficult to commite."