THE FIRST CONTINGENT.

New Zealand Graphic, Volume XXIV, Issue VII, 17 February 1900, Page 317

THE FIRST CONTINGENT.

SOLDIERING UNDER GENERAL a-- FRENCH. (From Our Special Correspondent.) f i’ RENSBURG, S.A., Jan. 7. , I resume my diary of events since last letter:— Monday, Ist January.—Under cover of the R.H.A. fire advanced on enemy On the eastern side of Coleskop. There Were a few Carbineers, Mounted Infantry and four sections of 2nd Division of our No. 1 Company, making about sixty in all, the New Zealanders leading the way. After remaining under a heavy fire for about half an hour the order came to retire. Our artillery were within range of the enemy’s rifle fire and could not silence them, and we experienced for the second time in earnest THE WHIZZING OF THE BULLETS as thick as hail. Marvellous to say, no one was wounded out of the sixty. During the afternoon a division of the Carbineers made a demonstration in the direction of Palmerfontein, on the eastern front, but getting in the line of the fire from the Boers’ ‘’Long Tom" gun had to retire with one killed. The guns not engaged on the eastern side of Coleskop did good work with the other Boer cannon and quickly silenced a quick firing MaximNordenfeldt or Hotchkiss, it is not known which. Sixteen wounded and four killed were our British casualties. The Boer losses are not known, but are considered heavy.

Tuesday, 2nd January.—ln our absence our tents and baggage had been moved up to the present camp, Rensburg, a farm belonging to a Boer commando. The railway, which in places had been torn up, had been quickly mended, and the trains are now running and are very busy. Last night a line of twenty or thirty trucks containing provisions for 20,000 men, was let loose and started for Colesberg. It being a down grade of a pretty steep kind the trucks made good way to where the Boers had blown up a portion of the line, and there some of them capsized. At daybreak, when this was discovered, an engine with some Royal Engineers went down to try and regain possession. It was, however, soon discovered that the enemy hud their big gun trained in that direction, and after firing the rum in the trucks the train had to retire, being unable to get close enough to hook on. A railway ganger at the station here was arrested during the day under suspicion of being concerned, but nothing has yet been proved. Wednesday, 3rd January.—Picket duty at position held during first day of advance. The Boers were very quiet, and practically no shelling, except on lookers at the burning trucks was done. We stayed out all night.

Thursday, 4th January.—We were relieved this morning by the New South Wales Lancers at daybreak. After off-saddling at camp and started breakfast an order came in to saddle and return to position, as the Boers were making a break on that flank. They were, however, quickly checked by our artillery, and at 4 p.m. we returned to camp. Friday, Sth January.—Last night an escort brought in twenty Boer prisoners, who were captured by the 10th Hussars yesterday. They were sent down to the Cape, and a very dejected, starved lot they looked. They highly appreciated their feed of tinned beef and biscuits. A very slack day this, and we never left the eamp.

Saturday, 6th January.—We were rousted out at half-past one, and for our right front to draw the enemy’s fire and unmask their “Long Tom. At five o'clock our artillery (the Royal Field) opened fire on the kopjes whereabouts the guns were supposed to be situated, and they unmasked their gun and dropped a few well-directed shells. We kept them employed for an hour or two and then returned to camp for the rest of the day. Fine weather still continues; very hot sun during day, and gets cold towards morning. General French expects to get into Colesberg at any moment now.

Sunday. 7th January.—A report has come in that one hundred and thirtyfour Suffolk infantry men have been killed and wounded and eleven officers killed. It appears that they made an advance on a Boer laager yesterday morning and were allowed to'get right up to them, and then an order was given to retire, and while doing so

the enemy opened fire and cut them up badly. This was on the extreme left, behind Coleskop. Roughly speaking, there are about three thousand mounted men aud four thousand infantry here, and water’ for horses is not too plentiful.