LETTER FROM THE FRONT.

Tuapeka Times, Volume XXXV, Issue 4924, 11 January 1902, Page 3

LETTER FROM THE FRONT.

WITH PLUMJSR'S COLUMN.

The following letter has been received from Sergt. major Lorigan, a Waipori rppre- '• tentative in the bixth Contingent, now sei-v- . ing a* the front. The letter is dated Jou* ' ' berts Plat, Transvaal, 16th October, 1901. '• I see by the papers you in Now Zealand hare been having a gay time of it with the Royal visit, #o. So have w», if you call living on mealies for three weeks and night marching a gay time. Our general (Plutner) ig a terror to go ; he never seems satisfied unless we are always moving. They call our column ' The Qounding-up Column.' He has made some splendid moves lately. One was when we were tailing up Commandant ' Rruitfinger for days, and were at him both - day and night. We got him beautifully cor- ' nered and had four hours sharp fighting, and simply because three other columns were half a day late in taking up their positions $ruit?singer got away in the night. Our casualties were: Two New Z-alahders and two officers and two Queensland privates shot, $ye wounded and J.B taken prisoners. "An amusing asair happened when the prisoners were captured. A Queenslander was stripped of his rifle, ammunition, and all accoutrements except socks, underpants, and > singlet. A* big, bnrly Boer was placed sentry . over him, and the Queenslander said to him : ♦Now, we'll Bee if you're as good with your hands as you are at committing murder. Up with yonr handßl' Before the Boer knew what was happening the Queenslander let out •nd knocked him over. Then a field oornefc o»me along and * tapped ' our man on the head with a rifle-butt and told him to behave himself. This is a Boer story, told to our doctor when he went to give some wounded Poera medical aid on the night of the fight. "We are now properly amongst the Boers. We have Botha and 500 men in some very rough country. The New Z-alanders were out yesterday and had a merry few hours with him. We 'are now waitiug for five other columns to take up their positions before giving him a warm breakfast. Columns being late in taking np their positions have hampered us considerably lately, and it is very annoying after you have hunted a commando (or weeks (as we have done on three or four occasions lately) to find it slip through your fingers because •' the British make some sad mistakes/ " X ccc it is reported that we of the Sixth $.£. Contingent want to go home. Qat boys are very indignant at the rumor and there is no truth whatever in it. We have been trekking over some of the finest land that I ever saw in my life. It is on the Basuto border, and some of our officers have applied for large blookß of it. I haven't paßaed through any. mining country lately. 1 1 have been promoted to sergeant-major of D Bquadron, which rank I have held for four * months, and I have cow been recommended for a commission by our officer commanding."

Our Dunedin correspondent wired last night that Col. D&vies will command the Eighth N.Z. Contingent, Major Chaytor taking the South Island and Captain Bartlett the North Island battalions.