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Les diagrammes suivants illustrent la mdthode. arrata to pelure, □ 32X 1 2 3 1 2 3 4 5 6 CHARGE OF THE NINTH HUSSARS. »J C8 BOERS HAULING HEAVY ARTILLERY TO THE FRONT. / • history of the War in South Africa CONTAINING A THRILLING ACCOUNT OF THE GREAT STRUGGLE BETWEEN THE BRITISH AND THE BOERS INCLUDING THE CAUSES OF THE CONFLICT; VIVID DESCRIPTIONS OF FIERCE BATTLES; SUPERB HEROISM AND DARING DEEDS; NAR- RATIVES OF PERSONAL ADVENTURES; LIFE IN CAMP, FIELD AND HOSPITAL, ETC., ETC. TOGETHER WITH THE WONDERFUL STORY OF THE TRANSVAAL THE ORANGE FREE STATE; NATAL AND CAPE COLONY; THE KAFFIRS AND ZULUS; RICHEST GOLD AND DIAMOND MINES IN THE WORLD, ETC., ETC. By JAMES H. BIRCH, JR. WHO HAS RECENTLY RETURNED FROM SOUTH AFRICA IN COLLABORATION WITH HENRY Davenport Northrop THE WELL-KNOWN AUTHOR Magnificent Galaxy of Ph.- totypc and Wood Engravings MCDERMID & LOGAN, LONDON, ONTARIO. 22U29 ENTERED ACCOHDINO TO ACT OF CONORESb, IN THE YEAH 18»l, BY J. 0. JONES •N THE OFFICE OF THE LIBRARIAN OF CON0RE88, AT WASHINGTON, D. C. J PREFACE. Thr English Army and the Boers have met in the shock of battle ill South Africa. All attempts to avert the desperate conflict have failed and the eyes of the whole world are turned to watch the progress of the fierce struggle. Tlie first settlement of the Boers in South Africa — another name for Dutch inhabitants — dates from the sixteenth century. They have received accessions from the Huguenots of France, but retain the old Dutch character. After the final cession of the Cape of Good Hope to England in i8i 4 they disliked the new Govern- ment, especially its friendly policy to the natives and the emancipa- tion of the slaves in 1833, the Boers having long been slaveholders. They moved northward and occupied the Orange Free State and the Transvaal. The Boers are the landholders and farmers of South Africa, famous for their courage and endurance, of strong and well- developed physique, good horsemen and splendid marksmen. They have proved themselves to be terrible fighters on many occasions. Previous to 1870 the Boers had much trouble with the surrounding native tribes, which resulted in many sanguinary battles. Wars were of frequent occurrence and little progress was made in the development of the country. The selfish policy of the Boers caused constant irritation with England. In 1877, owin^ to an exhausted public treasury and accumulated debts brought about by conflicts with the Zulus and other tribes, the Transvaal, or South Atrican Republic, was on the eve of dissolution and the country about to relapse into barbarism. To avert this catastrophe the British Government assumed the care of it, subjugated the rebel- lious natives, and put the finances of the State in good condition. Afterward England declared that the promises made by tlie Boers at this time were not carried out. One of the thrilling inci- iu Iv PREFACE. dents of the war that followed was the slaughter at Majiiba Hill, where, in 1881, a regiment of British troops was defeated, with the loss of their leader, Sir George Colley, by a greatly superior force of Tiansvaal Boers. Majuba Hill has become famous in the story of South Africa. It is claimed that the conditions upon which peace was finally secured have been violated. The contention of the Boers is that the agreement of 1881, by which the British had secured certain rights, was set aside by the Treaty of 1884, and the British had no longer any right to regulate the internal affairs of the Transvaal. On the other hand, England contends tliat the convention or treaty of 1881 has never been abol- ished or impaired. The British Government, acting upon this in- terpretation, has insisted upon certain changes in the domestic government of the Transvaal tc idling the franchise, education and parliamentary representation, which were emphatically refused by the Boers. The people of the South African Republic refuse to grant what tlie British demand, and deny them any say in tlie affairs of the Transvaal. This is the issue which diplomacy failed to settle, and which resulted in an appeal to arms and the God of battles. Intense interest in South Africa was awakened by the san- guinary war raging there. Questions have arisen as to the character of the countr}'^, its diversified tribes, its fabulous wealth in gold and diamonds, and the remarkable circumstances under which the country has become known to the world. This comprehensive volume answers all these questions, states the causes of the war, furnishes thrilling descriptions of the des- perate battles and portrays the great leaders on both sides, Oom Paul Kruger, General Jonbert, General Yule, Cecil Rhodes, Dr. Jameson, Barney Barnato, General Sir George White, General Sir 1 Redvers Henry Buller, Field Marshal Roberts, and many others. It abounds in stories of heroic exploits and daring deeds. The grand panorama of exciting events in South Africa, startling and thrilling, and presenting remarkable exhibitions of courage and patriotism, passes swiftly before the eyes of the reader, and hi* interest increases from chapter to chapter. THE THE WHIT, MANKI THE C] WON/)/.: VASl' SI THE t HI (^•(H,/) AN CKciL ;. OOiVf I'Aul TKAGIC S ^.Sji'.^^v.. ^■^,,^ . "',»:*•' CONTENTS. >y he ite ud )0l- in- stic and L by ,e to the san- 1 ^acter and the l>AOR chapticr I. THK TRANSVAAL AND OKANGK VliVA'. STATE 17 CHAPTER II. - THK KOKKS AND KAFFIRS CHAPTER III. WHITK SKTTLEKS AND THK ZULUS CHAPTER IV. MANNERS AND CUSTOMS OF THE 150ERS . . CHAPTER V. THE OREAT I'OVVERS DlVn)INO AFRICA . . . 84 62 6S 86 CHAPTER VI. WONDERFUL COUNTRY OF RHODESI/? 98 CHAPTl'.R VII. VAsr sroRi.s of natural wealth 112 CHAPTER VIII. niE CHIEF CITY OF THE TRANSVAAL 123 CHAPTER IX. GOLD AND DIAMONDS IN SOUTH AFRICA 18-1 CHAPTER X. CECIL J. RHODES— "THE UNCROWNED KING" Istates des- Oom ;, Dr. others. \ : . CHAPTER XI. Tlie OOM. I'AUL KRUGER AND OTHER FAMOUS LEADERS ig and re and [ud bi«' 148 ••'.... 155 CHAPTER XII. TRAGIC STORY OF MAJUUA HILL AND LAING'S NEK *. . 17P Vi CONTENTS. PAOK. CHAITKR XIII. FAMOUS RAH) 01 DR. JAMESON t98 CHAPl'ER XIV. CAUSES FOR WAR MANY YEARS OLD 210 « cnAm':R xv. THE STRUGGLE FOR EQUAL RIGHTS IN THE TRANSVAAT 223 CHAPTER XVI. GALLANT CANADIAN TROOI'S OFF FOR THE WAR 288 CHAPTER XVII. FIRST CLASH OF ARMS IIFTWEEN THE BRITISH AND HOKRS 257 CHAPTER XVIII. FIEKCE FIGHTING IN NATAL 274 CHAPTER XIX. THUNDFR OF ARTILLERY AROUND LADYSMITH 290 CHAPTER XX. URIITSH VICTORIES IN THE WESTERN CAMPAIGN 816 CHAPTER XXL CURIOUS si(;hts in riiE land of the HOERS 882 CHAPTER XXII. • REMARKAl'.LE FEATURES OF THE nRITISH CA:..PAIGN . . 846 CHAPTER XXIII. ADDITIONAL ACCOUNT OF THE CANADIAN CONTINGENT 8H8 CHAPTER XXIV. .\TTEMPTS TO RAISE THE SIEGE OF LADYSMITH 881 CHAPTER XXV. iHRILLING STORIES OF THE BATTLES 'N SOUTH AFRICA 896 CHAPTER XXVI. ;- . 26 — ^Junction of Yule with White at Ladysmith. Plumer has engage- ment with Boers near Tuli. Oct 28 — Enemy reported closing round Ladysmith. Oct. 30^General sortie from Lady- smith. Naval guns silence Boer siege artillery. Surrender of part of two battalions and a mountain battery at Nicholson's Nek. Oct. 3 1 — General Sir Redvers BuUer landj at Cape Town. 4000 Boers reported concentrated at Bethulie. November i — Boers invade Cape Colony. Nov. 2 — Ladysmith isolated and bombarded. Colenso evacuated by the British garrison. Boers reported to be invading Zululand. Nov. 3-4 — Naauwpoort and Storm- berg evacuated by British garrisons. Nov. 6 — Cavalry action outside Ladysmith, near Dewdorp. Nov. 9 — The Roslin Castle (the first of the transports conv") ing the Army Corps) arrives at Cape Town and pro- ceeds to Durban. General attack on Ladysmith repulsed with heavy loss to Boers. Nov. 10 — Reconnoitering force from Orange River engaged with Boers near Belmont. if'- IV- Nov. 1 1 — Orders issued for mooiliza- tionofa Fifth DivisionforSouth Africa. Nov. 14 — Free State flag hoisted at Aliwal North. Nov. 1 5 — Armored train wrecked by Boers near Chieveley. Over 100 British troops captured. Nov. 18 — Sir W. Gatacre arrives at Qucenstown. Sir C. F. Clery as- sumes Command of troops south of Ladysmith. Nov. 19 — Lord Methuen's column forthereliefofKimberley concentrated at Grange River. Boers in Natal oc- cupy Highlands Station to south of Estcoutt. Estcourt isolated. Nov. 22 — Gatacre moves forward. Nov. 23 — Methuen attacks Boers at Belmont with Guard's Brigade and Ninth Brigade. Boers driven from their position. Sortie from Kimber- ley. Hildyard engages Boers near Estcourt. Restores communication with Maritzburg. Boers repulsed at Tugela Drift by Natal troops, Nov. 25 — Methuen attacks Boers in position at Enslin and dislodges them. General Sir Redvers Buller arrives in Natal. British force moves up to Frere. Nov. 27 — Gatacre occupies Bush- men's Hoek. Main body at Putter's Kraal. Nov. 28 — Methuen engages 1 1,000 Boers at Modder River, battle lasting all day. Boers evacuate position. Sortie from Kimberley. Nov. 30 — Sixth Division for South Africa notified. December i — Austr iian and Cana- dian contingents leave Cape Town for the front. Dec. 2— Clery arrives at Ft ere. Dec. 3 — Plumer enters the Trans- vaal. Dec. 8 — Successful sortie from Ladysmith under Hunter. Boersattack Methuen's line of communications at Enslin. Pluiner returns to Tuli. Dec. 10 — Gatacre attempts night attack on Stormberg, but is surprised and forced to retire. Methuen's artillery shell Boer position to north of Mod der River camp. Sortie of Second Rifle Brigade from Ladysmith. Dec. 1 1 — Methuen attacks Boer po- sition at Matjersfontein. British troops repulsed with heavy loss. General Wauchope killed. Cavalry from Frere campreconnoitre to Colen^r and come in touch with the eneniT", Dec. 13 — Boer attempt on Naauw- poort frustrated by portion of French's forces, under Colonel Porter. Dec. 14 — Engagement between mounted infantry near Orange River and Boers. Latter retreat to Goeman- berg. Dec. 15 — Buller advances from Chieveley against Boer position near Colenso. British force repulsed on Tugela with i 100 casualties. Mob- ilization of Seventh Division ordered, Dec. 18 — Lord Roberts appointed commander-in-chief in South Africa, with Lord Kitchener as chief of staff! Dec. 19 — Regulations issued for employment of yeomanry and voK unteers in South Africa. Dec. 20 — Formation of City of Lon- don Volunteer Corps for South Africa announced. Dec. 23 — Departure of Lord Rob- erts from Southampton. Dec. 24 — Reported sortie from Mafeking. Detachment from Gatacre's force occupies Dordrecht. .■*^. ^- ■:i> Dec. 26 — Boers appear at Victoria West. Dec. 27 — Lord Kitchener joins Lord Roberts at Gibraltar, Dec. 30^Skirmisli near Dordrecht. Small British force cut off, but res- cued (Dec. 31) by Captain Golds- worth, Cape Mounted Police. Boers defeated with loss. January i — French forces Boers to evacuate Colesburg by threatening their flank. Lieutenant Colonel Pil- cher defeats commando at Sunnvside thirty mies northwest of Bcnnont, taking the enemy's laager and forty prisoners. Jan, 6— Colonel Watson, ofthe First Battalion Suffolk Regiment, obtains permission to attempt the night cap- ture of a kopje in the vicinity of Rens- burg. Total casualties, 162. Boers endeavored to carry Ladysniith by assault. Fighting lasted all day, and some of the British entrenchments on Wagon Hill were thrice taken by the enemy and retaken. British loss was 14 officers killed and 27 wounded ; 135 men killed and 244 wounded. Jan. 8 — Duller engages the Boers at Caesar's Camp and Wagon Hill. British hold positions and Boers retire with honors about even. Jan. 10 — Lord Roberts and Lord Kitchener sent out from London to take charge ofthe situation, which was disappointing up to this time, arrive at Cape Town. Arrangements made for new move forrelief of Ladysmith. Jan. 16 — British forces prepare to cross the Tugela, Boers capture a patrol of the New South Wales Lan- cers near Rensburg, Jan, 17-18 — Generals Warren and Lyttleton cross the Tugela at Pcit- gieter's Drift. General Dundonald engages the Boers m battle at Acton Homes. Jan. 23-24 — Battle of Spion Kxtp. General Warren retires after suffering terrible losses. Jan, 26-27 — Troops under General Warren recross the Tugela River, February 5 — Buller's forces cross the Tugela again. Attempt to relieve Ladysmith fails. Vaal iCranz cap- tured, p'eb, 6 — Boers attack and turn back an armored train carrying British troops from Chievely to Colenso. Feb, 12 — General F'rench starts on the forced march for Kimberley. This is the turning point in the war. Brit- ish forces sent out {rorr Fngland are rapidly taking the field, and Lord Roberts has full charge of operations. Feb. 1 5 — General Fr mch reliever Kimberley after a brilliant march with his cavalry and mounted infantry. Feb. 16 — General Cronje leads pre- cipitate Boer retreat, pursued by Gen. eral Kelly-Kenny. Great i|uantitie3 of Boer supplies captured. Feb, 20 — Boers under Cronje go into laager near Raardsburg. Lord Roberts established lines of siege and bombards Boer laager. Forces under Botha trying to relieve Cronje are dis- persed. Feb, 27 — Cronje surrenders, with 4080 Boers. i3ritish troops ate ap- palled at the frightful condition ofthe captured Boer la iger whi;n they enter it, Feb, 28 — Ladysmith, after 1 18 days of siege, is relieved by Geneial Dun- donald. London goes wild with joy. xfl 'ld Borden, Vlinister of ^ord Rob- eulogies of dian parlia- if a plot at oberts and Failure of Lieut, the after- Lobe rts re- proclama- Transvaal ut of Her nt Kruger, ed at Lo- French has ■■ H^H 1 ■ H ^^1 j^^'^^'CS^m^S^jiis^ idHK> N Vr v\\\\VLUVSllSwk^^^^^ ^VRp- 'u ^--•.r ^ " vwv\}S^H|^H^^^^^^H ^H ^^m ',^^^ii^^"(^H ^^H ■H^H ^^^^ft ^""^^^i^!^! ■ ^^^^1 ^^^^^H ^^H^^H , '^<*..l-,f^;,t. ^^^^H ^^^^^^^^^^H ^^^1 j^l^v hj »e^i^ ':^^ J^^l ^^^^^^H ^^^^H ^^^^H 1% w . -^^^ ^^^^^^^^^1 ^^^H ^^^H ^*^ ^t>.^^^^l ^^^^^^^H ^At^^^^^^^^^^^^l ^H ^^r ''^^I^^^^^^^^^^B ^^^^H ^H ^Hk ^^^^^H ^^^^1 ^^H ^K^^ -'..i!aic#<^' ' - ^^^H ^^^^^H ^^^^p ^^^ ^^^H ^^^^^^^^H H|^ r ^ ^^H^^H ^f '*: ^^^^^^^1 ^m , /v 1 ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^H • ,*^ s ^B ft' 1 H ^^^^m;' ''-"^ fc-wi' ' % ■ ^ISMJ»li»',aifejMaM8e^ 1 1 K?''^W 'Ma /-:"-'-^ . '^^w^nHHlHiHlJ ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^H laa ^iKiy ,Tig^^B^^^^^^^^^M^ ^^H \ 1 LIEUTENANT COLONEL BUCHAN WHO SUCCEEDED TO THE COMMAND OF THE CANADIAN CONTINGENT IN £'j;.-TH AFRICA WHEN COLONEL OTTER WAS WOUNDED It - 1 f. ii I '■ ■• ii 1 .■■X^K '■■'..' -.'■•■ ■ . t ^^^ H fe^ •' 1 j i ^^^^^^^^Ki i 3**' •>^^fl^HH H^^K ^^Itek i ife^ ' 'X'^^^^^^^^^Nr^k^^^^^^^^^ ^j(V^ ^■ft^H^K^^' "-' '^^1^Hk'^^Bl^-^^k^^M9VM Mj/K' jB^bl^HH^w ■SF. ''' ' ' '^^VK^^M^'TKf Jjmm i ■■■■yjfvi: >).>:■. J^- 1-^-. - LIEUTENANT COLONEL DRURY FIELD COMMANDER "a" BATTERY ROYAL CANADIAN ARTILLERY > Ul z Q >• CO h-' z tu o z I- z o o CD z UJ I CO ID < cr. Q. i| J". oc O li. > ui z o UJ CO < o h to < o z ki. 2 >■ oc CD H ol UJ N UI O CO N o UI o o CO X . ( ■'',<. --^,^1 V mmt^m -^fc • > hK^''' ^Ib ^^^ *l ^^^^K^nffij^.i^'^ V ^ ■■'■ -^^ '.v-WsHM -^ • -'^' \ ^^r"H " '.'<^^,^|^^ ^^ ~ R^i^^^^H -\Tv , t 1 -mA ^^S\ 1 V-A i \^ 1 t^ -^ ^ y^ • / i^. x%y ^ • > ^:"5i 4 ' • / \ ^ :. . mm \ ^ JF LIEUTENANT COLONEL OSCAR PELLETIER OF QUEBEC WOUNDED AT PAARDEt:URQ, FEBRUARY 27th, 1900 0) Q z 3 o ^c J a: CI n -> ^ fr <" o o > z Q fr z < UJ 4 ^1 < 0. s kl O o o > 1? z cc o 7 r. < III O M Q I •J W 111 Z X z < 1" Q 2 J < < - < L' I u. o -,. < o -J ^ u. a CANADIAN SOLDIERS KILLED AT THE MODDER W. T. MAN.ON j_ ^QY ^i^^^^g NORMAN F. ORAY C. E. JACKSON P. H. COZZINS CORPORAL A. McQueen of QUEBEC KILLED AT MODDER RIVER, FEBRUARY 18th, 1900 ■L, MAJOR CRADOCK COMMANDING SECOND NEW ZEALAND CONTINGENT .1 i uj 05 UJ o N liJ i z — J it imfj: (s- *■'-'".■ W--. U. \- . ^i^- : , :.»;.; i^ll^"' BE*'**'' ■ z UJ o z z O o I \- a. D o CD O v* I ;;^. o ■^ D .b-^ o q: 1 a z < _i ' 'k: < LU N $ UJ z f MAJOR ROBIM COMMANDANT FIRST NEW ZEALAND CONTINGENT t I- > UJ z D > to f- ul til oc cc I- o Q C3 Z o o H Z Ul o z I- z o o CO ?• LU I CO II II I I I •NMMMM UJ z o > 03 h liJ 111 oc I" I- z C3 LU O O to 05 G^ 1 r • i^ t^^^^tk- ■ ■■•n >..i ' ' -^ V^J^hPc| wt< M *^'l;j '' '-'^'^^^^ n..^^ -^ J^fi^ ^iflKv- '^ K * ■■a \.jk ■S a ^^^^^^ ^He% ^ i -i ^-^^ ■' ...l^tfl ■;." ' V ^ • lA' ■*5jV ■ -. al' . '^ / i) ^■■^ i :■•< ■V. .'^'li' ' :-t- - n *S t' ... V • ■ C- 41 r-^,.- ■ .*. 1' I - 13* ' :: '.CaB $ .* • «' '4i • i 1 ' -" ■ «-^ ^ i ^ ^ ^m ■ .1^ » '1 " V i Mk.' ■ * SERGEANT WALTER R. WHITE B COMPANY, CANADIAN CONTINGENT, KILLED AT PAARDEBURG DRIFT. FEBRUARY 18th, 1900 N! ,1'A 'h I PAUL KRUGEr? PRESIDENT OF THE SOUTH AFRICAN REPUBLIC 'L. I .1 il'I'M i , ! '!|i II SERGEANT WILLIAM McLEOD SECOND CANADIAN CONTINGENT, COMMENDED BY LORD ROBERTS FOR CAPTURING SINGLE-HANDED TWO BOERS AND SIXTEEN OXEN a. cc O O < o o 111 (/) UJ < I I- o CO tu z UJ I h I I- I- z o cc 0. LU X h I- < t/5 Ul CO cc D Z Z < -I < or I- co < Ui > < cc ffi Ijil'i II 'I fi! I ! :1 ■ i^ !!' '", fr--'^ ": ^'"a pl^"''^' ^ ^^^w ^■SoV** 1 1 llr>-^ J'l.'V ■.V w- ■■ .-' iV LL^ LIEUTENANT THOMAS WALTER VAN TUYL "d" battery, royal CANADIAN FIELD ARTILLERY, SOUTH AFRICA «— JIUL. ^ ^ i Cn i rH jS SffBRI^^^^W BB n ii 1! li I i* ; ' z o ee o < o CO u. O z Ul z Q z < (0 oe Ui o WAR IN SOUTH AFRICA U (0 Ui (0 D CO HETWEEN THE ENGLISH AND THE BOERS. CHAPTER I. The Transvaal and Orange Free State. pj Y the outbreak of war between the English and the Boers ^^ universal interest was at once awakened concerning the countries in South Africa involved in the fierce struggle. The storm of conflict has been gathering for more than half a cen- tury. South Africa, being rich in its native products, has long been a prize for European nations. Its wild animals have been p atronp; temptation to the hunter. Its diamond and gold fields make it one of the richest parts of the globe. It is not strange, therefore, that it has drawn many immigrants, some of whom were little else than reckless adventurers. The march of civilization has rapidly transformed the south- em part of the Continent of Africa. In the mining districts towns have sprung xip, iinigrants have come from all pa "ts of the world, and important centres of business have been established, such as Kimberley, Mafeking, Johannesburg, Bulawayo, and many others that might be mentioned. A wide territory once peopled only by native tribes and famous for its wild animals has been subdued, and is now one of the wealthiest and most promising countries of the globe. Among the most enlightened portions of Africa are the republics in the south, some knowledge of which will be of great advantage to the reader. - The South Afric.ir Republic and the Orange Free State, which constitute the hostile territory, are bounded on the southeast by Natal and Basutoland, on the south and southwest by Cape Colony, and on the west by British Bechuanaland and Griqualand 2 17 18 THE TRANSVAAI, AND ORANGK FREE STATE. sn;. West. Natal runs up into the Boer country in the shape of an acute triangle, with its apex at Laing's Nek. It is here separated from the Orange Free State by the Drakenberg Mountains, in which there are numerous defensible passes, aflfording ingress for the Boers into British territory. ^ The boundary on the south of the Orange Free State is the Orange River ; on the west the boundary is marked by no natural feature. The Vaal River separates the Orange Free State from the South African Republic. Natal and Basutoland are in the moun- tains. The boundary on the west runs through rather flat country, while the interior of the hostile territory is principally veldt, a pla- teau in the neighborhood of four thousand feet high, broken here and there by rough ground and affording many strong positions. The boundaries of the Transvaal, long a subject of dispute with Great Britain and the conterminous states, were at last pre- cisely defined by the convention of February 27, 1884. . TERRITORY OF THE TRANSVAAL. Transvaal thus forms a compact inland territory nearly as broad as long, not more than 45 or 50 miles from the Indian Ocean at Delagoa Bay, but otherwise lying completely within the outer rim of the vast South African table-land. A line drawn from the southwest extremity, where it touches Griqualand West, north- eastwards to the Limpopo-Shasha confluence, gives an extreme length of 500 miles, the distance from the same confluence south- wards to the Natal frontier being 425, and the greatest length east and west between the Zulu and Bechuana frontiers about 400 miles. In the absence of accurate surveys, the total area has been variously estimated at from 110,000 to 120,000 square miles. Physically Transvaal forms a v/ell-marked section of the great South African plateau, an elevated shallow basin with a mean alti- tude of over 3000 feet, whose conformation has been compared to that of a saucer. On the south and east this basin Is separated from the coast by a lofty inner and less elevated outer rim, the former from 6000 to 10,000, the latter about 2000 feet high, sweep- ing round in curves concentric with that of the seaboard, from I WI )«t» ili > Mii iM i rti i« ■MM m)inMi!Mim'.>i THE TRANSVAAL AND ORANGE FREE STATE. 19 Cape Colony through Natal and the east side of Transvaal north- wards to the equatorial regions. v^ \ The inner rim, whose various sections in the extreme south are known as the Roggeveld, Nieuweveld, and Quathlamba ranges, takes in Natal and Transvaal the general name of the Drakenberg Mountains. From the Natal frontier to the Lipalule (Olifant) MAP OF SOUTH AFRICA SHOWING TRANSVAAL AND ORANGE FREE STATE. tributary of the Limpopo, the Drakenberg maintains the aspect of a more or less continuous range 5000 to 7000 feet high, culmina ting in the Mauchberg, 8725 feet, the highest point in Transvaal. A little to the east is the Spitskop, 5637 feet, and further south the Klipstad, 6020 feet, and Holnek, 5600 feet. This section falls everywhere precipitously eastwards towards the Libomba range, or outer rim of the plateau, which maintains a mean elevation of 2000 feet along the eastern border of Trans- ^r- I i il ,l il' i 20 THE TRANSVAAI, AND ORANGE FREE STA^E. vaal. Beyond the Lipalule, the Drakenberg loses the character of a well-defined mountain system, broadening out into uplands moderately elevated above the surrounding plateau, and breaking into ridges, such as the Murchison and Zoutpansberg ranges, which run east and west between the Lipalule and Limpopo. The whole system slopes gently westwards to the central table-land, which is itself intersected by several broken ranges, all mostly trending in the direction from east to west. But few of these ridges rise much above 4000 feet, and, as the plateau has a mean altitude of consid- erably over 3000 feet, they detract little from the aspect of a vast level or slightly rolling upland plain, almost everywhere presented by Transvaal west of the Drakenberg Mountains. The numerous fossil remains of aquatic life, together witli extensive sandy tracts and the presence in several places of water- worn shingle, give to the central table-land the appearance of an upheaved lake basin, whose waters escaped at one time through the Limpopo to the Indian Ocean, at another through the Vaal to the Orange river, and thence to the Atlantic. The Vaal and Lim- popo are still the two great fissures in the plateau, which carry off most of the surface waters to the surrounding marine basins. The water-parting between these two river systems lies, not in the Drakenberg, itself pierced by the Lipalule and several of its affluents, but in the Witwater Rand towards the southwest of the State. ONE OF THE PRINOIPAL RIVERS. From this point the Limpopo, or Crocodile, sweeps round first Lo the west, then to the northeast, describing a semi-circle of about 1000 miles to the Limvuba (Pafuri) confluence, where it leaves Trausvactl, flowing thence for nearly 340 miles through Portuguese territory southeast to the Indian Ocean. Captain G. A. Chaddock has shown that it is navigable for steamers to this confluence, above which it is obstructed by the Tolo Azime and other rapids. Throughout its whole course it receives numerous affluents on both sides, and others from Transvaal, of which region it drains fully 95,000 square miles. With the exception of a few tracts watered by the head streams /<- -1 THE TRANSVAAL AND ORANGE FREE STATft. 21 of tbe Buflfaln, flowing in independent channels eastwards to the Indian Ocean, all the rest of Transvaal is drained by the Vaal westwards to the Orange and Atlantic. The Vaal has its eastern- most sources in the Wakkerstroom district on the west slope of the Drakenberg, whence it flows for about 450 miles, partly within, but mainly along, the southern frontier of Transvaal, of which, with the Hart and other tributaries on its right bank, it drains about 20,000 square miles altogether. Besides these perenixial streams, there are numerous shallow lagoons or salt-pans scattered over the western and northern dis- tricts, as well as thermal and mineral waters, such as the Warmbad in the Nyl valley. But the only lake properly ro called is Lake Chrissie, a sheet of water nearly 40 miles round, and in parts very deep, which lies on the west side of the Drakenberg, 5755 feet above sea level, and filling an immense circular basin. HEALTHY AND PLEASANT CLIMATE. Although lying on the border of and partly within the tropics, Transvaal, thanks to its great elevation above the sea, and to the absence of extensi'/e marshy trc'cts, enjoys on the whole a healthy invigorating climate, well suited to the European constitution. Owing to the dryness of the air, due to the proximity of the Kala- hari desert, the western and central districts are specially favorable to persons suffering from consumption and other chest complaints. But some of the low-lying moist tracts along the Limpopo and other river valleys, close to or within the torrid zone, are extremely insalubrious, fever of the general African type being here endemic, and its prevalence usually marked by the presence of the destruc- tive tsetse fly. The route from Delagoa Bay to the interior also traverses a fever-stricken coast district between the sea and the Liboraba escarpment, dangerous especially in the rainy summer season. The rains generally begin about October, sometimes a little before or after, and last intermittently till April. But the rainfall is very unequally distributed, most of the moisture-bearing clouds from the Indian Ocean being arrested by the great barrier of the Draken- 22 THE TRANSVAAI, AND ORANGE FREE STATE. '•r- 'i il l?v I \ mm. i- berg, or counteracted by the dry west winds from the Kalahari desert. Thus, while there is abundance of rain in the east, the country gradually becomes drier as it approaches P^ichuanaland. During the dry winter season (April to September) L^en frosty winds blow from the south, sweeping freely over the central plains and carrying the moisture to be precipitated as snow along the eastern highlands. Nevertheless, according to the careful meteoro- logical observations made by Mr. Lys at Pretoria between 1877 and 1880, the mean annual temperature is considerably over 68°, falling to about 40° in June, and rising to 90° and occasionally even 95° in January. The rainfall in the same central district seldom reaches 30 inches, which is probably a fair average for the whole of Transvaal, falling to 12 towards the western and rising to 60 on the eastern frontier, increasing towards the coast. ; VAST MINERAL RESOURCES. Transvaal yields to no other African region in the abundance of its mineral resources, while it is altogether unrivalled in their extraordinary variety. These include, besides the precious metals and diamonds, iron, copper, lead, cobalt, sulphur, saltpetre, and coal, this last with gold, copper, and iron being probably the most abundant and widely distributed. Gold, largely diffused through- out the Drakenberg, and in the northern Zoutpansberg and Waterberg districts, and in the Rustenburg and Marico districts in the extreme west, as well as in the highlands between Transvaal and the Zambesi, has hitherto been worked chiefly in the rich auri- ferous region of Lydenburg about Mount Mauchberg and Mount Spitskop in the central parts of tho Drakenberg range, and farther south in the Johannesburg district. The Lydenburg deposits, discovered in 1873, lie at an eleva- tion of 4500 to 5000 feet 40 miles south of the Lipalule river and 125 northwest of Lorenzo Marques on Delagoa Bay, the chief diggings being at Pilgrim's Rest and Mac Mac close to the Spitskop. In the Middleburg district the chief centres of mining operations are the recently founded towns of Barberton and Johannesburg. Iron ores are also widely distributed, and the Yzarberg (" Iron P:M i' I ■^■■■■••x'tfiititmtMiifiimim i H P O w 525 % CO p O 3 Q a H w H p o u >^ w w H < w CO Q 24 THE TRANSVAAI, AND ORANGE FREE STATE. I = m Mountain ") near Marabastad consists of an enormous mass of rich iron ore, vliich the natives have worked for ages. Diamonds are chiefly con'ined to the Bloemhofif district on the Vaal above the ^ great diamantiferous region of Kimberley in Griqualand West. Coal abounds in the southeasten districts, and also farther north in Middelburg (Nazareth) and Lydenburg. In some places seams 7 or 8 feet thick lie so near the surface that they are quarried and the coal carted away by the natives. The prevailing formations where this great mineral wealth is embedded are quartz, porphyrj , granites, clay slates, greenstone. Lower Devonian strata, conglomerates, and limestones. In Transvaal, as in most of the continent, an herbaceous flora prevails largely over forest growths, which are here confined chiefly to the deep kloofs (gorges) of the mountain ranges, and to the courses of the larger streams. Bush, including mimosas, thorn thickets, and creepers, covers extensive tracts on the northern and southern plains, and the districts towards Natal are well wooded. But elsewhere the characteristic features are grass lands, downs, hill slopes, flats, and even many parts of the higher uplands being covered with savannahs p-«=^nerally affording good pasturage and fodder for cattle, which are a large source of wealth. FINEST WHEAT IN THE WORLD. In the woodlands the prevailing species are three varieties of yellow wood, often growing to an enormous size, the Cape beech, several varieties of the wild pear, and of stinkwood, ironwood, and ebony. The Boers and other settlers have hitherto occupied them- selves chiefly with stock-breeding (sheep, cattle, and horses), but there can be no doubt that much of the country is eminently suited for the cultivation of '^ereals, yielding two annual crops and producing some of the finest wheat in the world. Tobacco, the vine, and most European fruits and vegetables also thrive well, j while semi-tropical products, such as cotton, sugar, and coffee, might be raised in the warmer northern districts. By the early settlers Transvaal was described as the *' paradise of hunters," abounding in the characteristic large animals, such as THE TRANSVAAL AND ORANGE FREE STATE. 2t the lion, leopard, rhinoceros, elephant, giraflfe, zebra, quagga, several varieties ef antelope, and the ostrich, which rocim over the continent from Soudan to the Cape. AW these animals still exist, but in greatly reduced numbers, being now largely replaced by the domestic animals— cattle, sheep, and horses— introduced by the white settlers. All the latge rivers are inhabited by the hippopot- amus and crocodile, the latter giving an alternative name to the Limpopo; the buffalo, gnu, eland, springbok, ^sildbeeste, baboon, and several other members of the ape family are also frequently met with. The country is occasionally swept by destructive flights of locusts ; but the greatest enemy of the stock breeder is the tsetse fly, which infests the coast lands and many of the river tracts, but shows a tendency 'to disappear with the large game, retreating with the advance of the plough. A tsetse belt forty miles wide along the whole course of the Limpopo still bars the spread of European settlements beyond Transvaal in the direction of the Zambesi. PROPORTION OP WHITES AND NATIVES. Of the population only a fourth part are whites, mostly Boers (descendants of the early Dutch, French and German immigrants to the Cape), with a large and increasing percentage of British settlers, attracted in recent years especially to the Lydenburg and other mining districts. All the rests are natives, belonging mainly to the Basuto and Bechiiana branches of the Bantu family, and con- sequently allied in speech and to a large extent in physique to their Zulu-Kaffre neighbors. A considerable number of these natives have abandoned the tribal state and taken service, either freely or by compulsion, with the whites as farm laborers in the rural districts, and as domestic servants in the towns, and are also largely employed in mining operations. The great bulk of the rest, who retain their national usages and recognize the authority of more or less independent tribal chiefs, are concentrated in the northern and eastern provinces. ;, . There are also natives in Bloemhoff (extreme southwest), and in the western provinces of Rustenburg and Marico, but only a few mmmmm^^ '^* » ■ THE TRANSVAAI, AND ORANGE FREE STATE. (II t scattered groups in all the rest of the country. These western and southwestern tribes are all Bechuanas; the others mainly Makatis, as the Basutos are here collectively called. It may be stated in a general way that the whole country south of the Lipalule is now free of native claims and open to European colonization, while the northern region between that river and the Limpopo is still to a large extent occupied by unreduced or unbroken Basuto communities. In the southern part of Lydenburg lies the somewhat detached district of New Scotland, comprising some 500,000 acres selected by the late Mr. McCorkindale as a Scotch pastoral and agricultural settlement. It is a healthy prosperous country, lying on the slopes of the Drakenberg, within 310 miles of Durban, Natal. But the most thickly settled province is Potchefstroom, a fertile tract, 3500 to 5000 feet high, abundantly watered by the Mooi, Schoen, and other streams flowing to the Vaal, and well suited for tillage and pasturage. Its capital of like name is one of the largest towns in Transvaal. The only other places deserving the name of town are I'retoria, capital of the province of like name and of the state, occupying a somewhat central position 100 miles northeast- of Potchefstroom, 980 from Cape Town, 820 from Port Elizabeth, and 400 from Durban ; Barberton, in the Lower Kaap mining district, 150 miles by road from Delagoa Bay, and Johannesburg, centre of the gold fields of the same name, 30 miles southeast of Pretoria, and 72 east of Potchefstroom, founded in i886. HISTORY OF THE TRANSVAAL. The historic life of Transvaal begins with the *' Great Trek," or general exodus of the Cape Colony Boers, who, being dissatis- fied, especially with the liberal policy of the British Government towards the natives, removed northward in large numbers between the years 1833 and 1837. By 1836 some thousands had already crossed the Vaal, that is, had Reached the " Trans- Vaal " country, which at that time was mostly under the sway of the powerful refugee Zulu chief Moselekatze, whose principal kraal was at Mosega in the present Marico district on the west frontier. To avenge the massacre of some emigrant bands, the Boers under ,^i*^P5?!a! rS'kyw THE TRANSVAAL AND ORANGE FREE STATE. 21 Maritz and Potgieter, attacked and utterly defeated ^loselekatze at this place in 1837. Next year the Zulu chief withdrew beyond the Limpopo, where he founded the present Matebele state between that river and the Zambesi, thus leaving the region between the Vaal and Limpopo virtually in the hands of the Trekkers or Boers. But their position was rendered insecure on the east side by the military despotism of the fierce Zulu chief Dingaan, who, after the murder of his brother Chaka, had asserted his authority over the whole of Zulu- land and most of the present Natal. The situation was rendered almost desperate by the complete rout and wholesale massacre, in 1838, of the right division of the emigrant Boers, who had ven- tured to cross the Buffalo under Pieter Retief, and who were defeated by Dingaan, when as many as 800 fell before the irresistible onslaught of the disciplined Zulu warriors. At this critical junc- ture the Trekkers were saved from utter extermination by A.ndries Pretorius of Graaff Reinet, by whom Dingaan met with a first check before the close of 1838, followed in January, 18., o, by a still more crushing defeat, from which he did not recover. - , , ORIGIN OF THE BOER REPUBLIO Dingaan having been soon after murdered, the friendly Panda was set up in his place, and Natal proclaimed a Boer republic. But the British occupation of that territory in 1843 induced the Boers to retire in two bands across the Drakenberg, the southern divi- sion settling in the present Orange Free State, the northern again passing into Transvaal. But, owing to internal dissensions, and the perpetual bickerings of the two most prominent personalities, Pretorius and Potgieter, all attempts at establishing an organized system of government throughout Transvaal ended in failure, till Pretorius induced the British Government to sign the Sand River ^convention, January 17, 1852, which virtually established the poli- \,ical independence of that region. The death of both Pretorius and Potgieter in 1853 prepared the way for a period of internal peace under Pretdrius's eldest son, Marthinus Wessels Pretorius, first president of the " Dutch African 17 28 THE TRANSVAAL AND ORANGE FREE STATE. Aepublic," whose title was afterwards altered, 1858, to that of the " South African Republic." But a fatal element of weakness lay in the persistent refusal of the Boers to treat the natives on a foot- ing of equality, or even with common justice. The murder of Her- mann Potgieter and family, 1854, avenged by Pretorius at Maka- pan's Cave, was followed, 1856, by the " Apprentice Law," estab- lishing a system of disguised slavery, which was further strength- ened by the sanction, 1858, of the Grand zvci, or " Fundamental Law," declaring that the " people will admit of no equality of per- sons of color with the white inhabitants either in State or Church." Owing to this policy opposition was constantly shown both to the English traders, disposed to deal fairly with all, and to the missionaries, preachers of universal equality, as illustrated by the plunder of the explorer Livingstone's house by the expedition sent against the native chief Sc^heli in 1852. Orange Free State, an independent republic adjoining the Cape Colony, South Africa, is bounded on the north by the Yaal river, south by the Orange river, east by the Caledon river and Drakenberg mountains, and wf^st by a line dividing it from Kini- berley and the diamond fields of Griqualand West. The area is 70,000 square miles, and the population is nearly equally divided between the Dutch and native races. PHYSICAL FEATURES OF ORANGE FREE STATE. The country, which has an average elevation of 4500 feet above the sea, consists of a series of extensive undulating plains, bounded or diversified by detached rocky hills. These plains slope from the central watershed northward and southward, respectively, to the Vaal and Orange rivers, and are intersected at various inter- vals by the Wilge, Rhenoster, Valsch, Vet, Modder and Riet riv rs, emptying their waters into the Vaal river, and by the Caledon, which joins the Orange river. The southern and eastern districts are covered with luxuriant grasses, affording excellent pasturage for stock. In the western districts the grasses are gradually being supplanted by a dwarf bush vegetation. The river-banks are fringed with willow, mimosa, and other indigenous trees, and m , '» J*.V iiSei t of the less lay 1 a foot- of Her- Maka- ' estab- :rength- aniental of per- hurch." both to to the . by the Lon sent ing the he Yaal ver and m Kim- area is divided E. oo feet plains, IS slope ctively, s inter- riv rs, aledon, istricts turage Y being ks are £S, and mmw 80 THE TRANSVAAI. AND ORANGIC FRER STATE. :|:- ^'- 1 f- shrubs and trees of larger growth are found on the eastern moun- tain ranges ; but generally the country is woodless, and, to remedy this, the Government ofifers premiums for the encouragement of tiee-planting. The geological characteristics are similar to those of the inland districts of Cape Colony. The south-western portion is an exten- sion of the Karroo or lake formation of South Africa, consisting of sandstone and shales intersected by intrusive igneous rocks. In this formation occurs the diamond mine of Jagersfontein, near the village of Fauresmith, which has been worked for years. The north-eastern part, again, consists of sandstones, containing hori- zontal coal-seams. The coal outcrops in the Kronstad and Heilbron districts are being utilized. In the Drift deposits along some river beds, such as the Sand, Caledon and Vaal rivers, there are accumu- lations of pebbles, consisting of agate, jasper, chalcedony, '^ame- lian, white quartz, garnets and occasionally diamonds. The climate is salubrious, and specially remarkable av>»i its dryness. Thousands of wild game formerly occupied the plains of the state, but their numbers and variety have greatly diminished, and some have been entirely exterminated. SOURCES OP IMMENSE WEALTH. The resources of the state are agricultural, pastoral and min- eral. The principal occupations of the inhabitants are the breed- ing of cattle, horses, goats, merino sheep and ostriches. Agriculture is attended to on a larger or smaller scale according to the capabil- ities of the various farms, and vineyards and orchards are planted on many properties. The staple articles of export, however, are wool, skins, ostrich feathers and diamonds, all of which are shipped from the seaports of the Cape Colou}'^ and Natal. Bloemfontein, the capital and seat of government, is situated about the centre of the state. It is an agreeable town, and has a handsome range of public ofi&ces, where the Volksraad, or assembly of the people, meets, a high court (consisting of a chief-justice and two judges), a municipal burgher council, banks, newspapers, hotels, clubs, a college, schools, and several churches, including - ^i. 1 ''■Sf, ,^' jidi:\ 4: ■-^. ^' o EIJM»HANT PROTECTING HER YOUNG FROM HUNTERS' SPEARS. V 82 THK TRANSVAAL AND ORANGE FREE STATE. the Dutch Reformed church, the Anglican church, with a resident bishop, and Wesleyan, Lutheran and Roman Catholic churches. At the commencement of the nineteenth century, the country was inhabited by sections of aboriginal tribes — Bushmen, Koran- nas, and Bechuanas; and soon afterwards a number of Griquas from the north-v/est of the Cape Colony came in among them. A chronic state of warfare prevailed between these races. In 1824, nomad farmers from the Co"'ony, seeking pastures for their flocks, crossed the Orange river, and settled in the territory. These were followed in 1835-36 by large bodies of Dutch Boer emigrants, who left the Colony in order to be beyond British control. NO PEACE WITnOUT GOOD GOVERNMENT. They foniicu a rude government for themselves, and, in attempting to exercise authority, came into collision with the Gri- quas, who claimed protection from the Colony, with which they were allied by treaty. The British governor. Sir P. Maitland, intervened in 1845, assisting the Griquas with troops, and defeat- ing the Boers at Zwart Koppies; and, to prevent further collisions, a resident was appointed. In 1848, Governor Sir H. Smith visited the territory, and came to the conclusion that peace could not be maintained among the mixed elements forming the population without the establishment of a regular government. He, therefore, issued a proclamation, afterwards confirmed by the Crown, annexing the territory to the empire, under the name of the Orange River British Sovereignty. Thereupon some of the Boers, under their leader Pretorius, took up arms, and expelled the British magistrates; but a military force was brought against them by Sir H. Smith in person, and, after a short, but sharp, encounter at Boomplaats, the Boers were defeated, and the Crown's aulnority re-established and maintained from that time until 1853. But disturbances again occurred, arising from long-standing disputes between the native tribes; and, in order to chastise the most powerful of them — the Basutos — for certain acts of outrage, Governor Cathcart in 1852 moved a large military expeditiou against their chief, iloshesh, and the battle of the Berea was i " 11 I- z o u. I h < O ui > 5 . I- -> z 111 li.' o z H z o o < m CO z < < u o a. < li- z < < O I it -I < z I — < CO liJ o cc CO m z * oc . D ^ oo z < _^ O -J . o h u. O CO oc UJ OQ UI i s ^i"ni I ¥: t q: UJ I- O o I CO a < X CO z < < z < o u. o Q. D O cc O " ■' ■■ ■%■■ ;/iV'?^'0'>':^' H.'V'W'J-t'- ''V,V-*-.-. .■"# -i 0) en UJ CO 05 O ^j D O o It ff UJ O O o o Ul CO tu 2 I- h D O O O CO CO z < - CO liJ CO (3 CQ e^^ < > o z < < I "v ^^- ••?■ *'■ ■-'■;" # A, - ' ' ^ - Ik - '" •; '^1 1 i ^■jf,.'.-' «pe---.k« ';;.;';■ ■ ' ' . H^^< " ' ■]^^^^^^^B^^ * ^'WM f * /' ■ ■ ' }■ . ■■ ■ J \ if 4;^ % ik i 11 1 ^' — ^ r f' »i \ \ ^ i^k ^^ * '* ,"' / 1 t li^ "s . /" ~^. MAJOR S. J. A. DENISON OF LONDON, ONTARIO, SERVING IN SOUTH AFRICA AS MEMBEI OF LORD ROBERT'S STAFF r ! I Ih !| Pk i f -t,- . 1 s y Wf. : ;.i /fit Ml ■/ ■* V Ik'-'' ifV''.';'-? : ; ^^^TL.^mmm .V- ^ t ' 4 J ^^Si /^M^^' \' ^j T/ >v, -' i{ ^^«h«. "'■■ \ V (•- ,^>. Si IT- ^ » t 'ipw' iV H < Z (0 O UJ O I < o Hi u. CC ui O CC ? K H < Z (o O UJ O I < o CC ui i^ O q: < Q I 3 H O 2 o z < 0< < o « O H -I _i < UJ ;J 2 a <^ < U5 I 9 u. f- 1 Oh. Z en 3 Z < Q -J t Q CO ui i- < H H. UJ < 4 CO Q I cr HER MAJESTY QUEEN VICTORIA o K - < DC O o 20 UJ 111 lU Ul CO CO o CO CO UJ I I I Pi ul z X 3 H h 3 UJ < ul 5 z UJ z UJ ^-" Si CT tr < n UJ J a UJ z 3 h I-' 3 UJ UJ 5 u. li. < I- a z < < m z ui 3 °= cc o < z UJ Cl < 03 UJ i -■ a: O o z 3 o > 3 UI i LORD STRATHCONA WHO FQUIPPEO AND SENT TO SOUTH oFRICA BOO CANADIAN CAVALRYMEN (STRATHCONA HORSE) CANADIAN MOUNTED RIFLES ''WO REPRESENTATIVES OF THE NORTHWEST SQUADRON FULLY ATTIRED IN KHAKI, THE NEW UNIFORM H w o (3 < CD 111 U. til CO CO UJ u w o cc C3 CO liJ Ui UI 01 CO UJ UJ 'M^ ';^S^K im THE TRANSVAAL AND ORANGE FREE vSTATE. 33 fought, after which the chief, on behalf of the tribe, gave in his submission. After this expedition the British Government resolved to withdraw from the territory. Sir George Clerk was deputed as a special commissioner to carry out the abandonment of the country ; and, notwithstanding the protests of many inhabitants, he formally handed it over to a body of Boer delegates, in terms of a convention entered into on the 33d of February, 1854. They were released from their alle- giance, and nt-ritiitted to constitute an independent republican com- munity of tlifcir own, under the title of the "Orange River Free State." Since that time the government has been in the hands of a president, asristed by an executive council, with a volksraad or congress elected by the people, exercising all legislative functions. The state is financially in a flourishing condition. In case of necessity all able-bodied citizens are liable to be called upon for its defense. Commerce exports wool, diamonds, hides, ostrich-feathers and live animals. Education stands at a fairly high level amongst the whites ; the prevailing religion is the Dutch Reformed. Pastoral pursuits predominate,. and the Orange Free State is a nation of farmers, yet gradually the mineral resources of the coun- try are being developed, and commerce has already assumed con- siderable im-^ortance. CHAPTER II. The Boers and Kaffirs. HE territory of tlie Transvaal and Orange Free State was once exclusively occupied by the famous Kaffirs, and, indeed, this tribe is now freely intermingled with the white or foreign inhabitants of those republics. The same may be said of Natal and Cape Colony, which are British possessions, although with the constant advance northward of civilization the native savages grow less in number as compared with the white settlers and are no longer the controlling power. Here is witnessed a repetition of that subjection of the native race which is seen in our own country with respect to the Indians. The Kaffirs form one tnbe of the great Bechuana family. Their national character is hok back on their journey home ; or they are not to speak ; or they are to compel every one they meet to return home with them ; and so on. If rain occurs, the credit, of course, is assumed by, and conceded to, the rainmaker ; if disappointment ensues, they blame themselves tor not having adequately carried out the instructions they received. The idle ceremony is again repeated ; the poor people have again to make presents, to feast, and to receive instructions ; thur much time is consumed, during which the season of drought fre- quently passes away. One of the most intelligent of the Kaifirs once visited a missionary, Mr. Shaw, and said he was determined to have the question set at rest, whether <>r not the rainmaker could produce rain. " We will have our rainmaker summoned to meet you in an open plain,- where all the V ffirs of the surrounding kraals shall be present to judge between you and him." EASY EXCUSES FOR FAILURE. This was agreed to, and at the appointed time and place thou- sands of Kaffirs from the neighboring country appeared In their war-dresses. Mr. Shaw being confronted with a celebrated rain- maker, declared openly that God alone gave rain ; and offered to present the rainmaker with a team of oxen if he should succeed in causing any to descend within a certain specified time. This was agreed to; the rainmaker commenced his ceremonies, which are said to have been well calculated to impose on an ignorant and superstitious people. The time having expired without any signs of rain, the chief who had convened the meeting inquired of the rainmaker why he had so long imposed upon them ? The rain- maker evaded the question, and complained that he had not been paid well enough for the rain, and he appealed to all present to say whether rain had not always been forthcoming on proper remuner- ation. ■ ■ Mr. Shaw now pointed out some half-famished cattle belonging to the rainmaker which were to be seen on an adjacent hill starving for want of pasturage ; thus clearly proving that had he possessed the skill to which he pretended, it was not likely he would have THE ROKRvS AND KAFFIRvS. 41 neglected his own interests. To this the rainmaker adroitly replied, addressing the people : " I never found any difficulty in making rain till he came among us" (pointing to Mr. vShaw) ; '* but now, no sooner do I collect the clouds, and the rain is about to fall in copious showers on the dry and parched soil, than there immediately begins a sound of ting^ l^f^g-, fi'ig (alluding to the chapel bell), '■ which puts the clouds to flight, and prevents the rain from de- scending on your land." Mr. Shaw could not decide as to the effect of this ingenious plea on the majority of the Kaffirs ; but h^ had the satisfaction of knowing that the intelligent native who consulted him on the subject never made any more presents for rain. FRIGHTFUL WAR-DANOE. Steedman describes an occasion when Gaika, the Kaffir chief, accompanied by his wives, and a large retinue of attendant warriors, had been permitted to enter Fort Wiltshire, on the Keiskamnia River, and were exhibiting to its inmates the peculiar and terrific war-dance of his tribe. " This," he says, " was a performance, indeed, far more adapted to astonish than to please, exciting alarm rather than admiration, and displaying in rapid succession the habits and ferocious passions of a savage community. Let the reader picture to himself a hun- dred or more unclad Africans, besmeared and disfigured with copious defilements of red clay, and assuming with frantic gestures all the characteristic vehemence of a furious engagement. The dance commenced with a slow movement to a sort of humming noise from the women in the roar, the men stamping and beating time with their feet, until the gradual excitement occasioned a simultaneous spring with corresponding shouts, when the action proceeded to an unnatural frenzy, and was calculated to produce in the mind of a stranger the most appalling sensations. " The dusky glare of the fire blazing in front of these formid- able warriors, during their wild and unearthly evolutions, gave an additional degree of awful effect to this extraordinary scene ; and all *^hat I had ever read in poetry or romance of the Court of Pan- demonium, or the Hall of Eblis, fell infinitely short to my imagi- i v» I 42 THIC HOl'RvS AND KAFFIKvS. nation, compared with the realities before me. It was indeed a most seasonable relief amidst the bewildering fancies of the moment, to hear the gratifying sonnd of 'All's well' from the sen- tries on the ontposts of the fort, which imparted to the mind a feel- ing of security and composure that, as may well be conceived, was truly welcome." A traveler, wishing to survey the scenery in the vicinity of t»**-^. -.<».» •'■^Csr* HERD OF SPRINGBOKS IN FULL FLIGHT. the White river, started one morning before sunrise, and set out on horseback on an exploratory'- ramble, accompanied by a Hottentot guide on foot, equipped with his gun and hunting gear. The sun had not yet risen over the bushy hills as they proceeded down the valley, and every tree and flower was bright and sparkling with dew, diftusiug a grateful feeling of freshness in this thirsty land, vhere rain is precarious and often long denied. The rich fragrance of the wild African jessamine, clustering THK BOKRS AND KAFFIRS. 4A ,.>s with its vvliitc flowers aroiuid the rocks and aged trees, agreeably attracted attention, and recalled the thoughts of the traveler to far distant scenes, where he had seen the same beautiful shrub, or a species nearly resembling it, naturalized in the rigorous clime of Britain. Blue-bells, too, almost preci.sely similar to those of the Scot- tish braes, were growing among the tangled brushwood through which they wound their way ; and a small bird now and then chirped a few wild notes, which so much reseml)led the preluding quiver of the wood-lark, as to be almost startling. But the song died away in a feeble trill, and all again was silent, save the cooing of turtle- doves, which, even in the autnnin of South Africa, is continually to be heard at early morn, in a woodland country, and which pro- duces a soothing, thongh somewhat monotonous, effect. VAST FOREST OF EVERGREENS. After proceeding a mile or two down the river, they struck into a path on the left hand, which led into the bosom of a jungle, behind the woody heights which bound the White river on the south. The path on which they now entered led them along a sort of valley, or rather avenue, through the forests of evergreens and brushwood, which covered the undulating country as far as the eye could reach. This avenue consisted of a succession of grassy savannahs, often of large extent, opening into each other through the j ungle, and affording" a wide range of excellent pasturage for the herds of the settlement. It had, however, the disadvantage of being destitute of water, excepting after heavy rains ; and another serious drawback was tlie extreme hazard to which the cattle pastured in it, as well as their keepers, were exposed during the disturbances with the Kaffirs, in consequence of the extent of jungle that surrounds it. Of this danger sufficient demonstration was exhibited to the traveler by his guide pointing out, as they passed along, the spot where, a few years before, nine of his comrades were slaughtered, and of which he gave the following account. During the irruption of the Kaffir clans, after the invasion and devastation of their country by the Colonial Government in r* 44 THE B0P:RS and KAFFIRS. L < "ISSW., 1819, the mountains and forests of tlie Zureber[^ were occupied b} numerous marauding bands of these barbarians, who poured them- selves into the colony in a state of great exasperation, resolved either to recapture the cattle of which they had been plundered, or to indemnify themselves by carrying off those of the colonists. They nad already several times menaced the Moravian villageof Bnon with nightly attacks ; and as it was well known that parties of them were lurking in the vicinity, the cattle of the community were constantly guarded by ten or twelve of the most courageous and sturdy Hot- tentots armed with guns. The Kaffirs had no other arms than " kirries " and "assagais," that is, clubs and javelins ; and they knew from experience that these herdsmen were unerring marksmen, and that their own weapons and mode of warfare were but ill-fitted to compete with the firelock. They had determined, however, at all hazards, to possess themselves of the fine herd of cattle belonging to the set- tlement, and in tt .ir attempt they proved successful. A HOFRIBLE MASSACRE. The Hottentots had one day driven the cattle up this avenue into one of the open spots, or woodland prairies, already described, and observing no fresh traces of the enemy, seated themselves in a group, about a hundred paces from the side of the jungle, and began to smoke their pipes, each with his loaded gun lying down beside him on the grass. The Kaffirs, who were eagerly watching' all their motions from the neighboring heights, judged that this was a favorable opportunity to attack them. Creeping thiough the thickets, with the stealthy pace of the panther, they advanced cautiously to the skirts of the copse-wood nearest to the herdsmen ; and then crouching in silence till they observed them eagerly engaged in conversation, and with their faces turned in a different direction, they burst out upon them suddenly, with their frightful war-whoop. I'ouring in a shower of javelins as they rushed forward, they almost instantly closed, club in hand, with the few not already transfixed by their missiles. IS. iQT^^ were occupied bj lis, who poured theni- ixasperatioii, resolved ad been plundered, or 3f the colonists. They n village of Enoii with : parties of them were unity were constantly sous and sturdy Hot- ries " and "assagais," from experience that and that their own tted to compete with 2r, at all hazards, to belonging to the set- cessful. E. :attle up this avenue es, already described, seated themselves in e of the jungle, and ied gun lying down all their motions this was a favorable gh the thickets, with ;ed cautiously to the erdsmen ; and then eagerly engaged in a different direction, • frightful war-whoop. forward, they almost ot already transfixed THE BOERS AND KAFFIRS. 45 So sudden and unexpected was the onset, that only two of th.i ten Hottentots had time to fire. Two of the assailants fell ; but their loss was bloodily avenged by t le slaughter of nine of the herdsmen, one of their number escaping by flying to the jungle, with two javelins sticking ir his body ; and the cattle of the settle- ment, to the amount of upv.ards of a thousand head, became a prey to the enemy. The men thus slain were among the best and most industrious of the little communitj'^, and all of them left wives and famili ;s to deplore their untimely fate. The event overwhelmed the settle- ment with lamentation and dismay ; and as the cattle were the -hief support of the inhabitants, and as an attack on the village was nightly anticipated, the Moravian institution was soon after- wards abandoned, and its inmates took refuge in the district town of Uitenhage, where tlie}^ were received with much sympathy, and treated with great kindness both by the inlu\bitants and tbe gov- ernment functionaries. From this place of refuge they subse- quently returned to further carry on their work. FAMOUS "SLAUGHTER TREE." As a rude wagon track approaches a glen, the path is closed in on either side for a considerable distance by the tall jungle, so luxuriant in its growth that one would suppose even a wolf or a leopard would scarcely be able :o find a way through it. The path itself, originally tracked out by the elephants, appears to have been widened by the axe just sufficiently to allow a single wagon to pass along, and ^*' now formed the only access on this side to the upper part of the glen. This pass is called the " Slagtboom;" and it is sa!d to have acquired its name from the following occurrence : Many years before the Kaffirs were dispossessed of this part of the country, and finally driven over the Great Fish P.iver, the chief Congo and his clan occupied the White River valley and the fastnesses of the adjacent mountains in great force. During one of the struggles that ensred, in consequence of Congo's attempt to iraintain himself in possession of this district, a party of seventy or eighty Boers were sent to occupy this glen, while other troops i; ii: ' '. ,!r-. 46 THE BOERS AND KAFFIRS. I - environed the Kaffir camp from the opposite side. The Boers rode in without opposition through this pass ; but, finding the enemy stronger than they expected, they became alarmed, and attempted to retreat by the same road. The Kaffirs, however, who on this occasion showed themselves to be not destitute of nnlitary skill, had in the meantime blocked SCENE IN A SOUTH AFRICAN VILLAGE. up the narrow path by stretching a large tree across it near the centre, and fastening it with thongs and wattles at either end; and then stationing themselves in strong bands among the copse- wood, they attacked the Boers on all sides, as soon as they had fairly entered the defile, with showers of javelins, and slew a great number of them before they were able to force a passage through. From this bloody catastrophe the spot obtained the name of " Slagtboom " or " Slaughter Tree." THE BOERvS AND KAFFIRS. 47 •^ r the end; opse- had reat ugh. e of In 1811 a great effort was made by the colonial government to expel the Kaffirs from this quarter of the country, which they claimed as their own, having occupied it, in fact, for the greater part of a century, and having, as they alleged, and it is believed truly, twice purchased it — first from the Hottentots, and afterwards from the Boers. Their claim of possession, however, whether just or otherwise, the colonial government had determined not to re- cognize, and orders were suddenly issued to " invite '' them to evacuate this territory, and, if they refused immediate compliance, to drive them by fire and sword across the Great Fish River. CRUEL TREATMENT OF THE KAFFIRS. At the time when the colonial troops assembled to carry this order into execution it was in the summer, when the corn and vegetables of the Kaffirs were not fully ripe ; and the hardship of' their being obliged to abandon their crops, and, consequently, to suffer a twelve months' scarcity, during which many must peri.sh of absolute famine, was urgently pleaded to obtain a short respite. Their remonstrances, however, were not listened to ; the peremptory mandate was given to remove instantly. During these transactions, while the Kaffirs were highly ex- asperated by what they considered cruel and oppressive treatment, and were beginning to assume a very hostile attitude, the chief magistrate of the district, old Landdrost Stockenstrom. sought a conference with some of the principal chiefs, with the beiie\olent purpose of endeavoring to persuade them to evacuate the country peacefully, in order to avoid the devastation and bloodshed that mus^ • ♦:herwise ensue. Mr. Stockenstrom was much respected by the Kaffirs, on account of the justice and humanity he had dis- pi ?d when disputes had occurred between them and the colonists; and, trusting to their characteristic good faith, he had repeatedly ventured among them with a very slender escort. It was reported that on the present occasion, for an interview was not declined, a message was secretly Sfut him by one of the chiefs warning him not to trust his safety at that time amo-jg them. This warning, however, as well as the earnest dissuasions 48 THE BOERS AND KAFFIRS. : I! of some of his own people, Stockenstrom, though a cautious as well as a brave man, disregarded, and met the Kaffirs in the forest of the Zureberg with only about a dozen or fifteen attendants. Whether the chiefs who acceded to this meeting were accessory to an}' premeditated plan of treachery does not appear to have been clearly ascertained, but certain it is that Stockenstrom and hi;. party were suddenly attacked in one of the dangerous defiles of the forest, near the spot appointed for the conference, and most cf them massacred. One of the few who escaped saved his life by flying into the forest and creeping through the th kets " like a jackal," as he expressed it, until he reached a place v safety. MURDERED IN COLD BLOOD. This perfidious slaughter appears, on satisfactory evidence, to have been perpetrated by a band of the Ammadankee tribe, a broken clan, who entertained an inveterate, deadly animosity to- wards the colonists, of the origin of which the following account is given : About the year 1770, the Boers of Bruintjes-hoogte i ':ed the Ammadankee clan of Kaffirs, of whom Jalumba was then cUief, to meet them on the western bank of the Great Fish River, for the purpose of holding a consultation on some public matters. The Ammadankee attended the meeting, where a peaceable conference was held, and they were entertained with brandy and tobacco. After which the Boers said they had brought a costly present for their good friends, the Kaffirs ; and, having placed some rush mats on the ground, they spread upon them a profusion of beads, and invited their visitors to make a scramble and display their activity in picking them up on a signal being given. The Boers then retired a little distance to where their guns were lying loaded with two or three bullets each. The promised signal being given by the Veld-cornet Botman, the Kaffirs, dreading no guile, rushed upon the beads, overturning one another in their eagerness to seize a share of these tempting trinkets. At this instant the Boers, seiz- ing their firearms, poured in a volley on their unsuspecting ;.;iijrs with so destructive an aim that very few, it is said, escaped the massacre. FIELD MARSHAL LORD ROBERTS COMMANOER-IN-CHIEF OF THE ' ISH FORCES IN SOUTH AFRICA SUCCESSOR TO Ol,>ERAL BULLER j ■ 1 ipl li P' ( I ■ m mmimi^simmm i If I i! 1; ill B ? M LORD KITCHENER CHIEF OF STAFF TO FIE.LD MARSHALL ROBERTS IN SOUTH AFRICA I THE BRITISH MILITARY OBSERVATION BALLOON USED AT MODDER RIVER v> THIS BALLOON CONTAINS 11,000 CUBIC FEET OF GAS AND LIFTS 700 POUNDS *r« I I' III I i if A BRITISH CORPORAL OF THE 5th LANCERS SPEARING TWO BOERS WITH ONE THRUST AT THE BATTLE OF ELANDSLAAGTE OOM PAUL KRUGER, PRESIDENT OF THE TRANSVAAL, AND HIS BODY-GUARD VISITING A CAMP OF BOERS i I BRITISH ARMORED TRAIN ATTACKED BY BOERS NEAR LADYSMIfH tP «wV' LONG TOM "-THE GREAT CANNON USED BY THE BOERS IN BOMBARDING DUNDEE AND CAPTURED BY THE BRITISH IMAGE EVALUATION TEST TARGET (MT-S) /. 4, 2e 1.0 l.( 1^128 12.5 |5o ■^™ ImBH 2.0 :!f Uii Itt ■ iO 1.25 i 1.4 1^ 1.6 V] <^ >^> ■<^^ '^> ?v ^ M '/ Hiotographic Sciences Corporation ^^ \ N? :\ [V \ ^ 23 WEST MAIN STREET WEBSTER, N.Y. 14580 (716)S72-4503 A^> '^* 111 I 8 z Ul Ul < I- III o III z c Z II ^ 4 ^ or Ul : ? 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'■''■'ft^sBP <■ ' ■ -l^^^B ^1 1 ^ /\l>^'> -s. ^ • ^. ;' 1 ►I ,v .^^:^"« M^ ■.»:i 5^^- --■ .- 1 4 ^^% it- •'J \ r 4j. ^ .• # . 'S .:liiHmp^ 1^' >h^ * Hf , ■ ^- ^- :■■- 'm ^Km V ^^Wwk^A-" ' v^' '-- ' ■'•■.■ • k Bbi^ ■'■ ^%'l^^^^^^F' , // i^Si *■'■"*• ' :f ui a. > UJ uj O < "'ui U IT a — UI UJ pc t- 1 < << 3 O -I (0 1^ z t„ « " ^ UJ CQ O UJ n (T -J Ul Ul O ""ui a: IE Ul ul I- I <2 U( Q p -" 0) -I UJ OQ Ul OC UJ -I UJ 00 < < 5: UJ X H u. O I- .< UJ u. UJ o IT 3 0- a ul I I- >■ CO a Ul in z z The residue, having lost their chiefs and their principal men, became a "broken clan," abandoned the banks of the Fish River, and sought refuge in the Zureberg with their chief Congo and their countrymen of the tribe of Tinde; and it was some of the descendants of this unfortunate family, who, remembering that day of treachery and murder, now seized the opportunity of revenging the wrongs of their race on the colonists. A son of their old op- pressor, Botnian, was among the slain. When the Cape Colony, by the events of war, passed finally into British hands, it was occupied by a Dutch population, be- yond the limits of whose somewhat circumscribed settlements resided various tribes of native origin, thinly scattered and curiously mixed. The Bushman was probably the earliest tenant of the soil ; but he had receded before the Hottentot, and the Hottentot before the Kaffir ; until the actual occupation of the country had come to be determined by a species of conquest. Then the frontier of* the colony was defined towards the northeast by the course of the Orange River, beyond which the jurisdiction of the British Gov- ernment was not presumed to extend. SETTLEMENT OF A NEW COUNTRY. Although the European settlers were but thinly planted on the territory, yet the irresistible exigencies of pastoral life induced a few of the colonists as ear.ly as 1825 ^^ struggle across the Orange River in quest of fresh fields and more productive pastures ; but it was not till eleven years later that the emigration in this direc- tion assumed any serious proportions. Then, however, occurred an exodus which, in relation to the numbers of the colonial population, was really considerable, and in its character and consequences jnore important still. •;>;;-/, The Dutch farmers, or Boers, had become actively hostile to British rule. Without speculating on the cause of this enmity, it will -be enough to say that a large body of them crossed the frontier, and fought their way through dangers and difficulties, until they reached Natal, where they proceeded to establish a Batavian Re- public. Such an event naturally demanded the attention of the 4 50 THE lU)KkvS AND KAFFIRvS, ti t\ ]]ritish • -ovcniuiciit, for the liocrs were Hritisli subjects, and their jiiigration had been accompanied by ahirniing disturbances on the coh^nial border. It was at that time, as it always has been, the professed policy of Mnj^land to put limits on her territorial progress, to avoid, if pos- sil)le, tile extension of her dominion, and to preclude the risks of war and its results by cultivating the good will and amity of tiie chiefs beyond the frontier. Hut her precautions in this respect were itici-ly nullitied by the proceedings of the Boers, who, assum- ing, as was in fact the case, that the tribes claiming a general ownership in the soil had little better title than themselves, showed small scruple or consideration in selecting their new settlements^ and the result appeared accordingly in confusion, discord, blood- shed, and peril. To extirpate these elements of danger the British followed tlv,- Boers to Natal, asserted their sovereignty in that province, and left Natal to become a British settlement, dependent on the Crown Colony of the Cape. Upon this, the Boers, animated by an invin- cible fanaticism, wheeled off to the west, crossed the Drakenburg range of mountains, and established themselves in the spacious district to the north of the British possessions between the Orange and V^aal rivers, and there set up a permanent home. SUPREMACY OP BRITISH AUTHORITY. In this region the}' maintained their institutions for .some time, though always under the same conditions of, conflict and with similar liabilities on the part of the colonial government. At length, in the year 1848, when Sir Harry Smith was Governor of the Cape, another step was taken. In the exercise of his admin- istration he discovered a disposition on the part not only of the native chiefs, but, as it appeared, on that of the Boers also, to place themselves immediately and actually under British sovereignty. At that time the Boers seem to have acquired the ascendancy, and to have alarmed the chiefs for the safety of their possessions, though the contest was still stubbornly maintained on both .sides ; but the upshot of the negotiations was that the supremacy of the THIC HOURS AND KAPKIRS. 01 British Oovernment was definitely and directly proclaimed. These measures were but half aj^reeable to the authorities at home, who were impressed with a laudable horror of extending ol)ligations which had already been found to carry with them so heavy a charge. However, as it was represented that England's suprenuicy would be sincerely welcomed by both parties, and that its exercise would cost nothing, the position was accepted, and the settlements of the Boers became attached to the Cape Colony as the Orange River Sovereignty. Six months sufficed to show that the misgivings of the Home Government were well founded, for in August, 1848, Sir Harry Smith was suddenly called upon to quell something like an insur- rection in the new sovereignty. In this he succeeded, but when, some two years later, a fresh Kaffir war broke out, it became pres- ently evident that the Orange River Sovereignty would aggravate England's troubles. The chiefs quarreled with each other, and all quarreled with the Boers, while both sides, instead of deferring to British authority, found their sole ground of agreement in plotting against the protectorship they had invited. Into the events of the Kaffir war, commenced by Sir Harry Smith, and concluded by General Catlicart, we do not enter; but one of the consequences of the contest was, that after a demonstra- tion of power the British retired from the Orange River Sovereignty, evacuated the country, and left the Boers to establish there a" Free State," adjacent to which, and beyond the river Vaal, there was also erected a " Trans-Vaal Republic." CHAPTER III. i:(*^l f'i White Settlers and the Zulus. (5 I HE history of the Boers in South Africa is largely connected ^\ with that of savage tribes, among whom the most powerful are the Kaffirs and Zulus. Strictly speaking, the Kaffirs include the Zulus, the latter being a subdivision of the former. They are a branch of the great Bantu division of the human family, among whose sections the aggregate tribes or clans now generally known as the Zulus are conspicuous for their ph3^sical and intellectual development. By nature the men are brave, and are given to field sports, and, where opportunity oflfers, to border forays and intertribal strife. A noticeable feature in their nature is that when a fight is really ended, bitterly and bravely as it usually is fought, no pas- sions appear to remain, nor are feelings of revenge harbored against each oHier. The Zulu government is that of a pure demo- cracy, the chiefs being elected, and holding office during the plea- sure of the people. This pleasure is given expression to through parents to subheads of districts, through them to the heads of larger dis- tricts, and through them in turn to the chief direct. Legisla- tion occurs in the same way, through an expression of feeling from the body of the people to the chief through the heads of the districts. A very complete, though unwritten, code of law, civil and criminal, exists, and is well known to every adult Zulu. Polygamy is practiced throughout the country, and has been since time immemorial. The marriage-tie, however, with the tenth oi twentieth wife is as sacred as where there is only one. As a race the Zulus are conspicuous for their freedom from drunkenness and crime. The pursuits of the people are pastoral. Zululand is a territory of South Africa, lying to the north of the colony of Natal, with a coast line of about 130 miles. It is 52 WHITE SETTLERS AND THE ZULUS. 9i» occupied chiefly by Zulu tribes ; but since its conquest by England in 1879 a Boer republic, kuown as the New Republic, has beeA carved out of it, which extends into the centre of the country from the Transvaal on its northwest, and comprises an area equal to nearly one-half of the remaining portion of Zululand. This portion is composed of a strip of country adjacent to Natal, lying to the south of the Umhlatuzi river, add the district extending along the coast to the north of that river for a distance inland varying from fifty to seventy miles. The former piece of country has been known since 1882 as the Zulu Reserve. It is bounded on the southwest by the Tugela, Buflfalo and Blood rivers, the last named being one of the borders of the Transvaal Republic. PICTURESQUE AND DIVERSIFIED SOENERY. Zululand presents very varied physical features: undulating councry covered with mimosa " bush," in some parts very densely, alternates with wild and fantastically broken scenery, and thickly- wooded precipices and ravines, and these again with grass-clad hills. Two considerable forests exist in the country — one, the Ingome Forest, lying in northern Zululand, just within the territory ceded to the Boers, the other upon the Natal border. The wholesale de- struction of woods for domestic purposes, which has robbed that colony of much of its beauty, and is believed to have seriously affected its rainfall, has not proceeded very far in Zululand. The mineral resources of the country have yet to be investi* gated, but gold has been found in the Reserve. The rivers, like those in Natal, are rapid streams of small volume, running over • rocky beds ; the Tugela river is the most considerable. The cli- mate differs but little from that of Natal. The country is very healthy for the most part ; but horse sickness prevails in the val- leys in the hot season, and the swampy neighborhood of San Lucia Bay, a lagoon lying at the mouth of the TTmfolosi river, is unin- habitable. I/ike the Natal natives, the Zulus cultivate the ground very supernciallj', planting maize, gourds of several kinds, and a grain from which a light beer is prepared. Cattle, the sole weaUh of the 64 WHITE SETTLERS AND THE ZULUS. 'I ^ people, were at one time very numerous in the country, and also goats. A few of the chiefs use horses. Long after big game had become scarce in Natal, Zululand offered excellent opportunities to the sportsman. It still has ante- lopes of various kinds, including a few koodoo, and at the mouths of the more northern rivers, hippopotamuses ; but the buffalo and rhinoceros are not met with farther south than the densely wooded hills near the Umfolosi river. The lion is not seen south of the Lebombo Mountains in the north of Zululand, but the leopard and smaller carnivores are plentiful enough in the country. Its natural history is similar to that of Natal ; but indications are not wanting in its fauna and flora of its closer proximity to the tropics. A FIERCE ENEMY IN WAR. Since the establishment of the Zulu military ascendancy early in the nineteenth century varous Zulu hordes have successively invaded and overrun a great part of southeast Africa, as far as and even beyond the Lake N3'assa district. Such is the terror inspired by these fierce warriors that many of the conquered tribes have adopted the very name of their conquerors or oppressors. Hence the impression that the true Zulus are far more numerous north of the Limpopo than has ever been the case. In most places they have already become extinct or absorbed in the surrounding popu- lations. But they still hold their ground as the ruling element in the region between the Limpopo and the lower Zambesi, which from them takes the name of Matabeleland, and which, like Zulu- land itself, ir. 1888, became a British protectorate. The Zulus possess an elaborate system of laws regulating the inheritance of personal property (which consists chiefly of cattle;, the complexity arising from the practice of polygamy and the ex- change of cattle made upon marriage. The giving of cattle in the latter case is generally referred to as a barter and sale of the bride, from whi( 1 indeed it is not easily distinguishable. But it is regarded in a different light by the natives themselves. The kraal, or village, is under the immediate rule of its head- man, who is a patriarch respousibU for the good behavior of all its ng the attle;, he ex- in the bride, garded head- all its I 'I n i ■ 1^"; i t -If I « ' 15 nt WHITE SETTLERS AND THE ZULUS. members. Over the headman, whose authority may extend to more than one kraal, is the tribal chief. The exercise by some of the prin- cipal chiefs, during the reign of Pande and his son, of the power of life and death could not always be controlled by the central authority. Several of the Zulu customs resemble those of the Jews, such as the Feast of the First Fruits, held upon the ripening of the maize, when the whole nation gathers at the king's kraal, and the custom of raising up seed to a deceased brother. The employment of "witch doctors" for "smelling out" criminals or " abatagati '' (usually translated " wizards," but meaning evildoers of any kind, such as poisoners) is still common in Zululand, as in neighboring countries, although it was discouraged by Cetewayo, who estab- lished " kraals of refuge " for the reception of persons rescued by him from condemnation as " abatagati." FIGHTING STRENGTH OF THE TRIBE. No means exist for estimating the present population of Zulu- land. The country was at the time of the war in 1879 regarded as less densely inhabited than the colony of Natal. The Zulu army was estimated to contain twenty-three regiments, of 40,400 men in all, and, although the enrolment was voluntary, it may be assumed that it comprised nearly all the able-bodied men of the nation. In addition to the heavy mortality sustained by the Zulus in the war many lives have been lost in subsequent conflicts in which they have engaged amongst themselves. The earliest records of contact between Europeans and the Zulu race is probably the account of the wreck of the " Doddington " in 1756. The survivors met with hospitable treatment at the hands of the natives of Natal, and afterwards proceeded up the coast to St^ Lucia Bay, where they landed. They described the natives as " very proud and haughty, and not so accommodating as those lately left." They differ from the other natives in the superior neatness of their method of preparing their food, and were more cleanly in their persons, bathing every morning, apparently as an act of devotion. Their chief pride seemed to be to keep their hair in order. It is added that they watched strictly over their women. WHITE SETTLERS AND THE ZULUS. 57 xn 1780 the Ziih' tribe inhabited the valley of the White Uiu- lolosi river under the . hieftainship of Senzangakona. At that time the Zulus numbered some few thousands only, being subject to the paramount chief Dingiswayo, who ruled over the Tetwa tribe, which inhabited the country to the northeast of the Tugela. Dingiswayo is represented as having been very much in advance of other chiefs in those parts in enlightment and intelligence. He opened up a trade with the Portuguese, bartering ivory and r xen for beads and brass. He was also very warlike, and introduced a strict military organization among his people, by means of which he obtained the ascendancy over neighboring tribes, including that of the Zulus. A SOUTH AFRICAN NAPOLEON. Upon the death of Senzangakona at t"he beginning of the nine- teenth century he was succeeded by a son named Tshaka, who had served as an officer in the army of Dingiswayo, whose favor he won through his force of character and talents. Dingiswayo having been killed in battle, the Tetwa tribe sought the protection of Tshaka, who lost no time in further developing the new military organization, and very soon became master of nearly the whole of southeastern Africa from the Limpopo to Cape Colony, including the settlement of Natal, Basutoland, a large part of the Orange Free State, and the Transvaal Republic. The terror of the Zulu arms was, moreover, carried far into the interior through the revolt of a Zulu chief, Moselekatse, who conquered a vast territory towards the northwest. Tshaka's strict discipline and mode of attack, in which the long missile weapon of the other tribes was replaced by a short stabbing assegai, was such that nothing in the mode of warfare of those opposed to him could withstand him. He overran the district of Natal with his armies in 1820; but crowds of the northern tribes driven before his onslaught passed through the country about 1812. In 1825 an English naval officer. Lieutenant Farewell, visited Tshaka with the object of obtaining leave to establish a settlement in what is now the district of Natal. He found the king at his capital " surrounded by a large number of chiefs, and about 8,0Q^ — J-^ ^s WHITK vSETTLI'lRvS AND THE ZULUS. 1 i or 9,000 armed men, observing a state and ceremony in our intro- duction that we little expected." The king showed his visitor much friendliness, making him a grant of land in that neighbor- hood. Lieutenant Karewell took formal possession of the territory he had received, which he described as nearly depopulated and not containing more than 300 or 400 inhabitants, on August 27, 1825. The Zulu monarch, being anxious to open a political connec- tion with the Cape and English Governments, entrusted in 1828 one of his principal chiefs, Sotobi, and a companion to the care of Lieutenant King, to be conducted on an embassage to Cape Town, Sotobi being commissioned to proceed to the king of England. From causes wliich are not now certainly known these people were not allowed to proceed be3'^ond Port Elizabeth, and weie soon sent back to Zululand. On September 23, 1828, Tshaka was murdered by his brother, Mhlangana, and a few days afterwards Mhlangana was killed by another brother, Dingane. AMBITIOUS TO FOUND A GREAT KINGDOM. Tshaka's reign had involved an immense sacrifice of human life, but he had set before himself the aim of establishing a great kingdom, and, having succeeded in that, his home rule had been relieved by acts of generosity and statesmanship. What is recorded of Dingane's reign shows him in the light of ix bloodthirsty and cruel monster without a redeeming feature. The attempts made by the emigrant Dutch Boers under Piet Retief to establish frfendly relations with him, and obtain a cessio^i of the district of Natal, ended in the massacre of the whole party of sevent)'' of their leading men at the king's kraal February, 1838, and of all members of their families left behind in Natal who could not be collected into fortified camps. Two unsuccessful attempts were made to avenge the deaths of the emigrant Boers. A Dutch command under Pieter Uys invaded the Zulu country, but was compelled to retreat, leaving their leader behind them, while a considerable force, composed of English settlers, Boers and natives, entered Zululand at the mouth of the Tugela, and was completely annihila<"ed, after inflicting very great loss on the Zulus. . , WIIlTii SETTLERS AND THE ZU1,US. 59 A. detacliiiient of the Zulu army ou this occasion entered Natal and compelled the settlers at the port to take refuge on board a ship. After a further attack by Dingane the emigrant Boers and settlers again invaded Zululand in December, 1838, and after a severe engagement defeated the Zulu army with great slaughter, on the banks of the Blood river, which owes its name to the results of the victory. In 1840 the Boers agreed to support Dingane's brother, Pande, in rebellion against him. The movement was completely successful, several of Dingane's regiments going over to Pande. Dingane passed into Swaziland in advance of his retreating forces, and was there murdered, while Pande was crowned king of Zulu- land by the Boers, who received in exchange for their services the ranch coveted district of Natal. During the next sixteen years of Pande's reign nothing oc- curred to disturb the peaceful relations between the Zulus and the Natal Government. In 1856 a civil war broke out between two of Pande's sons, Cetewayo and Umbulazi, who were rival claimants for the succession. A bloody battle was fought between them on the banks of the Tugela in- December, 1856, in which Umbulazi and many of his followers were slain. CORONATION OP A NEW KING. The Zulu country continued, however, excited end disturbed, until the Government of Natal in 1861 obtained the formal nomi- nation of a successor to Pande; and Cetewayo was appointed. Pande died in October, 1872, but practically the government of Zululand had been in Cetewayo's hands since the victory of 1856, o\ving both to political circumstances and the failing health of his father. In 1873 the Zulu nation appealed to the Natal Government to preside over the installation of Cetewayo as king; and this request was acceded to. The rule of Pande was in earlier years a severe one, the executions ordered by him being so numerous in 1859 as to evoke remonstrances from Cetewayo, who warned the king that he would drive all the people over into Natal. In 1856 and for some years afterwards, a considerable exodus of refugees did takf ^mm 60 WHITE SETTLERS AND THE ZULUS. I'l It place into the colony, but by 1871 the tide appeared to be turning the other way. The encroachments of the Transvaal Boers upon the borders of Zululand having for many years exposed the British Govern- ment to urgent appeals on the part of the Zulus for its interven- tion, a second attempt was made by the Government of Natal, and this time with success, to induce the Boers to submit the boundary disputes between them and their neighbors to arbitration. A commis- sion was appointed, composed of three British officers, who in June, 1878, pronounced a decision substantially in favor of the Zulus. But the high commissioner, Sir Bartle Frere, had determined upon measures for re-modeling the Zulu nation with a view to the con- federation of the South African colonies and states. ANGRY FEUDS AND TERRIBLE BATTLES. The invasion of Zululand took place in January, 1879, and the war was ended by the capture of the king at the end of August. Cetewayo having been conveyed to Cap'j Town, the Zulu country was portioned out among eleven Zulu chiefs, a white adventurer, and a Basuto chief who had done good service in the war. This Arrangement was productive of much bloodshed and disturbance, and in 1882 the British Government determined to restore Cete- wayo again to power. In the meantime, however, the deepest blood feuds had been engendered between the chiefs Zibebu and Haniu on the one side and the neighboring tribes who supported the ex-king and his family on the other. ' These people suffered severely at the hands of the two chiefs, who were assisted by a band of white free-bootcrs, Zibebu, having created a formidable force of well-armed and trained warriors, was left in independence on the borders of Cetewayo's territory, while the latter was restrained by the conditions of his restoration from any military enterprise or defensive measures. A collision very soon took place; but in the conflicts that followed Zibebu's forces were victorious, and on July 22, 1883, led by a troop of mounted whites, he made a sudden descent upon Cetewayo's kraal at Uhindi, which he destroyed, massacring the inmates of both sexes. WHITK SETTLERS AND THE ZULUS. 61 The king escaped, though wounded, into the Reserve, which had been placed under British rule ; there he died in 1884. He left a son, Dinuzulu, who sought the assistance of some of the Trans- vaal Boers against Zibebu, horn he defeated and drove into the Reserve. These Boers, not a large number, claimed as a stipulated reward for their services the cession of the greater part, and the more valuable part ot central Zululand. The Government of Natal attempted to mediate on behalf of the Zulus and accepted on, their behalf, in spite of their protests, a line which roughly divides central Zululand into two equal portions. Of these the north- western has been created into the independent Boer state already mentioned. The rest of central Zululand is administered, with the Reserve, as a British protectorate and dependency. WHAT IF THE ZULUS RISE? When the war of 1899 broke out a careful observer of events in South Africa said : " Should the Zulus seize the opportunity offered by the Transvaal war to strike for freedom, England would have her hands full. Should the bold Basutos join arms with their fierce cousins, South Africa would become hot soil for the British foot for many long months to come. Both of these uprisings are threatened ; both are greatly feared. The Zulu situation in par- ticular is watched with anxious eye. England for a while was over- matched in the last Zulu war, and victory was bought in the end with rivers of English blood. Scarcely any greater misfortune could come just now than an uprising such as this." The Zulu is undoubtedly the best native fighter of South Africa. He is physically a splendid savage — fierce, powerful and enduring. Add to this the memory of a magnificent past, the tra- ditions and courage of a race unwhipped except by white men, and by them only at fearful odds, and you have a worthy foeman. The Zulus yielded to the sway of England through force indeed, but the fight they made then was one to keep alive the hope of a better ending for renewed struggle. The secret of the Zulu power lies, first in organization, and, >econd, in the tradition of victory. Organization under the great mimm 62 WHITK SK.f^i'T.ERS AND THE ZUtUS. h. til ii if. Ki t chieftain Tsliaka at the beginning of the nineteenth century gave them their first superiority over other savage tribes, and an unend- ing series of victories for half a century or more produced a race of rare courage and warlike prowess. The story of ?t describes the Zulu of to-day. What is now "known as Zululaud — a wild country, boundfjd on the north by the Transvaal, on the south and west by Natfd, and on the east by the sea — was then divided among several savage tribes, of which the Zulus were one of the weakest. As we have seen, the chief of a neighboring tribe, the Umtetwas, plotted the murder of his two sons, one of whom, however, escaped, and in his wanderings fell in with the British, the organization of whose forces he noted with shrewd understanding. After his father's death he returned to his tribe, was made chief, and proceeded to organize his warriors into brigades, regiments and companies, British fashion, and had remarkable success in warfare. A OHIEPTAIN OF GREAT ABILITY. One of his lieutenants was a youth of fierce and restless energy. He was the son of a conquered chieftain and his name was Tshaka. He studied the organization of the Umtetwa army zealously, and saw in it wonderful things not accomplished by his wise but mild cliieftain. He made up his mind that some day his own chance •v.nild come. Winning consideration, Tshaka was finally, as a reward, nppointed chief of the weak tribe of Zulus. He organized them I erfectly, and when the chief of the Umtetwas was killed in battle Tshaka announced the independence of the Zulus and upheld it by force. This done Tshaka started in to make the Zulu power supreme. ' He attacked his weaker neighbors first, and with every victory ab- sorbed the young warriors into his own army and destroyed the old men, women and children. In this way his own army grew marvellously, and his conquered neighbors lost recuperative power and eventually identity. He divided his young warriors into regiments, distinguishing WHITK SKTTLKRS AND TlIK ZUUTS. «» each regiment by 'liffcient colored sliields, and cstablislu-d with re- wards a competitive spirit among regiments. He trained tliem to advance and attack in solid formation, something new in ySonth African savage warfare, and he developed the close quarters' attack with the short stabbing assegai or spear, so generally used among South African tribes. Tlieii lie established an inviolate law that any soldier return- ing from battle without assegai or shield, or with a wound in the back, should be executed as a coward. By another law young soldiers were forbidden wives until after long service, unless mean- time thej' earned them by distinguished bravery in the field. Ab jolute discipline was inculcated. An expedit'.on never knew its d'l.stiuation and purpose until far from home. In attacking the first onslaught was always in solid fornuition, supported on either side by wings of skirmishers Flank movements were a regular manoeuvre, and as effective iu savage as in civilized warfare. ZULUS EVERYWHERE VICTORIOUS It can easily be seen how the ^ulus, under such a system, swept all before them. The undisciplined savages of the plains and forests went down like grain before the reaper. And every new tribe subjugated was ruthlessly amalgamated into the vic- torious nation. The Zulus swept the coast, subjugated Natal and pushed their fierce, bloody sway far inland. The terror of their name passed far north and far south. Nor was there limit to their ravages until the Dutch settled in Natal. Then began a series of fierce fights in which the white man and the rifle finally triumphed and the Zulu power was broken, or at least reduced to the point of non-interference with the move- ments of the Dutch and the English, who soon after swarmed over the land. But while taught to respect the white man, the Zulu nursed his traditions, his pride and his ferocity. It was a disgrace in his eyes to labor except in the prosecution of war. Under Cete- wayo, the great chief whose power England broke in a war in which she met several terrible reverses and lost hosts of splendid men, the Zulu was at heart the Zulu of the great Tshaka's days. 64 WHITK vSKTTLKRvS AND TIIK ZULUS. U ?: And this is the people who now threaten to avail of England's troubles to regain their freedom. They are the same in spirit and are rich in resentment. For years they have nursed their wrongs. What they have lost in savage fierceness by a generation of peace- ful subjection, is more than matched by their gains in knowledge. They still retain their terrible stabbing assegai, but they have added the rifle, and are splendid marksmen. They dream of re- storing the splendors of their past, and if they rise can be counted a terrible foe. The only occupation is the raising of cattle. There are 8,900 square miles in the district and the government is a British protec- torate. The Basutos, while by no means the peers in war of the Zulus, occupy a strong position. Basutoland is bounded by Cape Colony, the Orange Free State and Natal. They have discouraged the white man, and there are only 600 Europeans in their entire territory. The country is a splendid grain producer, and the Basutos are thrifty and rich. There are wild mountain districts to serve in time of need. They were once a warlike power of some consequence, and in 1879 they stood off England in a war over disarmament to a com- promise by which the Cape Government has since paid them $90,000 a year toward the cost of government. They are in large measure self-governing — of course, under British dictation — and enjoy a considerable measure of civilization. About fifty thousand out of a population of two hundred and twenty thousand have been converted to Christianity. ^^ • if •<*r ■i^MiiMtaMBiiSfefe'^ CHAPTER IV. Manners and Customs of the Boers. C5 I HE traveler Burcliell met with much hospitality from opulent 2 I Dutch farmers in South Africa, but even among those of the lowest class, there was ever a readiness to open the door to the hungry and benighted stranger. In the family of a farmer of the middle class, whose dwelling did not indicate much of either affluence or comfort, but whose members appeared contented and happy, he spent a short time. The following particulars are taken from his observations. The situation of the house was bleak and exposed, and there was not much display of art or culture around. It was situated on a wide flat, bounded by rocky mountains. One large room, having a mud floor, and a single glazed window, whose broken panes betokened the scarcity of glass, formed the principal part of the house. At one end were the bed-rooms, and at the other a very deep and wide fire-place, exactly resembling that of an English farm-house. As the Boers often find it better economy to consume the sheep in their own families, and convert the fat into soap, to be sold at their annual visit to Cape Town, than to sell the animals at a low price, a large cauldron of boiling soap stood over this fire. A door in the back wall of the apartment opened into the kitchen. At the time of the traveler's visit, a small window near the fire-place was kept constantly closed with a wooden shutter, to exclude the cold wind, as it had neither sash nor glass. Near the glazed window stood a small table, and on it a little old-fashioned coffee-urn, an article in constant use. On each side of the table were two homely-looking chairs, for the use of the master and mistress. A few chairs and benches, with a large din- ing-table, were duly ranged round the room. A large Bible and a few books lay on a shelf. 5 6» i B H 1. lii -I f-- : I 66 MANNERS AND CUSTOMS OF THE BOERS. The three daughters of the farmer were under the instruction of an itinerant tutor, who had been, for several months, an inmate of the family. He could make himself understood in English and French, and appeared fully able to complete the education of such a family as was gathered round him. He was a native of Holland, and had passed the last twenty-nine years of his life in Cape Colony. Teachers of this class are scattered everywhere through- out the South African Republics. Their abilities, in many instances, are too humble to allow of their getting a living in their native land by the same occupation. They generally traverse a great portion of the colonies ; for their usual stay at each house is only from six to twelve months, and in this time thej' must engage to " finish '' their pupils in what the village school-master called " the three rs — reading, 'riting, and 'rithmatic.'' READY MARKET FOR CATTLE. The head of this family employed his farm only in rearing cattle, for the purchase of which he was visited by a " slagter's knegt " — a butcher's man. This person was commissioned by his employer in Cape Town, to travel into the grazing district, and buy up the number of sheep or oxen he might require, paying, however, not in money, but in small notes of hand, previously signed by his employer, and the validity of which was certified at the fiscal's ofiice. Such notes were considered as good as cash, into which they were converted by the grazier on taking them to town, or they were sometimes negotiated in payment with his neighbors. The inland traffic connected with Cape Town was long carried on with much risk and difficulty, on account of its remote position at the extreme corner of the country, and of the miserable state of the roads by which it was approached. The barrenness and defi- ciency of pasturage in the tract of land lying around the town ex- posed the Boer's or Dutch farmers, trading there to serious incon venience. Those residing at a distance of five or six hundred miles, generally made but one journey there in the coarse of a year. On such occasions, the vehicles which conveyed them had much MANNERS AND CUSTOM^ OE THE BOERS. 67 the appearance of a traveling menagerie ; lor, in addition to tlie principal members of the family, there were poultry, goats, sheep, dogs, monkeys, and other animals. A musket or two, with ammu- nition, were taken, not only to afford means of protection, but also to procure game for subsistence by the way. The wagon bearing this motley group, drawn by a team of eight, ten, or even sixteen oxen, with the immoderately long whip of the driver, and the naked figure of a little negro leading the foremost pair, presented to a stranger in the country a novel and amusing spectacle. The driving seat was considered an honorable post ; but the office of leading the oxen was looked on as degrading to any but a native. Between the capital and the cultivated districts lie the exten- sive plains, commonly called the Cape Downs, which were and are traversed by numberless roads and wheel-tracks in every direction. The soil is composed of loose white sand -on a substratum of clay, supporting only a few stunted shrubs and rushes. A few solitary huts are scattered here and there. ii OX TEAMS FROM UP COUNTRY. From the general barrenness of the country, the travelers often stop but a single day at Cape Town. After having come the distance of perhaps twenty days' journey, they cross the barren heath already described, and frequently " outspan," as they call it, or unyoke, at Salt River, to be ready to enter the town at day- break the next morning. Thus they are often able to sell their produce, and to make the purchases they require during the day, and immediately set out on their return home. Another Boer rejoiced in a more extensive domain. The visitor descended from the ridge of a mountain, by a steep and stony path, tracked out by the hartbeests, elands, and other large game, and followed the rugged course of a solitary brook, or rathei torrent, for the greater part of its bed was now dry, until, after a r'de of about three hours, he reached the farm of Blands'-drift, in the valley of the Tarka, and the residence of Winsel Koetzer. On riding up to the place, consisting of three or four thatched -^ .■1 ;"* \ 6d MANNERS AND CUSTOMS OF THE BOERS. 11 V houses and a few reed-cabins, inhabited by the native servants, he was encountered by a host of some twenty or thirty dogs, which had been lying about in the shade of the huts, and now started up around him, open-mouthed, with a prodigious barking and clamor, as is generally the case at every farm-house on the approach of strangers. In daylight these growling guardians usually confine themselves to a more noisy demonstration ; , but at night it is often a matter of no small peril to approach a farm-house, for nianv of these animals are both fierce and powerful, and will not hesitate to attack a stranger, if in their eyes, he has the ill-luck to appear in any way suspicious, or is contemplating mischief. A MOTHER AND BASHFUL GIRLS. The noise of the dogs brought ouL Arend Koetzer, one of the farmer's sons, from the principal dwelling-house, a fine, frank young fellov . Seeing the visitor thus beset, he came instantly to his help against the canine rabble, whom he discomfited witli great vigor, by hurling at them a few of the half-gnawed bones and bul- locks' horns which were lying in scores about the place. An in- troduction now took place to the young Boer's mother and sisters — a quiet looking matron, and two bashful girls, who appeared from one of the outhouses. " Wil Mynheer aff-zadel ? " (" Will the gentleman unsaddle ? ") was the first inquiry. The visitor readily agreed, intending, indeed, though it was still early in the afternoon, to spend the night at this farm. On entering the house, he found that the old Boei- had not j^et risen from his afternoon nap, or siesta, a habit which is generally prevalent throughout the colony. He was not long, however, in making his appearance ; and, after shaking hands with a sort of gruff heartiness, he took down a bottle of brandy from a shelf, anri urged his visitor to drink a " zoopje " (dram) with him, declarin.., it was good "brandiwyn," distilled by himself from his own peaches. The spirit, which was colorless, had something of the flavor of bad whisky, but the visitor preferring a cup of " thee- water," it was in the meantime prepared and poured out for him by the respectable and active-looking dame. ti4tSSbl^^lSILi^^t&ld^JiM.'Vfie4i'% K-wmm,^, « .> «• | .l | ^. |..?.l.i^»■>^V^r^ MANNERS AND CUSTOMS OF THE BOERS. 69 This " tea-water " (properly enough so termed), was made by a decoction, rather than an infrsion, of the Chinese leaf, and which, being diluted with a certain proportion of boiling water, without any admixture of milk and sugar, was offered to every visitor who might chance to arrive during the heat of the day. A small tin box with sugar-candy is sometimes handed around with the " tea- water," from which each person takes a little bit to keep in his mouth, and thus to sweeten, in frugal fashion, the bitter beverage as he swallows it. During this refreshment, the visitor carried on a tolerable fluent conversation, in broken Dutch, with his host and his *' huis-vrouw," and he gratified them not a little by communicating the most recent information he possessed of the state of European politics, respect- ing which old Koetzer was very inquisitive. A BARN OP A HOUSE. The domicile of this family would not, probably, have sug- gested any ideas of peculiar comfort to an American. It was a house somewhat of the size and appearance of an old-fashioned Scotch barn. The walls were thick, and substantially built of strong adhesive clay ; a material which, being well prepared or " tempered," in the manner of mortar for brick making, and raised in successive layers, soon acquires, in a dry climate, a great degree of hardness, and is considered scarcely inferior in durability to brick. These walls, which were about eight or nine feet high, and tolerably smooth and straight, had been plastered over within and without with a composition of sand and cow-dung, and this being well white-washed with a sort of pipe-clay, or with wood-ashes diluted with milk, the whole had a very clean and light appearance. The roof was neatly thatched with a species of hard rushes, which are considered much more durable and less apt to catch fire than straw. There was no ceiling under this roof; but the rafters, t over- head were hung with a motley assemblage of several sorts of implements and provisions, such as hunting apparatus, "bill- tongue " (that is, dried flesh of various kinds of game), " sjamboks " 't) MANNERS AND CUSTOMS OF THE BOERS. (large whips of rhinoceros and hippopotamus hide) leopard and lion skins, ostrich eggs and feathers, strings ut --uions, rolls of tobacco, bamboo for whip handles, calabashes, anc* a variety of similar articles. A large pile of fine home-made soap graced the top of a partition wall. The house was divided into three apartments ; the one in which they were now seated (called the '' voor-huis") opened immediately from the open air, and is the apartment in which the family always sit, eat, and receive visitors. A private room or ''slaap-kamer " is formed at either end of this hall, by partitions of the same height and construction as the outer walls running across, and having doors opening out of the sitting-room. A PECULIAR FLOOR. The floor, which, though made only of clay, appeared uncom- monly smooth and hard, was formed of ant-heaps, which, being pounded into dust, and then watered and well stamped, assume a consistency of great hardness and tenacity. The floor was care- fully washed over every morning, in order to keep it cool and free from vermin — especially fleas, which are apt to become an intoler- able pest in this country. This house was lighted by four square wiadows in front, one in each of the bed-rooms, and two in the " voor-kamer," and by the door, which appeared only to be shut during the night. The door consisted mereh of some reeds, rudely fastened on a wicker frame, and fixed to the door-posts by thongs of bullock's hide. The win- dows also were without glass, and were closed in the night, each with the untanned skin of the quagga, or wild ass. ~ The furniture amounted to little more than a dozen of chairs and stools, bottoms formed of thongs, and a couple of tables, one large and roughly constructed of common plank from the " geel- hout " tree, the other small, and more highly finished of ornamental wood. At the smaller table was the station of the old dame, who had before her a brass tea-urn and the other apparatus., whence she dispensed the beverage already mentioned. Opposite her sat the " baas " (as the Hottentot attendants called their master), with the MANNERS AND CUvSTOMS OF THE BOERS. 71 flask of brandiwyn at his elbow, and his long clumsy Dutch tobacco- pipe in his mouth. At the fuither end of the apartment, a couple of wooden pails bound with bright polished hoops of brass, were suspended from crooked antelope's horns built into the wall ; these pails were filled with spring-water, and had bowls of calabash affixed to them, in order that whoever was athirst might drink with facility. Sour milk, however, is the favorite beverage in this country; and when that is to be had, no one drinks water. In another comer stood a huge churn, into which the milk is poured every night and morn- ing until it is filled, when it is churned by two negro women. In the same end of the hall, part of the carcass of a sheep was suspended from a beam ; two sheep, and sometimes more, being slaughtered for daily consumption ; the native herdsmen and their families, as well as the farmer's own household, being chiefly fed on mutton, at least during summer, when beef could not be salted. The carcasses were hung up in this place, it appeared, chiefly to prevent waste, by being constantly under the eye of the mistress, who, in this country, instead of the ancient Saxon title of " giver of bread " ("levedy," whence our English term of lady), might be appropriately called the " giver of mutton." ANIMAL AND VEGETABLE FOOD. Mutton, and not bread, is here the staff" of life ; and they think it no more odd to have a sheep hanging in* the " voor-huis," than a farmer's wife in America would to have a ham in the smoke-house. At this very period a pound of wheaten bread in this quarter of the colony was six times the value of a pound of animal food. In regard to dress, there was nothing very peculiar to remark. That of the females, though in some respects more slovenly, resem- bled a good deal the costume of the lower classes in Europe. The men wore long loose trowsers of sheep or goat-skin, tanned by the^ servants, and made in the family; a check shirt, a jacket of coarse frieze or cotton, according to the weather, and a broad-brimmed white hat completed the dress. Shoes and stockings appeared not to be essential to either sex, and were seldom worn. -v ■•/r ■.< J :i % -1 '4 '■■) •J 72 MANNERS AND CUSTOMS OF THE BOERS. ■ i ' >• , ■■% f * Sandals, however, of a certain kind, called " country shoes," are in common use, the fashion of which appears originally to have been borrowed from the Hottentots. They are made of raw bul- lock's hide, with an upper leather of dressed sheep or goat-skin, much in the same way as the old brogues of the Scottish high- landers. They do not last long, but they are light and v.,L.sy in dry weather : every man can make his own sandnls, and the leather costs little or nothing. The visitor, having previously heard that the industrious dame, the Juffrouw Koetzer, sometimes manufactured leather dresses for sale, bespoke a traveling jacket of dressed spring- buck skin, the latter to be faced with leopard-fur, the price of which, altogether, was about iive dollars. He also purchased the skin of a leopard, which one of the young Koetzers had lately shot, for about a pound of gunpowder. AN TTQUISmVE HOUSEHOLD. Old Koetzer and his family, like the old Dutch colonists gen- erally, were extremely niquisitive, asking a great variety of ques- tions, some of them on very trifling matters. Americans are apt to feel annoyed at this practice, but wit? out any sufficient cause. Though it betokens a lack of refinement, it is not at all allied to rudeness or impertinence ; it is simply the result of untutored : curiosity in the manners of people 1: ng in a wild and thinly [ inhabited country, to whom the sight of a stranger is a rare event, and by whom news of any description is welcomed with ." avidity. Instead, therefore, of haughtily or sullenly repelling their advances to mutual confidence, the visitor answers all their ques- . tions with good humor, .including those that respected his own age, the number, names, and ages of his family and relations, the object and extent of his present journey, and such like. In return, he plied them with similar interrogations, to all of which they not only replied with the utmost openness, but seemed highly delighted with his frankness. In this manner he soon learned that his host had eight or ten brothers, all stout frontier graziers like himself, and all with numerous families. His own \. MANNERS AND CUSTOMS OF THE BOERS. 73 family consisted of six sons and as many daughters, several of whom wert married, and settled in the neighborhood. Two of his sons, with their wives and families, were now living at this place in cottages adjoining the house. The old dame stated that she was herself by birth a Jourdan^ and was descended from one of the French Huguenot families who settled in the colony after, the revocation of the Edict of Nantes. Her father, she said, could speak French ; but she her- self knew no language but Dutch. Her manner and address, however, retained something of French urbanity and politeness, which the Belgian bluntness of her husband rendered the more obvious. Having exhausted the usual topics of country chat, the visitor suggested a walk round the premises, and sallied forth, accom- panied by the Boer and his sou Arend. They first went to the orchard, which was of considerable extent, and contained a variety of fruit trees, all in a thriving state. " The peach-trees, which were now in blossom, were the most numerous ; but there were also abundance of apricot, almond, walnut, apple, pear and plum trees, and whole hedges of figs and pomegranates. GROVES OF LEMON AND ORANGE TREES. The outward fence, when there was any, consisted of a hedge of quinces. There was also a fine grove of lemon and a few orange trees. The latter required to be sheltered during the "winter, until they had attained considerable size, the frost being apt to blight them in this upland valley. Ail the other fruits were raised with ease : peach trees would bear fruit the third year after the seeds had been put in the ground. From the want of care and skill, however, in grafting, few of the fruits in this part of the colony were of superior sorts, or of delicate flavor. The peaches especially, were but indififerent ; but as they were chiefly grown for making brandiwyn, or to be used in a dry state, excel- lence of flavor was but little regarded. Two mulberry trees, which were planted in front of the house, were large and flourishing, and produced an abundance of fruit. 74 MANNERS AND CUSTOMS OK THE BOERS. * I This was not the wild or white mulberry raised in Europe for feed- ing silk worms ; but the latter sort thrives also very well in diflfer- ent parts of the country. The garden, if it deserved the name, was very deficient in neatness, but contained a variety of useful vegetables : a large plot of beet root, some beds of very fine cabbages, and plenty of mint, sage, and garlic, catching the eye. Onions were raised in great abundance, and of a quality equal to those of Spain. Pumpkins and melons were cultivated in considerable quantities. The sweet potato is raised here ; but the common ones, though growing well, appeared not to be in much request in this part of the colony. Until the arrival of English settlers, indeed, the value of this use- ful root was not generally appreciated by the inhabitants, and the quality of the few they raised was very inferior. VINEYARDS OP LUSOIOQS GRAPES. Since that period, however, the cultivation of potatoes has greatly extended itself in the eastern districts, and their quality has been so much improved by the seed brought out by the settlers., that they now are scarcely, if at all, inferior to our own; and the prejudices with which the native population, particularly the Hottentots, regarded them, rapidly declined. Adjoining to the garden and orchard was a small, but well-kept vineyard, from which a large produce of very fine grapes was obtained, which, as well as the peaches, are chiefly distilled into brandy for home consumption. The whole of the orchard, vineyard, and garden ground together with about twenty acres of corn land adjoining, was irri- gated by the waters of a small mountain rill, collected and led down in front of the house by an artificial canal. Without irriga- tion little can be done in this part of the colony ; and though the river Tarka passes only a short distance from the back of the orchard, the channel is here too deep to admit of its water being led out upon the banks. The limited extent, therefore, of from twenty to thirty acres was the whole that could be cultivated on this farm, comprising at least 6,000 acres, exclusive of the waste and inappropriated tracts ■i?F^i¥- MANNERS AND CUSTOMS OF THE BOERS. 75 adjoining. Bnt this is quite sufficient for the wants of a large family ; the real wealth of the farm, so far as respects marketable commodities, lies in the stocks of herds which are raised on its extensive pastures. This old Winsel himself hinted to his visitor — as, shutting up a gap in the garden hedge with a branch of thorny mimosa, they issued out towards the " kraals " or cattle-folds — the Boer cxclain\ing in a tone of jocund gratulation, while he pointed to a distant cloud cf dust moving up the valley — " Maar { daar koomt myn vee ! " (But there come my cattle.) LARGE FLOCKS AND HERDS. The appearance of the Boer folding his herds and flocks is patriarchal and picturesque, and may well recall the words of the ancient poet : " On came the comely sheep, From feed returning to their pens and folds, And those the kine in multitudes succeed ; One on the other rising to the eye, As watery clouds which in the heavens are seen, Driven by the south or Thracian Boreas ; And numberless along the sky they glide ; Nor cease ; so many doth the powerful blast Speed forward ; and so manj\ fleece on rieec", Successive rise reflecting varied light. So still the herds of kine successive drive A long extended line ; and filled the plain And all the pathways with the coming troop." As the Boer and his visitor were now conversing, the clouds of dust which had been observed approaching from three diflferent quarters came nearer, and it was manifest that they were raised by two numerous flocks of sheep and one large herd of cattle. First came the wethers, which are reared for the market, and are often driven even down to Cape Town, seven hundred miles distant. These being placed in their proper fold, the flock of ewes, ewe goats, and lambs, was next driven in, and carefully penned in another; those having young ones of tender age being kept separate. And finally, the cattle herd came rushing on pell-mell, and spontaneously assumed their station upon the summit of their 4 , i -■s 1' 76 MANNERS AND CUSTOMS OF THE BOERS. ■■ *^'i guarded mound ; the milch cows only being separated, in order to be tied up to stakes within a small enclosure nearer the houses, where they are milked by the hottentot herdsmen, after their calves, which are kept at home, had been permitted to suck for a certain period. Not one of these cows, it was said, would allow herself to be milked until her calf was first put to her ; if the calf dies, of course there is an end to her milk for that season. This appears to be the effect of habit, and mig^it be remedied by proper management. About thirty cows were milked ; but the quantity obtained from them was very small, not so much as would be got from six or eighc American cows. The Boer and his wife, with all their sons, daughters, daughs ters-in-law, and grandchildren, who were about the place, were assiduously occupied, while the herds and flocks were folding, in examining them as they passed in, and in walking through among them afterwards, to see that all was right. The people thus em- ployed declared that though they do not very frequently count them, yet they know at once whether any individual ox is missing, or if any accident has happened among the flocks, by which any are lost, from beasts of prey or otherwise. . FLOCKS OWNED BY WHOLE FAMILY. This faculty, though the result, doubtless, of peculipr habits of attention, is certainly very remarkable; for the herd of cattle at this place amounted altogether to nearly 700 head, and the sheep and goats (which were mingled together) to upwards of 5,000. This is considered a very respectable, but by no means extraordinary, stock for a Tarka grazier. Every individual of an African Boer's family, including even the child at the breast, has an interest in the welfare of the flocks and herds. It is their custom, as soon as a child is born, to set apart for it a certain number of the young live stock, which in- crease as the child grows up ; and which, having a particular mark regularly afiixed to them, form, when the owner arrives at adult age, a stock sufficient to be considered a respectable dowry for a MANNERvS AND CUSTOMS OF THK BOERS. 71 prosperous farmer's daughter, or to enable a young man, though he may not possess a single dollar of cash, to begin the world re- spectably as a " Vee Boer.'' On approaching the cattle kraals, the visitor was struck b}' the great height of the principal fold, which was .elevated fifteen or twenty feet above the level of the adjoining plain, and his sur- NATrVE OP SOUTH AFRICA CAPTURED BY A FEROCIOUS I.EOPARD. prise was certainly not diminished when he found that the mound, on the top of which the kraal was constructed, consisted of a mass of solid manure, acccumulated by the cattle of the farm being folded for a succession of years on the same spot. The sheep-folds, though not quite so elevated, and under the lee, as it T/cre, of the bullocks' kraal, were also fixed on the top of similar accumulations. The similar folds (for those of the sheep and goats consisted of three divisions) were all fenced in with 78 MANNERS AND CUSTOMS OF till' BOERS. brandies of the thorny mimosa, which formed a sort of rampart around the margin of the mounds, and were carefully placed with their prickly sides outwards, on purpose to render the enclosures more secure from the nocturnal assaults of the hyenas, tigers, and jackals. Against all these ravenous animals, the oxen are, indeed, able to defend themselves ; but the hyenas, tigers, and leopards are very destructive to calves, sheep, and goats, when they can break in upon them, which they will sometimes do in spite of the watch- dogs kept for their protection ; the cunning jackal is not less de- structive to the lambs and kids. FRIGHTENING OFF LOCUSTS. Some travelers, approaching the residence of a farmer, had their attention attracted to a novel sight. Several people were waving white flags in some cultivated ground near the house. On drawing nearer they discovered that this was a method adopted by the farmer and his family to expel an army of locusts that had just alighted on their corn. They had been employed since sun- rise, and it was now towards afternoon, and they described the in- sects as being so numerous, that it would take an hour's ride on horseback to reach the extremity of the ground that they cov: I'ed. No idea can be formed of such countless multitudes, except by those who have actual!) witnessed them. Their appearance when alighting somewhat resembles a dense crimson cloud, resting on the land, and when they rise up to proceed onward, the air is liter- ally darkened beneath. Every green herb — every blade of grass is destroyed in their course, and in their track there remain nothing but barrenness and desolation. Still they are turned to some use. Hottentots have been observed feeding fowls with locusts out of a large sack, and it was surprising to see with what voracity they were devoured. Bushmen are particularly partial to locusts, which contribute largely to their subsistence. A Boer, of the name of De Clercq, one day riding over his farm, had alighted in a difficult pass, and was leading his horse through the long grass, when a lion suddenly rose up before him, i MANNERS AND CUSTOMS OF THE BOERS. n at a few yards' distance. He had in his hand only a light fowling piece, loaded with slugs ; and hoping that the lion would give way, he, according to the plan always recommended in such emergencies, stood still and confronted him ; but the lion, on the contrary, ad- vancing and crouching to spring, he found himself under the neces- sity of firing; he took a hurried aim at the forehead, but thi slujys lodged in the breast, and did not prove instantly mortal. ' The furious animal sprang forward and seized De Clercq on cither side with his claws, but at the same time bit his arm almost in two, as he mechanically thrust it forward to save his lace. In this position he held him for a few seconds, till his strength failing from loss of blood, the lion tumbled over, dragging the Boer with him in a dying embrace. De Clercq, however, escaped without any serious injury, and before long entirely recovered. SEIZED BY A BIG LION. Gert, a Boer of the Cradock district, was out hunting with a neighbor. Coming to a fountain, surrounded, is is common, with with tall reeds and rushes, Gert handed his gun to his comrade, and alighted to search for water. But he no sooner approached the fountain, than an enormous lion started up close at his side and seized him by his left arm. The Boer, though taken by surprise, stood stock still, '.v^ithout struggling, aware that the least attempt at escap:: would ensure his instant destruction. The lion also remained motionless, holding fast the Boer's arm in his fangs, but without biting it severely — shutting his eyes at the same time as if he could not withstand the countenance of the victim. As they stood in this position Gert, maintaining his presence of mind, began to beckon his comrade to advance and shoot the lion in the forehead. This might have been easily effected, as the lion still closed his eyes, and Gert's body concealed from his view any object advancing in front of him. But the fellow proved a wretch, for instead of complying with Gert's directions or making any attempt to save him, he cautiously retreated to the top of a neighboring rock. As the lion continued quiet Gert continued to beckon for aid ; and lion hunters say that '! |!i MANNERS AND CUSTOMS Ol^ THR BOKRS. if he had persevered a little longer, the lion would have relaxed hid hold and left him uninjured. But Gert, indignant at his comrade's pusillanimity, and losing patience with the lion, drew his knife, which he wore sheathed at his side, atid with the utmost force of his right arm, plunged it into the lion's breast. The thrust was a deadly one, for Gert was a bold and powerful man ; but it did not prove effectual in time to save his own life — for the enraged lion, held at arm'sleugth by the utmost efforts of Gert's strength and desperation, so dreadfully lacerated the breast and arms of the unfortunate man with his claws, that his bare bones were laid open. The lion fell at last from loss of blood, and Gert fell along with him. His rascally co'.upauion who had witnessed this fearful struggle from the rock, had now sufficient courage to advance, and bore poor Gert to the nearest house — where such aid as the neighbors could give was afforded, but utterly in vain. Gert expired the third day after this most courageous but frightful struggle, of lockjaw. A SETTLER'S THRILLING ADVENTURE. Kuptj one of the settlers, proceeding with several companions on a journey into the country, to obtain some young oxen for the Dutch East India Company, met with the following adventures. On the arrival of the wagons, which were obliged to take a circui- tous route, they pitched <^heir tent a musket-shot from the kraal, and after making the usual arrangements, went to rest. They were, however, soon disturbed ; for about midnight, the cattle and horses, which were standing between the wagons, began to start and run, and one of the drivers to shout, on which every one, with his gun in his hand, ran out of the tent. About thirty paces off there stood a lion, which, on seeing them, walked very deliberately about thirty paces furthc^:, behind a small thorn-bush, carrying something with him, which Kupt supposed to be a young ox. The south-east wind blew strong, the sky was clear, and the moon shone very bright, so that they could see clearly ; and firing more than sixty shots at that bush, which they stoutly pierced, they could not perceive any movement. Mi Mf ( ml At ,•£ ^ z < m^- a: 1 h- Dt. >■ fi' 00 P^ u) K /*• ■■ D \ H ^B oc ^B < -^ a ' , Ul V Q c Ul X 1- X Q Z < i ^ \ CO UJ o ,, *.' oc tc jj^ o < ^ li-^ ^S oc u. m mo ' '1 ca H Ui UJ I CO ^UJ u. I O I- O oc Z O — u. re .1) co (U UJ < a: K- > CD Ul H < a UJ o oc UJ I H Q Z < CO UJ £1 cc UJ O CO , < Ui UJ X H u. O o oc z o — u. < < > CO z < oc I- UJ z oe < u I OENERAL SIR PEDVERS HENRY BUULER fl , V TRANSVAAL ARTIULERY FIRING ON THE ENEMY AT GLENCOE %r-li i:l 'S LIEUTENANT GENERAL SIR GEORGE WHITE COMMANDER OF THE BRITISH FORCES IN NATAL ■ ■ ■f. . .iii!>I Tn i,« ij i J . BOERS GATHERING AT THE GOVERNMENT BUILDINGS, BELFAST, SOUTH AFRICAN REPUBLIC ilPW|5*'^-mm» ■>''■'■.," • : 'y^ ' > ' ^ i ^. ' :^ TROOPS FROM ENGLAND LANDING AT DURBAN, NATAL THE TRANSVAAL CRISIS-BOERS HELIQGRAPMING ON THE FRONTIER BRITISH MOUNTED INFANTRY RECONNOITERING IN NATAL E1I ;■! 1 1 ' GENERAL JOUBERT COMMANDER-IN-CHIEF OF THE TRANS- VAAL ARMY A WEALTHY BURGHER M. T. STEYN PRESIDENT OF THE ORANGE FREE STATE A WARLIKE RELATIVE OF PRESIDENT KRUGER A COMPANY OF BOER HORSEMAN HURRYING TO THE FRONT LED BY THE DISTRICT FIELD-CORNET X < < < < >- K J t- ^-uJ § u- X z O h i ^ 111 z Ul I£ ul > O liJ o: u. oa < 11 s 01 UJ * a: lil -* O T i^ li. i z Ul •^ Q. 01 CO < „ - oc oc -> ui -^ u. o HI "'-' < "= 3 - c: < ^ 1 •*• Hi a e V > a -• r: U Q ^ UJ UJ 111 _l I < Ul CO Ul X 1- Ul > o at u) < I o a: UJ I h u. O HI z P ^ o °^ < 5 I U 1- Z co" O Q a: L -' "= * UJ 3 1 rr « J > o t - CO o < I- < o Ul a UJ CO 1 1 I CO -I o z UJ I UJ O O UJ Ul ■ ,i ? < < > (0 z < cc H I UJ z cc m CO LU z z < X o o UJ h < K < Q. UJ (O UJ K < o o (T UJ H < 5 < N I- cc < 3 O UJ I t- UJ a u I MANNERS AND CUSTOMS 01^ THE BOERS. N St < < > CO z < h I UJ z Q UJ h < < a. UJ o> UJ < o o c UJ H < a z < O a oc < _ UJ ^ 0- < U Ei -> UJ U} O X o z h a o After the cattle had been quieted again, and they had looked carefully around, they missed Smit, the sentry, from before the tent. They called as loudly as possible, but in vain ; nobody answered, and it was then concluded that the lion had carried him ofiF. Three or four men then advanced very cautiously to the bush, which stood right opposite the door of the tent, to see if they could dis- cover anything of the man, but returned greatly alarmed, for the lion, who was there still, rose up, and began to roar ; they saw too, the musket of the sentry, which was cocked, and also, his cap and shoes. As the bush was sixty paces from the tent and only thirty from the wagon, and they were able to point at it as a target, they fired into it about a hundred shots without perceiving anything of the lion, from which they concluded that he was killed, or had run away. This induced Stamansz to go and see if he were there or not, taking with him a firebrand. But no sooner did he approach the bush, than the lion roared terribly and leaped at him ; on which he threw the firebrand at his assailant, and the others having fired about ten shots, he retired directly to his former place behind the bush. FIRING INTO A BURNING BUSH. The firebrand had fallen into the midst of the bush, and, favored by the strong south-east wind, it began to burn with a great flame, so that they could see very clearly into and through it. They continued firing into it ; and as the night passed away and the day began to break, every one was anxious to aim at the lion, as he could not go from thence without exposing himself entirely to their fire. Seven men, posted on the furthest wagons, watched him that they might fire, if he should come out. At last, before it became quite light, he* walked up the hill \vith poor Smit in his mouth, when about forty shots were fired at him, but, although some were very near, he escaped unhurt. Every time a ball approached him, he turned round towards the tent, and roared at his enemies ; and Kupt was of the opinion that if he had been hit, he would have rushed on the people and the tent. \ : .1 82 MANNERS AND CUSTOMS OF THE BOERS. On the arrival of broad daylight, they saw by the blood, and a piece of the clothes of the man, that the lion had carried away his victim Tliey also found behind the bush the place where the lion had kept him, and it appeared exceedingly strange that no ball should have struck the lion, as several of them were beaten flat. As it was hoped he might have been wounded and not far ' oflf, the people asked Kupt to be allowed to go in search of Smit's corpse, in order to bury it, supposing that by the fire that had been constantly kept up, the lion would not have had time to devour much of it. Kupt gave permission to some, on condition that they should take a good party of armed Hottentots with them, and made them promise that they would keep a good lookout, and avoid all un- necessary danger. Seven of the party, assisted by forty-three armed Hottentots, followed the track, and found the lion about half a league further on, lying behind a little bush. '• *> V/ A TERRIBLE ENCOUNTER. ^-'■' On the shout of the Hottentots, he sprang up and ran away, on which they all followed in pursuit. At length, the lion turned round and rushed, roaring terribly amongst the crowd. The peo- ple, fatigued and out of breath with running, fired, but missed him, on which he made directly towards them. Two of the people were now attacked by the lion, when the captain, or chief man of the kraal, threw himself between them and the lion, and that so closelj' that the claws of the lion were struck into his sheep-skin garment. Instantly the lion hunter doffed his mantle and stabbed the lion with his spear ; and the other Hottentots striking into the lion their spears, Kupt says " he looked like a porcupine." Still he did not leave off roaring and leaping ; but bit off some of the spears, until Stamansz fired a ball into his eye, which made him turn over and the others shot him dead. This was a very large lion, and had but a short time before devoured a Hottentot whom he had carried off from the kraal. On another occasion, the grass was exceedingly tall, and the country abounded in spring-bucks. A Hottentot thought he per- E&*#is «a?.?^?i MANNERS AND CUSTOMS OF THE BOERS. 83 ceived one amidst the grass, and crept closely up to it in order to make sure of his shot, when, on rising to discharge his piece, he found himself close on a large, male lion, which instantly set up a loud roar. His own tale, however, was not a little amusing. " I saw," said he, " a spring-buck, which I made sure of having in the pot to-night ; but when I got close to it, I found it to be the Governor. I was just going to fire, when he asked me in a loud tone, * What are you going to do? ' * Oh,' said I, ' I beg your pardon, I did not know it was your honor, or I should not have presumed to draw so near you ; I hope your honor will not consider it an insult, and I shall instantly retire.' So I scampered away a great deal quicker than I went to him, and made the best of the situation." A NARROW ESCAPE. Diederik Muller and his brother Christian were accustomed to hunt in company, and between them killed a large number of lions. Thej'^ did not achieve this, however, without many hair-breadth escapes, and have more than once saved each other's lives. On one occasion, a lion sprang suddenly on Diederik, from behind a st'ue wall — bore man and horse to the ground, and was proceeding to finish his career, when Christian galloped up and shot the savage brute through the heart. In this encounter Diederik was so roughlj/ handled that he lost his hearing in one ear — the lion having dug his claws deeply into it. * ' * ^ .v- When the nightly depredations of a tiger have roused the farmers, the following is the course pursued : The animal is tracked to its lair in the thick underwood, and, when found, attacked by large dogs. If possible, it flies ; but, when unable to escape, makes a desperate defence, raising itself above the assailants by leaping on a bush, and from thence striking them down with its paws as they rush in, and from its great strength and activity, frequently destroying them. But the tiger seems to know its master foe, and should a man approach within the range of its tremendous spring, it at once leaves the dogs and darts upon him, and the struggle is then for life. wm til I 84 MANNERS AND CUSTOMS OF THE BOERS. A native, going out ea.ly one morning, to look after cattle, heard his dogs baying at a distance in the jungle, and, on coming up to ascertain the cause, was met by a tiger's spring. The tiger clung, and, seizing him by the nape of his neck, tore tlie skin off, until the scalp hung over his eyes , but, even in this state of tor- ture, the native drew his wood-knife from his belt and stabbed him to the heart. In general, the man stands at a distance, waiting his opportunity till he can fire without injuring t^ dogs. PIERCE COMBAT WITH A TIGER. Mr. Shaw, the missionary, says : " News was brought one evening, that a horse had been lu.td hold of by a tiger and partly devoured. The chief gave orders that the hunters should be on the spot at sunrise the next morning. I engaged to accompany them, • and took my dog and gun, the Namaquas had their clubs, and all the dogs which they were able to procure. A little terrier having obtained the scent, ran forward till it came to the cavern where the tiger had taken up his abode. It stood at the entrance and barked, not knowing the kind of game it had been pursuing. The tiger rose, and fixing its eyes on the terrier, it scampered away at its utmost speed. " The tiger now stood on the surface of a large sloping rock, and, on seeing the other dogs, he looked angrily at them, and began to grumble, as though he would challenge them to an attack. My own dog and two others instantly accepted the challenge, and a furious contest ensued. It was impossible for me to make use of my gun ; but at this crisis, a native, on seeing that the dogs v/ere faithful to each other, ran and seized the tiger's tail, which he held with all his might. The tiger roared, the dogs became more furious, the men with their clubs approached and beat him on the head ; and thus assailed, he soon groaned his last." A resident in the colony, named Bournan, was suddenly attacked bj'- a tiger, who stuck its claws into his head, aiming at his throat, that he might suck out the blood of the victim. Bour- nan, an athletic and powerful man, wrestling earnestly with his foe, succeeded in throwing the tiger on the groun*^ where, for a MANNERS AND CUSTOMS OF THE BOERS. 85 time, he held it down. He soon found, however, that the animal was too strong for him, but when about to give himself up as lost, recollected that he had a knife in his pocket. Instantly taking it out, he pressed with all his might the tiger tc the ground, and succeeded in cutting its throat. Bouman was covered with wounds from which the blood during the i'earful struggle copiously flowed; but though his life was preserved, it was long before his previous strength was restored. The testimony of old Teysho to a traveler entirely corresponded with what he had heard on the same subject from the Boers and Hottentots. The lion, he said, very seldom attacks man i^ unpro- voked ; but he will frequently approach within a few paces and survey him steadily ; and sometimes he will attempt to get behind him as if he could not stand his look, but was yet desirous of springing upon him unawares. If a person in such circumstances attempts either to fight or fly he incurs the most imminent peril ; but if he has siifficient presence of mind coolly to confront him, the animal will, in almost every instance, retire. The power of the 1 uman eye is felt by other animals. A British ofiicer in India, laving chanced to ramble into a jungle adjoining the encampment, suddenly encountered a roval tiger. The rencounter appeared equally unexpected on both sides, and both parties made a dead halt — earnestly gazing on each other. T. le officer had no firearms, and was aware that a swcrd would be no effective defence in a struggle for life with such in antaronist. But he had heard that even the Bengal tiger might be some- times checked by looking him firmly in the face. He did so. In a few minutes the tiger, which appeared preparing to make his fatal spring, grew disturbed — slunk aside — and attenij ted to creep round upon him behind. The ofl ir turned constantly on the tiger — which still continued to shrink from his glance ; — but darting into the thicket and again issuing forth at a difxerent quarter, it persevered for about an hour in this attempt to catch him by sur- prise ; till at last it fairly yielded the contest and left the officer to pursue his walk. The direction he now took, it may easily be believed, was straight to the tents, at double-quick time, , / i! I 'I i ¥■ k ( 1 SI i CHAPTER V. The Great Powers Dividing Africa. G5 I HE scramble for Africa among the great nations might well gil be called a modern movement. It was not, indeed, until 1884 that Europe turned anything like covetous eyes toward the Dark Continent. Up to that time the controlling powers in Africa were England and France, and even these two great colo- nizers pursued their annexations in a most leisurely fashion. Por- tugal, it is true, possessed some 800,000 square miles in East and West Africa, but her corrupt and feeble administrative policy in all colonial affairs made her practically a dead letter. A year previously, too, the German flag had been raised by a German private trader on ^''' ' coast of Namaqualand, in South-west Africa. It was a small i . apparently unpretentious incident at first sight, but it was the thin edge of the wedge. It was the begin- ning of the scramble. To go back to the beginning, Africa, when the Roman empire fell into decay, suffered a corresponding relapse. Her fringe of seashore civilization melted away like snow, and the Roman was fol- lowed by the Islamic occupation, which, by the twelfth century, had firmly established itself in the very heart of Northern Africa. Then came the maritime rise of Portugal, and the first visits of her adventurous seamen to the shores of the mysterious Dark Conti- nent. At the end of the eighteenth century, Turkey had invaded the north, the Dutch had landed quietly at the Cape, the French claimed Senegal, and the English owned Gambia and the Guinea coast. - , , V Early in the nineteenth century, however, Europe found her-' self so busy at home, that Africa was for the time being forgotten, and only isolated explorers carried on operations within her borders. Up to 1857, when the heroic Livingstone first appeared on the scene, African exploration had been mainly confined to the 86 THE GREAT POWERS DIVIDING AFRICA. 87 Niger basin. But when Livingstone had once opened the way, Baker, Stanley, Speke, Grant and Burton were not slow to follow. Between 1879 and 1883, Stanley had founded what eventually became the Congo Free State, and in so doing awakened the inter- est and the latent animosity of both France and Portugal. Europe woke up with a start, and from that day it was destined that Africa should know no longer what was meant by the word peace. In 1884-5, the Berlin congress came together, and practically laid down what might be called the rules of the game. And a merry game it was — that of slicing up a continent. The spheres of England, France and Germany were nonchalantly decided upon, and the whole continent was roughly blocked out. It was all come by so easily, it wac so tremendous in extent, and its possession was so intoxicatingly novel that the different powers said among themselves, with a great deal of magnanimity, that there was plenty of elbow room, and no need for crowding, and so it was not hard to arrive at an understanding. But later, whe . the actual partition of the continent took place, and the various spheres were delimited and looked into, dissatisfaction began to manifest itself. IMMENSE BRITISH POSSESSIONS. There was some reason for dissatisfaction. A glance at the map of Africa will show this. British South Africa, in the first place, extends from the Cape to Lake Tanganyika, a distance of 1,800 miles. In ^'^ct, the whole south coast is British, and with Africa, it must be remembered, the farther you get away from the equator the more vf 'table the possession. This immense British sphere is bordered or. the west by German Southwest Africa, Por- tuguese Guinea and the Congo Free State, while the two Boer republics are shut into the British spheres as enclosures, and will, .. it now seems apparent, be finally absorbed by the greater power, \ against whom they have seen fit to take up the sword. The only disputed boundary in this part of Africa is that between the pos- sessions of Great Britain and Portugal. All this immense South African British area, covering about 1,000,000 square miles of territory, is in varying degrees of incor* 38 THE GREAT POWERS DIVIDING AFRICA. i li poration and assimilation by that ever-expanding empire whose center is London. What is not nominally under the protectorate of the British government is practically under the wing of the British South Africa company, that wonderful business concern which was first organized by two hard-headed old Scotsmen, who saw that an African company might exploit the Dark Continent as , the East India company had done with Asia, and as the Hudson J Bay Company had done in America. The territories of this African company extend up into the very heart of the continent to-day, and their frontier posts are steadily percolating deeper and deeper into the interior. Roughly estimated, the British Empire in Africa embraces 2,300,000 square miles, a region equal in extent to all that portion of the United States east of the Rockies. This includes the white man's country of South Africa, with its high table-lands, its diamonds and its gold ; British Central Africa, or Rhodesia ; British East Africa, stretching from the Indian Ocean to Lake Victoria, and having within its borders Uganda, " the pearl of Africa," dis- covered by Henry M. Stanley, and now fast developing into a pros- perous and modern community, with merchant and war ships aiding its commerce on the lake and railroads connecting it with the ocean and the interior, all of which promises a bright future. MAKES WAR AND PEACE. On the west coast is the Niger Territory, holding the mouth of the great water-way of Western Africa, under the control of the British Royal Niger Company, having such absolute sway that it makes war and peace, concludes treaties with the natives and exercises all the attributes of sovereignty under the protecting care of Great Britain. Then there are the minor colonies, the Gold Coast, Sierra Leone, scarcely worth speaking of, as they are relics of past greatness during the slave trade days. It is in East Africa, however, from the Cape up to the Medi- terranean, that one sees the present imperial sway of the Briton, as well as the potential importance of this new empire. It extends practically in an unbroken sweep from the northernmost to the THE GREAT POWERS DIVIDING AFRICA. M southernmost points of the continent. Egypt continues to be nominally independent, although under the protection of the British flag, with British officials directing Egyptian finances and British officers leading Egyptian armies. Essentially, therefore, Egypt is to be regarded as a British sphere of influence, destined to regain her lost colonies. The area of Egypt and the Soudan was not included in the 2,300,000 square miles given as the British Kmpire in Africa, and if these depend- encies are added the total is brought up to almost 3,000,000 square miles, equal to the area of the United States, not including Alaska. VAST AFRICAN EMPIRE. A glance at the British possessions in Africa shows how strong the impulse of British statesmen has been to knit together this African empire into one homogeneous whole instead of detached parts. Each part is reaching out to its neighbors. This has been going on until the chance of a " Cairo to the Cape " route, entirely under British control, is no longer a dream. Already the railroad is up to Buluwayo, more than thirteen hundred miles from the Cape, while from the north Kitchener has pushed the railroad even further. The Nile and the lakes give added means of transportation. At present there is a gap of less than three hundred miles in the connection of British Central Africa and British East Africa, and with this gap filled the rule of the British Empire will in fact reach from Cairo to the Cape. It will be from Germany or from the Conge Free State that this gap will be made up, either by cession or lease. Considering the steady development of this new empire in Africa and the manifold benefits springing from it, it would seem to be a part of this general plan that the Transvaal and the Orange Free State should be absorbed by the larger power. But it may be that these small communities will show a Spartan fortitude and courage which will resist this hitherto irresistible tide of empire. Such a result would be of doubtful value to the world at large, for thus far with empire have come development and progress. ■y*^--*'-'frif*r-^ ■*/ 90 THE GRKAT POWKRS DIVIDING AFRICA. '"ti. y The limits of British East Africa were arranged by agreement with Germany and Italy, the two contiguous powers. But it is here that France steps in. Fran 'e nas shown a Gallic impetuosity in her annexations. Of England -^he has always been jealous in Africa, and thereby hangs a tale. The territory claimed by France in the Dark Continant covers something like 3,000,000 square miles, or perhaps a little more. By the Anglo-French arrangement of 1890 England very magnani- mously ceded to her European rival all the Sahara desert. Now, the Sahara desert, as Lord Salisbury rather wittily termed it, is "very light soil." The extreme " lightness " of this soil did not dawn on the French mind until after the agreement had been drawn up and settled. Then France saw she had been gold-bricked. Algeria and Tunis, of course, she held by right of conquest, but on the northwest she found herself shut ofif from the coast by Morocco, and also those Spanish possessions known as Rio d'Oro. Deserts under such circumstances are not such desirable possessions, so France realized that, while she was apparently the largest land-owner in all Africa, she was actually possessor of the biggest territorial white elephant ever palmed off on an unsuspecting power. FRANCE PUSHING HER CLAIMS. It was to make amends for this error that France, misinter- preting the Berlin agreement, slipped in and occupied Busa, and also dispatched Major Marchand and his expedition to pick up any territorial waif- that might be left lying about beyond Fashoda. The one aim of France has been to have direct access to the lower Niger. In this matter Great Britain seems to have cleverly check- mated her rival and appears to have made up her mind on no account to yield any part of- the west bank of the lower Niger to France, notwithstanding the latter's claim, though a disputed one, to certain spots in that vicinity by right of previous occupation. '^ France, however, has seized on her share elsewhere. She has Madagascar. It cost her dear, and she is still paying for it, but she has it. From a little to the i.orth of Cape Blanco round to the British Gold Coast Colony she possesses a long line of coast, "' r r''y'",^-----?^yprg^t-M:. :'^.J THE GREAT POWERS DIVIDING AFRICA. 91 though the same is somewhat interrupted by such foreign patches as British Gambia, Liberia, Portuguese Guinea and Sierra Leone. The whole of the upper Niger above Say is French, and nearly all the country that nestles in the great bend of that river is claimed by her. The most threatening bone of contention in this quarter is a patch of land behind the British Gold Coast and German Togoland, made up chiefly of the kingdom of Mossi. Over it flutter both the tricolor and the union jack, though one must give way. Behind Ashanti Great Britain also claims certain territory, and is doing her best to strengthen that claim by ^s effective an occupation as possible. SHARP PRACTICE AGAINST THE NATIVES. Belgium occupies a goodly strip of the basin of the Congo. By a convention with Great Britain ir. 1894 a slice of the west Albert Nyanza shore and a portion of the upper Nile was leased to the Belgians. Since that time, however, pressure from France has cut down the original Belgian claim. It might not be out of place here to add that the rule of both France and Belgium has shown none of that liberality and general idea of fair play toward the native which is associated with English domination. In 1895, when France seemed to be menacing the country of the Kalifa, it was declared in the British parliament that any attempt on the part of France to establish herself on the Nile would be regarded as " an unfriendly act." The French Soudan is defined as that country included in the basins of the Niger and the Senegal west of Togoland, together with that embraced in the northern bend of the river. Like the Niger region, this territory is densely populated and capable of great commercial development. But France, as has already been said, is not satisfied. She declares that the agreements reached between England, Germany and Italy relative to the delimitations of the Egyptian Soudan are not bind- ing upon her, and declines to accept what Great Britain has pointed out as the limit of the French claim on the Soudan's western border. This eagerness on the part of France to find a footing on the upper Nile is intimately associated with the presence and the activi- ■^ 92 THE GREAT POWERS DIVIDING AFRICA. ties of tlie English in that district. As all the world knows, this Anglican activity is bitterly resented by France, who realizes that while Egypt is nominally under the suzerainty of Turkey, it is really an English dependency. And since the defeat of the kalifa at Omdurnian or c-^ more gave England control of the lost Egyptian Soudan, France's uneasiness has been in no way allayed. It is for this r<;ar.Gn that England, in her war with the South African Repub- lic, finds no sympathizers on the European continent. " She has lived by the sword," say the continental powers, " so let her suffer by the sword." Thus it will be seen that the French explorers and statesmen seem to have chosen Western Africa as their field of influence, as Britain has chosen Eastern Africa. The total French possessions, free from controversy and dispute with other Powers, now reach the enormous total area of more than 3,000,000 square miles. This includes the flourishing colony of Algeria, on the north, which, like Cape Colony at the other extremity of the continent, is na- turall}; adapted as a home for the white man. South of this is that vast 3 weep of country once known as the Desert of Sahara. RICHES ESr THE DESERT. But France has found unknown wealth in these sands. Al- ready a railroad has crossed Algeria and is pushing into this former desert for the purpose of opening up the whole western sec- tion and bringing forth its latent riches. South of the desert France controls the headwaters of the Niger, with its fertile val- leys. Further south is the French Congo, with the Congo River and its valley along the southern border. It Vv'as from these western possessions that Marchand pushed forward to Fashoda, while another French expedition, starting from Obok, on the east coast, sought to join hands with him, thus demonstrating to the world that England's dream of a British Africa, inseparable from Cairc to the Cape, wr.s not to be realized. But while these plans were not fully carried out, France has de- veloped her possessions in ot'ier diiec*"ions, until she rightly makes claim of holding frst place in the extent of possessions in Africa. Iip"""pnp* 'tnn GRKAT POWERS DIVIDING AFRICA. 93 Germany, who may be said to have begun the scramble for Africa, has come off with far less territory than her rivals. It must be remembered, however, that although she began with a rush, that rush started as late as 1883. Previous to that time she had nothing ; now she has undisputed possession of almost 1,000,000 square miles. She began her acquisitions in south-west Africa, where, by arrangement with England, she came into possession of Damaraland and Namaqualand. But it is doubtful if this half desert country can ever be of any practical value. In fact, it ^vould never have been allowed to slip through John Bull's hands were it otherwise. Germany's greatest African possession, however, lies in the eastern part of the continent, with British East Africa on its north and Portuguese East Africa on its south. This territory of the Germans includes the southern half of the Victoria Nyanza and a portion of the shore of Lake Tanganyika, with about 400 miles of coast line. Although several efforts ha\e been made to open up this country, Germany does not seem to have the remarkable suc- cess of the British in her colonizing attempts. The vast bulk of the country is little more than an unknown desert. While Ger- many still clings stubbornly to an indefinite claim to territory lying north of Ashanti, it is extremely doubtful that her African possessions will ever materially increase. GERMAN EMPIRE IN AFRICA. Germany, coming late, took the least desirable dessert country, and even the scant possibilities of this have ^een further weighed down by officialism and militarism, which are the main character- istics of German colonizing, as against the local civil administra- tions which the Britisli and French put into force. In West Africa Germany has also set her foot — in the Kameruns, not far from the Niger country, and at Togoland, running from the Gulf of Guinea back to a rich interior. With Germany's industrial awak- ening and her need for new markets this German Empire in Africa is viewed at Berlin as a seat of future greatness. At the beginning of the scramble for Africa, Portugal put 94 TH^ GREAT POWERvS DIVIDING AFRICA. forth tremendous claims for a colonial empire stretching across the continent from Angola to Mozambique. England soon stepped forward and shattered that dream, and to-day the actual jurisdiction of the Portuguese seldom extends beyond a fringe of coast terri- tory. One of her richest possessions, Delagoa Bay, has passed into the hands of the English by purchase, and on the Guinea coast all that remains of her old possessions is a small strip of 14,000 square miles south of the Gambia. Italy has had much the same luck as Portugal. For many a year she had cast a covetous eye toward Tripoli. France spoiled that scheme by curtly telling her to keep hands o£F. or there would be trouble. So it was not until 1882 that she took any step toward getting a slice of the continental pie that was going around. Twelve years previously an Italian trading house had obtained the cession of a little spot of land on Assab bay, and here Italy saw the chance for forcing in the usual thin edge of the usual wedge. In a little less than six years she had reached Cape Kasar and had prepared to absorb Abyssinia. It was a sad mistake. She at- tempted more than she could perform, and, after a series of humil- iating disasters, was forced back to her little strip along the Red Sea. She still adheres to a vague claim on Somaliland, but it is doubtful if she will ever be able to establish this claim. THE NEGRO AND AMERICAN INDIAN. During all these struggles life has gone darkly with the Afri- can. While his eventual fate may be, as scholars and statesmen believe, that of the red Indian in America, it will be a much greater length of time before he will pass away from the continent which the more virile white has wrung and is still wringing from him. But it is only a matter of time, and a very short time, when every mile of Africa will be opened up and every obscure tribe introduced to the railway engine and the advanced ideas and the whisky bottle of the European civilizer. When once Cecil Rhodes' dream of a " Cape to Cairo " rail- way is realized and the heart of the Dark Continent is pierced by a lin of steel rails, the greatest work in the transformation of THE GREAT POWERS DIVIDING AFRICA. 90 Africa will have been accomplished. Christianization, onct the watchword of every power that intruded so sanctimoniously into the jungle of the black, seems to have been quite forgotten in the mad rush for land. Just how industrious the different great nations have been in this respect may be gleaned from the following table, in which is given an approximate estimate of the area claimed by the different •powers. France, it will be seen, comes first ; but if the Egyptian Sv.iidan and the other claimed territories of Great Britain be consid- ered as absolutely belonging to that empire, France would be second in the list of African landlords : Square uiiles. Frarn^e 3,300,000 Great Britain 2,300,000 Germany 925,000 Congo Free State .... 900,000 Portugal 750,000 Italy (including Somali- land) 420,000 Spain 214,000 Boer Republics 168,000 Square miles. Abyssinia 195,000 Morocco 220,000 lyiberia 14,600 Turkey(Egypt and Tripoli) 800,000 Mahdi's Territories .... 650,000 Wadai 150,000 Un annexed Sahara .... 800,000 Lakes 60,000 Total Africa 11,874,600 TABLE OP DISTANCES. Such figures may serve to demonstrate the magnitude of the Dark Continent. To Americans who are in the habit of thinking of South ' Vica as an out-of-the-way corner of the world the fol- lowing railway distances will be interesting, if not surprising : Cape Town to— Miles. Kimberley 647 Vryburg 774 Mafeking 870 Bulawayo i,3^ Sali.sbury 1,553 Bloemfontein 730 Johannesburg 1,014 Pretoria .... 1,040 Port Elizabeth to— Rosemead Junction 243 Norvars Pont 529 Bloemfontein 450 Viljoen's Drift 628 Johannesburg 714 Pretoria 740 Durban to^ Miles. Pietermaritzburg 70 I Lady.smitli 189 j Harrismith 245 Newcastle 268 L,aingsnek 300 Charlestown 304 Volk.srust 323 Standerton 330 Heidelburg 440 ( Johannesburg 483 I Pretoria 511 [ Delagoa Bay to— I Kometi Paart 58 i Pretoria 310 i Johannesburg 336 m THE GREAT POWERS DIVIDING AERICA. -1,1 All of this goes to show that time brings its changes. In the eighteenth centnry the world was busy stealing Africans from Africa. In the nineteenth centur}'^ the world is busy stealing Africa from Africans. The United States has thus far given no attention to territory in Africa, and has permitted the other powers to apportion Africa among themselves as best suited them. Liberia has at times reached out to this cor ntry for help, and an American protectorate has been proposed. B it Liberia is little more than a dot on Africa, having an area of only 12,000 square miles. Moreover, it is not a white man's country, for Sierra Leone, alongside, is known as the white man's grave. As a charity, protection might be given to Liberia, but for practical considerations it would be a travesty for the United States to look to that spot as the seat of future Ameri- can effort in Africa. PROPORTION OP WHITES AND NATIVES. The territory claimed by each of the great powers in Africa affords no estimate of the foreign or native population. For example, the British and Dutch in South Africa, both combined, are everywhere outnumbered b}'^ the native element, chiefly Kafiirs and Hottentots, but for the purpose of comparison the savage races may be ignored. Taking the various political dn4sions in detail, in Cape Colony the western, that is, the older settled part, is predominantly Dutch. The British form the majority only in the south-east, from Algoa Bay eastwards, the diamond mining country about Kimberley, the copper-produring part of Little Namaqua Land, and in Cape Town itself The south-easteiii pro-British portion of the colony is much more progressive and growing in population than the older western portion. The former derives a great deal of trade from the rapidly developing countries lying to the north ; the latter has only deserts on its northern side, and is, therefore, almost entirely dependent on its trade. Taking Cape Colony as a whole, the British and Dutch sec- tions are probably in about the ratio of seven to ten. In Natal ■.^^■-:■' ■*} THE GREAT POWERS DIVIDING AFRICA. 97 about five-sixths of the 50,000 whites are estimated to be British. In the extreme northwest, however, there is a small Boer majority, a survival of the Great Trek, or emigration of 1836. The Orange River Free State and Transvaal republics are, of course, pre-eminently Boer. The small, but relatively densely peopled patch about Johannesburg is the glaring exception, from the existence of which has sprung the whole vexed question The as yet sparsely peopled Rhodesia and Bechuanaland are with equal obviousness British, but their white population is too insig- nificant to play any great part in the solution of the difficulty. A COUNTRY FOR THE ANGLO-SAXON. Although the whole of South Africa is not under the rule of Great Britain, the English or American emigrant is able to make his home in any part of it, and the English language is common ly used in every town or village, whether in Cape Colony or in Natal, in the Dutch republics or in the Portuguese possessions. It appears that the shape and construction of South Africa are of particular, almost of providential, advantage to the Anglo-Saxon of to-day. Had the harbors been more accessible, the roads into the interior easier and more general, the land itself better watered and more readily cultivated, a country with so genial a climate must, centuries ago, have passed into the hands of other nations, which were at that time much further advanced than ourselves ; or, failing this, must have been so thickly peopled by races native to the soil as to leave no room for colonists from abroad. It .-ceded Anglo-Saxtfji enterprise ';o open up this wild country. 7 'i ^ f n '''!>': "'II' < '''^^vmmmimmmmm^fllfflllllf^^ I Is: fr I ! :i \ CHAPTER VI. Wonderful Country of Rhodesia. > IN 1897 the celebrated explorer, Henry M. Stanley, to whom credit mnst be given for many of the most important discov- eries eve/ made in Africa, visited the southern part of the continent and gathered most valuable information concerning the Transvaal, Orange Free State and other localities that have become well known in the war between the English and Boers. Mr. Stanley first visited Rhodesia, a vast territory, under the dominion of Great Britain, and lying north of the Transvaal. Named after Mr. Cecil Rhodes, the most prominent English capi- talist and government official in South Africa. This territory has come prominently into view on account of its vast agricultural and mineral wealth, and the splendid future believed by everybody to await it. We cannot do the reader a greater favor than to permit Mr. Stanley to give, in his own language, his most interesting ac- count of his latest visit to the southern part of the great continent that will hereafter ever be associated with his name. Writing from Bulawayo, the principal town in Rhodesia, he says : The exploration and the development of Rhodesia have always been regarded by me with sentimental interest. Every new advance in this- region has been hailed by me with infinite satisfaction, and no man regretted more than myself the lapses of the founder and Administrator in December, 1895, which threatened to involve the whole of South Africa in trouble, and to arrest the progress which had begun. It appeared for a moment as if Rhodes and Jameson had relinquished golden substance for a shadow. It is not in human capacity to realize from a far distance the trutV of the rumors which came from here respecting the intrinsic value of the land, and so I came here at a great inconvenience to myself to verify by actual observation what had been repeatedly stated. I have been rewarded for so doing by clear convictions, p.- WONDERFUL COUNTRY OF RHODESIA. 99 which, though they may be of no great value to others, are very satisfactory to myself, and will forever remain fixed in my mind, despite all contrary assertions. There was a little speech recently delivered by Commandant Van Rensburg, which, perhaps, will be ' thought by London editors of no importance, but it was most gratify- ing to me, inasmuch as I had become possessed with the same ideas. He said that it was generally supposed that without gold Rhodesia could not exist, but he differed from that view, as, he was certain in his own mind, it would remain an ' nportant country because of its many agricultural products, its native wood, coal, cement, etc., etc. He had come to the conclusion that Rhodesia was as fit for agriculture as any part of South Africa, though he had been rather doubtful of it before he had seen the land with his own eyes. That is precisely my view. It is natural that the large majority of vis- itors who have come here to satisfy themselves about the existence of gold in Rhodesia should pay but little attention to what may be seen on the surface ; but those who have done so now know that Rhodesia has a great agricultural future before it. GREAT RAILWAY ACHIEVEMENT. Several hundreds of men, eminent in divers professions, have come from England, America, the Cape, Orange Free State, Natal, Basuto and Zulu Lands, the Transvaal, Bechuanaland and Northern Rhodesia, to celebrate the railway achievement by which this young colony has become connected with the oldest colony in South Africa. In any other continent the opening of five hundred miles of new railway would be fittingly celebrated by the usual banquet and the after-dinner felicitations of those directly concerned with it ; but in this instance there are six members of the Imperial Parliament, the High Commissioner of the Cape, the Governor of Natal, scores of members of the Colonial Legislatures, and scores of notabilities, leaders of thought and action, bankers, merchants, and clergy from every colony and state in the southern part of this continent. They all felt it to be a great event. Few events of the century surpass it in interest and import- m 100 WONDERFUI. COUNTRY OF RHODESIA. / ance. It marks the conclusion of an audacious enterprise, which at one time would have been deemed impossible, and later as most unlikely. It furnishes a lesson to all colonizing nations. It teaches methods of operation never practiced before. It suggests large and grand possibilities, completely reforms and alters our judgment with regard to Africa, e£faces difficulties that impeded right views, and infuses a belief that, once the political and capi- talist public real^' ies what the occasion really signifies, this railway is but the precursor of many more in this continent. In fact, we have been publicly told that we are to expect others, and that the railway to the Victoria Falls of the Zambesi is the next on the programme, and will soon become a palpable fact. RAPID ADVANCE EVERYWHERE. The Rudd-Rhodes Concession was granted by Lo Bengula in 1888. The Charter to the S^uth Africa Company was given in 1889 ; possession of Mashonaland was taken by Jameson and his pioneers on September 12, 1890; Bulawayo was entered in 1893, and thus the Lo Bengula Concession grew to be Rhodesia. Bui during this brief interval the advance has been so rapid that, though at home people may vaguely believe in it, one has to see the town of Bulawayo and to come in personal contact with its peo- ple to fully comprehend what has been done, and to rightly under- stand the situation. With the clearer view gained by a personal visit the huge map in the Stock Exchange, which shows the estates, farms, town- ships, and mines of Rhodesia, becomes an encyclopaedia of informa- tion — the plans of Bulawayo and Salisbury, and other towns which have arisen in Rhodesia, valuable directories. If fresh from an inspection and .study of these you step out and look at the town of Bulawayo, and glance at the country, you begin to share the local knowledge of the inhabitants, see with their eyes, understand on what they base their hopes, and grasp the real meaning of pushing a railway 500 miles to reach a town of 3000 people. So that, while at home men were arguing that the Rudd- Rhodes Concession was valueless, and Rhodesia a fraud, the land ; WONDERFUL COUNTRY OF RHODESIA. 101 was being bought with avidity, prospectors had discovered gold reefs, shafts had been sunk, tunnels had been made to get a fair idea of the value of the reefs, a nominal capital of many millions — some say twenty millions, some say double that sum — had been assured for operations, towns had been created with all the com- forts suited to new colonists, and the embryo State was fairly started into existence. While being instructed in the hopes and ambitions of severa! of the local people, my knowledge of how other young countries, such as the States, Canada, Australia, had been affected by the ex- tension of the railway into parts as thinly inhabited as Rhodesia, induced me to cast my glance far beyond Rhodesia, that I might see what was likely to be its destiny, whether it was to be a Free State like Orange, self-sufficient and complacent within its own limits, or broadly ambitious like Illinois State, of which Chicago is the heart. Assuming that the energy which has already astonished us be continued, there are enormous possibilities in view A COMMERCIAL CENTRE. Bulawayo is 1360 miles from Cape Town, but it is on^y I3b& miles of land travel from Cairo, for the rest of the distance may be made over deep lakes and navigable rivers ; it is but 1300 miles to Mossamedes, in Angola, which would bring the town within fifteen days from London; it is only 450 miles from Beira, on the East Coast, which would give it another port of entry open to commerce from the Suez Canal, India, Australia, and New Zealand; it is but 350 miles from N'gami ; it nitist tap British Central Africa and the southern parts of the Congo State. That is the position acquired by Bulawayo by the railway from Cape Town. Chicago, less than 60 years ago, had far less pretensions than this town, and yet its population now runs into the millions. Something of what Chicago has become Bulawayo may aspire to. The vast coal fields to which the new railway is to run, the stone, granite, sandstone, trachyte, the woods, minerals, gold, copper, lead and iron, the enormous agricultural area, are valuable assets which must nourish it to aU equal destiny. '^mmm^'m^mmrwmT' 102 WONDERFUL COUNTRY OF RHODESIA. 1! I Then the Victoria Falls, larger thau Niagara, what mighty electrical power lies stored there ! I merely mention these things haphazard with the view of assisting my readers to nnderstand the significance of these festivities. Many men will think and meditate on them, and new confidence, courage and energy will be begotten to stimulate them to greater designs and larger effort. But how does the scene at Bulawayo affect the political world ? It seems to me to have great importance for all South African and British politicians for the way it affects Germany, Portugal, the Congo Free State and Cape Colony. It will cause people to revise their opinions, and to clear their minds of all previous policies. Any influence that Germany may have hoped to exercise on South African politics has received a < ^leck by the insuperable barrier that has been created by those s.^nder lines of steel between its South- West African Colony suk. the Dutch Republics. The Bech- uana Crown Colony and Protectorate, through which they run, must receive a percentage of all immigrants to Rhodesia. RIVALS OF THE GERMAN COLONY. These last two are far in advance of the German Colony, and each day must see them strengthened, so that they will become formidable obstacles in the way of German aspirations. These colonies, lying along the length of the western frontier of the Transvaal State, are four times larger than the Transvaal, and their grand stock-raising areas and agricultural plains having now become easily accessible, cannot remain long unoccupied. I fancy, therefore, that the ambition of Germany to rival England's claims to the paramountcy will become wholly extinguished now, and that her thinkers, like wise men, will prepare their minds for the new problems which must be met in a not remote future. The populating of Rhodesia by mixed races of whites of a superior order to any near it must exercise the Portuguese, whose territory lies between Rhodesia and the Indian Ocean. The iron road leading to it cannot be closed The future of the country is no longer doubtful. We have tested its climate ourselves ; we have lieard the general conviction that these lofty plains, 4500 feet above WONDERFUL COUNTRY OF RHODESIA. 108 tlie sea, suit the constitution of the white race ; we have seen a hundred English children going from Bulawayo to a picnic to cele- brate the arrival of the railway, and assuredly that would have been impossible on a tropic il day in any other tropical country I know of We have seen scores of infants on the streets, in the suburbs, on the plains outside, in arms and in perambulators, and they all looked thriving, pink and happy. The market of Bulawayo each day shows u" English vege- tables fresh from the garden. We have seen s^>eciuiens of the cereals. Well, then, it appears to me certain that there will be a masterful population in this country before long, which it would be the height of unwisdom to vex overmuch with obsolete ordi- ^ nances and by-laws such as obtain in Portuguese Africa, and bur- densome taxes and rates on the trafl&c that must arise as this country grows in wealth and population. POSSESSIONS OP PORTUGAL. It may be hoped that intelligent Portuguese will do all in their power to promote concord and good feeling with their neighbor, to check refractory chiefs from doing anything to disturb the peace, for nothing could make the people of Rhodesia more restless than interruption to traffic, and a sense of insecurity. If they do that the Portuguese territory must become enriched by the neighbor- hood of Rhodesia. The Congo State will doubtless recognize its profit by the advent of the railway to Bulawayo and the extension of the line towards its southern borders, and the arrangements of the govern- ment will be such as to ensure respect for boundaries and to teach the native tribes that transgression of such will be dangerous. The British Government have a valuable object lesson for the development of x\frican colonies. For over two hundred years thei West African colonies have been stagnating for lack of such means* of communication. They have been unable to utilize their re- sources. Their natural pretensions to the hinterlands have been greviously curtailed, and what ought to have been British is now French. Nyasaland has also too long suffered from Imperial par- 'i 104 WONDERFUIy COUNTRY OF BHODESIA. Simony. The function of government should comprise something more than police duty or the collection of taxes. The removal of causes injurious to health and life, and the establishment of communicntion as required by circumstances of climate, and needful to augment commerce, are just as urgent as the prevention of lawlessness and the collection of imposts. The <;limate of Nyasaland has slain more valuable men than the assegais of the Angoni. Against the latter the government sent their Sikhs; igainst the former they have done nothing. Many of the sick colonists might have been saved, if, when weakened by anaemia, a little railway past the vShire Rapids had taken them quickly through the malarious land to a more healthful locality. ADVANTAGES OF RAPID TRANSIT. If it be worth while to retain and administer Nyasaland, it is surely worth while to supply tlie population with certain means to send the fruits of their industry to the world's markets, and to enable them to receive the necessaries of existence without endan- gering their lives in the effort of risking the loss of their goods. Therefore, toa government that has shown such dread of constructing an insignificant railway a hundred miles in length, the enterprise of the Chartered Company in constructing one five hundred miles long — and starting immediately upon an extension tn^o hundred and twenty miles — at the cost of one and three-quarter millions, must be exceedingly stimulative. The antique and barbarous method of porterage should be abolished in every Britirh colony, more especially in tropical colonies, where exposure to sun aa(? rain means death to white and black. To the South African Republic it is vitally important to weigl? well in what manner the Bulawayo railway will affect her future. The republic will soon be surrounded by a rampart of steel on three sides and alien land and ocean on the other. From Beira, north of the republic, a railway will run west to Salisbury, and thence south to Bulawayo and the Cape With two ways of ingress from the sea a country like Rhode- sia — with as good a climate as the Transvaal State, with resources WONDERFUL COUNTRY OF RHOPKSIA. IM which tend to rapid prosperity, enjoying impartial and liberal laws, just and pure administration, opening its arms widely to the whole world without regard to race, blessed with ample domains and suited to the needs of all classes — must necessarily prove more at- tractive to all people in search of homes, than a country which only favors Dutch burghers ; and Rhodesia therefore bids fair in a few years to overtake the Republic in population, and even to surpass it. The Boers do not avail themselves of the advantages of their position to that fulness which would make it doubtful whether Rhodesia or the Transvaal offered the most inducements to intending settlers for making a permanent home. TRYING TO MONOPOLIZE THE COUNTRY. On the contrary, the common report is that the object of che Boers is to restrict population and reserve the State for Boer progeny. If true, the attempt to suppress population and growth by restrictions, monopolies, and vexatious ordinances is simple imbecility, as compared to the Chartered Company's policy of stimulating commerce by giving free rein to enterprise, and keep- ing the paths and gates to its territory freely open to all comers. If there is an intelligent man in the Transvaal, it must be clear to him that the Republic must soon lose the rank among South African States to which she was entitled by her wonderful re- sources and undoubted advantages ; and the only thing that can save her from degradation, neglect, and financial difficulties, is the absorption of that alien population which crowds her cities and clamors for political rights. Cape Colony, though much is due to it for its support of the Bechuana railway, is not wholly free from the blame of inertness in the past.. One cannot look at the map of Africa and miss see- ing that extraordinary territory labeled German close to Cape Colony, without being reminded of the obtuseness shown by the Cape democracy. But the Germans are a great nation, rich, com- merce-loving, and enterprising, ai^d the Cape people need to be warned, considering that they are largely mixed up with Dutch Boers, who are slow to move and sadly behind the times. If the Hi 106 WONDERFUL COUNTRY OF RHODESIA. ii i' Germans chose to invest $20,000,000 in railways from tlie mouth of the Swakop to the banks of the Orange, they would be formida- ble competitors for the trade of Bechuanaland and the north of the colony, and Swakop is three days nearer Europe than Table Bay. The railways in America created cities and filled the wastes with settlers, and every new settler was supposed to be worth $1,000 to the nation ; and in this country there is a mile of railway to every twenty square miles of country. The Cape has but a mile of railway to every 112 square miles. The railways should spread out like a fan from Cape Town. The existing lines require straight- ening greatly. It is not good policy that the line to Natal should run through alien States, nor is it conducive to the development of the Colony. Some railways may not show l?rge dividends, but they are indis- pensable to development and communication: they give value to acres which otherwise would be worthless, and indirectly contribute to revenue in other ways than by dividends. Hence Cape Colony may learn a good deal from t' lis new railway. APPEARANCE OF THE TOWN. I think I have said enough to illustrate the position in which Bulawayo has been placed by the arrival of the railway. At pres- ent its broad avenues and streets give one an idea that it has made too much of itself. When the avenues are about go feet wide and the streets 130 feet wide, naturally the corrugated iron one-storica cottages and the one-storied brick buildings appear very diminu- tive ; and the truth is that, were the streets of proportionate width to the height of the buildings, the town would appear very small. The plain upon whic^i it stands gives an idea of infinity that ren- ders poor one-storied Bulawayo very finite-looking indeed. The town, however, has laid itself out for future greatness, and the designers of it have been wise. Winnipeg, in Manitoba, which Bulawayo reminds me of by the surrounding plain, was laid out on just such a spacious plan ; bat ten years later six-storied buildings usurped the place of the isolated iron hut and cottage, and the streets were seen to be no whit too wide. Ten years hence Bula- k*jab«twv-»H WONDERFUL COUNTRY OF RHODESIA 107 wayo will aspire higlier t )wards tlie sky, and when the electric trams run in double lines, between rows of shade trees, there will be no sense of disproportion between buildings and streets. On the walls of the Stock Exchange I found hanging plans and elevations of the brick and stone buildings already contracted for. They are not to be very lofty, none over two stories, but architecturally they are most attractive. These nev.- buildings will, perhaps, stand for about five years, for, according to m^'^ experience, it is not until the tenth year that the double story becomes the fashion. At the twentieth year begins the triple story ; at thirty years the fourth story begins to appear. ORANGE TREES AND FLOWERS. East of the town area devoted to commerce is a broad strip of park. It occupies a gentle hollow in the plain, watered by a crooked ditch, called spruit here, running through a rich, dark, and very thirsty earth It contains a few puddles here and there along its coarse. Only a portion of the park is laid out as yet, and that has been well and carefully done. Its plots contain a few hundreds of grape vines, which look like currant bushes. There are also about a hundred very young orange trees, a few flowers, shrubs, etc. A stone colunm to the memory of Captain Lendy occupies an eminence in it. The whole park has a sombre appearance, owing to the dark soil and ironstone freely spiinkling it. But as the bushes, shrubs, ivnd flowers have only been lately planted, and as around the forcing hous^ :> ^here is a large number of young plants in tins and pots, soon to be transplanted, a couple of years will make an immense difference in the appearance of the place. From various people I have learned that the average estimate of the population of Bulawayo is 3000 whites, one-fifth of whom are women and children. There are several hotels, but none of them are fit for ladies, and scarcely for gentlemen. The noise and clatter at these forbid sleep, except between midnight and 5 A. M. The food is somewhat coarse, but plentiful ; the tea and coffee such as one may obtain on a Cape liner — that is, too strong an infusion of i f J •' {\ y% 108 WONDERFUL COUNTRY OF RHODESIA. one, aud a watery decoction of the otlier. The cooks evidently are common ship-cooks, as one may gather by the way they boil pota- toes and cabbages. The bread is good, the butter is tolerable, the meat is like leather. The waiters, though civil and willing enough, are awkward and new to their work. There are seven churches — the Wesleyan, Congregational, Church of England, Dutch Reformed, Presbyterian and Roman 'Catholic, and one Temperance Hall, There is, of course, a jail, a fire brigade and police station. In the jail are several prisoners, white and black. The crimes of the whites have been burglary, theft and drunkenness. Among the blacks are fourteen prisoners under sentence of death for various crimes. POOR WATER SUPPLY. The railway station is fairly adapted for its purpose, though its construction was necessarily rapid. The settling reservoirs, fed by pipes from the dams, are not far from it ; but I fear that they will be of little use, as the soil is too porous. A coating of cement would make them effective, but the general opinion is that cement would be too costly. The great defect of Bulawayo is the smallness of the water supply and the badness of it. At present the inhabitants depend on wells, and water is easily obtainable at 30 and 40 feet, but the v/ater is of a hard and indifferent quality. Up on one stream, about two and a half miles from the town, there have been con- structed three dams of different lengths and varying heights. No. I dam is the nearest to Bulawayo, and has a solid stone aud cement core starting from the bedrock 10 feet wide, and decreasing by set- backs of 6 inches to a width of 2 feet at the top. No. 2 dam has a puddled core of clay faced with stone, and No. 3 is of similar construction. In April these dams were full and overflowing, but, unfortunately, through bad construction and want of care, there were several leaks, and it is now decided to demolish two of the dams and rebuild them. Nos. 2 and 3 are quite fit to retain the water catchment. The estimated storage of water by the three dams is calculated to be between 40 and 45 million gallons. A WONDERFUL COUNTRY OF RHODESIA. 109 fourth dam, about to be erected, will, it is thought, considerably increase the storage. We have had four copious showers of rain since our arrival, but a few hours later the spruits, gullies and water-courses were almost waterless, the streets showing scarcely a trace of the rain, so porous and thirsty is the soil. Daily it becomes apparent to me that the inhabitants of Bulawayo should lose no time in studying the art of water conservation. In a country just within the tropics an abundaut supply of water is essential, and thirty gallons per head per day would not be excessive. Ten thousand inhabitants should be able to command 300,000 gallons daily, but Bulawaj-o within twenty years will have probably 20,000, and there is no river between here and Khama's country that could supply 600,000 gallons daily. Numbers of little water- sheds may be drained into reservoirs, but if I were a citizen of Bulawayo my anxiety would be mainly on the subject of water. The water question is not at all an insoluble one, because, for the matter of that, Bulawayo will have always the Zambesi tributaries to fall back upon, especially the Guay River. A PINE AVENUE. At the north end of the town we came to a gate leading to an avenue which ran perfectly straight for two miles and a half The carriage road, which it is intended to macadamize, is about 30 feet wide, and running parallel with it on either side is an inclosure 50 feet wide, to be planted with shade trees. Thus the avenue em- braces a width of about 130 feet. At the extremity of it is the Government House, standing in grounds which four years before were occupied by Lo Bengula's kraal. We were all curious to see the place, and one of the first objects shown to us was the small tree under which the Matabele king dispensed his bloody judgments. Here is a description of the place from " Zambesia :" The King's capital stands upon a ridge on the northern side of the Bulawayo River, in a most commanding position, overlooking as it does the entire country round. Every yard of the ground was covered with manure, layer after layer ; the whole place was filthily n Hi ^m^ ■.;^5®T.-i;. h i .Ik "t;j WA Wi 110 WONDERFUI. COUNTRY OF RHODESIA. dirty. The King used to sit on a block of wood in the middle of a great pole stockade, surrounded by sheep and goats. The first sentence is most misleading, though not inaccurate. The kraal stood upon the same level as the plain of New Bulawayo ; but the " Bulawayo Rive" — a dry watercourse most of the year — has scoured out a broad >k)11ow to a depth of about 20 feet in the plain, and, as the kraal was seated on the brow above it, it enables one to have a view of a circle of about fif^ 'n miles in diameter, within which are probably three or four of t ise long, broad swells of plain land. Government House is a long, low, white-washed house, in Dutch Colonial style, with a pillared verandah outside. It is the property of Mr. Rhodes, as well as the avenue just mentioned. I am told he possesses about eighty square miles altogether hereabouts, and by the way he is developing his estates, it will some day be a beautiful as well as valuable p. ^rty. FOREMOST MAN IN SOUTH AFRICA This reminds me that I have not once mentioned Rhodes, though when describing Rhodesia one ought not to omit his name; but the fact is he has preferred to remain in the country rather than undergo the fatigue of the banquets and ceremonies. From Cape Town here many men have spoken of him to me, and always with unqualified admiration. I know no man who occupies such a place in men's thoughts. His absence has given rise to all kinds of con- jectures as to the cause of it. Some say it is due to the fact that the Cape elections are approaching, and he did not wis*h to be forced to a pronouncement of policy ; others that it is due to Dr. Jameson's zealous care of his health, as he suffers from heart complaint; others again say it is due to a wounded spirit, which too long grieving might easily end in a Timonian moroseness. Whatever the true cause may be, he has so plfrsted himself in the affections of the people that no eccentriciJ.y '^f his can detract from his merits. When a man scatters ^1,000,0 'O a year on the country out of which he made his wealt'i it cove^h a m.'idtude of sios in the minds of the recipients of his gratuitous fa-*?' rs. WONDERFUIy COUNTRY OF RHODESIA. Ill *' He does mad and fantastic execution Engaging and redeeming of himself, With such a careless face and forceless care, As if that luck, in very spite ol cunning. Bade him win all." We have seen what Bulawayo is as it terminated the employ- ment of the ox-wagon, and had just emerged out of the sore troubles caused by war, famine and rinderpest. The next train that arrives after our departure will be the beginning of a new era. The ma- chinery that litters the road will be brought up, and the ox-wagons drawn by fourteen oxen, and the wagons drawn by twelve mules, and those drawn by twenty donkeys, will haul it to the mines, and hence we may hope at the end of a year or so <"hat Rhodesia will have proved by its^old output its intrinsic '• ;] ^ as a gold field. CHAPTER VII. Vast Stores of Natural Wealth. |R. STANLEY furnishes the following graphic description of Rhodesia and its timbers and mines : It is fitting to ask, What is Rhodesia, about which so much has been said and written? What are its prospects? I cannot help but wish I were more qualified by local and technical knowledge to describe the country; but as I have been at some trouble in solicit- ing the judgment of experienced men, conscientiously weighing the merits of what was told mc, and carefully considering what I have j^ersonally seen, I can only hope the following summary may have some value to those interested in Rhodesia. I have been asked by my fellow-guests at Bulawayo how the face of the country appeared as compared with the tropical regions further north with which I am more familiar. With regard to the superficial aspect of Rhodesia, I see but little difference between it and Bast Central Africa, and the southern portion of the Congo basin. Indeed, I am much struck with the uniformity of inner Africa on the whole. Except in the neighborhood of the greai. lakes, which mark the results of volcanic action, where great sub- sidences have occurred, and the great plains have been wrinkled up or heaved into mountains of great height, the body of Inner Africa away from the coasts is very much alike. The main difference is due to latitude. From the Cape Penin- sula to north of Salisbury, or the Victoria Falls, the whole country is one continuous plain country. Between the tops of the highest hills and the highest grassy ridge in the Transvaal the differencv^. of altitude seems solely due to the action of the rain. In the Zam- besi basin you have a great shallow basin, and directly you cross the river and travel northward the ascent is beiiig made to reach the cre3t of the watershed between the Zn'Mbesi and the Congo, which is but little higher than the highest ridge of Salisbury. 112 VAST STORES OF NATURAL WEALTH. 118 From thence a gradual descent is made to reacli the central depression of the Congo basin. Northward of the Congo water- shed, you gain the average altitudes of the grassy ridges of South Afiica, and then begin a descent into the basin of the Tchad lake, and from thence to the IVIediterranean the same system of great land waves rolling and subsiding continues. Latitude — and I might say altitude — however, changes the appearance of the land. Rarely on the tableland of Equatorial Africa do we see the scrub and thorn trees of South Africa. The vegetation there is more robust, the trees taller, the leafage thicker and of a darker green ; the mere grasses of the tropics are taller than the trees growing on the plains of Cape Colony, Bechuana- land and Rhodesia, though in the latter country there are oases favorable to the growth of noble timber. In nitrous belts — fortu- nately of no great width — in Ugogo, Nyasaland, Bast Africa, we should be reminded of the thoru}- productions of Bechuanaland, and ten degrees north of the equator we should again see a recur rence of them, but this happens only in detached portions GROWING THRIFT AND LUXURIANCE. It must have struck even the most unobservant of our j,dests how the land improved as we traveled northward. How the ungrateful looking Karroo of Cape Colony was presently followed by expansive plains covered with dwarf shrubs ; how the plains became more promising after we passed the Hart river ; how the rolling grass}'^ prairie-like country of Southern Bechuana was fol- lowed hy the acacias and mimosas of Northern Bechuana; and how as we ueared Rhodesia these trees in a few hours of travel rose from ten feet to twenty feet in height ; how the land became more compact, and lost much of its loose porous texture, and conse- quently the grasses were higher, and water might be found at a lesser depth. I'hat iniprovenie_(t, I am told, continues as we go northward towards Salisbury, even though we may keep on a somewhat uni- form level, that is on the tableland separating the river flowing eastward, south to the Limpopo and north-west to the Zambesi. K wmmmm ! 'd! h Sir: iff' * KM. 114 VAST STORKS OF NATURAI. WEALTH. So rapid is the effect of a lower altitude, and consequent greater heat and moisture, that about eighty miles from Bulawayo to the north-west, a magnificent forest of teak has been found, from whose grand timber we saw several specimens of furniture, such as tables, desks and bureaus, a log of twenty feet length and a foot square, besides a quantity of planks. Now, this Rhodesia consists of Matabeleland and Mashona- land, and covers about a quarter of a million square miles. It is the northern portion of the Great South African i ablelaud, and itn high- est elevations run northeast and southwest, varying from 4000 to nearly 6000 feet above the sea. This height declines on the east- ern, southern, and northwestern sides, as it slopes along with the rivers flowing from them. This high land, which is eminently suitable for European families, is about 70,000 square miles in ex- tent, of solid, unbroken agricultural country as compared with Ireland, Scotland, and Wales. Those who remember what coun- tries ot similar superficial area in Europe can contain in population may be able to gauge what numbers of the white race may exist in Rhodesia. Here is room for an empire. MALARIOUS DISTRICTS MADE HEALTHY. Outside the limit I have mentioned the resident must expect to be afflicted with malarial fevers, and the lower one descends towards the sea, the more frequent and severe will they become. There is this comfort, however, that long before the upper plateau is over-populated, population will have made a large portion of the malarious districts healthy and inhabitable — at least, it has been so found in every land that I have visited. On the upper lands, the resident who has come by way of the Cape and Bechiianaland need have no fear of malaria. I regard my own oft tried system as a pretty sure indicator of the existence of malaria, for a very few hours' residence in a country subjected to this scourge would soon remind me of m}-^ predisposition to it ; but during the whole of the time I have spent in Rhodesia I have not felt the slightest symptom. I have seen white women driving their babies in perambulators on the plain outside Bulawayo in a VAST STORES OF NATURAL WEALTH. 110 sun as hot ai any in the Egyptian or Moroccan desert, and, though I felt they were unwise, it was clear to uie that in such a climate a sufficient head protection was the only thing necessary to guard against a sunstroke or the feverish feeling which naturally follows a rash exposure to heat. j ^ Rhodesia has been visited by us during what is generally said to be its worst period. The rainy season begins in November and ends in March. We arrived November 4th, and, though we have been h^.re only a week, we have had four showers and one all-night downpour. The rainfall during the season amounts to as much as 45 inches, I fancy few men have had larger experience of the per- tilLious effects of cold rains alternating with hot suns than I, and the conip- v. "3 r // '/ /A V Photographic Sdences Corporation 23 WEST MAIN STREET WEBSTER, N.Y. 14580 (716) 872-4503 ^ mm ^^m .18 VAST STORES OF NATURAI. WEALTH. iipped into a tub full of muddied water, a dexterous turn or wist of the wrist, and the coarser material was emptied into the ;ub. Frequent drippings and twists reduced the quantity of mate- lial in the pan, until at last there was barely a tablespoonful of it left, and still I saw no glitter. Again the dipping and twist' Ing and rinsing were repeated, until at last there was only a tea- spoonful of the dirt left ; but all around the bottom of the pan was a thin thread of unmistakable gold dust. It was beyond belief that such a barren-looking piece of quartz rock should contain gold; but then these experts are wonderful fellows. I pay them my most respectful homage. Returning to the hall under the influence of this very need- ful lesson, I resumed my examination of the exhibits. Beyond the Unit and Unicom exhibit stood some planks of a teaky qual- ity, beautifully polished, and showing numbers of small dark knots, and wavy patterns, which gave a walnutty appearance to the wood. The next exhibit was from the Gwanda districv by the Geelong Gold Mining Company, taken from a ninety-fee., level. In this district the ancient workings are found deepest. The prehistoric miners were accustomed to build charcoal fires on the quartz, and, when the rock was sufficiently heated, threw water on it, which soon disintegrated it, and enabled the picks and gads to be used. QUARTZ CRUSHED TO DUST. This reminded me how often I had done the same to huge rocks which blocked the way for my wagons on the Congo. The broken quartz, being brought to the surface, was then handed to natives, who crushed it to dust on blocks of granite with diorite hammers, or ground it as the modern natives do mealies. The dust was then panned in much the same way as is done by pros- pectors of to-day. In one of the old shafts, over sixty feet deep,, was found the dome of a human skull and some pieces of human bone. Th^ relics lay side by side with the quartz exhibits. One could moralize here if one had time. The exhibit of the Ellen Reef of the United Matabele Claims Development Company showed distinct gold. Just near it were \ VAST STORES OF NATURAL WEAI^TH. 11» blocks of fine-looking coal from the Matabele G^ld Reefs and Estates Company. The coal-field is situated 120 miles north of Bulawayo. The coal has been already tested, and is found to be admirable for all uses. , The Nicholson Olympus Block, Gwanda district, showed speci- mens which panned 120 ounces to the ton. The Mary reef speci- mens assayed six ounces to the ton. Next to these was a clock frame made out of trachyte in the form of a Greek temple. This trachyte is grayish-white in color and easily workable, but hardens by exposure. As there is plenty of this material it is probable Bulawayo will make free use of it in future. Mansions and villas of this stone would look extremely chaste and beautiful. OLD MINES ABANDONED. Then we came to the exhibits from the Tebekwe Mine, Selukwe district, seventy miles from Bulawayo on the Salisbury Road. The large map above was worth studying. It illustrated a reef about 1 100 yards in length, and eight oval-form excavations made by the ancients, resembling the pits Kimberley diamond diggers formerly made in the blue clay. The base lines of these excavations were not much over 60 feet from the surface. On the appearance of water in each shaft the ancients were unable to make their fire on the exposed quartz reef, and consequently had to abandon it, and they probably made another excavation along the reef until the appearance of water compelled them to relinquish that also. I next came to the Gaikwa and Chicago Reef, whose old work- ings had a shaft 70 feet deep. Its present owners sunk this to 100 feet when, they came to the abandoned reef. I think the 9ssay showed nearly twelve ounces to the ton. Close to it were specimens from the Adventurers Reef in the Insiza district, which assay i ounce to the ton. Beyond was the , Willoughby's Consolidated Company, Limited, which had exhibits from the favorite mines, called Bonsor, Dunraven and Queen's. People who have no pecuniary interest in mines have told me that the best mines in Rhodesia, and of which there is not the least doubt, are the Globe and Phoenix, Bonsor, Dunraven, Teljekwe i\ 1i; ■r: ''s'*^' ;!iii!«iJftSJ^!&'«^^r 7^-sm^:^^^m .Jll.^ia^j:-,^,J'^M,A. 120 "VAST STORES OF NATURAL WEALTH. and Geelong, all of which are in the Selukwe district, excepting Aie last, which is in Gwanda. After this exhaustive inspection of the ores on exhibition, it remained for us to see one of these Rhodesian mines in operation to dispel the last remnant of doubt which eloquent skeptics had inspired me with. We chose the Criterion Mine, which is by no means the nearest to the town. It belongs to the Rhodesia Com- pany, and is situated eight miles south from Bulawayo, and as Mr. Hirschler, the engineer of the mine, was willing to take upon him- self the trouble of being our guide, we flung ourselves gladly upon his generosity. In one hour and a half we made the distance in a spring cart drawn by four spirited little mules. " BIG HOLE WORTH LOOKING INTO. We halted at the engineer's station on a commanding grassy ridge, which neighbors that once occupied by Mosilikatse's old kraal of Gubulawayo during the forties, fifties and sixties of this century. A few spaces from the spot where we outspanned we came to a series of " old workings " which ran along the crest of the ridge for about 2000 feet. Where one of these old workings was untouched by the engineer, it reminded me of just such a big hole as might have been made to unearth a boulder, or to root out a large tree. One of these hollows was choseh by the engineer to sink his first shaft. After penetrating through fiftj' feet of debris, he came upon the reef which the ancients had abandoned because of flooding, and time, aided by rain, had filled up. He continued for about 10 feet more, sampling every 3 feet as he went, to dis- cover the grade of the ore. Since then he has sunk eight other shafts. The mine consists of 170 claims, but the development is concentrated on about twenty- five claims, ten of which are in the centre of the property, and fifteen towards the eastern boundary. In the centre two shafts are being sunk to the 150 feet level, and are at present connected by a drive 300 feet long. On this level the reef is throughout payable, while a chute 100 feet long is of high-grade ore. Trenches on the line of the reef indicate its occurrence towards the eastern portion Vast stores of naturai. wealth. 121 of of the mine, where five shafts varying from loo feet to 150 feet deep have been sunk. On examining the material at the mouths of the shafts, those among us who knew of what they were speak- ing declared that much of it was of high grade. High pyritic quartz abounded, and this was rich in fine gold. Sulphide galeng WIS found in some of the quartz. At the mouth of one shaft visible gold was very frequent, and about forty of the visitors obtained specimens wherein miniature nuggets were plainly visible. Where the reef was being worked at the deepest shaft it showed a breadth of 24 inches ; in some places it is only 18 inches wide ; at others it is 48 inches broad. LAND RICH IN GOLD. My readers need scarcely be told that the exhibits of ores are only such as a few companies of Rhodesia weie induced to send after urgent appeals from the public-spirited citizens of Bulawayo. I saw none from Salisbury, Mazoe, or any part of Mashonaland, and only a few mines ih Matabeleland were represented. There was no time for a proper exhibition. Many more were e7i route^ but the distances are great and the ox-wagon is slow. At any rate we have seen sufiicient to prove that Rhodesia is an auriferous country, though as yet no one knows what rank it will take among gold-producing lands. My own conviction — a conviction that is, I suppose, made up from what I have seen and heard from qualified men — is that Rho- desia will not be much inferior to the Transvaal. True, it has no Witwatersrand — forty miles of reefs ; but the superficial area is twice the size of the Transvaal State, and the prospectors have only succeeded in discovering a few plums. Then, though the railway has been brought to Bulawayo, it is still fe.r from the Belingwe and Selukwe districts, and within a radius of 100 miles from the town there are many gold fields richer than those in the immediate neighborhood of the railway terminus. It is necessary to state this in the clearest manner, for many will be carried away by the idea that now the railway is at Bulawayo the output of gold should follow immediately. V K ■ ! «, { 122 VAST STORES OF NATURAL WEALTH. .•;. li&- There is no doubt in my mind that gold will be produced in payable quantities from these Rhodesian mines ; but the extent of profit depends upon circumstances. It is also as certain that Rho- desia cannot hope to compete with the Transvaal under present conditions. Bulawayo is 1360 miles from the sea, and at least 40 miles from the richest mines. Johannesburg is 390 miles from the sea, and is in the centre of its forty mile long gold field. That simple fact means a great deal, and shows an enormous disadvan- tage to Rhodesia. The latter country will have to pay four times more for freight than the Transvaal gold fields. Against this must be set the small duties that will have to be paid. After paying five per cent, to Cape Colony, goodr. will be admitted free to Rhodesia. Then the heavy taxes paid to the Boers will still further diminish the disad- vantages of Rhodesia ; yet when we consider the time wasted in the long railway journey, and the haulage by ox-wagon to the mines, we shall find a much heavier bill of costs against the gold output of Rhode' ,, than on that of the Transvaal. A good substantial railway from Beira or Sofala to Bulawayo., via Victoria, would completely reverse things. Bulawayo would then be about the same rail distance from the sea as Johannesburg is ; the poor ores could then be worked profitably, and the aggre- gate of gold product would in a few years rival that of the Rand. If I were a Chartered Director, my first object should be to get the shortest and most direct route to the sea from Bulawa^'o, and a substantial railway along it, and having obtained that, and a liberal mining law, I should feel that the prosperity of Rhodesia was as- sured. CHAPTER VIII. The Chief City of the Transvaal. « ■ TT^ONTINUING his observations on the Transvaal and its tur I jp bulent political condition, the writer states some plain V*,^.^ truths, and points clearly to the impending scrugglo between the English and Boers. He says : Between Bulawayo and Johannesburg there is a g^eat differ- ence. In common with some 4cx> guests of the Festivities Com- ' mittee, I looked in admiring wonderment at the exuberant vitality, the concentrated joyous energfy, and the abounding hopefulness of the young sons of British fathers who, in the centre of Rhodesian life, were proud of showing us a portion of their big country, and what they had done towards beginning their new State. We shared with them their pride in their young city, their magfnificently broad avenues, the exhibits of their resources, their park, their prize cab- bages, and the fine, bold, go-ahead-ive-ness which distinguished - their fellow-citizens. ; ^ - " ; - v We felt they had every reason to be proud of their victories over the rebel Matabele, the endurance they had shown under . various calamities, and the courageous confidence with which they : intended to face the future. From our hearts we wish them all prosperity. At Johannesburg, however, different feelings possessed us. Without knowing exactly why, we felt that this population, once " so favored by fortune, so exultant and energetic, was in a subdued and despondent mood, and wore a defeated and cowed air. When we. timidly inquired as to the cause, we found them laboring under :v a sense of wrong, and disposed to be querulous and recriminatory. They blamed both Boers and British ; the whole civilized world and all but themselves seemed to have been unwise and unjust. They recapitulate without an error of fact the many failures ar * shames of British Colonial policy in the past, gave valid instance .> 128 I I -^:wmi - -1. „ tX«£ ■ 124 THE CHIEF CITY OF THE TRANSVAAI,. of their distrust of the present policy, poinied to the breaches of the Convention of 1884, and the ipanifest disregard of them by the Colonial Secretary, described at large the conditions under which they lived, and demanded to know if the manner in which the charter of their liberties was treated was at all compatible with what they had a right to expect under the express stipulations of the Convention. " Why,'' said they, " between Boer arrogance and British indif- ference, every condition of that Power of Attorney granted to Paul Kruger has been disregarded by the Boer, and neglected by the British." They then proceeded to dilate upon Boer oppression, Boer corruption, the cant and hypocrisy of President Kruger, the bakshish-begging Raad, the bribe-taking Ministry, the specious way in which promises were made, and, when their trust was won, the heartless way in which these same promises were broker? ALMOST UNBEARABLE OPPRESSION. From these eloquent themes they proceeded to detail their worries from taxation, high wages, extortionate freight charges, the exactions levied upon every necessity of their industry, the ex- orbitant price for coal, and imposts on food designed expressly to pamper the burgher at the expense of the miner. Then in a more melancholy tone they discussed the mistakes of their friends — Jameson's tactless laid — the poverty of the country, the decline of business in the city, the exodus of the Australians, and the pros- pects of a deficit in the Treasury, etc. I wish that I could have taken down verbatim all that was said to me, for the spokesmen were of undoubted ability, fluent in speech and full of facts, not a tithe of which I can remember. As I fear I cannot do justice to what was urged with such vehemence and detail, you must be content with the broad s-^nse of their re- jmarks only. These men have stories to say which sVionld be said to shorthand writers. I have read many books and articles on South African politics, but I was never so interested or convinced as when these men told their stories straight from the heart. I then turned an inquiring attention to the Johannesburg I.S • „V J ,*>i''-' THE CHIEF CITY OF THE TRANSVAAt. newspapeis, and from a heap of them obtained their opinions on the gloom prevailing in the '* Golden City." There were columns of allusions to the general distress, of the ucf:mployed becoming numerous, of tradespeople unable to find custom. Clergymen had been interviewed, who said that " poverty was rampant," that shop- keepers were almost distracted through fear of insolvency, that the country's credit was going and almost gone, that Australians were leaving in such numbers that sufl&cient berths on steamers could not be found, and that the inaction of the government was driving skilled and willing workmen away. GREAT BUSINESS DEPRESSION. My hotel-keeper, a bright sociable man, was induced to give me his -own opinions on the depression. He acknowledged that his own hotel was doing fairly well, but the other hotels were mostly empty. Tradesmen he knew were bitterly lamenting the want of custom, buildings in course of erection were stopped because the owners did not think themselves justified in proceeding with the structures, rents were hard to collect from tenants, the upper stories were already empty, reductions had been made on the lower floors, and still there were no permanent tenants ; goods stored in bonded ware- houses had to be auctioned, as t^e proprietors had not the means to take them away, etc. Encountering a gentleman whom I knew in Sydney, Australia, and who is now on the Stock Exchange here, I inquired of him what he thought of the condition of things. He said : " Mostly everything is at a standstill, I think. To-day stocks and real estate ire a trifle firmer, but I cannot conceive any reason for it. There Is nothing within my knowledge to justify confidence. Old Kruger is relentless and implacable. He will never yield, whatever people Jnay say. And unless the reforms are granted, so that the mines tan be worked at a profit, Johannesburg must decline, and things will become as bad for the State as for ourselves. The old man positively hates us, and would be glad to see the town abandoned. "On the strength of the Industrial Commission report many of us bought largely, but when we found that there was a majority \a I if 126 THE CHIEF CITY OF THE TRANSVAAI,. against us, we sold out in sucli haste that for a while it looked like a panic. The majority of the Raad had been bought out by the Dynamite Company, and, of course, we were helpless. You people at home have no idea of the corruption of our Government. Kruger appears not to know that when he calls the Dynamite Company a comer-stone of the State, he is giving himself away. We know that the Company and its twin brother, the Netherlands Railway Company, support the twenty-four members of the Raad, and as they, with Kruger, are the State, these companies may well be called corner-stones." -^ At the club I met a gentleman whose moderate way of express- ing himself made me regard him as being inclined to be impartial, and when urged to give his views, he said that " undoubtedly there were great grievances which every well-wisher of the State would desire to see removed. The administration was so corrupt that it was difficult to get a Boer official to attend to any business, unless his palm was oiled beforehand. The officials had got into the habit of excusing themselves from doing their duty because they were over- whelmed with work, or that they had no time. It is a way they have of hinting that unless it is made worth their while, they will not put themselves out to do what they are paid to do by the Gov- ernment. Many companies understand this so well that they set apart a fund from the profits to meet this necessity. FLAGRANT POLITIOAL CORRUPTION. "You know, perhaps, that the Dynamite Concession is one. of the most corrupt things in the State. One member of the Raad gets $1.20 a case, and the Government pocket $2.50 for every case of dynamite sold in the Republic. When we know that $12.00 would be a sufficient price for a case of dynamite, to invoice a case at $10.00 higher shows that some people must have grand pickings. Were the mines in full operation they would consume about 250,- 000 cases, and this extortion of $10.00 a case means $2,500,000 blackmail on the mining industry. " Then the railway administration is just as bad. The tariflf is abnormally heavy. The first-class fares are greatly in excess, Il THE CHIEF CITY OF THE TRANSVAAL. m and as for freight charges, you can imagine how high they were when it was proved during the drift closure that ox-wagons could make the transport as cheaply as the railway." " Then you appear to justify Rhodes in his attempt to rectify this?" I said. " No, I do not ; but all that he stated before the Parliamentary Committee about the abuses is perfectly true. I cannot, however, absolve him for attempting to promote a revolution to effect a chau/;e. But about this corruption at Pretoria. I do not blame the Boers so much as I blame the Hollanders and our Jews here. They are the real causes of the disorders in the State. The cor- ruption was started by the Hollanders, and the Jews have been only too willing to resort to bribery, until the share market has become demoralized. T^iese fellows unite together to discredit a mine, until there is no option but to close it. Many of the mines have been closed through their intrigues. Mine is one of them, for instanc* ." CUSTOM HOUSE OFFICERS. This was my first day's introduction to the moral condition of Johannesburg. But to begin at the beginning. On arriving at midnight at the frontier of the Transvaal, near the Vaal River, the train was stopped in the open veld until daylight, for Boer offi- cials require daylight to make their conscientious examination of passengers and their luggage. Half an hour after dawn the train moved over the Vaal Bridge, and we were soon within the grip of the Boer Custom House. I was told later that the officials were insolent ; but I saw nothing uncommon, except a methodical pro- cedure such as might belong to a people resolved to make a more than usually thorough search. The officials came in at the rear end of the carriage, locked the door behind them, and informed us we were to go out before them. The male passengers were ushered into one corrugated-iron house, the females, with their respective searchers behind them, into another. One burly passenger had diamonds concealed on his person, but his clothes were only slightly felt. A small, pale clergyman just behind him, however, received marked attention. ■^11 ''-^H '* "'^B ■ii 128 THE CHIEF CITY OF THE TRANSVAAI,. ind was obliged to take off his boots, and every article of his bag- gage was minutely scrutinized. Probably some of the women searchers performed their duties just as thoroughly. My servant was asked to pay duty on some of my shirts, but he refused to pay any hing, on the ground that the shirts had been repeatedly worn and washed. f Vi- -distance to Johannesburg from the frontier was but an hour and a half of ordinary running, but from the time we neared the Vaul River it occupied us eleven hours. A reporter from the '' Star " had come aboard at the frontier station, and from him we learned a few facts regarding Johannesburg, such as that the Out- lander miners intended to starve the burghers out by closing the mines, that the Australians were leaving in crowds, and though there were three presidential candidates in the field, Kruger was sure to be returned for a fourth term, as General Joubert was known to be weak, and Schalk Burger almost unknown. REEF OP GOLD. The Transvaal veld was much greener and more rolling than that of the Orange Free State. Johannesburg came into view about 9 A.M. ; but instead of making direct for it the train sheered off and came to a halt at Elandsfonteiu, six miles east. It was then we first obtained an intelligent comprehension of the term " Main Reef," to whose production of gold the existence of Johan- nesburg is due. Its total length, I am told, is thirty-eight and a half miles, to be accurate, and along this a chain of mines, well equipped and developed, exists, out of which, however, only ten miles of the reef can be profitably worked under the present eco- nomic circumstances. The working of the remaining twenty-eight miles depends mainly upon the removal of the burdens, upon low Wages, abundant labor, cheap transport, etc. To either side of Elandsfonteiu runs a lengthy line of chimney stacks, engine houses, tall wooden frames, supporting the head- g^ear, stamp mills, with clusters of sheds, huts and offices, hills of white tailings and ore. To the westward these become more numer- ous, and as the train moved from Elandsfonteiu towards Johannes- DUNCAN STUART CAPTAIN B COMPANY. 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O h Ui K a cc < UJ z UJ O < -I -J > < z z UJ UI -J u. Q UI I- z 3 o cc UJ O ffl u. O z o o UJ Q. CO z o o z LJ _l o < (0 oc Ui o OQ UJ I h > so o UJ to a. Q. (C D « CO Q. o O h X CO Ij o z UJ i t? SUPPLYING THE BOERS IN THE TRANSVAAL WITH AMMUNITION THE NATIVE POLICE OF NATAL THEY ARE THE M08T INTERESTING CHARACTERS IN SOUTH AFRICA. THE WORK THEY HAVt TO PERFORM IS TO KEEP THE NATIVES 8TRAIQHT AND THEY ARE NOT ALLOWED TO ARREST THE WHITES. THEY TAKE MUOH PRIOB IN THEIR UNIFORMS PRESIDENT KRUGER PREACHING AT PRETORIA •vn/;,;; .-:■■->, ^ i;: t;4'»v^ v^yM S?*^'? v;uH'? -T.. THE CHIEF CITY OF THE TRANSVAAI,. 129 burg, it clung to the side of a commanding ridge by which we obtained a panoramic view of mine after mine, each surrounded by its reservoirs, hills of tailings, lofty stores of ore, iron sheds, mills, offices and headgear structures, until finally they occupied an entire valley. *•• r- ^':- ' . i Presently, while we still clung to the ridge, we saw that the scattered cottages, with their respective groves, were becoming more massed, and looking ahead of them we saw the city of Johan- nesburg, filling the breadth of a valley, girdled by a thin line of tall smoke stacks, and dominated by two parallel lines of hills, the crests of which rose perhaps 300 feet or so above the city. The scent of eucalyptus groves filled the air, for now the ridge on our right was given up to cottages, villas, mansions, each separated by firs, eucalyptus, flower gardens and varied shrubberies, the whole making a charming sight, and a worthy approach to the capital of the mining industry with its golden promises of wealth. LIKE A EUROPEAN CITY. Reduced to matter-of-fact figures, Johannesburg proper covers four square miles ; its roads and streets are 126 miles in length, twenty-one miles of which are macadamized, and ten miles have tram lines. The city's parks and open spaces occupy eighty-four acres. There have been twenty miles of gas-piping laid, while the electric light is supplied by forty-two miles of wire. The water- works suppl}'^ 600,000 gallons of water daily for domestic use, exclu- sive of what is required for the mines and street watering. The streets of the city generally are about 50 feet wide, while the principal business streets average 90 htt in wiith. Several of these are flanked by buildings which would be no discredit to any provincial city in England, while the array of shops have their windows as artistically dressed with wares as those of Regent Street in London, which gave me some idea of the character and good taste of the people. A photograph of Johannesburg taken in 1888 revealed a thin collection of galvanized iron structures, widely scattered over a roadless veld, while present photographs show a mature city, com- 180 THE CHIEF CITV OE THE TRANSVAAL. pact, with an aspect of age, well furnished with churches, massive buildings, parks with trees over a hundred feet in height, rich villas and artistic mansions. It was scarcely credible that in such a short period such a marvellous change had been wrought. The wonder was increased when I was driven along the length of Hospital Hill, and noted the streets of this suburb, bordered by artistic and costly houses, luxuriant shrubberies, flower gardens and stately lines of shade trees. The marvel was greater still when my conductor told me that as late as 1892 this suburb, now so flourishing, was a mere virgin grassy veld. " What, all these miles of groves and gardens and villas sprung up since 1892 ? " " Yes, so prodigiously rapid is the growth of vegetation, trees, climbing plants and shrubs, when daily watered, that these shade trees which give tht suburb such an appearance of age are only a few years old." SIGNS OP THRIFT AND PROSPERITY. Now these picturesque and comfortable residences of such varying architecture, whose furniture I could just see through open windows and doors, and bespoke great wealth and taste, you must bear in mind would adorn Birmingham or Manchester. Imagine miles of such houses crowded with fair occupants and troops of daintily-clad children, their long hair floating in the wind as they sported in snowy garments on the lawns and amid the flowers, and then my surprise, and something more, as I suddenly came in view of a fort which the rude Boers have built to terrorize this com' munity. The superb ridge, which seemed to me with its beautiful houses and gardens a veritable paradise after four thousand miles of travel over treeless plains, and which would certainly be an ornament to any city on the globe, had in its centre a large and ugly earthwork, behind which were monstrous Krupp guns to lay waste this Eden, should the humanity of Johannesburg ever be driven by despair to strive physically for the rights of freemen. The mere suggestion of it is brutish, and a Government which can coolly contemplate such a possibility, and frighten timid women and young children •^i IT- '-Ifi THE CHIEF CITY OK THE TRANSVAAI,. m with such horrid prospects, are only fit to be classed with the Herods of the Dark Ages. " A short drive northward of the suburb placed me in a position to view the far-reaching desolate wastes of the primitive veld, and to realize more fully what human intellect, skill, energy and capital have done on Hospital Hill and in Johannecburg itself. Twelve years ago there was not a vestige of life — human or vegetable, except the grass — to be seen within the entire range of vision from the Hill, and yet the creators of the remarkable transformation we had just seen were to be threatened with slaughter and devastation if once they plucked up courage to exact the rights which every civilized government would long ago have granted to them. It were well now, after briefly showing what Johannesburg and its population is, that the chief of the State and his rustic burghers, in whose hands lie the future of this remarkable city and its indus- try, should be presented to the reader in order that he might realize the striking incongruity of first-class mechanical ingenuity, spirited enterprise, business sagacity and tireless industry being subject to senile madness and boorish insensibility. INTELLECT RULES THE WORLD. That such a thing should be is most preposterous and contrary to all human precedent. For elsewhere, and since the dawn of civi- lization. Intellect has always become Master, Captain and King over Ignorance, but at Johannesburg it is Asinine Ignorance which rules Intellect. Another reversal of human custom is seen in the submissiveness of Intellect to Ignorance, and though, being natur- ally sensitive under the whip and restless under the goad, it remon- strates sometimes, its remonstrance is in such a sweet, mild way that the spectator can only smile and wonder. Fitting words are wanting to describe my overmastering sur- prise at the state of things in the Transvaal ; I am limited by space and time, so that I must let my pen race over these pages and trust largely to the intelligence of those who read the lines. I have a printed cutting before me of a discussion in the First Raad of the Boer Republic, during which the President, in the support of his m THE CHIKF CITV 01^ TMK I'RANSVAAt. views, stands up and says that Isaiala had been told by the Lord that Israel had been punished because the rulers of that people had not hearkened unto the voice of the poor. Another speaker of similar intelligence rose up to contend that the Lord had enjoined that the rich, not the rulers, should help the poor, and Isaiah had not been told that the poor were to be helped with other people's money. This construction of Scrip- ture raised the President of the State to his feet again, and he reit- erated the fact that the Lord had meant the rulers, whereupon another Senator interpolated the remark that some people were in the habit of shielding themselves behind the Bible with a view to saving their own pockets and justifying their actions. MONEY SPENT FOR DEFENCES. At Standerton the President was questioned as to the prospects of assistance being given to poor burghers. His entire reply is worth quoting, but I have only room for a small portion of it. Said he: " The burghers' distress has been caused by the war (Jameson's raid), and the subsequent unrest has not tended to improve matters. The burghers have suffered from these circumstances. The coun- try has been compelled to spend a lot of money on the building of forts, nearly $10,000,000, by which our means have been exhausted. In the Zoutpansberg district especially, the condition of things I know to be most distressing. White families as well as black are dying rapidly Still I expect you to turn to the Bible in a time of adversity like this. Follow the prophet Isaiah's advice, and look to the Lord God who has so far befriendtd you. Why will men not follow in the path of the Lord instead of losing money at races and by gambling ? " * I was fortunate enough to have an early morning interview with President Kruger. As he was fully dressed in the usual black suit and little old-fashioned top hat, and smoking on the verandah of his house, the old President must have risen from bed an hour earlier at least, and though all the clocks in this region are fully thirty minutes behind time, 5 a.m. is a remarkably early hour to begin business. Two-armed guards in the uniform of London THE CHIEF CITY OF THE TRANSVAAI.. 133 police inspectors stood in the street barring the way to the house ; but a mere look from the President sufl&ced to give us admission. His " Good-moming " in English slipped from him uncon- sciously, and after a shake hands he led the way to a spacious saloon, wherein the first thing that attracted my attention was a large and coarse oil painting of him. It was clear that neither Kruger nor his friends knew any- thing of art, for the picture was an exaggerated reproduction of every defect in the President's homely features, the low, narrow, unintellectual brow, over-small eyes, and heavy, massive expanse of face beneath. The man himself was almost beautiful in com- parison with the monster on the canvas, and I really could not help pitying him for his innocent admiration of a thing that ought to be cast into the fire as an intolerable monstrosity. A REPULSIVE BOER. But presently the President spoke — a mouthful of strange guttural words — in a voice that was like a loud guigle, and as the great jaws and cheeks and mouth heaved and opened, I stole a glance at the picture, and it did not seem to me then as if the painter had libeled the man. At any rate, the explosive dialect so expanded the cheeks and widened the mouth that I perceived some resemblance to the brutal picture. I was told by my introducer, after the interview was over, that the President had already read a chapter in the Bible, and that it is his custom to do so every morning before appearing in public. I then understood the meaning and tone of his last words to me. Said he : " What I have said, shall be done." He was alluding to the fact that the Dynamite Monopoly and Railway Rates were the children of the State, but they should be put into the hands of the Attorney-General, and if it were discovered that the terms of the concessions were in any way contravened, reparation should be made. The manner of his last words reminded me of the Jovic way — " and what I will, is fate " — but when I learned how he had been engaged, I knew he had been infected with the style of the Pentuteuch, CHAPTER IX. €^ Gold and Diamond Mines of South Africa. HE history of the diamond mines may furnish some '"lew to an e Jl understanding of the situation, if nothing more. Diamond dealers say that the precious gems have increased very much in value since the beginning of the war. The mines of Kimberley are the greatest diamond producers in the world, furnishing from ninety to ninety-five per cent, of all the diamonds sold. Even more could be put on the market, but the mines are controlled by the richest trust on earth, which limits the output so as to keep up prices. Yet the discovery of diamonds in South Africa goes back only a few years. One day in 1867 ^^^ children of a Boer farmer, who lived on a farm sevf iteen hours' ride west of Hopetown, on the bank of the Orange River, were playing with some stones they had found in its bed. An Osl/ich hunter named O'Reilly happened to pass, and the Boer farmer, Van Niekerk, called his attention to an especially brilliant stone that a Griqua be / had found. O'Reilly was startled. He scratched on a pane 01 glass with the stone, and immediately decided that he had a diamond in his hand. He promised the Boer half of whatever i; roved to be worth, and wanted to follow up the search at once. After many wanderings he went to an English physician in Graham's Town, a Dr. Athersione, who was the first to recognize the great value of his "find." He recognized it as a diamond in a moment, and estimated its weight at 21 3-16 carats. A little later this stone was sold to Sir Philip Wodehouse, then Governor of Cape Colony, for $2,500. O'Reilly soon brought another stout from the same locality which weighed 8^4 carats, and it was sold to the same person for $1,000. One of the most beautiful of South Afri- can diamonds later came from Van Niekerk's farm on Orange River, the so-called " Star of South Africa," weighing 83^ carats, GOI.D AND DIAMONDS OF SOUTH AFRICA. 136 found by a Kaffir. The brilliant later cut therefrom came into the possession of the Earl of Dudley for $125,000. Immediately after the first report of these discoveries the Orange River was crowded with white, black and yellow Europeans, Kaffirs and Hottentots, and here and there they succeeded in find- ing a few diamonds. Thence the search spread to the bed of the River Vaal, and here, on the property of the Berlin Missionary Society, at Pniel, camps were pitched, and the work began in earnest. In 1870, new diamond diggings were discovered, again by children playing with stones. This was not on the banks of the river, but on the high table land where their existence had not been suspected. It was on the farm of Du Toits Pan, between the Vaal and the Modder rivers. It was in the mud which had been used to build his house that the children saw a shining object, and dug out a diamond. In pulling up a plant another child found a diamond weighing eighty carats clinging to the roots. DIAMONDS OP THE FIRST WATER. The richest mine of all, however, was found in July, 1871, on the Kolesberg-Kopje. The old mines were abandoned, and then came De Beers New Rush. The town of Kimberley was later founded in the neighborhood of this mine, being named after the British Colonial Secretary at that time. Lord Kimberley, and the mine was known as the Kimberley mine. Later some small dig- gings were found in the Orange Free State, Kossifontein and Jagersfontein, from which some of the diamonds of the first water have since been taken. The confusion and disorder of the frenzied fortune hunters were tremendous, and political confusion followed in the claim of the Orange Free State to Kimberley and the mines around it. The British government held that this was British territory, and to make its claim good purchased the claim of an old Griqua chiel ' to this land. The British referred the matter to arbitration, notwithstanding the protest of the Orange Free State, making a British officer the 136 GOLD AND DIAMONDS OF SOUTH AFRICA. I 'I ; umpire. He decided in favor of Great Britain, anc' meanwhile, witli a huge rush, thousands of miners had come into the country. The Free State protested against the decision in vain, for England claimed that its power was necessary to preserve order, and the Free State was obliged to accept $450,000 for its claim. This inci- dent has not been forgotten by the Free State Boers, and is no small incentive to them to aid their brothers of the South African Republic. Several of the wiser miners began to combine for the formation of companies to purchase machinery that they might go to the deeper levels where the famous " blue ground" lay, filled with dia- monds. By 1885 many of these companies were at work, and then a further combination of their interests took place in the formation of the De Beers Consolidated Company, Limited. The moving spirits in this combination were the redoubtable Barney Barnato and Cecil Rhodes. Under the able financial management of the latter, this company now pays a dividend of ten millions annually on a nominal capital of twenty millions. MINES OP GREAT DEPTH. The latest improvements in mining machinery have been of course adopted, and the best engineers are engaged in conducting the work. The "yellow earth" of the surface in which the early prospectors found their wealth has been dug through, and the "blue ground" is being worked to unprecedented depths. This peculiar formation appears to be practically inexhaustible, for soundings have never been able to get beyond it. Nowhere else on the earth is this peculiar blue quartz to be found, so it has been called kimberlite. It is very hard, but alters and softens under moisture and air. The miners have taken advan- tage of this, and the large companies haul the blue ground to the surface, and spread it out to disintegrate naturally. It is spread out on floors surrounded by armed guards night and day, and there it is first harrowed by two engines some 500 yards apart dragging the harrows over it. There it stays for six months or a year, and is then sent to the GOLD AND DIAMONDS OF SOUTH AFRICA. 137 crushing works, where it is washed and rolled by machinery until every bit of foreign matter has been removed and the diamonds alone remain. Some bits that do not pulverize under the harrow are called hard blue, are picked out by hand and carefully treated separately, for large stones are sometimes in these hard masses of rock. . . The work in the mines is done chietly by Kaffirs, who wield the drills and use the dyramite for the blasting with little incon- venience. They are engaged for a specified number of weeks, dur- ing which they are kept' in a well-guarded compound, fed, and if ill, treated by the company. Only at the end of their term of service are they paid and permitted to leave, when they return with what seems to them untold wealth, to buy a wife and set up housekeep. ing in their home, rome weeks' journev away. All kinds of precautions are taken to prevent them from steal- ing diamonds which they find while at work. As each man leaves the mine he must strip to the skin and submit to a search of mouth, ears and nose. The companies try to prevent stealing by ofifering premiums for the finding of large stones, but, strange to say, all of the precautions have not prevented the largest diamonds from reaching the market through private persons. HOW DIAMONDS ARE FORMED. The diggings at Kimberley have done much to explain the formation of the diamond itself, for kimberlite is recognized by all authorities as being of eruptive origin, and the diamond in it must have been formed bj'' the tremendous heat generated at the time of the eruption. In fact, the mines look like chimneys, or " pipes," as they are called, the blue ground running down toward the center of the earth like a huge water-pipe. The depth of the mines is very great, a level in the Kimberley being 1,520 feet down and in the De Beers, 1,200 feet. Most of the mining now is done under ground by galleries running to the cen- tral shaft. This prevents many accidents, and is a great economy in space and time. The sorting of the stones is an art and science in one- GooiW"»"»»fWI' > "'imm-'wm mfummmmmifWIl'^K 140 GOLD AND DIAMONDS OF SOUTH AFRICA. individuals or to syndicates. It is quite possible that diamond- iferous areas now unknown may be thrown open to prospectors, as there is every reason to believe that the crystal lies hidden in many parts of South Africa. Though history shows that large fortunes were made in the Kimberley mines, and that many most deserving men remained wealthy after the crash, faulty legislation and want of organization allowed far too great a proportion of the gains to fall into the hands of the " scum," whilst haste, greed and inexperience, by causing men to dig straight down without regard to any other interest than their own, were eventually prejudicial to all, and caused a property, since proved to be the source of almost fabulous wealth, to be inaccessible and absolutely valueless to those who then owned it. GEMS FOUND IN MANY PLAGES. A number of diamonds are annually washed from the neigh- borhood of the Vaal River, and mines are worked at and near Kim- berley, in Griqualand West. A few stones have been found at Klerksdorp in the Transvaal, and discoveries have been reported from the neighborhood of the Zambesi, and Delagoa Bay. The historical record of the diamond in South Africa is fraught with striking incidents, and it has been said many a time and of: that the discovery may be ranked as one of the Seven Wonders of the World. It certainly iias been productive of as astounding and magnificent wealth as any discovery of modem times, quite as astounding and magnificent as the discovery of gold in California, Australia, the South African Republic, or as the discovery of gold in any of the gold centres in the known world. In its extension of the British Empire, in the spread of the English language, in providing homes and elbow room for industrial populations, it is unrivaled, and nothing has been so effective in reclaiming native races from barbarism and bringing them within the limits and influence of civilization. Like most discoveries, whether of new countries, new material fpr science or labor to manipulate, the discovery of diamonds owes more to accident than to expert explorers. Whatever else may be I HI • « I VI.' I GOLD AND DIAMONDS OF SOUTH AFRICA. 141 fi^ said of the slowness and lack of enterprise of the Cape it had done all in its power for years after it was suspected from the dianiondif- erous and auriferous indications that gold and precious stones existed in South Africa to test the reliability of scientific experts, and had expended thousands of pounds of sterling money in the employment of geological and mineralogical explorers with no better result than getting the most confident reports that b;y no p^:., nihility could a particle of gold or a precious stone be found in any ^?j:t of the South African Continent. Auriferous indications of most profuse promise had been brought by the late Chevalier Forssman, of Potchefstrom, to Cape- town and London, taken from his lands in the Transvaal at least twenty years before the discovery of diamonds in Griqualand West, and a quarter of a century before the establishment of the South African gold industry, but neither Colonial nor English capitalists could be induced to invest. Capital is apt to be suspicious. ACCOUNTS WERE NOT BELIEVED. Neither the Cape Colonist nor the people of England would believe in the discovery of real diamonds at the Cape for a very long time. First it was denied that " the Star," already mentioned, was a diamond ; when that could no longer be denied, " Oh, then it fell from a star, was dropped by an ostrich, was imported from India by owners of land in the Colony to send land up to a fictitious value." But by Christmas, 1869, there were 6,000 people located at Pniel, and as many on. the other side of the Vaal, digging on the river banks, between Hebron and Cawood's Hope. At one time dealing in stolen diamonds was carried on in the most barefaced manner, and. reprisals in the form of tent burning were of nightly occurrence. The Post-office at Kimberley had been robbed of a large consignment of diamonds worth thousands of dollars, there had been several attempts to waylay the post cart and rob the mail bags of the diamonds which they were known to contain. In one case the mail bags had been stolen at the post- office, and then it became plain that diamonds in transit must be better guarded. Fortunately in most cases diamonds stolen were I Vi 1 142 GOtD AND DIAMONDS OF SOUtH AFRICA. recovered — or at least tlie chief part of them. Everything about the fields grew with astonishing rapidity. In 1870 the output of diamonds did not exceed in value a few thousand dollars a year. In 1880 the diamond diggings had be- come mines with steam machinery in full work ; claimholders had amassed fortunes, and the yield of precious stones was estimated to exceed twenty million dollars a year at least. The establishment of the De Beers Company by the amalgamation of smaller compa- nies brought about a new era in diamond mining, and gave it a per- manency it never could otherwise have attained, and has given it a world-wide distinction surpassing all other mining operations. MAKING SOUTH AFRICA RICH. The diamond industry in its infancy saved the country from bankruptcy ; to-day \t is making for South Africa an enviable name throughout the whole wide world. No industry was ever more perfectly organized than that of the De Beers Mining Company. All its mining operations are carried out under superintendence and management of first-class men. The average number of per- sons employed daily in 1899 reached the grand total of 1,729 whites and 7,340 blacks ; almost every nationality being represented by the employees. Everything is done with admirable precision ; and there is a grandeur about the magnitude and boldness of the in- dustry which should fill the heart of every man connected with it, from the directors, the chiet manager and his subordinates, with pride. The great diamond industry of Kimberley, combined by Cecil Rhodes into one vast consolidt^ted company representing a market value of many million dollars, is managed by an American. He is Gardner Williams, and his assistant, Louis I. Seymour, is also an American. The selection of Mr. Williams was made by Mr. Rhodes. The way Williams got to South Africa is an interesting tale. It was when the great Transvaal gold find of Witwatersrand was first attracting English attention. There were many doubts in the beginning among London capitalists of the real value of the ore. ! ■.■•:S*' rw4ffi>i GOLD AND DIAMONDS OF SOUTH AFRICA. 143 "\ , r The Loudon house of Rothschild determiued to investigate, and directed its American correspondent to engage an American gold- mining authority to visit the African workings. Mr. Williams, a famous expert of the Western American gold fields, was engaged for the purpose. He went to the Transvaal, traversed the beautiful grazing lands so different from the gold country of America, entered a few shafts in the " reefs " of that marvellous deposit, unlike any other on earth, examined the black, powdery, alluvial soil that the burghers said was ore — and was dis- gusted. Never in the experience of man had gold been found under such conditions, and Mr. Williams was unbelieving. He even doubted the pannings. He regarded the alleged results as fraud, and eventually reported that the whole business was not worth getting off one's horse to look at. That same black alluvial plain a few years later was tuning out $40,000,000 worth of gold per annum. But, losing this great chance, Mr. Williams nevertheless made a hit at Kimberley, and became the manager of the greatest diamond field on earth, which is the source of fabulous wealth. DISCOVERY OP GOLD. There would not have been any war between the English and Boers if gold had not been discovered within the boundaries of the Transvaal. The Outlanders, or foreigners, are fighting for rights that are accorded to new settlers by all civilized nations, and the Boers are fighting for supremacy and the exclusive right to govern the country by the most oppressive and barbarous laws. The Transvaal was nothing but a rolling inland tract of mea- dow and mountain. It was fit for nothing but farming and ranch- ing, with an occasional good shot at big game. The Dutch settlers had won it from the savages by blood and suffering, and they held it against the English with their lives' forfeit. The English let them have it. Why not? It was scarcely worth the quarrel* The land did not even possess a seaport. It was in 1881 the British left the Boers their barren republic. Resources were few, exports fewer, and the treasury was empty. ki!a"i..«js^^; 144 GOI.D AND DIAMONDS OF SOUTH AFRICA. There was little communication witli the outer world, for there were no railroads. It was forty days by ox-cart to Cape Town. In 1884 a man named Arnold told a farmer named Geldenhuis that there was gold on his land. Geldenhuis did not believe it, but repeated the gossip, and sold his farm to two adventurous brothers named Struben, who put up a mill and began to work the grayish, powdery dirt that has since proved the richest gold ore the earth has ever shown. The Boer government proclaimed nine farms public gold fields. Then the rush began. The Boers, always slow where enter- prise wins out, were unbelieving. They could not make up their minds to abandon the certainty of cattle-raising for the uncertainty of mining, even with rich claims crying for takers. ^ few~ settled on the Witwatersrand and went to work. ^Meantime the news of the find spread over the borders into English territory. The word made a sensation in Cape Town, and a horde of adventurers at once set out. The news reached London and started the adventur- ous there. Within a year nearly every working claim was under the spade, and nearly all were in Bnglish hands. The Boers on the spot had made up their minds too late. OBTAINED NOWHERE ELSE SO EASILY. The workings of the Witwatersrand — White Water Range, in English — were thirty miles in length when all were dev:;^ cped. The gold was found in a formation seen nowhere else in thi v rid. Regular beds, or "reefs," of dry, powdery conglomerate, m iiiic'.:^ ness from two to twenty feet, are found throughout this district. This black veldt is the ore. Nowhere else on earth is gold mined and worked so easily or so cheaply. In 1887, midway in the district and on the site of a hamlet that had become the centre of the industry, a hustling, bustling town was laid out, the city of Johannesburg. It was named after the surveyor. Its altitude is 5,600 feet above the sea. In twelve years the finest and largest city in South Africa has sprung up on the bare mountain side, and the hills have been lined with the huge chimneys, the reservoirs, the engine sheds, the stamping houses •-k GOLD AND DIAMONDS OF SOUTH AFRICA. ]45 \ and the offices of great works that employ 6o,ocx) native miners and 10,000 Europeans. - In 1899 the 198 companies had decreased to 137, bnt those paying dividends had increased from twenty-eight to forty-five. These forty-five companies paid dividends of $25,448,925 on a capi- tal of ^101,473,375, or something more than twenty-five per cent. " It is a cnrious anomalj'-," wrote Major Ricarde-Seaver, in 1894, " to see, at the end of the nineteenth century, a minority of fifteen thousand burghers, all told, ruling a majority of sixty thou- sand enlightened, wealthy and prosperous aliens, who, although they possess the richest and most valuable portion of the country, have no voice in its management. The franchise must be extended to all qualifying for citizenship, and when this is done, the Out- landers, as a class, will cease to exist. They will become citizens, and the control of the State will pass into the hands of the majority, or, in other words, the Anglo-Saxon race." RHODESIA A LAND OF GOLD. Johannesburg is rightly named the " Gold City," for its output is constantly increasing. Bulawayo, in Rhodesia, is likely to prove a rival to Johannesburg. There are many gold mines there, but they are not developed. Before the war started nearly all who went to South Africa for gold located at Bulawayo. In 1898 it was a small pi.ace, but the gold rush has been the means of enlarging the city, and it has increased its population tenfold. From all appear- ances Bulawayo will be an excellent place for prospectors after the Transvaal war is ended. Gold in South Africa is but rarely found in alluvial depDsits. Although it may be washed from the sand of some of the rivers and from certain parts of the sea-shore, and although nuggets of con- siderable size have occasionally been unearthed in places so f^r dis- tant from one another as the south of Cape Colony and the valley of the Zambesi, the individual digger, whose capital consists of a spade, a washing-trough, and a couple of tins of bully beef, will probably do better by obtaining employment on some mine, than in excavating and washing alluvial soil on his own account. 10 ^'■■5 146 GOtt> AND DIAMONDS 01^ COUTH AFRICA. The riohest alluvial gold-fields known are those near Lyden burg, in the Transvaal, where i.' large amount of the precious metal has been recovered ; but the total output at Lydenburg for several years sinks into utter insignificance whtr compared to that now yielded annually by the Witwatersrand mines. The mining laws of most of the South African communities require that the holder of a claim shall not merely pay the license dues exacted, but shall do a certain amount of work upon the ground within a given time ; in other words, that he shall prove ':he value of his claim. Quite properly this work is made a condi' lion of fixity of tenure, and, failing its completion within the period fixed, the right of the holder lapses. In the above law lies the chance of the prospector. Were the holding of a claim dependent entirely upon the payment of the necessary monthly license, a wealthy capitalist might retain large tracts of land indefinitely, without even disturbing the surface of the soil. Arrivals in the country would thus be prevented not only from working on their own account, but perhaps from working at all. THE LUOKY MAKE FORTUNES. As it is, the capitalist relies upon the prospector to carry out the law on his behalf, and the prospector turns to the capitalist for the wherewithal to develop the riches whose existence his researches have disclosed. This mutual dependence has led in many cases to an amalgamation of interests. Where a district is found to be au- riferous, syndicates or men of means are ready to pay experienced miners to peg out reefs for them, in return for a monthly wage and for a share in what is eventually discovered. By those who are lucky, large fortunes may thus be realized ; and those who are not personally successful in drawing great prizes are at least earning an honorable living at the time, and are free to turn to other employments when they wish to do so. Those having a little money to fall back upon may perhaps do better by exploring on their own account, but in either case the chances of prospectors in South Africa are quite equal to those of men working in alluvial districts elsewhere. Though they majf GOLD AND DIAMONDS OF SOUTH AFRICA. 147 not actually recover tlie gold by their own exertions, the public is quite willing to pay them large sums for the liberty of doing so on the property which they have pegged out. Experience is, of course, an advantage, but it is not indispen- sable. In Mashonaland and Matabeleland the existence of reefs is nearly always associated with ancient workings, and the neighbor- hood of workings themselves is occasionally indicated by the char- acter of the vegetation, lemon-trees, for example, being one of the most conspicuous signs of the district having once been occupied by a colony of miners. Besides this, experience gained in other countries is not always of service in South Africa. For instance, the gold-bearing con- glomerate containing the auriferous deposit of the Witwatersrand in the Transvaal was examined by experts at the request of the discoverer, and declared valueless. Yet, within a decade, we find the group of mines round Johannesburg producing nearly a quarter o*" the total output of the whole world and increasing their yield month by month. J • gIL cc CHAPTER X. Cecil J. Rhodes — "the Uncrowned King." HE rapid iiiarcli of events in Soutli Africa can scarcely be re- corded without sonT:^ mention of the Right Hon. Cecil J. Rhodes, who becaiU'^ Premier of Cape Colony in July, 1890, and a member of Her Majesty's Privy Council in January, 1895. This most astute and fortunate man has played an important part in almost all the great political or financial events that have taken place in South Africa. As a diplomatist and intermediary, where opposing interests require to be reconciled, his ability is unques- tionably extremely great. Though not a gifted orator, he never fails to command atten- tion, and, though exceedingly plain spoken, remains a riddle to those most intimate with him. Apparently a believer in National Federation, he gives away a small fortune to the Irish Home Rulers. EntCx^jrising, or even rash in matters of business, he satisfies those connected with him, earns the respect of those who feel themselves injured by his actions, enriches himself, and is yet regarded by all as an honest, straight-forward man. In spite of Solon's advice to call no man happy until he is dead, it is safe to say that Mr. Rhodes will certainly be regarded for all time as one of the leading statesmen in South Africa. Posterity may even give his name an honorable place among those of other great adventurers, who, since the days of the Tudors, have helped to found or guard the British empire. Mr. Rhodes was succeeded as Premier of v^ .pe Colony by Sir John Gordon Sprigg, early in January, 1896. The first five years of Mr. Rhodes's politics were devoted to a seemingly foolish admiration of the Kalahari Desert. To most Cape Colonists and Cape Governments, Bechuanaland was a wil- derness, and Mr. Rhodes, with his plea for extension thither, was a voice crying in the wilderness. The first use which Mr. Kruger 148 ' .♦ii^ArtiSii^v* t*;;' Jiv-*;. S=*aW»iiy**w w ».■■■ CECIL J. RHODES— "THE UNCROWNED KING." 149 h- made of his guarantee of independence was to send out his raiders cast and west to found a new republic, for the Boer holds that everything north of the Vaal was made over to him forever many years ago. It is curious to note that the Dutch-conciliation part of the Rhodes programme broke down before tlie one incalculable factor — Boer obstinacy. After all his efforts as Deputy Commissioner to " square " the Boer raiders, it cost an expedition to keep Bechu- analand open. However, thanks to the Imperial Governmeiit, not the Colonial, the way to the north was kept open, and through it Cape Town is linked by rail with Bulawayo. SCRAMBLE FOR TERRITORY. But meanwhile all sorts of people were sending up and spying out the North itself: Germans, Boers, and so forth; boundaries were all uncertain and conflicting territorial rights veiled in the mist. With each fresh rumor Mr. Rhodes sat on thorns. What Government should he get to take the next step ? Colonial Minis- ters stuck short even at Bechuanaland. The Imperial Government was not prepared to do any more to define its " sphere of influence " until and unless private enterprise was ready to do something to develop it. " Can't >'> That conversation was the germ of the g^eat enterprise, begun and carried on by Mr. Rhodes, which has linked the southern coast of Africa with the vast region north of the Transvaal, where a new nation is buckling on the harness for a rapid march forward and a brilliant career. The plan means the acquirement of territory that has been running to waste through all past ages. Bechuanaland, annexed by Cape Colony, is an example of empire-extension by protectorate. Rhodesia is an example of " empire-extension on joint-stock prin- ciples," The former plan is the more correct — and stagnant. The m t»0 CECIL J. RHODES— "THE UNCROWNED KING." latter makes big mistakes — and progress. Joint-stock imperialism is as old as the East India Company; but the Rhodes version of it has some new aspects, both for good and evil. When Gordon told him the story of his refusing a roomful of gold offered by the Emperor of China for crushing the Tai-ping rebellion, Mr. Rhodes deplored the wasted opportunity. He would have taken as many roomfuls as he could get. " One may have big aims, but the bigger they are the more money one needs to help them through." Napoleon remarked that " Providence was generally on the side of the big battalions." The battalions of the Napoleon of finance are substantial dollars. He has to win, like his prototype, by sudden dashing concentrations of these battalions on a divided and hesitating enemy, MAKING AND GIVING AWAY MONEY. It is absurd to talk of Mr. Rhodes as if he despised money. It is equally absurd to talk as if the extremely good bargains which he has struck, when selling his brains to the eager world of share- holders and speculators, proved that money was to him what it is to the average millionaire. Mr Rhodes husbands his fortune with one hand and lavishes it with the other, just as Napoleon kept the recruiting sergeant busy at one end of the scale while he never hesitated to fling a few thousand men to certain death at the other. *' But what is all this money wanted for ? Isn't it to ' square ' people — an engine of corruption? " That is the question commonly suggested by some impressions of Mr. Rhodes which have become current, not without a grain of fact to each ton of fancy. After Mr. Rhodes conceived his northward schemes and began to press them on High Commissioners and Colonial Secretaries, he was con- tinually brought up by the bogy of the British taxpayer. The British taxpayer is not stingy, but it is impossible to eat territory at such a pace as John Bull has done for the last half century with- out satiety supervening, and some fastidiousness about the menu. John Bull will pay for annexing a country already proved good, and what he has once taken he will hold with blood and treasure, pro- vided muddling governments do not overdo military disaster. CECIL J. RHODES— "THE UNCROWNED KING." 151 :::\- ■ But when lie has had a lot of liUle wars, with small apparent profit and still less glory, as he has had in South Africa, he is chary of taking up large new provinces on uncertainties. He does net mind declaring, by a stroke of a Foreign Office pen, a " sphere of influence ; " but there the matter stops. Something more was needed, if the Transvaal borderland was to be secured from Trans- vaal emigrations. And after being checked again and again by this same miserable difficulty about money, it is no wonder if a man of Mr. Rhodes's belief that "territory is everything,'' or every- thing at least for the immediate British future in South Africa, should also conclude that money is nearly everything in the acqui- sition of territory, and is pretty sure to succeed. HOW THE BILLS ARE PAID. An English statesman contrasted what he called the miserably squalid associations of Bulawayo with the high administrative ideals of a rule like Sir Harry Johnston's further north. The statesman forgot the instructive fact that for yea. s Mr. Rhodes's company has been paying cash down to keep up Sir Harry's excellent adminis- tration, while Mr. Rhodes's own pocket has been drawn on for Sir Harry's brilliant little raids on the slave traders. It seems scarcely fair or consistent in a school of English thinkers to make a boast of retaining and governing certain regions, allow the Treasury to draw on the pocket of an ambitious rich man in paying the bill therefor, and at the same time twit that man with a sordid pre-occu- pation in money-grubbing. The system of empire-making on joint-stock principles may be analyzed as follows. A Chartered Company goes in and governs a country for what it can get out of it. A direct British territorial government could only get a deficit. The Chartered Company has not got a dividend yet ; but it has got assets which a proper gov- ernment could not touch ; that is to say, it has bought the chances of a prospective boom. A regular government can take, as Canada has shown, a heavy royalty on gold-fields, but a royalty does not bring in money until the gold has been actually got out, at which stage the problem of running an administration is solve! already. l|IUI.Jil,,MillJiJ)J^^^i ,.- ' Ji 152 CECIL J. RHODES— "THE UNCROWNED ivJNG." But the British South Africa Company, by virtue of Mr. Rhodes's patent fifty per cent, clause, can go shares with the pri< vate exploiters and speculators out of whatever value the investing public of Europe chooses to put on the prospectuses of a country still undeveloped. On other gold-fields, the government may take toll by royalty, transfer dues, stamps, duties on mining necessa- ries, licenses, or, as in the Transvaal, percentages on monopolies granted to private persons. Here the idea is to make things easy for the prospector till he strikes what he considers a find ; then the Company comes in as a sort of ground-landlord and claims half of the shares which the vendor gets allotted to himself in floating the find into a company. ~ Thus in all subsidiary companies the Chartered Company holds scrip, which it can either hold as an investment or sell to the investing public. Mr. Rhodes laid down the principle that ordi- nary revenue got of the settlers must be spent in administration ; it is this speculation mining revenue that has to pay the piper — to the tune of millions eventually. In short, Mr. Rhodes has in- geniously arranged to bleed the British share-gambler in order to pay for the neglected duties of the British taxpayer. SPECULATING IN SHARES. In the speculative stage of all gold-fields vast sums are drawn from the credulity, as it is often called, or from the avarice and recklessness, as it might be called more justly, of the people who buy mining shares in the hope of selling them again to other peo- ple at a profit. We do net speak of swindles, but simply of the inevitable risk in the purchase of geological chances. Generally speaking, these sums go into the pockets of private persons. To a considerable extent, of course, that is true a." ^o of the exploitation of Rhodesia ; but the peculiarity of the case is that when the process is concluded, whatever may be the fate of all the various gold companies, and even of the Chartered Company it- self, there will have been incidentally added to the empire a prov- ince, of more or less value for colonization, fitted up with railways, telegraphs, and all the plant of a precocious civilization. k' u I. IV f r V %'■■ it. / CECIL J. RHODES— "THE UNCROWNED KING." 163 In the interim Mr. Rhodes takes, and gets his friends to take, large risks. His own "roomful of gold" is not enough for his schemes, and nothing is more remarkable than the way in which he has been able, throughout his career, to induce financial asso- ciates to put their resources also into his hobbies. No doubt one part of the secret is their uniform exj^erience that he always does his best to see that they come out of it not badly. However that may be, his personality seems to have cast a spell over the Beits, the Bamatos, and all the other long-headed men who were in close contact with his achievement of amalgama- ting the diamond mines ; and so, when his northern scheme most needed it in the early days, he was able to count on De Beers for a risky loan. Risky it was thought at the time ; yet here again he boasts that De Beeis has had no cause to repent. One way or another, the good British (and Continental) investor has had to make it up to De Beers and forestall all losses. NOT EAGER TO FURNISH THE MONEY. Sometimes the spell fails to work, and the allies disappoint him. The Transcontinental telegraph, which is linking the Cape to Cairo, was a scheme praised in every English paper. Here, at least, they said, was imperialism in which was no guile, because it would never pay. Yet when Mr. Rhodes sent out circulars in London to the shareholders of all his concerns, who were doing very nicely just then, inviting them to put money, by way of a thank-offering, into the guileless and unremunerative telegraph, his only answer — so he tells the story — was from one indignant shareholder who wrote to ask whether these highly improper cir- culars were being sent out at the shareholders' expense. It is just this kind of person whom Mr. Rhodes has made lay out large sums on the extension of the Empire — by the ingenious mechanism above described. So, too, the inquiry at Westminster brought out the fact that the Chartered Company had had to be tided over several lean periods by private advances from Mr. Rhodes and his friend, Mr. Beit. When Dr. Jameson telegraphed down that it was necessary 154 CECIL J. RHODKS-"THE UNCROWNED KING." to smash Lobengula, and Mr. Rhodes sent the characteristically laconic reply, " Reav^ Lnke xiv. 31," the result of the calculation of ways and means, which the Scripture quoted enjoins, was not promising. So little promising, in fact, that this time De Beers failed Mr. Rhodes. He hurried up to the seat of war to find awaiting him a reply telegraphed from Kimberley to a telegram of his own proposing a loan : " Wish you luck in your war," such was its purport ; "Sorry we cannot see our way clear to the loan you want." So once again Mr. Rhodes had to see the way himself, out of his own pocket. The skeptics thought they would score a point when they called for a list of Chartered holdings, and it proved that Mr. Rhodes had sold a block of his shares ; it was a surprise to those skeptics to learn that Mr. Rhodes had only sold Charters to keep the Charter going. NAPOLEON OF FINANOE. And so the " financial Napoleon " goes on recruiting his bat- talions and disposing of them ; driving hard bargains with Consoli- dated Goldfields shareholders, and even, on one occasion at least, with Chartered shareholders ; throwing the money back again into the Charter at weak points ; recovering loans when the tide turned and the Company could repay him ; subscribing heavily to almost every one of those subsidiary gold companies from whose vendor- shares the Chartered shareholders in turn look to get their profits. Of the sins of the British South Africa Company we have heard enough since 1895. What of the credit side? It (with the allied Railway Companies) has opened up to the world a province as large as any two countries in Europe (Russia excluded) ; has organized, and paid for, the crushing of the last native war and the last native rebellion in the long series of African wars and rebel- lions, giving for the first time in the history of African govern- ments, compensation for damage done to the amount of $1,250,000 in Matabeleland alone ; it has set up an administration which is at least not corrupt, with pure and competent courts of justice ; and has secured the enthusiastic, the almost intolerant, support of the vast mass of the white inhabitants of the country. , CHAPTER XI. '-* Oom Paul Kruger and other Famous Leaders. « N May 9tli, 1883, a most remarkable man w.'S chosen presi- dent of the South African Republic. That he is a man of extraordinary ability is shown from the fact that he has retained his hold constantly upon the executive chair of the Trans- vaal, and the outbursts of opposition which he has had to encounter on several occasions have been overcome and have not served to dislodge him. President Kruger is a sturdy Boer. A man of strong native sense, of iron will, blunt even to roughness, in close touch with ordinary people, a man of simple habits yet very shrewd and far- seeing, a firm believer in the Bible, which he interprets to suit himself, making it frequently endorse his own opinions, he is the one great, rugged figure that stands out in the war, even as he has been the most conspicuous personage in Transvaal history for many years. The weight of more than three score years and ten do - not seem to diminish his energy, cloud his mind, or swerve him from his purposes. He only becomes more gross and irritable with age, and more firmly bent on having his own way. His people look upon him almost as a prophet, and he is careful to give them to understand that the Lord is on the side of the South African Re- public, and that the fate of the people will be only what Divine Providence either decrees or permits. Oom ^aul is a person of regular habits, and can be seen any day sitting on his " stoep" (verandan), or visiting the Raad in Pre- toria, but he is a difficult bird to entrap into an interview. After the war broke out he assumed a little more of the pomp that doth hedge about a crowned or presidential head. He has an es- cort of seven troopers to accompany him to and from the govern- ment buildings. They wait at a respectful distance in the middle 155 156 OOM PAUI, KRUGER AND OTHER FAMOUS LEADERS. of Church Square, until his Honor, attired in his invariable black frock-coat and broad -brimmed top-hat of ancient design, hurries back to his beloved " stoep," in order to puflf away at his enormous pipe of Transvaal tobacco, and contemplate the New Dopper Church opposite his residence. Kere also, since threatening letters and rumors of assassination have become more frequent, a guard has been stationed, and two sentries of somewhat casual bearing, with untidy cartridge-belts, are posted to warn off any possible intruder. The house is certainly an insignificant-looking bungalow for the chief of the State. It is a one-storied building, with wooden- trellised verandah running along its whole length, and abuts on the roadway without any intervening space. The only indications, besides the sentries and the flagstaff, that the abode is one out of the common, are the two mottled white marble lions presented by Barney Barnato to the President. They are small and not partic- ularly artistic animals, but they are quite pets with the Kruger family. GREAT RELIGIOUS FESTIVAL. When the writer happened to be in Pretoria, Oom Paul was extra busy on account of the quarterly " nachtmaal," the Boer reli- gious festival, which fell this year on Palm Sunday and the day or two before. On these occasions the big square surrounding the church is invaded by Boers who have trekked in from all parts of the country, with their long wagons and spans of twelve or more oxen, till the place resembles a huge farmyard. They outspan at the foot of the government buildings, and boil their pots at the church loor, in exercise of their free rights as burghers. There is a similar gathering around the President's church. Long services are carried on, and the two buildings are crammed to suffocation. In the intervals more secular matters are transacted with his Honor Stephanus Johannes Paulus, who is not averse, by the way, to doing a little preaching himself. " I braved the sentries," says a visitor, " and was very civilly received by the President's grandson, who promised an introduc- tion to his giaadfather on his return from the Raad. On coming back, however, the old gentleman was not iu a particularly com* ^' i V COM PAUt KRUGER AND OTHER FAMOUS LEADERS. 157 municative mood. He sat behind a sort of screen whicli con- cealed the upper part of his face, showing only the familiar ' New- gate frill.' He eyed my camera distrustfully, and was evidently determined not to be drawn into any definition of the word * suzer- ainty.' He has indeed been somewhat tactlessly handled by inter- viewers, and now resents the approach of .tuy newspaper man. A well-known Frenchman, for instance, asked him point-blank what he would do if the English came and occupied Pretoria. Uncle Paul was speechless with rage. " In answer to a few questions put through an interpreter, the President intimated that he had nothing to say just at that moment, and preferred to smoke away undisturbed. He said, however, I could photograph his lions and sentries if I liked, but he thought it was scarcely worth while to waste time over the house, as it was going to be pulled down on the following day and rebuilt in a man- ner more consonant with the dignity of the chief of the State. His house was eighteen years old, and originally built by a Pole, but was now out of keeping with the fine new buildings of the capital. A SNAP SHOT AT KRUGER. " As to being CAperimented on himself, h .; said that if he gave permission to one journalist he would have to grant the favor to ell, and too many fearful caricatures of him had been published. His sentries, however, were much readier to face the camera, and gave me their names and the numbers of their boxes at the post- oflBce, in the hope that I would send them their portraits. It only remained to snapshot the President as he retreated within his abode, and to take a few more external views of the latter, after which I departed, looking round from time to time to see if the guard were after all covering me with their rifles for daring to accost the Arch- Boer on his own 'stoep.' " His worst enemy would not accuse him of lack of courage. It is related of him that he was once hunting when he gave chase to a huge buffalo. The animal fell into a wallow, and -in a second Kruger was on top of it, richer, horse and buffalo, rolling together ir the big puddle. Disentangling himself, Kruger seized the •^!^ 158 OOM PAUL KRUGElR AND OTHER FAMOUS LEADERS. buffalo by the borns and twisted its neck until be forced its nose under water. After a fearful struggle, by sheer strength, he drowned the animal. Kruger once injured his left thumb with a rifle, whereupon he coolly took out his knife and amputated the wounded digit. On another occasion he had a severe attack of toothache. For three or four days and nights he endured the pain without a murmur ; then one night, as he could not sleep owing to the troublesome tooth, he got up, hunted for his knife, and with this dug out the offending molar. But President Kruger is above all things a wily diplomatist, as well shown when a deputation of Outlanders waited upon him to hint that he was responsible for the decrease in value of mining shares. Oom Paul answered them in a parable about a pet monkey he once had. " Years ago," said the President, " on a cold day, I and the monkey made a fire, in which the animal burned his tail, and in revenge bit me. I said to him : ' I made a fire to warm us both, but you burned your tail in it. That was your own fault, and I don't see why you should be angry with me.' " SHREWD WAY OP DIVmiNCJ PROPERTY. On another occasion he had referred to him a question about the division of certain property between two brothers, who agreed to abide by Kruger's decision. He listened patiently to both sides, and then delivered his judgment. To the elder brother he said: " I decide that you, being the senior, shall divide the property. But I also decide that the younger brother shall have his choice of the two portions." " The Transvaal sun was already high in the heavens when at 6 o'clock on an August morning, I called upon President Kru- ger," writes a traveler. " I found him sitting on his front porch with his feet propped up ag^ainst one of the Bamato lions. Nearby sat Mrs. Kruger placidly knitting a pair of gray woollen socks for her husband, and occasion ?.lly smiling at the quaint sallies of wit which he flung out for the benefit of some country burghers who were occupying the steps. OOM PAUt KRUGER AND OTHER FAMOUS LEADERS. 159 " As we approached the gate, Oom Paul got up and, knocking the ashes from his pipe on a lion, said something which made his hearers explode with laughter and indicated to our party, with a wave of the hand, that he would receive us within. " While the others w^ere paying their respects to Mrs. Kruger, I had time to look over the ' White House,' as it might be called, though in color alone is the home of the Transvaal president simi- lar to that furnished the head of our nation. It is a little, one- story stone affair, covered with white plaster, more humble in ap- pearance than the home of the ordinary American farmer. A veranda about six feet wide runs along in front, and morning- glory vines creep up the posts. " The only suggestion of decoration is furnished by two huge marble lions, which recline on either side of the steps. So massive are they that the house appears, in comparison, even smaller than it is. Barney Bamato gave these to Mr. Kruger to remind him of the 'Great Trek' from Cape Colony, in 1836, when the Boer pioneers killed 6,000 lions. BLACK COFFEE AND PERFECT HEALTH. " Oom Paul, like all his countrymen, has been practically nourished on black coffee. To it he ascribes his remarkable health, for he has never been sick a day in his life. He drinks it poison- ously strong, and so hot that, as the Boers say, ' if spat on a dog it will take off his hair.' " He shook hands with me on being introduced, and immedi- ately began to speak to my sponsors with such a rapid flow of Ian. guage that I can only describe it as a splutter. He used the Taal dialect, a deteriorated form of Holland Dutch, spoken by the Boers, who also employ many Kaffir words in their conversation. Oom Paul soon had the party laughing heartily over some recent ex- perience. One of the gentlemen took occasion to lean over and prompt me in a stage whisper with : ' His Honor is in a good humor this morning. Ask him anything.'" It could easily be guessed that there would be no warm friend- ship b'^t^reen President Kruger and Cecil Rhodes. Yet it were 160 OOM PAUL KRUGER AND OTHER EAMOUS LEADERS. m- 1: pertinent to ask, Why all this intermittent exhibition of spite and vain anger from the Colossus — for he is colossal in many ways — of the Transvaal ? Ever since the Jameson episode Mr. Kruger has had the crp.me in his own hands, and because his cards have been badly played, with a probable disastrous rtsiilt to himself and others, he blackguards the amused on-looker, and figuratively tells him " not to look on while he is playing, as his presence only irritates." The reason for all this is too apparent, and verges, in its unreasonableness, on the keen jealousy displayed by foreign nations to British supremacy. DESERT TURNED INTO A GARDEN. The Transvaal, with all its potentialities and proved riches, is on the downward grade, whilst Rhodesia, the scorned, the water- less desert, and the land with nothing to show (as Paul Kruger termed it) is progressing out of all understanding. The slump in the one is put down to Kruger, and the rise in the other is placed to the credit of Rhodes. There lies the point in a nutshell. Imagine an old-established and flourishing business, in a leading thoroughfare, losing its trade to a neighboring newcomer, with half the stock to ofier, no connection to boast of, and yet cutting out its older and more powerful rival by leaps and bounds. The proprietor of the older establishment, if a business man, will over- haul his whole system, and work on lines more modern and en- lightened, and endeavor to retain the trade, the fruits of past years of success. Mr. Kruger is not a business man, and therefore cannot reason on these lines, but, instead, stands at the narrow door of his empty shop and relieves his feelings by berating his brisk rival. The very pillars of his stability are deserting him by the exodus of a number of his burghers into Rhodesia, and the stream of Dutch colonists from the Cape and the Orange Free State being diverted into the newer channel. Paul Kruger is like a wealthy proprietor who has lined his own pockets, but is doomed to see the edifice lie has built fall about his ears, to the detriment of his whole staif and employees. In his rival, Cecil Rhodes, he sees a man whose pockets OOM PAUL KRUGER AND OTHER FAMOUS LEADERS. 161 » have not been overburdened with riches made out of his own ven-. ture, but whose work is founded upon strict business principles, and which will flourish for years after he retires from the management. The enmity and envy engendered by this state of affairs has been well reflected lately by the epithets hurled upon the devoted head of Mr. Rhodes. " Murderer," with probably a few adjectives, omitted in transmission, is the selected choice from the pious man's vocabu- lary ; but to do Kruger full justice we do not ascribe such violent language to a deliberate expression of a man who is cognizant of the excellencies of his neighbor, and hates him the more for his vir- tues being impressed upon his notice. LAND TEEMING WITH RIOHES. Paul Kruger is, unfortunately, built roughly, and his utter blindness to the plain path that lies before him excites pity more than disgust. There is not the slightest doubt that he has firmly persuaded himself into the belief — which is not less convincing be- cause it suits his own pocket — that the Transvaal's existence de- pends upon the Dynamite Concession. Imagine a young and prom- ising land, teeming with riches, being dependent upon a private contract for its existence ! What can be the fate of a i ind, where every wish of the majority of its inhabitants is thwarted, and all opposition to the existing autocracy is set down as the machinations of its enemies ? Paul Kruger, with teeth clenched and fists doubled, retains" and yearly increases his power, as against all comers. Small wonder it is that the sight of Rhodes working away patiently at an extreme comer of his dominion, without active authority or the desire for such, recommending the granting of any wishes of the settlers that may be right and proper in a free and open country, excites his rival to abuse. Where the fight is unequal between the two powers of South Africa is, that Rhodes knows his Kruger, but Kruger, if he tried, has not the capacity to understand his Rhodes. There can hardly be a doubt that each force will keep to the track until the last, with a result that is easily foretold. When the war began a niece of President Kruger, far from her II I mmmmm m 162 OOM PAUI, KRUGER AND OTHER FAMOUS I^EADERS. native land, was anxiously scanning every war dispatch that gave her information regarding '.he prowess of the sturdy Boers, whose successes caused her loyal heart to beat exultantly and her cheek to glow with excitement over each fresh burgher victory. In 1898, in company with her brother, she came to the United States, where he was obliged to look after an interest he had secured in one of the rich gold and silver mines of southern Arizona. At that time no thought was entertained of war or the devoted pair would have remained in the land of their n" .1 /ity ; on^ tc> defend his rights, and the other, if need be, to nurse and aid in every way possible her valiant kinsmen, friends, and countrymen. BOER GIRL :n^ AMERICA. Sannie Kruger's grandfather was a mixture of Boer and Eng- lish, this combination being brought about before the great trek in the beginning of the century, when the Boers and English fraternized, and up to that time had not acquired the deep hatred they have for one another at the present day. Her grandmothei was a Boer girl and a sister of the present wife of Oom Paul Kru. ger, while her father was a nephew of this clear-headed and re- sourceful pilot of the destiny of the Transvaal Republic. She is, therefore, a grandniece of both Kruger and his wife. On her mch ther's side she is also a great niece of General Piet Joubert. Thig condition of affairs has been brought about from the fact that the Boers intermarry among one another, crossing the relationships until they exceed in complicity and intricacy even the famed rela. tionships of the West Virginia and Kentucky mountaineers. Unlike most of her countrywomen, Sannie Kruger was educated in Europe, the greater part of her training being obtained in France and Belgium, where she became highly proficient in painting and music. President Kruger severely condemns foreign customs and a continental training, but the fair slip of a girl he calls his niece so captivated him that he forgave her this unpardonable offense and even overlooked the slight strain of English blood in her na- ture, which probably, more than anything else, accounts for her ' love of travel and her determination to accompany her brother in tf^~: i!«i ■ m ■* * aiij^ieii^J^^^'i,^ ;&■ ■| ^ , COM PAUL KRUGER AND OTHER FAMOUS LEADERS. 163 his unheard-of determination to leave his native country and come to America and hazard his fortunes in the most progressive of Anglo-Saxon countries. In speaking of her kinsfolk, Miss Kruger throws much light upon what is generally unknown in this country concerning her people. The impression that usually obta.i^^s concerning the Boens is that they are purely an agricultural people, with few desires and simple tastes ; and from long contact with the savage tribes whose territory they took by force, they have acquired to a greater or less extent a certain barbarity and coarseness not possessed by more progressive peoples and different tastes. VICTIMS OP PRi5lJUDI0E. She says : " We Boers are plain folk, with few caste and class lines, having a strong national feeling, and desiring to be left alone to govern ourselves as best we see fit. The impression that pre- vails that we are coarse, uneducated and brutal is due to the preju- dices scattered broadcast against us by the Outlanders, who are desirous of taking by hook or crook our lands and property which have, contrary to first impression, proved very valuable, not alone in mineral wealth, but as an agricultural community. / " It is true that- * the doppers,' as we call them, the plain farmers, who live on isolated farms and rarely if ever mingle with the life of our cities or towns, are more or less uneducated and plain in their tastes ; but in the United States on the Western farms and in fact scattered all over the country you have settlers who are cruder and more primitive in their way of living than our ' hay- seeds ' are. A ' dopper ' girl dresses and looks as different from a town-bred girl as your country lass does from your city-bred maiden. Your farmers' daughters are not duplicates of your daughters of wealth and fashion, are theyi No more are we like the 'dopper' women. " The 'doppers' all dress in gowns cut after the same pattern, a cheap print of bright color made into' a short skirt for convenience sake, gathered full around the waist,- a blouse simply made with a low band for a collar, topped off by a sunbonnet. On Sundays and IK 164 OOM PAUL KRUGER AND OTHER FAIvTOUS LEADERS. holidays they appear resplendent in their gaudiest, brightest and best gowns, with a narrow ribbon of gay color, tied in a 'Dutchy' bow»— short, stiff loops and long ends somewhat like the fashion in vogue in this country several years ago. " We girls of the cities and towns, however, dress as fancy dic- tates, and it is no unusual thing to see copies of lya Mode, Harper's Bazaar and the latest London fashion plates adorning the dressing tables of these city belles. As a rule, however, on ordinary occa- sions we dress very simply owing to the fact that we ride a great deal ; and as we ride astride like the men, we cling to short skirts rather than trailing gowns. To lell you the truth I do not see how American girls accustom themselves to ride in the awkward manner they do, and I am glad to see the progressive young ladies in the West have adopted our mode of riding. . . ; . READY TO ADOPT FASHIONABLB DRESS. " The general impression that Boer wives wear a Mother Hub- bard and never appei anything else is a base libel on the race. Perhaps in some of tne outlying farms this may be true, but our mothers as a rule wear a two-piece garment, the skirt and waist being simply made, while their children, as I have before stated, lean very strongly toward foreign fashions, and adopt them on all possible occasions. " It is also generally asserted that a great deal of Zulu blood is intermingled with our race. This is another English absurdity. We pride ourselves upon our hereditary clannishness, and we treat the Zulus and Basutos and Mashoanos simply as servants to do the drudgery and other labor which they are willing to perform to par- ticipate to a slight degree in the influences of our civilization. We carry our relationships almost to an absurdity, for a Boer, even if he is only a fiftieth cousin, is a relative, but from our custom oi intermarrying all Boer families are more or less closely related. "Like all Boer girls I am an excellent shot and I fervently wish I were back in the Transvaal that I might if need be defend our land from the relentless attacks of the English invader. From sheer necessity we have all been obliged to learn how to shoot, and OOM PAUL KRUGER AND OTHER FAMOUS I^EADERS. 165 one of the first prerequisites of our education is to hit a bull's eye at long range. " Our cunning with the gun has been handed down to us through the generations. When treking on the veldt it often fell to the women to keep the prowling lions away from the wagons, and in time of war our women stand behind the laager or barricades, aa the case may be, load the guns, tend the wounded and if needed take a hand in the shooting also. " We will be defeated in the long run by the English, but we will show that we know how to fight. " Here I am continually harassed by the thought that I am needed by my country, and at times so strong is the inclination to return that I am almost persuaded to commence the long voyage to the land of my nativity so that I may be able to help, if it is pos- sible, repeat to the British the terrible lessons we taught them at Rorke's Drift and Majuba Hill." PRESIDENT OP ORANGE FREE SPATE. Another celebrity in South Africa is President Steyn, chief executive of the Orange Free State. He spent his earlier years with his maternal grandmoti?er at Bloemfontein. This good lady was the wife of the famous Boer leader and pioneer, Wessels — a man with some sterling qualities, whose memory the Boers hold in the highest reverence. Mrs. Wessels was a fit wife for such a hus- band — ^brave, 'determined, patriotic, gentle and loving. The natives disputed every step the "trekking" Boers took in their count'', but they were hardly more dangerous than the lions which pro\.led about in large numbers. Many a time in the dead of night Steyn' s grandmother, when a young married woman, had to fly from impending death in one form or another, one child in her arms, another running by her side clingfing to her skirts. In later years, when the Boers had settled down to cultivate their farms and the Wessels were able to look back on the stormy days that had passed, a phrase that Steyn and his brothers heard often from their grandmother's lips was : " You are free men. See to it that you remain free." , •/- 166 OOM PAUIy KRUGER AND OTHER FAMOUvS I^EADERS. The marriage of the president of the Free State is quite a little romance in itself. He was intended for a legal career, and when nineteen years of age left South Africa to pursue his studies in Europe. On the same ship was a sweet, winsome lassie cf twelve, and the boy and girl became boon companions to the end of the voyage. Steyn studied with diligence and success. Sometimes he thought of his little traveling companion, and wondered if h^ should ever see her again. Six years passed, and Steyn returned to Bloemfontein a full- fledged barrister. He had only been home a few days when he attended a school function, and one of the first guests he was in- troduced to was a beautiful young woman of eighteen, in whom he quickly recognized his ship companion of six years before. Under similar circumstances young people are apt to call such a coincidence " destiny," and Steyn and his sweetheart were no ex- ception to the lule. His offer of marriage was accepted, but Steyn's financial position did not warrant him in setting up house- keeping just then. He had plenty of brains, but few briefs to exercise them on. There was nothing for it but to wait and work. THOUGHT TO BE STEALING A SWEETHEART. Steyn traveled a great deal in circuit, and the letters for his sweetheart he addressed secretly to a mutual friend, upon whom Miss Fraser — for such was the young woman's name — called every day for her billets-doux. Bloemfontein even now is no larger than a decent-sized English village ; in those days it was so small that everybody made a point of knowing everybody else's business. Consequently, people were quick to notice the friendship that had sprung up between Miss Fraser and Steyn's friend in the bar- rister's absence, and the general impression was that this friend was trying to steal Ste5m's sweetheart from him, thus proving himself a traitor to Steyn and unworthy of recognition by any- honest, fair dealing resident of Bloemfontein! Friends deserted the unhappy man; where once he was met with smiles he saw nothing but frowns, but he stuck loyally to his trust despite it all. When Steyn returned to Bloemfontein, people received him with m ^ t;:. '^Uh^^it-.^ -vie ^m':W^^' ^«"» OOM PAUIv KRUGER AND OTHER FAMOUS IvEADERS. 1G7 veiled expressions of commiseration. Steyn could not understand it. He hastened to the residence of the man who had been acting as his " postman," and inquired the meaning of it all. He roared with laughter when he heard of the conclusion his fellow townsmen had jumped to, and how surprised those good but misguided folk were when they saw the rising young barrister and " the base deceiver " walking arm in arm through the streets may be readily imagined. At last Bloemfontein learned the truth. They had much to ask forgiveness for from the man upon whom they had too quickly passed judgment, and he was feted and banqueted for many days thereafter. The marriage of Advocate Steyn and Miss Fraser rounded off a ptetty little romance, but whether the " postman" acted as " best man " — if there is such an office at a Boer wedding — deponent sayeth not. In this wise did the man who is figuring so prominently in the Transvaal war meet, woo and win a charming bride. OTHER OELEBRTTIES. Doubtless the action of the Orange Free State people in aiding the Boers against the British was started by Dr. Frank W. Reitz, Premier of the Transvaal, who was formerly President of the Orange Free State. He resigned in 1895, because of ill health, and visited England, and was cordially received by King Leopold, of Belgium, and by the President of France. Dr. Reitz comes of German stock, his ancestors having settled in Holland two centuries ago. His grandfather went to Africa, where Dr. Reitz was born, in 1844. He was graduated from the South African College, studied law in England, and was called to the bar in 1868. He practiced successfully in Cape Town for six years, and was then appointed Chief Justice of the Orange Free State. In 1889 he was elected President, and his official service was entirely satisfactory. The great general and commander-in-chief of the Boer army is Pietrus Jacobus Joubert. When the British General Symons was killed in one of the first engagements of the war, it was just like w M 168 OOM PAUI. KRUGER AND OTHER FAMOUS LEADERS. Joubert to telegraph condolences to Lady Symons. He is frank- ness and honesty personified. He is a man and a soldier of the type Englishmen and AnierL?'is like. Nothing could be more courteous than his treatment cf his English prisoners, from Lady- smith. Nothing could be kinder than his care for the wounded enemy. Here is what a correspondent of a London journal said of him, writing from Ladysmith : " At daybreak I got back to the station just as Joubert's train was steaming away to Sandsspruit. By dint of audacity the station master was persuaded to stop it. I boarded the General's own spe- cial saloon carriage. Evidently the sheer impudence of the thing must have staggered him, for he forgave me and came into my compartment. We chatted for hours on the journey to the big Boer camps at Sands River, or spruit. - COMMANDER OP "^^^ BOER ARMY. " I noted that the General was generally popular, the Boers clustering about the stations to shake hands with him. He would descend, when the train stopped long enough, to say a few words by way of encouragement. There were some feeble attempts at cheering, but 5^our Transvaal burgher has no lungs for that form of popular approval. "I asked and received permission to snapshot Joubert and his more immediate friends. He stepped out of the train and took up a position for that purpose. In appearance he bears strong traces of his French origin. His quick, dark eyes beam with shrewdness and kindness. He has a belief that the future and the present are for the Boer," and declares he would cut his throat sooner than give way on the points of Transvaal's claims or doubt God's personal support of its cause." Joubert, with the addition of some polish, is a typical Boer. He comes of an old French Huguenot family, long settled in South Africa, with a strong infusion of Dutch blood. Like President Kruger, he was bom of good family. He was a worker and at one time was a farmer. But his innate ability soon lifted him into fj^r-^, iiimmp i OOM PAUL KRUGER AND OTHER FAMOUS LEADERS. 169 public life. He became State Attorney to the South African Repub- lic, and afterward Vice-President. He has long been ambitious to be President, and in 1893 came within 881 votes of winning this honor from the great Kruger himself. Joubert is very popular. In the late seventies, during the troubles with England that culminated in the war, under the memory of which England has smarted ever since, Joubert became a very prominent figure in Transvaal affairs. He accompanied Kruger on his memorable visit to England, when the demand for the independence of the Republic was formulated. This demand was finally refused, and on Decem- ber 30, 1880, Kruger, Jovbert and Pretorius formed themselves into the triumvirate that declared the Republic independent. Then came the memorable war, with Laing's Nek, Ingoga Rion and Majuba Hill following in rapid and fatal sequence. Joubert was the hero of Majuba Hill. He personally led the force that dealt England the blow she has neither forgotten nor forgiven. Joubert remarked the next day that he always had supposed the English flag was red, but now he knew it was white ; he had seen it at Majuba Hill. That remark completed his conquest of the Boers. REPUTATION FOR FAIRNESS. Nothing is written about Joubert that does not comment on his fairness. The Boers, in their insatiable ambition to possess out- lying lands that England seized before them, raided Bechuanaland in 1884. The movement was a popular one. The Boers were flushed with victory. They believed the land was more theirs than England's, for they had broken the ground before England pos- sessed it. But Joubert stopped it. " I positively refuse," he declared, " to hold office under a gov- ernment that deliberately breaks its covenants, and we have made covenants with England." He meant it. He would have resigned and gone back to his farm, and the Boers knew it. Joubert organized the army of the Transvaal. He divided the country into seventeen military departments, and each department again and again into smaller divisions, with commanders, 5eld cor- nets and lieutenants of various ranks in charge. Every man in II 270 OOM PAUIv KRUGKR AND OTHER FAMOUS LEADERS. the Transvaal became a trained soldier without leaving his farm. Every man had his complete equipment ready at home. Every man was pledged to appear at an appointed spot at the summons. To mobilize the enti'-e force of the Republic Joubert had to send only seventeen telegrams. The word passed down the line, and in an incredibly short time hundreds of post riders carried the summons from farm to farm. Within forty-eight hours the entire nation would be m arms, fully equipped and provisioned for a month, awaiting only the command to assemble. In the old days of Majuba Hill the army thus assembled was an army of shaipshooters. Then Jou- bert's proud boast was true — " Forty bullets per soldier, and a man per bullet." But game is almost as scarce in the Transvaal now as in New Jersey, and with practice lacking the Boers are not the marksmen they were many years ago. ANECDOTE OP KRUGER AND JOUBERT. This story is told of Joubert and Kruger in Paris : The Gen- eral was asked how he trained the Boers to such splendid marks- manship. " We are hereditary marksmen," he said. " We had to send our children to school, and the country was full of wild beasts and Kc.ffirs. So every boy had to carry a rifle £tnd know how to defend himself and his sisters. He was expected to prove his skill by bringing home bags of game. That's how we teach our boys. Isn't that so, Kruger ?" The burly President, thus appealed to, puflfed his pipe con- tentedly for a few moments and then said : " Yes, we make pur boys understand that the meek inherit the earth." Joubert and Kruger, it is well known, are not the warm per- sonal friends the}^ once were. Not that there is enmity, or even coldness between them, but they have drifted apart. This was un avoidable between two such men, when Joubert grew big enough to become a serious rival to the great Boer President. Twice they have run against each other for the presidency, but in the last elec- tion Kruger, because of his fiercer anti-Lritish attitude, far out- stripped his rival. Ivike Kruger, General Joubert has a popular nickname in the '/; i^ OOM PAUI. KRUGER AND OTHER EAMOUS I^EADERS. 171 ¥^ W- Transvaal, but not one nearly so affectionate as " Oom Paul," though a compliment to his abilities. He is known far and wide as " Slim Piet." But " slim " has no reference to his physical being. It is Boer for shrewd, or crafty, and how " slim " Joubert really is the British discovered at Ladysmith. Philadelphia is the birthplace of General Piet Joubert, the com- mander-in-chief of the Boer forces. In the narrow^ three-storied' brick building at 1 105 Arch street the man who commands the Boer army first saw the light. The building has been altered somewhat since it was occupied by the Joubert family, but it remains practically as it was at the time of Joubert's birth. MARRIED AND GAME TO AMERICA. Very little is known in Philadelphia of the Joubert family. A special deputy of the Custom House and Suiveyor of the Port accidently learned that the Jouberts were at one time residents of the Quaker City. A little search revealed their place of residence, and that it was here that Piet Joubert was born. The family was in moderate circumstances, and soon after the birth of the boy, who has since earned world-wide fame, they removed to some little town in the central part of Pennsylvania. Before coming to Philadel- phia the Jouberts had lived a short time in Holland. The elder Joubert was a Frenchman, but he fell in love with a girl in the south of Holland, and soon after their marriage they emigrated to America. When the great stories of South African wealth reached America, Joubert decided to take his family there. He joined a colony from Holland, and settled at Fransche Hoek, near Stellen- bosch, where other members of his family were living. The Joubert name has bc«?n prominent in Transvaal aflfairs for many years, and it was but natural that the American-bom Joubert would especially distinguish himself. He hi*s been a leader in South Africa many years. General Joubert has visited the land of his birth twice. First " in 1883, when an agent for a large financial company, and again ten years later, when he was the official representative of his ''^mmimmm 172 OOM PAUIy KRUOER AND OTHER FAMOUS lEADERS. country to the World's Fair at Chicago. It is not generally known that Piet Joubert and Paul Kruger are not friends, but enemies, and that the war in the Transvaal has largely been urged on by both because each was afraid that any lack of zeal he displayed would cause his undoing and the political elevation of the other. In fact they are rivals in every field of activity, have little in com- mon and much in difference. They are both men of strong per- sonality, and bring to bear shrewdness and knowledge quite unusual in their fight against each other. Kruger has thus far had the advantage of money and position to aid him. This is the explanation of the success of his political aspirations. Though Kruger is President of the republic, Joubert's politici*l position is hardly less notable. He is Vice-President, commander- in-chief of the army, a member of the Executive Council, the Cabi- net of the republic, and holds a dozen other offices. He fails only of the Presidency, though he has made twb attempts to wrest this from Kruger. The first time there were those who said that he had polled more votes and was defeated by wholesale swindling. The second time he was undoubtedly beaten by the presence of a third candidate in the field, who divided the vote. CAN aET THE BEST OP A BARGAIN. Joubert is an honest man according to his lights, but they are dim. He never has deliberately swindled any one ; but, being a man of business first and a farmer or a generalissimo afterwards, he takes the keenest delight in getting the best of a deal, whether it be in mining shares, gold claims, water rights or oxen. It is this pride in the conscious sentiment of " smartness" that is such a prominent feature throughout the Boer character. One of Joubert's foibles is being photographed. Probably he is the most photographed man in the Transvaal. Owing to this harmless little peculiarity his features are thoroughly well known. A broad, straight furrowed brow, from which the whitening hair is carefully brushed back, overhangs a pair of powerful, clear and honest grey eyes, which look th-- stranger straight in the face,' and are not shifty and furtive as are those in the head of the average *. y^-iss^l^^r I » OOM PAUL KRUGER AND OTHER FAMOUS LEADERS. 173 • » Boer. - The mouth is cold and hard, with no trace of a smiie ; the comers droop slightly, and the general expression is not amiable. The nose is the striking feature; it inspires rei^pect, for it is built on strong, commanding lines, and broadens out at the base into powerful but sensitive nostrils. The face as a whole has dignity, •■epose, almost a certain nobility of its own. A renowned commander was sent to South Africa from England to direct the movements and be responsible for the fortunes of the British army. This is General Sir Redvers Buller, who wears the- Victoria Cross, a badge of valor won on the battlefield. A BRILLIANT OPPIOBR. In May, 1858, a young man of whom nothing of any great importance was known at the time joined the Sixtieth Rifles as Cxxsign, yet there are few Englishmen to whom- his name and ex- ploits are not familiar. This -is because the Rifleman of '1858 is now the man in whom the thoughts of every soldier of the empire are centered. Sir Redvers' life has been crowded with incidents. The first twelve years of his service were spent as a subaltern. He saw plenty of fighting in them, for the Chinese war of i860 took him to the east, and he was present at the actions of Sinho, Taku Fores and the capture of Pekin. Ten years later he met Wolseley in Canada, and served under hin. in the Red River expedition. Evidently he impressed the commander-in-chief very strongly with his capabilities, for when the Ashanti expedition was organized Buller was selected to accom- pany him. When the troops returned to England, Sir Redvers (then a Ma;or) was given a staff appointment at the War Office. In the latter part of 1878 the situation in South Africa de- manded his presence in the field, and accordingly Buller took an active par in the Kaffir and Zulu wars. For his services in the various operations that ensued he was frequently " mentioned in dispatches," granted the brevet of lieutenant colonel, thanked in general orders, and awarded the proud distinction of the Victoria Cross for persiDual heroism in the face of the enemy. No precaution was omitted for the successful performance of 174 OOM PAUI. KRUGER AND OTHER FAMOUS lyEADERS. "> the threefold task devolving upon Sir Redvers Buller and his com- mand, a larger force than was commanded by Wellington at Water- loo. Buller's task was threefold. He was instructed to disarm the Boers, to establish equal rights for white men south of the Zambesi, and to arrange for the civil administration of the conquered terri- tory when the war was over. No man is more competent than Buller to accomplish these ends. His character is complex. Brave, determined, stem, with a biting tongue and burning zeal, he exacts from others in pithy and monosyllabic sentences instant and unquestioning obedience. He is head of a county family, a Privy Councillor, and has been Under Secretary for Ireland, where he is supposed to have contracted sympathy for Home Rule. Although taciturn, brusque, and even brutal in speech when on service, there is another side to his character. His social characteristics are equally marked. An excellent jud^e of the art of dining, and a perfect host, there is an atmosphere of charm and a note of distinction that makes "Buller the idol of his friends. He is human, and attracts more strongly than he repels; unlike Kitchener, whose cold, hard, calculating character left him almost friendless while carving his way to for- tune, Buller's social reputation and magnetism have grown with his manhood. •>; ■^c .J5^ * 1^ I':" I- CHAPTER XII. Tragic Story of Majuba Hill and Lang's Nek. RIGINALLY there were four republics in the Transvaal, but in i860 they were united into one under the title of the " South African Republic," which is now its official desig- nation. The South African Republic did not prosper. From the first it was impecunious, and within a decade after its establishment it was practically insolvent. The discovery, in 1867, of diamonds and of gold brought into the country a rush of strangers, whose energy and enterprise might have altered the condition of the Transvaal, but for the lethargy and obstinate isolation of the Boer population. Burgers, the last President before the annexation to Great Britain, was a man of vigor and talent, but the stolid Boers declined to be welded by nim into a nation. In a war upon which they entered with Sekukuni, a powerful native chief, the fighting was done for them by the warlike native tribe of Amaswazis, who were so disgusted with their white allies that they left them. When the Boers had to do their own work their hearts failed them and they fled ignominiously. Burgers, with tears, strove to rally them, but in vain, and he begged them to shoot him rather than disgrace him. But they shrugged their shoulders, and more than two-thirds of them fled home, leaving him hemmed in and powerless. The republic was encircled by native enemies all round the Transvaal borders, all waiting for the impending onslaught by Cetewayo, the Zulu king, the master of a formidable army which lay on the frontier ready to strike, and restrained from immediate hostilities against the Boers — who had provoked him by many encroachments — only by his fear of the English and the personal influence of Sir Theophilus Shepstone, the native secretary of Natal. On the northeast the Amaswazis brooded in sullen discon- tent ; northward, within and beyond the frontier, anarchy raged • and in the west the Bechuanas we^e waiting for their opportunity. 176 I 176 STORY 01^ MAJUBA HII^L ANt) LANG'S N^K. Financially the republic was hopelessly insolvent. The Boers set their faces against taxation. It is a notorious fact that when Shepstone annexed the Transvaal there was found in the public treasury only twelve shillings and sixpence (about three dollars), part of which was base coin. Clearly a crisis was impending which threatened to involve South Africa in great peril. The annexatiori was no sudden act. The Blue-books contain remonstrance on re- monstrance addressed by British ofl&cials to the Transvaal authori- ties. At length Lord Carnarvon's forbearance was exhausted. Shepstou'. was sent for to England, and received a commission of date 5th October, 1876, directing him, should the emergency render such a course necessary, to annex the Transvaal to her Majesty's dominions and put an end to the .controversy. THE BOERS REJECTED ALL REFORMS- Shepstone, escorted by twenty-five mounted policemen and a lew ofEicials, reached Pretoria in February, 1877. It was an open secret that he was empowered to annex the country if he deemed it advisable, but he expressed his readiness to refrain from that step if certain reforms were carried out. The Boers would have no reforms, and on April 12, 1877, Shepstone issued a proclamation formally annexing the Transvaal to Great Britain. For some time the Boers remained sullenly quiet. A few of them rendered good and loyal service with Sir Evelyn Wood during the Zulu war, but the main body stood aloof. Sir Owen Lanyon succeeded Shepstone as Administrator of the Transvaal, and from the first was unpopu- lar with the Boers. At the close of the Zulu war Sir Garnet Wolseley, who held the position of High Commissioner for Southeastern Africa, came up into the Transvaal with a considerable strength of regular and irregular troops. During his stay no actual outbreak occurred, but there were ominous demonstrations, which would probably have come to a head but for the presence of the troops. The Boer dis- content was enhanced by the positive intimation from the Colonial Secretary that " under no circumstances whatever would the Trans- vaal independence be restored to the Boers," and by Sir Garnet's ^■■jftMjj^ - I HON. CECIL J. RHODES-" THE UNCROWNED KINQ" H COLONEL BADEN-POWELL GALLANT DEFENDER OF MAFEKINQ AGAINST THE BOERS ^ JOHANNESBURG GOLD MINE-SHOWING STAMP BATTERY WHERE THE ORE IS CRUSHED 1 1 UJ < h cn tu UJ tc u. tu o z < a. O Xil Z I- u. O < a < o I z UJ I- z o u. UJ O -J ffi I- < (0 (T UJ O m ui I H >■ UJ UJ UJ i A GROUP OF OFFICERS OF THE 10th ROYAL HUSSARS NOW ON PUTY IN SOUTH AFRICA A NATIVE DISPATCH CARRIER OVERTAKEN AND SHOT BY THE BOERS TYPE OF THE NEW SOUTH WALES MOUNTED RIFLES WHO VOLUNTEERED FOR SERVICE IN THE WAR BETWEEN THE ENGLISH AND BOERS mmmmi SHIPPING HORSES AT SOUTHAMPTON, ENGLAND, FOR THE SOUTH AFRICA WAR IN < < Z (i D m N \- < nc LU I- U.I o z > < UJ CD D Q < > o cr z o _i < t- h < OQ Q Z o o UJ U3 I < o oc u. < I f- O CO < UJ I h cc o u. 2 O I- 0. 5 < I I- =) O CO < O z oc < m lU UJ _l IT 'iatii^' CAPTURED BRITISH OFFICERS AND MEN OF THE 18TH HUSSARS AT PRETORIA TRANSVAAL I I X t d z > D 2: i!^ U. > UI ""^ t ^? z Q 1- u z «> 5 > ■ ^ >■ 1- <" z o Ul =• z Z UJ -, _J HI? o oJ^S o I ^ tn H cr tf UJ Q. Ul UJ CI UJ rJf- Z lu ca < "" UJ 'i o 3 O) Q ^ gtuJ >- d: 3 I _l Q. Q 1- I' DC UJ fis f m ss£ F' IN THE S FINISH ONTROLI Uj" z — u *- " s ^0- a ^<" z Ul 03 O Q-Q = Ij -J 5 I i y < < S "• Q Z - H s UJ < . U- — 0. 00"^ o '^ w ^ CO s^^ D DISCO' LL PA OtiE O < < _i u. UJ S > Ul UJ UJ cc I I UJ *- H THE RICHEST DIAMONO MIN AT 7RACTED MEN C.iARTER OF UJ o < < m z z < c z o DC a < o < q: UJ tu > < cc I- z < LU a O oc LU O CO UJ UJ > D < i i u :i Ui a UJ u. UJ CL OC o Q CO cc UJ o D OC < UJ -I I- I- < 00 UJ I I- 0. o z cc o o o < -J o o CO CO UJ CO (O UJ I& ; ^1 I ! V a If :\ t'ffa ■■ li Ml P j. TTJif M |:i ' '^v STORY OF MAJUBA Hli^lv AND LANGS NICK. 177 less prosaic, but equally resolute utterance, that " so long as the sun shone and the Vaal river flowed to the sea the Transvaal would remain British territory." He finally left the Transvaal in March, 1880, and the troops in that territory were gradually reduced until in November of the same year they consisted of but thirteen com- panies of infantry, tw^o troops of mounted infantry and four guns,! distributed in detachments in some half-dozen garrisons scattered over the country. ' ' '■'::': Throughout the land there was a deceptive peace, which lulled I-auyon into a sense of security, and to soJUe extent deceived Wolseley. The Boers were playing the wailing game. Mr. Glad- stone became Premier in March, 1880. Taking it for granted that he would act on the Jnjes of his speeches when in opposition, the Boer leaders called on itiin to rescind the annexation. The answer of tilt? Government came in the curt telegram: " Under no circum- stances can the Queen's authority in the Transvaal be relinquished." There was consternation anjoiig the Boers ; the British inhabitants, trusting implicitly in an assurance so specific, rejoiced greatly and bought land without hesitation. In the matter of taxation the Boers had always presented a passive resistance against the British rule, but Lanyon's officials considered that they might now crush this resistance by active measures. A Boer named Bezuidenhuit was lev'ed on, and in default of payment, a seizure was made. Bezuidenhuit and his friends forcibly recovered the article seized, find an attempt to arrest him was thwarted by a gathering of Boers. DETERMINED TO FIGHT FOR INDEPENDENCE. At a mass meeting on the 13th of December, 1880, it was de- cided that the South African Republic should be restored ; it was resolved to fight for independence, and a triumvirate consisting of Kruger, Joubert, and Pretorius was appointed to administer the government. On the i6th the republic was proclaimed at Heidel- berg, which became the headquarters of the new Government. A large body of Boers took possession of that place, another went to Potchefstrom, and a third " commando " was detailed to aiiotlier service presently to be described. 12 178 STORY OF MAJUBA HILL AND LANG'S NEK. m N I' Lanyoii was powerless to interfere, and he and the English in Pretoria had to await events, pending the expected arrival of the detachment of the 94th regiment which had been ordered up from Lydenburg, whence it was known to have moved on December 5th. This ill-fated body was destined never to reach Pretoria. On the march Colonel Anstruther had frequent warnings of danger, to which he paid insufficient heed ; there prevailed in the force the rooted belief that the Boers did not intend serious mischief. It was scarcely to be expected that the men who had pusilla- nimously recoiled from before Sekukuni's spear-armed natives would venture to assail a body of British regular infantry. But long before the end of this miserable war the valor and constancy of the Boers, not less than their moderation and humanity, had come to be acknowledged and admired. In this, their first conflict with the " red soldiers," their unerring marksmanship was the chief surprise. TAKEN BY SURPRISE. The scouting duties of Colonel Anstruther's detachment were performed with carelessness ; else, whatever might have been its fate, it would not have been taken by surprise. About noon on December 20th, the little column, marching at ease, was approach- ing Bronkhorst Spruit. The ground traversed by the road was sparsely wooded, sloping down from either side. Military precau- tions were neglected, and the convoy stretched to an interminable length. The band at the head of the column abruptly stopped playing when about 150 armed mounted Boers suddenly became visible in skirmishing formation on a rise on the left of the road, at a distance of a few hundred yards. Colonel Anstruther imme- diately galloped back, and ordered the leading wagon to halt and the others to close up. A Boer advanced midway with a flag of truce, and was met by Colonel Anstruther, to whom he handed a letter written in English. Its terms were at once quaint and peremptory. " We don't know," it ran, " whether we are in a state of war or not, consequently we can't allow any movements of troops from your side, and wish you to stop where you are. We not being at war with the Queen nor STORY OF MAJUBA HILL AND LANG'S NEK. 179 with the people of England, bnt are only recovering the independ- ence of our country, we do not wish to take to amis, and therefore inform you that any movements of troops from your side will be taken by us as a declaration of war." The messenger was to take 1 Lck an answer, which had to be given within five mi nut s. Anstruther read the letter and tersely replied : '' I go to Pretoria ; do as you like." The messenger de- parted, and the colonel, hurrying back towards his men, ordered them to skirmish. But it was too late. The Boers had closed in upon the rear and flanks of the column and opened fire at point- blank range. Their fire was deadly — every shot told ; that of the troops was scattered and ineffective. In ten minutes, out of a total of 259, there had been killed or wounded 155 officers icud men. Colonel Anstruther, himself riddled with bullets, then ordered the " Cease fire," and intimated the surrender of the remains of his force. The Boers then closed in, ordered all arms to be laid down, and formed a cordon 1 lund the scene of the slaughter. FRIENDLY ACTS FOLLOW THE FIGHT. When the fighting was over, Boers and soldiers became very friendly. The Boer commander, Joubert, came forward and shook hands with Colonel Anstruther, expressing regret that he should be among the wounded. A hospital camp was pitched closed by, and leave was given for the retention of the wagons containing baggage, provisions, and hospital equipment, tents for the wounded, and some uninjured men as hospital nurses ; the remaining un- wounded prisoners with the rest of the wagons were removed to Heidelberg. Two men were permitted to carry the tidings of the disaster to Pretoria, whence without hindrance surgeons, hospital orderlies, and ambulances were 3ent out to Bronkhorst Spruit. The Boers showed themselves most obliging, and were ex- tiemely sglicitous for the comfort of the wounded in camp, bringing milk, butter, eggs, bread, and fruit gratuitously. The statements regarding the Boer losses in the short fight were curiously conflict- ing. The Boers affirmed that they amounted only to two killed and five wounded. IMAGE EVALUATION TEST TARGET (MT-3) 4 . 1.0 I.I l^|2B |2.5 t 1^ 2.0 i.8 1 1.25 ^\ ^ ■^ 6" ► <^ % /^ Photographic Sdences Corporation ^> i\ .V iN k <^ 6^ 23 WEST MAIN STREET W£ttS;ER,N.Y. 14S80 (716) 872-4S03 .^^ wvw ■ ■■^4 g iy:4 ' ,»ij^ ' :^-^ mt ' 180 STORY OF MAJUBA HILIv AND tANG'S N^Jt. When Sir Garuet Wolseley went home he had been succeeded, in July, as High Commissioner for South-Eastem Africa, by Colonel (afterwards Major-General) Sir George Pomeroy Colley, an officer of high character. Tidings of the outbreak in the Transvaal reached him at Pieter Maritzburg on the 21st of December, and were in possession of the Colonial Office in London on the follow- ing day. Reinforcements from India were promptly ordered to Natal, and further instalments of troops were sent out from England as early as possible. Considering the weakness of the forces at Colley' s immediate disposition, he would have been wise to wait until he had been reinforced ; but he had a great contempt for the Boers, and was eager to distinguish himself before he should be superseded by officers of higher rank. He was warned by Colonel Bellairs (in military command of the Transvaal) that there were " from 6,000 to 7,000 rebels in the field, who, under good leader- ship, would exhibit courage, discipline, and organization." INADEQUATE RELIEP COLUMN. Colley hurried up towards the Transvaal frontier the fev com- panies of infantry which he had in Natal. The arrival o' some drafts was very opportune — a naval brigade was landed and sent up, as also a .squadron of dragoons and mounted infantry under the com'nand of Major Brownlow, and the Natal Mounted Police. Colley had early intimated his intention to enter the Transvaal about January 2otii, 1881, with a column consisting of eight com- panies of infantrj% four guns, and a.mounted squadron — a miserably inadequate force. So far from accomplishing this anticipation, he was able only to quit Newcastle (a border town of Natal) on Janu- ary 24th with about 60 officers and 1,200 men. This little force was styled the " relief column," as it was in- tended to raise the siege of the Transvaal towns in which were scanty British garrisons beleaguered by the Boers. Apart from Pretoria, the besieged capital of the Transvaal, there were six of those places — Potchefstrom, Rustenburg, Marabastadt, Lydenburg, Standerton, and Wakkerstrom, all of which held out gallantly until the restoration of peace. '■■■Si m ■> < ■'■-- STORY OF MAJUBA HILI. AND I^ANG'S NEK. 181 Before advancing from Newcastle, Colley •:ent an ultimatum to the Boers, ordering them, as insurgents, to disperse. They re- plied, declaring that all they wanted was the rescinding of the annexation and the restoration of the South African Republic under the Protectorate of the Queen. On the 26th the British force en- trenched itself on an elevated position at Mount Prospect, about twenty miles north of Newcastle, in the mountainous region form- ing the northern projection of Natal. The camp was about a mile right of the road from Newcastle to Standerton, which crossed the ridge knov/n as Lang's Nek — about three and a half miles further northward. In the vicinity of Lang's Nek a considerable number of Boers were seen. On the morning of the 28th, Colley moved out with a strength, all told, of about 1,160 men. FORMED m LINE OF BATTLE. The pass over Lang's Nek crosses the ridge about the centre of a rough semi-circle, on the west of which is the Majuba moun- tain ; on the east is a long spur surmounted by a rocky crest. In front of the proper left of this spur, several hundred yards to the front, is an isolated conical hill. The ground in the bottom of the enclosed basin is low, with a gradual rise towards the face of the spur, something in the nature of a glacis. About nine o'clock the British force, having moved up along a ridge out of shot, formed into position on a rise in the bottom, with the mounted squadron and the 58th on the right, the guns in the centre, and the 60th and naval brigade on the left, the whole facing toward the spur. The action was begun by shelling parts of the enemy's posi- tion, and by pushing forward a company of the 60th and the Naval Brigade, with their rockets, which took some effect on the Boer re- serves in rear of the Nek. At ten o'clock the 58th advanced to the attack of the spur, covered on its right by artillery fire and by Brownlow's squadron. The leading troop of mounted men swept with fine dash up the isolated hill, and then charged. The hill- top was held by a Boer piquet of considerable strength. Brownlow shot the Boer leader with his revolver, but his horse was shot under him; Lieutenant Lermitte and Sergeant-Major 182 STORY OF MAJUBA HIIvI. AND LANG'S NEK. Lunny were killed ; the supporting troop was checked — the lead ing troop, fatigued and broken by the charge, and with its leaders all down, could make no head, and the whole squadron gave way. It was no proper ground for cavalry, and the horsemen should have acted as mounted infantry. Meantime, the 58th had begun climbing the steep ascent through the long entangling grass, which retarded the men's progress. The Boer piquet from the hill, having repulsed Brownlow's squadron, moved down and opened fire on the now exposed right flank and rear of the 58th, while the Boers on the spur gathered on its brow and maintained a deadly fire from behind cover. CHARGED THROUGH A HAIL OP FIRE, - Anxious to get to close quarters out of this purgatory, Colonel Deane gave the order to charge. The officers led nobly, and the men struggled on through the hail of fire. Colonel Deane's horse was shot, but he dashed forward on foot until riddled with bullets ten yards in front of the foremost man. Major Poole and Lieu- tenants Inman and Elwes were killed in supporting Colonel Deane ; Major Hingeston and all the mounted officers of the 58th were shot down or dismounted. The stubborn soldiers of that gi^llant regiment — youngsters as they were, most of them — continued to hold their ground unflinchingly for some time, notwithstanding the bitter fire. Lieutenant Baillie, carrying the regimental color, was mortally wounded, and when his comrade Hill went to his assistance, the brave young officer said with his last breath, " Never mind me ; save the color ! " Hill, who had been carrying the Queen's color, took the other also ; when he went down. Sergeant Budstock took both colors, and carried th^m until the general retirement, which soon had to occur. " The 58th," wrote Colley, " having fallen back leisurely without haste or confusion, reformed at the foot of the slope, and marched back into position in as good order, and with as erect and soldierly a bearing, as when it marched out." " Spite of much British bravery, the combat of Lang's Nek was an unquestionable and severe defeat. But many noble deeds were 1r (. uv^. >»^ * ,wSU STORY OF MAJUBA HILL AND LANG'S NEK. 188 --■ ^- performed. Lieutenant Hill (already named) brought wounded man after man out of action, and worthily earned the Victoria Cross. Trooper Doogen saved the life of Major Brownlow; Private God- frey and Bandboy Martin remained with Major Hingeston and Captain Lovegrove when those officers lay wounded, enduring heavy 6 re in doing so. The great brunt of the losses fell on the 58th. The casualties altogether amounted to 198, of which 173 belonged to that regiment, which had to bury 75 officers and men out of a tctal strength of 494. Lang's Nek caused the Boers ex- ceptionally heavy loss. Their total casualties from beginning to end of the war were but loi, of which Lang's Nek accounted for 41 — 14 killed and 27 wounded. The Boers behaved with humanity. The moment that the " Cease fire " sounded they gave- permission to the English surgeons to attend the wounded lying in front of the Boer position, fetched water to them, and assisting in binding up their wounds, rendered all possible relief. A DISASTROUS REPULSE. The folly of the forward position prematurely taken up by General Colley with an inadequate force was made apparent by the result of the battle of Lang's Nek. The comparative handful of men in the Mount Prospect camp could no longer be regarded by any stretch of imagination as a " relief column." That repulse taught the Boers their ability to arrest the further advance of the British force, and enabled them to turn their attention to the in- terception of its line of communication. The Boers, in effect, were masters of the situatioti. Their patrols penetrated nearly to Lady- smith, and threatened Newcastle from the Drakensberg and Utrecht districts. Convoys were cut off, captured, and destroyed ; the mail service was arrested, and except for the telegraph service, which remained uninterfered with, the Mount Prospect camp was all but entirely isolated. An escort of mounted infantry sent out on February 7th to attempt to reach Newcastle with mails, was driven back to the camp by the fire of the Boers. Colley then determined to make a more formidable effort next day to open up communications with Newcastle, and to cl?.ar the ■iWBJB? '^mm •^^^■ 184 STORY OF MAJUBA HII.I. AND LANG'S NEK. Boers from the road. On the morning of the 8th he left camp with five companies of the 6oth Rifles under Colonel Ashburnham, two field and two mountain-guns under Captain Greer, R.A., and a small detachment of mounted men under Major Brownlow. About five miles south of the Mount Prospect posilion the Newcastle road is crossed by the Ingogo river, which runs from west to east through a valley. The ground north of the river is broken and rugged ; from the south bank there is a gentle rise to the foot of a flat-topped ridge strewn with rocks and boulders, and irregularly cut by rocky depressions. The general, leaving the two mountain-guns and a company of infantry on a commanding crest north of the river, crossed it with the main body, which he formed on the plain beyond, and then moved it forward to the foot of the ridge bounding the valley to the southward. As the troops were ascending the rise to the ridge the Boers showed themselves in considerable strength, and they at once galloped forward to dispute the ridge, and to take advantage of the cover afforded by the intersecting valleys. Greer brought his two guns into action, but the Boers had already taken cover, from which they directed a heavy and active fire on the guns and skirmishers. Greer was killed early, and the command of the guns devolved on Lieutenant Parsons. HOT ENGAGEMENT AND MANY CASUALTIES. The engagement became heavy and general about noon, when the companies of the 6oth were pushed forward against the enemy, whose fire from behind cover was very deadly. The guns had to be freely exposed, and were in action with case-shot at a range of less than 500 yards. The gunners suffered very heavily, and a company of the 60th, which most gallantly advanced to cover the gunr. and met the Boer fire at close range, had many casualties from the steady and accurate fire of enemies enjoying almost per- (fect cover. So severe was the fire of the Boers that the g^ns had soon to be withdrawn from their exposed position, and during the rest of the affair fired only occasionally. It was apparent that the enemy ■ '#?• -»j ■rJJut^ litL^tl'i^ '-at STORY OF MAJUBA HILL AND LANG'S NEK. 185 >vere being gradually reinforced, and the general sent orders to camp for three companies of the 58th to move out and occupy the ridges north of the river, and for a part, if practicable, to cross the Ingogo in support c f the troops already deeply engaged and re- duced by severe losses. "^ About three o'clv"»ck there was a comparative lull, although the Boers maintained a very accurate fire, any one on the British side being almost certainly struck if at all exposing himself. Later in the afternoon the Boers received considerable reinforcements, and Lieutenant Parsons, wounded as he was, re-opened with his guns for a short time ; but darkness presently set in, and the Boers gradually withdrew to their camp. It was Colley's conviction that the enemy intended renewing the engagement next morning in overwhelming strength, and he acted wisely in deciding to withdraw to camp under cover of darkness. It was a gruesome night. Tor- rents of rain were falling, and the darkness was intense, except when the lightning flashes broke the blackness of the cold and dismal night, thus adding to the terrors of the conflict. FIELD STREWN WITH WOUNDED. The ambulances sent out during the fight had not been able to reach the actual scene of action, since the Boers had threatened to fire on them if they advanced while the engagement was going on. They were not now available in the darkness ; and the wounded, whom in many instances it had been impossible to remove from the advanced positions, had to be searched for. Those who were found were collected and sheltered for the night as well as possible with waterproof sheets, blankets, great-ccats, etc.; but many lay as they had fallen throughout the long, inclement night. The guns were horsed, although insufficiently, by collecting all the available ani- mals, and by withdrawing the ttam from the ammunition wagon, which had to be abandoned. When all arrangements had been completed, the force moved off" in silence, formed in hollow square, the guns in the centre, the infantry in skirmishing order on the four sides. The river, swollen by the rain, was deep and rapid ; and some of the first men trying to cross were swept down, but 186 STORY OF MAJUBA HILI. AND LANG'S NEK. found foothold on a sandbank. The main body crossed ir detach* ments with locked arms. The camp was reached about 4 a. m. on the 9th. The soldiers had dragged the gnus up the hill, the horses being unable to pull them up the steep aud slippery road. The 58th companies spent the night on the northern ridges, and were not withdrawn until the following day. The total loss of this unfortunate day amounted to 139 officers and men. According to the statement of the Boers, the Ingogo fight cost them eight killed and six wounded. The Boers retun-'.ed to the scene of action on the morning of the 9th, expecting to re- new the engagement. They took away two gun limbers and the ammunition wagon abandoned over night by Colley's people, and then fell back behind Newcastle to join their main force, reported as threatening to prevent the advance of the reinforcements recently arrived from India and now hurrying to the scene of action. SEVERE AND COSTLY REVERSE. Their disappearance gave opportunity to succor the wounded and bury the dead without molestation, and opened the road from Mount Prospect to Newcastle, to the hospital at which latter place were promptly sent the wounded from the British camp. The com- munications in rear of Mount Prospect remained open from this time forward. Sir George Colley had sustained a second reverse, propor- tionately more bloody than had been the first. Bj'^ this time, one would imagine, it might have begiin to dawn on the home authori- ties that Colley, to say the least, was not a successful cofnmander. His experience, of actual warfare was but slender : he had served only in the China war of i860 and in the Ashantee campaign. He was comparatively new to South Africa, and was quite unfamiliar with the Boer nature. Yet the authorities had assigned to him as second in command an officer senior to him in army rank, who had fought with distinction through the Crimean and Indian Mutiny wars, and in the Ashantee and Zululand campaigns, in high and successful commands. " :> ' . Brigadier-General Sir Evelyn Wood was the only officer in !'■'• STORY OF MAJUBA HILL AND LANG'S NEK. 187 •Sft ' the latter campaign under whom Boers served and died — served with a loyal devotion, died gallantly under his eye. He knew the strange, simple, yet stubborn nature of the Boers ; he was ready to fight with them, and equally ready to argue them out of a folly. Wood and Colley were old and fast friends ; Wood was quite con- tent to serve under his junior, and had hurried out to India with a number of " special service " officers. He reached Durban on February 12th, four days after the In- gogv) reverse, Sir G. Colley's account of which was in London on the loth, and notwithstanding the unwarrantable optimism of its tone, must have been read between the lines in Pall Mall. Then would have been the time to avert further futile waste of brave soldiers by instructing by telegraph Colley and Wood to exchange their relative positions. The arrangement would have been per- fectly regular, and Colley was the sort of man who would loyally have accepted the secondary position. -WATTING POIt REINPOROEMENTS. Picking up on his rapid journey the Indian column from its camp on the Biggarsbem. Wood and it (consisting of the I5tli Hussars, the 2d battalion 6otli Rifles, and the 92d Highlanders) reached Newcastle on the 17th. Colley met him there, and it was resolved between the two officers that iio further advance should be attempted until more reinforcements, now on the way up, should arrive. They parted on the 21st, Colley moving the Indian column up to Mount Prospect without molestation ; Wood returning to Pieter Maritzburg to press on the advance of further reinforce- ments. Sir George Colley's motive in making the fatal advance on the Majuba mountain-top, whatever it might have been, died with him. His assurance had been given to Wood that no further advance should be attempted pending the arrival of further reinforcements. He had engaged with the Boer Vice-President in negotiations which promised favorable results. A reconnoissance in force to the summit of the mountain could give no more infonnation than a mere patrol could easily ascertain — the position of the Boer en- IP"' 'I 'j^m=^ r^^^^mw^ p:*»' 188 STORY OF MAJUBA HILL AND LANG'S NEK. campments aud an approximate estimate of the force occupying them. A Boer piquet occasionally held the hill-top during the day. and Colley resolved to occupy it by making a night march. At ten o'clock on the night of February 26th he left the Mount Prospect camp with a force of 22 officers and 627 men — a smaller force than he had employed at Lang's Nek. At the start its com- position and order were as follows: — Two companies 58th, the Naval Brigade, three companies 92d, followed by some details ; two companies of the 60th moved out later to the piquet post close to the foot of Inquela hill, with instructions to occupy its summit with some detachments. Further on, upon the narrow Nek between the Inquela and the Majuba, Captain Robertson's company of the 92d was dropped as a link, with orders to entrench itself. CLIMBING THE STEEP MAJUBA. The Nek traversed, the troops, guided by friendly Kaffirs, had now to undertake in single file the actual climb up the steep and rugged side of the Majuba, whose top is 6,200 feet above sea-level and more than 2,000 feet above the positions of the Boer laagers. From time to time during the tedious and toilsome ascent, a halt was made to enable the men — heavy laden with rations and extra cartridges — to regain their breath. As the troops neared the sum- mit the obstacles increased. The steep grassy slopes were suc- ceeded by great boulders and deep dongas, varied by sharp crags and treacherous loose stones, over and up which the wearied and burdened men had to drag themselves. Near the top the ascent had to be accomplished on hands and knees. Between four and five in the morning of the 27th the force, much exhausted after the heavy toil, and now only about 400 strong, gained the summit. Like most of the mountains of South Africa, the Majuba is crowned by no peak. Its top is a plateau of saucer-like shape, dipping towards the centre, across which is a rocky reef about breast high. The circumference of the plateau is about 1,200 yards. When the summit was reached it was still dark, and the troops having got mixed during the scramble up, and being weary, lay down where they stood until dawn. With daylight they were SSt: STORY OF MAJUBA HILL AND LANG'S NEK. 189 extended rouud the edge of the plateau, with a small reserve in the central hollow. No instructions were given to entieuch, and in- deed, the troops had no tools for such a purpose ; but the men of their own accord attempted to obtain some cover by throwing up defences of turf and stones. Here and there the soldiers showed on the sky line, and a fev shots were fired, which for the moment caused great consternation in the Boer camps in the lower ground north-west of the Majuba. Seeing that the mountain was in British occupation, the expecta- tion was natural that an attack would presently be made on their positions on the Nek, in which case they would find themselves between two fires. Their first idea, it seems, was of flight. The oxen were inspanned, and hurried preparations were made for re- treat. But when it b'^came evident that the troops on the summit were in no great strength and had neither cannon nor rockets, and that their Nek position was unmolested, the courage of the Boers revived. Smijt, the fighting general, made a short, stirring speech, and at his summons a number of the younger men began to climb the mountain side under cover of the stones and scrub. ^- . SHARP FIRING PROM BOER SKIRMISHERS. Joubert, the commanding general, detailed a force of the older men in support of the storming party — picked shots who remained below watching the edge of the plateau, and firing at every soldior who exposed himself. As the morning passed Boer detachments attacked and hemmed in the British position on the north, the east, and the south-west The defenders were not in sufficient strength to hold the whole of the edge of the plateau, and detachments had to be moved hither and thither to meet and attempt to thwart the advances of the Boers. Slowly and steadily the hostile skirmishers clambered upwards from cover to cover, while the supports below protected their movement with a steady and accurate fire. During the hours from dawn to noon our men had not suffered very heavily, notwithstanding the Boer marksmanship. The first officer to fall was Commander Romilly, of the Naval Brigade, while reconnoitring with General CoUey. But the long strain of the 100 STORY OF MAJUBA HILL AND LANG'S NEK. Boers' close shooting began to tell on the nerve of the British sol- diers, and when the Boers at length reached the crest, and opened a deadly fire at short range, the ofl&cers had to exert themselves to the ntniost in the effort to avert disaster. The reserves r.tationed in the central dip of the plateau, out of reach until then of the enemy's fire, were ordered up in support of the fighting line. Their want of promptitude in obeying this order did not augur well, ^"d soon after reaching the front they wavered and then gave way. The officers did temporarily succeed in rally- ing them, but the " bolt" had a bad efifect. It was struggled against very gallantly by the officers, who, sword and revolver in hand, encouraged the soldiers by word and by action. A number of men, unable to confront the deadly fire of the Boers, had huddled for cover behind the rocky reef crossing the plateau, and no entreaty or upbraiding on the part of their officers would induce them to face the enemy. What then happened one does not care to tell in detail. Everything connected with this disastrous enterprise went to naught, as if there had been a curse on it. Whatever may have been the object intended, the force em- ployed was absurdly inadequate. Instead of being homogeneous, it consisted of separate detachments with no link or bond of union — a disposition which notoriously has led to more panics than any other cause that the annals of regimental history can furnish. DRIVEN BACK IN A WILD PANIC. Fragments of proud and distinguished regiments fresh from victory in another continent shared in the panic of the Majuba, seasoned warriors behaving no better than mere recruits. To the calm-pulsed philosopher a panic is an academic enigma. No man who has seen it — much less shared in it — can ever forget the infec- tious madness of panic-stricken soldiers. In the sad ending, with a cry of fright and despair, the rem- nants of the hapless force turned and fled, regardless of the effi^rts of the officers to stem the rearward rush. Sir George Colley lay dead, shot through the head just before the final flight. A surgeon and two hospital attendants caring for the wounded at the ban T r "^lUSfi STORY OF MAJUBA HILL AND LANG'S NRK. 101 diiging place in the dip of tlie plateau were shot down, probably inadvertently. The elder Boeis promptly stopped the firing in that directioii. But there was no cessation of the fire directed on the fugitives. On them the bullets rained accurately and persistently. The Boers, now disdaining cover, stood boldly on the edge of the plateau, and, firing down upon the scared troops, picked off the men as if shooting game. The slaughter would have been yet heavier but for the en trenchment which had been ni.ide by the company of the 92nd, left overnight on the Nek between the Inquela and the Majuba. Cap- tain Robertson was joined at dawn from camp by a company of the 60th, under Captain Thurlow. Later there arrived at the entrench- ment on the Nek a troop of the 15th Hussars, under the command of Captain Sullivan. After midday the sound of the firing on the Majuba rapidly increased, and men were seen running down the hill toward the entrenchment, » -ne of whom brought in the tidings that the Boers had captured the position, that most of the troops were killed or prisoners, and that the general was dead with a bul- let through his head, and the rout was complete. A MURDEROUS FIRE PROM THE BOERS. Wounded men came presently pouring in, and were attended by Surgeon-Major Cornish. The entrenchment was manned by the two companies, and outposts were thrown out, which were soon driven in by large bodies of mounted Boers, under whose fire men fell fast. Robertson despatched the rifle company down the ravine towards the camp, and a little later followed with the company of the 92nd under a murderous fire from the Boers, who had reached and occupied the entrenchment. The Highlanders lost heavily in the retreat, and Surgeon-Major Cornish was killed: i The surviving fugitives fiom Majuba and from the entrench- ment finally reached camp under cover of the artillery fire from it, which ultimately stopped the pursuit. With. the consent of the Boer leaders, a temporary hospital was established at a farm-house near the foot of the mountain, and , throughout the cold and wet night the medical staff never ceased to search for and bring in the w^ i^nppppp f.ai»it^' ^- .92 S*rORY CF MAJtTBA iIlLI. AND LANG'S NEK. I : I. ■woun;?ed. Sir George Colley's body was brought into camp on March isi,, and buried there with full military honors. The othei dead of the Majuba fight rest in a cemetery on the plateau of the mountain summit — victims of a strange and almost incredible folly. Of the 650 ofl&cers and men who were in action on this disas. trous day 90 were killed, 133 were wounded, 58 were prisoners, and two were missing, the total casualties being 283, the great majority of which occurred in the 92nd, whose losses were 135 ; in the 58th, with a loss of 93 ; and in i\e. Naval Brigade, which lost 36 — more than half of its strength. -- s SIGNING TERMS OF PEACE. Sir Evelyn Wood reached Newcastle on March 4th, and assumed command. On the 6th he met the Boer leaders, when an armistice to last for eight days was agreed upon. The British garri- sons in the Transvaal were revictualled for twelve days, pending the raising of their siege on the consummation of peace ; and Sir Evelyn Wood acknowledged the right of the Transvaal people t<7 complete self-government, subject to the suzerainty of the Queen. Terms of peace were signed on March 23d; and nett day General Sir Frederick Roberts, who had been sent out with lSk.rge reinforce- ments to succeed Sir George Colley, reached Cape Town, but learning of peace being signed, immediately sailed home. The total number of Transvaal Boers capable of carr3nng. arms was under 8000 at the beginning of hostilities. The total British force in -South Africa, or on the way thither, at the close of hostilities consisted of thirteen infantry regiments, five cavalry regiments, twenty-two guns, three naval brigades — in all, not far short of 20,000 men. This total was exclusive of the British garrisons besiegffd in Jthe Transvaal during the war. The Boer casualties throughout the war, as already mentioned, amounted to 43 killed and 58 wounded. The British casualties were over 800 killed and wounded. At Majuba the Boers had one man killed and five men wounded. CHAPTER XIII. Dr. Jameson's Famous Raid in the Transvaal. MONG the stirring incidents that have marked the progress of events in South Africa was the bold attempt of Dr. Jameson and others to overturn the government of the Transvaal. Jameson, having received an appeal for help from the Outlanders, or foreigners, in Johannesburg, the chief town in the Transvaal, crossed the frontier with a force from Pitsani Pitlogo, December 29, 1895. Colonel Grey and others started from Mafeking with about four hundred men (volunteers) of the British South Africa's troops. In its issue of the ist of January, 1J96, the London Times printed a telegram from Cape Town the text of an appeal for help addressed to the Administrator of Rhodesia by the Outlanders of Johannesburg in the Transvaal, who had been long and fruitlessly agitating for equal rights with the Boer inhabitants of that coun- try. Appended to the message was a laconic announcement that Dr. J?nieson, at the head of an armed force and accompanied by artillery, had crossed the frontier on the 29th of December and was hurrying on by forced marches to the " gold reef city." The news fell like a bombshell on the dawning New Year. The position of affairs in the Transvaal which had given rise to this sensational cottp had been long discussed in South Africa, but although strong language had been used, the probability of a recourse to armed force had not been anticipated by the general public. It was known, however, that for some years tho intolerable grievances of the Outlanders had raised apprehensions in cfl&cial quarters, and Lord Loch stated that, during his tenure of the High Commissionership, he found it necessary to make military prepara- tions in view of a conflict which then seemed probable. It appears also that the Boer Government itself was quite alive to the dangers of the situation, and it was this fact, coupled with the conviction 13 193 w wmm . I . 1 I ^ ?l i 104 DR. JAMESON'S FAMOUS RAID IN THE TRANSVAAI.. that a prolongation of the status quo was impossible, which gave rise to the invitation addressed to Dr. Jameson. The situation is^ indeed, best described in the language of that document. The chiefs of the Johannesburg Reform Committee wrote; — ** The position of matters in this State has become so critical that we are assured that, at no distant period, there will be a con- flict between the Government and the Outlander population. It is scarcely necessary for us to recapitulate what is now matter of history; sufl&ce it to say that the position of thousands of English- men and others is rapidly becoming intolerable. Not satisfied with making the Outlander population pay virtually the whole of the revenue of the country, while denying them representation, the policy of the Government has been to encroach upon the liberty of the subject, and to undermine the security for property to such an extent as to cause a very deep-seated sense of discontent. ^ STRONG INDICTMENT AGAINST THE BOERS. . " A foreign corporation of Hollanders is to a considerable eixtent controlling our destinies, and, in conjunction with the Boer leaders, endeavoring to cast them in a mould which is wholly foreign to the genius of the people. Every public act betrays the most positive hostility, not only to everything English, but to the neighboring States. What we have to consider is, what will be the condition of things here in the event of conflict ? Thousands of unarmed men, women and children of our race will be at the mercy of well-armed Boers, while property of etiormous value will be in the greatest peril. " We cannot contemplate the future without the gravest appre- hensions. All feel that we are justified in taking any steps to pre- vent the shedding of blood, and to insure the protection of our rights. It is under these circumstances that we feel constrained to call upon you to come to our aid should a disturbance arise here. • The circumstances are so extreme that we cannot but believe that you, and the men under you, will not fail to come to the rescue of people who will be so situated. We guarantee any expense that may reasonably be incurred by you in helping us, and ask you to believe that nothing but the sternest necessity has prompted this appeal," :Mk DR. JAMESON'S FAMOUS RAID IN THE TRANSVAAt. 19^ Some mystery still attaches to the date of this letter, and the circumstances under which the invitation it contained was to become operative. From the correspondence which has been pub- lished, it seems, however, that the reasoji it was acted upon towards the end of December, 1895, was not that the contemplated crisis had arisen in Johannesburg, but that the preparations for the inva- sion were complete, and it was impossible to delay action any longer without provoking suspicion. It is, indeed, questionable whether suspicion had not already been excited. On the side of Dr. Jameson, troops had been concentrated on the frontier at Mafeking; while, on the side of the Rand Reform Committee, arms had been secretly imported into Johannesburg, and stores had been established and stocked at various points along the route which the invading force was likely to take. The Trans- vaal Government were probably not unaware of the steps which had been taken. Subsequent events, indeed, tend to show that they were both aware of them, and prepared to counteract them. GOOD REASON FOR ASSEMBLING TROOPS. So far, however, as the assembly of Jameson's force on the Irontier was concerned there was apparently no reason for appre- hension. As it afterwards transpired this concentration was per- fectly legitimate, and neither the Home Government nor tlie Junta at Pretoria had any reason to question the ostensible legitimacy of its designs. The object was to superintend the extension of the Vryburg-Mafeking Railway along the western frontier of the Transvaal to Gaberones, a hundred miles further north. In a Blue Book published in the course of the year appears a letter on the subject from the British South Africa Company to the Colonial Office, explaining that this scheme rendered the presence of an armed force at Mafeking necessary, and asking that the High Commissioner might be authorized Lo v^ncert measures with Mr. Rhodes for the supply of " adequate police protection " during the progress of the railway works. In this way Dr. Jameson found himself at Mafeking at the head of a considerable body of Bechuanaland police towards the f.' . 1 19G £>R. JAMESON'S FAMOUS RAID IN THE TRANSVAAt. end of December, 1895, awaiting the signal to ride to the rescue of the Outlanders. The signal, so far as it was other than the letter of invitation, did not come, and Dr. Jameson seems to have de- cided to act without it. Four days after Christmas the men were ordered to muster in marching order, and in the afternoon were formed into hollow squares and addressed by Dr. Jameson, who also read out the letter received from the Johannesburgers. Before Dr. Jameson could ask if they were willing to go, the entire force spontaneously sang *' God Save the Queen " and " Rule Britannia." Jameson then, according to one account, added words to the following effect : "When you get into Johannesburg, should you wish for more help no doubt there are other English hearts such as the Cape Mounted Rifles and the Natal Mounted Police, who would only be too pleased to help you in such a cause." This closed Jameson's appeal. INVADING FORCE ON THE MARCH. Sir John Willoughby stepped forward and said that he was pleased to be in command of such a trustworthy and willing force, especially in such a matter. A little before sundown on the same day the force started for the border. It consisted of Sir John Willoughby (in. command), Colonel White, thirty officers, and 380 rank and file, divided into four troops, numbered from A to D, each with an inspector and two sub-inspectors, and an artiller}?^ troop with one inspector and one sub-inspector, all in light marching order, carrying only a cavalry cloak or mackintosh strapped to the saddle and a towel and small hold-all in the wallets. They rode all night, halting only for an interval of an hour about 10 p. m. to fodder horses and for about ten minutes every two hours till they arrived at Malmani, a small village about forty miles from the border. / Here they were met by " G " and " K " troops, lately trans-' ferred from the Bechuanala.id Border Police, who started from Mafeking 120 strong, including officers. The men of these troops did not know where they were , going till after they had crossef DR. JAMESON'S FAMOUS RAID IN THE TRANSVAAL. 199 ceeded in dbing, but we were so hemmed in by the Boers that it was decided to rest for the night, hoping for assistance from Johan- nesburg in the morning. " The camp was formed in a rough hexagonal square, horses and ammunition wagons inside, the men lying outside shoulder to shoulder, with a Maxim pointing out from each corner. We were twice attacked before this was completed, and again tt about 9 p.m., but repulsed the enemy each time without loss on our side. During the night we were told we were to make a rush for Johannesburg in the early morning, but we were attacked just before dawn, and again on our attempting to form in battle line, losing three men killed and four or five wounded. We managed to get away at about 5 A.M., and, making a long detour to the right, rode at a fast canter towards Johannesburg, followed by the Boers, who con- tinually harassed our rear, inflicting all the injury they could. THE WHITE FLAG WAS HOISTED. " After three hours of this running fighting we were brought to a halt at Doornkop, where we perceived a strong force opposed to us. We succeeded in taking one bluff, but the second was too strongly held, and had, moreover, a splendid natural fortification of rocks. We fought on, however, till ten o'clock, when, on receipt of a command from the English Government to return to the bor- der. Dr. Jameson ordered the white flag to be hoisted. The horses were all dead beat and our 7-pounder ammunition had given out, but I think we could have gone on fighting for some time if necessary. " At first when tne flag was hoisted we could not believe that it meant our surrender, and thought that it must be only tem- porary for the purpose of recovering our wounded ; but after it was known, and we were collected by the farmhouse, I consta" tly heard men say that they had not the faintest notion that we were getting the worst of it." It would be idle to deny that the news of this disaster was ' received with the deepest regret throughout England. The ille- gality and rashness of the raid were generally admitted, but the oppressive treatment of the Ou*:landers had won much sympathy Y . ,'»»>^»*^ *'i'i-— ^T ^iy "■"• 'f p*^ 200 DR. JAMESON'S FAMOUS RAID IN THE TRANSVAAL for their cause. This sympathy became concentrated on Dr. Jam&> son and his followers when it became evident that his defeat was largely due to the failure of the Johannesburgers to fly to hit. aid. The British Government, however, pursued a strictly correct atti- tude. Mr. Chamberlain acted with energy, and, while repudiating the proceedings of Dr. Jameson, exerted himself, in consonance with the sentiment of the country, to procure a merciful treatment for the prisoners. If any disingenuousness was shown in the sub- sequent negotiations with President Kruger it was not on the side of the British Government. The High Commissioner for South Africa, Sir Hercules Rob- inson, was sent to Pretoria to discuss the crisis with the Transvaal Government and to obtain a solution which should be satisfactory to all parties. President Kruger declined to negotiate until Johan- nesburg had surrendered, and proceeded to take steps for an assault on the town. Sir Hercules Robinson having represented to the insurgents that their action was jeopardizing the lives of Dr. Jame- son and his followers, they consented to lay down their arms and the leading members of the National Reform Committee were arrested. The High Commissioner then opened up negotiations for the transfer of Dr. Jameson and his force to the British authori- ties, and for securing a measure of redress of the legitimate griev- ances of the Outlanders. On the latter subject he failed to obtain any concession from President Kruger, but the transfer of the raid- ers was granted on condition that they should be tried in Englard for their oflfence, and brought to speedy justice. KRUGER SHOWS A MAGNANIMOUS SPIRri. President Kruger's magnanimity in thus sparing the lives of the " filibusters," as he called them, was highly extolled both in England and South Africa, and the Queen addressed a message to him expressing her satisfaction at his decision. It afterwards trans- pired, however, that the praises lavished on the Transvaal President were not altogether deserved, since Dr. Jameson had not surrenderee? unconditionally at Doomkop, but in pursuance of a written undei taking given by the Boer commandant to spare the lives of himself I I X DR. JAMESONS FAMOUS RAID IN THIv TRANSVAAI.. 20' and his followers. This fact had been kept secret from the British authorities. After the release of Dr. Jameson, Mr. Chamberlain made an effort to secure concessions for the uutlanders, and addressed an elaborate memorandum to the Boer Government inviting Mr. Kruger to England and suggesting a scheme of Home Rule for the Rand. At first Mr. Kr jer was disposed to accept the invita- tion, but when he found that the British Government declined to discuss a revision of the clause of the London Convention by which the Transvaal was prevented from making treaties with foreign governments, he refused the invitation and the negotiations wer.^ suspended. BROUGHT TO TRIAL IN ENGLAND. Dr. Jameson and his followers were brought to England, and the chief members of the force were tried in London, almost cou' currently with the trial of the Reform leaders at Pretoria. After a preliminary examination at Bow street, they were ^jommitted to take their trial for various infractions of the Foreign Enlistment Act. The trial was at Bar in the Queen's Bench Division, before the Lord Chief Justice, Mr. Baron Pollock and Mr. Justice Haw- kins. For the defence, various objections were taken to the indict- ment on technical grounds, but these were overruled, and ulti- mately the prisoners were all found guilty, Dr. Jameson was sentenced to fifteen months' imprisonment. Sir John Willoughby to ten months, Major Robert White to seven months, and Colonel Grey, Colonel Henry White, and Major Coventry to five months. In each case the imprisonment was without hard labor, and the Home Secretary directed that the prisoners should be treated as first-class misdemeanants. Dr. Jameson and Major Coventry were afterward released on the ground of ill-health. The Rand reformers had a rather more exciting experience! After a lengthy preliminary investigation they were all committed for trial, and a special tribunal, presided over by a judge imported from the Orange Free State, was constituted to try them. The proceedings, however, were cut short by a plea of guilty entered by all the prisoners, the chiefs, Messrs. Phillips, Farrar, and Ham- J: if 202 DR. JAMESON'S FAMOUS RAID IN THE TRANSVAAL. mond, and Colonel Rhodes admitting the charge of high treason, and the others the minor offence of Icsc majeste. The ringleaders were then sentenced to death, and the remaining sixty prisoners to two years' imprisonment, a fine of $10,000 each, and banishment for three years. The severity of these sentences caused great indignation in England and the colony, and even the Boers themselves petitioned j for their mitigation. The Transvaal Executive, however, took) time to reconsider them, and meanwhile the prisoners were huddled together in an insanitary prison totally unfitted for their accom- modation. One of them, Mr. Grey, committed suicide during this period of suspense. Towards the end of May the decision of the Government was made known. All the sentences were commuted to a fine, the four leading prisoners being mulcted in $100,000 each and the rank and file in $10,000. A promise to abstain from participation in politics was exacted from all of them. Colonel Rhodes alone refused to give the promise, and was consequently banished. CHIEF CONSPIRATORS ESCAPED. By this time the strong feelings which had been evoked by the raid, both on the part of those who were inclined to defend it and those who most violently denounced it, had subsided, and the conviction became prevalent that, while much necessary justice had been dispensed, the prime movers in the conspiracy had so far escaped. From the beginning considerable suspicion had attached to Mr. Rhodes, the Premier of Cape Colony and chairman of the Chartered Company. The Chartered Company itself was also thought to have been implicated. On the first news of the failure of Dr. Jameson's invasion, Mr. Rhodes had tendered his resigna- tion of the Colonial Premiership to the High Commissioner, and on the return of that official from his mission to Pretoria it was' accepted. Throughout the crisis Mr. Rhodes had preserved a singular reticence. When asked what he knew about the invasion, he con- tented himself with saying that "Jameson had taken the b'.t between his teeth aud bolted." After his resignation he came to ,-«*'' DR. JAMESON'S FAMOUS RAID IN THE TRANSVAAIv. 203 >#^ bit J to England, and had an interview with Mr. Chamberlain, but what occurred between the two statesmen has not transpired. Almost immediately afterwards he left again for South Africa, landing at Reira, and proceeding by the eastern route to Matabeleland, where a native insurrection had broken out. The curiosity of the public to know more about the secret springs of the raid was intensified by the publication by the Transvaal Government of a number of documents and deciphered telegrams by which Mr. Rhodes and his colleagues seemed to be compromised. ^ ~ Demands for an inquiry were made in both the Home and Colonial Parliaments, and the latt.ir appointed a Select Committee, i lis committee published further documents and telegrams, and found that Mr. Rhodes and Mr. Beit, another director of the Char- tered Company, were privy to Dr. Jameson's proceedings, and that the chief officers of the company in Cape Town were active pro- moters of the raid. The London Board, however, were not impli- cated, and Mr. Rhodes paid all the expenses incurred by the Cape officials in connection with Dr. Jameson's invasion. Subsequently the British House of Commons resolved on a further inquiry, and in August a Select Committee was appointed, not only to investi- gate the circumstances of the Jameson raid, but also to inquire into the administration of the Chartered Company. , MANY DISASTERS IN SOUTH AFRICA. The invasion of the Transvaal was but the beginning ^^ d whole series of disasters in Soaili Africa. A few days after the battle of Doornkop, while the attitude of the Outlanders was still in doubt, a mail train laden with refugees from the insurgent city, and bound for Natal, was wrecked efi route ^ and over thirty of the passengers killed. A few weeks later a terrible catastrophe, took place at Johannesburg itself. Some fifteen tons of dynamite ex- ploded in the suburb of Vredendorp, laying waste the whole district and involving the loss of many lives. The public had scarcely recovered from these shocks when bad news was received from Matabeleland. Taking advantage of the absence of Dr. Jameson and the Charter Company'^ police, and -"T^pwF* 204 DR. JAMESON'S FAMOUS RAID IN THK TRANSVAAI^ encouraged by the news of the disaster which had befallen Lhcox m portion of the Matabele native police had broken out into revolt, and had massacred a number of whites, including Mi, Bently, the Native Commissioner. Favored by the discontent wij^rh had been caused by an outbreak of rinderpest — itself a senous visitation — the rebellion rapidly spread, and even the usuaUy t'.mid Mashonas took to the war path. Energetic measures were resolved upon by the authorities, but owing to the great distance, of the chief centres of the revolt from the termini of the railways the rapid dispatch of assistance to the colonists was difficuK. Mr. Rhodes, arriving in Mashonalatid from Beira, organized a force, with which he marched to ihe leU'^f of Bulawayo and Gwelo, then completely invested by the insurgents. He had to fight his way through the ill-omened Shangani district, and his progress was con- sequently slow. Meanwhile troops were hurried up from the south, and Sir Frederick Carrington was appointed to command the forces. At the same time Earl Grey succeeded Dr. Jameson as Adminis- trator at Bulawayo, and the military forces of the Chartered Com- pany were transferred to the control of Sir Richard Martin, who was appointed Deputy High Commissioner in Rhodesia. STRONG NATURAL DEFENSES. In the middle of May Mr. Rhodes succeeded in relieving Gwelo, and in effecting a juncture with a column sent out to meet him from Bulawayo. A few days later Bulawayo was also relieved, and the rebels, who had meanwhile proclaimed Nyamanda, a son of Lobengula, King of the Matabele, concentrated their forces on the Matoppo Hills. In these fastnesses they proved safe from all but the most reckless attacks, and after several attempts to storm their kopjes and caves, in which many lives were lost. General Carring- ton resolved to invest the hills with a chain of forts. In August Colonel Plumer fought a decisive engagement with the combined forces of the chiefs Secombo and Umlugula. This broke the back of the rebellion, and overtures for peace were made by the rebel commanders. It was gtill, however, very unsafe to enter the Matoppo Hills, DR. JAMESONS FAMOUS RAID IN THK TRANSVAAL. 20d where the negotiations were to take place, and the British com- mander hesitated to accept the invitation of the Matabcle. Ulti- mately Mr. Rhodes volnnteered to open negotiations himself, and, with three attendants, all ivnarmed, he gallantly proceeded to the meeting-place. Thronghont the campaign Mr. Rhodes had distin- gnished himself by his coolness and activity. Although forced by the clamor at home to resign his position as chairman of the Char- tered Company, he continned to exercise a predominant inflncnce in the colony. His personal prcst^rr and liis assurance that what- ever occurred he would remain in Rhodesia, and watch the develop- ment of the country, alone prevented the settlers from leaving the country under the storm of disasters by which they were beset. GERMANY LOOKING WITH EAGER EYES. Among the natives, too, his name and personality proved niorf powerful than that of any other Englishman. His valuable ser- vices were fitly crowned by the courage with which he entered the rebel stronghold in order to negotiate the terms of peace. Met by a large force of rebels in arms, he dictated to thoni the terms of surrender. The chiefs at once made their submission, and a few days later their arms were laid down, and peace was proclaimed. A scheme of administration by which the natives were to be retained was drafted. Having successfully grappled with these serious ques'-ions, Mr. Rhodes left Bulawayo for a time, to meet in London the charges made against him in connection with the Jameson raid. He traveled via Cape Town, where he was received with immense enthusiasm. Ever since the London Convention gave back its independence to the Transvaal, the Germans have cast longing eyes in the direc- tion of that country. Berlin paid effusive court to Pretoria, and one of the chief objects of the establishment of a German colony in South-west Africa was to creep towards the western frontier of the Transvaal, and thus shut out British expansion northwards. This scheme was defeated by the vigilance and public spirit of Mr. Rhodes, who, in the nick of time, despatched his pioneers to Mashonaland, painted the map red as fai- as the Zambesi, and estab- 1 't • i ri r 206 DR. JAMESON'S FAMOUS RAID IN THE TRANSVAAt. lisbed communications with Nyassaland, to the north of that river. It seems that when first President Kruger suspected the real nature of the Outlander agitation he turned for assistance to Berlin. -/ England's relations with the Transvaal, which were so se- riously disturbed by the Jameson Raid, remained iiiore or le^s strained throughout the year 1897. In March, the Transvaiil entered into a defensive alliance with the Orange Free State, th^- object being to oppose a strong Dutch front to possible British encroachments. A long correspondence took place between the Colonial Office and the Transvaal Government in reference to cer- tain legislation directed against aliens, and other acts of the South African Republic, which were alleged to be contrary to the spirit and letter of the London Convention. THE SITUATION GROWING WORSE. The great expenditure on armaments incurred by the Trans- vaal, the complaints of two of the Reform leaders still remaining in prison at Pretoria, the publication of the of&cial correspondence relating to the Vaal Drifts affair of 1895, when war with the South African Republic was threatened, the insulting references to the Queen made by a nephew of President Kruger at a public meet- ing, the President's persistent refusal to admit that a British suzer- air :J^'Sd£^i!-f " the bone vaal. ican >urse ;re is 2cted ident sable arbi- Ltratfc ^e an Tbe : ago, open & CHAPTER XV. The Struggle for Equal Rights in the Transvaal. [The following chapter, containing a masterly statement of the controversy between the English and the Boers in South Africa, is from the gifted pen of Rev. Dr. Robert Wilson, the well-known and eloquent divine of St. John, New Brunswick. In thus becoming one of the contributors to this volume, Dr. Wilson handles the whole subject of the war in a very clear and convincing manner, and what is here presented from his trenchant pen will be read with eager interest] WHEN a country has become, or is likely to become, the theatre of important changes, a very natural desire is awakened in the public mind to obtain reliable information concerning its history, position, resources and institutions, and the manners, customs and characteristics of its people. Of this there have been some striking illustrations, for the country has been flooded with books and magazine articles on Cuba, Porto Rico and the Philippine Islands. South Africa is at present " the observed of all observers," on account of the war between the British and the Boers, and many are inquiring into the causes of the quarrel. To furnish the required information is the pu~pose of the following pages, but to do this intelligently it is necessary to know something of the early history of the country. During the wars of Napoleon the First the Government of Holland, finding itself unable to prevent its falling into the hands of the French, transferred a.11 its rights, title and interest in and to its South African possessions to Great Britain, and the cession was confirmed bj'' the Treaty of Vienna. Although the flag of Holland floated over these regions for about a t:entury and a hdf, not more than ten thousand Europeans, chiefly Dutch, had been induced to settle there. Under the new order of things a brighter era was inaugurated, representative institutions were introduced, the people were accorded larger liberties than had been previously enjoyed, and in process of time Cape Colony became self-governing'. 223 •up ■■■iiiiMPiililPIIIIHpilPMPi m 224 THE STRUGGLE FOR EQUAL RIGH Tfi. The British Govenimeut was specially considerate to the Dutch, permitted the use of their language in the legislature, in the courts and in the public schools, and between Dutch and British no distinctions were allowed. And as nt.v colonies were established the same liberal course was pursued, ana the same rights and privileges granted alike to all. The first real difl&culty between the races grew out of the abolition of slavery. ' A number of Boers, unwilling to give up their slaves and dissatisfied with the compensation offered, retired from Cape Colony, taking with them their various belongings, and settied in an unoccupied region in what is now known as the province of Natal. Like the Mormons who settled at Salt Lake, they sought to place themselves beyond the reach of modern civilization, and carry out their obsolete ideas without let or hindrance. THE BOERS MOVE AGAIN. But their cruelty to the natives was such that, in the interests of humanity, the British authorities had to interfere. A province was organized, law courts were established, and the necessary measures were adopted for the protection of life and property. This was just v/hat the Boers did not desire, and again they decided to seek fresh pastures and new fields in which to work out their peculiar social and political views. The region chosen lay beyond the Vaal and Orange rivers, and the exodus is usually referred to as the great trek. Whether the territory in question did or did not belong to Great Britain by the terms of the treaty already spoken of, or to the native races, is a quejstion not necessary to be discussed here ; but, as the Boers did not obtain it by purchase, or by cession from one tribe for assistance rendered against another, they were simply adventurers and squatters, without the shadow of a claim to the lands of v/hich they had thus possessed themselves. They organized a government under the name and style of the South African Republic, which in 1852 was formally recognized by Great Britain in what is known as the Land River Convention, subject, however, to certain limitations and restrictions. For a THE STRUGGLE FOR EQUAL RIGHIS. 225 quarter of century it had a precarious existence, for the people were unwilling to bear the burdens inseparable from statehood. The regular laws and ordinances were disregarded, taxes were uncollected, the treasury was exhausted, the public credit was gone, and their cruelty to the natives had arrayed against them the Kaf&rs and Zuhis. Humanly sp'iaking, their extermination seemed to be inevitable. In their day of danger they sought and secured British pro- tection, and by their own act and deed became the subjects of the British Queen. They were thus saved from destruction, the en- raged native forces were driven back, peace was established, a few British troops were stationed in the country for police purposes, and the outlook was quite encouraging. BRITISH BADLY DEFEATED. But Paul Kruger and a few others who had opposed the an- nexation began immediately to agitate for repeal* In this he suc- ceeded all too well. A provisional government was formed, and in December, 1880, the independence of the South African Republic was again proclaimed. The Boers rose en masse, the British troops, few and far between, were utterly unprepared to meet the emer- gency, and were compelled to succumb to overwhelming numbers. Several fierce engagements took place in which they were badly beaten. ^ • The most disastrous of these was one led by Sir George Colley at Majuba Hill, ninety-seven ofiicers and men being killed, and two hundred wounded or taken prisoners. That humiliating defeat has rankled in the hearts of Britons during all the intervening years, and the desire of many a soldier has been the opportunity to retrieve the loss and to wipe out the disgrace. Certain events can never be recalled without arousing in the patriotic heart the deter- mination to die if need be to vindicate the national honor, and among these may be fairly classed the destruction of the Maine and the battle of Majuba Hill. Contrary to the advice of the British leaders in South Africa, who feared the effect upon the Boer and native mind of a peace 16 . !"''• It if' :1 lii 22r, THE STRUGGLE FOR EQUAL RIGHTS. concluded in the face of defeat, Mr. Gladstone, who was then the Biitish pre.tiier, entered into negotiation with the exultant viciiors, the issue of yhich was the recognition of the South African Re- public as at least a semi-independent power. Experience has shown that however good were hir intentions Mr. Gladstone made a great mistake, for out of this have grown all the troubles of the present. This is not the view taken merely by his political opponents, but also by many who were his warmest supporters. Lord Roseberry, who succeeded Mr. Gladstone in the leadership of the Liberal Party, thus expresses himself: POWER OF GREAT BRITAIN. " Mr. Gladstone had an overpowering conviction of the might and power of England. He thought that Great Britain could afford to do things, owing to that overpowering might and dominion, which other nations could not afford to do without a risk of misun- derstanding. And for that reason he endeavored, after what was undoubtedly a reverse, to treat with the Boers as if no such reverse had taken place. " I cannot help looki_g back to it now and remembering how completely the fears I felt at that time have been realized in the result. So far from the Boers taking the magnanimity as it was intended, they regarded it as a proof of weakness on which they could encroach. And it was with a deliberate and constant encroach- ment on the terms of the settlement that the Boers rewarded the sublime magnanimity of Mr. Gladstone." But even Mr. Gladstone did not grant the Boers the full status of a nation, for the convention between Great Britain and the Transvaal in 1881, states in the preamble that "complete self-, government, subject to t^ suzerainty of Her Majesty, her heirs, and successors, will be accorded to the mhabitants of the Transvaal territory." , - This treaty was revised in 1884, and in the revised document there is no mention of the phrase, " the suzerainty of Her Majesty," but that " suzerainty " was not relinquished is clearly stated in Article IV of the Treaty in the words : " The South African Re- THE STRUGGLE FOR EQUAL RIGHTS. 227 public will conclude no treaty or engagement with any state or nation, other than the Orange Free State, nor with any native tribe to the eastward or westward of the Republic, until the same has been approved by Her Majesty the Queen." ■^■' By Article II of the said treaty the Boers weie strictly con- fined to their own territory, the precise words being : " The govern- ment of the South African Republic will strictly adhere to the boundaries defined in the first article of this convention, and will do its utmost to prevent any of its inhabitants from making any encroachments upon lands beyond the said boundaries. The gov- ernment of the South African Republic will appoint commissioners, whose duty will be strictly to guard against irregularities and all trespassing beyond the boundaries. And Her Majesty's Govern- ment will, if necessary, appoint commissioners in the native terri- tories outside the eastern and western borders of the Squth African Republic to maintain order and prevent encroachments." EQUAL RIGHTS FOR ALL., ♦ v But other things were agreed upon between the governments concerned, which may be classed under the general head of equal rights to all the white inhabitants of the country, irrespective of race or creed, together with the protection of, and justice to, the native tribes. Hon. David Mills, the Canadian Minister of Justice, in a speech delivered in the Senate during the last sessio^i, thus summarizes the manner in which the terms of the treaty have been disregarded by the Boers : " As long," says Mr. Mills, " as the Transvaal Government felt that they were not secure against the native population they did not wish to quarrel with the British, but when they felt that all danger from the natives was a thing of the past they began to impose disabilities upon the Outlanders. " They disregarded the state boundaries, drove back the natives on the west, made war on those tribes, and undertook to extend their authority beyond the boundaries stipulated for in the conven- tion. Taxation became oppressive, for every man, woman, and child of the Outlander population had to pay an average tax of some eighty dollars. iJ :«^?.-|r*»B*Bi« :iiia^ 228 THE STRUGGLE FOR EQUAL RIGHTS. "Their government has been characterized by personal out- rages, by pecuniary wrongs, by political disabilities, and by insecurity for life, reputation, and property. While the Outlanders constitute the majority of the white population and pay nineteen- twentieths of the taxes, not one dollar of that money goes towards the education of their own children in their own language." The disabilities to which the Outlanders have been subjected are thus spoken of by a New York journal : " The constitution and laws of the Transvaal forbid any Catholic to share in the law-making for the country. England demands that this discrimination against Catholics cease. " The Transvaal laws forbid any Jew to share the law making power. England demands that this discrimination against the Jews cease. " There are two hundred and sixty thousand whites in the so- called Roer Republic, but only sixty thousand are Boers. The Boers declare that they are " merely asking the right to live." What they really ask is the right of six men to tyrannize over twenty, of sixty thousand to rule two hundred thousand, and rule them unjustly. The Boer attitude is not a demand for freedom ; it is strictly an attitude of denying freedom to others. AN AtJTOCRAT FOR PRESIDENT. " Kruger has been an absolute ruler there for seventeen years. All power is in his hands, and that of a council of seven. They can and do ignore the laws and orders of even the Upper House of Representatives. The land of the Boers is no Republic. It is a mediaeval Dutch settlement, as great an anachronism as any in existence. This is the question at issue in the Transvaal." Equally strong were the words of the Rev. Dr. Edgar, in a sermon recently delivered by him in Saint Andrew's Church, Montreal : " The history of the Boer in South Africa is to be written in blood and tears. He has done nothing for the native ittces but heap upon them insult, cruelty and wrong. > " Forty years ago, Dr. Livingstone, who had spent many years among the Boers and native races, condemned in the very strongest THE STRUGGLE FOR EQUAL RIGHTS. 229 terms the treatment of the natives by their Dutch oppressors. Here are some of the charges he makes against them : ' Though they were the immigrants, who had seized the country, they treated the natives as though they were the aggressors. They compelled them to work for them without reward, in consideration of allowing them to live in their owu country. To supply the lack of field and domestic labor they shot down men and women in cold blood and stole their children :o make slaves of them. While claiming to be Christians they treated the colored race as black property, as crea- tures of less real value commercially than their own. They justified this outrageous injustice, claiming, that being the chosen people of God, the heathen were given to them for an inheritance and that they were the rod of divine vengeance on the heathen, as were the Jews of old.' WORDS OF A TRUSTWORTHY HISTORIAN. " These are the words of one who knew whereof he spoke, and he is a trustworty historian. Forced labor, kidnap ning children, massacre of inoffensive men and women, absolute denial of the rights of human beings — these are the crimes which an eye-witness lays at the door of the ancestors of the Boers of the Transvaal. The experience of British subjects from the descendants of Living- stone's contemporaries within the last twenty years has not been a whit lesss oppressive, the changed circumstances being considered. Cruelty to the native races and injustice to the whites, go naturally hand in hand. If the Boers could do it, neither would have any rights, and the future of South Africa would be in the hands of as cruel, selfish and superstitious set of despots as modern history reveals. Verily the children are filling the measure of their father's iniquities." Such a condition of things could not possibly be continued in this enlightened age, and the problem would have been solved with' out the bullet if the ballot had been allowed. But that was a weapon the Boer refused the use of to the Outlander, for while every Dutch lad of sixteen years of age was a voter, all others had to wait for years before they could obtain the rights of citizenship. 230 THE STRUGGLE FOR EQUAL RIGHTS. \i"J Ov/Ing to the gold discoveries a new order of things had been brought about with which thie Boers were unable to deal. Men of broader minds and more liberal principles would have pursued a different course, but they elected to act otherwise. They hated the newcomers, were alarmed at their growing influence, and undertook the hopeless task of shutting out the rising tide of civilization and progress. In the words of the London Spectator^ " their administration of the Transvaal was arbitrary, narrow-minded, corrupt, and towards the great foreign population conspicuously unfair." . APPEALS WERE DISREGARDED. The Outlanders sought redress as redress is usually sought, but their appeals were not only unheeded, but the burdens of which they complained grew heavier and heavier as the years went by. Exasperated at the manner in which they were treated, they entered into negotiation with their sympathyzers in the adjoining provinces, and out of this came the unsuccessful Jameson Raid. All that need be said here is that it was not the cause of the Outlanders' troubles, but only an incident of it; but whatever it was the British Government repudiated all connection with it. In a lengthy despatch from Mr. Chamberlain, Secretary of State for the Colonies, under date of February 4, 1896, and addressed to the British High Commissioner for South Africa, after going over the several causes of discontent and unrest in the Transvaal, he thus sums up the situation : :i ; " The political situation is an anomalous one. The newcomers are men who were accustomed to the fullest exercise of political rights. In other communities where immigration has played an important part in building up the population, it has been the policy of the legislature to make liberal provision for admitting all new- comers who desire naturalization, after a comparatively brief period of probation, to the rights and duties of citizenship — a policy which has been fully justified by the event, for experience shows that the naturalized alien soon vies with, if he does not outstrip, the natural- born citizen in the fervor of his patriotism. THE STRUGGLE FOR EQUAL RIGHTS. 2A1 "In the South African Republic different counsels have pre- vailed ; for whereas in 1882 an Outlander could obtain full rights of citizenship after a residence of five years, he can never hope to obtain these rights in full, and their partial enjoyment is only con- ceded after a term of probation so prolonged as to amount, for most men, to a practical denial of the claim. If he omits to obtain any kind of naturalization for himself, his children, though born on the soil, remain aliens like himself. " The South African Republic, as regards its external rela- tions, is subject to the control of this country, in accordance with the provisions of Article IV of the Convention of 1884, and Her Majesty's Government intend to maintain them in their integrity. As regards the internal affairs of the Republic, I may observe that, independently of any rights of inters- cntion in particular matters which may arise out of the articles of the convention. Great Britain is justified, in the interests of South Africa as a whole, as well as of the peace and stability of the South African Republic, in ten- dering its friendly counsels as regards the newcomers, who are mainly British subjects." TRIED TO STOP THE RAID. In reference to the Raid, Mr. Chamberlain says : "As soon as the Raid became known, every possible effort was made by the British authorities to stay Dr. Jameson's advance ; a fast messenger was sent to warn him and his officers of the' position in which they had placed themselves, and to direct their immediate return, and proclamations were issued in which Her Majesty enjoined her sub- jects in the South African Republic to abstain from aiding or coun- tenancing Dr. Jameson or his force." How long the resources of diplomacy would have been em- ployed -in the effort to secure the redress of the grievances com- plained of it is impossible to say, for these were brought to a sudden and unexpected termination by President Kruger's ultimatum, which made demands that no self-respecting government could even discuss. These demands were that the questions in dispute ^V'lld be >!' ■ 282 THE STRUGGLE FOR EQUAL RIGHTS. !iu submitted to arbitration; that no more British troops be sent to South Africa ; that those on tho way thither should not be allowed to b.nd ; that during the period of negotiation there should be no strengthening of the frontier, and that compliance with these demands be consented to within forty-eight hours. In the face of such arrogant and unprecedented demands, however averse she was to war. Great Britain had to meet the issue. That war was not sought by Britain cannot be doubted by any one who intelligently considers the whole situation. War deranges business, interferes with trade, increases the burdens of the people, and carries misery and woe into thousands of homes. Lord Salis- bury is a man of peace, and by his firm but genial style of diplomacy has more than once averted war where a less judicious but more bellicose minister would have failed. GREAT PATIENCE AND FORBEARANCE. Even Mr. Chamberlain, who has been called the fighting man of the Cabinet, has shown wonderful patience and forbearance during the years in which he had to deal with the Boers. And the world has no need to be told that Queen Victoria has never con- sented to war until peace had been rendered impossible, and this has been strikingly shown in the present case. In an address delivered, Lord Landsdowne, the Secretary for War, speaking in the name and on behalf of the government, thus presented the case : " We are engaged in a aerious enterprise ; we are face to face with the terrible realities of war — realities which have been brought home to us by important events. The government which would face them without the support of the people of this country would be indeed an object for pity. We believe that we have that support; we have spared no pains to carry the country with us and to con- ' vince it at each step of the necessity of what we were doing. " There have been no secrets and no reticences ; we have, indeed, been reproached with not being reticent enough. I think the answer to that is — that unless we had taken the public into our confidence, our people would have failed amid the tangle of these diplomatic THE STRUGGLE FOR EQUAL RIGHTS. 233 controversies to detect the real issues that are at stake. They have found out what those issues are. They no longer ask what we are fighting about. They know, of course, that we are fighting, in the first place, because we have been attacked. But they know, too, that we were attacked because the Queen's Government showed its determination to protect the Queen's subjects in South Africa, am' to insist that the future of South Africa should be moulded upon the British and not upon the Boer model. NOT FIGHTING FOR MERE FORMS. '* If we keep these broad issues steadily befi3re our minds, all disputes about the existence of the suzerainty, or the meaning of the word, all the microscopic scrutiny of the wording of documents, becomes academical. We arc fighting, not about words, but about things — about the substance aud not the form. It is the substance which we mean to retain. It is the substance of which the South African Republic has shown its determination to get rid, not only by the manner in which it has conducted these negotiations, but by the extravagant military preparations which it has been making during the last few years. " When we are told that we have been wanting in patience or in consideration, I am inclined to answer that if we are open to reproach it is not for having been wanting in patience, but for having tolerated too patiently in the midst of our flourishing and contented colonies the hostile preparations of a State which, during the last four or five years, has been arming itself to the teeth with the newest and most destructive implements of war, and drilling its troops with the aid of foreign instructors for the scarcely con- cealed purpose of driving us out of South Africa, ^t is in order that we may not lose the substance that we are putting into the field in South Africa the largest force which has ever left the shores of this island." ' It is because of these broad issues that the people of the United States sympathize so generally with Great Britain in the present struggle, and why so many of the leading organs of public opinion have so warmly espoused her side of the quarrel. This ! ! I t i i w<)' / v: \ I 234 THE STRUGGLE FOR EQUAL RIGHTS. kindly feeling may be attributed in part to affinities of language, race, and political institutions, and in part to Britain's firm and friendly attitude during the late war with Spain, but the great reason is that her cause is felt to be a just one, and that she stands for the defence of the oppressed, for the enfranchisement of the down-trodden, and for the advancement of liberty, progress, and civilization. The following from TAe New York Independent very forcibly voices this feeling : " The present crisis cannot be dissociated from the whole history of Boer rule in South Africa. It commenced with a brutal treatment of the natives unequalled in the relations of civilized and uncivilized peoples. As fast as they found the freedom for such trcacment abridged, they withdrew from one place to another until they established themselves in the Transvaal. . Btill the same spirit dominated them, and they wefe in perpetual strife. ■;, ■ ' , ■ ■•■ /' /:-"''v: ■■-■;■ " When they found that British rule was closing in around them they commenced a series of negotiations with other European powers, hoping thus to secure a counteri-nfluence in their behalf. > Then came intrigues among their kinsmen in the Free State and Cape Colony, and the assertion that Boer funds supplied the treasury of the Africander party is generally credited. ABSOLUTE DENIAL OF JUSTICE. '* During all this time not once has the Transvaal Government manifested any desire to do what the rest of the world has consid- ered to be justice. It has made promise after promise, then with- drawn, then advanced counter-propositions until it seemed impossible ^ to know just what the situation was. " c! v • ^- " Sir Alfred Milner has shown a patience, as well as firmness, deserving of all praise. He has been well supported, too, by Mr. Chamberlain, who has kept in close line with Lord Salisbury. All have realized that such a war as would follow would be terrible, both in loss of life and in geneial disaster. They realize also that " there are things worse tl^an war, and that to permit the development of so reactionary a power as the Transvaal has shown itself to be, THE STRUGGLE FOR EQUAL BIGHTS. 285 means permanent injury to the whole of South Africa. Therefore, that country must not be a continuous festering spot to the peace of the entire continent." > ^ - The reasons which induced President Kruger to precipitate this conflict are at least suggested in the foregoing quotation. He must have known, he did know, that however brave and determined his people were, and however well prepared for war they might be, and that whatever successes they might win in the earlier stages of the contest, defeat would be inevitable. It seems incredible that he should have entered upon so unequal a struggle without assurances of outside support, for it would not only mean his own personal overthrow, but also the loss of whatever measure of independence his people had enjoyed, for war annuls all treaties and abrogates all conventions. >^^ ; i • ^- ■". ^ ~ COUNTING ON SYMPATHY OF THE BOERS. As there has always been a discontented class among the Dutch in vSouth Africa, he probably counted upon their practical sympathy and co-operation in the event of trouble. That sympathy they had rather effusively exhibited on various occasions, and under circum- stances which left no room to doubt r ^ to what they would do if the opportunity were afforded. He may have expected something from the evident unwillingness of the British people to have recourse to extreme measures. But if so, he has been disappointed, for seldom, if ever, has the nation given a government such iinited and hearty support as is now bei'ig given to the government. And that support is not confined to the Motherland, for from Australia, from New Zealand, from India, and from the Dominion of Canada, thousands of brave and brawny men have voluntarily enrolled themselves under the common flag, and have thus proclaimed the unity and solidarity of the Empire. But his great hope undoubtedly was in the intervention of some of the European powers, and in view of the somewhat strained relations between them and Great Britain the hope was not an unreasonable one. Russia's advance toward the Indian frontier has <^ ■ - '.i i BStMti.'*s?Mii .; ^ftj^tft***?" t-, "■■'''i^A'iiJ^a.'illiStifiSBiiifcil I ■•><•-'■■,■;• 236 THE STRUGGT S FOR EQUAL RIGHTS. been continuous and steady, and especially since the Crimean War, when she was made to understand she could not possess herself of Constantinople. That advance has been watched with the keenest interest in Great Britain, and it is the all but universal opinion that a collision between these two powers must take place at no distant day. Anything, therefore, that would engage her and require her forces elsewhere would afford Russia an opportunity to seize Persia, and perhaps establish herself in Afghanistan. But famine and lack of funds have rendered this an inopportune time, and help is not likely to come from that quarter. NURSING HER WRATH. France, checkmated in Egypt, humiliated at Fashoda, and denounced by the pulpit and press of Britain for the way in which Dreyfus was dealt with, would gladly have assailed her neighbor across the channel if she could have secured an ally ; but failing in this, and concluding that prudence in such a case was the better part of valor, is contenting herself with merely " nursing her wrath to keep it warm." The press of Holland may be ultra-Boer in feeling, and the rabble may shout, "Down with England!" but the government of that country realizes that Holland exists as an independent power because Britain has bound herself by treaty to see that that inde- pendence is maintained. Therefore the Dutch in Europe can furnish no substantial aid. The attitude of the German Emperor at the time of the Jameson Raid may have led Mr. Kruger to look for something practical from the Fatherland, but the hope has not been realized ; the expectation has been but a dream, for Emperor William has suddenly developed a strong affection for his august grandmother and her people, and has warned his subjects to main- tain the strictest neutrality. Even republican America, as ^hown in the preceding pages, withholds her sympathy, believing him to be the champion of ix cause that is bad in itself, and must end in failure. His only ally, therefore, is the Orange Free State. THE STRUGGLE FOR EQUAL RIGHTS. 237 Intervention, therefore, is not to be thought of, and the British and the Boer will have to fight it out themselves. This is very clearly indicated in Lord Salisbury's speech at the Guildhall Banquet on November 9th. In words of weighty import — words uttered with the calmness of conscious strength, and which suggest much more than they say — he thus defines the situation : " I have seen it suggested, and it seems to me a wild sugges- tion, that the other powers will interfere with this country, and in some way or other dictate to those who are concerned in it as to what the upshot should be. Don't let any man think it is in that fashion the conflict will be concluded. We shall have to carry it through ourselves, and the interference of anybody else will have no effect upon it. INTERVENTION NEED NOT BE FEARED. " In the first place, because we would not accept that inter- ference, and, in the second place, because we are convinced there is no such idea in the mind of any government in the world. Within my recollection, there have been five or six great wars, involving in their close great territorial modifications ; but, except as provided for by treaties, and except in the case of treaties, in none of these wars has a third party ventured to interfere between the combatants." As to what was to come after the war, Lord Salisbury would only say : " What we desire is equal rights for all men of all races, and security for our fellow-subjects and our Empire." By what means this aim is to be worked out he left for events to determine. " Whenever we are victorious," said his lordship, " we shall consult the vast interests committed to our care. Vast duties lie upon us to perform ; and, taking counsel of the uniform traditions of colonial government and of the moderation and equal justice to all races of men which it has been our uniform practice to observe, I do not doubt we shall so arrange that the issue of this conflict will confer good government on the area where it rages, and give the security, sorely needed, against the recurrence of any such dangers and the necessity of any such future exertion for the restoration of peace and civilization to that portion of the world." iS^^M^M^t .'•*> , ■ •; y- ' -~ \ V CHAPTER XVI. : Gallant Canadian Troops Off for the V/Vr. ©N October 25, 1899, the Governor-General of Canada received at Ottawa this cablegram from the Sovereign of England : " Her Majesty the Queen desires to thank the people of her Dominion of Canada for their striking manifestation of loyalty and patriotism in their voluntary offer to send troops to co-operate with Her Majesty's imperial forces in maintaining her position and the rights of British subjects in South Africa. She wishes the troops Godspeed and a safe return." This city's contingent for the Transvaal left the same evening for Quebec. Ten thousand people assembled at the armory to bid them farewell, and escorted them to the station. Dispatches from Montreal and Toronto stated that the departure of the local con- tingents for Quebec evoked great enthusiasm. Thus Canada promptly took up the cause of the mother country. Throughout the Dominion there were rousing demonstrations of loyalty, and the call for troops to join the imperial army in South Africa met with a quick and hearty response. An unparalleled scene of enthusiasm attended the departure of the Canadian contingent from London for the seat of war. In the march from Victoria Park to the Grand Trunk station, the departing troops had the appearance of a thin red line, piercing a black mass of people, who surged from curb to curb, cheering and waving hats and handkerchiefs. It was a roaring, cheering, tumult- uous crowd, with here and there touches of sadness in the faces oi those who were bidding good-bye to near and dear ones. There were even some bonnets among the helmets ; mothers and sisters, who walked in the ranks, so as to be with their boys and their brothers every precious moment of the time. Over all shone a brilliant sun, as if shedding a benediction on the departing heroes. At the barracks before the contingent took up the line of march '•^^s^ GALLANT CANADUN TROOPS. 289 for the station a sword was presented to Major Duncan Stuart. In handing the gift to the Major, Alderman Graham said : " On behalf of the citizens of London, I take great pleasure in presenting you with this sword. May you wear it to the glory of your country and your Queen in the, cause you are going to defend." Loud applause followed. Major Stuart made a graceful reply. He was grateful for the honor done him. He would do the best he could to deserve it. *' The men of B Company will do their part," he said. " Of that I am convinced. It only remains with me to do mine, which I will endeavor to do." The Major was heartily applauded. PRIDE AND HOPE OF THEIR COUNTRY. ^ Subsequently B Company was again drawn up on the square at Wolseley Barracks and Canon Dann addressed them as follows : " We are all proud of you. We have every hope that you will do credit to your country. When an enemy thinks to quell the stubborn hearts of oak, and to chain with chains and bind with bands the sons of Britain, he must be taught by force to learn humility — like those men of Succoth, whom Gideon in the days of old schooled with briars and the thorns of the wilderness. What made your forefathers great soldiers will make you the same. Trust in God, and faithfulness t^ iuty. Do your duty earnestly, scrupulously, and to the uttermost. The path of duty is the path of glory. Never be untrue to yourselves, to your Queen or to your God. If you have to fight, fight, knowing that God's eye is upon you. Be magnanimous in all your actions. Never strike an unnecessary blow. So that when all is over you will have the approving voice of your Master, ' Well done, good and faithful servants I' We wish you God-speed, a happy voyage, a brilliant campaign, and a safe return." i'^ i 7 With touching solemnity, Canon Dann then oflfered this prayer: " O Eternal God, be pleased to receive in Thy Almighty protection the persons of these Thy servants, about to proceed to South Africa in defense of our Most Gracious Sovereign Lady Queen Victoria, and of her dominions. Preserve them from the perils of travel, ■ci,*,*!^- . C'i^^^Ai.^t 240 GALLANT CANADIAN TROOPS. li 'ill whether by land or sea. Give to them true courage and endurance. Protect them from the violence of the enemy. And be Thou ever their defense and ready helper, that chey may return again in safety to enjoy the blessings of Thy goodness, with a thankful remem- brance of Thy mercies to ever praise and glorify Thy Holy Name, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen." Mayor Wilson addressed the company, expressing the pride the city felt in her brave sons and wishing them, not only a brilliant career in South Africa, but a safe return to their home and friends. When the volunteers arrived at the station the _iowd massed on the platform was tremendous. Way was made for the South African contingent, who marched into position alongside their special train. Then the crowd closed in on the ranks, and people in the rear crushed forward for a last v^ord with their friends. Several women fainted, but no serious accident occurred. Progress along the platform was impossible for several minutes. Sir Wilfrid LaurJer, premier of Canada, appeared on the platform of one of the special cars, and cheer after cheer rent the air. ADDRESS FROM THE PREMIER OF CANADA. " Members of the South African contingent," he said, " I have only one word to say, and it is not even necessary to say that. That is, that we look to you to do your duty. You are going to South Africa to give the people of that country the same liberty which you here enjoy. May you do credit to your country." The speech was greeted with loud cheers. The train was profusely decorated. The cars were covered with gaily-colored bunting, with flags and mottoes. The colors were all red, white and blue. The banners extended the whole length of the car, and in large letters had printed on them the words " From London to South Africa," " B Company, Transvaal Contingent," "For the Empire," and "No. i Military District." One of each banner was on each side of the car. The train con- sisted of a baggage and three passengers cars. The latter were the best and most comfortable that are on the road. The mighty cheer that went up when the train started to pull 17 COLONEL OTTER COMMANDER OF THE CANADIAN CONTINQENT u. CO lU a lU tu Hi O o o UJ CO o o X < u. O H < HI CO Ul I H cc o (3 z > < UJ UJ oc O u. UJ oa h Z UJ O z Z o o z < 5 < z < o UJ X u. o CO cc UJ o u. u. o .,.SJ"mr>i^it.y;- i!;»::>it* X. I- i > Q < u. O tu -1 I- < CO Ul I 'i 9 o o UJ cr 0) UJ 3. I- i CO > Q < _l u. O UJ -I I- I- < OQ UJ X H Q < cc O u. O z I Q. < o O _i tu I cr Q. C C a h X m Zi c z UJ UJ _1 I- h < m UJ I I- u. 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I ^H — CC > o -. cc < 3 a. UJ a Q z ± UJ UJ UJ a Ul I H tr o u. 05 nc UJ UJ I O UJ Ul cc I H O h HOW THE BLUE JACKETS SHELLED THE BOERS AT LADY8MITH "J?"" »^',i'f*:MFV'iv""''w*"'^"""**'» ...c^ * ^^i#« ^cmIT ^•^ r ^r^ »<■ ^ V- BRITISH GARRISON OBEYING ORDER, "STAND TO ARMS' I 3*^ UJ H CO tu (f) ts UJ CO o UJ o UI o CO Ui o o ■"•vfjj < " ■ " jif^ -^' i._i3 r ^^Mik^^ H ^^^^HH D '^^EBB^ O ft-^KS^ 03 li^Kr^ I ^^^■^^k '.' CO ^^P^^ K ^^B ^1 a: ^^^H ' m ^^^^H I il^^b ' u. ^^v' O ^^Bk ' CO ^^^^ Q. ^ ^^Kp^^Jj QC o H^^v ^ra o X' - I r *^ /jmR r^ ^P BOER PRISONERS ON THE WAY TO PIETERMARITrWllRQ, CAPITAL OF NATAL GALLANT CANADIAN TROOPS. 241 out was like the roll of thunder, and completely drowned the strains of " God Save the Queen " by the band. Hats were thrown in the air, and handkerchiefs were waved on all sides. Every person was wildly enthusiastic as they shouted a last good-bye to the soldier boys. Many of the ladies in the crowd carried small Union Jacks, and waved them above their heads. The cheering continued until the train had passed from view. The decorations in many parts of the city were very elaborate, especially in the business portion. Huge Union Jacks hung across the streets in many places, and the stores and wholesale houses were gaily decorated with flags and bunting. Many private resi- dences were also tastily decorated with myriads of miniature flags. GREAT POPULAR DEMONSTRATION. The Toronto and London companies of the South African regiment were given an enthusiastic farewell at the former city, October 25th. Tens of thousands thronged the streets to see the soldiers depart. They were presented at the armories with purses of gold on behalf of the city, and silver match-safes inscribed with the motto, " What we have, we'll hold," referring, of course, to the Empire. The officers were presented with expensive field-glasses. A committee of citizens has arranged for life insurance on each, and loaded them with all sorts of things and reading matter to make the ocean voyage more comfortable.. The South African contingent paraded the principal streets, accompanied by four volunteer corps, each with a brass band. The Mayor and aldermen, veteran soldiers, boys' brigades, and thou- sands of public school lads carrying wooden guns, followed by the students of Toronto Ui^iversity and various city colleges, who sang, to the tune of " Sweet Eye-and-Bye," a refrain, " There's a Place Where the Boers Ought to Go." Half a holiday was given at the schools, and most of the city warehouses were closed to let the citizens join in giving the soldiers a hearty send-off. No such military ardor as that shown at Toronto had been manifested since the Fenian raid in 1866. A prominent journal commented on the event of the day as follows ; 242 GALLANT CANADIAN TROOPS. " The starting of the Canadian contingent marks an epoch in the history of the world. No such a thing is recorded in history as that colonists should journey for more than a month and cover almost half a circuit of the world in order to fight for the rights of their fellow-citizens thousands of miles away. It is a grand climax of Imperial unity, and Canada, with other portions of the Empire, has come forward to join in the demonstration of it to the world." Other journals were filled with similar comments. AN OVATION FOR COLONEL OTTER. A farewell, in some respects more inspiring and enthusiasti*" than that which the Toronto company carried away with them iu the afternoon, was the lot of Lieutenant-Colonel Otter, who left for the east in the evening. The Colonel n *ved at the station shortly after nine o'clock. He was accompanied by his staff, and proceeded directly to his car, the last coach ou the Grand Trunk express. Then the Queen's Own Rifles marched into the huge waiting-room and down to the tracks, forming in companies along the north wall and behind the crowds on the platform. It was hard for them to maintain their positions, but maintain them they did, and sang while their old Colonel, who almost began his militia life under their colors, shook hands with them and returned the farewells of the people who pressed about his car. The coach moved slowly out, and Colonel Otter climbed on the rear steps, where, while the great crowd cheered and the bands played, he stood with bowed head until he was lost from view. " The men are of magnificent physique," said one of the public journals, " and the company is largely composed of business men. The case of Private J. F. Ramsey is typical of many. He was a Captain of the Highlanders and is a member of the Ramsay-Cowan Company, a big manufacturing concern of this city. He was the western manager, and was in Utah when the call for volunteers came. He travelled home post haste, found there was no opening as an oflB.cer and he promptly enlisted as a private. His father is a very wealthy man and a director of the Imperial Bank. Another private is a master at Upper Canada College. Several others are ■MiS?*^.** GALLANT CANADIAN TROOPS. 24& promising business men and officers who threw up their commissions to go in as privates." In commenting on the departure of the troops one of the news- papers said : " During the past week, the various companies that will comprise the Canadian contingent to the Transvaal have been converging from all parts of the Dominion to the place of rendezvous at Quebec, where they will embark in the steamship Sardinian, for South Africa. The gallant soldier-boys have received hearty ' send- offs ' from their vai:ious towns people, the good wishes )eing in many cases coupled with handsome presents and useful articles for the men who go forth in defence of the flag. "FIGHT AS GOOD CANADIANS." " The Montreal company left on schedule time. Before the men were marched out of the Drill Hall, Lieut.-Col. Gordon addressed them, pointing out the seriousness and responsibility of the step they had undertaken. ' Canada is sending you forth,' he said, * to fight the battles of the Empire on a foreign field ! Be a credit to your country; uphold her honor and traditions, and not let it be said of the Canadian contingent that they shirked their duty in any respect. Be men and soldiers. If needs be, fight as good Canadians, and bring glory to the flag. Canada will watch you ; Montreal will watch you. May you have a safe voyage and may you all return. I wish you God-speed from the bottom of my heart.' " At the close of his remarks Col. Gordon called for three cheers for the men, and these were given with a will, and a tiger was added by those present. Cheers for the Queen and Empire followed, the audience waxing enthusiastic. "When the procession reached Bonaventure station it was greeted with a solid mass of humanity, who had gathered to see the 'boys' off. The company found some difficulty in getting through the crowd, and the scenes they passed through were most affecting, mothers, sisters, and sweethearts clinging to the loved ones to the last, while fathers, brothers, and friends held their hands and wished them God-speed. Soon, however, all were aboard the train. There were faces at every window, smiling faces, too. The train 244 GALLANT CANADIAN TROOPS. moved, but very slowly at first. Not a sound of th*^ ringiug of a bell nor the puffing of a locomotive could be heard. There was a great buzzing sound, and the noise of many voices. Some of the boys leaned out of the car windows, and grasped the hands of friends as they passed. There was a waving of handkerchiefs, and ' God bless you' from the ladies. As the train increased in speed a mighty thrill of enthusiastic loyalty went through the crowd. " One by one the carriages rolled past. On the rear platform stood a magnificent specimen of a Canadian soldier. His face glowed and he took off his cap and waved it to the cheering spectators. On a little stick at the rear of the train flapped cheerily a flag ; its color was not white. " Britain's drum-beat in South Africa had been heard in far-off Canada, and Montreal's sons were on the way to the front. A number of the western companies passed through Montreal on their way to Quebec, and all were given enthusiastic greetings and hearty send-offs by a crowd numbering many thousands." QUEBEC STIRRED WITH ENTHUSIASM. The Canadian contingent left for the seat of war under com- mand of Lieut.-Colonel Otter, of Toronto, with Lieut.-Colonel Buchan as second in command, and Captain McDougall as adjutant. The staff included Lieut.-Colonel Drury, Captain Forrester, Captain Macdonnell and others well known in St. John. From published reports it would seem that all Quebec turned out on the evening of October 28th to honor the gallant sons of Canada who were going to take their share in fighting the battles of the Empire. The dinner given by the Garrison Club to Colonel Otter and his officers was a success, and was attended by all who could get seats. The dining room had been tastefully decorated with flags and festoons of flowers. On one side of the coat of arms of the Empire was a British shield, and on the other the Dominion shield, while the shields of the seven provinces were distributed throughout the hall. After discussing the menu Lieut.-Colonel White arose and announced that the guests had been invited to join in the promenade GALLANT CANVDIAN TROOPS. 245 ancl smoking concert at the Drill Hall, where the citizens' committee was entertaining the brave boys. He then proposed the toast of " The Qneen." Rarely, if ever, has this toast been received in any part of the conntry with snch ehthnsiasni as it was on this occasion, and every man present sang the National Anthem in a manner that wonld have convinced even the most critical observer that all felt the particular solemnity of the moment. Lieutenant-Colonel White then proposed the toast of " Lieu- tenant-Colonel Otter," and the officers of the contingent. It was particularly fitting that Quebec, which was surrounded by battle- fields, where brave men had struggled on both sides, should repre- sent the whole of Canada in bidding God-speed to the men who were bravely going forth to distant lands to prove the unity of the Empire and the loyalty of all Canadians of all races and creeds. HONORED IN REPRESENTING CANADA. Colonel Otter was unable to speak for five minutes, so enthu- siastic and prolonged was the cheering which greeted him. When the applause subsided, the commander of the Royal Canadian regi- ment expressed the pleasure it gave him to be once more in Quebec, as a guest of the Garrison Club, which was known all over Canada for its hospitality, especially to military men. He would like to assure his hearers on behalf of himself and his officers of the pride they all felt in the duty which they were doing. They were highly honored in having been chosen to represent Canada in aid of the Empire. » He had been struck by the enthusiam displayed from one end of the country to the other ; it was really almost more than a man could bear. All classes vied with each other to honor, cheer and assist in every possible way the officers and soldiers. These sincere actions and expressions touched them very much, and they felt they had in every way the sympathy of the whole country. Feeling this, while their task may be physically hard, it would be easy in every other respect. This universal syrapath}'^ would help them to give up their homes and endure the hardships of South Africa, if thereby they could gain glory for Canada and the Empire. •sm- -ft! 248 GALLANT CANADIAN TRODPS. It will be seen that a patriotic spirit animated the Dominion from one end to the other. Especially notable was the promptness with which the military preparations were despatched. Canada did more than send her soldiers away with a cheer that rang from the Pacific to the Atlantic, and will forever echo to the nations of the world the stern message, " Britain's quarrels are the quarrels of her children, and Britain's sons will be defended by their brothers.'' She showed by the despatch with which the contingent was enrolled, and by the promptness with which it was fitted out, that the militia department of this young country is an organization to be proud of, and that in an emergency it can do good work for the Empire. A REMARKABLE ACHIEVEMENT. The fact that, without conscription, it was possible to get to- gether in the short space of a fortnight a thousand men, represent- ing every section of this vast domain, and send them away on their long ocean journey, properly equipped and provisioned, was as much an eye-opener to the nations of the world as was the enthusiasm of the people over the opportunity to .ihow even in this small way their devotion to the causes of the Empire and their willingness to make its quarrels their own. The object lesson was expected to make an impression on the world. The knowledge that from the uttermost parts of the earth would come thousands upon thousands of English colonists at the call to arms will not soon be forgotten by those who in the past have considered that the nation's only arm was her navy, and that her people would not voluntarily seek military service. Military men of all countries most favorably commented on the despatch of the Canadian volunteers, while those in Canada who had an intimate acquaintance with the workings of the militia de- partment, and who knew .;he difficulties that had to be met and sur- mounted, spoke most enthusiastically, and' one and all praised the Minister of Militia, Hon. F. W. Borden, and the officers of his staff, particularly the Quartermaster-General, Colonel Foster, for the highly creditable manner in which the work v/as done. The fact that the Minister, Hon. Mr. Borden, was himself a militia officer of thirty years' standing, and that under his rule many important re- ^^T^'S GALLANT CANADIAN TROOPS. 247 forms had been inaugurated, no doubt helped in a very great meas- ure to make possible the wonderful undertaking, which, as has already been said, called forth praise even from the regular army departments of the old world. Canada fitted out its soldiers with everything of the very best, and sent them away with quarters that were pronounced far superior to those usually provided on a troop ship. When the call for volun- teers was made the militia department had not even uniforms for the men, but the tailors of Canada wtre equal to the occasion, ard they delivered at Quebec before the steamer sailed the splendid uniforms that were expected to prove b" t!i serviceable and comfortable. The Canadian soldiers were uniformed as a rifle regiment, and had a khaki serge service uniform, with jackets with four pockets, and short breeches. They wore the Oliver equipment, and all their belts and straps were of brown leather. In addition to this equipment, each man received both summer and winter underclothijig and other necessaries, so that as regards clothing they were as well provided as if fitted out by the best army service in the world. SUPERB DRESS PARADE. One of the newspapers contained the following account of the Canadian contingent : " The Royal Canadian Infantry, looo strong, had a magnificent ovation in the ancient city of Quebec while on its way to the wharf and upon its embarkation on the steamer " Sardin- ian" for the voyage to Cape ToM^n. In the morning the regiment gave a dress parade in Dufierin 1 errace in the presence of 20,000 spectators. Addresses were made to them by Lord Minto and Sir Wilfrid Lau.I?r, in which the soldiers were highly complimented. In the afternoon the regiment boarded the vessel that was to carry them to Africa amid scenes of the wildest enthusiasm. Quebec never witnessed anything near so impressive or enthusiastic as this demonstration. "The command is made up of eight companies raised in diflferent parts of the Dominion in which is represented Manitoba, the Northwest Territories, British Columbia, Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island, Montreal, Toronto, Quebec, I ■ ! Ht I 'if if 248 GALLANT CANADIAN TROOPS. Ottawa, London and Kingston. The regiment is finely officered and tlie rank an file are men of high intelligence and courage and physically in splendid form. We mistake if they do not measure up equall}'' with the celebrated crack regiments of the British army whom they fight along side of in the battles of the Transvaal. " The inhabitants of the Dominion are justly proud of the contingent they are sending to Africa and everywhere the infantry- men were made to feel the popular heart was with them in this expedition. French and English vied with each other in cheering them on and bidding them God-speed and safe return to their homes." PATRIOTISM OF THE DOMINION. It would prove as difficult for one who did not witness the leave-taking of the Canadian contingent to realize the depth of sentiment, the loyalty and the unity of the Canadian people which the farewell brought out as it would be for one who saw and took part in the demonstration to ever forget it. To Quebec came the picked men of the volunteers from every portion of the Dominion, fresh from the plaudits and the decorations of their own friends, thinking, perhaps, that the last good-byes had been said, that they were among a strange people, that the journey to South Africa had commenced in earnest. The contingent had been arriving by com- panies for almost a week, but Quebec, anxious to prove that none could surpass her in her devotion to the Canadian contingent or the cause in which that contingent was to serve, waited until the departure of the troops, and then the great wave of enthusiasm swept over all restraint, and the greatest popular demonstration which the country ever saw resulted. The officers and men of the Second Roj/al Canadian Regiment marched through the flag-decked streets of tlie city under great welcoming arches in the midst of a cheering throng, with men and women catching their hands as they passed, and wishing them, in a language which they could not understand, her Majesty's wish, "God-speed and a safe return." They were told by the Mayor of the city that they were the united descendants of two races which bad met in bitter conflict upon the ground on which they stood, "^s GALLANT CANADIAN TROOPS. 249 d, and that they were now the representatives of one people whose hearts they carried with them. But the last farewell was from 40,000 people of Quebec, who from the wharves and the hills of the city sang the National Anthem as their transpc^t steamed down the broad St. Lawrence. The Sardinian began her voyage to the Cape at ten minutes past four o'clock on Monday afternoon, October 30th, within four- teen days after the order for the mobilization of the troops came to the Canadian Government. The members of the Cabinet and the officers of the Canadian militia, who saw her leave her wharf car- rying a regiment of Canadian soldiers fully prepared for the voyage and equipped for the battlefield, heard with pleasure the following cablegram received by the Governor-General of Canada : PRAISE FROM THE BRITISH GOVERNMENT. " London, October 30, 1899. — Her Majesty's Government offer hearty congratulations to Canadian Government and military authorities for rapid organization and embarkation of contingent. Enthusiasm displayed by people of Dominion a source of much gratification here. (Signed), Chamberlain." The pleasure of the recognition of Canada's ability to meet an emergency was unbounded, but the satisfaction at the completion of an almost overwhelming task was to those who made the embark- ation of a Canadian contingent possible at such an early date the greatest reward. The great Allan liner, which sailed under sealed orders, never carried such a cargo before. The privates of the contingent swarmed everywhere over the boat, and shouted and cheered and sang inter- mittently. The people of the city filled every dock on the water- front. I'hey were dotted over the palisades ; they lined the great walls of the Citadel and from every coign of vantage answered cheer and hurrah and sang with the soldiers. When the time of the final leave-taking came the soldiers were on the uppei deck and high in the rigging of the vessel. One of Captain Barker's men had climbed to the top of the first mast, and hanging there swung his cap to those on shore. Below him was a ^PHIIiii 250 GALLANT CANADIAN TROOPS. sea of white helmets and dark tunics, and as the first gun from the Citadel roared out the vast multitude took up the strain of " God Save the Queen," and the cannon of the Citadel marked the time. Then the whistles of the river craft drowned all else, and the Sardinian, escorted bj- a fleet of gaily-decorated tugs and pleasure boats, was lost to sight. The day began with the marshaling of the troops at the Citadel ^ and here they were viewed by thousands of visitors who had traveled from their homes to bid their own good-bye. Thv; ^ were many presentations by civic deputations. Toronto sent as a representa- tives City Treasurer Coady, Messrs. Joseph Thomps. , acting Sec- retary, Alderman Graham and James Somers, and the grants made to the volunteers were handed over, the funds being delivered in gold coin, which was duly placed in safe keeping on the Sardinian. Mr. Coady made the presentations, and Alderman Graham delivered the silver match-safes to those who had failed to receive them in Toronto. 1 11 I III I; . I- silk m PRESENTS FOR THE SOLDIERS. Montreal sent the largest deputation, which included a number of students of McGill University, and the members of the contin- gent from that city received the warmest reception of the day. The Mayor of Montreal and a committee presented field glasses to the officers and funds to the men. Sir Mackenzie Bowell was at the head of a large party from Belleville, which city was also represented by Mayor J. W. Johnson, Lieutenant-Colonel W. H. Ponton, Major W. W. Pope, Captain Marsh, Captain Stewart, Lieutenant Morden and Lieutenant McGinnis. They carried with them $500, being the municipal and private subscriptions to the fourteen soldiers who joined the contingent from Belleville. The crowd of visitors and residents of the city at the Citadel was very large, but it was insignificant when compared with the tremendous gathering which waited on every side of the KnpiHtiade for the appearance of the troops there. The streets k•^'llx\^ tnna the Ciitadel were so congested with people that the regrvnat huA difficulty in passing through, and it was some ti-e aftex tiie hrir i>t>--rf-?,.-'-- - '.yrr^y^^^ s[ifi~i-'3fgK'vyr;/iF-'^ll ■■rtf!P;np^7i7fff«r"' GALLANT CANADIAN TROOPS. ^61 announced for the commencement of the ceremonies that it made its appearance. A t nnporary stand had been erected on the Esplsn- ade, and on this were gathered prominent visitors from all parts of the Dominion. The troops were formed up in review order, and the precision shown by each company in talcing its position was repeatedly cheered. Finally the grand review began, and his Excellency Lord Minto and General Hutton inspected the long lines of soldiers. They were accompanied b}'' the following staff, and made a brilliant military picture: Lieutenant-Colonel Irwin, Lieutenant-Colonel Ev '.turel, Lieutenant-Colonel Sherwood, Hon. A. D. and Captain Graham, in waiting. General Hutton appeared particularly im- pressed with the splendid physical and soldierly bearing of the men, and complimented several of the officers. He said ' Captain Bar- ker after reviewing that officer's company : " You have a splendid company — steady men. When you're away remember that you must always call it the ' Toronto Company.' " HEARTY FAREWELL FROM THE PREMIER. After his Excellency and General Hutton's review, the playing of " God Save the Queen " by the regimental bands announced the coming of Sir Wilfrid Laurier. The Premier was accompanied by Hon. Messrs. Fielding, Borden, Dobell, Fitzpatrick and Sutherland, and was *net by the staff of officers mentioned, and he, with the members of his Cabinet, also made a careful inspection of the differ- ent companies, giving a kindly fare" ill to all those with whom he was personally acquainted. After the formal review the regiment was formed into three sides of a square in close order, and his Excellency, addressing Lieutenant-Colonel Otter, his officers and men, said : " I congratu- late you upon the splendid appearance of your regiment upon parade. Canada may justly be proud of her representative troops." But the force which Colonel Otter commands, continued his Excel- lency, represented a great ..^al more than a serviceable regiment on parade, and they were standing upon historic ground, under the ramparts of the old City of Quebec, surrounded by celebrated 252 GALLANT CANADIAN TROOPS, ■li'/ battlefields and iu an atmosphere full of glorious traditions of two nations, who, while respecting each other's manlike qualities, shown in many a hard-fought battlefield, had now joined hands in common loyalty to their Queen-Empress. The companies of the regiment had been gathered from British Columbia to the Atlantic Coast, from the settlers in the Rocky Mountains and in the far west, from Ontario and the Maritime Provinces, and from the old French families of Quebec. They represented the manhood of the Dominion from west to east, and above all represented the spontaneous offer of the people of Canada, British-born and French-Canadians, to the mother country. The people of Canada had shown that they had no inclination to discuss the quibbles of colonial responsibility. They had unmistakably asked that their loyal offers be made knovn, and rejoiced in their gracious acceptance. PRIVATIONS AND GLORIES OF THE ARMY. In so doing, surely they had opened a new chapter in the his- tory of our empire. They freely made their military gift to the Imperial cause, to share the privations and dangers and glories of the Imperial army. They had insisted on giving vent to an expres- sion of sentimental Imperial unity, which might perhaps hereafter prove more binding than any written Imperial constitution. Then, addreesing Colonel Otter again, his Excellency said : "The e .barkation of your force to-day will mark a memorable epoch in the history of Canada and the empire. Of the success of your force we have no doubt. We shall watch your departure with very full hearts, and will follow your movements with eager enthu- siasm. All Canada will long to see the Maple Leaf well to the front, and will give her contingent a glorious welcome when it comes home again. And now, as the representative of her Majesty, il wish you God-speed and every success," His Excellency, whose address was repeatedly applauded, closed by asking Colonel Otter that his regiment give three cheers for the Queen, and in this outburst the thousand of spectators joined, the bands playing " Rule Britannia.'' GALLANT CANADIAN TROOPS. 253 Sir Wilfrid Laurier, who followed, was received witli another burst of applause, and the throng so pressed about the stand that unfortunately few persons were able to hear all of his address. " In wishing you God-speed," he said, " I pray that God may accom- pany you, direct you and protect you, on the noble mission which you have undertaken. Upon this occasion it is not so much the God of batlle as the God of justice whom we invoke. It is inspir- ing to reflect that the cause for which you men of Canada are going to fight is the cause of justice, the cause of humanity, of civil rights and religious liberty. " This war is not a war of conquest or subjugation. It is not to oppress the race whose courage we admire, but it is to put an end to the oppression imposed upon subjects of her Majesty in South Africa by a tyrannical people. The object is not to rush out the Dutch population, but to establish in that land, of which her Majesty is suzerain, British sovereign law, to assure to all men of that country an equal share of liberty. This is a unique occasion in the history of the world ; it is a spectacle which ought to make every Canadian feel proud of his country. HAPPY ILLUSTRATION OF UNITY. " Who could have believed a few years ago that from this city, which had been the theatre of a bitter conflict between the two proudest races of the world, their descendants, who to-day were a happily united people, would go forth to help carry the blessings of their own institutions to a far distant land ? Who could have believed thirty-two years ago that the scattered Provinces of British North America would have reached such a point of development to- day that they would be able and willing, and cheerfully willing, to cement with their blood the unity of the empire in its most distant part? " Men of the Canadian contingent," continued the Premier, " I have no recommendation or request to make to you, but if I had 't would simply be to do your duty. More than this we cannot ask ; more than this you cannot do. If you do your dut}^, and I know you will, you take your place side by side with the Dublin I s I I'. I %\ 364 GALLANT CANADIAN TROOPS. Fusileers, the Gordon Highlanders and the Lancashires, who only last week carried the colors of England to the topmost heights of Glencoe, Dundee and Elandslaagte. " If you do your duty your proud countrymen will share your glory. Should any one of you unfortunately lose his life or limb your country will feel that you have fully discharged the duty under which you place her this day by this sacrifice to Canada's glory, the glory of the empire, and above all, to the cat'se of justice, humanity and liberty." ELOQUENT SPEECH OF THE MAYOR. The address from the citizens of Quebec was then delivered by his Worship Hon. S. N. Parent, Mayor of the city. He said : " The citizens of Quebec offer you the most cordial welcome in this old fortress, so often stormed by war and tempest, whose inhabit- ants from their earliest years have been accustomed to the music of military bands, to the smell of powder and the smoke of battles. We are proud of the honor that has been done our city in its selec- tion as the scene of the mobilization of this select regiment which the Canadian people send to the assistance of our mother country. It was no vain appe, 1 that was made to our valor and our loyalty, for along the way from Victoria to Halifax a thousand picked men, representing the youth, physical strength, the discipline and the courageous daring of our people, freely volunteered to serve under the British flag. " The people of various origin and different religious creeds that go to make up the population of this country are represented in your regiment, and now that we are for the time being assem- bled within the walls of the most French city of the new world let us claim for the French-Canadian element a large share of the warm and spontaneous outburst of sentiments of loyalty to England which marked your triumphant passage from your homes to Quebec. " No matter how diverse may be our origin and the language that we speak, who is there that will dare to affirm that we have not all the qualities necessary for the making of a real nation ? Who dare say, upon such an occasion as the present, that we are GALLANT CANADIAN TROOPS. 265 not all sincerely united and loyal towards the Canadian Dominion and loyal to Englfind, which has given us so complete a measure of liberty ? We French-Canadians have loyally accepted the new destinies that Providence provided for us on the battleiields of 1759. Is it possible that anybody can have forgotten 1775 and 181 2 ? " On the summit of this proud rock of Quebec, rendered'' illustrious by Jacques Cartier and Charaplain, behold, but a few steps from this place, the superb monument erected by an English Governor to the memory of Wolfe and Montcalm. Why may we not make it the emblem and the symbol of our national ituity ? ROSE, THISTLE AND SHAMROCK. '' iM us leave to each individual amongst us the privilege to fetain as a sweet jonvenir, worthy of a noble heart, the rose, the thistle, the J/t'//r-f/c-/ts or the shamrock, and even the pot of earth that the Irish immigruiil brings with liim from under distant skies, and let us be united for the great and hu\y cause that we have in hand, the foundation of a great nation and the development of the boundless resources of a rich and immense country. Our best wishes accompany you in the long journey, at the end of which you v/ill no doubt find glory as well as sufferings, privations, and perhaps even heroic sacrifices. " When you will be under the burning sun of Africa you may be sure that our hearts vill follow you everywhere, and that in our long winter evenings you will be the principal object of our fireside talk and solicitude. Be quite sure, too, that this Canada of ours will watch with a maternal care over the loved ones that you leave behind you, and who, in parting with you, are making so great and so generous a sacrifice. May the God of battles crown your efforts, may He preserve you in the midst of danger, and may He bring you back safe and sound to the beloved shores of your fatherland." Following the delivery of this address, which was also received with great enthusiasm, the regiment formed fours and marched past the reviewing stand, where each company received hearty cheers. The procession was headed by the musicians of the Royal Canadian Artillery and by officers of different battalions. -r/i^vv iir^f r^j^Tf^T ".In^flk* PI f 1 -1: 1 fi-*lii ■'#1 I 266 GALLANT CANADIAN TROOPS. The regiment marched through the streets of both the Upper \ and Lower Town, and, although the line of route was lengthy, the cheering was continuous and the troops were followed by one of the largest crowds Quebec has ever experienced. Great throngs were congregated at the wharf, but admission could be gained only by ticket, and the companies of the local militia closely guarded all the approaches. Great promptness was observ^ed in the handling of the troops, and when shortly before 3 o'clock his Excellency arrived, the em- barkation was almost completed and the Governor-General went on board and examined the men's quarters, spending some little time on the boat. Just as the lines were about to be cast off Gen- eral Hutton summoned the officers of the regiment to the wharf and read to them the message from Hon. Joseph Chamberlain, given above. He then bade the officers good-bye, and called for cheers for each, concluding with cheers for the Queen. At 4.10 o'clock the great liner slowly moved away from her dock, and the greatest cheer of the day went up. The Canadian contingent had started for the Transvaal, . . te. CHAPTER XVII. First Clash of Arms Between the Briti^.ii and Boers. ©N October 9, 1899, the British Govemirent received the Boer ultimatum, demanding that points in dispute be referred to arbitration ; that all British troops on the border of the Transvaal be instantly withdrawn ; that reinforcements sent to South Africa since June ist be removed; that no more troops be landed in »^outh Africa, and that Great Britain answer before 5 o'clock P.M., October nth. On the same date the Gordon High- landers and troops from India were ordered to Ladysmith. Great Britain, on the loth, replied that conditions demanded by the Transvaal were such as could uot be discussed. The British agent was instructed to apply for his passport, which meant that war was an assured fact, and communication between the two governments was at an end. The time for acceptance of the ultimatum expired at 5 o'clock, P.M., October nth. Conyngham Greene, the British agent at Pre- toria, paid his farewell visits to President Kruger and the Boer ofl&cials. General Prinsloo was appointed commander-in-chief of the Orange Free State forces ; headquarters at Albertina. The Boers occupied Laing's Nek and the British hurried troops to the western border. On October 12 th Free State burghers occupied Philipstown, Cape Colony, and Orange Free State troops entered Natal through Tintwa and Van Reenen's passes. The Natal reserves were called out. France was notified by the Transvaal that a state of war existed. Transvaal Boers occupied I^aing's Nek and Ingogo Heights. A Transvaal miinifesto was issued, calling on all Afrikanders in South Africa to rise against the British. Marshal law was pro- claimed at Bloemfontein, capital of Orange Free State. A British armored train under command of Captain Nesbitt carrying guns to Mafeking was destroyed by Boers at Kraalpan. There were only 17 257 i^'V^ .^Ti ^« ^^ -^^mO- IMAGE EVALUATION TEST TARGET (MT-3) 1.0 I.I l^|2B |2.5 |50 "^" IHBH 1.8 1.25 i u I^H^ *V '^# w ^l ^ 4 g. !^i.S %' O 7 //a Photographic Sciences Corporation cF ^ o [V \ ^ '^.^ '^ 23 WEST MAIN STREET WEBSTER, N.Y. 14580 (716) 472-4503 "^ it ^ \ ^ 258 FIRST CLASH OF ARMS. tLree armored trains in the British army in South Africa, and the loss, therefore, was serious to the English army. The armored train is a prominent feature of the Transvaal war, owing to the position of the contestants and tiie long, unprotected border of the boundary line. The destroyed train was a hastily constructed affair, consist- ing of a locomotive and two cars. The engine was in the centre of the train. The box cars and the locomotive were covered by boiler plating three-quarters of an inch thick, as firmly riveted as time would allow. The train was constructed at Mafeking, where there are several railway shops, the town being on the new main line from the Oape to Bulawayo. A" RAPID-FIRING RAILWAY TRAIN. The locomotive was the only part of the train that did not carry guns, the steel casing being solely to protect the mechanism of the engine from the shot of the enemy. The remainder of the armor, however, was thickly perforated with port-holes, through which guns of varying calibre peeped, the Maxim, Nordenfelt and Catling being the most serviceable weapois for this kind of work. The smaller holes were for the rifles of the marksmen, and usually the deadliest in a regiment were selected for the position. It takes an expert marksman to shoot with satisfactory results from a quick- ly-moving train. As usual, the train was supplied with a powerful ssarchlight, in view of a possible night attack. Of course, the boiler tubing can offer no resistance to artillery. In fact, rifle shots fired at short range will sometimes penetrate the plates, and to meet such a possibility sand-bags were provided, as was the case in the Egyptian campaign, when the armored train was found of great service. But in spite of all protection, the Boers con'quered. They had their artillery stationed along the hills beside the tracks. It was a veritable trap. The track ahead was blocked. The Englishmen had failed to accompany their train with the usual cavalry advance guard, which experience in this kind of fighting had taught was absolutely necessary. Unaware of the true state of affairs, the -.: ?■ .c^^i^ilA:.^^ -*vj^<(r*''- FIRST CLASH OF ARMS. 259 i ',■ (t :■ s. the doomed train steamed to the obstruction and became derailed. The men sallied forth and worked like beavers to put the wheels back on the track and remove the obstruction. Then the Boers opened fire with their cannon. At the first report the troops flew back into their iron battery. They worked their guns for all that was in them, but their force was Sinall and the firing necessarily slow. The cannon fire of the Boers was rapid ard accurate. The thin sheet-iron protection against bullet shots was an ideal bursting ground for the larger shells. The armored train was soon a total wreck and most of the crew dead or badly wounded. In that condition the Englishmen surrendered, and the arms, ammunition and big guns so badly needed by Colonel Baden-Powell at Mafeking never reached their destination, but went into the hands of the enemy. AMERICAN ARMORED TRAINS. Armored trains, however, do not always fall so easily into the hands of the enemy. Armored trains mounting field-pieces and machine guns were extensively utilized by the American troops en- gaged in the conquest of the Filipinos, and it will be remembered that the successful issue of the fight at Columpit was attributed to the opportune arrival of just such a flying battery. During the Cuban rebellion there were numerous accounts wafted to the United States of the use of armored trains by the Spaniards. The question now arises, where did this mode of fighting originate ? Although it is impossible to obtain any reliable details, it is certain that the Franco-Prussian war of 1870 was the first campaign witnessing the use of protected trains and locomotives on the field of battle. In their sorties from Paris the French troops were frequently backed up by the fire of light field-pieces carried in this manner, and when the Communists were holding the capital against the Versaillese an armored train operated upon the railway in the direc- tion of Chateau Brecon, and is said to have achieved its object in silencing the batteries which the regular troops were endeavoring to establish in that position. It is this experience, perhaps, that has given rise to the belief \ 260 FIRST CLASH OF ARMS. that tlie French were the original adapters of the id'ia for the utiliza- tion of permanent lines of railway for the transport of artillery, capable of being brought into action upon the metals themselves. Shortly after the war of 1870 an Englishman, Mr. Evelyn Liardet, took out a patent for an armored train, which was nullified by the discovery in the Patent Office of Mr. Anderson's prior scheme. Mr. James Anderson, of Edinburgh, in 1847, prepared and patented a ser es of plans, and further submitted a working model of his de- fensive rolling stock for the inspection of some distinguished engi- neer and artillery officers. BLUE-JACKETS THROWING SHELLS. As far as the British army is concerned. Captain Fisher's armor-clad train, used during the first stages of the campaign against Arabi, was the first and only active example of its type. The train was constructed at Alexandria by a party of blue-jackets, and was composed of a locomotive and a number of trucks protected by iron rails, iron plates and sand-bags. The engine was placed in the middle of the train, while a Nordenfelt machine gun was mounted on the leading protected truck, and a 40-pounder on the next. The latter, by means of a small crane carried with the train, could be quickly mounted and dismounted, one minute sufficing from the halting of the train to remount and fire the gun. The vehicles behind the engine conveyed a detachment of skirmishers, while it was found expedient to attach one or two empty trucks in front of the working portion carrying the guns, so as to minimize any danger from the explosion of mines laid under the permanent railway by the enemy. Unfortunately, Captain Fisher had but few opportunities of bringing his train into action, but during a smart skirmish on the Mahmoudiyeh Canal it came steam -f ing iup from Gabarrie, and by throwing some well-directed shells into the very centre of the enemy compelled him to retire with con- siderable loss. The main objection raised against the practicability of armored trains is the suggestion tha^ the enemy, with a few men carrying small parcels of dynamite, could easily destroy the permanent way. SS^-. ■4 I FIRST CLASH OF ARMS. 261 it of tpty LS to the Isher but :am-f bells cou- Diinbtless they could do so, if the defender's cavalry stood idly while they advanced for this purpose ; hence it must be a sine qua non that armored trains are always accompanied by a strong force of cavalry. Again, to guard against the compulsory abandonment of the guns if the train is derailed, Captain Fisher's precaution of including a crane in the equipment should be followed. Machine guns or only very light field-pieces, were the only armament of the train which the Boers captured. Trucks carrying these should certainly have the gun detachments protected by bullet-proof mantlets, but any very high plating, with the idea of keeping out shells, has proven a mistake. - . Continuing the record of the war, we find that on October 13th the British occupied a position near Ladysmith. On the same date the United States were notified by Great Britain that a state of war existed in South Africa. The Boers occupied Spitzkop and New- castle. Fighting was begun at Mafeking next day, and the Boers destroyed another armored train carrying telegraph operators. The train engaged 500 Boers, who lost heavily. General Sir Redvers Buller and staff left London for South Africa on the same date. SHARP FIGHTING AROUND KIMBERLEY. The day following the Boers laid siege to Kimberley, where the famous diamond mines are located, and were defeated in an engage- ment at Spruitfontein, ten miles south of Kimberley. On the i6th a Boer commando with an estimated force of 2000 men and 16 field guns arrived at Dannhauser, northeast of Dundee. Orange Free State troops cut the telegraph wires and destroyed railroad tracks at Norvals Pont. Marshal law was proclaimed at Newcastle, Dundee, Klip River, Unsiga and Upper Tugila division of the colony. Gen- eral Joubert, commander of the Boer army, arrived at Newcastle, Natal, and the Boers opposite Glencoe camp received reinforce- ments. Three battles in Natal marked the opening of the war — Glen- coe, Elandslaagte and Rietfontein. The first, the battle of Glen- coe, was fought on October 20th by the advanced British force, under EE W^FWWipijW WJ FIRST CLAbri Of ARMS. .he late General Sir William Simons, and the other two by the arger array of Sir George White from its base at Ladysmith, the permanent camp of the British in Natal. The first shock of the Boer invasion at Natal was borne by Sir William Symons at Glen- coe, his position on the Glenooe-Dundet line having been attacked i)n October 20th by the Boer columns invading Natal from the north by way of Laing's Nek and the drifts, or fords, over the Buffalo River. The intention of the Boers was to attack Symons wHh three columns, aggregating about 9000 men. The first, undci General Erasmus, advanced from the north ; the second, under Lucas Meyer, made a long detour along the Buffalo River, crossed that stream, and moved due west upon Glencoe, and the third, having got to the south, at Waschbank, was to destroy the railway communication and head off Symons in that direction. FIRST BATTLE OF THE WAR. Whether from defective mobilization, or for other reasons, the Boer plan did not succeed, and Sir William Symons was able to attack and defeat the second column advancing from the east, under Lucas Meyer, without having to engage the other two, having only to keep the advance of the northern column in check by detaching a battery of artillery and one regiment. Thus was won the victory of Glencoe, the first battle of the war, which proved to the Boers that British troops could fight them in their own way, scale diflScult heights and drive their defenders down the opposite slope. It was, as an eye-witness stated, Majuba with the positions re- versed. The moral effect of the battle in which Symons and many of his gallant oflScers and men lost their lives was tremendous. It struck, so to speakj at once the keynote of the war, namely, that the British defence would be an offensive defence. Not only the Boers, but all Europe, were astounded at the result of the brilliant opening of the campaign by the great soldier whose remains were buried — for a while — in the " enemy's country." The following is an account of the engagement by an eye- witness who was with the British troops : *' The first battle has been fought, and the Boers have sustained a blow which may give ^ns^^s^smt by the lith, the of the It Gleii- ittacked le north o River, th three General i Meyer, stream, )t to the uication ions, the able to it, under ng only taching : victory e Boers difficult tions re- id many ous. It that the e Boers, opening ied — for an eye- ttle has lay give FIRST CLASH OF ARMS. 263 li/.v.O' ■**-**«-. thtifm serious pause in their advance southward. In the British camp last night it was the general expectation that to-day would not pass without some hard fighting. The enemy had been reported advancing in force, and this rumor had been confirmed by a squadron of Hussar3, which had been sent out to reconnoitre. ' When dawn broke this morning it was discovered that the Boers during the night had occupied a strong position on Dundee Hill, about three miles east and overlooking the camp and the town. They had placed several guns in position. Almost precisely at 6 o'clock came the boom of their first shot, and within a few minutes they had developed a heavy fire. Their practice was, however, poor, and their shots did no damage. SPLENDID FIRING BY THE ARTILLERY. " In the meantime our own guns had taken up the challenge. It soon became apparent that whatever might be the issue of the fight, our artillery would not be in fault. Our fire was magnificent. Within fifteen minutes after our first shot the Boer guns were silenced. By this time the enemy could be seen swarming over the hill outside of Dundee and making towards the south. Their intention evidently was to turn our position. "An advance was at once ordered of infantry and cavalry. Both moved out, and soon the battle was raging in the valley outside of the town. A hot rifle fire was kept up by our men, no advantage offered by the nature of the ground being neglected. The advancing force was effectually covered by our guns, which continued to play upon the enemy's position. The fire of the Boers at this point was decidedly weak. It seemed as if their iaefifective artillery v.'ork might have taken the heart out of them. " Our men continued steadily to advance in the face of their fire, and reached the foot of the hill in fine form. The Boers seeing themselves worsted, fell back and retired toward the east Our losses have been heavy. The linal dash up the hill was a brilliant affair. The Dublin Fusileers did fine work. Nothing at this time can be said of the enemy's losses, but they must have been very serious." 264 FIRST CLASH OF ARMS. m IS i It appears that during the night, as already stated, the Boer artillery occupied a hill commanding the British camp and began dropping shells at daybreak in the direction of the British forces. The latter, under General Sir William Peun Symons, promptly accepted the challenge, and moved to meet the invaders under cover of the British artillery, which appears to have worked with such advantage as to quickly silence the enemy's batteries, enabling the infantry to carry the Boer position with a rush, in which the Dublin Fusileers and the King's Royal Rifles specially distinguished themselves, the Fusileers capturing the first guns of the enemy taken iu the campaign. GENERAL SYMONS MORTALLY WOUNDED. Fortunately for the British, they were apparently strong enough to withstand a Boer force nearly double their own, as, in 'view of the fact that the railway was cut at Blandslaagte, evidently in anticipation of an early attack, it would have been impossible to send reinforcements quickly from Ladysmith. General Symons was in the thick of the fight. A further account of the engagement states that after eight hours of continuous fighting Talana Hill was carried by the Dublin Fusileers and the King's Rifles, under cover of a well-served artil- lery fire by the Thirteenth and Sixty-ninth Batteries. The Boers who threatened the British rear then retired. The War Office in London received the appended despatch from Ladysmith, filed at 10.45 A. m. on the day of the battle : " The following advices from Glencoe Camp just at hand : The King's Royal Rifles and the Dublin Fusileers are attacking a hill occupied by Boer artillery. They are within 300 yards of the position, and are advancing under cover of our artillery, at about 2000 yards rangrc Scouts report that 9000 Boers are advancing on Harting Spruit. The Fifteenth Battery and Leicester regiment have gone to meet them." Sir William Symons was wounded throarjh the thigh and jGeneral Yule assumed command. General Sir William Penn Symons, Knight Commander of the "■'^^^T^^^ ^ CHARGE OF BOER CAVALRY NEAR LADYSMITH. IIII^WIIWIIWJI li^UJWI LJ si-^pB:r^'i'??^sfw FIRST CLASH OF ARMS. 266 Bath, whose death resulted from the wound he received at Glencoe, entered the British army in 1863 and served against Galekas in 1877-78, in the Zulu war, the Burmese expedition and several other campaigns. He commanded the Second Brigade in the Tochi field force, and the First Division of the Tirah expeditionary force in 1897-98. Sir William was decorated a Knight Commander of the Bath for services with the latter. He was the second in command under Major-General Sir George Stewart White, commander of the British forces in Natal. NARROW ESCAPE OF BRITISH TROOPS. It appears from authentic accounts of the fight at Glencoe that the carbineers and border-mounted riflemen who had been in action with the enemy nearly all day, returned in the evening, falling back figli ting, in the face of some :?ooo Boers. They were several times almost cut off, but a Maxim gun held the Boers in check. Several times the Boers came within 400 yards range, but their shooting was bad, and the Maxims rendered signal service in stopping their rushes. The Boers had a large wagon train and artillery. The absence of details regarding the British losses in the engagement at Glencoe Camp caused the deepest anxiety in London, and the War Ofl&ce was besieged by relatives and friends of those making up the forces that took part in the fight. The War Ofl&ce received another oflScial despatch from Lady- smith filed at half-past 3 in the afternoon, from Glencoe : " We were attacked this morning at daylight by a Boer force, roughly estimated at 4000. They had placed four or five guns in position on a hill, 5400 yards east of our camp, and '.hey fired plugged shells. Their artillery did no damage. Our mf intry formed for attack, and we got our guns into position. After the position of the enemy had been shelled our infantry advanced to the attack, and, after a hard fight, lasting until 1.30 p.m., an almost inaccessible position was taken, the enemy retiring eastward. All the Boer guns have been captured. Our cavalry and artillery are Still out. Our losses are heavy." . ^^ - m^m ■\f- ■-.f;- ' I ;If 266 FIRST CLASH OF ARMS The British artillery practice in the early part of the day decided the battle. The seizure of Dundee Hill by the Boers was a surprise, for, although the pickets had been exchanging shots all night, it was not until a shell boomed over the town into the camp that their presence was discovered. Then the shells came fast. The hill was positively alive with the swarming Boers, still Uu British artillery got to work with magnificent energy and precision. The batteries from the camp took up positions to the south of the town, and after a quarter of an hour's heavy firing silenced the guns on the hills. Shells dropped among the Boers with remark- able accuracy, doing tremendous execution, for the enemy were present in very large numbers and in places considerably exposed. By this time the enemy held the whole of the hill behind Smith's farm and the Dundeekopje, right away to the south, in which direction the British infantry and cavalry moved at once. SPLENDID CHARGE OF INFANTRY. The fighting raged particularly hot at the valley outside me town. Directly the Boer guns ceased firing. General Syraons ordered the infantry to move on the position. The infantry charge was magnificent. The way the King's Royal Rifles and the Dublin Fusileers stormed the position was one of the most splendid sights ever seen. The firing of the Boers was not so deadly as might have been expected from troops occupying such an excellent position, but the infantry lost heavily going up the hill, and only the consummately brilliant way in which General Symons had trained them to fighting of the kind saved them from being swept away. Indeed, the hill was almost inaccessible to the storming party, and any hesitation would have lost the day. The enemy's guns were all abandoned, for the Boers had no time to remove them. A stream of fugitives poured down the hillside into the valley, where the battle went on with no abatement. General Symons was wounded early in the action, and the command then devolved on General Yule. The enemy as they fled were followed by the cavalry, mounted infantry and artillery. iWFliM "flf^»'iS!l Mil II. . i.^--' FIRST CLASH OF ARMS. 207 The direction taken was to the eastward. The British losses were very severe, but those of the Boers were much heavier. The fiual rush was made with a triumphant yell, and as the British troops charged to close quarters the enemy turned and fled, leaving all their impedimenta and guns behind them in their precipitate flight. While this was going on one battery of artillery , the Pvij^htccnth Hussars and the mounted infantry, with a part of the Leicester Regiment, got on the enemy's flank, and, as the Boers streamed wildly down the hills, making for the main road, they found their retreat had been cut off, but they rallied for awhile, and there was severe fighting, with considerable loss to each side. Many of the enemy surrendered. A rough estimate placed the British loss at 250 killed or wounded, and that of the Boers at 800 DEFEAT WAS DECISIVE. The Boers seemed to be nonplussed by the tactics of tne imperial troops, especially of the well-drilled, swift-mcving horse- men. The enemy were still, as of old, a mob. They were without horses and forage, and many of them relied for food upon what they could obtain by looting. Their animals were mostly in a wretched condition. Some of the particulars oi the battle at Glencoe indicated that defeat of the Boers was in reality a rout. The victory of the English forces was doubly significant, for in three important particulars the South Africans had decidedly the advantage. The Boers seem to have outnumbered their foe, they had the best position and they caught the English unawares. With respect to courage, the combatants were supposed to be equal, but the English forces were seasoned, disciplined troops, while those of the Boers were without much military training. It was undoubtedly this superior discipline and a greater knowledge on the part of the oflBicers of the art of war that gave the victory to the English. ; The evident purpose of General Joubert in making the attack on the forces under General Symons was to drive a wedge between I^adysmith and Glencoe, and divide the two divisions of the English i : i : t ' i I Ml i :; ii' II i V- '1' 268 FIRST CLASH OF ARMS. army at these points. Had he succeeded he would have completely isolated Dundee, and gained, besides, a great advantage, which might have operated as t.n encouragement to an immediate revolt in Natal and Cape Colony. The victory of the English forces at Glencoe, while seemingly ! decisive, was onlj' won at the cost of many precious lives. As nearly as could be ascertained, about one in every twenty men engaged was either killed or wounded. This circumstance must dispose of any thought that the Boers since their last war with England have become less accurate in their shooting. A note- worthy feature in connection with the casualities reported was the disproportionatel}'^ large number of officers killed or wounded. MANY OFFICERS KILLED OR WOUNDED. According to the despatches General Symons was mortally wounded, two colonels, three captains and five lieutenants were killed, two colonels, three majors, six captains and eleven lieuten- ants were v/ounded, while only thirty non-commissioned officers and men were killed and 152 were wounded. Thus the first battle in the war grimly gave endorsement to the prediction of German offi- cers made just before hostilities began that great numbers of valuable English officers would 1: e sacrificed because, while leading and com- pelling their men to take advantage of shelter, the officers would not seek shelter themselves, as they regarded it as unbecoming in a British officer to do so. Too offset to some extent the seriousness of the defeat of the Boers at Glencoe was the fact of their capture of Vryburg, the capital of Bechuanaland. In one respect this was almost as great a disaster to the English as the defeat in the other instance was to the South Africans. The significance of the capture of Vryburg was not that it was particularly an important town, but rather because it was the headquarters of the Bechuanaland border police, a body of men which is, in fact, mounted infantry accustomed to rapid movements and of tried courage. That the place was captured without serious bloodshed indicates that this force had bee« with- drawn to assist in the defence of Maf eking. ■U>^iS,~..,.it^. FIRST CLASH OF ARMS. 269 A leading New England journal commented on the outbreak jf the war in South Africa as follows : " The art of war is becoming interesting. It is perfecting it- self in certain directions to a point that may yet shock the civilized world into its abolition and compel arbitraiion from a sense of com- mon humanity. The Boers are said to have protested against the use of an explosive used by the English and known as lyddite. These brave and honest fighters seem to be hardly a A^are of v;hat civilized nations are doing in the way of perfecting high explosives. They have fancied that their skill with the rifle and tiicir superior earnestness and science in a war carried on in their own territory would carry them through. * God will direct our bullets,' exclaims good old Oom Kruger. DESTRUCTIVE WORK OF SHRAPNEL SHELLS " But let us see what this means in practice. The British took with them to South Africa certain rapid-firing guns that fire shrapnel shells, each of which scatters 260 bullets over a space of twenty- four square yards. These guns will deliver twelve aimed shots per minute; that is, 3120 bullets per minute for each gun, rendering a space of 288 square yards perfectly fatal to life. A battery of six- inch guns would devastate an area of 1728 square yards every minute, or an acre every three minutes. " Every gun of this type can fire as many bullets per round as could 260 soldiers using rifles, firing them as fast and several times as far. The eighteen British rapid-firing guns used at Glen- coe were therefore equivalent to a reinforcement of 5000 men. Is it any wonder, then, that the British artillery is said to have been * superb?' " But this is not all. Every one of the powers is using high explosives. The British use lyddite, the French melinite and the Germans a similar explosive. At Santiago our soldiers had to hurl their bare breasts against the Spanish entrenchments, for we had nothing but an old type of slow-fire weapon, and even that we did not use. •■--' ■.'■:.y,,,. .. ..- ■•'■■; .:^ ^ ,. ..^•;.-, k- ^ " Since then we have been experimentiTig with a new explosive r :i9 f "I 270 FIRST CLASH OF ARMS. to be used against the Filipinos, It is called ' thorite,' and is the invention of a Western man. The War Department has ordered Lieutenant Parker to go to the Philippines and superintend its manufacture. It would seem that we have been obliged to join the procession of nations using high explosives, for The Hague Peace conference, while it went on record as against dum-dum bullets, did not touch the matter of high explosives. FEARFUL EXECUTION OF LYDDITE. " While lyddite is something similar to gunpowder, its effects are far more terrific. It was this awful stuff that the British used in the Soudan. When the dervishes charged down on the British lines at Omdurman and at the Atbara the lyddite shells mowed down entire battalions. It is pretty evident that the * superb' artillery practice of the British at Glencoe was largely the work of lyddite shells. At any rate the Brit'sh propose to use them, and the reports of military experts say that they accomplish fearful execution. Whether thorite will prove equally destructive upon the Filipinos remains to be seen. " The Boers will probably protest in vain against the use of lyddite, for all the leading nations are using that or something similar. When applied to rapid-firing guns its effectivenesses some- thing appalling. The nation that does not carry this awful machin- ery has only the jaggedness of its territory and the superior heroism and skill of its soldiers and generals on its side. As was shown by Kitchener at the gates of Khartoum, the enemy caught in the open is moved down like grass, and no amount of personal valor can save it. Lyddite is said to demoralize the nerves of the enemy. The Boers, in their manliness, probably object to it on this ground. " Such are the terrific instrumentalities used in modem war- fare. In a level country they would count heavily against the Boe^ s. But in the Transvaal their effectiveness may be balanced by . aperior alertness and generalship." l*he terrific slaughter effected by the rapid-fire shrapnel guns at Glencf e was the marvel of the military world. These guns, more than any other arm of the service in the field, were responsible FIRST CLASH OF ARMS. 2t1 for the Britisb triumph. The battle was half won by the deadly hail of shrapnel before the infantry had advanced. The terrified Boers, who never expected any such form of attack as this, were glad enough to get out of their hiding places in the rocks and do the best they could with their formidable enemy in open fight. Nothing like it has ever before been known in warfare. FULL OF RETREATS AND PITFALLS. Something — quite enough to excite curiosity — was heard about the now famous shrapnel guns when Lord Kitchener used them with some effect among the enemy at Omdurman. But the fight- ing there was open and there was nothing to do but let, the infantry go straight ahead. In Boerland it is very different. The country is wild and mountainous, full of hidden retreats for the burghers and pitfalls for the British. It is something like the conditions our own troops had to face while chasing Indians through the Black Hills in Dakota. A word to the uninitiated about the precise meaning of the word shrapnel. It is a shell, so named from its inventor, General Shrapnel, and consists of a spherical cone filled with musket balls and containing a bursting charge of powder. Extensive experi- ments are being made with shrapnel guns in the armies of all the powers of Europe. France, Germany and Russia are doing a great deal with them, though they are keeping tlieir experiments largely to themselves. The Boer war forced England's hand and, in the opinion of experts, shows that she is easily in the lead. The work of all her field batteries, but more particularly the shrapnel, has very much astonished experienced ordnance officers at Washington and all over the country, and has iucidentallj' uncovered some glar- ing defects in our own equipment. The latest and most deadly creation of the British gun-maker employs a shrapnel projectile weighing about fifteen pounds. This projectile consists of steei tubing, filled with about two hundred small balls. These balls are of hardened lead and weigh almost one-third of an ounce each. Each shell contains a light bursting charge, and, so far as results show, may be timed with absolute acce^acy. i I w if "'I \ i 272 FIRST CLASH OF ARMS. In firing the gun a time fuse is fitted into the head of the pro* jectile. In the hands of experienced gunners it may be cut so as to cause the bursting of a "ihell as close as one-third of a second after firing the gun. Or, on the other hand, the missile may be given a flight of twelve seconds before bursting. The gunners aim to burst the shrapnel about thirty yards short of the enemy's posi- tion. At a range of locx) yards all the shrapnel balls will be pro- jected within a circle on the ground for about twenty-five feet in diameter. The dispersion is greater according to the length of the range. The ordnance branch of the British army is not niggardly in furnishing its gunners ammunition for target practice with its field pieces, and particularly with any new piece. The wisdom of this generosity is apparent in the accuracy with which a deadly down- pour of bullets has been hurled into the hiding places of the Boers among their native rocks in Natal. To have driven them from their strongholds with infantry without first bringing the shrapnel into play would surely have involved a shocking loss of life to the British. At Glencoe, or rather in the hills of Talana, just back of it, the British gunners employed shrapnel with sweeping accuracy at a distance of 35CX) yards. Scarcely a shot was wasted, and the poor Boers, brave as they showed themselves to be in open battle, were terrified beyond description. COULD NOT ESCAPE THE FIERY BLAST. What was this? Had the heavens espoused the British catise and opened up a hail of lead that beat them down like so much grain ? They had heard of the English rapid-fire guns, and had a vague idea of shrapnel, but they were not prepared for such a de- vastating fire from above as descended upon them and sought out every nook and corner of shelter. In vain they shifted position from one part of the pass to another. Those awful shrapnel followed them everywhere and pelted them with a merciless rain of fire. Bullets that fell from the skies by thousands and swept the earth like hail were as mortal as though fired from a rifle. ^gg .--/,. FIRST CLASH OF ARMS. 273 Brave bu" '^ers saw their companions fall round them like sheep and there ;yas no enemy in sight. They did not know how to strike back. Long before the infantry came up the victory was won and the hardy Boers, whose valor and determinarion in the face of such tremendous odds won world-wide admiration, were compelled to bite the dust in defeat. English firing shells are loaded with lyddite. Lyddite is one of the picric acid compounds known in this country as emensite and in France as melinite. It is loaded in the snell like gun-cotton, the shell having an explosive fuse at either end, but generally in the front or striking end. The explosive force of lyddite is tremendous. A small charge of it fired against solid stone masonry has wrecked it as if it was so much paper, and great holes have been dug in the ground from the concussion. In the Soudan campaign lyddite shells were fired from 5.4-10 inch howitzers into the fanatical Dervishes as they came charging down on the British lines. The results were appalling. Scores and hundreds of men were literally blown to pieces, scattered into fragments, as much as they would have been had they been sitting over a barrel of gunpowder when the match was applied. ^ '§ ■4 ■:« CHAPTER XVIII. Fierce Fighting in Natal. N the afternoon of October 2 2d, the War Office in London received intelligence of another bloody battle. The despatch was from the General commanding in Natal, Sir George Stewart White, regarding the engagement of the 21st at Elands- laagte, between Glencoe and Ladysmith, when the British under General French routed the Transvaal forces under General Jan H. M. Kock, second in command in the Transvaal army, who was himself wounded and captured, and afterward died. General White was present in person, but did not assume direction of the fight, which was left in the hands of General French. Although desultory fighting took place earlier in the day, while reinforcements sent out later on ascertaining the enemy's strength were arriving from Ladysmith, the real action did not begin until 3.30 p. m. At that hour the Boers held a position of very exceptional strength, consisting of a rock hill about a mile and a half southeast of Elandslaagte Station. At 3.30 P. M. the British guns took a position on a ridge 4100 yards from the Boers, whose guns at once opened fire. This fire was generally well directed, but somewhat high. Contrary to pre- vious experiences, their shells burst well. The imperial Light Horse moved towards the left of the enemy's position, and two squadrons of the Fifth Lancers toward his right. During the artillery duel mounted Boers pushed out from their left and ^engaged the Imperial Light Horse. In a few minutes the enemy's guns ceased firing, and the British artillery was turned on the mounted Boers who opposed the Imperial Light Horse. The latter at once fell back. After the artillery preparations the British infantry advanced to the attack, supported by guns in the second position. The Devonshires held 274 FIERCE FIGHTING IM NATAL. 278 I the enemy in front, while the Manchester Regiment and the Gordon Highlanders turned his left flank. The Boer guns, although often temporarily silenced, invariably opened fire again on the slightest opportunity, and were served with great courage. After severe fighting the British infantry carried the position. At 6.30 p. m. this was accomplished, the enemy standing his ground to the last with courage and tenacity. The Fifth Lancers and a squadron of the Fifth Dragoon Guards charged three times through the retreating Boers in the dark, doing considerable execution. CAPTURE OF THE BOER CAMP. The Boer camp was captured, with tents, wagons, horses and also two guns. The Boer losses were very considerable including a number of wounded and iinwounded prisoners. Among the former was Piet Joubert, nephew of Commanding General Joubert, who was prominent in the fight. One goods train, with supplies for Glencoe Camp, and nine English prisoners, were recovered. The British loss was heavy. It was roughly computed at 150 killed and wounded. A despatch from Cape Town, October 22d, 6.30 p. m., said: The following additional details from official sources are at hand regarding the battle at Elandslaagte : " The Boers, although driven from their guns, returned again and again, whenever an opportunity oififered. The high ground near the left of the enemy's position was occupied at the com- mencement of the action, the British creeping along the crest and making a wide circuit. " The infantry attack was directed against the right of the enemy's position, the British coming quickly into contact with the Boers, who at that point occupied a strong tooting, which they held resolutely until a flank attack was made by our troops, who ad-^anced with great dash, and, in spite of heavy losses, carried the main position with a rush, just as t'le light was failing. " The. ground traversed by our troops was rough and stony, and the capture of the position was ?. fine feat of arms. The > n ! !Si i ' . ■ 1 ' r 1 1 ^ s. -^ 1 ' i' 1 I.. 276 FIERCE FIGHTING IN NATAL. cavalry lapped well around and inflicted severe loss on the enemy. " It was highly important to strike a severe blow, as the Orange Free State lorces are known to be concentrated northwest of Lady- smith in considerable strength. The flank attack was gallantly delivered by the Manchester Regiment, the Gordon Highlanders and the Imperial Light Horse. The front attack was done with splendid spirit by the Devonshire Regiment. The wounded are being attended in the principal church at Ladysmith, which has been converted into a hospital." BRILLIANT VICTORY FOR THE BRITISH. The capture of Elandslaagte was a brilliant feat of arms. The Boers were strongly entrenched, and fought with their wonted bravery. They seized every opportunity of coming into action, and ran to serve their guns whenever they could get a chance. The British wounded were taken to Ladysmith. Every care and attention was also given to the Boer wounded, who were despatched down the country. Schiel, a former German ofiicer, who was leading a section of the Boers in the engagement at Elandslaagte, was taken prisoner. Further details of the engagement showed the desperate char- acter of the battle. Realizing that the first attack on Glencoe was part of a general combined attack by three columns, and that the situation was still serious so long as the Boers held the railway at Elandslaagte, severing connection b*!tween Ladysmith and Dundee, Sir George Stewart White resol^^ed to give battle, with a view of recapturing Elandslaagte. On the morning of the 20tii all the mounted troops, supported by two battalions of infantry and two batteries of artillery, recon- noitered some twelve miles along the Newcastle road, an open, roll- ing country, very suitable fcr cavalry operations, although the going was heavy after the recent rains. After approaching within three miles or so of the break in the railway line, the British saw the Boer outposts falling back, appar- ently in no gr^cat force. Four were captured who had mistaken the ■M^^^^M'^^^m^^^^r''0i^^^^!fW^^'^^ ',-.■"■■ FIERCE FIGHTING IN NATAL. 271 British for Boers until too near for them to get away. Then the British returned, and, late at night. General White determined tc advance in force on Elandslaagte at an early hour the following morning. It was imperative to dislodge the Boers from Elandslaagte, as it had been learned that the Orange Free State burghers were descending fron^'. their positions on the slopes of the Drakenberg, from Tintwa and other western passes, to co-operate with those already posted at Elandslaagte. At an early hour the British moved out by road and rail. It was computed that there were about 1 200 Boers, with big guns and Maxims covering their front, and occupying a well-chosen position at the base of a hill, some little distance south of Elandslaagte. On both flanks were strong kopjes, or hills, on which were three big guns strongly posted and com- manding a wide sweep on all sides, leaving an opening for retreat. ARMORED TRAIN SHELLED BY BOERS. A British armored train, supported by two trainloads of infantry', immediately on approaching the enemy's position was shelled by the Boers. Artillery was at once brought up and drove the Boers from their guns, making a series of, brilliant dashes into the valley and up the successive heights to get nearer the Boer position. Thrice were the Boer batteries on the way silenced by artillery, although the Boers fought with great pluck and determination, returning each time the guns moved and raining shrapnel and Maxim bullets against the British advance. At 4 o'clock a tremendous artillery duel was in progress. Two Boer guns, splendidly placed, were stubbornly fought for two hours and a quarter, while mounted Boers endeavored to come into contact ' with the enemy on the left and on the right. Then, at 6.15 p.m., the Devonshire Regiment, half the Gordon Highlanders, half the Manchester Regiment and the Imperial Light Horse advanced on the position and stormed the enemy's front. A bayonet charge was sounded as the roar of artillery on both sides suddenly ceased, and the British, the Devonshires leading, made a superb dash against the main body of the Boers, undaunted by 278 FIERCE FIGHTING IN NATAL. facing a fearful fire. Twice were they checked by the terrible fusil- lade. Once the advance quivered for a moment, but then, with ringfing, roaring cheers, the whole force hurled itself forward like an avalanche and swept the kopjes, bayoneting the broken enemy in all directions. The Boers were overwhelmed and astounded. They paused, then retreated, then raised the white flag and surrendered. Two or' three hundred broke and ran, pursued by the Fifth Lancers, who charged through and through them. It was quite dark by this time, but the slaugher was great. The Boer loss was heavy. The best estimates place it at 400 killed. CAPTURE OF FLAGS BY THE DEVONSHIRES. One of the captured Boers said that if he had known English soldiers could shoot as they did he would never have come. Another Boer said he knew he was fighting for a lost cause. A third ex- pressed surprise that he had to shoot at men wearing khaki. He was terribly dejected. He had been told to shoot at men with red coats and white collars, and he saw none. His impression seemed to be that the men who fought against him were not Englishmen. A heavy rain fell immediately after the battle, making a piteous scene on the battlefield, where many wounded were lying. The Devonshire Regiment captured thirty-eight Boer flags. Commandant de Mellion, of Johannesburg, was taken prisoner. A bugler boy of the Fifth Lancers, only fourteen years of age, shot three boys with his revolver. On returning after the fight he was carried shoulder high around the camp. Everybody testified to the splendid fighting and stubborn bravery of the Boers, but this tribute required some qualification, for, while the Gordon Highlanders were bringing in the wounded, a sharp fire was opened upon them by some Boer parties in hiding. British losses, considering the desperate nature of the engagement, were regarded as light. Toward the close of the fight the British batteries ceased their murderous fire, and the infantry charged up the rocky heights still separating them from the enemy, and reached the summit of both FIERCE FIGHTING IN NATAL 279 peaks of Smith's Hill and of the Nek between without a check or halt. It was gallant work on both sides, and scores of men fell within a distance of a couple of hundred yards, but the situation soon became too hot for the Boers, who broke and fled for their horses, which they had left at the foot of the hills on the northeast. There, however, they were received with a fusillade from the Hussars, who/ had captured or stampeded all the horses. IN HOT PURSUIT OF THE ENEMY. The enemy swerved in their line of retreat. Some surrendered there and then, others made for Hatting Spruit, v/hile some moved towards Landman's Drift. All who fled were closely pursued by cavalry and a field battery. When the main fight was drawing to a close, part, at least, of the Dannhauser contingent, under Com- mandant Erasmus, came upon the ground, as well as a detachment from a Free State contingent, which had made a forced march from the south. The chief portion of the Free State troops, however, remained in a strong position at Biggarsberg. All the Hussar squadrons except one returned, and the whereabouts of that one was known, so that there was no cause for anxiety. Severe punish- ment was inflicted upon the retreating Boers. Mr. Bennett Burleigh, the special correspondent of the Lou' don Daily Telegraph in Natal, cabled the following account of the battle of Elandslaagte : " A reconnoissauce having failed to draw the Boers out from their defences at Elandslaagte, General French advanced against them w' ': a small force. The troops vv'ere conveyed in an armored train to Elandslaagte and reached a position 700 yards from the station. The Boer main force was posted upon an extremely rough and rocky range of hills, running at right angles to the railway, over a mile further north. This chain of hills, which is several hundred feet high above the swelling plain, has a conical hill rising from a wide dip in the range. This left two nar- row necks on either side of the base of this conical hill, where the Boers had their camp wagons and tents. Half way up the necks their guns were in position, two of them in the last neck. 280 FIERCE FIGHTING IN NATAL. * i '': " General French began the action about half-past 6 o'clock in the morning by sending a shell from a 7-pounder into the station shed, while the mounted volunteers began firing at the Boers, who were running to take up their positions. The enemy had only just finished their colonial matutinal coffee when thty were surprised. Nearly all of our prisoners were caught in the vicinity, including the train which was recently captured, and its passengers. " The Manchester Regiment in the early attack was at first slightly leading. With the characteristic hardihood of British infantry, all of them marched straight-backed at the enemy, too often careless about taking cover, despite the rattling and hissing and spitting of the Mauser bullets. ' Tommy Atkins ' says in fact, 'What! Hide from yokels? Let 'em shoot.' Discipline has its drawbacks as well as its advantages. Our soldiers know they are capable of readjusting the mistakes of the past. With a wide sweep the Imperial Light Horse drove the Boers from the hills, while the dismounted troopers and the Lancers clipped in smartly. Upon their left the Boers had their pointed stakes. ADVANCE ALL ALONG THE LINE. "Meanwhile, under a hot fire, ruled out in long lines, our infantry marched along the low and heavy ground toward Elands- laagte. About half-past 4 o'clock the Manchester Regiment and the Gordon Highlanders swung round at ' left shoulders * to gain the hills, but the Devonshire Regiment held on. The Dragoon Guards forged ahead to the extreme left, threatening the railway station, clearing that flank and menacing the line of Boer retreat. General French, aided by his able chief of staff, Colonel Douglas Haig, handled his men beautifully, timing and keeping the whole operations well in hand. " Our 15-pounders galloped up into a position whence they could shell the left of the Boer position, thus greatly assisting this infantry. Methodically and steadily the enemy were forced to give ground. Bit by bit the Manchester Regiment and the Gordons climbed the hill, and and then swinging at ' right shoulders ' up the slope, began driving the Boers. As the artillery and infantry dre\l FIERCE FIGHTING IN NATAl. S81 closer the Boer guns were directed against them. I had even the honor of drawing much of their fire with my four-in-hand cape coat. " General Sir George Stewart White came up by a special train and witnessed the operations about an h3ur, until our success was assured, when he returned to Ladysmith. The weather still re- mained clear until after 4 o'clock. Nothing could have been finer than the advance of our troops. In fact, it might have been a glrrious Aldershot field day, so stately and deliberate were our mevemeuts. " The panorama was heightened and colored by the red v/ar hue of the gun flashes. Shells tore roaring through the air like an express in a tunnel, bursting noisily and spouting flame and lead and steel, which hissed like a hot iron dropped into water. The places of explosion were marked by clods of earth, with a nimbus of white smoke. DESTRUCTIVE RIFLES AND ARTILLERY. " The enemy bobbed about over the rocks like jacks-in-the-box, firing heavily at us, with a fair accuracy for a magazine gun. The Mauser rifle is a terrible weapon, although it inflicts clean wounds, but many of the enemy used explosive bullets besides Martinis. The Boer shells were mostly percussion, and threw up volcanoes of mud and stones. They, however, destroyed the limber field artillery, and inflicted damage on our infantry. Our gunners should note especially that upon rocky ground percusion shells give better results than high bursting shrapnel. " Forced back down upon the conical hill and their camp, the Boers struggled desperately, and soon found their retreat menaced. Their leaders strove to encourage them while reinforcements came rushing hot foot from nearby in order to check the retreat by suc- cessive rushes, the men cheering. While the Manchesters and Gordons bore forward along the crests of the hills their officers everywhere were marked for death, but the Tommies made it their fight also. Colonel Chisholm, of the Imperial Light Horse, courted disaster by waving a scarf to give encouragement to his men, who <*i^6J*^W M .' ! m if I -If .life: f si ■1 fi -i (^ii 282 FIERCE FIGHTING IN NATAL. really needed none. He, like others of our splendidly brave fel- lows, were killed. "A driving rain, accompanied by darkness, now set in, but the battle continued to rage until 6 o'clock in the evening, by which time the Boers were scuttling off in numbers, many of them rising and throwing down their arms, while others, bolting, were hunted and batted by our shrapnel and Lee-Medford bullets. Somebody showed a white flag, and Colonel Hamilton tried to stop the firing, but the Boers, ensconced on the conical hill, and caring nothing about their comrades, took advantage of the lull to deliver a heavy fire. " The Gordons and Manchesters, rendered more savage than ever by this, redoubled their energies, for the Boers in the hollows were delivering a flanking fire. At ten minutes to 6 the Devon- shire Regiment, who had crept in upon a face position, each man getting to cover behind numerous anthills, whose domes were from two to three feet high, rose and ran forward to the assault. Our guns ceased their showers of shell, but the Boers resumed firing in the growing darkness. LOUD CHEERS FOR THE VICTORY. " There was pandemonium, lasting about a quarter of an hour, above all of which loud British cheers rang. Our three regiments raced for the Boers and their guns. The Devonshires, favored by their position, got in first in a body, and took them, but the others above came down over the rocks. Our victory was secure, but still a spattering fire went on till half past 6 o'clock. " Now it only remains to count the gains and tiie cost. One hour more of daylight would have given us the whole force as prisoners, but in the thick darkness which now came on the unscathed and slightly wounded ran for it. A squadron e^ch of Dragoon Guards and Lancers rode at them, and .struck them, catting and thrusting, and probably killed sixty in all. The enemy's guns, their abundant stores, hundreds of saddles and horses, a quantity of personal baggage, many of their war flags and much ammunition fell into our hands. FIERCE FIGHTING IN NATAL. 283 " I estimate their strength at just under 2000. Ours was about the same, but the Boers position was an almost impregnable one. The enemy's killed and wounded numbered some 300. All has been done for the whole of the wounded that is possible, and the Boers to-day expressed gratitude for their treatment. About forty of them were allowed to go into their own hospital, a mile and a half to the north, for treatment. Our ' Tommies ' got wonderful quantities of loot, from silk hats and frock coats to beaded Kaffir loin-cloths. It was a sight to-day to see them loaded with their booty. "Although we gave the prisoners the best seats around the camp-fires, many of the poor w^ounded had to lie out on the bare hillsides, where they spent a terrible night, crying, ' For God's sake, give me water!' ' Get a doctor for me, out here !' 'Are the British Boers ?' One man fired round after round from his rifle to attract attention to his whereabouts, for the field of battle covered miles. IRON BRIDGE DESTROYED BY THE BOERS. " To-day our force returned to Ivadysmith, where they received a great welcome. The enemy have destroyed the iron bridge at Waschbank, so that train service to Dundee cannot be resumed. The Gordon Highlanders say that the Elandslaagte action was a very severe one, Dargai a fool to it. Our prisoners number fully 3CX). I saw eight dead Gordon Highlanders lying in one heap. Boers declare the kilts made the men conspicuous, but that the khaki is difficult to locate. The enemy ask where our red coats are. " Reports which have been obtained from Boer sources say that out of one commando only 250 men are left, the hospitals are fnil, and their losses are perhaps 1000. All of our wounded and prisnners have been brought to Ladysmith, where there are ample hospital accommodations for them. Electric lights have been fitted up, also Roentgen ray apparatus. All day long the streets have resounded with cheering as our troops return. Bands of prisoners also continue to arrive. " 284 FIERCE FIGHTING IN NATAL. I I m The following description of the battle of Elandslaagte is ivj^n the pen of a war correspondent who witnessed the engagement : " The battle was a brilliant, complete success. The Boers numbered from 1200 to 2000, and probably had about 100 killed and 150 wounded. The fight itself was like a practical illustration ' of handbook tactics, each arm represented doing its proper work to perfection. The Gordon Highlanders in their attack advanced In magnificent order. They were immediately saluted with a ht / ' y fire, which told from the first. WOUNDED OFFICER LIGHTS HIS PIPE. " Their Major fell with a bullet in his leg, but as he lay where he fell he lit a pipe and smoked placidly while the advance con- tinued. As man after man dropped, supports were rushed into the firing line, our men darting from cover to cover, splendidly led and ever advancing. Yet, as ridge after ridge was won, the Highlanders still found a new ridge confronting them, and thus they fought their bleeding way until the final ridge was neared, with nearly every ojBScer down. " Then rushing every available man into the firing line, Man- chesters, Devons and Light Horse all mixed, with bugles chanting the advance, bagpipes shrieking and the battle a confused surge, our men swept yelling forward, and the position was won. Mean- while squadrons of Lancers and Dragoons lapped round the Boei left flank, catching the enemy as they retired in disorder, goring and stamping them to pieces. And the commando was not." General French thanked the troops on the field, especially men- tioning Colonel Ian Hamilton's splendid work. The British bivou- acked on the captured position on the night of the 21st. Colonel Scott-Chisholm, the only British officer killed, was formerly attached to the Ninth Lancers. He served with distinction in the Afghan war, and organized the Imperial Light Horse, a majority of whom were refugees from the borders of the Transvaal. The death of General Viljoen was a severe blow to the Boers, and the death of General Kock and the capture of General Preto- rius hindered the further movements of this column. tlERCE FIGHTING IN NATAL. 285 :y Further information concerning the battle of Glencoe, an account of which has already been furnished, was contained in the following graphic description of the fight by an eye-witness among the English troops : " It was after the battle was renewed, following the lull that ensued upon the sharp canonading of the British, which silenced the guns of the Boers on Smith's Hill, that our casualties began. The Indian Hospital Corps of coolies, under Major Donegan, of the Eighteenth Hussars, ran out, keeping in the rear of the advanc ing infantry and artillery that had galloped from the second position through the town amid the cheers of the citizens. SHRAPNEL DID FEARFUL DAMAGE. "At this point the Boers became erratic. Our artillery was firing on the hill where the Boers were stationed in great numbers, but the return fire did little damage. The enemy kept up an inces- sant shooting, but our shrapnel began to tell its tale, with the result that the Boer fire visibly slackened. From a ceaseless rattle the rifle fire dwindled to straggling shots. " The artillery in front was shelling the hill, and the King's Royal Rifles on the right front were busy with the Maxims, making the Boers anxious about their position. Their artillery had been silenced by the splendid service of ours. Meanwhile a squadron of the Eighteenth Hussars and a mounted company of the Dublin Fusileers were creeping around on the enemy's left flank, while another squadron of the Hussars and a mounted company of the King's Royal Rifles deployed to the right flank, at the cornfields. " The artillery continued to play on Smith's Hill, with a range of nearly 3000 yards. Under its cover the Dublin Fusileers and the King's Royal Rifles pressed forward. It was in the execution of this manoeuvre that the casualties to our infantry occurred, several men being killed or wounded. *'The firing now eased off on our side, and only a solitary shot was returned now and then. General Symons taking advantage of this lull, rode forward with his staff" in front of the guns, taking cover at the rear of the plantation, near the base of the hill. All :t¥i|te^-J,^, i f 286 FIERCE FIGHTING IN NATAL. this time our infantry, in extended formation, had gradually pressed forward, watching the Boers from the rear of the artillery and massing on the extreme left of the hill. " I saw three shells in quick succession cut some to pieces and and drive others away. The Boer fighting was becoming hot, but the First Battalion of the King's Royal Rifles and the Irish Fusileers, led respectively by Colonel Gunning and Colonel Carlton, ;)utinued to mount the hill. Gradually they extended along the ridge, and at lo o'clock, after four and a half hours of artillery firing to screen them, they managed to reach a wall, running par- allel with the ridge, about 600 yards from the summit. BEATEN BACK AGAIN AND AGAIN. " This position was gained under cover of some magnificent shooting by our artillerymen, who placed shells at points where the Boers were massed with amazing accuracy, compelling them to retire. But not for long. On again the determined enemy woul^ come, only to be beaten back again by the excellent shooting of the Thirteenth and Sixty-ninth Batteries, under Major Dawkins and Major King. "At 11.45 A. IM. the firing had almost ceased, and our infantry were over the wall in a t vinkling and rushing toward the plateau at the base of the top or secondary ridge. The defence made by the Boers was most determined, the enemy again and again pouring a long fusillade fire into the British ranks, which was hotly returned in well-diiccted volleys by the slowly advancing Dublin Fusileers and King's Royal Rifles. "A large body of Boers, driven from Smith's Hill, took refuge in a cattle kraal, intending a cross fire. The Thirteenth Battery oprned fire, however, and poured in such a hail of bullets as caused them speedily to shift the position. " Thus far the enemy have displayed undoubted courage, perhaps unequaled by the best European troops. They had stood up to our scattering artillery fire with the greatest deter- mination, and then, on Talana Ridge, standing clearly out on the sky line, they still appeared unbeaten and defiant. The 5^7^ ' FIERCE FIGHTING IN NATAL. 287 battle had now raged six and a half hours, when the Sixty-ninth Battery was ordered to limber up and advance. The battery gal- loped into a new position in splendid form, and was in action at the front in a moment. " So effective was the apparent result of this close range firing that the Thirteenth Battery was at once ordered up, and after two rounds from each battery perfect silence reigned over the enemy's front, broken only by the whirring of the Maxims, served by the Dublin Fusiliers, who had secured an excellent position to the right. During a momentary cessation the Boers had taken up a position on a hill to the right of the road leading to Maim a colliery, but the Thirteenth Battery soon opened fire on them and compelled them to retire. " Meanwhile the two infantry battalions continued to climb the hill, and at 1.30 p.m., after eight hours of desperate fighting, the position was carried, the Boers having precipitately evacuated the hill. Thus what had commenced with a battle at Dundee ended in a glorious victory for British arms at what must be known as the battle of Talana Hill or Glencoe." ^he LONG HOURS OF HARD FIGHTING. The earliest information regarding the battle conveyed the im- pression that the whole affair was over in a couple of hours, the British artillery silencing the Boer guns and infantry, and then simply charging right over the hill. According to the later advices, however, the battle lasted eight hours, and nearly seven hours elapsed before the last Boer gun was put out of action. The Irish Fusileers and the King's Rifles meanwhile had advanced to the assault and were shooting their way up the hill, driving the Boers back from shelter to shelter, until the final rush of the British carried them to the summit. It was a bright, clear morning, which enabled the operations to be followed by the staff officers without difficulty. A curious fact was that several times a lull occurred in the firing on both sides, the British infantry appar- ently taking breathing space in the stiff climb and the Boers hold* ing back their fire. 288 FIERCE FIGHTING IN NATAL. ii-m I ii-ii The magnificent practice of the British guns was an immense help, and the success of the assault was greatly due thereto. An enormous quantity of ammunition was expended. Once the Brit- ish bayonets showed on top of a hill the Boers retreated, and when, on the other side, they found a British battery and British cavalry outflanking them, the retreat became a rout. The British guns followed, and, unlimbering, from time to time threw shells among the flying foe. The latter did not wait to try conclusions with the Hussars and mounted infantry, who apparently seldom got near enough to de- liver effective volleys. The pursuit was continued until dusk, when the Boers were completely demoralized. A heavy rain began to fall late in the afternoon, which naturally impeded artillery work. It was a striking coincidence that the date of the battle was the sec- ond anniversary of a similar feat of British arms in India, when the Gordon Highlanders stormed Dargai Heights. TERRIBLE SUSPENSE IN LONEON. On Sunuay, October 2 2d, the vicinity of the War Office, I/ondon, was crowded all day by anxious enquirers for the latest information. The greatest anxiety and suspense existed regarding the losses at Klandslaagte, and as to the fate of the Hussars who pursued the Boers from Glencoe. Type-written copies of the reports of General Sir George Stewart White were posted on bulletin boards or read to the crowds amid much enthusiasm, while the additions to the list of killed and wounded at Glencot ,*ere received with manifestations of personal bereavement. The stream of callers at the War Office showed little diminu- tion as the evening advanced. Everybody was gratified to read the kindly message from the Queen, and disappointed at the absence of news from Glencoe, many arguing that communication must be cut off, as otherwise there would be at least some further intelligence as to the condition of General Symons, who, according to an uncon- firmed report, died of his wounds. This report proved afterward to be true, as stated in preceding pages. The losses in killed and wounded were the subject of pulpit references in all the . f. FIERCE FIGHTING IN NATAL. m cliurclies, especially the Catholic churches, owing to the disasters that befell the Irish Fusileers. The message from the Queen, above referred to, was addressed to tile Secretary of State for War, the Marquis of Landsdowne, and was as follows: "My heart bleeds for these dreadful losses again to-day. It is a great success, but, I fear, very dearly bought. Would you convey my warmest and heartfelt sympathy with the near relatives of the falien and wounded and my admiration of the conduct of those they have lost ?" Yet the patriotic spirit shown by the English people every- where was most resolute and self-sacrificing. One of the members of the Royal Canadian Special Service Regiment, which sailed for Cape Town, to strive for the honor of the British Empire, had a mother who wrote him as follows : " My Dear Son : I was never more surprised than when I received your letter informing me of your intention to be a soldier and go to the battlefield at once. No matter, dear boy, how this affects me, I will not be guilty of making you feel sad or taking the courage out of your heart at this moment — the courage you need so much to keep you manly and brave. You are only following in the footsteps of your forefathers — they were all British to the core. Your great-grandfather, both your grandfathers and your father all were true to their king and country. Now, dear boy, you have been well brought up ; buL I will say, be a good and obedient soldier, and respect your commanding officers, no matter who they are. We all here will pray for you, and may our dear Lord keep you and bring you back safe to us. " Good-bye, and may God bless and protect you from danger, with lo-^-?.. Your very affectionate Mother." 19 II r i^MMP » W *.« rf' CHAPTER XIX. lEiii 111 Thunder of Artillery Around Ladysmith. r OTH the glory and the horror of the struggle bct^veen the English and Boers was shown in vivid colors by the battle of Elandslaagte. Beginning in sunshine at 7 in the morning and ending in rain and darkness after a fierce fight of nearly ten hours' duration, it was marked by a dogged courage on the one hand and such irresistible valor as will make it the wonder of future generations. In view of the victory of the British in carrying such an almost impregnable position, it was perhaps not surprising that re- ports found their way from Cape Town to London that President Kruger was ready to surrender. The slowness of the Boer movements after they entered Natal was a surprise to many. Within forty-eight hours after the ulti- matum expired the Boer forces had crossed the border. Natal, which is a small colony little more than a fourth of the area of the State of New York, is in its northern portion shaped like a wedge driven in between the Orange Free State on the west and Transvaal territory on the east, the eastern boundary being the Buffalo River, while the western frontier is the Drakensberg range of mountains. Near where the river and the mountains meet on the north, to form the point of the wedge, is Charlestown. The railway running south, down the middle of the wedge to Ladysmith — distant little more than sixty miles as the crow flies — traverses all the important points mentioned in the exciting news from the seat of war, and a glance at their location made clear the tardiness of the Boer move- mentj since, on the second day after the ultimatum, the force under command of General Joubert was reported as moving down from Charlestown. They sent word to Newcastle, about twenty miles south, that they would hoist their flag there on the following Saturday ; that 290 Si??^- -"w-^ir." *1«^'»-i«.^^ :";»T7TW!=-r^ar THCnDER of ARTILi-KRY around f.ADYSMITH. 2dl they would pay for anything that they should take, and said they wanted opportunity to slaughter cattle. The place was evacuated by the British before the Boers reached it. Now it is little more than twenty miles further south to Glencoe, near which the Boers made their attack, with such disastrous results to themselves, on October 20th. A spur from the railway runs east three or four miles to Dundee, where the coal mines are, and the permanent British camp was located between the two towns. In the hint about slaughtering cattle probably lies the secret of the Boer's slowness — a defective commissariat. :-. DEFICIENT IN ARTILLERY PRACTICE. Although well armed and admirable in the speed with which they mobilized, it was anticipated that the Boers would be deficient in artillery practice and that in an open fight men who had just dropped the farmer's utensils would be inferior in evolution to those whose life is devoted to scientific warfare. On the other hand, the undaunted courage to which the victors in the battles paid unstinted tribute, their power of endurance and their skill as sharpshooters made them foeman to be feared in the sort of semi-guerilla warfare in which their past successes were achieved. Now, however, they had thousands in the field where in the past they had but hundreds, and the handling and feeding of large bodies of troops in the camp and on the march presented problems with which they had never before been confronted. After the defeat it was found they had only one surgeon and a primitive staff to cope with hundreds of wounded. The campaign appeared to have been well planned to strike a telling blow at the British before their tremendous reinforcements arrived, and by these preliminary victories to inspire the Dutch population of the entire country to rise. While General Joubert invaded Natal from the north, Free State troops simultaneously entered it through the mountain passes twenty-five miles west of] Ladysmith. The purpose, apparently, was to cut off communica- tion between Ladysmith and the garrison, twenty-five miles north of it, at Glencoe and Dundee, and when this had been defeated to make 292 THUNDER OF ARTILLERY AROLTND LADYSMlTH. a simultaneous attack from the north and west on Sir George Stew- art White at Ladysmith. The preliminary attack on Glencoe was planned Lo be made by three columns — one from the north under General Erasmus, one from the south under Commandant Viljeon, and the one undcr General Me3'^cr, which took up its position on Smith's hill and opened the battle on the morning of the 20th. Telegraphic communication between the three commands had been lost, and when the fight began the others were far away, and General Meyer after a stubborn contest was routed. While his men were stiU flying before the British cavalry a portion of Sir George Stewart White's command sallied forth from Ladysmith and won the thrilling victory at Blandslaagte. MASTERLY RETREAT OF GENERAL YULE. After Sir William Symons had been wounded the command of the Dundee force devolved upon General Yule. Elandslaagte was fought on the day after the battle of Dundee, or Glencoe, and then there came a mysterious lull which caused some uneasiness. After the defeat of General Meyer's column, General Yule found himself threatened by the northern column under Erasmus and Joubert, and was unable to hold his own under a largely outnum- bering force of the undefeated enemy. Yule received orders to fall back, and so, on the night of October 2 2d, he quietly evacuated the position, and retired southward by the road wh^oh leads by Beitli through the mountains. He had to leave his wounded behind. Sir William Symons among them, in the field hospital, and there a few da3\s later the gallant general breathed his last. On October 25th Yule accom- plished his junction with Sir George White, and the two British forces, the main body at Ladysmith and the advanced force at Dundee, became one force concentrated and ready for battk at Ladysmith. The retreat of Yule from Dundee to the base at Ladysmith A'ill rank high in military annals as a skillful operation carried out inder great diflficulties. The retiring force abandoned everything '^ ytww^^Tf-irr^- THUNDER OF ARTILLERY AROUND LADYSMITH. 203 tliat could in the least impede its rapid movements, and the weather was very rainy. The retirement was effected without loss, tlie enemy having been kept in check by Sir George White's timely help from Ladysmith. Knowing that Yule was retiring towards him, he sent out a reconnoisance along the Ladysmith-Dundee line, and finding the Boers in force near the road prepared to attack them. The Boers, as usual, had taken up a strong position on a ridge with a kop, or abrupt mountain top, for a keep or main stronghold. Under a heavy fire of shrapnel the Boers were shaken, and finally, by an advance of infantry, driven from their commanding position over the road, and this being the object Sir George White had in view, the British column returned to Ladysmith. The way had been opened for Yule. In all the three actions the Boer losses must have been very heavy, probably twice those of the British. HOW "LADYSMITH" OBTAINED ITS NAME. As the name " Ladysmith" is prominently connected with military operations in Natal, a word may be said of the lady after whom the town is named. It was so named in honor of the wife of Sir Harry Smith, who was once Governor of the Cape of Good Hope. But who was the wife of Sir Harry Smith ? To answer that ques- tion it is necessary to go back to the time of the Peninsular war in the early part of the century. Sir Harry Smith was in that war, and was present at the storming of Badajoz, in the spring of 1812. According to a vera- cious chronicler, on the day after the assault two handsome Spanish ladies, one the wife of a Spanish officer, serving in a distant part of Spain, and the other her sister, a girl fourteen years of age, Jaana Maria de los Delores de Leon, claimed the protection of Smith and a brother officer, representing that they had fled to the camp from Badajoz, where they had suffered violence from the infuriated soldiery, having had their earrings brutally torn from their ears. They were conveyed by Smith and his friend to a place of safety. Witliin two years J nana Maria de Leon became the wife of Smith, she ceiug then sixteen and her husband twenty-six years of age. General Sir Harry Smith (in whose honor the town of Harris- ■i -'M i 204 THUNDER OF ARTILLERY AROUND LADYSMITH. smith is named), died October 12, i860. The handsome Spanish girl who became his wife forty-six years previously survived him twelve years, and died October 10, 1872. It maj' be noted as a co- incidence that on the twenty-seventh anniversary of her deatli President Kruger sent his ultimatum, and on the thirty-ninth anniversary of her husband's death the Boers invaded Natal and surrounded Ladysmith. / It will help to a clear understanding of the military situation at this period of the war to glance over the field of operations and get some idea of the strength of the opposing forces, together with the plan of campaign on each side. SKETCH OF THE BOER ARMY. The ultimatum of the Boers, presented October loth, not having been accepted, they at once declared war against Great Britain. As one of the things they demanded was the withdrawal from Natal of all British troops sent there since the preceding June, it will be seen that war had been imminent for some time, and both sides had made great preparations. At the beginning of hostilities there were in Natal nearly 15,000 troops, under the command of Sir George Steward White. Along the Western border there were 2000 troops, principally -volunteers and Cape Mounted Police, under the com- mand of Colonel Baden-Powell. The military organization of the Boers is unique. Their per- manent army consists of but a few hundred artillerymen. They form, however, a. nation in arms. Orders had been sent throughout their territory for the burghers to turn out, each man to bring to the rendezvous his horse, accoutrements, arms and ammunition. Every able-bodied male, from eighteen to sixty years of age, is liable to be called out. No accurate information as to the strength of the Boer force at/ this time was available. A moderate estimate is 18,000 in the South ■ African Republic and 14,000 in the Orange Free State. To these might be added some of the Afrikanders in the adjoining British territory. These troops assembled at Harrismith, Volksrust, Vryheld and • ff'' '•I'.i ''"f "* THUNDER OF ARTILLERY AROUND LADYSMITH. 206 Brctiiersdorp, forniing a cordon around the apex of Natal. On the morning of October 12th the Boers crossed the frontier at Botha's Pass on the west, Laing's Nek at the apex, and from Wakkers- trooni on the east. General Joubert being with the central column. The Free State forces came from the west — one colnnni through Van Reenan's Pass toward Bester's Station, and another through Tintwa Pass toward Acton Homes. The northern column advanced to Newcastle and oc "j/isd it on October 14th, the British, previous to the opening of hostilities, having .vithdrawn from the extreme northern part of Natal, and having their main position at Ladysmith, with a small force at Glencoe and Dundee. The object of the Boers seemed to be to keep the British forces at Ladysmith and Dundee occupied while parties of Boers could slip by to the south, cut the railway and telegraph lines, destroy bridges and cut off the British from their base at Durban on the coast and their advanced base at Pietermaritzburg. SHARP ATTACK BY THE POERS. War being declared, the Boers immediately assumed the offen- sive, their northern column attacking the British forces near Glencoe on October 19th. The Boers, as we have seen, commenced their attack with artillery from a hill about 5000 yards from the British camp. The British artillery opened in reply, and, after an artil- lery duel, the attack on the hill began, the infaatry in front, the cavalry on the flanks. After eight hmrs of stubborn fighting the position was taken, the Boers being driven eastward and losing their guns. The advance of the Boers had cut off communication between Ladysmith and Glencoe, and it was a military necessity to dislodge the Boers from their position before they were joined by the burgh- ers frcxn the Orange Free State. Consequently, Sir George White sent a column from Ladysmith along the Newcastle road. The, enemy was found in a strong position on hilly ground, about a mile and a half east of Elandslaagte. After a long and stubborn fight the Boer camp was captured, with their transportation, camp equip- age and two guns. npf»p^«ipp|piip mm ^mmmmmm: 296 THUNDER OF ARTILLERY AROUND LADYSMITM. The way was now clear to a junction between the main force at Ladysmith, and the withdrawal of the force near Glencoe was considered advisable, as otherwise the British would have had two separate bodies of troops, each of which was smaller than the Boer force confronting it. While these opera! ions were going on between Ladysmith and Dundee, the burghers from the Orange Free State were on their way to the theatre of operations, and on October 17th they were seen descending from the western passes, and later came in contact with the British outposts near Bester's Station and Acton Homes. No serious engagement took place there, however, and this column of Boers seems to have stopped in its advance. As the contingents from the South African Republic and the Orange Free State were now within forty miles of each other, it was essential that a junction should be effected between the forces of General White and General Yule with the least possible delay, so that the combined British forces might be in a position to act upon either one or the other of the hostile columns before they effected a junction. THE TWO FORCES UNITE. This was not easy, as reconnoissance showed that the Boers still held a strong position between Ladysmith and Dundee, and it was necessary for General Yule's force to make a detour at once to reach the main force at Ladysmith. General White had sent out some troops to meet him, and this force joined hands with General Yule's command and the junction of the British troops \vas effected. Meanwhile the towns on the southern and western borders had been menaced by small armed bodies of Boers, those along the Orange River frontier being almost entirely unprotected. Along the western border the railroad runs nearly north, parallel to the border and but a few miles from it. It passes through Kimberley, Vryburg and Mafeking. The forces along this line, a^ before stated, consisted of about 2000 men, principally volunteers and Cape mounted police, with a few regulars, under the command of Colonel Baden-Powell. * - The Boers opened operations along this line by capturing and the lid RECONNOISSANCE IN FORCE OF BRITISH CAVALRY. THUNDER OF ARTILLERY AROUND LADYSMITH. 297 destroying an armored train. Vryburg was abandoned by the Brit- ish and taken possession of by the Boers. It had a very small garrison, probably police, and was of small importance in itself, except that its possession by the Boers cut the British line to the south. Kimberley at this time was in a state of siege, and a recon- noitering party of about 300 volunteers and mounted police was attacked near that place by the Boers. After a hot fight the Boers were defeated and their leader killed. Colonel Baden-Powell, with the larger part of his force, was in the vicinity of Mafeking, where considerable fighting occurred. On October 15th, an attack on this place by the Boers was reported, the Boers being repulsed with con- siderable loss. GREAT BRAVERY ON BOTH SIDES. In the fighting so far great bravery and stubbornness were shown on both sides. The English would seem to have made a great tactical advance since their operations on the same ground in 1 88 1. They made a very effective use of their artillery, and seemed to ha 'e, to some extent, overcome their historical tendency to fight in solid masses. The necessity of fighting in extended order was impressed upon them by no one more emphatically than by Sir ,Redvers Buller. It is a question whether the Boers were individ- ually a*? expert with the rifle as they were twenty years before. Their country was more settled, there was much less game and con- sequently much less attention to hunting than formerly. The natural result would be decreased efl&ciency as soldiers. It was, perhaps, unfortunate for British prestige that the con- centration at Ladysmith did not take place at an earlier date. It was considered from the outset that it would be impracticable to hold such an exposed point as Laing's Nek, as it could be turned so easily through the mountain passes to the south, and the force occupying it entirely cut off from its base. The withdrawal of the troops from Glencoe after the declaration of war, and after they had been attacked by the Boers, although they were the victors in the attack, could not but detract from their prestige, strengthen the It: il • .1: |R| i! '■ 'm i m 298 thundp:r of artili ery around ladysmith. morale of the Boers and have a great effect upon the Afrikanders, heretofore neutral, who secretly sympathized with the Boers. The strategy of the Boers seems to have been good. They were prepared to "take the field the moment their ultimatum was rejected by the British government. Each contingent was called out in its own territory and had Natal for a common objective. If they could cut off the British force in Natal, which their great numerical superiority in the field (probably nearly three to one) would lead them to expect, they would not only achieve a great military success, but the moral effect might also be to add to their strength by the accession of Afrikanders scattered through all the British possessions in South Africa, and they might also hope for an uprising in their favor by some of the native tribes. SITUATION FAVORABLE TO THE BOERS. They enjoyed the great advantage of a central position, the border forming roughly the letter " U," and were thus enabled to move on interior lines within their own territory. They could move against Natal, or, making a feint in that direction, could throw their main force against the British possessions on their western border. The advantage of the possession of interior lines in the case of the Boers, however, was much lessened by the fact that on account of the lack of railway facilities in an easterly and westerly direction their troops would have to move across the country by marching. On October 30th the military situation in South Africa is described by a London journal with exceptional sources of informa- tion as follows : " For some days, if not, indeed, some weeks, the main interest in the military situation will be centred at Lady- smith. The Boer forces are gradually working their way jound the town, entrenching themselves as if they were playing a waiting game. This, however, will probabl}?^ be only a temporary measure. It is clear that they have withdrawn men from other points which, for the moment, they consider less important, and are concentrating for a supreme effort against Ladysmith. " This town, which is third in importance in Natal, is situated on the Klip river, just to the east of the railway. As the town is •y%.-: ■m THUNDER OF ARTILLERY AROUND LADYSMITH. 299 approached from the south there is a high, rocky ridge of hills, the summits of which are clothed with mimosa trees. The town, shel- tered by a semi-circle of hills, is of importance, from the fact that there are large railway workshops there. The most important posi- tion to the northeast of the town is Lombard's Kop, at a distance of about five miles. It is in this direction that a strong force moved on the 27th. It met a reconnoissance of the enemy. The Boers withdrew early next day. \ " News regarding the. cutting off of the water supply is some- what surprising, and seems to show that the British camp has been shifted, and that the Boers are closer to the town than was generally supposed, for since Ladysmith was made a military station in 1897 the troops have been stationed near the water works, about two miles from the town. QUICK MILITARY OPERATIONS. " The Boers, too, are exhibiting a certain amount of daring, which argues great confidence. They have managed to snap up a patrol of non-commissioned officers, carry off a thousand mules and seize the municipal slaughter-houses, with supplies of both meat and slaughtered stock. This, with the ease with which they have reorganized the German Corps, so severe a sufferer at Blands- laagte, and the column commanded b}' General Meyer, which was shattered at Talana Hill, shows that they have great recuperative powers, and by no means consider themselves beaten men. " Indeed, they have, throughout the campaign, shown great fertility of resource and dogged perseverance, with which they have managed to transport heavy guns and post them in command- ing positions worthy all admiration. " It is, of course, practically impossible to forecast what Sir George White will do. His chief difficulty will be to induce the enemy to attack him on ground of his own choosing. There would i be no doubt of the result, if this could be brought about. The in- dications, however, are that there will be on both sides an indulgence in Fabian tactics, but these will be all in favor of the British." On the 30th of October a battle raged around Ladysmith a 1 pwwii^ffp»w^p^iipii||liPPIiiP mKv^m. iiPiiPiPiPffnPiinH 300 THUNDER OF ARTILLERY AROUND LADYSMITH. large part of the day and proved to be a stubborn contest. The British advance was made at dawn with the object of shelling the Boers from the position where they had mounted a number of guns. On reaching the spot it was found they had evacuated the position. The British continued to advance and the movement developed into an reconnoissance in force. The enemy were posted on a range of hills having a frontage of about sixteen miles. The British force was disposed in the following order: On the right, three* regiments of cp.valry, ioar batteries of the Royal Field Artillery and five battaliois of infantry ; in the centre, three batteries of the Royal Field Artillery, two regiments of cavalry and four infantry battalions, and on the left, the Royal Irish Fusileers, the Gloucester- shire Regiment and the Tenth Mountain Battery. PLAN FAILED OF EXECUTION. This force had been detailed to guard the British left flank at a late hour. General White's plan of operations was that, as the movement developed, the force constituting the centre, which was disposed under cover of a hill, about three miles from the town, should throw itself upon the enemy, while the left flank was being held by the Fusileers and the Gloucesters The scheme was well devised, but failed in execution, owing to the fact that the Boer position, which formed the objective, was evacuated. The British artillery quickly reduced the volume of the enemy's fire, but the attack delivered on the right flank was the principal one, and the column was compelled to change. The Boer attack had been silenced for a time, and the British infantry advanced covered by cavalry. The enemy now began to develop a heavy counter-attack, and as they were in great numerical superiority, General White gave orders for tliv infantry to be gradually withdrawn. The movement was carried out with great steadiness and deliberation, under cover of the guns, v/hich did good execution. Some shells were thrown into the town from the enemy's forty pounders at a range of over 6000 yards, but no damage was done. The engagement lasted several hours, and resulted in serious losses on both sides. THUNDER OF ARTILLERY AROUND LADYSMITH. 301 The attack was admirably delivered by the British right, and the Boers were fairly driven out of one of their strongholds down near Lombard's Kop. It wa«5 not possible, however, to push the success much further, as below that point lay a long broken ridge, affording every kind of natural cover. Of this the enemy took the fullest advantage. The shells failed to dislodge the Boers, and as the infantry moved forward in extended order they came under a heavy and well- directed rifle fire, the effect of which was soon apparent. General White, who was with the centre, seeing that the troops were some- what pressed, sent to their assistance the whole centre column with the exception of the Devonshire Regiment. TERRIFIC ARTILLERY DUEL. The battle had then lasted four hours, during which the artil- lery fire on both sides had been almost incessant. The naval brigade which landed at Durban arrived on the scene toward the end of the fight, and immediately brought their heavy guns into play. Their practice was magnificent. At the fourth shot the enemy's forty-pounders had been knocked out of action. Through- out the engagement the Boers held their ground with courage and tenacity, and suffered severely. The engagement at Ladysmith, which, despite the rather heavy losses, was regarded rather as an extended reconnoisance or skir- mish than a battle, made litde change in the actual positions. It was disappointing to the British public as again revealing tactical skill of an unexpectedly high order on the side of the Boers. In addition to the possession of a number of heavy guns, the transport of which caused wonderment, they showed marvelous ability. Un- less commanded by skillful European officers, it was hardly con- sidered probable- that Boer soldiers would have assumed a feigned position, as they evidently did, in front of the right column, v»?ith the intention of retreating from it to their real line of defence, and of inducing the British to attack over a fire-swept zone. • The special despatches describing the engagement again failed to confirm General White's official account that the Boers were 'ii'iiliniff^H'i ipppli 362 THUNDER OF ARTILLERY AROUND T,ADYSMITH. pushed back several miles. The fighting began with a frontal attack on the main Boer position, which, however, was found evacu- ated. The enemy having retired, now made a change of front and developed a heavy attack on Colonel Orimwood's brigade. To meet this the British artillery, which had been shelling the evacu- ated position, also changed front. Grimwood's brigade was promptly reinforced, but soon was obliged to fall back rapidly, with consequences which might have been .serious had not the Fifty-third Field Battery pluckily covered the movement at considerable loss to itself. It is quite certain that General White failed to accomplish the object he intended, and the daj''s proceedings were an instructive example of the difficulty of operations when the enemy holds an extended position from which he is able to make sudden and unexpected developments and changes of front. SURROUNDED AND FORCED TO SURRENDER. Under date of October 30th the following from General White was received at the London War Office : " I have to report a disas- ter to the column sent by me to take a position on a hill to guard the left flank of the troops. In these operations to-day the Royal Irish Fusileers, No. 10 Mountain Battery and the Gloucestershire Regiment were surrounded on the hills, and after losing heavily had to capitulate. The casualities have not yet been ascertained. " A man of the Fusileers employed as a hospital orderly came in under a flag of truce with a letter from the svirvivors of the col- umn, who asked for assistance to bur}'^ the dead. I fear there is no doubt of the truth of the report. I formed a plan, in the carrying out of which, the disaster occurred, and I am alone responsible for the plan. There is no blame whatever on the troops, as the posi- tion was untenable." The next day telegraphed as follows : "I took out from Lady- smith a brigade of mounted troops, two brigade divisions of the Royal Artillery, the Natal Field Battery aud two brigades of infan- try, to reconnoitre in force the enemy's main position to the north, and, if the opportunity should offer, to capture the hill behind -•ryv THUNDER OF ARTILLERY AROUND LADYSMITH. HO'.i Farquhar's Farm, which had, on the previous day, been held in strength by the enemy. In connectKin with this advance a column, consisting of the Tenth Mountain Artillery, four half companies of of the Gloucesters and six companies of the Royal Irish Fusileers, the whole under Lieutenant-Colonel Carlton and Major Adye, Deputy Assisiant Adjutant-General, was despatched, at ii p.m. on the 29th, to march by night up Bells-Spruit and seize Nicholson's Nek, or some position near Nicholson's Nek, thus turning the enemy's right flank. ARTILLERY CAUSES HEAVY LOSS. " The main advance was successfully carried out, the objective of the attack being found evacuated, and an artillery duel between our field batteries and the enemy's guns of the position and Max- ims is understood to have caused heavy loss to the enemy. The reconnoissance forced the enemy to fully disclose his position, and, after a strong-counter attack on our right, the infantry brigade and cavalry had been repulsed, the troops were slowly withdrawn to camp, pickets being left on observatioi " Late in the engagement the naval contingent, under Captain Lambton, of Hei" Majesty's Ship Powerful, came into action, aud silenced, with their extremely accurate fire, the enemy's guns of position. " The circumstances which attended the movements of Lieu- tenant-Colonel Carlton's column are not yet fully known, but from reports received the column appears to have carried out the night march unmolested, until within two miles of Nicholson's Nek. At this point two boulders rolled from the hill and a few rifle shots stampeded the infantry ammunition mules. The stampede spread to the battery mules, which broke loose from their leaders, and got away with practically the whole of the gun equipment and the greater portion of the small-arm ammunition. The reserve was similarly lost. " The infantry battalions, however, fixed bayonets, and accom- panied by the personnel of the artillery, seized a hill on the left of of the road, two m?les from the Nek, with but little opposition. J a ■is p* ^!^^lPWiiiPiipniiiiP "^np mm ' d04 THUNDER OI' AkTILLEkV AROUND LADYSMITH. There they remained unmolested till dawn, the time being occnpied in organizing the defence of the hill and constructing stone sangers and walls as cover from fire. "At dawn a skirmishing attack on our position was commenced by the enemy, but made no way until 9.30 a.m., when strong rein- forcements enabled them to rush to the attack with great energy. Their fire became very searching, and two companies of the Glou- cesters, in an advance position, were ordered to fall back. . The enemy then pressed to short range, the losses on our side becoming very numerous. " At 3 P. M. our ammunition was practically exhausted, the position was captured and the survivors of the column fell into the enemy's hands. The enemy treated our wounded with humanity. General Joubert at once despatching a letter me, offering a safe conduct to doctors and ambulances to remove the wounded. A medical officer and parties to render first aid to the wounded were despatched to the scene of action from Lady smith last night, and the ambulances at dawn this morning. THE MULES RUN AWAY. " The want of success of the column was due to the misfortune of the mules stampeding and the consequent loss of the guns and small-arm ammunition reserve. The official list of casualties and prisoners will be reported shortly. The latter are understood to have been sent by rail to Pretoria. l*he security of Ladysmith is in no way affected." The battle at Ladysmith was disappointing to the British, as the object, which was to roll back the Free Staters, was not achieved. Yet the soldiers, individually, showed themselves fully a match for the Boers, both in shooting ability and pluck, although they were faced by double their own numbers, posted upo^ rough ground which had previously been prepared for defence and to resist a cannonade. The Boers had been drawing their coils closer around on the west, north and east sides of the town, their forces being composed of the Free Staters, General Joubert's column and that of General THUNDER OF ARTILLERY AROUND LADYSMITH. .305 Meyer. General White's plan included fighting three simultaneous actions. On the night of the 30th, before daybreak, the, British troops marched out a distance of several miles from camp, and succeeded in securing several points unseen by the enemy, the advantage being thus on our side. Considering the nature of the subsequent contests, the losses must be regarded as relatively light. The Boers began battle at 10 minutes past 5 o'clock in the morning by firing their 40-pounder guns from a ridge, situated about four miles out, east of the railway, and dropping shells into the town. The missiles luckily proved almost harmless. The action soon became general, and the British left, centre and right engaged the Boer positions. At first the batteries seemed unable to quite silence the Boer artillery, which fought with indomitable energy and pluck, the British . ^ .* At Gloucester, the home of many of those engaged, the wild- wmmm THUNDER OF ARTILLERY AROUND LADYSiVlITH. 809 wild- est excitement prevailed. The special editions of the local news- papers were speedily exhausted, and the same thing occurred at Bristol and other towns in that county. Coming so soon after the engagement at Reitfontein, where the Gloucestershires suffered heavily, the news brought the keenest sorrow to households all over the county, whose name the regiment bore. The disaster caused a feeling akin to consternation, and in Gloucestershire and the north of Ireland, where the captured regiments were recruited, the blackest gloom prevailed, families awaiting with beating hearts the names of the killed and wounded, which were fully expected to reach a high figure. Many homes were already in mourning in consequence of losses sustained by these regiments in previous engagements. DISASTROUS BRITISH LOSSES. While minor reverses were not wholly unexpected, nothing like the staggering blow General Joubert delivered to General White's forces was anticipated. The full extent of the disaster was not acknowledged, if it was known, at the War Office. The loss in effective men must have been appalling to a general who was prac- tically surrounded. Two of the finest British regiments and a nmle battery deducted from the Ladysmith garrison weakened it about a fifth of its total strength and altered the whole situation very materially in favor of the Boers, who again showed themselves stern fighters and military strategists of no mean order. The dis- aster cost the British from 1200 to 1500 men and six 7-pound screw guns, and as the Boer artillery was already stronger than imagined, the capture of these guns was a great help to the Boers. It is evident that the patriotism and fortitude of the British nation were to be tested in real earnest by these operations in Natai against odds. General White had a difficult task set him, and it soon became evident the disaster would be taken with the dogged coolness which Britons know how to display, and the final result would be awaited without apprehension. < > : . One of the most influential journals of Canada commented as follows : " Great Britain is temporarily dismayed by the disaster at mm*wmj»im^^^^^^t^^^ npntipiipppnii 310 THUNDER OF ARTILLERY AROUND LADYSMITH; Ladysmith, and from all parts of the empire come expressions of deep regret that the survivors of two grand regiments, which have participated in many glorious victories in the past, are in the hands of the enemy. It is feared that many of the brave soldiers have been killed or wounded, and that when the truth is known the loss of life will be appalling. '• BRITON SHOULD NEVER SAY DIE." " It would have been a lasting disgrace had the British soldiers surrendered to the Boers ; a Briton should never say die, but fight until the bitter end. According to a late report from General White the regiments lost heavily in the encounter, and when their ammu- nition was exhausted ' the survivors of the column fell into the enemy's hands.' The brave soldiers fought until the last shot was gone. " Though the disaster may mean a temporary check, and leave Ladysmith in danger, the British will proceed with the campaign, more determined than ever to conquer the Boers and place South Africa under British rule. Already the War Department is making arrangements to send forth regiments to take the places of the Gloucesters and Irish Fusileers, and there is talk of forming another army corps. " The fighting qualities of the Boers and the skill of the generals as military strategists must not be underestimated, and a sufficient force should be sent to Africa to crush the enemy. It must be admitted, though regretfully, that the Boers outwitted the British and laid a trap which they fell into. General White man- fully accepts all responsibility for the disaster, and, while it is cer- tain that ' somebody blundered,' we muse admire the general, who, though it means much to him and dims the glory of his past mili- tary record, says, ' I alone am responsible.' There is no quibbling or attempt to shift the responsibility. "It was feared that the loss of the regiments would weaken General White's porition and that he would be unable to hold Ladysmith, but, according to later dispatches the War Department is still in communication with the British camp. The Boers shelled THUNDER OF ARTILLERY AROUND LADYSMITH. 311 Ladysmith, but the British silenced their guns, and General White is confident that he will be able to hold out. " It has been suggested that Cinada should send another con- tingent to help the mother country. We think that at the present time the colonies should stand behind Great Britain and render all assistance in their power. In a movement of this kind Canada should take the lead, and let Britain see that we are with her, and that if another contingent is required it will be sent without delay. " The government should certainly volunteer to raise another contingent, and let the colonial office decide whether or not they are needed. Great Britain, however, seems able to cope with the occa- sion, and though the disaster is a great one, many brave soldiers being lost, and sorrow brought to many homes, the grand old nation will soon recover and bring the Boers to terms. Yet we think the ofier of another contingent should be made. Young Canadians will gladly volunteer their services to the mother country." ON MANY A HARD-FOUGHT FIELD. The Gloucestershire Regiment, the first battalion of which capitulated at Ladysmith, was formerly the Twenty-eighth North Gloucester. The colors bear the following magnificent list of honors: Ramilies, Louisburg, Quebec (1759), Egypt (with the sphinx), Maida, Corunna, Talavera, Barossa, Alburhera, Salamanca, Vittoria, Pyrenees, Nivelle, Nives, Orthes, Toulouse, Peninsula, Waterloo, Punjab, Chillianwallah, Goojerat, Alma, Inkerman, Sebastopol, Delhi. The regiment raised in 1694 has been prac- tically in existence ever since. One detachment was on garrison duty in Newfoundland in 1868. The regiment was reorganized in 1702 and took part in the campaigns in the Low Countries, and in Spain from 1704 to 1709. In the Vigo expedition of 17 19 the Gloucestershires went to the fore. Later in the campaign in Flanders the regiment added greatly to its reputation by the gallant bearing in the fearful battle of Fontenoy and other bloody fights of that campaign. Coming to this side of the water in 1757 it fought at Louisburg, Cape Brctry and Quebec. npipim ^"liliiPPPWVPiiliiliil r ^ 312 THUNDER OF ARTILLERY AROUND LADYSMITH. The immortal General Wolfe received his death wound while marching at the head of this regiment on the Plains of Abraham. The regiment afterwards took part in the defense of Quebec against the French besiegers. In 1762 the Gloucestershires participated in the capture of Martinique and Havana, and later fought through ' the American war of independence, where the desperate valor of ofl&cers and men in many of the fierce struggles aroused the admir- ation even of Britain's enemies. The years of 1778 to 1794 pro- vided the regiment with much active service in the West Indies and Flanders. In 1798 it was part of the force which captured Minorca, and in 1800 formed part of the expedition which demonstrated against Cadiz. THE FAR-FAMED GLOUCESTERSHIRES. Under Sir Ralph Abercromby the regiment fought in Egypt in 1 80 1, and in 1 805-1 807 was engaged in the campaign in Holland. In 1808 the Gloucestershire Regiment took part in Sir John Moore's expedition to Portugal. Throughout Wellington's campaigns in Portugal and Spain the regiment fought, adding laurels to its record on many a hotly contested field and participating in the crowning battles and triumphs of Quatre Bras and Waterloo. The Crimean war furnished the regiment with stirring service, as did also the Indian mutiny. The Princess Victoria's Royal Irish Fusileers, late Eighty- seventh and Eighty-ninth foot regiments, is one of the finest regi- ments in the British army. The first battalion, the one which capitulated, was raised in 1793, and, strange to say, within two years of its organization, had an almost similar experience to that which befell it at Ladysmith. In the year 1795, during the cam- paign in Flanders against the French, it formed part of the garri- son of Bergen- op-Zoom. The Dutch troops of the garrison betrayed their trust, threw open the gates and the Irish battalion had no other recourse than surrender. In 1796, prisoners having been exchanged, the battalion proceeded to the West Indies with the ex- pedition under Sir Ralph Abercromby, and the following year took part in the Porto Rico campaign. The interval between 1797 and ri'i ^»iiiT.y«.,]m^ 5^5^^'^= THUNDER OF ARTILLERY AROUND LADYSMITH. 313 1810 was a quiet one, but in the last-named year the battalion was present at the capture of Mauritius, and was stationed there until 1814. Its next active service was in India in the Nepaul campaign of 1816. The Burmese war of 1826 furnished considerable hard cam- paigning for the battalion. Throughout the Indian mutiny, 1857- 1859, the first battalion was to the fore in many a bloody fight. Its last active service previous to being ordered to South Africa was in the Egyptian war of 1882. The battalion was stationed at Halifax, N. S., from 1872 to 1876. • - ' ' " The second battalion of the regiment, raised in 1804, takes the place of the Eighty-ninth foot, a regiment raised in 1804 and dis- banded in 181 7, after distinguished service in the Egyptian expedi- tion, the Peninsula and the American war, 18 12-13. This battalion also has a good fighting record, as the following brief summary shows: 1818, Mahratta war; 1824, Burmese war; 1856-57, South African ; 1857-59, Indian mutiny ; 1884, Soudan. . STANDARDS WREATHED WITH HONORS. This battalion was stationed at Quebec, Montreal and Toronto for several years from 1841. As stated, the second battalion took the place of the old Eighty-ninth foot. The regimental standards bear the following honors, which include those gained by the old Eighty-ninth foot and the first and second battalions of the regi- ment: Egypt (with the sphinx), Montevideo, Talavera, Barossa, Tarifia, Java, Vittoria, Nivelle, Niagara, Orthes, Toulouse, Penin- sula, Ava, Sebastopol, Egypt (1882-84), Tel-e.-Kebir. The Tenth Mountain Battery forms a part of a comparatively recentlj' organized branch of the royal artillery. This is a branch of the army that has been represented in every battle in the annals of the British history since Crecy, where the cannon of the time were scorned alike by friend and foe. It is now, however, admittedly the finest branch of the service, and one which has frequently aroused the admiration and envy of foreign military critics. The story of its record in active warfare would fill a bulky volume. British enthusiasm over the war was shown in the grand fare- J: i*"^ tmmmmf ■I«NPBP«W m 314 THUNDER OF ARTILLERY AROUND LADYSMITH. well given the Guards on their departure from London for South- ampton, where they embarked for the Cape. Three battalions, the First Scots, the Second Coldstreams and the Third Grenadiers, left. The Scots marched to Waterloo Station at 7 o'clock in the morning. The fact that the day was raw and foggy did not deter a large crowd from assembling at Chelsea Barracks at 6 o'clock, and when the detachment wheeled out of the barrack gates the people cheered till they were hoarse. Along the whole route a lusty ovation aw:-,ited the troops, the spectators including the wives and sweethearts of the men. Before many yards were covered, ranks were broken and the women linked arms with the soldiers, who were carried along in the surg- ing, singing crowd to the station, where an immense concourse was waiting to give them a tremendous reception. Friends grasped the rifles and kits of the troops and insisted on carrying them. The men marched to the platform singing, while the band played Scotch airs, in which the crowd, that was not allowed to go upon the platform, joined. All united in " Auld Lang Syne " as the train steamed out of the station. The Second Coldstreams marched to Nine Blms Station, amid similar enthusiasm and many affecting scenes. The officers allowed the women to mix freely with the men on the line of march and before they entered the station. Crowds assembled also near the Wellington Barracks, from which the Grenadier Guards emerged, after an inspection in the barrack yard by General Sir Evelyn Wood, who complimented the men on their smart appearance in their khaki helmets and red field tunics. The march to Waterloo Station was a triumphal progress. If possible, their departure evoked more enthusiosm than did that of the Scots and Coldstreams. Friends and relatives marched with them, and soldiers and spectators joined in songs, which were frequently drowned by hurricanes of cheers as the troops passed .points where the crowds were massed. At times they had difficulty to get through, the people seeming to wish to carry them to the sta- tion on their shoulders. Cheers shook the building as the trains steamed out, the troops responding lustily. CHAPTER XX. British Victories in the Western Campaign. ( ARLY in November Cecil Rhodes de-^lared Kimberley was "safe as Piccadilly." He referred to one of the famous thorough- fares of London, and his statement meant that in his estima- tion, the diamond town had no reason to fear it would be captured. The defenders were proving their ability to hold the Boers at bay. All the information from the great diamond mining centre con- firmed the view that the town was safe. It appears that defense against a Boer investment of Kimberley in the event of war had, even as far back as July, gone beyond mere discussion and was then in actual process of preparation. With such men as Cecil Rhodes and Gardner Williams, of California, manager of the diamond mines, to manage its defense, even witiiout the assistance of British troops, the capture of Kim- berley would have been a most hazardous and diffcult task. Shortly before the war b oke out half a battalion of the Royal North Lancashire Regirrient was sent up to Kimberley from Cape Town to serve as a " stiifening " for the local troops, who were stated to number at least 2000 and perhaps as many as 3000 men, including a cyclist corps. The local forces comprised the Kimberley Regiment, a town guard under the command of Major Frazer, the Diamond Fields Artillery and a corps recruited from employes of the De Beers mine. These latter had a Maxim all to themselves, and altogether Lieu- tenant-Colonel R. G. Kekewich had about twenty field and machine guns at his disposal. Colonel Kekewich wa.3 considered one of the cleverest ofl&cers commanding regiments. He served in Egypt from 1884 to 1890, and was very popular there. He was specially promoted as a major in the Royal Inniskillin Fusileers, and was given command of the Royal North Lancashire Regiment in 1898. He saw service in the 316 >-aita' 316 BRITISH VICTORIES. Perak and Soudanese expeditious, and was military secretary to two commanders-iu-cliief in Madiis. His experience, therefore, was ample. Kimberlej'', which was defended by the force under Colonel Kekewicli, is situated on a plateau, and is four miles from the - Orange Free State and 647 miles from Cape Town. There are no natural features around. the " City of Diamonds" that would assist in its fortification, but mounds of earth thrown up by the miners were of service in sheltering the British troops from the Boer forces. Electric searchlights, which are part of the mines' equipment, made a night surprise by the Boers very difl&cult. SEARCHLIGHTS AND STRONG DEFENSES. Kimberley tested the searchlights and found them satisfactory. It also tested the defenses of the town through the medium of sham attacks directed by Major Hore, commanding the Protectorate Regi- ment, and felt that it was Safc a^rainst the Boer besiegers, dthough the Transvaal for--- • were «aid to largely outnumber the garrison. Boys in Kii ,.. ley were infected with the enthusiasm which dominated the town, and a cadet corps of lads from fourteen to six- teen years old did orderly duty in the invested city, which has a population of 10,000 persons. Colonel Kekewich erected a new signalling station on the top of a conning tower 130 feet above the level of the road, and from this the movements of the enemy could be clearly discerned. The station had telephone connection with headquarters in the town. Tests of the value of this station were made both day and night, and added to the confidence inspired by the presence of Cecil Rhodes. When the war broke out the little town of Mdfeking, in British Bechuanaland, was practically defenseless, but soon the place was more or less protected by sandbags and hastily-thrown-up earth- works. But Mafeking lies entirely in the open plain, which is as flat as a pancake. A few isolated hills and ant-heaps, and here and there a clump of bushes under three feet high — these are the only things that break the monotony of the landscape. The high plain runs right away to the far-distant sky line, and ■'■^TS BRITISH VICTORIES. 317 only a few scattered shanties mark the line of railway. If the traveller were adventurous enough to travel by the through express from Cape Town to Bulawayo, away up in far Rhodesia, he would find Mafeking practically half-way between the two. This railway, by the waj'^, is the main Cape to Cairo route and will one day carry the globe trotter right through Africa from end to end. IMPORTANT TRADING STATION. There is nothing palatial about Mafeking. Normally, it is a simple little township of a few hundred souls. Primarily, it is a trading station with the far north, and there are many stores of greater or less importance. Grain* forage, tinned goods, saddles, rifles, ammunition, and even furniture, can be bought there. In the centre of the Main street is the market-place, surrounded by galvanized-iron houses and stores, each with its little raised veran- dah painted green and white, and many of the more miscellaneous shops bearing wild Indian names. For the enterprising Mahom- medan trader has found his way throughout South Africa and com- petes very keenly and successfully with the white man. The main street of Mafeking is a long, nude and stragf ling thoroughfare with native trees, eucalyptus and diminutive oaks at intervals. The houses all stand in little plots of ground, and there are attempts at cultivation here and there of a few sunflov/^ers or a potato patch or a hanging trail of the grenadilla or passion flower fruit. There is a church, a club, a prison and Salvation Army bar- racks. A good deal of horse buying and selling takes place at Mafeking. It is rather a centre market for the surrounding farm- ers, which arp mostly Boers, who bring in ugly-looking, but very useful, nags to the weekly auctions on the market-place. A good horse may often be picked up (in times of peace, of course) , for from thirty to forty dollars, and though he may be an ugly animal to look at, he can do almost anything that is asked of him, and will outlast many a handsome-looking animal. / . .' Colonel Baden-Powell, that veteran South African warrior, was placed in command of an irregular, but wholly reliable, force of some 600 men encamped at Mafeking. This did not include the regulars Ii ^^^i ■i'4' wmm iP"^W "^m 318 HRirrSH VICTORIES. which were sent to him since the hostilities began. He is an excel- lent officer, a good sportsman, an inimitable entertainer and a bit of a literary character to boot. He went through the Matabele war and gained experience, honor and no wounds. In some way he seems to bear a charmed life, because he is a reckless sort of fellow and fears no danger. He also has a quite remarkable gift of locality, that is to say, he is able by some extraordinary instinct to find his way about a totally unexplored country and always turn up just where he wants to, or thereabouts. He shot big game wherever big game v/as to be shot, and then came home quietly and wrote books about it. He is a clever actor and musical entertainer. RAILROAD BRIDGE STRONGLY GUARDED. The railway bridge near Mafeking was built over the Moloppo River, which runs east and west a quarter of a mile fiom the town, and in view of its being easily blown up by the Boers, Baden-Powell kept strict watch on it. The railway is the property of the Cape Government. It is pretty fairly run. The fares are terribly high, but, of course, that is inevitable in a new country. The officials are mostl}^ ex-English railway officials, and are uniformly polite — a great contrast to the railway servants on the Dutch lines. The Boers began a bombardment of Mafeking at twenty min- utes of 8 o'clock in the morning of October 23d, at a range of two miles and a half, their battery of three Krupp guns throwing 7-pound, 9-pound and T 2-pound explosive shells. At the outset the firing was erratic, but ultimately the Boers got the range and sent a number of shells into the town. Comparatively little damage was done, a convent, which had been converted into a hospital, being the chief sufferer. This building was struck thrice. Apparently the Boer ammunition was inferior. No casualties were sustained by the British, and only one shot was returned. This, however, was so well directed as to disable one of the enemy's guns. After three hours the Boers sent an envoy to ask the town to prepare for surrender. Colonel Baden-Powell replied in the nega- tive. The shelling was not resumed. •'"y^frw'^^V r 'F^ ''if " " BRITISH VICTORIES 3ld The thrilling story of the siege of Mafekitig reached London by n circuitious route north of the Transvaal border. It contained many interesting incidents. Colonel Baden-Powell provided subter- raneous shelter-places where the troops and civilians could take refuge while the shells were bursting. These were very effective in preventing casualties. The Boers tried to get within rifle range under cover of the fire of tiieir guns, but were beaten off after a spirited engagement on all sides of the town. Both civilians and soldiers stood up splendidly and administered a warning to the Boers against coming to close quarters. In consequence of the fight, General Cronje fell back on his old tactics, to advance by a succession of trenches. This move had been anticipated. The British sent out parties incessantly to worry the Boers by night attacks. BOERS BAYONETED IN THEIR TRENCHES. Colonel Baden-Powell employed clever tactics in sending out Captain Fitz Clarence's squadron of the Protectorate Regiment tc worry the occupants of the trenches, and the little force stole out silently in the darkness. Not a shot was fired. The men, with bayonets fixed, creeping rather than walking along the ground, gradually approached the chief Boer position near the race-course. As they closed in there was a shrill screech. It was Fitz Clarence's whistle, the signal for the onslaught. A ringing British cheer which the listeners back in the camp caught up was the response as the party dashed into the trenches. It was a fearful stniii;gle. The attacking forces bayoneted the Boers under tarpau- lins where they crouched. At least fifty bayonets got in their work. For just a moment there was no systematic resistence. Then a perfect hailstorm- of bullets poured from the trenches to the rear. Again Fitz Clarence's whistle sounded. It was "Cease firing ; scatter homeward." The forces scattered silently, creeping back under the furious fire in the darkness to the appointed rendezvous, where a roll-call showed the British losses six killed, one missing and eleven wounded. But these came back. The British left no wounded man on the field. PF'T' 4 ^im-'immrm'^^mfi''^m>^^m^mmmm^if^fi9mmm' I •20 HRITISir VK-rORIKS. • Another tlirilUng episode occurred the next afternoou. A cor- poral and six men of the Protectorate Regiment went to get their kits, which they had left on the retirement of the troops to the town. The position was hell Ly the Boers, but the men opened fire and gradually drove loo ot 'he enemy pellmell to their entrenchments, from which a heavy rifle fire silenced the little party, wh*^ crawled back to town. Baden-Powell's defense scheme was a sound one. All fire was reserved till the Boers got within 500 yards range during daylight. At night he constantly worried them. Life at Mafeking was dreary and unprofitable. Everybody was fearing that in the general advance on Pretoria from Natal, the garrison would be cooped up there. General Cronje sent a flag of truce, giving Mafeking a last chance to surrender at the eleventh hour. MAFEKING WOULD NOT SURRENDER. The battlefield resembled a shambles after the Boers' final assault, above described, snowing what a desperate struggle had gone on. All the men were killed by bullets or shells. A look- out tower was shot to pieces. Nearly the whole place was simply smashed up by a concentrated fire of seven guns and 1000 rifles. The Boers at first leld on pluckily, but lost heavily when they came within short range, men being shot down at a distance of 300 yards, and Mafeking still held out, with no thought of surrendering. Stirring and important news, on November 24tli, from the western frontier. Along with the announcement that a strong position of the Boers had been carried at the point of the bayonet, came the suggestive news of burghers leaving Natal for the capital of the Free State, a pretty clear indication that they foresaw the plan of campaign. An official telegram from Lord Methuen, in command of the column marching northward to the relief of Kim- berley, stated that at daybreak on the 23d he took the Boer position at Belmont, some fifty-six miles south of Kimberley. The infantry behaved with great gallantry, and was well sup- ported by the naval brigade. The British losses were considerable, while those of the enemy were heavy. The British troops cairied BRITISH VICroRIKS. m the position at the point of the bayonet. The third battalion of the Grenadier Guards suffered most severely, one of their officers, Lieutenant Fryer, being killed and eight others wounded. The British total casualties were 223 in killed, wounded and missing. It is evident that the action was of a pretty severe character. "Our victory is complete," said Lord Methuen, in giving an account of the engagement. His official dispatch was as follows : " Attacked the enemy at daybreak. He was in strong position. Three ridges were carried in succession, the last attack being supported by shrapnel. Infantry behaved splendidly, and received support from the naval brigade and artillery. The eufi:'iy fought with courage and skill.' Had I attacked later I should have had far heavier losses. Our victory was complete. Have taken forty prisoners. Am burying a good num- ber of the Boers, but the greater part of the enemy's killed and wounded were removed by their comrades. Have ca'ptured a large number of horses and cows and destroyed a large quantity of ammunition n BOER GUNS QUICKLY SILENCED. From later details of General Methuen's fight with the Boers at Belmont it appears that Boers from Finchams Farm shelled an advance body of the British, and the British artillery was pushed forward and shelled a hill, which the British subsequently occu- pied, capturing two guns. The Boer casualties were thirty men killed and wounded. The Boer main column left Finchams Farm during the after- noon and camped five miles ahead. At daybreak on the 23d the Boers fired from the hills, 1000 yards distant, on the British advance force. Other troops were then pushed up, and the engagement be- came general. The Britisli artillery made an excellent showing and silenced the Boer guns. Then two battalions of the Grenadier Guards and the North- umberland Regiment stormed the heights at the point of the bayo- net. Crossing the fire zone amidst a storm of lead, the Guards and the Northumberlands pushed up the incline and reached the summit, 31 ^mmm Hi p^ if Hi 322 BRITISH VICTORIES. doing great execution with their bayonets, and capturing the en- campment, with guns, equipment, prisoners, cattle and sheep. The -entire position was carried, the cavalry, consisting of the Ninth Lancers and mounted infantry, pursuing the flying Boers. General Methuen's force numbered 7000 men and the Boers had 5000 men. The latter held an exceedingly strong position on a series of hills, extending a dozen miles. They were strongly en- trenched, and their cannon were posted advantageously, and were excellently served. The battle began at 7 o'clock, and raged for several hours. The Boers held their positions with great stubborn- ness and splendid courage. The British riflemen forced the attack under a raking fire, and carried position after position with superb dash, driving the Boers with great slaughter. The engagement was really a series of battles, during which the Boers were constantly carrying off their dead and wounded. PRISONERS AND WOUNDED. The War Office issued the following advices on the 24th : " General Methuen further reports that the wounded are doing well. There are over fifty prisoners, including a German commandant and six field cornets. Nineteen of these prisoners are wounded. The prisoners say that yesterday's attack was a surprise, and it is the only beating they have had. A large amount of correspond- ence has been secured." It seems that the entire Western Division moved on the Orange River and bivouacked at Witteputs. Two companies of mounted infantry and a detachment of lancers were sent to hold Thomas Farm. Their pickets prevented the Boers from advancing. The Boers fired cannon, and the British artillery arrived on the scene and silenced the Boers' fire. At two in the morning the Guards Brigade moved steadily forward to a hill a few miles east of Belmont Station. The Scots and Grenadiers advanced to within fifty yards of the base, when the Boers poured in a scathing fire, staggering the Guards momertarily. But, quickly recovering, they returned a deadly hail into the Boers The duel was continued for half an hour. When the artillery commenced the Boers evacuated their BRITISH VICTORIES. '623 front position, and the Scots Guards rushed the hill with the bayo- net, amid lusty cheers. The Ninth Brigade then moved forward in extended order, and the Boers started a terrible cross-fire from the surrounding hills. The Coldstreams, supported by the Scots, Grenadiers, Northumber- lands and Northamptons, stormed the second position in the face of a constant and effective Boer fire. The Ninth Brigade then ad- vanced the artillery, in the meantime maintaining excellent practice. The British infantry never wavered, and when a ti»_i-iendous cheer notified them of the charge the Boers fled and succeeded in gaining a ridge of hills in the rear, in spite of the T ancers' flanking movement. HOT PURSUIT BY BRITISH CAVALRY. The infantry again gallantly faced the fire, and the naval brigade came into action for the first time, at a range of 1800 yards. The infantry was well supported by the artillery, and the Boers, unable to withstand the death-dealing volleys, retired, and were again forced to abandon some minor positions. The British cavalry charged the Boers and pursued them for five miles. Possession was taken of the Boer encampment, and the Boer stores were destroyed. The Boers hoisted a white flag over their second position, whereupon Lieutenant Willough by, of the Coldstream Guards, stood up, and was immediately shot down. The Boers twice repeated the same tactics. The following graphic description of the fight at Belmont is from an eye-witness : " General Methuen's superb force attacked a commando fff 4000 Boers in a position which the British troops would hold against almost any force. The Boers, shielded by boulders, held the crests of four rocky hills with dauntless courage. " The Mien of the King's Own, Yorkshire Light Infanty, First Northumberland Fusileers, the Northamptonshires and a battalion each of the Scots Guards, Grenadiers and Coldstreams, threw them- selves like so many ourushiiig billows against the hills, poured up and finally flowed over them. Splendid assistance was given by the Naval Brigade and the field artillery, although the infantry occupied 324 BRITISH VICTORIES. many of the best positions before their guns could be brought into play. " Our victory is complete. The enemy were put to flight and their fortified encampment destroyed, but only after three hours of incessant rifle fire, by which the rocky field of combat was pelted as if by hail. The Grenadiers suffered badly, their losses reaching nearly half of the total casualties. ADVANCING THROUGH A STORM OF BULLETS. " The whole force of the fearful fight was borne by the infantry, who had to climb upward 500 feet, straight into a terrific stream of missiles. The Ninth Lancers pursued with great vigor, but the Boers, being well mounted and familiar with the hills, melted before them. Possibly, though, the victory would have been more decisive had we had more cavalry." General IVIethuen's column continued to encounter opposition as it pushed forward with all possible speed to raise the siege of Kimberley. On Saturday, November 25th, he moved at 3.30 A.M., with the Ninth Brigade, the Mounted Corps, the Naval Brigade and two batteries, the Guards following with the baggage. Near Gras Pan (about ten miles north of Belmont, on the railway line to Kim- berly) 2500 Boers, with six guns and two machine guns, opposed him. The action began at 6 a.m. The British batteries fired shrap- nel very accurately till the heights seemed clear. Then the Naval Brigade and infantry advanced to the assault. The fighting was desperate until 10 A.M., when the heights were gained. The Boers retreated on the line where the Ninth Lancers were placed to intercept them. The artillery took immediate advan- tage of the enemy's retirement. Early m the action 500 Boers attacked the British rear-guard. The brigade met this and also protected the flanks. The Naval Brigade acted with conspicuous gallantr}^ and suffered heavi-v. The Boers showed the greatest stubbornness and met with heavy losses. More than fifty horses were found dead in one place. One battery fired 500 rounds. The British troops worked splendidly, and were prepared to overcome any difficulty. The Naval Brigade, the Royal 'N ■ .:i^;i*?a*». juiS BRITISH VICTORIES. 325 Marines, the Light Infantry and the First Battalion of the North Lancashire Regiment especially distinguished themselves. Another battle, fierce and bloody, was fought on the Modder River by General Methuen on November 28th, The story is told in his own brief dispatch, as follows : " Reconnoitered at 5 a.m. enemy's position on Modder River and found them strongly en- trenched and concealed. No means of outflanking, the river being full. Action commenced with artillery, mounted infantry and cavalry, at 5.30. Guard on right. Ninth Brigade on left, attacked position in widely extended formation at 6.30, and, supported by the artillery, found themselves in front of the whole Boer force, 8000 strong, with two large guns, four Krupps, etc. The Naval Brigade rendered great assistance from the railway. DESPERATE FIGHTING FOR TEN HOURS. *'After desperate, hard fighting, which lasted ten hours, our men, without water or food, and in the burning sun, made the enemy quit his position. General Pole-Carew was successful in getting a small party across the river, gallantly assisted by 30c Sappers. I speak in terms of high praise of the conduct of all who were engaged in one of the hardest and most trying fights iz. the annals of the British army. If I can mention one arm p2irt!ciilarly, it "s two batteries of artillery." General Methuen's dispatch to the Queen aftt: the battle of Modder River, said : " The battle was the b1ood:e:jt of the century. The British shelled the enemy out of the trdiches and then charged. The result was terrible." Genera' Methuen's advance from thv' Orange River was a most notable achievement. In the cour:-?e of a week he marched his column nearly tfty miles, fought three battles and won three victories. The fight at Beimont w^ ^ fierce enough, wi.li its deplor- able loss to tke Guards. The ejg^agement at Ensliii or Gras Pan had melancholy notoriety for the terrible execution wrought among the naval brigade, but the Modder River battle was the hardest fought and bloodiest of the three. This combat, which was waged under great difi&culties by the 326 BRITISH VICTORIES. British troops, and for many hours was carried on with great deter- mination against a strongly entrenched enemy, possessed features which will make it live in military history. After Saturday's battle at Gras Pan General Methuen's force rested on Sunday. It advanced fifteen miles northward on Monday, and at night the column found itself close to the Modder River and confronted by a Boer army of 8qoo men strongly entrenched. Early Tuesday morning the attack began. The Boers were posted on the north side of the Modder River, which was running at full flood. The British attacked from the south side. As there was no opportunity for outflanking the enemy's position owing to the 'high river, they made a frontal attack and forced the Boers to quit their position by the superiority of their artillery and rifle fire, the retirement being accelerated by the fact that General Pole-Care w, late in the engagement, had succeeded in getting across the river with a force. No pursuit of the Boers was possible. CONGRATULATIONS FROM THE GENERAL. That General Methuen expected dogged resistance on his northward march is shown by the speech which he made to his troops after the battle of Gras Pan. After reading a telegram from Sir Alfred Milner, congratulating the troops and sympathizing with the wounded, General Methuen personally congratulated the troops on the work done, and expressed appreciation of the way in which they had endured the haraships. The vvork, he said, was the most severe encountered by the British Army for many a long day. They had in front of them, he added, an enemy to whom they could not afford to give a single point. Their tactics had been excellent, and he recognized and admired their courage. General Methuen added that when called upon to fight for his country he preferred to fight a foe worthy of its steel rather than savages, whose sole recommendation was bravery. ^ He then expressed the hope that he and his men had gained each other's confidence, and would all do their duty to their country, as Englishmen should. General Metheun described as " dastardly " the conduct of the Boers in firing on ambulance wag- BRITISH VICTORIES. 327 ons, the shooting of a British officer by a wounded Boer, and the Boers' use of dum-dum bullets. But he refused to believe that these acts were characteristic of the Boers. He gave them credit, until convinced to the contrary, that they, like the British, wished to fight fair and square. FIERCE BATTLE OF MODDER RIVER. Under date of November 30th, one of our American newspapers commented as follows : . ' " Lord Methuen appears to have won at Modder River the most important battle thu$ far of the war. It plainly outranks Glencoe, Elandslaagte and the battles around Ladysmith in point of numbers engaged and losses sustained on both sides. It certainly surpasses them in importance of results. For they were followed by retreat and confinement within besieged Ladysmith, while this opens the way for further advance toward Kimberley, and goes far to assure the relief of that city from the state of siege it has long endured. " Lord Methuen has certainly made good progress. He is more than 600 miles from Cape Town, fifty miles beyond the Orange River and about twenty miles from Kimberley. The successive points taken by him after crossing the Orange River are Belmont, Gras Pan, Honey Nest and Modder River, where there is an insignificant village and railroad station at the junction of a small stream of the same name with the scarcely larger Riet River. Beyond it the stations and villages are closer together — Merton, Spytfontein, Wimbledon ; then the considerable town of Beacons- field, which is practically a suburb of Kimberley, with 10,000 inhab- itants and containing the Du Toit's Pan and Bulfontein diamond mines ; and then Kimberley itself. " It is understood that Beaconsfield is still in British posses- sion, standing siege along with Kimberley and defended by the, same general force. The railroad from Modder River to Beacons- field is not in a condition to be used. That does not matter, how- ever, as the distance is so short and as there is a good road running parallel with the railroad just to the east of it. 328 BRITISH VICTORIES. " Whether a clearing of the line to Mafeking, or even to Bula- wayo, is the sole mission of this daring and masterful commander is, however, an open question. Some reinforcements are on their way up to join him. It will not escape notice that he is not only nearest of all British commanders to Bloemfontein, but nearest to Pretoria, too. And he is on the most direct road thither — we might say almost the only practicable road. For an advance across the Drakensberg from Natal would be most difficult. One from Coles- berj_- >by way of Norval's Pont and Bloemfontein would be easy if the 5 ailroad were to be utilized. LONG AND DIFFICULT MARCH. " But the Boers will make sure that the railroad shall not be utilized. In that case the march from the Orange River would be much longer and more difficult than from the western border. There is no good wagon road running directly from the Orange River to Bloemfontein, and none from Bloemfontein to Pretoria. But from Kimberley there is a fine great highway running parallel with the Vaal River and leading right up to Johannesburg and Pretoria, and there is another, and not a long one, from Mafeking. " Thus Lord Methuen's army was the advance guard of the whole movement upon the Boer States, and to him was intrusted the coveted task of leading the invasion. He was known to be a brave commander, fertile in resources, courageous in the face of the enemy, equipped with long experience and heroic fortitude, and nothing was felt to be wanting to insure complete success in the endeavor to raise the siege of Kimberley." A detailed account of the hard fight at Modder River is fur- nished by an eye-witness of that terrible battle : " The severest engagement our column has yet had, and probably the severest of the whole campaign, was fought November '.?8th. The battle was waged fierceb/' for nearly fourteen hours. The enemy occupied a strongly entrenched position, their front extend- ing five miles along the bank of the stream. They were well supplied with artillery, and fought desperately. " Our force consisted of the second battalion of the Coldstream BRITISH VICTORIES. 321> ^he Guards, tiie first battalion of the Scots Guards, the third battalion of the Grenadier Guards, the first battalion of the Northumberland Fusileers, the second battalion of the Yorkshire Light Infantry (the King's Own), a part of the first battalion of the Loyal North Lancashire Regiment, the Ninth Lancers, the mounted infantry, three batteries of field artillery and the first battalion of the Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders (Princess Louise's). AN AWFUL HAIL OF BULLETS. " The latter reinforced us from General Wauchope's brigade, and arrived just in time for the fight. The battle started at day- break, our guns shelling" the Boers' left. The enemy replied with artillery, Hotchkiss and Maxims, and the artillery duel lasted some hours. Then ther*^ was a brief lull in the enemy's operations, of which the general immediately took advantage. Our infantry ad- vanced across the plain towards the river in two brigades. '' The Guards, on the right, were met by an awful hail of bullets from the enemy's sharpshooters, posted close to the river on the opposite bank. Ours had no cover whatever, and were simply mowed down. It seemed impossible to live through the terrible fire, but the brave fellows did not retreat an inch. The Boer fire was horribly accurate, and they must have had a large force. " The Scots Guards advanced 600 yards before they were fired on. Then they had to lie down to escape the deadly fusillade which lasted, without intermission, throughout the day. The High- landers made several attempts to force a passage of the river, but the}' were exposed to such a murderous enfilading fire that they had to retire after they had suffered terribly. Subsequently a party of the Guards got over and held their own for hours against a vastly superior force. "The general opinion of the staff is that there had never been such a sustained fire in the annals of the British army as that which our troops had to face. Our men fell in dozens while trying to rush the bridge. Among the many heroic deeds, one of the most conspicuous was that of Lieutenant-Colonel Codrington, of the Coldstream Guards ; Captain Sellpein, of the Queensland con- ■ '•■p'l fitT -/ 330 BRITISH VICTORIES. tingent, and a dozen members of the Coldstream Guards, who jumped into the river and swam nearly to the other side in the face of a steady fire, but who were forced to retire, and, joining hands, swam back, two of their number being nearly drowned in the retreat. " The British guns kept up a heavy fire all day ; and fearful havoc was wrought on the Boer positions, the enemy being forced to fly from their entrenchments. Night put an end to the terrible blood ihed. The infantry brigade was dreadfully cut up." THE FIGHT BEFORE REACHING MODDER RIVER. Fur'.her details of the battle at Gras Pan showed that the British arms achieved a brilliant victory. The enemy, strongly entrenched, held a range of hills commanding both sides of the railwa)'^ at Rooi Laagte, near Gras Pan. The Lancashires, under Lewis, recon- noitered in an armored train. The Boers shelled the train, killing Lewis and a private. General Methuen then advanced. His column made a detour and bivouacked for the night at Swinks Pan, three miles from the Boer position. At dawn the advance began, the Guards forming the reserve. The column debouched on the plain eastward of the Boer hills. The Boer guns opened fire. Two batteries of British artillery, posted on each side, shelled the Boers, the aim being good on both sides. The Boers stuck tenaciously to their positions, firing steadily and accurately. The duel, which constantly became hotter, lasted three hours. The Boer shells wounded several men of the Naval Brigade. Finding it impossible to displace the Boers with artillery, General Methuen resolved upon an infantry attack. A brigade of infantry, including the Yorkshires, the Northamptons, the North- umberlands and the Lancashires, with the naval brigade on the right, gallantly stormed the Boer positions, in the face of a wither- ing fire, and carried hill after hill, the brigade under Colonel Money capturing the main position against a terrific fire, but suffering severely. Commandant Rossik aided in leading the Boer forces. Many BRITISH VICTORIES. 831 of the Boer forces voluntarily surrendered. The Boers were shelled during the final retreat, and must have lost heavily, biit they succeeded in getting away northward with their six guns, Tlie British were badly in need of more cavalry. Among the Boer prisoners were Alderman Jeppe and Commandant Rossik, who led the Boer force. General Methuen, who commanded the British forces, is one of the most distinguished captains in the British service, and has had \ extensive experience in the field. He was ordered to Af. ' ca at the outbreak of hostilities, and raised to the rank of •lieutenant-general, the intention of the War Office being to make him second in com- mand to General Sir Redvers Buller. Brave, accomplished, educated for the army, and a man of excellent discretion and great ability for organization and administration of affairs, he is looked upon as one of tlie best generals in the army. DECORATED FOR BRAVERY. Lord Methuen received a medal for bravery at the battle of Amoaful, in the Ashantee war of 1873-74. In the Egyptian expedi- tion of 1882 he was present at Mahuta and Tel- jl-Kebir, was men- tioned in the " Gazette," and received a medal with clasp, bronze clasp and third-class Osmanieh decorations. He was honorably mentioned for his services as commander of the mounted rifles in the Bechuanaland expedition of 1884-85. He was military attache " at Berlin for three years, i878-*8i. He entered the army as ensign in the Guards in 1864. The march of events under General Methuen was swift. To him was committed the task of relieving Kimberley and he did not ling'^r on the way. On Wednesday, November 2 2d, he had got across the Orange River and began his advance towards the beleaguered city. On Thursday he attacked the Boers at Belmont and defeated them. On Saturda}^, as we have seen, he fought 1 another engagement with them at Gras Pan, ten miles north of Belmont, and again defeated them. He continued to advance and at Modder River he fought the most serious engagement of the war on Tuesday, with brilliant results. "PW^ •^fmtp^^mm W CHAPTER XXI. Curioi^s Sights in the Land of the Boers. HAT a great press agent war is! A few inoutlis before the war broke out South Africa was comparatively an unknown country, except to the few people whose interests or friends were there, but soop: the whole outside world had its eyes upon this quarter of the globe, and Durban, Ladysmith, Piet* , niaritzburg, Glencoe, Dundee, Colesburg, Kiraberley, Cok':i: o, Belmont, Gras Pan, Modder River Bridge and Mafeking are household words, and have all been studied carefully and located upon the map. This same agent brought *' e West Indies into proraii:ence during our war with Spain, and the Philippines have used it most effectively. The political situation in the Transvaal, or South African Republic, has been greatly strained for over a decade, and the feel- ing between the British and Boers has been very hostile for a long time. All have met the type of man who is continually looking for a iight, and, it seems to an outsider, that this has been the state of these two nations for years, and at last the climax was reached in the outbreak of hostilities. South Africa is a wonderful country, and at the end of the war will open up opportunities and present advantages to the young men of to-day untnualled by any other. The political atmosphere of the country has been written about and discussed so much that we can here pass it by, simply comparing it with the atmosphere of Johan- nesburg and Cape Town, where dust-storms are frequent, darkening and obscuring the air and often suspending business for hours at a time. A few words about the country, its people and their customs. The southern part of Africa has a fertile fringe around its coast, growing all the products of our own country, and, on the east coast, all the varieties of the tropics. The interior is a barren and desolate waste, known as the " Karoo," scarcely producing sufficient forage 332 CURIOUS SIGHTS I> Till': LAND OF THK MOKRS. .13,'] for stock-raising purposes, the principal pursuit of the Boers. One plateau is above another until an altitude of c/kjo feet above the sea is reached at Johannesburg. Very few rivers floM therein, and these go out of business in the dry season, and as the great rivers of Africa are too far distant to warrant building artificial waterways, a system of irrigation is (juite out of the question. Why Ooni Paul's people settled and remained in this part of the country can- not be understood, unless we believe the oft-told story that they love the veldt (plain) and its loneliness, as it Is most unattractive and grows exceedingly monotonous to the avi rage man. CHARACTER OF THE BOERS. The Boers are a sturdy, sluggish and lazy race, but at the same time subjecthig themselves to hardsli'ps of the worst kind. Since they have always lived in the open, they are physically per- fect, hardened, sacrificing and are marksmen of the best ability. These combinations make the type of soldier who fights to win, and, owing to their previous victories over the British and this individual motto : " We declare before God, who knows the heart, and before the world, that the people of the South African Republic have never been subjects of Her Majesty, and never will be," the British do not find their task an easy one. Such are the men, young and old, who left their homes, wives, families and sweethearts and went to the front in defense of their Republic, with a hope that they would be victorious, but the odds against them appeared so great as to cause the universal prediction that after the smoke of the heavy firing cleared away the Transvaal and the Orange Free State would be painted British red. If there can be such things as hermit families they are to be found among the Boers. They do not live in settlements, but build their houses far back from the regular transport roads, to keep their cattle free from passing teams, in order to avoid cattle diseases; and then they like to be out of sight of their neighbor's smoke ; twenty miles apart is a preferable distance to build. The Boer home- stead is as plain as its owner, usually a low, one-story structure, with steep tile roof and a small annex in the rear, which is used as n 334 CLTRIOUS SIGHTS IN THK LAND OF THE UOKRS. a kitchen. The door is on a lev°l vvu'h the ground, and four win- dows afford all the light that is required in the four square rooms in the interior. A diniug-room and three bed-rooms suffice for a family, how- ever large. The best of the latter is always ready for the stranger who may stop for the night, besides the best food the kitchen holds and a goodly supply of fodder for his horses, provided he is un- tainted with British blood. The floors are hardened clay, liberally coated with manure, which is used to ward ofT the pestiferous insects that swarm over the plains. Houses are built in a valley, in close proximity to a stream, and nearly always devoid of trees. Native trees are such a rarity that travellers may go many miles without being able to rest in the shade of a single one. HOW THEY BEGIN THE DAY. The Boer rises with the sun, and after the chores are done the family meet at breakfast and an hour is spent in reading the Bible, which guides them in everything. When the meal is finished, the men start with their flocks, and are gone until the sun sets. This life is followed in winter and summer, except in the dry season, when the whole family desert the home, and, with " bok-wagen" (travelling wagon), become nomads and wander around, allowing their flocks to graze, returning to their homes in the winter. All are thoroughly religious, and some families have special church wagons, with long and roomy bodies for a " katce " or hang- ing-bed, in which to travel to their nearest chitrch, a trip which often means three days from home, to church and back again. Of all that has been written about the Boers, the writers have commented upon their uncleanliness, which is quite true, but at times water is a scarce article in their country. Many stories are related of the seltzer-water baths indulged in by the early pioneers of Johannes- burg, costing from $5.00 to $10.00 each. It is related that on one occasion a shower-bath was taken in the Gold City at a cost of $18.00. The Boers have their " city cousins," who are smart, shrewd and industrious, being able to cope successfully with the financiers CURIOUS SKIH'IS IN THK LAND OK I'lIK lUHOkS. im of the dilferont nations whose representatives have drifted into Johannesburg and Pretoria. Johannesburg, the Gold City, as it is rightly called, is a Mid- way Plaisance in a greater sense than the one to which we were introduced at the World's Fair in Chicago. Allow your mind to imagine a city of over 100,000, made up of men and women from England, Ireland, Wales, France, Scotland, Germany, America, Portugal, Spain, Italy, Norway, Denmark, China, Japan, Russia, Anstria, vSweden, Turkey, India, Arabia, Australia, New Zealand, all the countries of South America, IMexico, British North America, Alaska, and, in fact, every country under the snn, all wearing their native costumes and head-dress, speaking their own language, following their own customs, but all seeking gold and diamonds in the mines by hard worlc, and you have a fair representation of the only city in South Africa noted for business and hustling en- terprise. Other towns are slow and stagnant. MEN FROM EVERYWHERE TRYING THEIR LUCK. It is a disappointment that the inhabitants of Mars are not there, and if passenger communication were in use between the two planets, Martians would surely be found there, " trying their luck." If they could reach this fascinating city, to coin a new word, would they be " Outskyers," inasmuch as the aliens are Outlanders ? All of the other cities except Kimberely are dependent upon Johannesburg, which is like a wealthy brother generously support- ing all of his brothers and sisters. Cape Colony and Natal furnish all the grain, fruits and vegetables, and a duty is imposed on all goods imported into the Transvaal through the ports of these colonies, and a heavy railroad charge is also incurred. These charges are also applicable in the Orange Free State, making double customs and railroad charges. It is the most expensive city in the world to live in. The main portion is thoroughly modern and up-to-date, but once outside of the centre, it becomes a typical mining camp, with low corrugated iron shanties which are the sleeping quarters of the thousands of Out- landers, and all the accessories which go to make up a mining """l wmm: m^mm. 336 CURIOUS SIGHTS IN THE LAND OF THE BOERS. settlement. Gambling finds plenty of followers. Fonr lottery companies are established in the city and all have quarterly draw- ings, when thousands of pounds change hands. The " thr-ee-shell " game and other devices of the sort are often encountered on tha street corners. Even the women and children speculate in gold shares. The goal which the people who are temporary residents there seem to aim for is to accumulate, in any manner, a suJBficient amount of money to enable them to return to their home.-5 and live quietly after their busy life of a few years at this city that was built in a day in the centre of South Africa. It is the stopping place of the multi-millionaire and the beggar, and, in the constant flow of cosmopolitan life, each man makes the biggest show possible. HOTEL LIFE AT JOHANNESBURG. Hotels are plentiful and expensive. The cheapest $5.00 and the best $10.00 per day. The Goldfields Hotel is strictly a bachelors' hotel and is well patronized. Ail is built on the ground floor and everything- conducted in a " go-as-you-please " manner. In the dining-room which is always crowded at noon and in the even- ing, it is a common sight to find men in evening dress and sitting opposite or next to them will be found others in mining garb of a flannel shirt and trousers stuck in boot tops. After the meal is finished pipes are filled and the scene changes to a smoker. Seventy-five per cent, of the Outlanders sleep in iron shanties and have coifee and rolls served irx their rooms in tl".u morning. I/Uncheons and dinners are ttiken at the different hotels in the city. Cab fares are five times as high as in N-iw York. Drinks ex- pensive and largely consumed. Two theaters and five music halls, prize fights, pony and bicycle races furnish the amusement. English repertoire companies cover the circuit in South Africa, and English, French, American and German artists are brought out by the music hall managements. Barmaids have birthdays every month and a dance is given in celebration. Tickets to dance cost $5.00 each and are sought after by their many friends. CURIOUS SIGHTS IN THE LAND OF THE BOERS. 337 In Cape Town is known as the " front door" to South Africa. Fully one-half of the money seekers who arrive in this country enter by this port, although it is not the shortest route to the gold fields, which are in the Transvaal and up-country districts. But, after a passage of twenty-one days, a change from the deck of the steamer to the land is a most agreeable one and the tourists are willing to go ashore. The usual plan is for travellers to remain at Cape Town two or three days and then take a train for their up-countiy destin ation. Upon the arrival of a mail stamer Cape Town is crowded for several days, until the people get started upon the last lap of their journey, and then the place settles down to its Uvormal state. The next port to Cnpe Towai is Port Elizabeth, 480 miles dis- tant. This is known as the " back door" to South Africa, and it is at this port that all of the cargo for the up-country is unloaded from the steamers. For this purpose a jetty or pier, has been built into Algoa Bay, extending over 300 feet fiom the land and costing thousands of pounds. NOVEL WAY OF GETTING A3HORE. East London is the port of entry for the Orange Free State. When the steamer reaches this place the tourist is introduced to a novelty, in the manner of transferring passengers from the steamer to the tender which is to convey them ashore. It is called the " basket tnck." The water in this port is so rough that in unload- ing the passengers to the tender there would be great danger of loss of life, so an immense wicker-basket is suspended to a derrick on the deck of the steamer. Three persons are placed in it at a <-ime. The signal is given and the passengers are let out of their temporary prison and the basket is returned for another load This method of disembarking passengers is also in use at the por: of Durban, Durban is then reached by the East Coast route, and, once installed, 3!'0U come to find this the only desirable place in which to live. The whole colony is garden-like. Stately palms and flowing bamboos surround banana groves, cane-fields, pine-apple planta- tions, tea and coffee estates. Pretty little farmers' cottages ire ?.i , w, iipyin!wiiiipi9pppnpiipq 338 CURIOUS SIGHTS IN THE LAND OF THE BOERS. dotted throughout the country and open-eyed and humorous natives together with solemn and thin-faced coolies lend picturesqueness lo the scenes. Pretoria, the capital of the South African Republic, is thor- oughly a Dutch city filled with a young and floating population drawn from the Republic, the Orange Free State, Natal and Cape Colony. The life there is similar to that found in Washington. Kimberley is termed " a slow show," as everything is owned and controlled by the DeBeers Mining Syndicate. The Kimberley Club is located here and it is the " swellest " club in South Africa, Cecil Rhodes, Alfred Beit, J. B. Robinson and other famous South Africans hold forth there. The late Barney Barnato spent much of his time at this club. I MOST FAMOUS SOUTH AFRICAN TRIBE. Of the natives the most interesting are the Zulus, the " foui hundred " of the South African tribes. In the the Transvaal all natives must wear a tag, bearing a number, which is registered, upon their coat sleeve or arm and displayed conspicuously at all times. They are not allowed to walk on the pavements or to ride in public cabs or tram-cars. At 9 o'clock in the evening, a curfew bell is rung and all natives must be in their kraals, and if found on the streets after this hour they are liable to arrest and a fine. The native police of Natal are the most interesting characters a writer could find in his travels in South Africa, and volumes could be written about their characteristics and customs. They seem to be at every point in the colony and almost numberless in the cities. The work they have to perform is to keep the natives straight and to act as watchmen at night, and they are not allow^-d to arrest the whites. They take great pride in their uniforms— in fact, as much as the police of our country do — and they always look neat. They will ogle the nurse girls iri the parks and the squares; so, naturally, some might say, they make good police. The ricksha boys of South Africa are famous the world over. They are found in Durban, Pitermaritzburg and Johannesburg. There are over 800 rickshas on the streets of Durban, and they CURIOUS SIGHTS IN THE LAND OF THE BOERS. XVJ greatly enhance the picturesqueness of this semi-tropical city. These vehicles are used principally by the business men in going from their offices to the different parts of the city. Although employed for distances of four, five and six miles, and with two pas- sengers, the boys will keep on a trot the entire distance, which is reall}^ remarkable when you consider the work. On the short drives around town they develop great speed. All the boys are Zulus and head-dress is one of their customs. Horns, feathers and wings are used in this decoration and even dis- carded creations of " Worth " are worn by the more fortunate ones. The boots around the ankles are made of reed and contain small gravel stones, which rattle while the boy is in motion and make con- siderable noise. Very few speak or understand English, and passengers must know the streets thoroughly if they wish to reach a certain point quickly. HOW THE RICKSHA IS GUIDED. You start the boy in the direction you wish to go, and, if necessary to turn any corners, you simply extend your leg and touch the boy's back, and he then turns his head and yor point with your finger to the road you wish him to take ; and when you reach your destination, by simply using the Zulu word " ponda," which means down, the shafts are lowered and you can easily dis- mount. The fares are fixed according to the distance, and ricksha stands are located in the different parts of the city. It is quite amusing to watch them solicit fares. A guest of the Royal Hotel will walk to the gates and hold up his hand, and every boy who may be waiting at this particular stand will jump with alacrity and pull his ricksha to the entrance of the hotel and solicit his patronage in pigeon English, using the expressions : " IMe fast runner, boss;" " Me go quick, boss;" " Me taka soon, boss," and many others. Say twenty are at the stand, only one can be utilized, hence nineteen must be disappointed ; but it apparently makes no difference, as they laugh and jump and seem to be as pleased as if they had been successful in securing the passenger. The boys are very playful and in starting ofiF they curve their necks and neigh 340 CURIOUS SIGHTS IN THE LAND OF THP: BOERS. like horses and also imitate locomotives. A ride in a ricksli? will carry one back to his boyhood days of playing horse with a small express wagon and a boy to draw it. Throughont South Africa are many Hindoos and they are par- ticularly plentiful in Natal. They are brought out from India on account of their Empire being over-populated, and are distributed among the farmers, under the care of an emi;i:rant agent or inspec- tor. They work as slaves for three years and tlien become free and receive the regular wage of a In^-orer. Quite a few are established as traders, importing silks, lace and silverware from India. The women decorate themselves to le extreme with silver and gold jewelry. This also applies to th<_ poorer classes, as the men have coins of the different denominations melted and made into jewelry of all kinds for their wives and sweethearts. This was one of their modes of saving mone}' until the money basis of India was changed from silver to gold. CURIOUS DWELLINGS OF IE KAFFIRS. Kaffir Kraals, the homes of the different South African tribes, are built in settlements. The framework is made of striplings and then thatched, making them water-proof. There are no windows or doors excepting one small openirg as a means of ingress and egress, and this is quite low and adults have to crawl in on their hands and knees, as the height will not permit them to enter in an upright position. A family of twenty will occupy a kraal, which is simply one room, there being no partitions. The}' are devoid of beds and the ground is used for this purpose. From all indications the occu- pants are as happy as people who reside in castles. Hotel life is both interesting and novel. Interesting in the cities where modern hostelries are found, copied after the style oi the English inns. The Royal Hotel, at Durban, is worthy of spe- cial mention. It is built and conducted upon the Oriental plan. Hindoo waiters, attired in immaculate white suits with turbans to match, move iioiselessl}'^ around f:h'- diUiJig-room with bare feet. Wicker furniture and tropical plants giace every nook and corner, and with guests in evenin;..: dress^ v,'iii-h is cbe custom, make CURIOUS SIGHTS IN THE LAND OF THE BOERS. 341 an exquisite dinner scene. This hotel ranks favorably with the world's best, and is used as officers' headquarters during the war. It i:- one of the best that the collaborator found iu his travels. Novel are the country parts where the old Dutch customs are retained. One of the queer experiences in stopping at an inn, which is the post-cart station, is going to bed in a room with five men, for the rooms contain as many beds as they will hold, often five and six, and never less than two. Five out of the six room- mates may be booked for the post-cart, due at midnight. The cart arrives and deposits four or five passengers and takes on the five who are booked. The incoming passengers take the places of the outgoing passengers, and in the morning you arise with five dif- ferent men from those you retired with. IMMENSE FREIGT-' :* WAGONS. Transportation is done by the lailways, owned by the different governments, travelling wagons, Cape carts, American spiders, cabs, automobiles and rickshas. The train service is a most excel- lent one when the travelling population is considered. Two departures each way between the centres daily. The. " bok-wagen,'' or travelling wagon of the Transvaal, is a great sight. All of the heavy mining machinery of the Transvaal and Rhodesia was transported on these freight wagons. The bodies are twenty feet long by seven between the wheels, and are drawn by fourteen, six- teen or eighteen trained bullocks "spanned" in pairs. In the front of all this snake-like outfit walks the " voor-looper " leading the front pair by th-^Jr '' reims," which he has so hitched in a loop that he can hold Ic and walk before them out of horn's reach. Then " Hawt-yeh," yells the driver, with a smack of his whip as loud as a rifle shot, and the great freighter begins its steady crawl. Nature has caused this steady influx of people to South Africa, but not that part of nature which shows itself above ground, for " The rivers of South Africa have no waters, The birds no song, the flowers uo scent," but that w...jh is hidden deep below — shining gold and glittering diamonds — is a world-wide attraction. /.-, 342 CURIOUS SIGHTS IN THl. 'AND OF THE BOERS. People grew tired of the Midway Plaisance at the Wo -Id's Fair, and perhaps the patient Boers have become tired of the one that has been holding forth in Johannesbnrg for fifteen years, and the}'' have shouldered their modern guns of the best make, wives and mothers have placed " biltong " (a piece of beef dried in the sun) and a few biscuit in their pockets, and they have crossed the lonely veldt to join forces and crush their annoyers, who, no doubt, were v/orse than the noisy " tom-toms " at our Chicago Fair, and which we revolted against. The Capitol of the Transvaal is a noble pile of buildings, stately, imposing and dazzlingly white in the blatant sunshine, against the bluest of blue skies. The Volksraad, or Parliament building, fronts on Market square, Pretoria, and looks directly into the church which is less imposing — almost humble — in its modest absence of any particular order of architecture, save the practically utilitarian. To the right of the government buildings is a great square block of four or five stories in height, each with a verandah. BUSINESS QUARTER OF PRETORIA. This is the Grand Hotel, a"d stands on the site of what was once the comparatively humble dwelling of Mr. Lys, one of the old- est and most resolutely honest and reputable Transvaal burghers. He is now dead, and his son lives elsewhere. To the left of the buildings is a queer wedge-shaped block of offices, behind which is the theatre, and in front of which are two or three gnarled old oaks, the appointed centre of the weekly auctions which take place on the Market square. Every Saturday, in the piping times of peace, the square is full of hucksters, buyers, wagons, carts, horses, oxen and stray stalls, where almost anything may be bought, from a ritle to the latest comic song. It is a very ordinary thing to see sales advertised in the Pretoria papers as taking place " under the oaks." The summit of the Raad- zaal or government buildings is surmounted by a bronze female figure, which is intended to tj'-pify the Spirit of Liberty. Incredu- lous Boers, however, always agog to spy out some hidden taunt or allusion, insist that it is a statue of Queen Victoria. CURIOUS SIGHTS IN THE LAND OF THE BOERS. 343 There is a great portico, and a flight of steps that give access to the inner hall. The doors are guarded by artillerymen in jackboots, a blue coat, a white helmet, a revolver slung across their shoulder, and a carbine in the hand. From the hall a staircase, wide, well-propor- tioned, and handsomely appointed, leads up to the first floor, where the great Raadzaal, or House of Commons, is situated. A fine, large, lofty hall, well decorated in sombre colors, on the walls portraits of past presidents of the South African Republic. Galleries for the press and the public A great dais, on which sit the chairman of the First Raad, the vice-chairman and Paul Kruger. Below them sit the secretaries and clerks, and below them again are three concentric horseshoes of desks, each with its own armchair. Here the members sit. There are not thirty of them, all told. Here and there, between the Raadsleden, or members, are bottles of water and glasses, which are much used by intending speakers. MOTTO OF THE TRANSVAAL. Above the chairman's head is the Transvaal coat-of-arms, sur- mounted by the vierkleur, or four-colored national flag — red, white, blue and green — below which is the country's motto, " Eendraagt maakt magt" (Union makes strength). Round about the horseshoe tables sits a medley of more or less smooth farmers. Nearly all have fine, striking, picturesque heads; and by a curious freak of reversion to the original type, despite all their terrible degeneration for nearly a centurj^, the heads in the aggregate distinctly suggest the same type as in Rembrandt's "States-General" at the Hague. And no wonder, for the Boer of to- day and the burghers of that date are directly related by descent in the fourth and fifth generations. The speaking is hoarse, gruff, guttural, hesitating, rarely fluent, unless one of the leaders and known orators gets up to pour forth his views. The president is a poor speaker as to manner, his matter on the controversy is often excellent, convincing, full of apt similes, and exactly calculated to the mental capacity of his audience. Now and then the ever wily Oom Paul simulates anger or disgust, talks about resigning, and stalks out of the Council Chamber. But ii' III ! 'il ill !•! Miii* J-/ \ 844 CURIOUS SIGHTS IN THK LAND OF THE B0P:RS. it is mere bluff, and has occurred too often for even the youngest member to be taken in by his periodical cry of " wolf." The sittings of the Raad take place in the mornings ; occa- sionally, in times of stress, in the afternoons, but never in the evenings. Very often a " secret session" takes place. All strangers 'and the press are excluded, and the debates are said to wax very hot and personal. Each hour an adjournment takes place for smoking, and pipes are produced, which are promptly loaded up with the curiously dry, but very fascinating, Boer tobacco from Magaliesberg. The pile of Government buildings is new in appearance. Formerly the Raad sat in a tumble-down shanty with a thatched roof just across the church square. During the building of the new edifice their honors met in the theatre, and it is said that the dramatic surroundings were not without their effect upon tbe speeches. ,- A CHAPTER XXII. Remarkable Features of the British Campaign. WHILE no great advantage had so far been gained by the British forces, they were engaged in very active operations, the final outcome of which was awaited with great interest. It is possible to give a clear statemeiij; of }:|je sjtuation at this stage of the campaign. The renowned General IMethnen, noted not only as a success- ful strategist, but also as a brave fighter, started with his column to relieve the " dia/////;jd t(jwn " of Kimberley. He had a railroad base and open lines behind him. He was expected to push rapidly forward to his terminus, sixty miles from Bloemfontein, ready to threaten the very centre of the Orange Free State. From Belmont on he had now fought ten days. He had with him about 7000 men, a picked force selected of the best that could be brought together, including the Guards Brigade, the Naval Brigade and regiments of tried character. He lost in killed and wounded 1002 men, one-seventh of his total force. He successively placed in action each of the brigades of which his ulvision was composed. His men fought with unflinching gallantry. They were rammed against unshaken infantry under cover, occupying strong positions. He made progress, but cap- tured few prisoners, except those too seriously wounded to retreat. He had not taken a gun or a wagon, neither captured nor broken up a single one of the enemy's organizations, and, except among the wounded, he captured no officer of rank. Military men know only too well the condition in which two weeks of fighting of this character leaves any army, however determined. Nothing so takes the edge off of an advancing force as a succession of assaults which win only empty positions, a bit of trodden ground, a breastwork Strewn with empty cartridges and desperately wounded men, here 345 346 REMARKABLK ENGLISH CAMPAIGN. li- M:\ and there a skulker under cover, and all else withdrawn in good order and in position on the hill beyond. If, after an opening of this sort, Lord Mcthuen and his men, even with reinforcements, were still able to force their way to Kimberley, all agreed that they would display qualities of the very highest character as leader and led. At that point they would make a junction with a force of 2760 men (of which about one-third were regulars in the North Lancashire Regiment), nine Maxims and twelve fiv Id-guns. The purpose of the British plan of campaign was clear. If Tvord Methuen reached Kimberley he could threaten Boer communi- cations and make a demonstration against the capital of the Orange Free State, while two British forces were operating, one for the relief of Ladysmith and the other along the lines of railroad which reach from De Aar Junction, Naauwpoort and Stormberg. THE SITUATION AT LADYSMITH. Sir George White, at Ladysmith, when he began operations, had four cavalry regiments, ten infantry battalions, six field-bat- teries and one mounted battery, with about 1400 local troops, mak- ing about 12,000 men. Of these about one-half were shut up in Ladysmith, beleaguered by the Boer forces, which could not have been much over 8000 to 10,000, though English estimates were much greater. When a junction was effected at Ladysmith the English force there must have outnumbered the Boer force. This was also the case in the approach from the south toward Bloemfontein, and it transpired that Lord Methuen's force was to his opponents about in the proportion of 7000 to 5000 ; it must, however, be remembered that, while Lord Methuen started with 7000 men from his railroad base, he was more fortunate than most men in campaign if, after a month of operations under this dogged fighting, he had over 4500 men to put in line for a general action. This was the situation : General Methuen moving to Kimberley, General Gatacre concentrating on the lines of converging railroad toward Bloemfontein and General Clery approaching I^ady smith. The campaign had passed out of its first stage. In the ten REMARKAMLE I:N(;L1SH CAMPAICN. 347 weeks after the xtltiinatuni was issued the Boers had ever}' possible advantage which their prompt action could give ihcni. The period of the offensive was over for them, and from this time on they would be occupied in defending the three points just mentioned at which they were massed in force. The results which tlic Boers won dur- ing these ten weeks were ampl sufficient to justify their action. SI..E OF THE BOERS' ARMY. While English estimatvs of the force opposed to them would make in the aggregate a Boer force of from 28,000 to 30,000 in the field, the actual population of tho Transvaal, the ordinary condi- ticms of civil life, which has to be continued during war by some- body, and the possible military force which can be raised by any given population, rendered it impracticable that the Boers should have a force of over from 22,000 to 25,000 all told. This was the extreme limit. Deducting guards, men needed to watch frontiers, which, both to the northwest and the northeast, were threatened by savage tribes, and the inevitable attrition of military operations, and the Boer force on the fighting line, which extented in an irregu- lar oval of nearly 500 miles, was from 16,000 to 18,000 men. The figures given in dispatches were much larger, but so dur- ing our own war were the uniform estimates of the Confederate forces. Like the Confederate forces, the Boers have the advantage of a large colored population, which can be used for camp purposes, v/hile the English forces, organized like our own, have to reduce their military effective in order to provide for cumbrous trains and camp work. This force of the Boers, of from 16,000 to 18,000 men, had at the opening in October opposed to it about 11,000 regular troops, which various volunteer British forces raised to between 16,000 to 18,000 men. Roughly speaking, this English force had about 1200 men in Mafeking, 2760 in Kimberley, about 1000 without artillery at De Aar Junction, which was made a depot of supplies, and about 6000 under Sir George White, with a base at Ladysmith. The remainder were dispersed along the coast, covering communications and in other ways removed from the actual field of hostilities. J I ^^ '^^a> IMAGE EVALUATION TEST TARGET (MT-S) 1.0 I.I l^|2£ 12.5 1^ 1^ 12.2 2r 1^ III 2.0 1.8 1.25 1.4 m 4 6" - ► VI vw "W '^// PhotDgraphic Sciences Corporation 23 WEST MAIN STREET WEBSTER, N.Y. MS80 (716) 872-4503 5 ^^ :% ^ 6^ •^ Hi^.-kM i.(^Ri«p4!»wiiij.ii^p« iipyir " ^^•^^m^^^^mg^ 848 REMARKABLE ENGLISH CAMPAIGN. In ten weeks the Boer force took from the British about 15CX5 prisoners. It inflicted a loss in killed of about 500 and in wounded Ci" about 1400, or in all about 3400. The Boer loss in the same time it is difiicult even to estimate. The English statements of a *' large Boer loss " after every battle may have been in the main correct. Putting together, however, the statements issued from Pretoria, the actual number of prisoners reported and the killed buried, the Boer loss must have been in the neighborhood of from 1000 to 1200. FAILED IN OFFENSIVE WARFARE. Meanwhile, the English force was raised by successive arrivals to about 56,000 men. What the Boers accomplished, therefore, was to inflict a loss of a little less than ten per cent, of the force opposed to them at a cost to their own force of a loss of about five per cent. They gained a moral advantage which it is impossible to overestimate, as it enabled them to harden, to con- solidate and to train their raw levies. Their capture in equipment, in horses, in food and in material was also considerable. Their failure, and it was a most serious one, was in initiative. Militarj' history has established i>s a principle, which is as incontrovertible as a problem in Euclid, that irregular troops cannot be trusted, ex- cept when in greatly superior numbers, to make hazardous assaults or effective offensive operations. Thfc very large depot of English ammunition at De Aar Junc- tion was for nearly three weeks under guard of a single regiment, unprovided with artillery. It was never attacked, much less de- stroyed. No one of the three positions invested was even seriously assaulted. The one risk at any one of them was of the lack of animuintion, and there was evidently, at Ladysmith, some reason for leading the Boers to feel that its fall was possible, or there would not liave been the constant succession of rumors which emanated from Boer sympathizers in Europe. The three points of superiority which marked the Boer campaign thus far were the great skill with which they, at every stage, in carrying on offensive operations, forced a British attack ; the range REMARKABLE ENGLISH CAMPAIGN. 349 of their artillery, which exceeds by nearly a mile the raiige of the English arm, as it would also of our own, and their success in moving to Ladysmith a field-gun intended for seige purposes, of great range and power. Such a gun offers great technical difficulties in its transporta- tion, in providing for its mount, the recoil being too great to b-' taken up by the carriage of an ordinary field-piece, and in the supply of its ammunition. But for the 5-inch navy guns thrown into Ladysmith by the energy and on the personal responsibility of a naval captain, the British position would have been completely comi- manded by the heavy Boer artillery. The Boer campaign, if it did nothing else, demonstrated that a strong artillery service can be organized with material which has hitherto been supposed to pre- clude an effective use of this weapon. COUNTRY AFFORDS STRONG DEFENSIVE POSITIONS. The Boer offensive was concentrated about North Natal, deter- mined by the presence there of a large English force. The English offensive was determined by the character of the country. South /Africa consists of a low and very narrow plain of an elevation of 100 to 500 feet. Above this runs for from 200 to 400 miles inland a rainless plateau of from 1500 to 2000 feet high. Where this reaches its highest level it comes to the more elevated plateau, sloping from mountains of 6000 feet on the east, with some peaks still higher, of the two republics to the river valleys which leave it en the west, and having an elevation of about 3000 feet. This plateau consists, as does so much of our own country on each side of the Alleghanies, of a broad expanse of saddle-back hills, separated by deep valleys in which run streams that have cut precipitous channels. It was over such a region that Lord Methuen was fighting. It offered ideal possibilities for defense. The streams are narrow ditches and the saddle-back, rolling-top hills furnish space for manoeuvre, for cover and for dogged defense. The Modder River, where General Methuen crossed it, in its steep bank, the slope beyond and the level, rolling plateau beyond, closfcly resembles the conditions General Burnside faced at Freder- 350 REMARKABLK KNGLISH CAMPAIGN. icksburg. Like General Burnside, General Metliuen crossed and assaulted at a terrible loss. His movements and action were prompt. The English reserves turned out with great rapidity. Nothing could be finer than the success with which Great Britain succeeded in gathering an army and in equipping its infantry regiments. Their one deficiency was in officers, and Boer marksmanship greatly aided the English difficulty at this point. With us our regiments grow their own officers in the field. English officers are and must be drawn from a class, and the English service has never yet been tried at this point by the rapid attrition of modern warfare. DEFICIENCY IN CAVALRY AND ARTILLERY. A misplaced economy has left English guns two horses short, and the cavalry remounts deficient. The result has been that, while the English infantry has gone on in rapid shipments, the cavalry and artillery have been deferred to the last, and English operations began with a most serious deficiency in both arms. The disaster at Lady- smith showed what untrained horses and mules may do in battle. It is a sad fact that our own military establishment is systematically unhorsed in its artillery and cavalry. It was generally conceded that if the English campaign opened with a serious disaster it would undoubtedly be because, against the advice of military experts, a few thousand pounds were saved during the preceding twenty years in horse flesh. The large number of British officers killed in battle in Natal brought out strenuous protests from many quarters against the ancient custom of British officers in refusing to take cover when under fire. From figures at Glencoe it is apparent that one out of every four men killed was an officer, whereas the organization exists upon the principle that to every twenty-five men there is one officer. It is evident that if the same ratio of mortality were kept up the British forces would become seriously underofficered. Among the enlisted men at Glencoe the proportion of killed to wounded was thirty to 156, while ten officers were killed to twenty-two officers bounded. The diffierence in the percentage led to the conclusion ^^^ REMARKABLE ENGLISH CAMPAIGN. 8fit that many of the officers were hit more than once and kept on leading their men after the first wonnd. The feeling in the army itself is that, thongh the regulations do not say the officers must not lie down, it is such an old- established principle that it would take a brave man to inaugurate a change, and the adage of the British soldier, " Follow wherever an officer leads,"^ is held still to be intensely true, for, though the officers believe the personnel of the army is as good as ever, it has been the history of Great Britain that ' Tommy Atkins " needs more leaaing than any other man in the world ; so the spilling of Great Britain's best blood is in this way accounted for. HEAVY LOSSES IN BATTLE. The proportion of the casualties as a whole caused a thrill of horror and sympathy throughout Great Britain, for the people now began to realize what a fight with a civilized enemy means. Old soldiers pointed out that at the Alma, one of the bloodiest battles in Great Britain's annals, the casualties totaled only six percent., whereas in the Boer engagements they considerably exceeded that figure. That the war was bound to come in process of time was the almost universal opinion of those who noted the trend of events and studied the situation. To show the bitter feeling between the English and Boers, we insert here an extract from a statement by Mr. Victor IM. Clement, who lived in the Transvaal three years, and who was one of the committee that made an armed protest against the alleged abuses of the Boer Government. Mr. Clem- ent's statement follows : ^'In 1886, when gold was discovered in the Transvaal, that ^country was miserably poor, and the government had no credit, 'it was largely in debt, and things were at so low an ebb that the government could not negotiate a loan for so paltry a sum as $25,000. Being in most urgent need of money, Presidefit Kruger, of the so-called Boer Republic, finally found a Jew named Sam Marks, who made a loan, taking as security therefor a mortgage on sixty Boer farms, each comprising many thousands of acres. mm^fffsf'ii^mfmmmmm I 862 REMARKABLE ENGLISH CAMPAIGN. "Following the discovery of gold there was a rush of English, Americans, French and Germans to the Transvaal, and by them and the capital which flowed in with them the countrj' has become one of the jichest in the world. In spite of the obstacles placed in the way, the mines have become the greatest producers of the yellow metal in the world, but the oppression of the foreigners by the Boer Government has become intolerable. "The system of concessions is a great evil. The government, for instance, for a large consideration, most of which finds its way into the pockets of dishonest officials, granted the sole right to one firm to sell djniamite. The result is that miners have to pay most exorbitant prices for " that to them indispensable material. The exclusive right to build railways in the Transvaal was sold to a Holland company, and so on down the line, until the privilege o.' selling almost every commodity is granted to some firm or indi- vidual. This state of things is almost as bad for the rank and file of the Boer population as for the foreigners, and the chief ben- eficiaries are the officials, the government receiving a very small percentage of the money paid for the concession. OUTLANDERS DENIED POLITICAL RIGHTS. . "The newcomers, the Outlanders, are as progressive and intel- ligent as any people in the world. The Boer population, all told, number about 78,000, while the Outlanders are 210,000. Of the latter about one-sixth are English, a good many are Americans and Germans, some French and a few of other countries. "The Outlanders have no political rights except to pay taxes. They are denied the franchise, have no r.ay whatever in the gov- ernment, and are without representation in the legislative ass em- blies. Yet they pay nine-tenths of the entire taxes. Their quota in 1899 was nearly $50,000. It is, moreover, almost an impossi- bility for a foreigner to become naturalized. So many conditions which canhot be fulfilled are prescribed that even under the most favorable circumstances the time required is so long that a man would die of old age before he could get his full citizenship. This is purposely arranged because the Boer rulers know that if ^c^ip^^:^- REMARKABLE ENGLISH CAMPAIGN. 8S8 foreigners were admitted to citizenship and given the right of suf- frage their reign would be short. "Johannesburg has a population of over 100,000, most of whom are debs .rred from the franchise. Among them originated the demand foi reform and equal rights. They took up arms in 1895, "w^^^ the intention of enforcing their demands on Kruger. They made arrangements with Jameson, the administrator at Rhodesia, who had 480 English soldiers under his command, that if the armed 'committee' failed, he would come to their help with his troops, whom he massed at Mafeking. PROMISES MADE ONLY TO BE BROKEN. **Oom Paul became alarmed at the turn affairs were taking, and sent representatives to Johannesburg to meet the reform com- mittee and adjust matters without recourse to arms. Kruger invited members of the reform committee to meet him at PretOiia. A d ;putation was sent, and an understanding was reached with Kruger and his cabinet, whereby the Boers agreed to such amend- ments to the laws as would enable Outlanders to become citizens within a reasonable time. An armistice was established, and the committee, 2,600 strong, agreed to peace. " Against the instructions of the committee and for some unex- plained reason, Jameson with his little band, crossed the border. They were outnumbered by the Boers, and either taken prisoners or slain. Jameson's unjustifiable action placed the English gov- ernment in a bad position. The English High Commissioner of South Africa came to the Tr?,nsvaal with a view to arranging terms for the release of Jameson's band. The only condition upon which Kruger would release the prisoners was that the reform committee would tur i over their arms to the Boers. "The High Commissioner sent a representative to the reform committee, and to save Jameson and his men, and on the assurance from Kruger that no action would be taken against them, and on the promise that the British Government would see that the reforms agreed to by the Boers would be carried out, tk« commit' tee turned over their arms to the Boers. 23 '*^^^sS^«&iK:IiS,^ I I i ! 864 REMARKABLE ENGLISH CAMPAIGN. il "Instead of instituting reforms, tiie Boer Government engaged in making new laws still more oppressive to the Out- landers. About this time the case of Brown versus the Transvaal Government, involving Brown's right to mining claims worth $2,000,000, came up for trial. The five judges df the Supreme Court decided in favor of Brown, which made Kruger so angry, that he caused the removal of all of them from the bench. The Outlanders made an urgent appeal to Great Britain to exercise in their behalf the power of sovereignty over the Transvaal, con- ferred upon it by the previous treaty. "Three causes led up to the present war: "i. The Outlanders' demand for redress and sweeping reforms. "2. The question of England's suzerainty over the country, the Boers contending that it had been lost by the treaty of 1881, made with the Boers by the Gladstone Government. "3. An attempt by Kruger and the Dutch element to unite all the states in South Africa in one government, with Kruger at its head, and to exclude England from the country." SEVERE REPULSE OF GATACRE'S COLUMN. General Gatacre's column, which had been moving toward Stormberg, in Cape Colony, where it was known there was a formid- able force of Boers, met with a serious repulse on December loth. The British were misled by guides as to the enemy's position, and met with sharper resistance than was expected. General Gatacre left Putters Kraal by train for Molteno and then proceeded by forced march twelve miles toward Stormberg, his force including the Northumberland Fusileers, the Royal Irish Rifles and two batteries of field artillery, with other troops. The British were unmolested by the Boers until the Boer posi- lion was reached, when a hot fire was unexpectedly opened upon the advancing column. The engagement began at 4.15 a.m. At 7 A.M., after a sharp artillery duel, the British retired and marched • towards Molteno. General Gatacre found the enemy's position impregnable. It was impossible for the British infantry to get at the ^'^?'^^l»^^^^'ii?5jfifi*i|j»?) REMARKABLE ENGLISH CAMPAIGN. 355 Boers. The movement may be termed a reconnoissance in force. Its object was to ascertain the strength of the position of the Boers who were strongly entrenched along the Stormberg Range. Details of the engagement show that the column arrived safely within a couple of miles of its destination, the only incidents of the march being an occasional sudden call of " Halt," under the belief that the Boers were near. Suddenly a terrific fire opened simulta- neously on the British front and right flank. The Royal Irish Rifles, which formed the advance, sought shelter behind a neighbor- ing hill, and were speedily joined by the remainder of the column. It was soon found, however, that this position was also covered by Boer guns, which were more powerful than had been supposed. The troops, therefore, sought a safer position about half a mile away, two batteries in the meantime engaging the Boers and covering the troops in their withdrawal. RUSHING INTO A TERRIBLE FIRE. The action now became general at long range, and a detach- ment of mounted infantry moved northward with a view of getting on the enemy's right flank. Suddenly a strong commando was seen moving from the north and the Royal Irish Rifles and the Northumberland Regiment were sent out to meet it. It was soon discovered, however, that the Boeii; had machine guns well placed, and the British were compelled to face a terrible fire. Finding it impossible to hold the position in the face of an enemy apparently superior in positions, numbers and artillery, the British retired on Molteno, the Boers following up the retirement closely and bringing two big guns to bear on the retiring column. Advices received at the War Ofiice in London from Cape Town, dated December 9th (before the engagement above described), were as follows : "The position of the enemy in Stormberg district last night was the following : At Stormberg six encanipments ; at Dordrecht, 800 men; twenty-three miles south of Sterkstroom, 220 men. Major Elliott reports that Dalgetty, with a force, has gone toward Dord- recht to co-operate with Gatacre. The railway bridge at Modder 366 REMARKABLE ENGLISH CAMPAIGN. River was completed December ytli. Methuen reports that he made a demonstration up the line of the railway at daylight to-day with artillery. The enemy did not respond. Methuen is receiving the remainder of his reinforcements and supplies. He has established detached posts on his lines of communication. Mafeking reports all well on November 30th." Sir William Forbes Gatacre, commander of the British force that operated against Stormberg, won a great reputation in the British army in the campaigns in India and the Soudan, where he com manded brigades, and received many war medals for services in the lower grades of rank. He is a member of " Distinguished Service Order." The private soldiers in the barrack-room bestowed on the General the nickname of " Bill Backacher," on account of his capa- city for hark work. In the Soudan his brigade was recognized as the best marching force in the country, and General Gatacre him- self tramped cheerfully through the desert on the way to Khartoum. RECEIVED THANKS OF PARLIAMENT. From the time he entered the army in the Duke of Cambridge's Own Middlesex, he passed a most active military career. Having gone through the Staff College, he filled administrative posts at Aldershot and Madras, and later on filled the positions in India of assistant quartermaster-general on the headquarters staff, and adju- tant-general at Bombay. In the Chetral campaign of 1895, with his brigade forming part of the relief force, he conducted the action of Marragai, and had fierce fighting in the passages of the Janbatai and Lowarai passes. At the end of the 1898 campaign in the Egyp- tian Soudan, for his services at the battles of Atbara and Omdurmau, he received the thanks of Parliament, and was made a Knight Commander of the Bath. Another desperate engagement between General Methuen ';- column and the Boers occurred north of Modder River, in which the British troops met with serious check and suffered g^eat losses. Their artillery shelled a very strong position held by the enemy in a long, high kopje (hill), from 4 until dusk on Sunday, December TOth. The Highland Brigade attacked at daybreak, on Monday, "''-^^'-.^y^jiimf^ REMARKABLE ENGLISH CAMPAIGN. 867 the soutli end of che kopje. The attack was properly timed, but failed. The Guards were ordered to protect the Highlands' right and rear. The cavalry and mounted infantry, with a howitzer artillery battery, attacked the enemy on the left, and the Guards on the right, supported by field and howitzer artillery. They vigorously shelled the position from daybreak. At 1.15 o'clock. General Methuen sent the Gordons to support the Highland Brigade. The troops held their own in front of the enemy's entrenchments until disk, the position extending, including the kopje, for a distance of six miles toward the Modder River. GREAT BRAVERY OF BRITISH TROOPS. General Methiien held his position and threw up entrench- ments. His loss was heavy. Under date of December nth, an official report was issued by the Boers, as follows : "A battle at Modder River began on the loth with cannon firing, heavy fighting proceeding from 3.30 o'clock in the morning until 9.30 o'clock, with cannon, Maxim guns and rifles. A balloon has just arisen above the British positions, where it remained ten minutes and descended. There were heavy rains during the night. " At 9 o'clock this morning a further report was received from Modder River. A dispatch rider brought word that all the Boer positions had been maintained, and that forty-one British prisoners had been taken. At 9.30 o'clock it was reported that the heavy cannon fire had somewhat abated. The British are constantly using their balloon. The fighting was still going on at noon." From complete . accounts of the engagement it appears that, early in the evening, the Guards of the Highland Brigade moved from the Modder Camp, marching in the night in a northeasterly direction. The objective of the Highlanders was the eastern spur of the Boer position, the Guards following the bank of the river, while the Yorkshire Light Infantry moved along the riverside. Just be- fore daybreak, the Highlanders arrived within 200 yards of the Boer entrenchments at the foot of a hill. , . • . Unsuspecting that the Boers were in the vicinity, the British 5 '"3ff C!rp;mw>E:»jW«smW!?V4^J?»W«WM»'^ 368 REMARKABLE ENGLISH CAMPAIGN. were still marching in quarter column, in close order, when they met a terrible fire from the flanks and were forced to retire with heavy loss. The troops reformed under the shelter of some rising ground and gallantly held their position. Later, the Gordons arrived. The troops gradually worked their way until within 300 yards of the Boer positions, displaying the greatest gallantry. In the r* ,.::? while, a naval gun at the Modder River, the Howitzer bat- teries and the Horse Artillery opened a terrific fire, enfilading the trenches and searcning every portion of the Boer position. The Boer guns were entirely silent. In the meanwhile the Boers, on the open ground directly in front, moved with the object of making a flank attack. But this was frustrated by the Guards and artillery. The Boers recommenced shelling in the evening, but no damage was done. The British slept on their position. The losses on both sides were very heavy. Among the killed on the British side were the Marquis of West- minster and General Wauchope. The death of General Wauchope was widely deplored. A pathetic circumstance was that his wife was among the inquirers at the War Ofiice in London a few minutes before the telegram announcing his death was posted. A VALIANT GENERAL. Wounded in three campaigns — once very severely — during his soldier's life, General Wauchope fell as he wished, leading his own regiment, the Black Watch, to the attack. The position he had coveted was his. As Brigadier of the Highland Brigade, in which the Scotch Highland regiments of the First Army Corps were grouped, he was in the line cf succession to Sir Colin Campbell, Lord Clyde, under whom some of the sternest fighting and most brilliant feats of arms were accomplished in the Crimea and the Indian mutiny. Andrew Gilbert Wauchope, of Niddry Marischal, Midlothian, i came of a family long settled near the Scottish capital, the " heart" of the county. As a magistrate and deputy lieutenant he possessed considerable county influence, and for this reason was chosen as the conservative candidate to oppose Mr. Gladstone in what was a " for- REMARKAUM: KNCLISII CAMIAKiN. mi lorn hope" at the general election of 1892. Mr. Gladstone held the seat by an enormous majority, and it was with no prospect of oust- ing the aged statesman in his last electoral contest that Lietitenant- Coloncl Wauchope came forward. But it was one of the significant incidents of that general elec- tion that Mr. Gladstone's majority was greatly reduced by the simple soldier, who had no political pretensions. His life was passed in military service with but brief interruptions, and he devoted hims.'lf assiduously to maintaniing the traditional fame of the Black Watch, the second battalion of which, the old Seventy-third, he joined on entering the army. IN THE FOREFRONT OF BATTLE. He married, in 1882, Alethea, daughter of Sir Thomas Erskine. Accompanying his regiment, he fought with it in the Ashanti cam- paign of Sir Garnet Wolesley, in 1873-74, and gained a mention in the dispatches. At Tel-el-Kebir he was in the front, in 1882, and in the Gordon relief campaign two years later was severely wounded. He was selected for the command of a brigade in 1898, in Lord Kitchener's expedition to Khartoum. At the battle of Omdurman, when the advance from the Zariba to the city began, his brigade gave timely help to Macdonald's Egyptians. His services in this campaign brought him promotion to a Major-General's rank, and he received the thanks of Parlia- ment. Like Sir William Penn Symons, he was a typical regimental officer of the British army, with prospects of selection to an inde- pendent command, and his loss was all the greater blow. Detailed accounts 'of the sortie made from Ladysmith by the British in an effort to capture the Boer position on Gun Hill, showed that all the men taking part in it were on foot. Some wore rubber-soled shoes and carried no bayonets. When they had silently mounted the rocks, passing the sleeping Boer picket, they suddenly heard the challenge, " Who comes there ?" No reply was made, and the challenge was repeated. Then the Boers cried out several times: "The Redcoat! Shoot!" An officer of the Light HorseVolunteers thereupon shouted in Dutch: !iP^M^"^*^!^"?lPiilil wmmmm mm PipiiiPPiPiPPiPpi fc t 860 REMARKABLE ENGLISH CAMPAIGN. " The Redcoats with bayonets 1 Run !" The British cheered and charged. The enemy's fire broke out in front and rear, and the British in front thought their comrades were firing on them. Gene- ral Hunter ordered " cease fire" to be sounded, and the next minute the Boers bolted. Some thirty were surprised asleep. One of the Sergeants, amid the confujior , seized General Hunter by the throat, crying, " Who the devil are you r" There was a hurried search by the British for the big guns. For a moment the horrible thought seized them that there might be no guns at all ; that the enemy, as had often been the case, had somehow got wind of the projected attack and removed their cannon to a safe distance; but at last, to the delight of everybody, the " Long Tom" itself was discovered snugly ensconced behind a parapet of sand-bags thirty-one feet thick. A 4.7-inch howitzer was found in an emplacement hardly less strong, with a Maxim gun between the two, posted apparently for :he purpose of repelling an assault. DESTRUCTION OF BIG GUNS. Lieutenant Turner, with two sappers and six artillerymen, at once took charge of the " Long Tom," and with crowbars and ham- mers smashed the breach and elevating gear. Two charges of gun- cotton were then placed in the breech and muzzle and connected with fuses. While the Long Tom was thus being provided for, similar attention was bestowed on the howitzer by Captain Fowke and other sappers and gunners. The preparations being completed, General Hunter ordered the men down the hill. The fuses were lit with the burning ends of officers' cigars. Everybody fell back with the exception of Captain Fowke, who re- mained midway between the two big guns, and after a couple of minutes of suspense a loud report showed that the object had been accomplished. Captain Fowke hastened to examine the debris. He found the 6-inch gun with two gaping holes in the muzzle, which was badly bulged, and the breech rifling had been destroyed beyond all chance of repair. The howitzer was in even a worse plight, the explosion having wrecked the carriage as well as the gun. The Maxim was seized and carried off. ."fefiH REMARKABLE ENGLISH CAMPAIGN. 361 at The men returned to camp across the plain unmolested. Other trophies of the sortie were an English song book that was found in a cave underneath the parapet, where the gunners evidently took refuge, and a private letter, in which it was said that the burghers were not a bit frightened. In the desperate fight at Magersfontein, the Highlanders did . all that the most gallant troops in the world could do, but it was impossible to face the terrible fire of the Boers. The British artil- lery again saved the situation, and divided the honors of the day with the Scotchmen. The batteries worked for hours undei a galling rifle fire. The Boers suffered a heavy loss. A single lyd- dite shell killed or wounded more than seventy Boers, and two other shells ^urst over two bodies of Boers ensconced behind the range, doing fearful damage. The Boers fought throughout with the utriOPt gallantry. Their sharpshooters seldom missed the mark. BURSTING SHELL AT A PRAYER MEETING. A Boer, faultlessly dressed, with polished top-boots, a shirt with silk ruffles, and a segar in his mouth, was seen walking among the ant hills, picking off the British. This Boer was quite alone, and it was apparent from his frequent use of field-glasses that he was singling out ofl&cers. A lyddite shell, fired on Sunday, fell in the middle of an open-air prayer meeting, held to offer supplica- tions for the success of the Boer arms. All the wounded were full of praise for the treatment they received from the medical department on the battlefield. While the Guards were advancing on the plain, which the Boers were shelling from the adjoining ridges, they encountered and cut up a strong Boer picket, posted on a hill for purposes of observation. All the members of the picket were either killed, wounded or taken prisoners. Concerning the engagement at Magersfontein, General Cronje, commander of the L'oers, reported that there was desultory fighting for several hours, when heavy cannon fire was resumed. The Scandinavians stormed a difficult position, but it became untenable and they suffered severely. General Cronje was unable to send ■*'! mm mmmmmmmm 362 REMARKABLE ENGLISH CAMPAIGN. ■j ^ help. The British were in overwhelming force, but their losses were very heavy. Another ofl&cial report from Captain Finnhart stated that there were no signs of surrender, the burghers fighting with con- spicuous bravery and maintaining their positions under heavy British fire. The Boer cannon were of very little use. The British were greatly assisted by balloons. Twenty-four ambulances worked backward and forward between the fighting line and the enemy's camp, and were kept busy caring for the wounded. FIERCE BATTLE AT TUGELA RIVER. On the 15th of December General BuUer attempted to (l»ice a passage of the Tugela River in order to afford relief to Ladysmith, and diet with a serious reverse. He moved in full strength from his camp near Chieveley at 4 o'clock in the morning. There are two fordable places in the Tugela River, and it was his intention to force a passage through at one of them. They are about two miles apart. He planned to force one or the other with one brigade, sup- ported by a central brigade. General Hart was to attack the left ford. General Hildyard the right road, and General Lyttleton was to take the centre and co support either. Early in the day Buller saw that General Hart would not be able to force a passage and directed him to withdraw. He had, however, attacked with great gallantry, and his leading battalion, the Connaught Rangers, suffered a great deal. Colonel I. G. Brooke was seriously wounded. Buller then ordered General Hildyard to advance, which he did, and his leading regiment, the East Surrey, occupied Colenso station and the houses near the bridge. At that moment Buller heard that the whole artillery he had sent to support the attack — the Fourteenth and Sixty-sixth Field Batteries and six naval 12-pounder quick-firing guns — under Colonel Long, had auvanced close to the river in Long's desire to be within effective range. It proved to be full of the eneoiy, who suddenly opened a galling fire at close range, killing all their horses, and the gunners were compelled to stand to their guns. Some of the wagon REMARKABLE ENGLISH CAMPAIGN. 36ii teams got shelter for the troops in a donga (hollow) and desperate efforts were made to bring out the field-guns. The fire, however, was too severe, and they only were saved by Captain Schofield and some drivers. Another most gallant attempt with three teams was made. Of the eighteen horses thirteen were killed, and, as several drivers were wounded, the commander would not allow another attempt, as it seemed that they would be a shell mark, sacrificing life to a gallant attempt to force the passage Unsupported by artillery, he directed the troops to withdraw, which they did in good o^der. Throughout the day a considerable force of the enemy was pressing on his right flank, but was kept back by mounted men under Lord Dundonald and part of General Barton's brigade. The day was intensely hot and most trying even on troops whose condition was excellent. SERIOUS LOSS OF GUNS. The British abandoned ten guns and lost by shell-fire one. The losses in General Hart's brigade w ere heavy, although the pro- portion of severely wounded was not large. The Fourteenth and Sixty-sixth Field Batteries also suffered severe losses. The British retired to their camp at Chieveley. The Tugela River flow 3 from close to Van Reenen's Pass to the Indian Ocean, about forty miles above Durban. It lies north of Colenso and immediately south of Ladysmith, and in the winter season is a turbulent stream. Both banks at and for miles along the front where General BuUer attempted to cross in pontoons, as the bridge had been destroyed, are steep, and, on the north side especially, are backed by a mountainous country. For weeks the Boers had been entrenching themselves on the north bank of the river, as it was realized that there the advance of the British for the relief of Ladysmith could be most stubbornly resisted. That the fight was a dv^sperate one it is needless to say. The issue at stake was tremendous, and it can readily be understood that the British retired only after a succession of plucky efforts to cross the river. This was the first engagement in which General Buller figured. All England looked forward to him to retrieve British aatiiaiafei.i»^'^-^''>-''''i"ii»fli-' ' vriiiMM^i^a&lijiyiiiii p^^i^ifppilp mmmmmmmm^ 364 REMARKABLE ENGLISH CAMPAIGN. prestige, and that his initial battle proved to be a defeat was a bitter disappointment. All the British commanders in South Africa — Gatacre, Methuen and Buller — had now been discomfited and repulsed. On the 15th the British bombarded some of the Boer positions at Colenso, but the burghers did not reply. This concealment of their positions was in line with Boer tactics. It is only when a British cavalry charge is ordered and made that the artillery and rifle fire of the Boers disclose where they are. General Buller reported to the War Ofiice in London that his losses in the engagement with the Boers at the Tugela River, near Colenso, December 15th, were 1150 men. The revised list of the British casualties in the battle of Magersfontein, on the 12th, showed the total to be 963, of which number seventy were oflScers. In these two encounters with the Boers, therefore, the British lost 21 13 men. The Boers fought generally under cover. DEATH OF A BRILLIANT OFFICER. Captain Roberts, son of General Loid F. Roberts, was severely wounded in the Tugela River fight while leading some men in an attempt to rescue the guns. Professor MacCormac, President of the Royal College of Surgeons, extracted the bullet, but Captain Roberts died from the effects of his wound. The War Ofl&ce issued a list of the casualties in the Black Watch (Royal Highlanders) Regiment in the battle of Magersfontein. There were forty-one killed, 163 wounded and iii missing. Mutual arrangements were made by the British and Boer com- manders by which the British dead were to be buried on the 14th and 15th. The Boers stipulated, however, that only a clergyman of the Reformed Church should officiate, and that the British should not come within 600 yards of their lines. Mr. Robertson, the Presbyterian chaplain of one of the Highland regiments, who had previously been of great help, was selected to conduct the burial services He took twenty engineers with him pud started for the scene of the battle of Magersfontein. The engineers, who acted as litter-bears, were blindfolded when they reached the Boer outposts. i.ii».aia»ji. i»an ia» i -m >mi REMARKABLE ENGLISH CAMPAIGN. 365 General Cronje, t' ^ Boer Commandant, sent a message regret- ting that he could not c^me personally to receive the burial party, but he said that other affairs engaged his attention at the time. He sent Commandant Vermaas, Intelligence Officer Draper and Field Cornet Wills to assist Mr. 'Robertson in locating the dead. Afterward Colonial Doctor Grogan joined them and found he knew many of the slain. Chaplain Robertson said that what seemed like deserted kopjes and ridges swarmed with men as his party approached. Commandant Vermaas treated hini in the kindest manner. He returned twice to see if he could be of any fur*^^ ' : assistance and shook hands with Mr. Robertson on parting. ^ET WITH A TERRIBLE HAIL OF BULLETS. Boer prisoners said that if the Highland Brigade had massed and stormed the trenches after the first surprise the British loss would have been heavier, because the Boers from the kopje on the side were ready to enfilade the trenches if they had been captui-ed. The Gordon Highlanders were held in reserve till lo o'clock the morning of the fight, when they went forward in wide order toward the base of the east kopje. They got within 500 yards of this point without any casualties worth mentioning, when they suddenly encountered a strong cross-fire. The Boers had allowed them to reach the point where they were concealed in the trenches and then the .burghers infiladed the Highlanders. Early in the fighting the Highland Brigade demolished the Scandinavian contingent of about two hundred. The Boer Intelligence Officer reported that "great quantities of British weapons were on the field at Magersfontein. There were any number of Lee-Metford rifles, bandoleers, cases of ammunition and bayonets scattered in all directions. Attempts were made to count the English losses, but the task was given up as hopeless. So great was their loss that the English ambulance corps, large as it was, was unable to bury their dead and attend the wounded. After attending to our own men we assisted the British with our few ambulances. " Thirty-one burghers were buried at Bisset's Farm, where our 366 REMARKABLE ENGLISH CAMPAIGN. wounded are. The losses in horses were very great. The sappers must have suffered heavily. The burghers expressed undue rejoic- ing at our great victory. Very few of our men were engaged. The field is a dreadful sight. It was a great victory and our men have new spirit. " The * Black Watch' were moved close to our lines in the right for an attack in the morning before sunrise. The Boers shot them all except thirty-one, who were taken prisoners. These thirty- one men of the * Black Watch' said they were all who survived. Scottish prisoners stated their brigade was about 4000 strong, and that they were terribly punished. General Wauchope was killed." ENGLAND AROUSED TO THE SITUATION. %, Amid the gloom and grief which overwhelmed England on receiving intelligence of General BuUer's repulse, the confidence in the final triumph of the British arms throughout South Africa re- mained unshaken. The determination to win regardless of the cost was, however, coupled with another grim resolve, namely, to fix and enforce the responsibility for the disasters which brought the darkest days Great Britain has known within the memory of living man. This purpose was not directed so much against the incompetency of the commanders in the field, but against some of the ofl&cials who plunged the country into a war which it was not prepared to meet. The British authorities, both at home and in Cape Colony, con- fessed that they were surprised at being obliged to fight both the South African Republics instead of one, and also at the strer- th of the Boer armament. The one feature whereof they could fairly plead excusable surprise was the size of the rebellion in Cape Colony itself. This had now reached appalling proportions. No cable information concerning it was allowed to reach London, but there was abundant intelligence in the many mail advices received, show- ing that Cape Dutch Afrikanders in thousands had been joining the Boer standaids in the preceding few weeks. This was the most serious feature of the situation, and the one which most alarmed England^ The campaign was practically ended in the discomfiture of the British arms. An entirely new lfck^lJ..£jaLM..^v:>^'^ iiSSSWMr*?'***'*^-'* REMAPJLvBLE ENGLISH CAMPAIGN. 367 campaign, on a new basis, would have to be undertaken. All military men recognized this, although the public did not. Not a single British column was in condition to act offensively except at desperate risks. The new situation of virtual civil war above described changed everything. PEOPLE OF CANADA VERY PATRIOTIC. The resolute spirit that animated the mother country was exhibited in all the British Colonies, particularly in Canada. The Canadian contingent of troops for service in South Africa landed at Cape Town November 30th, and were given an enthusiastic recep- tion. They were greeted with continuous cheers, and the heartiest welcome. They showed that their long home training and colonial campaigning experience was not lost on ♦^hem, and they received their reward by being pushed rapidly to the front. The disaster of General Buller at Tugela River was everywhere discussed in Canada as an imperial calamity, but while soreness and humiliation were rife, the reverse to British arms served to stir anew the imperial patriotism of the people. This was shown in the renewal of the offers of service made to the government. That Canada must send a second contingent was accepted as an inevitable outcome of th-j situation, and the militia department of Ottawa received from officers of the city corps alone offers of about 5000 men. The ardor of the Canadian militiamen to enlist for service in South Africa was fully evidenced. The officers of the Second Field Battery, one of the smartest artillery corps in Canada, waited upon Major-General Hutton, who commands the Canadian militia, and urged acceptance of the battery's services, offered at the out- break of the war. They pointed out that artillery, next to cavalry, for scouting purposes, was the arm in which the British force in South Africa is most deficient. It was also sfrongly presented to the government that a welcome addition to the British forces would be a detachment of 500 of the mounted police, who are excellent horsemen, expert shots and well drilled in scouting and vidette duty. Supplemented by a contingent of field artillery such a brigade would be of inestimable service. ■""■"■■■■■i iyj**- CHAPTER XXIII. Additional Account of the Canadian Contingent. THE i6th chapter of this volume, page 238, contains a graphic description of the organization and equipment of the Canadian troops who enlisted for the war in South Africa. A full account is given of the great public demonstrations with which they were greeted in the several towns through which they passed, and of their departure from Quebec by the steamship Sardinian. The facts to be added in this connection only emphasize the feeling of Canadian loyalty and the splendid patriotism which animated the people everywhere. Throughout the lower provinces more men desired to become " the soldiers of the Queen " than could be accepted, and great was the disappointment of those who had to remain at home. Oflfers for service came pouring in from Saiut John, Fredericton, Wood- stock, Saint Stephen, Newcastle, Chatham, Moncton, Sackville, and other places in New Brunswick ; from Halifax, Truro, Yar- mouth, Pictou, and elsewhere in Nova Scotia, while such was the feeling in little Prince Edward Island that the whole contingent might have been obtained there without much difficulty. In Saint John, the City of the Loyalists, where many of the leading citi- zens are the descendants of that sturdy stock, the New Brunswick- ers, numbering nearly one hundred strong, had a magnificent send-off. The line of march from the parade grounds to the railway station, a distance of about one and a half miles, was crowded with enthusiastic thousands, who were evidently determined that this old city should not be outdone by any one in its appreciation of the readiness of the boys in red and blue to uphold the national honor. From windows, roofs and every point of vantage cheer after cheer went up as, with swinging stride and true soldierly mien, they swept along. i , ^ '',;;> THE CANADIAN CONTINGENT. 869 From one of the windows of the Fusiliers' clubroora there streamed out an immense British flag, which called forth the most tumultous cheering, while the playing by one of the bands of "The Soldiers of the Queen," called forth round after round of applause. As th^ procession wept along Charlotte, down King, and u^ Dock street it seemed as if the entire population was out- doors, a.ad, as the familiar strains of " Auld Lang Syne " floated out upon the evening ir, for the shadows were now beginning to gather *^^-.e excitement knew no bounds. AN IMPOSING PAGEANT. The scene at the depot was one to be remembered, but not described. The immense building was packed with the represen- tatives of »J1 classes, ages, and sexes, while thousands were out- side and around, anxious to have a part in the imposing pageant. The soldiers were to enter by a side door, and a strong force of police were on hand to keep open a narrow path to the cars. But when the band struck up the National Anthem, and the cheers from without indicated the arrival of the boys, the surging crowds came together with a rush, the pathway was closed, and band instruments, policemen's batons, ladies' hats, and soldiers' uni- forms were one wild medley of confusion. ' Sons of the Sovereign have been royally entertained here, regiments of the line have been warmly welcomed, and many a scene of wondrous interest has been witnessed here, but never before were the people of this city so profoundly moved as on this occasion. There was no abatement of the enthusiasm until the train had slowly crept out of the station, and, as the crowds slowly dispersed, the prayer went up from many a heart that we might have the privilege of welcoming the brave lads home again when the war is ended. That they would acquit themselves like men was not doubted by anyone. ' ♦ . A similar send-off was given the members of the second con- tingent, with the addition of a mass meeting in Mechanics' Insti- tute, presided over by Mayor Sears, when, as in the case of the first contingent, each man was presented with a five-dollar gold 24 .470 tHE CANAJIAN CONTINGENT. piece and a package of sundries that will be found useful when in camp or on the march. Nor were the Saint John men the only ones to be welcomed and cheered, for when the men from Woodstock passed through the city there was an impromptu gathering at ihc station which was greatly appreciated by the men in question. Similar enthu- siasm was manifested in Halifax in connection with the departure of the second contingent from that city. On the evfming of January 19th the greatest crowd that ever gathered under one roof in this citj'^ was that at the new armory, the occasion being the civic reception to the second contingent. It is estimated that at least io,oaD jitrsons were present, and at least 2,ocx) were turned awa}'. The whole proceeding was a grand blaze of patriotic enthusiasm, the equal of which was never witnessed in this old military cit3\ Speeches were delivered by Mayor Hamilton, Sir Malachy Daly, Lieutenant-Governor ; General Lord William Sey- mour, Hon. W. 3. Fielding, and Hon. Dr. Borden. The scene was one of dazzling brilliancy, the decorations being on an elabor- ate scale, bright uniforms of milita;"y adding to the effect of hun- dreds of electric lights. Military bands played patriotic airs, and the rendering of patriotic songs evoked tremendous enthu- siasm. GREAT OUTPOURING OF THE POPULACE. The day was dark and dreary, rain fell in torrents, and athicl? fog hung over all. But despite these discouragements the anxious thousands were early on the move to see the departing troops. With quick elastic step, with swing and life and jauntiness in every stride, the men marched through the centre of the city. The streets and sidewalks along the line of march swarm with people. Some forty thousand witness the scene. Cheer upon cheer comes .ir.welling on the air, faces peer from every window. Men rush along- side for the last hand clasp with departing comrades. At last the dockyard is reached and the last man is on board. The steamer is now ready to start and scores of boats are waiting to escort the transport down the harbor. A local writer, referring to the departure of the first contin- THE CANADIAN CONTINGENT. ft? I gent from Saint John, and his remark; appl}- equally to all, thus voices the public feeling : " From the City of the Loyalists and from the province they founded unde the aegis of the flag for which they sacrificed so much, there went out yesterday a soldier band. The flag their fathers planted on these shores in years agone is their flag. It beckons them now across the .seas, where loyalists on another continent are called to arms in its defense. We give of our best, and they go to fight if need be in the battles of the empire. Our hearts and hopes go with them, and we are assured that whether in war or peace the honors and traditions of their native land will bravely be upheld. " And so they went — the sons of Great Britain and soldiers of the Queen. They went, these lads that we have known and loved, with a little sMiking of the heart, it may be, at the moment of severing the ties of home and friendship ; but aninlated by the same stern spirit that has tracked the wilderness and bridged the seas, toiling upward through the centuries and outward through the regions of the earth, upbuilding that imperial faoric whose strength is freedom, and into whose texture time for a thousand years has woven the imperishable fibre of a Briton's loyalty. ALL HEARTS BEAT AS ONE. " And so they went — and some at home will count the cost, and some will weep and pray. But over the sea and over the veldt, with these lads that go a-soldering, will go the message to our kindred that, whet! . beneath the Southern Cross or beside the northern sea, in the hour of need heart answers heart in Britain's realms throughout the wide, wide world." As already stated in a preceding chapter, the first Canadian contingent arrived at Cape Town November 30th. The magnifi- cent welcome the troops received is thus described by a correspond- ent who was a witness of the inspiring scene : "At noon we anchored in the spacious bay; at 6 o'clock we drew np alongside the wharf. Cheers from the crowds, salutes from the steamers which thronged the anchorage, marked our slow journey inwards from the outer roadstead. Our voyage, tedious I I5P«!W^ m THE CANADIAN CONTINGENT. enough iu its monotonous length, had a beginning and an eudingof marvelous and romantic beauty. What impressions our departure from Quebec produced Upon us you already know. Yesterday we drew into a harbor set amongst mighty hills, a ship-thronged sheet of water encircled by mighty mountainr.. The hills have a steep- ness of outline, a hard bareness of aspect foreign to our own loved land, but the airs which greeted us were the national anthem, * Rule Britannia,' and ' Soldiers of the Queen.' Four weeks' voy- age, and we are still in the empire. " Table Mountain loomed ahead of us early in the morning, and for hours it grew larger in front of us. The day was hazy^ and the purple shadow, with its level, clear-cut top, lay like a cloud high above the horizon ahead. Larger and larger it grew, and we were suddenly aware of a low-lying land to our right and a long ;tretch of coast to our left. PICTURESQUE SCENERY AT CAPE TOW.N. " The land to our right was Robbers' Island, a low-lying patch of land, with an evil reputation as a leper settlement. To our left was a long line of land, breakers rushing high into the air along the shore, dim, precipitous peaks showing ominously in the back- ground. But embayed as we were in a wide sweep of coast, the only land for which we had eyes was the mountain cluster right ahead. " Reared high above us, the flat top of Table Mountain over- bore the scene. To the right, a conical peak ; to the left, a rugged peak. The size of it all had a strangely minimizing eflfect. We were a strangely small entity, running into a toy harbor, enringed by stage mountains. The long stretches of the shore to the left, the low island to our right, fell into insignificance ; we were heading for the sheet of water which those towering hills encircled. Strange is the dwarfing effect which bulk itself produces. " Cape Town seemed a spattering of roofs clinging to the roots of the square-topped hill, the basin to which we were heading a small enough sheet. But when we landed it was a weary walk around that basin, and the town extended over many a high-built THF. CANADIAN CONTINGENT. 878 street. But .still that purple mountain overbore u.s, ri.sing in the air whenever we raised our head.s. The Lion's Head to our right, with its outline of a human face upon its front, the conical top of Signal Hill to our left, beset us ; we were in a city set about with hills. From a score to a score and a half of steamers lay in the outer anchorage, ships and steamers lay in close-packed rows along the docks; yet the huge overhanging hills dwarfed all this wide expanse of water, these mighty works of man. " Amid the cheers of the men the anchor chain rattled out, and our four weeks' voyage was over. When we were approach- ing, the towering semicircle of hills made the sheet of water which was our destination seem of small account ; when we were in it a score and a half of big ocean steamers lay scattered over it, and there was room for hundreds more. The blue ensign hung over nearly every stern ; the harbor was filled vnth transports. Ovei towards the docks was a tticket of masts ?nd funnels. The docks were crowded nnd we would have to wait. THE CANADIAN COLONEL WELCOMED. " It was about noon when we anchored ; it was about 6 when we docked. We filled in the time by waiting. The sun was brilliant, the day cloudless, the harbor surface glassy smooth, and yet our ship, no longer ploughing forward, from time to time rolled heavily. We flew the yellow flag, which demanded a quar- antine officer, and the doctor came and passed us. It was against orders for anyone to leave the ship before Colonel Otter, and it was well into the afternoon before he set foot upon the soil of Africa. A broad side-wheel tug brought aboard Sir Alfred Mil- ner's representative, a fresh, pleasant-faced lad of an officer, natty in khaki, with the brilliant scarlet collar-patch which denotes a staff officer, and he extended a welcome to Colonel Otter. " An army service corps officer in blue and white came aboard, and there was a shout from the quarterdeck of ' Duffus ! * Lieutenant Frank Duffus it was, a Halifax man, an old college friend of several of our officers. Business with Colonel Otter came first, for lie was transport officer ; then he fell into the arms ! if *f 11 374 THE CANADIAN CONTINGENT. of old friends. Another visit from the side-wheelcr, just as Col- onel. Otter was about to embark in a skiff ; it was the Mayor and Harbor Board of the city, come to give us a municipal welcome. It was a practical welcome, for they gave him a lift to the wharf ; Colonel Otter and Major Drummond, with Sergeant Reading, were the landing party, while Captain Todd was giver, a passage ashore. It was good-bye to Captain Todd, and we cheered him with all our hearts ; and as the men forward saw departing the officer who has been superintending their quarters for the past three weeks it was again ' three cheers for Captain Todd I' NOISY GREETINGS IN THE HARBOR. "Then we waited for a while longer. The Warwera, which had come in the day before with the Australians and New Zea- landers, swung near us, and a megaphone man at her ^tern shouted bits of the month's news to us, while we devoured the few newspapers which had drifted ashore. Then we found that a notable favor had been shown us. The steamer Cheshire had beaten us in by some hours and was lying near us. She had on board the ist Gordon Highlanders, the Dargai battalion. Word went around that we were going into dock at once — ahead of the Highlanders. Up came our anchor, in we moved, As we came into motion our welcome began. We crossed first the bows of the Cheshire, and her whistle boomed incessantly, while her bows and upper works were dense with khaki and kilts, as the Gordons cheered and cheered again. Whistle after whistle — every one of the ships seemed to be saluting lis ; whenever we passed near enough for the voice to reach, cheers rang out across the water, and were roared back from our decks. " A long dock and a crowd upon it was before us. Through an opening in it we passed, and were in a steamer-crowded basin, approaching a slip, on the other side of which lay a mauve-paintcd Castle Imer. The liner's band played us in, and the first air wc heard was 'God Save the Queen.' 'Rule Britannia' and 'Soldiers of the Queen' were other numbers in this dockyard concert. The crowd on the dock cheered us wildly und sang ' God O O O O CO o > C > > O w « 876 J wmmmi^ m mmmm 87< THE CANADIAN CONTINGENT. Save the Queen.' We cheered back, and showed that we knew the song. We drew alongside, and another Canadian stood on the dock — Captain Kennedy, Royal Engineers, well known to many of us. Then the gang-plank fell and we were at Cape Town. " Last night our men stayed aboard, very few, indeed, leaving her. All night the disembarkation of baggage went on, and at 8 o'clock the regiment formed on the dock and marched away for Sea Point, a suburb about four miles out, where the prisoners and wounded are. The -Australians, who preceded us so closely, are at Maitland, another suburb. Active service at once ; such is out fortune." Our readers will be interested in an account of the departure of the Manitoba troops for South Africa. They went out with the first Canadian contingent and left for Quebec on Tuesday, Oct. 24. Never since the 90th Battalion went to the front in 1885 was there such a demonstration of loyalty as when the brave boys who volunteered to fight in Africa for the Empire marched to the Canadian Pacific Railway station and entrained for Quebec. DENSE MASS OF CHEERING PEOPLE. Many of the stores and places of business were closed dowi^, and the route of march was lined from beginning to end with citizens, while from the drill hall to the station the troops marched through a lane of cheering people, who at times waxed so enthu- siastic that the brass bands could hardly be heard. That Winni- peg is proud of her contingent was shown in several ways, and well she had reason to be. The Manitoba men were all of splendid physique, and as smart in their drill as regulars. It was not curiosity nor affectation which drew forth such an immense gathering, but the true loyalty and esteem of those young men who eagerly sought and accepted the opportunity of bearing Her Majesty's arms and wearing her uniform in a strife which, though still in the same realm, is nevertheless upon the opposite side of the globe. A rumor was circulated that a fire was in progress a few blocks from the spot, but no one displayed the faintest interest in the report "while history was making." The .■a«^-A*^. >*:-,-sii>*ii.:Mm*DM m:m-'** mm ? -■ THE CANADIAN CONTINGENT. 871 City Hall steps were occupied by a crowd of brightly dressed, pretty- faced school-girls, while their brothers of the senior classes stood shoulder to shoulder, like a miniature army, under the command of their drill-instructor, Captain Billman, awaiting the military command to take their place upon the flank of their senior Volun- teers. Such short notice of the day and hour of departure had been given that but scant opportunity was afforded for the display of bunting or other ornamentation, but from every flagstaff withiu the range of vision floated the emblem of the Empire, and a myriad of little flags had been secured by the populace to wave in the face of the honored ones. The contingent: was greeted by enthusiastic crowds at every railway station of importance across Canada, cigars, food, drinks, etc., being thrust by willing hands into the cars, and even in the middle of the night the men were welcomed by bands and bunting. Two days afterwards the British Columbia contingent passed through Winnipeg, their arrival and departure being the cause of nearly as much excitement as the farewell to the Manitoba bovs. There was little doubt of the loyalty of Canada. LIFE ON BOARD A TROOP SHIP. The Allans' steamship " Sardinian," chartered by the Domin- ion government to convey the Royal Canadian Special Service Regiment to Cape Town, was not new to this kind of work, having been employed before in trooping during the Egyptian war. She was looked upon as a most serviceable boat for this service, as she is easily converted into a transport. The Canadian troops were fortunate in having so good a troop ship. Before troops embark on a troopship, a lot of rules, must be observed, for the comfort and welfare of Tommy Atkins. Accord- ing to the English War Office regulations, an inspection of the fittings and all the arrangements for the accommodation, victual- ing, and health of the men, has to be made by a Board, consisting of the Assistant Quartermaster-General, an officer of the garrison, senior medical officer, and a naval officer, and the medical officer going in charge of the troops. Another inspection by a like Board mt M % 878 THE CANADIAN CONTINGENT. is also mude after the troops are on the ship, the baggage stowed, and everything ready for sea. The object of this inspection is to ascertain whether the arrangements for berthing, etc., have been faithfully carried out. All the heavy baggage is supposed to be on board the day before sailing, and all kinds of lucifer matches are strictly prohibited on board ship, and all embarkations take place under the immediate superintendency of the general or other officer commanding the station. When embarked on board, it is the duty of the colonel and the company officers to see that the men are allotted to berths, divided up into small messes, and instructed in the proper method of rolling up bedding and slinging hammocks ; that their arms, ammunition and accoutrements are properly disposed of in the places reserved for them ; and sea necessaries when served out are marked, the hammocks and canvas bags numbered, and the orders relative to smoking and the use of lights on board ship are read and explained to every soldier as soon as practicable. ' RECREATION AND FUN. After the usual guard has been provided, the troops are divided into three watches, one of which is constantly on deck in charge of a junior officer, and in fine weather, except tho.'e on duty below, are also up on deck. The watches generally put in twelve hours, going on at 8 A. m. and 8 p. m. All bedding ard clothing is brought up on deck every morning, weather permiiting, and well aired. The deck-^ and berths are supposed to be swept, scrubbed, and scraped daily ; in fact, great care is taken of the sanitation of the ship, and the troops are turned out early, about 5 A. M., for a morning sea bath, in canvas baths rigged up on the main deck. - The officer of the day is supposed to be present on all these occasions, and when free watered grog is served out. In every transport the doctor, in common with all rinks, has his daily routine work to do. Immediately after breakfast he visits the *' sick bay," the miniature hospital, goes round his cases, and then g^ves his attention to the new-comers who require his services. A foretopman's "black draught" is the common prescription for 1Ki.iii5^C«5'&i4«S<»«w^J"»i-^*»«i™»*'»^ r^f!W««WJ'S¥W™rt-*.n~»«-w5«^ .:^Mi^^ CHAPTER XXIV. Attempts to Raise the Siege of Ladysmith. 'T'HE British General White and his army, numbering accord- ' ing to the most authentic accounts eight or nine thousand men, were shut up in the town of Ladysmith, and for many weeks had resisted the attempts of the Boers to capture the place. The situation gave great anxiety to the War Office in London. It was feared that General White would be compelled to surrender his command before relief could reach him. From the opening of the war down to December 15 the British operations consisted of a series of frontal attacks, all of which were repulsed with a loss in all of about 8000 men. The last and most severe of these disasters at Colenso left General Buller with a loss of 1 100 men, eleven guns, and the three most important brigades of his command, under Gener A Hildyard, General Hart and Gen- eral Barton, shattered and depressed by heavy loss. This had the effect upon the morale of the troops of these brigades which is always caused by losses that are fruitless in result, and which themselves result from a faulty plan on account of insufficient information prior to the attack as to the position of the enemy. After this disaster General Buller addressed himself to the task of reorganizing his forces and preparing for another cam- paign. Three weeks passed in this work. At the end of that time he deemed his transport sufficiently well organized to begin a movement intended to dislodge the enemy around Ladysmith. General Buller was in command of the strongest force of pure En- glish troops ever assembled in the field. He had in his army twenty' nine battalions of infantry, or, as weshoudsay, regiments divided into brigades. These were supported by a cavalry force, consisting of the First Royal Dragoons, the Thirteenth Hussars, two squadrons of the Fourteenth Hussars, six squadrons of the Imperial Light Horse, and three regiments of mounted Colonial Horse. ... - m ^k^ d82 THE SIEGE OF LADYSMITH. The artillery comprised nine batteries of the royal artillerj. or fifty-four guns, a howitzer battery, a mountain battery and the Natal or Colonial Field Battery, making eighteen guns more, or seventy-two in all, of which eleven were afterward lost. There was in addition a naval brigade with several 4.7-inch guns and quick-fir- ing i2-pounders, which force had, judging from the rank of its com- mander, about the same force as an infantry battalion. In all, as will be seen, this was a foice of all arms of over 30,000 men, which had been in service together in the field for nearly two months, and which had been under the immediate command of General Sir Red vers Bul- ler for nearly two months and a half His field service had been in steady operation, and his base was supplied b}^ railroad, and he had at Durban as complete a .sup- ply as the British com- mand of the .seas could furni.sh. A strong naval pps^^l^Jp^fP^^^'P^^-^' ■ brigade at Durban, and the GENERAL GEORGE WHITE, friendly character of the WHO COMMANDED THE BRITISH AT LADYSMITH. KngHsll populatloU of Na. tal relieved General Buller from the necessity of detaching ,any considerable portion of his force in order to guard his communica- tions or protect his marine base. There was probably no military critic in the world who would have hesitated to predict the certain success of such a force operating against the Boer intrenchments, manned by farmer levies never drilled, disposed around Lady- smith, which contained the additional British force of from 8000 to 9000 men. In all, the Boer force, which must have been very considerably V^mim^i^iim tim i mv immme^ THE SIJpGE OF LADYSMITH. m reinforced by the . inaction of General Metliuen and General Gatacre, was probably in all from 20,000 to 25,000 men. This force, however, had two lines of front to keep, one surrounding Ladysmith in a circuit of nearly twenty miles, and the other facing a superior force under General Buller. General Buller had before him the choice of two routes. He could move to the east of Weenen's Ford, and, marching from there, strike on the Boer communication b}' railroad at Elands- laagte. This involved leaving his flank unprotected from the Boer position on Inhlawe Mountain, and the entrance, after leav- ing Weenen's Ford and passing through a comparatively level countr3' on defiles beyond, easily defended. It also tended to separate his force from the force of General French and General Gatacre, about 150 miles away. He was left also with only one objective on the Boer line of communications, and his attack could only be delivered from tl^ left. THE KEY TO THE SITUATION. By moving westward up the Tugela river it was possible since the Boer positions Avere principally north of the Tugela river, to push forward on its southern bank over ground whose separation from the chief Boer force by a rapid river, fordable at two or three places, rendered it feasible to carry a very consider- able force sufficiently' far to the west to be able, above the junction of the Great and Little Tugela, to have a choice between any one of the several passes, the most northern of which was the railroad entrance to the Orange Free vState. Its possession would force the precipitate retreat of the Boer arm}^ around Ladysmith. It is not surprising that under these conditions General Buller selected a western movement. On Thursday, January 11, General Buller pushed forward his cavalry force under General Lord Dundonald, amounting to about 4,500 men, of whom about 3,000 were cavalry and about 1,500 mounted riflemen. This force during the next three or four days easily swept away the Boer outposts which were at Springfield, and which made no defense, pushed to the river supported by , 384 THE SIEGE OF LADYSMITH. infantry, crossed at Potgieter's Drift, a ford which at this season when the river was high is crossed by a rope ferry, and established itself on bt)th banks of the river. The engineers came up with the infantry, bnilt a pontoon bridge, and within a week the British troops were established with their depot of supplies at Springfield, their artillery massed in field works at Swartz Kop, aud th infantry disposed on both banks of the river. -l^V NECESSITY FOR QUICK MOVEMENT. This initial movement must have informed the Boers of the plan of offensive operations intended by General Buller. The one condition on which his success depended was an immediate movement, which would carry the infantry in sufficient force and with sufficient rapidity to seize some one of the passes west of the Boer army. The infantry force .was neither small nor ill- selected. 5t consisted of General Woodgate's brigade. General Hildyard's and General Hart's, each with four regiments, or twelve regiments, in all. This was the advance division under Lieutenant General Francis Clery, Lieutenant General Sir Charles Warren being in command of the whole movement. This force, which was in round numbers about 12,000 men, and which artil- lery and cavalry brought up to about 16,000 men, was moved forward to the west, following the cavalry. The movement of the infantry began on January 13. These brigades and their supports were moved forward in two divisions along the Frere a^rJ. Enners- dale roads, the road through Springfield being by this time fully occupied with the supply of General Lyttleton's brigade, Irish and Scotch, four battalions, and other troops on the river at Pot- gieter's Drift. One week elapsed from the time these troops started until they first met the enemy on three days, Januarj' 1 8, 19 and 20. Meanwhile a depot had been established for British suppl}' at Zunckles, and this appears to have formed a second base, while a pontoon bridge crossed the river at Trichand's Drift. Lord Dun- donald, immediately after crossing the river at Potgieter's Drift, pushed forward with commendable rapidity and occupied Acton 1 8, wamm 880 THE SIF.r.F. OF LADYSMITH. Homes, a place at the opening of a vallcj' whose road leads across the water-shed to the high road from Ladysmith to Van Reenen's Pass. General Lyttleton's brigade was moved westward in his rear and held the Tngela, but no infantry force seems to have pushed on to occupy and entrench the ground taken by the mounted troops. When General Warren, therefore, after a week's march, cov- ering some thirty to thirty-five miles, had brought his force of two brigades and a half, or ten regiments, which seems subsequently to have been reinforced by another brigade, or Barton's, of four regiments, all Irish, he found the heights just north of the Tugela river, about Spion Kop, fully occupied by the Boers. The Boer despatches indicate that this was a new position which had been taken as the English movement developed itself during the pre- ceding week. The fbrces there consisted principally of Orange Free State troops. _ HARD TASK FOR BRITISH TROOPS. The English turning movement under General Warren had, therefore, resulted in establishing two bodies, one a small one, heavily supported by artillery posted on Swartz Kop, and the other the moving column which was intended to complete the flanking operation, which was under General W^arren, and 'vhich had before it the task of carrying the heights beyond the Tugela. The rise in level in some twenty miles from Lady smith up to Acton Homes is nearly looo feet. The Upper Tugela at this point flows past broad river terraces, beyond which rise the steep bluffs of a former river bank, of which Spion Kop is the conspicuous landmark. The British troops had, in other words, traveled some thirty miles to find themselves on the upper Tugela in a position somewhat more difficult than that which existed when, on December 15, they attempted the passage of the Lower Tugela. It appears that on Friday, January 19, the enemy was first met, on Saturday their grand guards driven in and the Tugela river successfully crossed, and that on Sunday a position was successfully occupied on the plateau beyond. .-. Ift-i-.-sT**' .'i-N** t. THE SIEGE OF LADYSMITFI. .•W7 COV- An attempt was made Tuesday nijijlit to take Spion Kop, and during the next three days there suceeeded the battle uliicli ended witli the meeting of the Couneil of Military Defense in London, and the determinaticm to send additional reinforcements to Soutli Africa. What occurred was simple. The original plan plainly looked to cavalry clearing the way, to a force at Swartz Kop to grard the exposed flank of Warren's advance, and a steady forward mai h, the flanking force on the river protecting the advance to Bethany, and beyond, r.s General Dundonald could at Acton Homes. In the midst of this advance, after having moved to the ha.-.e of the hills which rise to the mountain range, General Warren found ridges he could not hope to carr}'. He swung off to his right to look for a weak place. He hoped to find it at Spion Kop, delivered a night attack, and was forced to withdraw. vSpread out as his troops were, a mobile force would tear up Bullcr as Lee and Jackson tore up Hooker at Chancellors ville. TROOPS WIDELY SCATTERED. The British troops were left, therefore, after three weeks of operations, dispersed in three separate masses over a stretch of some thirty miles : General Warren, with some twelve to sixteen battalions of infantry on the upper Tugela ; General Lyttleton, with about six battalions around Swartz Kop, and Geuerr^.i Duller with the remainder of his force at Chieveley. Lord Dundonald' s force lay before Acton Homes, to the north of the Boer position, but was apparently unable to move in any direction. The Boer force on the hills around Spion Kop, at Blaauw Bank, and in the natural bastion around Onderbrock, occupied positions of whose assault the British force in front of them were at no point equal. Lord Dundonald's cavalry finally succeeded in crossing to the south side of Tugela river. This disastrous close of a turning movement, which in theory was admirably conceived, added one more to the numerous exam- ples in war in which defeat and failure have come solely because the commanding general had not the ability to insure rapid move- i' r£-J mH 388 THE SIEGE OF LADYSMITH. meut. The Britisli forces in South Africa were moving with all the cumbrous equipage of an Anglo-Indian campaign. Each battalion had with it fourteen wagons, of which nine required teams capable of moving 4000 pounds, in all ; therefore, as a mere camp equipage, General Warren had a train of 400 to 500 wagons, added to the regiment's wagons, the brigade and staff complement. The supply of commissary was on the same lavish scale, and this expedition, which called for a swift march, had a train, accord- ing to one despatch, amounting in all to 3000 wagons. The extraordinary health of the British troops in South Africa, and their remarkable freedom from disease, was no doubt secured by furnishing the men every comfort in the field, but this could only be done at a sacrifice of mobilit}', and in war, in the long rtin, it is better to risk fever and disease from men insufficiently provided for, than by over-provision to insure the delays which in the end lead to the abject failure of a campaign. RAPID ADVANCES IMPOSSIBLE. Clogged with 3000 wagons, with a staff unequal to its duties under it, as one English correspondent declared, "it has been the most frequent occurrence for the same battalion to strike its tents and recamp on the same site two and three times in a day." It was impossible for General Buller to advance with sufficient rapid- ity to seize the points essential to the success of his operation before they were occupied by the Boers. General Buller' s despatch, stating that he had withdrawn his forces to the south bank of the Tugela, and the accounts of the fightirg at Spion Kop on January 24, which came through Boer sources, showed the British disaster in all its serious aspects. Lady smith's relief was as far removed as when Buller first started to White's assistance, and it was thought that it might j-et be necessary for the garrison, abandoning the sick and woarded, to make a last sortie and try to fight their way through the Boer cordons. Buller signally failed in his attempt to turn the Boer position and with the force at his command could not hope to outflank THE SIEGE OF LADYSMITH. 889 :a, and them in another direction, as the mobility of the Boers enabled them to change front at any moment. It was snbsequently known that Spion Kop was not, as first reported, the key of the Boer position. When the British attacked on the night of the 23d, they secnred one kop, but in the morning they discovered that there were two others commanding the one diey held. These positions the Boers reinforced, and then began their counter attack, the British trying to capture the other kops and the Boers defending them, and at the same time trying to retake the one they had lost. What had great eifect on the resuli was the fact that the hill on the British side was very steep and difficult to approach, whereas on the Boer side it sloped gently. This hampered the British. DESPERATE FIGHTING ALL DAY. The British appear to have at once entrenched themselves strongly, and fighting of the most desperate description continued all Wedne;.aay. The battle oscillated along the northern slope, now the British and now the Boers attacking. Then came the end. The Boers were smashing the British with a heavy shell fire and cutting them down with a deadly hail of Mauser bullets, while there cTppeared no indication that the British had been able to get any artillery up. The Boers captured some British trenches, according to their account, and 150 men. According to Buller's report, the British held the position until nightfall, when General Woodgate having been wounded, the officer who succeeded him decided to abandon the position. General Buller's despatch to the War Office stated that Spion Kop was abandoned on account of lack of water, inability to bring artillery there and the heavy Bo^r fire. His whole force withdrew south of the Tugela river, with the evident intention of reaching Ladysmith by another route as soon as the army could be reorganized. Following is the text of General Buller's despatch, which was dated Spearman's Camp, Saturday, January 27, 6.10 p. m. : "On January 20 Warren drove back the enemy and obtained possession 00 THE SIEGE OF LADYSMITH. )f the southern crests of the high table land extending from the .ine of Acton Homes and Honger's Poort to the Western Lady- nnith hills. From then to January 25 he remained in close ;ontact with the enemy. " The enemy held a strong position on a range of small kop- jes, stretching from northwest to southwest, across the plateau /rom Acton Homes, through Spion Kop, to the left bank of the/, Tugela. The actual position held was perfectl}'^ tenable, but did Aot lend itself to an advance, as the southern slopes were so steep :hat Warren could not get an effective artillery position, and water supply was a difficulty. " On January 23 I assented to his attacking Spion Kop, a large hill ; indeed, a mountain, which was evidently th« k-y of the position, but was far more accessible from the north than from the south. ( - POSITION HELD AGAINST HEAVY ATTACKS. "On the night of January 23 he attacked Spion Kop, but found it ver}^ difficult to hold, as its perimeter was too large, and water, which he had been led to believe existed, in this extra- ordinary dry season was found very deficient. " The crests were held all that day against severe attacks and heavy shell fire. Our men fought with great gallantry. I would especially mention the conduct of the Second Cameronian;. ir d the Third King's Rifles, who supported the attack on the mt r - tain from the steepest side, and in each case fought their way tc the top ; and the Second Lancashire Fusiliers and Second Middle- sex, who magnificently maintained the best traditions of the British army throughout the trying day of January 24, and Thorny croft's mounted infantry, who fought throughout the day equally well alongside of them. " General Woodgate, who was in command at the summit, having been wounded, the officer who succeeded him decided on the night of January 24 to abandon the position, and did so before dawn, January 25. I reached Warren's camp at 5 a. m. on Jan- uary 25, and decided that a second attack upon Spion Kop was THE SIEGE OF LADYSMITH. 391 useless, and that the enemy's right was too strong to allow me to force ii. " Accordingly I decided to withdraw the force to the south of the Tugela. At 6 A. m. we commenced withdrawing the train, and by 3 A. m., January 27 (Saturday), Warren's force was concen- trated south of the Tugela without the loss of a man or a pound of stores. The fact that the force coald withdraw from actual touch — in some cases the lines -were less than a thousand yards apart — with the enemy in the manner it did, is, I think, sufficient evidence of the morale of the troops ; and that we were permitted to withdraw our cumbrous ox and mule transport across the river, eighty-five yards broad, with twenty-foot banks, and a very swift current, unmolested, is, I think, proof that the enemy has been taught to respect our soldiers' fighting powers." STUBBORN DEFENSE OF THE BRITISH. The following description of the capture of the Boers' posi- tion is from Winston Churchill, the gallant son of Lady Randolph Churchill, who took up arms for his country in South Africa : " On the morning of January 24th the force under General Woodgate marched on Spion Kop, which is the predominating feature and centre of the whole Boer position, which is shaped like a note of interrogation, the curve before Potgieter's Drift and the line before Triegarde Drift, with Sp.'on Kop at the junction and angle, commanding and enfilading both. At 3 o'clock Wood- gate surprised the Boers holding the trenches, who volleyed with their magazine rifles and fled, pursued with great cheering. At dawn there was a fierce shelling by the Boers, who were striving to regain the vital position. " A stubborn defense was made by the British troops, in spite of severe loss. At 10 o'clock they received strong reinforcements fioni the corps of troops below, including the Imperial Light Infantry. The position was completely secured, but was heavily shelled continually, the British artillery replying furiously. The Boer guns were difficult to locate. At noon the Boers made sev- f-r-il attempts to retake the position, bringing men from the extreme 392 THE SIEGE OF LAD ^^mitH. right and sliowiiig that they regarded it of the utmost importance. All attempts to retake the position have been so far repulsed." The position v.as, however, recaptured by the Boers, and the sacrifice of life on the part of the gallanL Woodgate and his army was fruitless. Some Vryheid bmghers from the outposts on the highest hills of the Spion Kop group rushed into the laager, say- ing that the kop was lost, and that the English had taken it. Reinforcements were ordered up, but nothing could be done for some time, the hill being enveloped in thick mist. At dawn the Heidelberg and Carolina contingents, supplemented from other commandoes, began the ascent of the hill. Three spurs, precipi- tous projections, faced the Boer positions. Up these the advance was made. The horses were left under the first terrace of rocks. FIELD SWEPT BY SHRAPNEL. Scaling the steep hill the Boers found that the English had improved the opportunity and entrenched heavily. Between the lines of trenches was an open veldt, which had to be rushed under a heavy fire, not only from rifles, but of lyddite and shrapnel from field guns. Three forces ascended the three spurs co-ordinately under cover of fire from the Free State Krupps, a Creusot and a big Maxim. The English tried to rush the Boers with the bayo- net, but their infantry went down before the Boer rifle fire as before a scythe. The Boer investing party advanced step b}^ step until 2 o'clock in the afternoon, when a white flag went up and 150 men in the front trenches surrendered, being sent as prisoners to the head laager. The Boer advance continued on the two kopjes east of Spion Kop. Many Boers were shot, but so numerous were tne burghers that the gaps filled automatically. Toward twilight they reached the summit of the second kopje, but did not get further. The British Maxims belched flame, but a wall of fire from the Mausers held the English back. Their center, under this pres- sure, gradually gave way and broke, abandoning the position. The prisoners captured by the Boers spoke highly of the biavery ^i^il^l^iw THE SIEGE OF LADYS?,JTH. 393 of the Durghers, who, despising cover, stood against the sky-line - edges of the summit to shoot the Dnblin Fusiliers, sheltered iii the trenches. Firing continued for some time, and then the Fusiliers and Light Horse, serving as infantry, threw up their arms and rushed out of the trenches. Thus General Buller's flank movement to reach Ladysmith came to naught. Repulsed in his first attempt to cross the Tugela by a frontal attack at Colenso, he was now compelled to give up his attempt to pass around the left of the Boer line. His new repulse was equally disastrous in casualties and certainly more damaging to British hopes. • * GENERAL. BULLER'S PLANS MADE KNOWN. After Sir George White had succeeded in beating off the determined attack of the Boers at Caesar's Camp the development of Buller's new plans became inevitable. His preparations had been deliberate, but nothing was allowed to become known as to his real intentions until a despatch from the General himself announced that he had seized Potgieter's Drift, on the upper Tugela, and was getting his force across. Four or five da\'s fol- lowed, in the course of which General Lyttleton placed his brigade on the north side of Potgieter's Drift ready to attack a Boer posi- tion at Brakfontein commanding a road to Dewdrop, while General Warren was preparing to throw his division against the extreme right of the long line of Boers. Warren had crossed at Trichard's Drift, some five or six miles to the west of Potgieter's. He had met with more opposi- tion, but his cavalr}^ under Lord Dundonald were able apparently to reconnoitre for a considerable distance in the direction of Acton Homes, working round on Warren's far left. So deliberate was this whole movement of Buller's army, as if the General were intent on throwing away no chances or taking any risks, that the Boer generals had ample time to concentrate any number of their troops at any point they wished. General Joubert was at the front, with Generals Botha and Cronje. Warren found himself at once confronted with an opposing army 391 THE SIEGE Of LADVSMIfri. > VX)1 ,- / the tain, was of a desperate character. Spion Kop is a precipitous mountain, overtopping the whole liuv^ of kopjes along the upper Tugela. On the eastern side the mountain fo.ces Alount Alice and Potgieter's Drift, standing at right angles to th'? Boer central posi- tion and Lyttleton's advanced position. " The nek was strongly held by the Boers, who also occupied , a heavy spur, parallel with the kop, where the enemy was con- cealed in no fewer than thirty-five rifle pits, and was thus enabled ^ to bring to be'ar upon our men a damaging cross fire, the only pos- sible point for a British attack being the southern side, with virtu- ally sheer precipices on the left and right. APPALLING FIRE FROM UNSEEN ENEMY. " A narrow footpath, admitting men in single file only to the summit, opens into a perfectly flat table land, probably of three hundred square yards area, upon which the Boers had hastily commenced to make a transverse trench. Our men were able to occupy the further end of this table land, where the ridge descended to another flat, which was again succeeded by a round, stony emi- nence, held by the Boer.j in great strength. "The ridge held by our men was faced by a number of strong little kopjes at all angles, whence the Boers sent a concentrated fire from their rifles, supported by a Maxim-Nordenfeldt and a big long range gun. With the rifles, the machine gun and the h'lg gun, the summit was converted into a perfect hell. The shells exploded continually in our ranks, and the rifle fire f^pm an abso- lutely unseen enemy was perfectly appalling. " Reinforcements were hurried up by General Warren. They had to cross a stretch of flat ground, which was literally torn up by the flying lead of the enemy. The unfinished trench on the summit gave very questionable shelter, as the enemy's machine ' guns were so accurately ranged upon the place that often sixteen i shells fell in the trench in a single minute. Mortal men could not permanently hold such a position. Our gallant fellows held it fe^,naciously for twenty-four hours and then, taking advantage of the dark night, abandoned it to the enemy. mmmmm PiniiP' m^mmm il CHAPTER XXV. Thrilling Stories of the Battles in South Africa. BY far the most interesting account of the condition of affairs in Pretoria, the capital of the Transvaal, was brought by a refugee named D. Storran, who reached Cape Town on December 15th, after being detained in Johannesburg and confined with the British military prisoners at the race-course on suspicion of being a spy. In telling his story, Mr. Storran said : " I left Pretoria on November 12. On that date there were at least 1,400 British prisoners of the rank and file and fifty-two officers. Some Avere prisoners from Dundee, many from Lady- smith, after the Nicholson's Nek affair ; fifteen from Mafeking (the armored train) and some from Crocodile river. We learned in Pretoria that these latter were part of one of Colonel Plummer's patrol of twenty-five men, which was surprised and cut off, several being killed and wounded. They had tethered their horses for the night, and were surprised, but held their own for three hours. The prisoners numbered eight. "One of the Mafeking party was a telegraphist, named Little, who was captured after eluding the Boers for many days. They tried to induce him to help them blow up the railway bridges, but he refused at all costs. " The ofi^cers are accommodated in the school houf.e and are allowed all reasonable liberty, including the obtaining of food from the hotels. The men live in lean-to sheds, hitherto used foi the horses, but clean and fairly comfortable ; the men have as good food as if they were with their fellows in the field ; in fact, they are fed upon the provisions which were taken at Dundee after it was evacuated. There were two months' supplies there. The jnen are pretty cheerful. X have heard of one or two cases of scurvy in the camp. When it rains there is some difficulty with the sheds, but the rainy season does not set in until the new year. 396 ■ "'•itf--; BATTLES IN SOUTH AFRICA. 199 "The British wounded are in a sepaiate building, which is being used as a hospital, and when we were Jiere they were being attended by an English doctor — one of the prisoners — and a number of men of the Red Cross Society as nurses. There were no female nurses available. "President Kruger, who is looking extremely well in health, is preparing for eventualities. The race-course is being prepared as a laager to be nsed in case of a siege. At present the fort guns are trained upon it in case the prisoners should try to escape, and a searchlight plays upon it at night. There is a Maxim mounted at the gate. BOERS CONCEAL THEIR LOSSES. "I could only estimate the Boer losses approximately ; I should place them at about a thousand, of whom probably half were killed. The first official reports after Elandslaagte estimated the killed and wounded at 400. Afterward the numbers were reduced. It is practically impossible to get at Boer casualties, because care is taken to conceal them, and i le wounded, instead of being treated at hospitals, are taken to the nearest farms. Mosi of the men lost at Elandslaagte were Hollanders, Germans _and Irish. They are despised by the Boers and, therefore, are always put well in front. " From the President downward the Boers are fighting, and they boast that they have won all along the line, pointing to their annexations and the beleaguered towns and the prisoners as proof positive. The burghers who are left are enrolling in crowds and men are being given burgher rights with this object. There are many English names. The flag of the South African Republic is already to be had in Pretoria. It is the Vierkleur, with an orange stripe running across it in the shape of a cross. I have seen these flags. President Steyn has ordered some, but I think they were stopped at Port Elizabeth. " I may say that the Boers have a most complete plan of cam- paign and an admirable intelligence department. The whole thing has been worked out for months before the war broke out. I ■I : S98 BATTLES IN SOUTH AFRICA. %,< I cannot estimate the Boer forces in the field. I believe there are about 43,000 altogether, 35,000 of whom are Tran.svaalers, the remainder Free Staters. Their reserves only number 3,000 01 4,000, at the outside." From Boer sources came interesting stories of the fighting around Ladysmith. It seems that the remnants of German and liollander corps returned to Johannesburg to reorganize, and indi- vidual members gave de- tails as to the circum- stances which led to so disastrous a result among the Boers at Elandslaagte. They said that the Ger- mans, under Captain Sheil ; the Hollanders, under Commandant Loni- baard, and the Johannes- burg burghers, led by Commandant Ben Viljeon, were told off to hold a cer- tain kopje and remain in- active until further orders. As a matter of fact the"y seem to have located them- selves on a kopje consider- ably nearer the British lines, and to have attracted the attention of the troops by firing on them. As a result they gradually became surrounded by the British and were raked by shot and shell. Reinforcements could not well be sent to their aid, :^.s they were too far within the British lines, and the detachment of a commando to their assistance would have interfered with the gen- eral plan designed by the commandant — General Joubert. Con- spicuous individual courage was displayed by Dr. Coster, Captain Sheil, Count Von Zeppelin, Lieutenant von Boreas and others, CAPTAIN SHEIL, THE GERMAN ARTILLERIST CAPTURED BY THE I5U1TISH AT ELANDSLAAGTE. nATTLES IN SOUTH AFRICA. '.VM but most of them had to pay the penalty of tlieir recklessness. Count Von Zeppelin rode straight for the British lines, armed with revolver and riding whip, and was at once shot dead. It is extra- ordinary that an^' of the corps escaped. They had to run the gauntlet of the British line, and were pursued by the lancers. General Joubert addressed the men before they left for Johan- nesburg, and assured them that the disastei' would have been averted had they obeyed orders. He stated that he had been against the formation of separate German, Hollander and Scandi- navian corps from the beginning, and held that it would have been better to have distributed the men among the commandos, so that they could have become initiated in Boer methods of warfare. He impressed on tne men that the object of the war was not the seeking of indi- vidual honor, nor the making of individual names for themselves, but the defense of the independ- ence of the countr3^ An eye-witness furnished the following picturesque ac- count of the battle of Magers- fontein : " Our troops extended over many miles of country. Every move had to be made in full view of the enemy upon a level plane where a collie dog could not have moved unperceived by those foenien hidden so securely behind impregnable ramparts. During the whole of Sunday our gunners played havoc with the enemy ; the shooting of the Naval Brigade being of such a nature that even thus early in the fight the big gun of the bluejackets, with its 42-pound Lyddite shell, struck terror into the hearts of the enemy. But the Boers were not idle. Whenever our infantry, in manceu- vering, came within range of their rifles, our ranks began to thin GENERAL P. J. JOUBERT. COMMANDER-IN-CHIEF OF THE BOER FORCES. 40U BATTI.KS IN SOUTH AFRICA. I • m- out, and the blood of our j^alhint fellows dyed the sun-baked veldt in richest crimson. "During the nigh,' that followed it was considered expedient that the Highland Brigade, about 4cxx) strong, under General Wauchope, should get close enough to the lines of the foe to make it possible to charge the heights. At midnight the gallant but ill-fated General moved cautiously through the darkness toward the kopje where the Boers were most strongly intrenched. They were led by a guide, who was supposed to know every inch of the country, out into the darkness of an African night. The brigade marched in line of quarter-column, each man stepping cautiously and slowly, for they knew that any sound meant death. Every order was given in a hoarse whisper, and in whispers it was passed along the ranks from man to man ; nothing was heard as they moved toward the gloomy, steel-fronted heights but *'he brushing of their feet in the veldt grass and the deep-drawn 'ths of the marching men. STARTLING RIFLE SHOT. "So, onward, until 3 o'clock in the morning of Monday. Then out of the darkness a rifle rang, sharp and clear, a herald of dis- aster — a soldier had tripped in the dark over the hidden wires laid down by the enemy. In a second, in the twinkling of an e3'e, the searcnlights of the Boers fell broad and clear as the noonday sun on the ranks of the doomed Highlanders, though it left the enemy concealed in the shadows of the frowning mass of hills behind them. "For one brief moment the Scots seemed paralyzed by the sud- denness of their discovery, for they kneV that they were huddled together like sheep within fifty yards of the trenches of the foe. Then, cle'ii above the confusion, rolled the voice of the General : 'Steady, men; steadj'!' And, like an echo to the veterans, out came the ciash of nearly a thousand rifles not fifty paces from them. The Highlanders reeled before the shock like trees before the tempest. Their best, their bravest, fell in that wild hail of lead. General Wauchope was down, riddled with bullets ; yet gasping, dying, bleeding from every vein, the Highland chieftain iiW'*iT«»*«i',--;*»;i*s.T nArri.F.s jn south afkica. 401 raised himself on his htuuls and knees and cheered his men forward. Men and officers fell in heaps together. "The Black Watcli (Royal 42d Highlanders) charged, and the Gordons and the Seaforths, with a yell that stirred the British camp below, rnshed onward — onward to death or disaster. Tlie accnrsed wires canght them ronnd the legs nntil they f )undered like trapped wolves, and all the time the rifles of the foe s uig the song of death in their ears. Then they fell back, brokv n and beaten, leaving nearly thirteen hnndred dead and wonnded jnst where the broad breast of the grass}' veldt melts into the embrace of the rngged African hills, and an hour later the dawning came of the dreariest da}- that Scotland has known for a generation past. THE FLOWER C SCOTTISH CHIVALRY CUT DOWN. "Of her officers, the flower of her chivalry, the pride of her breeding, but few remained! to tell the tale, a sad tale truly, but one untainted with dishonor or smirched witli disgrace, for up those heights under similar circumstances even a brigade of devils could scarce have hoped to pass. All that mortal men could do the Scots did ; they tried, they failed, they fell, and there is noth. ing left us now but to mourn for them, and avenge them, and I am no prophet if the da}' is distant when the Highland bayonet will retrieve this sad disaster. " All that fateful day our wounded men lay close to the Boer lines under a blazing sun ; over their heads the shots of friends and foes passed, without ceasing. Many a gallant deed was done by comrades helping comrades ; men who were shot through the body lay without water, enduring all the agony of thirst engen- dered by their wounds and the blistering heat of the day ; to them crawled Scots with shattered limbs, sharing the last drop of water in their bottles, and taking messages 'o be delivered to mourning women in the cottage homes of far-off Scotland. '' Many a last farewell was whispered by pain-drawn lips in between the ringing of the rifles ; many a rougli soldier with tenderest care closed the eyes of a brother in arms amidst the 402 BATTLES IN SOUTH AFRICA. i iii-z: tempest and the stir of battle, and above it all, Cronje, tlie Boe^, General, must liave smiled grimly, foi;well lie knew that where the Highland Brigade had failed, all the world might falter. All day Icng the battle raged ; scarcely could we see the foe — all that met our e3'es was the t-ocky heights that spoke with tongues of flame whenever our troops drew near. We could not reach their > ines ; it was murder, grim and ghastly, to send the infantry for- ward to fight a foe they could not see and could not reach. SUPERB CHARGE OF BRITISH GUARDS. " Once our Guards made a brilliant dash at the trenches, and, like a torrent, their resistless valor bore all before them, and for a brief few moments they got within hitting distance of the foe. Well did they avenge the slaughter of the Scots ; the bayonets, like tongues of flame, passed above or below the rifle's guard, and swept through brisket and breastbone. Out of their trenches the Guardsmen tossed the Boers as men in English harvest fields toss the hay when the reapers' scythes have whitened the cornfields ; and the human streams were plentiful where the British Guards- men stood. Then the}' fell back, for the fire from the heights above them fell thick as the spume of the surf on an Australian rock- ribbed coast. But the Guards had proved to the Boer that, man to man, the Briton was his master. " In vain all that day Methuen tried by ever}'^ rule he knew to draw the ener:y ; vainly the Lancers rode recklessly to induce those human rock limpets to come out and cut them off. Cronje knew tl.e mettle of our men, and an ironic laugh played round his irc\. mouth, and still he stayed in his native fastness ; but death sat ever at his elbow, for our gunners dropped the Lyddite shells and the howling shrapnel all along his lines, until the f.renches ran blood, and many of his guns were silenced. In the valley behind his outer line of hills his dead lay piled in hundreds, and the slope of the hill was a charnel house where the wounded all writhed amid the masses of the dead ; a ghastl}'^ tribute to British gunnery. "For hours I stood within speaking distance of the great BATTLES IN SOUTH AFRICA. 4oa naval gun as it spoke to the enemy, and sucli a sight as their shooting the world has possibly never witnessed. Not a shell was wasted ; cool as if on the decks of a pleasure yacht our tars moved through the fight, obeying orders with smiling alacrity. When- ever the signal came from the balloon above us that the enemy were moving behind their Hues, the sailors sent a message from England into their midst, and the name of iihe messenger was destruction, and when, at 1.30 p. M., of Tuesday, we drew off to Modder river to recuperate, we left a host of dead and wounded of grim old Cronje's men as a token that the lion of England had bared his teeth in earnest." After tracing the terrible loss suffered by the Highland Brigade at Magersfontein, the same writer thus depicts the burial of General Wauchope : OBSEQUIES OF THE GALLANT GENERAL. "Three hundred yards to the rear of the little township of Modder river, just as the sun was sinking in a blaze of African splendor, on the evening of Tuesday, the 12th of December, a long, shallow grave lay exposed in the breast of the veldt. To the westward the broad ^iver, fringed with trees, ran murmur- ingly ; to the eastward tlie heights, still held by the enemj^, scowled menacingly ; north and south the veldt undulated peace- fully. "A few paces to the northward of that grave fifty dead High- landers lay dressed as they had fallen on the field of battle. They had followed their chief to the field, and they were to follow him to the grave. How grim and stern those men looked as they lay face upward to the sky, with great hands clenched in the last death agony, and brows still knitted with the stern lust of the :jtrife in which they had fallen. "The plaids dear to every Highland clan were represented there, and, as I looked, out of the distance came the sound of the pipes; it was the General coming to join his men. There, right under the eyes of the enemy, moved, with slow and solemn tread, all that remained of the Hi'^hland Brigade. Wi^^tt^^Md 404 RATTLES IN SOUTH AFRICA. "Ill front of tlieiii walked tlie chaplain Ax'itli bared head, dressed in his robes of office; then came the pipers, v^-ith their pipes, sixteen in all, and behind them, with arms reversed, moved the Highlander;;, dressed in all the regalia of their regiments, and in the midst the dead General, borne by four of his comrades. "Out swelled the pij)es to the strains of 'The Flowers of the Forest,' now ringing proud and high until the soldiers' heads went back in haughty defiance, and eyes flashed through tears like sunlight on steel ; now singing to a moaning wail like a woman mourning her first born, until the proud heads dropped for- ward till they rested on heaving chests, and tears rolled down the wan and scarred faces, and the choking sobs broke through the solemn rhythm of the march of death. FACES FROWNING WITH VENGEANCE. " Right up to the grave the}^ marched, then broke away in companies, until the General lay in the shallow grave with a Scottish square of armed men around him. Onlj' the dead man's son and a small remnant of his officers stood with the chaplain and the pipers, while the solemn services of the church were spoken. " Then once again the pipes pealed out, and ' Lochaber No More' cut through the stillness like a cry of pain, until one could almost hear the widow in her Highland home moaning for the soldier she would welcome back no more. Then, as if touched by the magic of one thought, the soldiers turned their tear-damp eyes from the still form in the shallow grave toward the heights, where Cronje, the 'Lion of Africa,' and his soldiers stood. "Then every cheek flushed crimson, and the strong jaws set like steel, and the veins on the hands that clasped the rifle handles swelled almost to bursting with the fervor of the grip, and that look from those silent, armed men spoke more eloquently than ever spoke the tongues of orators. "For on each frowning face the spirit of vengeance sat, and each sparkling e3^e asked silentl}^ for blood. God help the Boers when next the Highland pibroch sounds. God rest the Boers' en < OS W •,1 O a: 72 J^. a fi^3^^fpl^-^3^€lf!h!•--h'! j^.L^iL'. c ".^-.A T J^^tiMi* .:ir«J 40fi BATTLES IN SOUTH AFRICA. i i ' souls when the Highland bayonets charge, for neither death, nor hell, nor things above, nor things below will hold the Scots back from their blood feud. "At thp head of the grave, at the point nearest the enemy, the General was laid to sleep, his officers grouped around him, while in line behind him his soldiers were laid in a double row, wrapped in their blankets. No shots were fired over the dead men resting so peacefully. Only the salute was given, and then the men marched campward as the darkness of an African night rolled over the far-stretching breadth of the veldt." Writing of the battle of Magersfontein a sergeant of the Sea- forth Highlanders said : "The Black Watch in front made an attempt to charge the position, but we had to retire and simply run for it, the enemy blazing at us all the way and dropping our fellows like skittles from their splendid positions. There was nothing to do but to lay down and pretend to be dead, and this I did about half-past 5 A. M., till, I suppose, 6 p. M., the sun pouring down on me all the time, and not a drink of water all day, and dare not stir hand or foot, expecting every instant to be my last. IN A STORM OF BULLETS. " I could hear nothing but the cries, moans and prayers of the wounded all round me, but dared not so much as look up to see who they were. Shot and shell were going over me all day from the enemy and our side, and plenty of them striking within a yard of me — I mean bullets, not shell — and yet they never hit me. "I believe some of the fellows lost their senses and walked right up to the enemy's place, singing till they dropped dead. One youngster lying close to me said he would make a dart for it about 3 p. M. I tried my best to persuade him not to, but he would go. A couple of seconds after I could hear them pitting at him, and then his groans for about a minute, and then he was quiet. " About this time the sun began to get fearfully hot and I BATTLES IN SOUTH AFRICA. 407 began to feel it in the legs, which are now very painful and swollen; besides, I was parched with thirst. Most of the wounded round me had ceased groaning by this time. As it began to get dark I managed to wriggle my body through the shiub further back, and, after I had been at it some time, on looking up found myself right in front of another intrenchment of the enemy. They sent a few rounds at me, but they struck just in front and ricochetted over my head. After a bit, it getting darker, I got up and walked back, and tl^ere was nothing but dead Highlanders all over the place." A Bulgarian ex-officer who joined the Boer army relates some of his experiences in the following letter. It is dated Farmer's Kopje, Natal, December 2, 1899, and is in these terms : " Look at the heading of my letter — Natal. Can you imagine that I should write you from South Africa, whereas you thought me to be in Chicago ? I am now in the iutrenchments of the Boer army before Ladysmith. OFF FOR THE WAR. ''As soon as war was declared, I made up ni}^ mind to go as a volunteer, and at New York presented myself to the Dr.'ch committee there, who paid my traveling expenses, and I embarked on the 'Sidonia Fitwe,' lJ^^und for Madeira. On November 4 we landed at Lourenzo Marques, on the 6th I was in Pretoria, and on the 7th already here. "I had a company of no soldiers intrusted to me, and as a pioneer officer my task is very important. Bearded, stalwart, hardy fellows are these Boers. I speak English, and that with the Boers is the universal language. Good people, but how terribly they hate the English. We never hated the Turks so much. All of them are good shots, good "fiorsemen and zealous Christians. Those of them who have rinished their tasks of digging sit down to rest with their BiWes in their hands ; they know no other book. They believe in God and their rights. "Our tactics here and everywhere along the fightiii'^ line are 'keep in your trenches;' we get ourselves intrenched and wait for ..w\ ->!^i . i^«*i^v,7L"^ ^m^mmmi^mmfmtmim 108 BATTLES IN SOUTH AFRICA. the enemy. The English make their attacks in the open, think- ing that the Boers are like the Sondauese. We fire volleys at them and make havoc in their ranks. Hundreds are left on the battlefield and the others retire. As we are all well mounted, we do our movements quickl3^ The hardest things we have to en- dure are the terrible heat, which keeps us in our shirt sleeves all , day, and the Siberian cold of the night, the heavy downpo\irs of -^ rain, and the dust storms." A correspondent of Renter's Telegram Compau}-, writing from Cape Town under date of December 20, said : SLOW OXEN AND MULES. '^It has been expected, certainly hoped, that the Boers may be compelled to assume the offensive, not from any desire to com(; into the open — quite the opposite i'3 the case — but because it may become absolutely necessary for them to bring the war to an early conclusion, if they can. Not only do the Boers find it difii. cult to keep up their supplies of food, but also of ammunition. Their transport arrangements are of a primitive kind. The ox wagon, even the mule wagon, is a very slow and cumbrous means- of moving heavy goods, such as projeuLiles and food stuffs, from one point to another, with long distances between the base of sup- plies and the army in the field. " Again, the extent to which ammunition of all sorts has been used must have made serious inroads even upon the heavy stocks accumulated in the Transvaal and Free vState capitals within the last two years. A failure in the food supply or the supply of ammunition is fatal to any army, and there are some signs that supplies are falling somewhat short, and that this fact is having a demoralizing effect." Writing home to his wife in Nottingham, from Sterkstroom, a color sergeant in the Second Battalion, Fifth Northumberland Fusiliers, said : "I have been through my baptism of fire, and, my God! what a baptism it was! On our arrival at Molteno we were given half an hour's rest, and then ordered on our night march, bayonets BATTLES IN SOUTH AFRICA. 409 fixed, no talking, no smoking — nothing bnt the tramp, tramp of feet; over hills, through rivers, nullahs, kopjes, laagers, and on, on, we marched through the long, weary night. ''At last day broke on as bright and sunny a morning aF ever broke on God's earth. Our General's idea was to give the Boers a surprise and carry them at the point of the bayonet, but we were disappointed. We were betrayed hj some villain or other and were led into as nice a trap as ever mortal was led into, a veritable slaughter-house. As we commenced to march between two large hills to begin operations, both of them became a blaze of shot and shell, and how I am alive to tell the tale is a wonder. We found it impossible to get at them. They were so strongly intrenched that we had to retire, and, horror of horrors, to do this we had to run the gauntlet of a terrible fire. HAIR-BREADTH ESCAPES. " I hadn't gone a Ifimdred yards when my ankle gave out, and I could only hop. Then I offered up a hearty prayer to God to look after you a..d the children, and was about to give up when a bullet tore my trousers. That gave me a fresh lease of life, and off I went again. AAvhik after the bullets flew around so that I gave myself up enti :ely, :ut still the bullets would not hit me. We managed to get clear at last, and marched fifteen miles to Molteno. I forgot to mention that a cavalryman lent me his mount, and it ran wild Avith me, and I again had a narrow escape froixi death. But it was not to be. I must have had ninety lives, to say the least, that day." One of the war correspondents shut up in Ladysmith sent interesting particulars of the cheery manner in which the people in the besieged town spent Christmas Day. The children had an especially good time. Two hundr d of the little folk were enter- tained at a feast, at which they had abundance of the CTistomary dainties and even luxuries. The feast was under the chief control of Colonel Dartnell and Major Karri-Davies, who gleefully dis- tributed the good things with their own hands. There were four Christmas trees, named respectively Britain. 410 BATTLES IN SOUTH AFRICA. II 11 J. Natal, Canada and Anstralia. Sir George V/hitc and General Hnnter were among the numerous company that witnessed the festive proceedings. One of the men of the Second Cornwall s, writing under date of December 20 to his father and mother at Plymouth, said : "After we disembarked at Cape Town, on November 29, wc went about five hundred miles up countiy to De Aar. Ten da3s ago we left there for the Orange River Camp, and now Ave are waiting hourly and anxiously for orders to proceed to the front. Two companies of ours have gone to Modder river to join Lord Methuen's column. " We have sent several trainloads of Boers as prisoners to Cape Town, and now we have got fifty more here to send on. I went to Cape Town with a party of twenty-eight Boers. The^ seem a decent lot of men, and, in fact, could not do too much for the six of us who were forming their escort. Whj', they must have spent quite £\2 (f^o) on us. But they seemed very glad to be taken prisoners am. roughly sick of the war. A BOY SOLDIER. " Among the prisoners we have one boy — a Boer boy. The poor little fellow is not more than twelve years of age, and has been fighting. He has had both legs broken and shot through. It is very pathetic ; but what a pity it is to see the poor little chap suffering ! You bet he is being well attended to b}'^ us. His father was killed in the same engagement and he has a brother still fighting." Further details of the fierce battle of Spion Kop, near Lady- smith, revealed the fierceness of the Boer attack and the terrific havoc wrought by the enemy's shells. When the Boers were first scon they were 1000 j'^ards away. They then descended into a hollow. When next it was possible to see them they were oul}- seventy yards off, and the British foremost line sought shelter behind the rocks. At this stage the first Boer shell burst, and the order was given for one regiment to retire to the edge of the kopje, where UATTI.es in south AFRICA. 411 the;'e was more cover. The order was niiscoiistrued by some of the foremost trenches, who fell back. The Boers seized this oppor- tunity and rushed the trenches, capturing a few men. This nii.s- take was soon observed ; a bayonet charge followed and the Boers fled. Two of their Maxim-Nordenfeldts commenced to drop shells among the British, doing terrible damage. The Boer riflemen, noticing the havoc wrmight, attempted to creep close tip on two occasions, only to be driven back with ioss. As they retreated, they appealed to the British to surrender. The response was a volley. The formation of the hilltop is like a table, a mile long and a quarter of a mile broad. The shorter side alone was available for rifle fire. The firing party which responded to the Boer alitack was necessarily small. The remainder of the British force was scattered about, seeking shelter. THREE ATTACKS REPULSED. After British reinforcements had reached the top of Mount Tabauyama, at ii A. m., the crest of the hill was covered with troops lying down and closely packed together. Ihitil dark these troops were under a terrific shell fire from Boer guns on three sides. A destructive rifle fire also was poured in from the trenches still held by the Boers on the further part of the crest. The British replied with rifles only, as it was impossible to drag guns to the summit in trnie. Three times the British charged the Boers' trenches, but ->ere met with a fierce fire from rifles as well as from Maxim-Nord'.-ifeldts. The British line of charge was broken before the men got within stabbing distance, and bayonets, accordingly, were useless. The day was exceedingly hot, and the scanty supply of water on the bill was barely sufficient for the wounded. It was not • possible until noon to take to the rear any of those who had been wounded. Then they had to be carried down the steep spur, up which the troops had been compelled to crawl on hands and knees. At 2 o'clock in the afternoon the Boers charged part of the 412 BATTLES IN SOUTH AFRICA. British trenches held by two battalions, and nearly sncceeded in carrying them, leaping the slinily defended breastworks, Bnt British supports were hurried up, and the defenders thus strength- ened drove the Boers back with the bayonet. The fight was fiercely contested until after dark, when the British received orders to retire. All the wounded in the field hospitals and the supply column recrossed the Tugela river at Trichard's Drift, the movement being completed in an orderly manner, without any attempt at molestation on the part of the Boers. CHAPTER XXVI. Scenes and Incidents of the Great Struggle. AN aconnit that furnished an adequate explanalion of General Biiller's repulse at the Tugela River on December 15th was given by an eye-witness of that blood}'- encounter who was on the ground. Tt appears that the battle orders, drawn up by General Clery, provided for the effective support of the artillery by Hart's, Barton's and Dundonald's brigades. These orders were not carried out as it was expected they would be. General Hart missed his way, Lord Dundonald failed to support, and General Barton got ^oart of his forces in an untenable position. Colonel Long, with the artillery, outpaced the escort of the l^uns, and they were lost. Briefly, that seems to be the story of he Tugela River. But, through graphic columns, there con- tinually recurs the discovery of unexpected entrenchments and awful fusillades from hidden Boers and gallantry such as has seldom marked British battlefields. After describing how the British force began their advance at daylight and how the Boers left them absolutely unmolested, the writer says : " At 6.25 there suddenly burst an awful crash of Boer musketry upon the batteries and advancing infantry. The rattle of the Mausers swelled and was maintained as one con- tinuous roar. From the buildings and lines of trenches south of the river and from the river bank itself the Boers fired at British gunners and footmen, and from the trenches on the northern side of the Tugela River and from Fort Wylie and elsewhere the}'^ sent out a hurricane of leaden hail, and the bullets venomously rained upon the ground in all directions, raising puffs of dust and tearing through the air with shrill sounds. " Few have ever seen so heavy and so deadly a fusillade, but neither the British gunners nor the infantry hesitated or winced. Cannon were wheeled into position, although many of the horses MM^ '■'."^ay-m •,.-&»;." 414 SCKNKS AND INCIDENTS. and nicu were shot down ere the niancx-nivic was completed, and the indoniita))le soldiers walked erect and straight onward. Not e;»'en Rome in her palmiest day.> ever pos.sessed more devoted sons. "As the gladiators marched proud and beaming to meet death, so the British soldiers, .loomed to die, saluted, aud then with alacrity stepped forward to do their duty — 'glory or the grave." Anglo-Saxon soldiers alvvays advance that way. I asked an American who had seen warfare at home, in Cuba and Manila, if his own countrymen generally did this, and he answered : 'Yes. It is marvelous, but wasteful.' g.f! !t|:. MARCHING UP TO THE RIFLE PITS. " Closer and closer walked the soldiers to the Boer trenches until within 400 yards of the nearest rifle pits. Then, lying down, they returned the fire, but there was little or nothing to aim at. By 7.15 the Irish Brigade had driven the Boers to the north bank of the Tugela. T.ey found that the enemy had planted the ground with barbed wire entanglements. Even in the bed of the river wire was laid down. Into the water went the Dublin Inniskillins, Borderers and Connaughts, but it was found at the ford that the Boerr had cunningly dammed the river, and there was ten feet of water where ordinarily it is but knee deep. They strove to find the crossings, and many a fine fellow, with his weight of ammunition and accoutrements, was drowned. "It was a desperate and serious sitiiation. The attack upon the right was making no progress, and the men were disheartened. But there were furious and angry Irishmen who had resolved to get across somehow. By dint of scrambling from rock to rock and swimming, a number won the other side. Yet, most of them found that the\' had but passed across a winding spruit. The Tagela still lay in front, and all the while the murderous fire of cannon and Mauser crashed, and comrades fell weltering in their blood. " In the meanwhile Colonel Long had lost his guns, and Generals Buller and Clery, with their staffs and escorts, had ridden to the scene. The spouting hail of lead and iron snapped SCENES AND INCIDENTS. 4lh and spluttered, and the dust puffed more than ever. Lord Robert's son, with Captains Schofield and Congrove, volunteered to ride out and endeavor to save the two field batteries in the ojkmi, Readily other volunteers were found. Corporals from the lines- men and drivers of the ammunition wagons, taking spare team.s, galloped out, and men and horses again began falling on every side. " Young Robert's horse was blown up M'ith a shell. Congrove was hit with a bullet, and his clothes were cut by other missiles. Schofield alone escaped untouched. Across that valley of death quickly the survi\ ing animals were rounded up and the guns were hooked and dragged av\^y. Again and again that day attempts were made to haul oft the remaining guns, but the Hoer fire was incessant and withering. At 4 the battle was over. General Duller abandoned the guns and retreated." COLESBURG AGAIN IN BRITISH HANDS. At the beginning of the New Year the chief interest of the war situation did not lie either at Natal or the Modder Ri^'er, where things remained practically unchanged, but in the north of Cape Colony, where General French had been doing good work for the British by constantly harassing the Boers and finding out their strong positions, then working round the flank and ever and anon threatening their line of communication. General French advanced, retired, manoeuvred and fought until by suc- cessive steps he drove the Boers eastward, and Colesburg was once more in British hands. General French's successful action was not the only piece of news from this region. Farther towards the east, and near Dord- recht, lately occupied b}' the British, there was some fighting and abundant promise of more. Captain Montmorenc}^, with a recon- noitering party, fell in with a body of Boers, estimated at 1500, eight miles to the north of Dordrecht, on December 30th. For six hours he managed to keep the Boers in check, until the arrival of reinforcements with two gmis made liini retire. General French's success again emphasized the absolute f ■- 416 SCENES AND INCIDENTS. tr IKr > necessity of a strong force of irregular.cavalry and mounted infan- tr}?^ if the British were to be able successfully to cope with the Boers. General French was fortunate enough to command a force as mobile or more mobile than the Boers, and having this advan tage and being a born cavalry leader, he was the one British Gen- eral who did lut leceive a check. He beat the Boers at their own game, outdanking them continually. xlis success was immensely significant, showing what was possible when the British could move a,-, quickl}- as the Boers This was the first occasioi^ during the war in which the Boers were dislodged by a turning movement. General French was operating in a country which was fairly favorable to the action of cavalry, and his force was mainly composed of mounted men. If the other British columns had been as .veil provided with mounted men less would liavc been heard of frontal attacks. y t hll If. GENERAL FRENCH'S BRILLIANT STR/^TEGY. F'^llowing are the details of the recapture of Colesburg, Cape Colony, which had fallen into the hands of the Boers. The account is by an army officer who was on the ground: "By a brilliant strategical movement General French drove the Boers out of Colesburg, to which they had fallen back. We had occupied Rensburg riding in strength, and had come into touch with the enemy, who fired on our skirmishers from what appeared to be an intrenched position. We had, however, only one man slightly wounded, but the proximity of the Boers made all eager to advance. " A force of cavalry and infantiy, with ten guns, the whole under the personal command'of General French himself, occupied some hills three miles from Colesburg, where the Boers lay in strength, confident because of the natural aid afforded them by the hills around. The enemy's position extended for six miles round the entire village. " Promptly at da3^break our artiller}^ opened the battle. The Boeis, though taken a Hi tic by surprise, replied vigorously with their guns. The duel went on for two hours without cessation Our gunners showed marvelous accuracy, and it soon told. W *"t4.„ ' ,.- . * v^^^hsl. h. aaI)r, H M O H W o w !« ►t; > o c v; r, > 2 O z r o C H O O 5C H fr O o r > C 424 SCENES AND INCIDENTS. ;a... h^:r- defenses with unflinching firmness. The assanlt of the Boers upon the town, on January 6th, was of a most determined character. They had evidently gathered and massed their best strength for an attack which had been carefully planned, and which they confidently expected to result in the overthrow of the : British defenses and the capture of the beleagured town. ' The first main assault was made in the middle of the night, iipon two positions to the southwest of the town, known as Caesar's Camp and Wagon Hill, from Avhich, if the Boers had been able to seize and hrld them, they could have poured a deadly fire into Ladysmith. Caesar's Camp, held by the first battalion of the Manchesters, was the first object of the enemy's attack. Making their way under cover of darkness through the thorn brush which filled the ravine at the foot of the kopje, the Heidelberg commando of the Boers succeeded in evading the British pickets and reaching the foot of the slope. RUSHING TROOPS INTO ACTION. Before the extent of the danger had been realizv^^d by the British, the outlying defenses had been rushed and their defenders slain. Two companies of the Gordon Highlanders went to ^he assistance of the Manchesters, and as soon as the force of t'.ie attack was realized other troops were brought into action. Lieutenant Col, Dick Cunyngham, who v.as leading the Gordons out of the camp, fell mortally pounded by a stray bullet while still close to the town. At daybreak artillery was brought to bear effectively upon the enemy. The Boers fought with most desperate courage, being evidently determined to take the camp or to die in the attempt. But their impetuous bravery was out- matched by the disciplined courage of the defenders, and the Boers were finally driven back with heavy loss. Meanwhile ?. still more exciting conflict had been in progress in the direction of Wagon Hill. At 2 o'clock a storming party of the enemy crept slowly and cautiously along a ravine in the valley which divided the Briash posts from the Boer camp, killing the pickets with a few i..ell' SCENES AND INCIDENTS. 420 aimed shots, and then gradually reaching the crest of the heights, where they encountered a body of the British Light Horse, which they forced to retire, and continued to advance until they reached an emplacement where they encountered a working party of the Gordon Highlanders and the 6oth Rifles, who made a brave defense but were overpowered by numbers. Here it was that Lieutenant McNaughton and thirty Gordons were captured, though not until every man of them was wounded. The British artillery was now brought into play, and prevented the storming party from being reinforced from the Boer camp. But the enemy succeeded in making good the foothold they had secured, and held their ground with the utmost determination against the efforts of the British to dislodge them. At length a enlarge of the Gordons, under Major Walnutt, drove them back, but they returned to the attack, and though repulsed were able still to maintain a murderous fire. DARING CHARGE THROUGH A GALLING FIRE. The final blow was struck whon three companies of the Devonshires, led by Captain Lafone and Lieutenants Field and Masterson, made a brilliant charge across the open grouu'l, under a terrific fire, and fairly hurled the enemy down the hill at the point of the bayonet. In this charge Captain Lafone and Lieu- tenant Field were killed, and Lieutenant Masterson received no fewer than ten wounds. The result of the battle was thoroughly disheartening to the Boers, who bad been confident of their ability to capture the town. According to the official report, the battle raged for seven- teen hours. It began at 2.45 Saturday morning, January 6th, and did not end till 7.30 in the evening. Some British entrench- ments on Wagon Hill were taken three times by the Boers, and as often regained by the defenders. One point of the British position, which General White did not specify, was occupied by the Boers during the whole day, but at nightfall, under cover of a heavy rain-storm, the Devonshire Regiment succeeded in turning them out at the point of the bayonet, liliillfWIlliUp J -r 426 SCENES AND INCIDENTS. The chief Boer attack was directed at CaesarVs Camj) and Wagon Hill, and defended by the Manchester Regiment and the Gordon Highlanders. Coming np from the sonth, perhaps by Fonries Sprnit, the Boers assaulted three times with the greatest obstinacy and vigor, sometimes obtaining a foothold and again falling back before the British bayonet charge. Meanwhile the battle, as commando after commando came up from Colenso to reinforce the fighting lines, gradually spread itself over the whole circle of entrenchments, including the great Boer forts at Isim- bulwhana and Lombard's Kop. The result, as already stated, was that Ladysmith held out gallantly and its defenders beat back the stubborn enemy. DRESSED IN A PECULIAR COLOR. The British War Offic lid all in its power to provide for the safety and success of the delenders of the empire. Clothing was furnished of a peculiar color — a color resembling the vegetation in South Africa — in order to present as little distinction as possible between the men and their surroundings. This color -,/as called khaki. In the British portions of South Africa it finalh- became actually monotonous. Even the horses were dyed the popular hue by means of a mixture of permanganate of potash and water, so that Boer sharpshooters should be puzzled to distinguish between the ghostly steed and the veldt on which he stood. Barrels of paint were used in taking the shine off swords, scabbards, lances, accoutrements and buttons. A touch of paint (m a button might mean the saving of a wearer's life, for that little piece of polished metal had the power to attract a Mauser bullet. In this adoption of neutral color the British showed commendable caution. It is safe to say that had the forces fighting the Boers been made up of an equal number of colonists, well-mounted and able to shoot straight, as were the men comprising the gallant little band at Mafeking, the war would have been ended in the defeat of the Boers. Ordinary tactics are of little account when giddy heights have to be scaled in the face of a sleet of bullets. Gallant " Tommy Atkins " does his best, but he is not seen at his best in this kind -^-TSfipp^i ^iQPPPr immmmmm^ mv^ SCENES ANU INCIDENTS. 427 of fighting. The Boers are foeiiien worthy «)f ''Tommy's'' steel, but unfortunately for Tommy thcstcel had few opportunities to get in its fine work. Here are the personal accounts of some of the ni .their guns, and then we advanced under cover, and wt cleared them out and killed a lot of them and got two of tli^ir chief officers prisoners. The Naval Brigade loss was fifty killed and wounded. You cannot tell the real number of Boers killed. As soon as any one of them falls they pick him up and gallop off to their hospital with him. HARD STRUGGLE AND HEAVY LOSSES. "Our next fight was at Modder River — one of the greatest lights in British history. We attacked the Boers, about 2,000 strong, in trenches. They had six guns with them. We were under fire thirteen hours and had no food for nearly forty-eight hours. It was a stubborn tight ; it hung on a thread for a long time. The river was full of dead horses and men. There was a heavy loss on our side. We had our colonel killed, poor fellow. We had to wade through the river up to the waist. It was dark when we got them our of their trenches. How we did batter them 1 They are not half so good shots as they are made out to be." Here is an interesting item from the camps of General Gatacre that did not find its way out of South Africa b}^ cable : " We have a lot of Boer prisoners in camp here, and over the hill in front of us a number of Boer women are searching for their husbands. They say they are told that their losses are small, and that ours are great ; but they cannot find their husbands and believe they are killed. The women think that the Boer commanders are con- cealing their losses, and I think this is about the truth of the matter. The Boer prisoners are a ragged lot, but they look like men who can do a good day's work. " Prisoners are continually arriving here in small batches, prizes taken during the little skirmishes in which it is give ani- take, with honors about even. One batch, nine in number, arrived SCENES AND INCIDENTS. 420 yesterday by the transport "Servia" from Krcro Camp. The men were of the back-veldt type, weariiijj^ sh)venly clothes and slouch hats adorned with the usual crape. One of them had an enormous Red Cross badge sewn on his hat, and this caused much laughter among the small crowd who witnessed the landing — although it must be said there were some ugly murmurs about 'the Red Cross men with rifles.' The prisoners were nuirched under armed escort to the Breakwater Convict vStation." In the latter part of December, Knglaiid called vSir Moratio Kitchener and Lord Frederick vSleigh Roberts to her :iid in the Transvaal. Each in his own fashion is a remarkable man. Ivach has seen more fighting, nujre bloodshed, nu)re facings of death in combat than ever Sir Garnet Joseph Wolselej' dared to dream of. It is something more than oppurtu uty which makes a man. The mother's milk which sustained him in infancy must have had certain potential qualities for him to be genuinely great in after life. CAME FROM A STURDY STOCK. Kitchener and Roberts both came from old English stock, with a fair mixture of Irish. Kitchener was born in Ireland, while Roberts was born in India of English parents. They call the Sirdar "the man of certainties." In India Roberts is called " Bobs Bahadur," that is, " Bobs," the hero or champion. Kitch- ener is more than six feet in height, a strapping big fellow, with phenomenal endurance and a will power that knows no master. Roberts is small, wiry, nervously energetic, more of a diplo- mat than the other, but none the less a fighter. This was the second time he had been supreme in command in South Africa.* When General George Colley was killed at Majuba Hill in i(S82 Roberts was ordered out to succeed him, but saw no fighting, as peace came quickly. He was now to be commander in chief of all the English forces in South Africa, and Kitchener was to be his chief of staff. What each, has accomplished in the past for Eng- land falls little short of the marvelous. Roberts was 67 years old when he was ordered to South Africa ; Kitchener was 48, and his glory rests on his exploits in 480 SCENES AND INCIDENTS. the Soudan. Field Marshal Roberts won his fame at Candahar in India. General Roberts, in the event of the death of Sir Garnet Wolseley, is in direct line to become the head of the English army. He is popular with the rank and file of the empire — the people who pay the taxes and furnish the fighting private. There was a time in 1878 when the Afghan uprising appeared to threaten as seriously the integrity of the British Empire as the Transvaal war does now. Roberts was in India, and in the campaign against the Afghanistans performed a series of feats which showed him to be one of the ablest commanders and most brilliant soldiers in the service of his country. He commanded the column sent to operate through the Kurani Valley, and, surmounting the dangers and difficulties of the Peiwar Pass, gained a decisive victory at Charasiah and entered Cabul. >* ;i4' [il I ROBERTS' PHENOMENAL MARCH. At the end of July, 1880, another British column under Gen- eral Burrows, which was atto'^king Ayoob Kahn, was defeated and literally cut to pieces at Maiwand. Burrows barely managed to save a small remnant of his force, who fought their way to Candahar, where they joined the garrison under command of General Primrose. Ayoob Kahn prepared to attack the city, and if he had done so on the instant probably would ha-^'^e taken it and caused England greater loss than she had experienced sine- the Indian mutiny. General Roberts, who was several hundred miles away, was apprised of the danger at Candahar and gathered a force of 9,000 picked men. These he marched with almost incredible rapidity across the trackless region between Cabul and Candahar and descended iipon Ayoob Kahn before the latter was aware of his Dresence. The Afghans received a defeat from which they have not recovered to this day and England a respite from rebellions for many a month. Roberts fought his Afghan battles with weak- ened forces. In order to strengthen a column sent tlircagli the Khyber SCENES AND -INCIDENTS. 431 f Pass many companies were detached from his commmd, and what he accomplished was with less men than any other commander in Afghanistan had at that time. It is indicative of the conrage of the man that before he moved his forces he represented to the anthorities that he considered the nnniber of troops at his disposal inadeqnate to the task they were expected to perform. He did not receive the re-enforce- ments desired. One mnst know the mountain fierceness of the Peiwar Pass to appreciate what Gtiieral Roberts con- fronted when with his handful of men he arrived theie LO attack the enemy. The pass is a rugged, forest-clad elevation rising 2,000 feet above Kuram VaPey and- forming a tre- mendous obstacle to ad- vance into the enemy's country beyond. The summit was occupied by an Afghan force consist- ing of eight regiments, or fully 9,000 men and eigh- teen guns. The entire force comm.anded by Roberts consisted of 5,325 men, of whom only 1,345 were Britisii. The remainder consisted of more or less unre- liable native tioops. Roberts made no hasty attack upon this high mountain crest. He halted his men, and two days were spent in examining the; mountain front. As a result of this Roberts found a path three miles north oi the enemy by which he could reach their rear, and he resolved to deliver his attack by this route. He marched from his camp during the night and reached the poin of attack at day- FIELD MARSHAL LORD ROBERTS, COMvIANDER-lN-CHIEF OF THE URITISH FORCES IN SOUTH AFRICA. hui *'i-^ 432 SCENES AND INCIDENTS. break. Much anxiety was felt during the march by the fact that some of the native troops wore Pathans, two of whom, when the position was neared, fired shots as a warning to their Afghan kinsmen. The warning came too late. The Af(^{han posts, though not surprised, were stormed, and the main force retreated in confusion. The British loss was about loo killed and wounded. The coolness which Roberts displayed in making this attack, the well considered nature of his plans, gave evidence that he possessed the highest kind of generalship, and if Wolseley did not recognize this, England did. GREW TO BE A HERO. He is the man who I'ved forty-one years in India as an Eng- lish soldier, rising from the position of subaltern to that of com- mander ;n chief of all the English forces there. He was 20 when he landed at Madras. His father for years was commander of the Lahore division. In the Indian mutiny of 1857 ^^ ^^^ con- spicuous by being found wherever there was heavy fighting. His gallantry was always conspicuous. He has seemed to lead a charmed life. Friends and comrades have been killed by his side, but he has always escaped. He won the Victoria Cross by recapturing from several Sepoys a British flag. In 1892 he was elevated to the peerage, and inthr- following year resigned his Indian command and returned to Eng- land. He was then placed i^n charge of the forces in Ireland. The privates of the English army call him "Little Bobs." When future generations come to read the history of modem Egypt and the story of the Soudan, no name will figure in it more prominently than that of Kitchener, the third Sirdar of the Egypt- ian army. His father was a colonel in the British army, and the s ju chose soldiering for his profession. He was educated at Wool- wich and entered the Royal Engineers as a lieutenant in 1871. Love of adventure caused him to leave the army in 1874 to join in thesurvey of Western Palestine, under Major Condor, but after the attack on the party at Safed, he returned to London. The roving li*'e of surveying and exploring suited Kitchener's nature admira- SCENES AND INCIDENTS. 488 bly, and he went on to tlie Holy Land on surveying expeditions three times, on the last occasion as sole commander of the expedi- tion for the survey of Galilee. In 1888 he defeated Osman Digna at the siege of Suakin. He commanded only native Sudanese battalions, but his faith in them was unbounded. He led them within 200 yards of formidable breastworks without firing a shot, but when he did give the word to go they poured a wither- ing hail of lead in the Arabs' position and then carried the trenches with a rush that would have done credit to the Guards, com- pleting with their baj^onets the destruction of the enemy. Kitchener fought again at Gamaizah, at the battle of Toski and at Dongola. He has been twice shot at by Bedouins, nearly murdered in Palestine, narrowly es- caped being hanged as a spy, besides the ordinary risks in a dozen different battles. At Omdurman, in his eagerness to get where he could see the progress of the fight, he came a trifle too near the lines of fire of his own men, and a bullet cut through the sleeve of his coat. The scene after the battle, which he v/on, is described by eyewitnesses as frightful. The dead of the Dervishes lay around in thickly piled masses. The Martini bullets and the quick-firing guns had cut them down in such heaps that the ground was white with the flowing robes where it was not dyed with blood. No quarter was given. A wounded Dervish is more dangerous than one 28 GENERAL LORD KITCHENER, ciiii:f of riKLu marshal Roberts' staff. 484 SCENES AND INCIDENTS. 1 sk not wounded, especially if he is wounded to the death and knows it. This victory of Kitchener left hiin the controlling power of the region that comprises the bases of the Niger, Lake Tchad and the branch of the Nile that is called Bahr-el-Ghazal. His sphere of influence covered an area of 950,000 square miles, with a popu- lation of over 10,000,000. The highest praise peiid Kitchener is that he never neglects the condition of his men ; but when they fight the}' must fight as men never fought before. It is said that men serving under him are bettei -^ared for than if they w^re the pampered pets of a wealthy lit sehold ; but that when they go into battle he compels them to , ke chances from which less daring commanders would shrink. An English authority, writing of him, said: "The military genius of Kitchener is simply beyond criticism." The same apparently may be said of General Roberts, It is to be distinctly remembered, though, that neither man has ever been pitted against white men in his fighting c; ^r. Wolseley was in the Crimea, but Lord Roberts has made his reputation fighting Sepoys and Afghanistans, while Kitchener's battlefield record rests upon the slain bodies of howling Dervishes. Pitted against the talents of these two were the mountain walls of a country as rugged as India, the science :)f German artillerymen, the skill of Frenchmen in the trenches, the tactic alability of American officers, and the unyielding obstinacy of Boer geuerals. i CHAPTER XXVII. The British End the Siege of Kimberley. THE London War Office received intelligence on February 15, 1900, which indicated that the long series of disasters suf- fered by the British had ended and the tide of battle had turned. The news produced general rejoicing throughout Great Britain and the Colonies. It was known that Lord Roberts upon his arrival in South Africa at once formed his plan of campaign. This included opera- tions in connection with General Methuen's army and the relief of Kimberley at the earliest possible momen^ There was intense suspense in view of the preparations made lov a British advance. General Cronje, in command of the Boers investing Kimberley, was prepared to dispute every inch of ground and oppose a stub- born resistance to his enemy, such as had hitherto been successful everywhere in repelling the British advance. On Februaiy 15th it was learned that Lord Roberts had begun the attack on the Boer army between the Modder river and Kim- berley by initiating a lianking movement, which up to that date had proved successful. The drifts referred to in Roberts' ofl&cial r 3sages are marked on but few maps. They are all to the east of the point where the British camp was located on the Modder and within the Free State terri- ory. For the information of the reader it should be stated that a "drift" is, in the Boer language, a ford. In making these fords the Boers showed great ingenuity. Usually in the widest and shallowest part of a river, they are made by spreading bed stones right across the stream to the width of about thirty feet. Thus the water running over the drift may be about two and one-half feet deep, while on each side it may be much deeper. So much, by way of explanation, and we will now return to the history. The first move made by the mounted infantry brigade, under 436 .'.yit 'lJ^-^:r^L^t£\i^j!-^% !..: Ill I ■^ ^ m KND OF THE SIEGE OF KIMbi.UI.EY. Colonel Haiiiiay, was to Raiiidaiii on February I2tli. On the same day General French took Dekil's Drift, clearing the way for the Sixth and Seventh Divisions. On Tuesday, the 13th, French forced a passage of the Riet at Klipt Drift, occupying the hills to the north, while General Gordon seized Rondeval Drift and another between it and Klipt. In the meantime, the Sixth Division, which was supposed to be in the neighborhood of Colesburg, appeared on the north bank of the Riet, at the Waterval Drift, moving to the support of the cavalry. Ranidam is ten miles almost due south of Jacobsdal. With two divisions and the cavalry division threatening the Boer left on the position stretching from Spytfontein by Magersfontein to Jacobsdal, Roberts forced Cronje to decide whether to retire or stay. If he elected to go, Kimberley would be relieved ; if he chose to stay, he would have to entrench in the rear, or his works would be carried. If the rear was entrenched he would be held while Kimberley was relieved. IMPORTANT DESPATCH FROM LORD ROBERTS. General Methuen, with the First Division, was left to hold the entrenchments on the Modder, but Roberts had three infantry divisions, the Sixth, Seventh and Ninth, some ten batteries and 6,000 or 7,000 mounted men ; altogether, the force mustered about 37,000. The War Office in London received a message from Lord Roberts, giving details of his brilliant strategy which resultec^ iu relieving Kimberley. It was as follows : "Dekil's Drift, Feb. 14, 8.io a. im, — General French left this point at 11.30 yesterday morning with three brigades of cavalry, horse artillery and mounted infantry, including several colonial contingents, in order to seize a crossing of the Modder, distant about twenty-five miles. He reports, by despatch, dated 5.35 p.m., that he has forced a passage at Clip Drift, and occupied the hills north of the river, capturing three of the enem3''s laagers, with their supplies, while General Gordon, of the Fifteenth Hussars, with his brigade, who liiul made a feint at Rondeval Drift, four -...i j'''t| 440 END OF THE SIEC.K OI KIMHERLEY. wounded. Some of our wounded ha\< Ik en here since December. Some were brought in yesterday." The following despatch from Gen- n-l Robert.', hlls the gaps in the earlier despatches : " Modder River, February i6. — The vSixth Division left Waterfall Drift early on the morning of the I5tli, and marched here, going on the same evening to Rondeval Drift, to hold the crossing of the Modder river and leave General French free to act. Shortly after arriving here the mounted infantry visited Jacobsdal and found it full of women and children, with four of our wounde^ fe^ « 1.0 I.I 11.25 una f2i ui lii ^ lis Hill 2.0 1.8 1.4 IIIIII.6 m /: / Photogr^hic Sciences Corporation \ iV o lV 23 WEST MAIN STREET WEBSTER, N.Y. 14580 (716) 6 2-4503 '^ '% 442 END OF THE SIEGE OF KIMBERLEY. jiff at 3 A. M. on Sunday, the nth. General French rode into Kim- berley Thursday afternoon, just when he was due according to Field Marshal Roberts' time table, having, in four and a half days, marched ninety miles with artillery and having fought two engagements. The relief of Kimberley was accomplished with the loss of only fifty men. Twenty thousand infantry made splendid marches under a sub-tropical sun and through a dust storm to hold the positions which General French took. Lord Kitchener was with General Tucker's division. In consequence of his transport arrangements, the four divisions moving over the sandy veldt were fed and watered. It is hardly possible to appreciate adequately the mathematical precision with which every part of the transport department worked, marching through the day, toiling almost sleeplesslj'^ throughout the night, victualling the army and evolving every hour results from seeming chaos. A WEARISOME MARCH. Everybody did what was expected of him cheerfully, though enduring frightful fatigues. Few slepc more than three hours. The battalions, hour after houi, toiled through the heavy sand uncomplainingly, and when now and then a man fell out of the ranks exhausted, he would rejoin his company later after he had rested. Some fifty or sixty were overcome by the heat and had to be sent to the rear in the backward defile of empty wagons. The rapidity of Lord Roberts' movements away from his base solved one of the problems, perhaps the chief problem, of the war. He and Lord Kitchener created a mobile force, able to move in exterior lines and to outflank the Boers, themselves so wonder- fully mobile and quick in movements. Farther details of the Boer retreat show that Cronje's army fought a good rear guard action, and occupied successive kopjes (hills), in order to allow the moving of the convoy, which, how- ever, went at a very slow pace, the animals apparently being exhausted. General French's magnificent march was the subject of admi- END OF THE SIEGE OF KIMBERLEY. 442 ration, especially in view of the dust storms and thunder storms that all experienced. The work of shelling the Boers proceeded vigorously. Owing to the style of the action, the Boers were bound to show in the open field, whenever they were obliged to leave the kopjes or hills where they could get behind rocks and other natural defenses. Enthusiastic demonstrations followed the announcement at Cape Town of the relief of Kimberley. Govern- ment House was sur- rounded by great crowds, and the Governor of Cape Colony, Sir Alfred Mil- ner, received an ovation. The house which Lord Roberts occupied on his arrival at Cape Town was similarly feted, there were parades through the city, cheering for "Bobs" (Lord Roberts), flag fly- ing, and hostile demon- strations outside the 1^ newspaper offices sympa- thetic to the Boers and before the residences of Ministers supposed to be in sympathy with the burghers. The relief of Kimberly was similarley celebrated in other towns of Cape Colony. The War Office in London was highly pleased at the receipt of cabled congratulations on the relief of Kimberley from the Mayor of Toronto, Canada, in behalf of the corporation and citizens of that city. The siege of Kimberley was begun really when the war in South Africa opened in October, 1899. At that time General MAJOR ALBRECHT. IN COMMAND OF BOER AKTILLERY. ^^"^^ m w -I m 111' 444 END OF THE SIEGE OF KIMBERLEV. Cronje, the commander of the Boer forces ui.der General Joubert, arranged a line of entrenchments around Kimberley in the form of a complete circle, and all the efforts of General French to break through were unavailing. It is understood that 5,000 were locked up in Kimberley, and various reports came out of the suffering in consequence of the scarcity of food. The siege was in force 123 days. The inspiring motive which prompted the Boers to make such a desperate effort to get into Kimberley was the hope of capturing Cecil Rhodes. President Kruger officially said the Transvaal Republic regarded Rhodes as being responsible for all the trouble in South Africa. The movement to relieve Kimberley began on Monday, February 12th, when General French swooped down on Dekil's Drift, and having crossed, moved his forces twenty miles in a little over six hours, capturing three Boer laagers at Klip Drift, on the Modder river. The march was accomplished during a severe sand storm and while the heat was terrific. HARDSHIPS OF THE SIEGE. Among the twenty thousand people cooped up in Kimberley throughout its siege of 123 days were two or three who could recall their personal experiences of the siege of Paris. Beside the terrible privations endured in the hard winter of 1870-71, the hardships of the Kimberley besieged sink into insignificance. Yet there were some strange vicissitudes in the prolongation of the investment. _ Nobody would have hazarded a prediction that the town would have lain almost helpless under the shells of the Boer guns for seven or eight weeks with a British army immov- able only twenty-five miles away. Such was the case, however, for Kimberley, after Lord Methuen withdrew from the fatal rifle trenches of Magersfontein to intrench himself at Modder river, was condemned to a monotonous period of waiting. The g^rrision was not strong enough to make a divertise- ment, while the Boer besieging force contented itself with the expectation of being able to starve the place into submission. M«thuen's intrenchment at Modder river, however, had the END OF THE SIEGE OF KIMBERLEY. 446 important effect of preventing General Cronje from weakening his line to exert pressure on the town. As time went on the confidence expressed at the beginning of the war, that Kimberley could defy the Boers for any length of time, was seen to be completely justified. The investment began in October, when Kimberley was isolated, the Boers cutting the Bulawayo Railway north and south. The garrison had been organized by Colonel Kekewich, aided by Captain O'Mara and Lieutenant Maclnnes, both of the Royal Engineers. Major Scott-Turner was a fourth ofiicer, responsible foi the defence in the early days. He lost his life in a sortie from the town. Under these officers were placed four companies of the Loyal North Lancashire regiment, a battery of Royal Garrison artillery, under Major Chamier, and a detachment of Royal Engineers. Some troops of Cape police, the Kimberley Light Horse and the town guard were welded into a compact force, which showed itself eager in keeping the Boers at a distance from the town. The garrison thus consisted of about seven hundred imperial troops, and with the colonial and other forces reached a total of about twenty-seven hundred. A detachment of the Royal Army Medical Corps, with ambulances, was also included in the garrison and gave effective service. A RENOWNED COMMANDER. Lieutenant Colonel R. G. Kekewich, the Colonel of the Lan- cashire regiment and commandant of the town, gained a reputa- tion on the stafif in Egypt from 1884 to 1890, and has been military secretary to two commanders in chief of Madras. A few days before the formal declaration of war by the Republics, Colonel Kekewich held a review of his garrison. The brave show put heart into the inhabitants. The town was well supplied with cattle and provisions, and elaborate defences had been constructed^ with earthworks made out of the rubbish heaps of the mines, sixty feet high, and with miles of barbed wire. For the Boers, Kimberley was a prize worth almost any cost. TUeie were the diamond mines to begin with, and the loot to be '■d^ljli^tjifcj^ljj 44A KND OF THE SPiGE OF KIMBERLEY. obtained in the most important town of Upper Cape Colony. From a military point of view its capture would be the prevention of itD being utilized as a base for any British army operating against the Orange Free State. More piquant interest, however, was given to the siege by the fact that almost the last arrival in the town before its isolation, in October, was that of Mr. Cecil Rhodes, in company with Mr. and Mrs. Rochfort Maguire. Mr. Rhodes had determined to cast in his lot with the town so closely identified with his fortunes. Rumor was busy with tales of the fate in store for one regarded by the Boers as their arch enemy, should he fall into their hands. It was said that President Kru- ger had set a price on Mr. Rhodes' head with a reward of a large grant of land to the I fortunate captor. To avoid f} such a fate Mr. Rhodes, so ' the story went, had provided himself with a balloon as a means of escape at the last moment. Whatever basis of truth lay in these picturesque GENERAL LORD METHUEN. ^^^^^^^ ^^^ Ri^^^^g ^^^ ^■^^. self to aid the defence with characteristic energy. He raised and equipped a corps of Kimberley light horse. The white employes of the De Beers Company were specially armed and drilled for the defence of the mines. The machinery was utilized for the manufacturing of shells, and a great cannon 'was actually cast. It was named " Long Cecil," and the first shot was fired by its namesake. The Beers made special rejoicing when its career was cut short by its bursting. The thousands of Kaffirs in the compound were given work, and a "Siege Avenue" and other public improvements were executed under the direct END OF THE SIEGE OF KIMBERLEY. 441 I Colony, ireveution operating however, arrival in Mr. Cecil re. the town with his ivas busy e in store the Boers y, should lands. It lent Kru- e on Mr. a reward md to the To avoid hodes, so provided oon as a the last basis of :turesque set him- e raised specially achinery t cannon first shot rejoicing isands of Avenue" :lie direct personal supervision of the former Premier of Cape Colony and founder of Rhodesia, Cecil Rhodes. Dr.ring the first few weeks sharp fighting took place between the garrison and the investing Boers. The reconnoissances and sorties were successful in preventing the enemy approaching the town toi closely, though they were found to be somewhat expen- sive luxuries. But they served to dissipate the apprehensions that the place might be rushed before the arrival of the relief column. They were renewed as Lord Methuen approached the Modder River, twenty-five miles south of Kimberley, and on the days of the battles of Belmont, Gras Pan and the Modder severe losses were inflicted by the garrison on the besiegers. On November 23, simultaneously with the defeat of the Boers by Lord Methuen, the Kimberley garrison captured a laager, but lost a gallant leader in Major Scott-Turner of the Black Watch. CHRISTMAS BANQUETS IN KIMBERLEY. Hopes now ran high in the town, as Colonel Kekewich was in constant communication with the advancing army by means of the electric flashlight. The battle of Magersfontein, early in December, with its unwelcome check and the withdrawal of Lord Methuen to an intrenched position at the Modder River, dispersed these expectations, though Colonel TCekewich was soon informed of the reasons for the enforced delay. Lord Methuen' s settled position served to occupy the attention of General Cronje, and no deliberate attack was made on Kimberley. The shell fire, though occasionally heavy, did little damage. At Christmas the priva- tions were not extreme, though typhoid and scurvy were on the increase. Mr. Rhodes again came to the rescue with the distribution among the various • amps of plum puddings, cooked at his resi- dence, the Sanatorium. At the end of the year the Mayor and Council dispatched a message to the Queen, sending New Year's greetings and assuring Her Majesty that the trouble they had passed througb and were still enduring only tended to love and loyalty toward her throne and person. An answer rear' ed the mmM 448 END OF THE SIEGE OF KIMBERLF.Y. m town in which Queen Victoria said rhe watched with admiration the determined and gallant defence of the inhabitants, though she regretted the unavoidable loss of life incurred. There were still six weeks of tedium to be passed before any indications were made that the British were to assume the offen- sive, with Kiniberley again as the immediate objective. Early in the siege the military authorities had put an embargo on all the- stores. No storekeeper was allowed to take advantage of the siegf, and the community was thus enabled to live at normal prices, so far as the absolute necessaries of life were concerned, though famine prices ruled in the case of fowls, vegetables and fruit. A statement that the ga :rison had been reduced to a diet of horse flesh probably required qualification. Large herds of cattle are known to have been grazing in the outskirts of the town. THE HIGHLAND BKIGADE IN ACTION. At length there must have been a stir in the air foretelling the end. On February 8th General Hector Macdonald, with the Highland Brigade, made his reconnoissance to Koodocs Drift, a movement which it is clear was merely a feint to draw the Boers to the westward while the way was left open for French to cut through between Cronje's intrenchments at Modder River and Jacobsdal on the eastward. On Lord Roberts' arrival at the Modder everything was in train for the execution of the neat piece of strategy which completely circumvented the Boers. General French, once in motion, swept his squadrons onward, and, brushing aside the parties of Boers who attempted to bar his progress, rode into Kimberley from the southeast on February i6th. The forces investing Kimberley were under command of the famous Boer General, Cronje, some account of whom may fitly be given in this connection. With Field Marshal Lord Roberts' advance into the Orange Free State, General P. A. Cronje became the most important of the Dutch commanders, for he was the supreme chief of the whole Boer force engaged in the siege of Mafeking and Kim- berley, and in the other operations in the Orange River region — 2ND OF THE SIir.K OF KIMBERLEY. 449 iration gh she >re any e offen- arly in all the e siegf, •ices, S(t though uit. A )f horse ittle are retelling with the Drift, a be Boers :h to cut iver and il at the the neat ; Boers, onward, o bar his .ary i6th. nd of the y fitly be e Orange ortant of ef of the ind Kim- region — the force that the British invaders had to encounter. Cronje is described as a typical Boer, but, at the same time, if all that has been said of him be true, he is of a different type from Kruger and Joubert. These two men, uncor.th in appearance though they are, may be described as gentlemen. Cronje, on the other hand, has the appearance, and, if what is said of him by his English detractors be even in a measure «rue, the habits and manners of a savage. He is a heavy, thick- set man of stolid countenance, with bushy eyebrows, a stern, set mouth, scarcely concealed by a grizzled moustache, and dark, thick beard streaked with gray. As he appeared on one historic occasion — the capture of the Jameson raiders in January, 1896 — he was thus described by an Englishman who was present, and must be taken as prej udiced : THE GENERALS GROTESQUE APPEARANCE. " At the head of the advancing horde rode a burly figure in a dirty slouch hat, stooping in his saddle, unclean and unkempt, everything about him betokening neglect ; the wretched-looking, ungroomed horse, the antiquated saddlery, the rusty steel trap- pings. Yet oue could see that his was the master mind directing the hordes which were gradually enveloping the unfortunate body of men lying at their mercy. In arrogant, truculent tones he dicta- ted the terms of surrender." The animus of this description is manifest, but it is equally manifest that there is some substantial foundation for the personal description of the hero of Domkop. Before the surrender an inci- dent occurred which revealed the fatalistic creed to which Cronje pins his fate. When the bullets were whistling rather too loudly around the spot where the Dutch commander was seated, a Field Comet suggested that he retire to a more sheltered place. " No," said Cronje; "I'm in the hands of God, and if I have to be shot I shall be hit just as soon in one place as in another." His creed is as merciless as it is fatalistic, and the man is utterly relentless, even if not unscrupulous, as his enemies have charged, in all his dealings with the foes of his country and his 29 mo END OF THE SIEGE OF KIMUK'U.EY. vm[ race. He is as brave as he is burly, and as a tactician in guerilla warfare is not surpassed even by liis old mentor, ''Slim Piet" Joubert, himself. Cronje lives on a farm near Potchefstroom, a town just beyond the Vaal River, about sixty miles southwest of Johannesburg. He is fairl}' worshipped by his neighbors, who tell wonderful stories of the courage and resource which he displayed in the old days, when the Boers were trekking north, fighting their way through swarms of hostile savages and defending the camp against tlieir fierce onslaughts. Cronje has been a soldier from his youth. He began his military career in the ranks, and worked his way up to the second place in the Boer army .solely by his merits as a fighter and tactician. CHARGED WITH BRUTAL MURDER. He was already a Field Cornet at Laing's Nek in 1881, and was second in command to Joul)crt in the notable affiiir of Majuba Hill. His chief distinction in the Boer war of independence was gained, however, in the siege and capture of Potchefstroom, the town near which his homestead is situated, as alread}' stated. The place M'as defended by a small British garrison under Colonel Winslow. Cronje led the Boer forces to the attack, and, according to fairly reliable accounts, resorted to devices which have justly given him an unsavory reputation. It is said that he ordered several non-combatant Britishers to be arrested, and afterwards had them shot as spies on wholly insufficient evidence. He is also accused of having, in the Potchefstroom campaign, caused prisonen: of war to be placed in the forefront of the besieg- ing force, and compelled to work there in trenches, where they were exposed to the fire of their friends, it is said, with fatal effect. He is also accused of having refused Colonel Winslow's request to allow one or two ladies, who were in poor health and had suffered greatly during the attack, to pass through the Boer lines in search of food and medical attendance, and one of them is said to have died in consequence. It will be reealled, however, that during the earlier stages of END OF THE SIEGE OF KIMBEKI-EY. 461 He the of the siege of Kiiiibcrley, Croiijo iillowcd two KugHsh women to enter the Boer lines to attend their husbands, who had been wounded and made ])risoners. It was at the cU)se of the siege of Potchefstroom that the Duteh commander's conduct was most reprehensible. He deliberately withheld from the beleaguered gar- rison the news that an armistice had been arranged between the British and Boer forces, and threw fresh energy into his assaults upon the place, compelling Colonel Winslow finally to surrender. Cronje's behavior in this re- spect M-as bitterly denounced, and the Transvaal govern- ment, at the denmnd of Sir Evelyn Wood, permitted a British regiment to march up from Natal, on the conclusion of peace, and re-occupy Pot- chefstroom as a formal ac- knowlcgment of this repre- hensiljle action. As time passed, Cronje rose in rank, and when the Jameson raid occurred, in the closing days of 1895, he was placed in the responsible posi- tion of commander of the Boer force which was sent to head it off. This he did most effect- kii.i.kd at tmk jiattuc of dunder. nail}', and again earned the detestation of the British by his relent- less dealings with filibusters. Cronje rounded up Dr. Jamesim and j his followers in the little village of Dornkop. He had no artillery, )ut his whole force was armed with rifles, and was made up of first- class marksmen. By their commander's orders the Boers picked off the British artillerists, thereby rendering their guns useless, and bringing the raid to a premature close. Dr. Jameson surrendered on condition that, if the raiders paid the expenses of their suppression and gave up their arms, their GENERAL W. P. SYMONS, Ali2 END OF TIIK Sirr.r: of KIMnFRLEY. '.ives would be spared. To these terms Crotije subscribed in writing, but it is eharged against him that he afterwards repu- diated them on the plea that his promise held good only until the filibusters were handed over to Commandant-General Joubert. On the ground of this action, also, Cronje has been accused of treach- ery only less heinous than that which marked his conduct at the capture of Potchefstroom. As a reward for his masterly management of the Jameson affair Cronje was appointed to succeed General Joubert as Super- intendent of Native Affairs. Immediately upon the declaration of war, in October, 1899, he was made second in command of the united forces of the two Dutch republics, and was assigned to the district on the western border of the Transvaal and Orange Free State. It was by the forces under his command that the little British garrisons in Mafeking and Kimberley were shut in. But General Cronje's operations were not confined to the investment and occasional bombardment of these two British towns. When General Lord Methuen started to the relief of Kimberlc}', in November, he encountered Cronje's force at Gras Pan on the 25th of that month. The resulting encounter was practically an undecisive battle. Three days later there was another and more desperate encounter on the Modder River, which Lord Methuen, in his despatch to the Queen, described as the " bloodiest battle of the century." This encounter brought Methuen's advance to a halt, and two weeks later — on December 12 — Cronje defeated Lord Methuen in the decisive battle of Magersfontein, in which the Highland Brigade was almost annihilated, and its commander, General Wauchope, killed. In the two months and more which followed, the British advance to the relief of the beleaguered garri- son was not only kept at a standstill, but time and time again por-: tious of the relieving force were defeated in set encounters. ibed ill s rcpu- iitil the ;rt. On treacli- t at the ainesoii ; Super- atioii of i of the 1 to the ge Free le little 11. to the li towns, iiberley, . on the :ally an id more ethiien, cattle of ice to a ed Lord lich the tiiander, e which 2d garri- aiii por-i s. CHAPTER XXVIII. Surrender of General Cronje and His Entire Force. C^ENHRAL CRONJE, the .stubborn Boer conii.iander, con- * tinned his frantic efforts to escape from Lord Roberts and retreat toward Bh)cnif()ntein, the capital of the Orange Free State. His retreat began when it was apparent that General French was master of the situation and it was no longer possible for the Boers to threaten Kimberley with capture. Although the rapid march of General French's division was marked by a number of conflicts, his actual entry into Kimberley was unopposed. When the British were still eight miles off the Signaling Corps intercepted a heliograph message fi-om the belea- guered garrison to Modder river, saying: "The Boers are shell- ing the town." The advancing column replied: "This is General French coming to the relief of Kimberley." The garrison was incredulous and thought the message was a Boer ruse, and flashed the query: " What regiment are you?" The reply satisfied the defenders of Kimberley that the anxiously awaited succor was at hand, and a few hours later Gen- eral French, at the head of a column, made a triumphant entry into the place, the people surrounding the troops and interming- ling with them, cheering wildly, grasping the soldiers' hands, waving flags, hats and handkerchiefs, and exhibiting in a hundred ways the intensity of their joy. The inhabitants had been on short rations for some time, eating horse flesh and living in bur- rows under heaps of mine refuse. Diminishing rations were served out daily, at ii o'clock, in the market square, under the shell fire of the enemy, whose guns opened on the square whenever the inhabitants assembled. No horse food was left. Throughout the siege Cecil Rhodes provided the natives with work and food, and thus kept them quiet. The miles of convoy 453 164 SURRENDER OF GENERAL CRONJE. m i 'M' bearing provisions for tlie relief colnnm and the town, slowly wind- ing its wa}' across the plain in the direction of Kinibcrley, was the gladdest sight which greeted the eyes of the besieged for four months. General French's march was so rapid and the heat so intense that many of his horses died of exhaustion. At the cros-sing of the Modder river the Boers bolted, leaving their tents, gmis, oxen, wagons and large quantities of ammunition in the hands of the British. Moving northwards, the Boers again attempted to stem the advance, but General French turned their flank and reached his goal with insignificant losses — seven men killed and thirty-five wounded during three days from Wednesday February 14, to Frida}^, February 16. After a night's rest at Kimberley General French's column pursued the Boers to Bront- veld, surrounded the hillocks on which they were posted and shelled them till nightfall, when the Boers fled, leaving many dead. General Cronje left a gun, his tents, food and clothes at Magersfontein. An ofiicer who was on the ground thus describes General Cronje' s retreat with the Boers at Magersfontein, on learning of General French's success : HURRYING TO ESCAPE. "On Thursday at midnight, headed by General Cronje, 5,000 Boers, with their heavy guns and ox wagons, evacuated the Magersfontein lines. At dawn o*n Frida}^ the retreating Boer army was seen from the British naval gun station on Klip Drift Kopje trekking eastward across the British front, at a distance of 5,000 yards. Our guns opened upon them, and a force of mounted infantry, crossing the river, made a dashing charge in the attempt to cut off the head of the enemy's column. But in half an hour their whole force had gained shelter under a line of hillocks. " Meanwhile two of our batteries had come up. Our infantry crossed the drift, and for three hours were engaged with the enemy while our batteries shelled his position. The mounted infantry kept hard at work. Unable to stand our galling fire, the enemy litliiViT-l— Tga Ay wind- , was the for four heat so , leaving iiuiidtiou Ts again led their veil men dnesday rest at :o Broiit- ;ted and g many othes at General "ning of e, 5,cx>o ted the ig Boer p Drift tauce of lounted attempt 111 hour cs. iifantry enemy ufantry enemy Ub m mr 466 SURRENDER OF GENERAL CRONJE. retired, disputing every inch of the way, and took up a second position on the hills to the eastward. It was a magnificent spec- tacle to see the Boer army thus at bay. Their rear guard, 2,000 strong, fought us, while the main body trekked (moved) farther east, and then brought their guns into action, while the rear guard retired. " The action lasted through the day. Our infantry fought splendidly, but the enemy held his ground under the continued bombardment. Later on the Boer commander ventured on a bold stroke. Leaving 2,000 of his men under cover he withdrew the rest from his main position and headed for Klip Kraal Drift, six miles to the east. The movement was soon discovered. Our mounted infantry came back across the drift and marched along the south bank to endeavor to head off the enemy. When they reached the neighborhood of Klip Kraal Drift night had fallen, and half the Boers were already across to the south side. Our mounted infantry harassed their movements. DESPERATE FIGHT BY REAR GUARD. "Meanwhile the Boer rear guard, having covered the crossing of the main body, retired slowly and successfully passed the drift. The rear guard fought desperately, and as it fell back to the river it was harassed on the flank and rear by the British. Having thus passed the Modder under cover of darkness, the Boers trekked throughout the night in the direction of Bloemfontein. General Kelly-Kenny, with the Sixth Division, pursued them at daylight. General McDonald, with the Highlanders, following him. McDonald reached Klip Kraal Drift by forced marches Sunday. General Kelly-Kenny, moving from Klip Kraal Drift, endeavored to outflank the enemy, and to cut them off from Bloemfontein, so as to drive them back into General McDonald's hau' s." Under date of February 2 2d, it was reported that a great battle was raging along the line of the Modder river, between Paardebe:.g and Koodoosrand, and had been for four days. The genius of Roberts was pitted against the strategy of Cronje. No SURRENDER OF GENERAL CRONJE. 4W official accounts of the engagement were received in London, except an incomplete list of casualties among the officers, which was exceedingly heavy, and indicated fierce fighting. Despatches from Cape Town stated that the Boers had been surrounded, and their discomfiture was assured ; but the official messages pub- lished from Pretoria, the Boer capital, stated that Cronje was holding his own, and had repulsed all the British attacks so far, inflicting heavy loss while suffering only slightly himself. In the absence of definite news from Roberts and Kitchener, and the correspondents with them, the result of the fighting was enveloped in doubt. GENERAL CRONJE'S UNEXPECTED STRENGTH. From the scattering despatches from both British and Boer sources, it appeared that Roberts' plan worked excellently so far as his troops were concerned, but that Cronje, who had been rein- forced from Natal and Northern Cape Colony, was also to put up a much stronger resistance than was expected. When the Boers marched east from Kimberley towards Bloemfontein, Kitchener and Kelly-Kenny started to head them off, and succeeded in doing so by reaching Paardeberg first. Cronje then turned toward Koodoosrand Drift. li appears that McDonald forestalled him there, but the appearance of De Wet with a force of burghers, probably on the Highland Brigade's flank, gave the Boers a chance. The fighting, which seems to have begun at Koodoosrand, just north of the Modder and due south of Boshof, was transferred to the south by the Klip Kraal Drift. Cronje held his own with an inferior force. It was confidently stated that he had not more than 8cxx) men with him from Magersfontein, but was reinforced from Spytfontein and also from Colesberg. It was conceded that no reinforcements could make long headway against the three British divisions of infantry and one of cavalry. But he made the British pay severely for getting him in this trap. One of the costliest actions of the war occurred at Paardeberg Drift Sunday, February i8th. General Kelly-Kenny, in his pur- 458 SURRENDER OF GENERAL CRONJE. suit of General Croiije, caught his rear guard at Klip Drift, and followed the burghers to the Boers' laager at Koodoosrand. The drift action began at daybreak, the mounted infantry driving the Boer rear guard up the river towards tlie main body, while another body of mounted infantry manciiuvred on the right front and flank of the Boers. The British main body advanced to outflank the Boers on the north bank of the river. General Kelly-Kenny hav- ing seized two drifts, found the Boers strongly enclosed, and ordered an attack, with the Highland Brigade on the left and General Knox's Brigade on the centre and right, while General Smith-Dorien's brigade crossed the river and advanced along the north bank. On both the north and south banks the ground is level, and the advance across this was deadly, and the British losses were heavy. HEAVY LOSSES OF THE BOERS. The battle was an exact duplicate of the Modder river. The soldiers were under fire all day long, and all the fighting had no definite result, as the Boers were well barricaded. The British guns shelled them vigorously, and the Boers confessed to a loss of over 800 men. General Cronje's magnificent night march from Magersfontein now appeared likely to end in disaster. The main bod}^ of the Boers was enclosed in a terrible death trap. They were hiding in the bed of the Modder, commanded by the British artillery, and enclosed on the east and west by the British infan- try. Sunday witnessed a gallant stand on the part of the retreat- ing foe. Tired, harassed, they still maintained a bold front. It is somewhat difficult to explain the Sunday action, in which all the British force was engaged, and in which General Cronje, under difficult conditions, managed to hold his own. On Saturday night the British mounted infantry came into touch with Cronje's rear guard, driving them back on the main body. On Sunday morn- ing the action was renewed, but the Boers, who had entrenched the river bed during the night, prevented a further advance of the moiinted infantry in this direction. SURRENDER OF GENERAL CRONJE, 4fiO Meanwhile iC Highland Brigade, consisting of the Seaforths, the Black Watch and the Argylls, advanced from the south bank, and the Essex, Welsh and Yorkshires formed a long line on the left, which rested on the river, the extreme right being the Welsh. The whole line was ordered to envelop the Boers, who lined both banks of the river. The firing soon became heavy. The Boers, holding a splendid position, covered the left of the Highland Brigade, which advanced partly up the river bed and partly in the open, while the rest of the brigade, with the other regiments, swung round the front of the Highland Brigade on the level, cov- erless ground, exposed to a terrible fire, which obliged the men to lie upon the ground, as they did for the remainder of the day, suf- ferinp' from hunger and thirst. CANADIANS IN THE THICK OF THE FIGHT. This began at half-past 7 in the morning. Through the dreadful heat and a terrible thunderstorm the British hung to the position, answering the Boer fire and shooting steadily. In the meantime the rest of the infantry completed the enveloping movement, the Welsh regiment having succeeded in seizing the Drift, thus closing in the Boers, who had fought throughout with splendid courage. General Cronje's laager, full of carts, ammuni- tion and stores, could be plainly seer near the north bank. General Smith-Dorrien collected a large body of men, includ- ing the Canadians, and crossed the river by Paardeberg Drift, advancing toward the laager, which was being vigorously shelled. This force make a gallant attempt to charge into the laager, but failed. Before seizing the western drifts the Boers occupied a hillock on the south bank, running down the river. Therefore their force was cut in two. The Boers hold the hill. Toward evening the battery on the south side opened, co-op- erating with the battery on the north side. A wonderful sight followed. The shells fell with amazing precision along the river bed, opposite the laager, which was shelled thoroughly, damaging everything it contained. One shell set on fire a small ammunition wagon, which burned nearly all day. Many other wagons were Wr 'v»^m^^:'?Pf!''^jF'A^m ■--?!, y'.'ft> m! iw'' !i set on fire, and the glare was visible at a considerable distance far into the night. The infantry also maintained a terrible fire, whicn was answered vigorously. The scene toward nightfall was terribly picturesque, with the blazing wagons, the roaring artillery and the crackling rifle fire. The terrific shelling was resumed Monday, February 19th, when, at 8 o'clock A. M., General Cronje asked an armistice of twenty-four hours, which was refused. Later he sent a mes- senger to say that he would surrender. The British General sent a reply, telling him to come into camp. Cronje refused, say- ing there had been a misunderstanding, and that he would fight to the death. The bombardment was then reopened, and British lyddite shells set fire to the Boer wagons. The British contin- ued shelling the laager through the night, and in the morning resumed with Maxims and rifles, principally from the north side. A POPULAR BRITISH GENERAL. On Sunday there was much waste of life in attacking. Dur- ing Monday night seven Boers made an attempt to break through the British lines, but they were captured and their leader was killed. Four were carrying letters. Other prisoners said that General Cronje marched from Magersfontein, a distance of thirty- three miles, without halting men or teams. Had he succeeded in escaping it would have been one of the finest performances in the annals of war. The Canadians made a gallar^ charge at the laager, but were driven back with loss. General MacDonald and General Knox were slightly wounded. The wounding of MacDonald produced a painful sensation throughout Great Britain. Hector MacDonald to the multitude is the man of the war. The public surrounds him with a halo of heroism. It considers him lion hearted and invincible, and, above all, one of its own; for MacDonald is a self-made man. The populace talk of him proudly as having been a draper's assistant. People tell one another how, when he occupied a minor position in an Inverness establishment, he was fired with SURRENDER OF GENERAL CRONJP- 461 aper's the entliiisiasm of martial ardor, how he learned his drills there from a retired corporal, and how gradually he worked himself to perfection in all matters relating to drill tactics and manoeuvres. Then he started out and enlisted in the ranks. So when the placards, especially of half penny papers, in all the large English towns came out with flaring type that " Fighting Mac " had been seriously wounded, the "man in the street" was very much dis- tressed. When the Boers wounded "Fighting Mac" they hurt the British public keenly, for they disabled the people's man. CRONJE'S STUBBORN RESISTANCE. The War Office in London received from Lord Roberts the following message, dated Paardeberg, Wednesday, February 21: "Yesterday afternoon I was satisfied, by a careful reconnoissance in force of the enemy's position, that I could not assault it without very heavy loss, which I was most anxious to avoid. Accordingly, I decided to bombard him with artillery, and turn my attention to the enemy's reinforcements. The result was most satisfactory. The Boers were driven off in all directions, losing a good many killed and wounded, and about fifty prisoners, who say they arrived from Lady smith two days before by railroad. They also say it was our artillery fire which caused them to abandon the kopje they were occupying." The following graphic account of the terrific conflict on Mod- der River is from the pen of an eye-witness, who was within the lines of the British army. It is dated Tuesday, February 20th : "This was the third day of General Cronje's imprisonment and grim resistance. Early this morning the infantry engaged the enemy in the bed of the river, driving him back a short dis- tance. The morning sun disclosed the Boers toiling like ants on entrenchments around their laager. A few shells were fired to pre- vent them from continuing the work, but most of the day was quiet. General French's artillery was heard off to the east, pre- sumably engaging the Boers' reinforcements. "Every opportunity was given the Boers to surrender, but when towards afternoon there was no sign of any such intention, I W Hi 469 SURRENDER OF GENERAL CRONJE. Lord Roberts determined to crush General Croiije's resistance. On the south bank of the river, at a range of about 2000 yards, three field batteries and two naval 12-pounders were positioned. On the north bank, enfilading the whole river, one howitzer, three field batteries and three naval guns were placed. "Then followed the most wonderful scene it was ever my lot to witness. Once before, in Thessaly, I had seen no guns in action, but never such a number of powerful guns concentrating their fire upon a spot about a mile square. The exploding lyddite shells raised great clouds of green smoke, completely filling the bed of the river. DREADFUL EXECUTION BY ARTILLERY. "The shrapnel burst on the edge of each bank, except for a short space, where the proximit}' of the British infantry made it dangerous. Our shells searched ever}' bush and every ravine of the river bed. The enfilading guns must have done terrible exe- cution. The roar was deafening, yet with a spirit of desperate madness, now and again, ilic Boers would attempt to capture the naval guns, which were firing at a range of 1000 3^ards. The long line of three batteries belched forth death, while on each side lay two battalions of infantr}-, whose Maxims sounded pett}- beside the roaring big guns. What loss the Boers suffered is not yet known. I am writing in the middle of a sleeping camp. Not a sound disturbs the heavy slumber of tired soldiers. Down the river bed not a fire is seen ; not a cry heard. "There is something tragic in the stern resistance which General Cnmje is hopelessly oiTering. It is impossible not to admire liis pluck, but all condemn the wickedness of uselessly sacrificing the lives of his brave followers. Monday morning- broke finding the Boers in the same place, they having during the night constructed entrenchments around the laager, which was still threatened by General Smith-Dorien. The infantry rested after the terrible hard day's fighting on Sunday. "The mounted infantry and a battery of horse artillery started to observe the enemy, who was holding a hillock ; but istauce. 3 yards, ;itioiiecl. :r, three • my lot juns ill itratiiig •lyddite iiig the pt for a made it iviiie of ble cxc- ispenite lire tlu' 1 lie Lcli side petty 1 is not Not wii the wliicli not to elessly oniiiit;' during which faiitry tillery c ; but o o X o u M JO Vi M n M o H M 463 h If'!- 4G4 SURRENDKR OF GENERAL CRONJE. while riding around the southern side of the hill they received a heavy fusillade and were obliged to move further out. They sus- tained no casualty, another proof of the bad Boer marksmanship. Pushing on, the detachment found that the hill extended a con- siderable distance west, sloping gradually to the plain. They seized a good defensive position, which was gamsoned. They continued the movement and completely turned the Boers, whose left was held strongly by a farmhouse, which was vigorously shelled. The detachment returned to camp at nightfall, leaving a garrison on the ridge. Meanwhile a desultory bombardment of the Boer position was kept up, and a good deal of rifle fire concen- trated where the Essex was attempting to rush up the river. "About midday the cry that General French had arrived wvr passed down the ranks, but his division operated out of sight of our force. When Lord Roberts arrived, he addressed several regiments and was vigorously cheered. CRONJE ASKS FOR AN ARMISTICE. "Karly in the day. General Cronje asked for a twenty-four hours' armistice, in order to bury his dead. Lord Kitchener refused, and a little later came another messenger with word to the effect that if the British were inhuman enough to refuse an armistice for the purpose of burying the dead, General Cronje saw no other course but to surrender. Upon receipt of this mes- sage. Lord Kitchener proceeded to the Boer laager, in order to arrange the capitulatioii, but he was met by a messenger, who announced that General Cronje said that the whole thing was a mistake ; that General Cronje had net the slightest intention of surrendering, but would fight until he died. " General Kitchener returned and ordered a bombardment of the Boer position. Three field batteries and a howitzer battery took position directly in front of the laager and began a terribly accurate fire, the howitzers using lyddite shells freely. The Boers were seen retiring from the trenches to the river bed, in order to seek cover, but no cover could protect them from such accurate and deadly fire. The howitzers especially dropped 1yd- SURRENDER OF CENERAL CRONJE. 4(t6 (lite shells with marvelous precision into the very bed of the river, and the trenches were soon filled with terrible fumes and green smoke, but again the enemy held on. "Again during the night deserters arrived. They were terribly frightened and shaken by their awful experience. They reported that they had water in abundance, but were only able to . draw scanty supplies from their laager during the night" At Magersfontein the Boers demonstrated the fact that given a level batllefield, field glasses, modern magazine rifles and quick- firing small guns, and the whole British army itself could not dislodge the 65,000 men of the two Boer republics by a frontal attack on those grass-edged trenches. Not 50,000 British could beat 15,000 Boers, except at such a sacrifice of life as no com- mander would require or could be pardoned for occasioning" DANGERS OF ATTACKING THE FRONT. For a frontal attack the old military manuals declared that the attacking force must be three times that oi* the defending force, but at the present time, with the new weapons, ten men must attack one. One of the most formidable new conditions of war is one that we have never, or next to never, known before, for there were men in the British army who had never seen a Boer ill battle. The Briicish threw themselves upon the ground and fired for hours at a time at the noise or flame at the trenches of the enemy, whom they could 'ot see. At Modder river there were whole battalions that did not know at the end of the day whether the enemy was north or south of the river. A European army fighting under European rules is a clumsy weapon against the Boer, who opposes with weapons which render one man as good as ten, and all ten invisible. We remember the old saying that an army moves upon its belly, and we paraphrase it to make it read "a modern army must fight upon its belly." If the British got in a trench that could not be turned, all the world could advance and be slaughtered, but not all the world could oust the British from that trench. 30 4()e SURRENOER OF GENERAL CRONJE. The essential qualities of the army of twenty years acfo arc no longer the supreme necessities for success. The man behind the gun stands more supreme than ever. Dig a trench and line it with good shots, supported by modern artillery, and no eneni}- can advance in the face of them. They may be outflanked or starved, but, while their ammunition holds out, none can oust them, for they can fill the whole plain over a radius of at least four thousand yards with such a withering blast of shrapnel and rifl** bullets that no troops can stand in the open before it. But the fighting east of Kimberley turned in favor of the British and their success electrified Great Britain and the Colonies. The War Office in London received the following despatch from Lord Roberts : AN UNCONDITIONAL SURRENDER. "Paardrhkrg, Feb. 27, 7.45 A. M. — General Cronje and all his force capitulated unconditionally at daylight and is now a prisoner in my camp. The strength of his force will be communi- cated later. I hope that Her Majesty's Government will consider this event satisfactory, occurring, as it does, on the anniversary ofMajuba." , In the War Office lobbies, when a clerk posted the news of the surrender, quite a crowd was waiting, and the tidings were hailed with enthusiasm, and in an incredibly short space of time the news had spread to all parts of London. At the Mansion House the news posted was read with great excitement by the crowds of business men hurrying to their offices, and cries of " Bravo, Rob- erts !" and "]\Iajiiba!" were heard. The Lord Mayor of London said that while the surrender of General Cronje had been a foregone conclusion, the news was received with a great sense of relief, and the resnlt of the capitu- lation, he thought, would be the rapid conclusion of hostilities. At the Stock Exchange there was much excitement and cheering, but this quickly subsided when the house opened. Late despatches from Paardeberg, dated previous to the time of Roberts's despatch announcing Cronje's surrender, indicated surreni)f:k of c.knkkal cronje. IfV. that tlic Boer army which, entrenched in the river hed, h;ul liel(I 50,000 British soldiers at bay for ten days, had been so decimated by the rain of Britisli shells, Maxim jj^nn fire and rifle balls that only abont half of them remained alive and nnwonndcd when the white flag was hoisted over their earthworks. With a force placed by English correspondents at 8(mx) to 9000 men, Cronje began his last stand. Abont 4otx) men, it was estimated, surrendered to the British. Kven then, it seems likely that surrender was brought about by the exhaustion of the Boer ammunition. Otherwise, the Federal forces probably would have fought it out until none was alive to fight. This idea is based upon Cronje's defiant reply to Kitchener's demand for surrender aiKl on the indomitable courage and tenacity exhibited by the Boers all through the war. BOER COMMANDER REPULSED AT MAFEKING. The first repulse which Cronje met with in the war was at Mafeking, where Colonel Baden-Powell from the first set him at defiance. In the middle of October Cronje assaulted the town in force, but was driven off at all points. Neither his summons to the garrison nor the shells which he threw into the town had the effect he desired. He was joined by his son, fresh from the cap- ture of Vryburg, and the younger Cronje, impatient at his father's want of success, persuaded him to let him lead an assault on Mafe- knig. In this attack his son lost his life. It is one of the melan- choly coincidences of the war that the two generals confronting each other at Paardeberg should have met with the same bereave- ment by the fortune of war. Though, like other Boer commanders, Cronje failed in his attempt upon a fortified position, Modder river, Magersfontein, and particularly the masterly retreat from the Modder to his last position, where he fought a desperate rear guard battle, redound to his credit as a military leader of a high order. He failed to cap- ture Kimberley, but his defeat of the Britisli at Magersfontein condemned the most famous regiments of the British army to several weeks of inglorious inactivity. r j'li i'fi 468 SURRENDER OF GENERAL CRONJE. Wi At the beginning of the war he was intrnsted with the main command of the Boer forces on the western border, and made Mafeking his first point of assault. When the British relief column of Lord Methnen began its march to Kimberley he moved south personaHy to oppose his progress, and, after Magersfontein, remained at Modder river until forced by Lord Roberts to beat a retreat into the Orange Free State. Then near Paardeberg he began one of the hopeless and won- derful defenses in military history. Hemmed in by General French on the north and east, by Kelly-Kenny and Kitchener and Roberts and Methuen on the other sides, he took his position in the dry river bed near that point, dug entrenchments, and endured the united continuous fire of the British heavy artillery and more than 40,000 riflemen ; he held out till overwhelmed, and surren- dered only when annihilation stared his sturdy warriors in the face. GRAPHIC ACCOUNT OF FIGHTING BY ROBERTS. Later in the day on February 27th the War Office in London received the following despatch from Lord Roberts : " From information furnished daily to me by the intelligence department it became apparent that General Cronje's force was becoming more depressed, and that the discontent of the troops and the discord among the leaders were rapidly increasing. This feel- ing was doubtless accentuated by the disappointment caused when the Boer reinforcements which tried to relieve General Cronje were defeated by our troops on February i3tli. I resolved, therefore, to bring pressure to bear on the enemy. " Each night the trenches were pushed forward toward the enemy's laager so as to gradually contract his position, and at the same time I bombarded it heavily with artillery, whic^. was yester- day materially aided by the arrival of four six-inch howitzers which I had ordered up from De Aar. In carrying out these measures a captive balloon gave great assistance by keeping us informed of the disposition and movements of the enemy. "At 3 A. M. to-day a most dashing advance was made by the SURRENDER OF GENERAL CRONJE. 469 Canadian regiment and some engineers, supported by the First Gordon Highlanders and Second Shropshires, resulting in our gaining a point some six hundred yards nearer to the enemy and within about eighty yards of his trenches, where our men entrenched themselves and maintained their positions till morning, a gallant deed worthy of our Colonial comrades, and which, I am glad to say, was attended by comparatively slight loss. " This apparently clinched matters, for, at daylight a letter signed by General Cronje, in which he stated he surrendered uncon- ditionally, was brought to our outposts under a flag of truce. In my reply I told General Cronje he must present himself at ni};^ camp, and that his force must come out of their laager after laying down their arms. GENERAL CRONJE'S REQUEST GRANTED. "By 7 A. M. I received General Cronje and despatched a tele- gram to you announcing the fact. In the course of conversation he asked for kind treatment at our hands, and also that his wife, grandson, private secretary, adjutant and servants might accom- pany him wherever he might be sent. I reassured him, and told him his request would be complied with. I informed him that a general officer would be sent with him to Cape Town, to insure his being treated with proper respect on the way. "He will start this afternoon under charge of Major General Prettyman, who will hand him over to the general commanding at Cape Town. The prisoners, who number about 3,000, will be formed into commandos under our own officers. They will also leave here to-day, reaching the Modder river to-morrow, when they will be railed to Cape Town in detachments." The above despatch was read in both the House of Lords and the House of Commons to-day. The reference to the Canadians evoked immense and prolonged cheering. The gallantry and heroism that had been expected from the Canadian troops were shown to splendid advantage at a critical moment, and a large share of the glory of the victory must be awarded to the hardy sons of Canada who went to South Africa to defend the empire. 470 SURRENDER OF GENERAL CRONJE. il III The news of General Cronje's surrender was received with unbounded satisfaction at Windsor. The Queen immediately telegraphed her congratulations to Lord Roberts and the troops. It would be difficult even with the most eloquently inspired pen to convey adequately or give sufficient realism to the feeling that prevailed in London over the news that Cronje and his forces had capitulated. The first symptom was that shown by one who has thrown off" a great nightmare. A vast sigh of relief, as if the sufferer had been suddenly released from great pain, ran from one end of the capital to the other. Those not in London during the progress of the war can little realize the strain which had been upon all Englishmen despite their calm exterior. PUBLIC ANXIETY RELIEVED. At a quarter past lo o'clock the news first reached the clubs. For a week Cronje had been lying low, like a partridge in the stubble. An intolerable stench arose, owing to the number of dead carcasses of oxen and horses and decomposing bodies of men, and the British troops surrounding the Boers had suffered more from that than from anything else. Up to the very last moment there lurked a fear of the out- come, based upon the realization of the great wiliness of the Boer leader and a dread that he might escape in some extraordinary manner. Thus, while the news of the surrender was expected by many, it came as a surprise to all. It was the news of the war, and was immediately accepted wdtli a full appreciation of its great importance. "Good, old Bobs!" "Bravo, Bobs!" were the gen- eral expressions. The service clubs were very soon crowded with members, who turned away from the news boards, their faces filled with delight. The first thing most of the clubmen seemed instinctively to do was to sit down and write telegrams to relatives and friends out of town. Club pages were kept on the run to the telegraph offices. At a telegraph office in St. James street there was a scene remarkable to look upon. Girls whose duty it was to take in telegrams were simply overwhelmed, and the aid of all the SURRENDER OF GENERAL CRONJE. 471 other assistants was called in. The office itself was crowded with people, forming a line like that seen outside a theatre when a popular piece is being played. The scene also reminded one of that at the Epsom telegraph office just after the Derb}' winner is known. This rush lasted for a couple of hours. Meanwhile a great roar of excited newsboys had risen outside. Runners and bicyclists raced one another to get ahead, but all were yelling, yelling, yelling, and bore placards in big type telling of Cronje's fall. At the War Office the attendance beat all previous records. All felt like cheering, but decorum and the big policemen forbade such indulgence in sentiment. Ladr s came by the scores. Many an eye was dimmed with tell-tale tears of joy. It was not so quiet in the business part of the city. There great occasions are usually celebrated b}' vocal accompaniments. So it was in this case. At the side of Mansion House, where the telegrams were posted up, a crowd cheered and sang scraps of "God Save the Queen." In the Stock Exchange there was a large attendance of members, who sang the national anthem. ■"7?«^'^**"'*'>'v!^rWTT'?:?V~- u CHAPTER XXK. Brave Garrison at Ladysmith Saved by General Buller's Army. AFTER four months of fighting witli Boers, and with disease and starvation toward the last, General White's brave gar- rison at Ladysmith greeted the vanguard of their rescuers on February 28th. London and the British Empire generally went wild with joy upon the receipt of the news. For four months Ladysmith had been besieged and General White's garrison, together with the populace, was reduced to terrible straits. The welcome intelligence of relief was conveyed to the War Office iq London by the following despatch from General Buller: "Lyttleton's Headquarters, March i — 9.05 morning. — Gen- eral Dundonald, with the Natal Carbineers and a composite regi- ment, entered Ladysmith last night. The country between me and Ladysmith is reported clear of the enemy. I am moving on Nelthorpe." Later General Buller cabled from Nelthorpe : "I have just returned from Ladysmith. Except a small guard north of Surprise Hill the whole of the enemy lately besieg- ing the town have retired in hot haste, and to the soiitii of the town the country is quite clear of them. The garrison were on half a pound of meal per man a day and were supplementing the meat ration by horses and mules. The men will want a little nursing before being fit for the field." In this connection the following despatch from the war corre- spondent, Richard Harding Davis, is of interest as showing the difficulties encountered by the British army : / "The attack of the Inniskilling Fusiliers on Friday night, ) February 23d, on Railway Hill and the stand made throughout the night was one of the nost gallant and stubborn efforts yet made toward the relief of Ladysmith. For several days the battle 472 GARRISON AT LADYSMITH RELIEVED. 473 wa.^ continuous, by night as well as by clay, and this was one of its supreme moments. The Inniskillings joined this column with twenty-four officers. They had five remaining. That tells the story. " No map, no penned account, can give a correct idea of the difficulties of these hills and ridges, which succeed each other like waves in a heavy sea. One gives wa}' only to another. Each can be enfiladed, and until one is taken it is impossible, even with the keenest scouting, to know what fortunes lie beyond it. The mili- tary problem changes as the column advances, each kopje refusing to give up its secret until the troops have touched its crest. IN MUD AND SLUSH. "To add to the difficulty, the tropical rainy season has set in. For twelve hours the uniforms of the men clung to them like wet seaweed, mud caught them under foot, mist closed down and shut out the position of the enemy. Tins discomfort was borne by all alike. Buller and his staff are virtually living the life of the private. There has not been even a tent to cover the commanding generals. They eat from their knees with their shoulders against a rock. They sleep where they can, and their field work is carried on under a transport wagon." One of the thousands who were besieged in Ladysmith and suffered all the horrors of war, kept a diary of the principal events that transpired during the siege, from which it will be seen that the courage and endurance of the garrison and populace were a match for the stubborn and persistent warfare of the Boers : "Relief came to Lady smith in the nick of time. Another few days, perhaps, and sickness might have accomplished what neither short rations nor Boer shells could avail. Fevers of all kinds have wrought more devastation than the engines of war. " With singular craftiness, the Boers used the river towards ac- complishing their ends. First we were warned that it was to be dammed and Lady smith's garrison drowned out. Then, when our guns prevailed against this engineering, we found that they sought, virtually, to poison our only adequate supply of water. "I' m ill' l!'!^': 174 GARRISON AT LADYSMITH RELIEVED. All the impurities of the Boer encampment were drained into the Klip river, with immediate effect. There is little wonder that Ladysmith went mad with joy when BuUer's advance galloped in the town. " This summary of our sufferings — a diary of daily doings in the beleaguered town — will show what we have been through. It is an incomplete record, written as chance dictated, but it does tell the story. " October 29 — The eneni}'^ has closed in. We are besieged. With a good glass one can easily make out the Boers gathering on every hill within range of the town. They have mounted two big guns at Tinta Ingoni — only 4500 yards from the British lines. We are all virtually under martial rule, and khaki is the prevailing style. The oucposts were driven in by the enemy, and reported that the Boers were dragging the two guns to emplacements on the hill. We are all waiting now for -the first crash that will tell us they are in action. After that — what ? MEN STANDING AT THE GUNS. "A pitched battle is immineiit. All our men are at the guns. From what we have heard we know the Boers arc congregating at Klandslaagte. Within Ladysuiith we are all on our nerves. Sus- picicm seems pointing a finger in every direction, and many important civilians have bp^^n warned to leave. There is no fooling now. Later news tells us ; .at Joubert's army corps, advancing in two columns, has effected a junction nearby, and that his force is in full communication with the Free Staters. " October 30 — A scouting party having reported the Boers in force on the Helpmakaar road, an advance was made by our forces this motning. It was General White's object to shell the Boer position, but on arriving at the point where the Boers were believed to be intrenched, we found it evacuated. On attempting to advance, there was a strong flanking movement on our right, and artillery was brought up in a hurry. " The column charged, and the engagement became general. A brief view of the situation showed that our forces were heavily 1 :■ m I 'I m 476 4I« GARRISON AT LADYSMITH RELIEVED. 'm outflanked, a ratlier disquieting discovery. General Whi t ordered a withdrawal, and the British retired on Ladysmith. Six officers killed, nine wounded, fifty-four non-comnii.ssioned officers and men killed, and 250 wounded. Our first interview with the Boers dis- plays the fact that they are fighters. One of our big guns got the range of a field battery on a nearby hill, and with a glass we could see the Boers flying into the air as each of our shells burst. "October 31 — Fuller reports of yesterday's fight show that Lieutenant Colonel Carletou's column, sent out to turn the Boer flank, has been captured. Consternation is visible everywhere in Ladysmith. Military activity prevails everywhere. Soldiers and officers are on every side. There is hardly a moment when the sound of firing does not beat upon the air. If the Boers really be- gin to shell the town we are in for a hot time. BOERS FIRE FROM HIDING PLACES. "November 3 — We are in the midst of war. Yesterday's battle showed the Boer strength. The rocks we had persistently shelled crackled and hammered from end to end with rapid fire. The Boers had hidden behind the ridge, and now crept back again. Perhaps no infantry could have taken that position only from the front. I watched the volunteers advance upon it in extended lines across a long, green slope studded with ant hills. I could see the puifs of dust where the bullets fell thick around their feet. It was an impossible task. Some got behind a cactus hedge, some lay down and fired, some hid behind ant hills or little banks. " Suddenly that moment came when all is over but the run- ning. The men began shifting uneasily about. A few turned around, then more. At first they walked and kept some sort of line, then some one began to run. Soon they were all running, isolated or in groups of two or three. And all the time those puffs of dust pursue their feet. Sometimes there was no puff or dust, and then a man would spring in the air or spin around, or just lurch forward, with arms outspread, a mere yellowish heap, hardly to be distinguished from an ant Jiill. Ili! GARRISON AT LADYSMITH RELIEVED. 477 "I could see many a poor fellow wandering hither and thither, as though lost, as is common in all retreats. A man would walk sideways, then run back a little, l(ur late:^ a party of British horsemen could be seen crossing th»^ flat below Bui wana at a distance of some miles. It is impossible to describe the excitement and enthusiasm among the troops that followed. Most of the town's people had been driven into the houses by the storm and did not learn the good news until later. The storm began again at seven o'clock in the evening and continued until two o'clock the next morning. It seriously hampered the retreating Boers. The British gunners kept a sharp watch to prevent any further attempt to remove the Bulwana gun. The British naval gun was fired at intervals through the night and in the morning a force was sent out to look after the gun and to occupy Bulwana. p"«i ..:j »r ii -in pvppniME]! CHAPTER XXX. Rapid Advance of General Roberts' Column. 'T'HE raising of the siege of Ladysmith, an account of which ^as * already been detailed, was one of the most significant events of the war up to this time. Newspaper correspondents v/ho reached Durban from Ladysmith said that the enthusiasm of the garrison and inhabitants of the besieged town was intense when the relieving column entered. Men left the hospital, and even the women and children went forth to greet the newcomers. It was noticeable, however, that the latter were the most demonstrative, cheering the women and children whom they were proud to have saved. The correspondents believed that the garrison could have held out a month longer, though rations had necessarily been reduced to the minimum. The men of the garrison required a rest, and the horses were much wasted. The correspondents paid a high tribute to the courage and heroism of the women. Never a comprint was heard from them in spite of their unexampled privations and their endurance and courage were beyond praise. Sad scenes were often witnessed when the sparse rations were being drawn. Children would pathetically seek milk for their sick mothers. The women and children were estimated at 500. Though there was much, sickness arising from the horse meat diet and the absence of farinaceous food, the epidemic period was passed safely. General Buller entered the town at noon, escorted by his staff only. His bronzed appearance was striking. He said he had not been in bed for three weeks. The Boers exchanged shots with the relieving force, which saw a few corpses lying in the road. It was believed the Boers were retreating to Glencoe. The correspondents eulogized Generals White and Hunter. 489 iir 1*1 m !>': ■ -HT 490 ADVANCE OF ROBERTS' COLUMN. A detailed account of the stirring scenes attending the arrival of the British forces at Ladysniith furnishes items of information which help to complete the thrilling story. On February 28, fol- lowing the battle of Railway Hill, the Boers retreated toward Dundee in confusion. Dundonald's mounted infantry was sent out to reconnoiter the country ahead to the left. With his mounted troops he pushed cautiously forward, but found no oppo- sition. By evening this advance movement had reached the/ British lines at Caesar's Camp. Lord Dundonald immediately sent back word to General BuUer that the country so far was clear of Boers. Half an hour later the troope rode into Ladysmith. WELCOMED BY A CHEERING CROWD. As the troops entered the town they were met by a feebij cheering crowd consisting of the entire population of the besieged garrison. They had seen the Boers in retreat, but thought that they would certainly make a stand on Bulwana Hill. At first they had no idea that they had been relieved. As soon as the news became known, the most tremendous excitement prevailed. In spite of the enfeebled state of the garrison shouting and rejoic- ing continued till long after dark in all parts of the town. The first request made by the soldiers to their relievers was for tobacco. Those in the trenches of Ladysmith had been reduced to smoking dead pear leaves as a substitute for their favorite weed. The Natal Carbineers and Imperial Light Horse were the first troops to enter the town. These were parts of the regiment shut up in Ladysniith. They were able to rejoin their regiments after nineteen weeks of separation. Early next morning, March I, the relief column left its bivouac on Railway Hill, and on the last day of its three months' march to the beleaguered town, General Buller arrived in Ladysmith at the head of his gallant j column. Apparently there were few in the camp who knew General Buller by sight. He and General White met quietly near tht Intelligence Office and proceeded to General White's headquarters. Relief did not arrive a moment too soon. The troops had been on * i GORDON HIGHLANDERS ASSAULTING A ROCKY BLUFF BEHIND WHICH BOERS ARE ENTRENCHED. 492 ADVANCE OF ROBERTS' COIUMN. a meagre allowance for some time. A day's rations consisted of as much meal bread as one could close one's hand around. Starcli and drugs had run out toward the close, and tht rfft/ffatf^^ina I a 1 «10 ADVANCE OF ROBERTS' COLUMN. were engaged. With your other correspondent I got within a hundred yards of the Boers trenches at Abraham's Kraal. We were hunted for eight miles and our horses shot. The back of tht war here is broken. The populace are cheering Roberts and the soldiers and Union Jacks are flying everywhere." Two newspaper correspondents were the first to enter Bloem- fontein. General French had sent out scouts to feel their way toward the town, perceiving which the correspondents of the Sydney Herald and the London Daily News, with one other, galloped forward and entered the town, which wore an everyday aspect. The people were out shopping or for morning walks, and at first the two newspaper men were regarded as townsfolk. When later it became known that they were the forerunners of the Brit- ish army they were greeted cordially and conducted to a club, where they met Mr. Fraser, of the Executive Council ; the Mayoi and other ofiicials. These they persuaded to take carriages and go t*^ meet Lord Roberts. LIFE AND PROPERTY PROTECTED. As the party drove out of the city the British cavalry were closing around like a high net. The deputation soon arrived opposite the kopje where Lord Roberts was stationed, and one correspondent rode forward and had the honor of announcing to the commaiider-in-chief that Bloemfontein would surrender. A little later the deputation began to approach and Lord Roberts went forward to meet them. The scene was picturesque in the extreme. A few yards away the guns of a battery pointed their grim mouths toward the late position of the Boers, while the tin roofs of Bloemfontein shone in the distance. After salutes had i)een exchanged, a member of the deputation stepped forward and declared that the town, being without defense, wished to surren- der, hoping that Lord Roberts would protect life and property. He replied that, provided there was no opposition, he would under- take to guarantee the security of both. Lord Roberts notified the deputation of his intention of enter- log the town in state and they withdrew to inform the towns- ADVANCE OF ROBERTS' COLUMN. 611 people. Lord Roberts then made his military dispositions, order- ing the First Brigade to follow him and take possession of the town. With his staff and military attaches he descended the kopje, and he arrived on the plain, where he waited until the cavalry approached. Then he Entered the city, followed by his personal stafif, the general staff, the military attaches and the troops, SIEGE OF MAFEKING. The following was reported from Mafeking under date of February 19th : "Horse meat now composes a considerable part of our rations. There is little grumbling. The first pinch of the siege is over, and the town has settled grimly to stick it out. What may be typhoid malaria has broken out in the women's laager, and dysen- tery, due to the absence of vegetables, is rife among the garrison. We are thrown upon our own resources. Such luxuries as we had are exhausted or have been commandeered for the hospitals, which are filled to overflowing. The children's graveyard, close to the women's laager, grows weekly, as the young lives are cut short prematurely by shell and fever. We look with hope deferred for relief "The cheerfulness which was characteristic of the early days of the siege has almost deserted us, the men preferring to remain at their posts rather than move about and work up an appetite which cannot be satisfied. The natives are in vhe worst plight. Those who are unable to obtain work are allowed a small handful of meal daily. Many braving the danger wander about the town with gaunt and hungry faces in search of work, which entitles them to an extra ration of meal. If the}'- find work they are gen- ^erally too weak to perform it. "From their advanced posts the Boers rake the streets and .he market square. It is ir^possible to dodge their bullets. We have taken remarkable precaution^ however, and the casualties, though heavy, are not what they might have been had less able men been at the head of affairs." The same distress was reported on March 13th, only intensified. wmm 612 ADVANCE OF ROBERTS' COLUMN. A despatch from tlie besieged luwn said: "The garrison is holding its own. We have heard numerous rumors that the siege will be raised, but so far that is not the case. We are living along patiently on quarter rations, supplemented by the occasional cap- ture of cattle. Our home-made gun erratically bombards the Boer trenches. Horrible stories are current that the Boers arc inflicting nameless tortures upon captured native runners. These may not be true, but they are tending to inflame native passions to such an extent that it may soon be impossible to hold the natives in check. ARMING THE NATIVES. "Owing to the Boers having deliberately bombarded the native stadt, which is full of women and children, Colonel Baden- Powell has armed the natives, but he has only allowed them to act on the defensive, although they have clamored to be allowed to go out and attack at the point of the assegai. They will be pre- vented as long as possible trom inflicting reprisals on the Boers." Colonel Plumer's column from the north was making excel- lent progress. A despatch from Lobatsi said : "A British patrol, which reconnoitred within fourteen miles of Mafeking, found the railway uninjured and the telegraph wires untouched north of Pitsani. It is reported that Commander ElofF, with a commau'''^ has left Zeerust for Mafeking. Commandant Schwartz, with 150 men, is threatening the railway near Aasvogel Kop, north of Lobatsi." It was reported that the rebels who refused to accompany the Transvaalers when the latter vacated Taungs and Vryburg were prepariiig to trek into Damaraland on the approach of the British, but that the Hottentot chiefs were getting ready to bar thei escape. '■S CHAPTER XXXI. Death of General Joubert, Commander-in-Chief of the Boer Army. A DESPATCH from Pretoria, Capital of the South African Republic (Transvaal) dated March 29th, 1900, was as follows : "General Joubert died here from peritonitis at eleven o'clock last night, to the general grief. The funeral will take place to-morrow, but as General Joubert always desired to be buried in the mausoleiim built on his farm, it is uncertain whether the funeral will be a state one or not. The government is pleading with Mrs. Joubert to allow the body to be temporarily interred in the Pretoria churchyard. "Reports spread by the English that General Joubert was wounded at Colenso are unfounded. It was Commandant Joubert who was wounded. General Joubert' s successor in the chief com- mand will most probably be General Louis Botha, now command- ing in Natal." BRILLIANT CAREER OF THE DEAD LEADER. It would seem as if General Joubert went into the war witk something of a premonition of his impinding death. This came out in several conversations of his with correspondents which were published. The arduous campaign in Natal must have told upon Joubert, as it did upon other generals on both sides, especially as he was sixty-eight years of age. When the advance of Lord Roberts on Bloemfontai 11 made it necessary from, a military poiut of view to abandon the line of defence along the Tugela River, which had been so long and stubbornly held by his army, General Joubert conducted with consummate skill the retreat northward to take up fresh defensive positions at Biggarsberg, with Laing's Nek in his rear. It was 33 613 ■BIHIWWP ^m^ Iti- 614 DEATH OF GENKRAL JOUBERT. stated that within the last few weeks before his death he had visited Pretoria to confer with President Kruger as to the future strategy of the war. Strong enemy and bitter foe as was Joubert, the news of his death excited no rancorous feeling or uu?eemly satisfaction, even in the army ranged against him in Natal A kindly sentiment, in fact, had already been produced by severa) instances in which General Joubert had, immediately before the outbreak of the war and diiring its brief course, displayed his humane and courteous disposition. One such was when he sent a message of condolence to Lady Symons, after the death of General Penn Symons in the hospital at Dundee. Nor did the side of the Boer General's character pass unacknowledged by the British leaders against whom he was pitted. Only two days before his death, Sir George White, the jjallant defender of Ladysmith and a commander in chief in India, in a speech at Cape Town, paid a willing tribute to his antagonist, who, he declared, was a soldier and a gentleman, and a brave and honorable opponent. A MAN OF THE PEOPLE. How popular he was with his own folk has perhaps never been better j^iiown than in the picturesque scene described by. Mr. Bennett Burleigh, t>ie war correspondent who literally stormed /Joubert ,s special train and travelled with him on his way to the front At the stations the Boers clustered about the General to shake hands with him. He got down from the train and said a few words of encouragement to the burgher soldiers at each stopping place. ' " ■ ■ But few public men of foreign countries were better known from their portraits than was Joubert, whether in his General's uniform or his ordinary dress as a Boer farmer, unless his com- patriot President Kruger is excepted. The Boer leaders had much in common in family history as well as in political association. Like President Kruger, Joubert was of sturdy stock. His name declares a French extraction, as he represented the intermarriage 'ijffss^issfifmwf'^^'f^f^^ ■^W"'^W"i^»»fl^ DEATH OF GENERAL JOUBERT. 616 of French Huguenot settlers at the Cape with the original Dutch colonists. The reasons that led to the " Great Trek," the passionate love of independence, even at the price of isolation from the outside world, swayed him to the end. When his countrymen conceded their country to the British through sheer inability to maintain a government of their own against their numerous enemies among the native tribes, Pietrus Jacobus joubert was one of the protest- ing party. A demand for the re-establishment of the Republic was made to Sir Bartle Frere, but it was not until Kruger, Joubert and Pretorius formed themselves into a triumvirate in December, 1880, that they were able to carry their wishes into effect during the troubles in which Mr, Gladstone's government was then involved. GREAT MILITARY ORGANIZER. Joubert took the command in chief of the burghers and quickly showed that he had a military organization of singular eflfective- ness at his disposal. In a few weeks defeats were inflicted on the British troops as they endeavored to penetrate the Transvaal. Laing's Nek was followed by the overwhelming disaster of Maj uba Hill, in February, 1881, and at the convention signed at the foot of the mountain General Joubert practically won back for the time being the independence of his country. • His association with Paul Kruger developed as time went on into active rivalry. A keen contest for the Presidency of the Republic took place between them in 1893, when the General received 7,009 votes, against the 7,881 given to Mr. Kruger. In 1899 "Oom Paul " had it nearly all his own way, gaining re-election by 12,000 votes, whereas Joubert was but third in the contest, with only 2,000 votes. Under his direction, as head of the military forces the organi- zation of the Republic's army was brought to a pitch of per- fection, as the latest campaign has shown. In taking the offensive in the war, Joubert' s strategy showed generalship of a high order, and dauntless persistency in the face of serious checks when his farmers met trained troops in close conflict. m 016 DEATH OF GENERAL JOUBERT There seems little doubt that a confident belief prevailed among the Boers of their ability to overrun Natal as far as Durban before any considerable reinforcements could reach the compara- tively small British garrison of Natal. No sooner was war declared, on October, nth, 1899, than the Transvaal main army, which had been lying to the north of Laing's Nek, passed down into the British colony; Meanwhile, by concerted movement, the Orange F.ee State commandoes descended from the western passes and br 'ke the communications of White in Lady smith and Symons at Dundee. In spite of all the efforts of White and his men, Joubert was able to cut off the town and set free a large part of his army to cross the Tugela. It is not clear why the invasion of lower Natal was not pressed with more vigor at this moment. The Boers actually reached Estcourt, and might easily have menaced the capital, Pietermaritzburg, with their rapidly moving troops before the British were in strength enough to drive them back in the open. This was not done, however, and as the brigades of the British field force were hurried up, the Boers hastily withdrew. A TOWER OF STRENGTH. General Joubert was one of those who are born to command. He had the faculty of winning the esteem of his countrymen, and securing their confidence. This was due to his manifest sincerity, his thorough honesty, his cool judgment and patriotic devotion to the cause of his country. He did not delude himself into the belief that the conflict with the British was to be an easy one, and for this reason he carried on a systematic work of preparation for it. The veteran warrior urged the claims of his country, not only with his sword but with his pen. A letter he wrote to Queen Victoria from his home in Pretoria in June, 1899, was a singularly moving document, in which the Boer struggle for freedom and the history of the "trekking" beyond the Orange and Vaal rivers* was described with effective simplicity, allowing for the distinct- ively Boer standpoint from which it was written. The name of General Joubert has been known throughout DEATH OF GENERAL JOUBERT. 517 the civilized world since the annihilation of Sir George Colley'is little force at Majuba Hill by the Boers, under his command, in 1 88 1, and the engagement at Laing's Nek and the Ingogo river. He was a resolute foe, for he was taken by his parents, when seven years old, to the Orange Free States, where he was taught from early childhood to shoot straight and hate the British. Of school- ing be had but little, and he never saw a newspaper until he was nineteen years old. Reading the few books he could obtain, he succeeded in obtaining a fair knowledge of history and languages. It was during the wars with the natives that he became, acquainted with Paul Kruger, and the two men became bosom friends. As already stated, in its rebellion against England, General Joubert, together with Paul Kruger and one other Boer, was selected to conduct the affairs of the Transvaal. He held quite different views from Kruger. He believed that if the Out- landers were granted the franchise, in a reasonable time they would become good citizens ; at the same time he would not sanc- tion revolt, for when the Jameson raiders were landed safely in Pretoria jail he favored shooting them. HAD MADE VAST PREPARATIONS. No doubt he is entitled to a great part of the credit for the perfect state of preparation in which the Boer armies took the field at the outbreak of hostilities, the ample supplies of heavy artillery, and the admirable use made of strong positions of defense. He was active in the first days of the mobilization, and exercised constant supervision over the preliminary movements of the invasion of Natal. It was he who was in command of the Boers during some of the fiercest assaults made by General Buller in the effort to beat his way through to Ladysmith ; and it is supposed that he directed the masterlv retreat northward, without loss of man or gun, after contesting every foot of ground, when the strategy of Lord Roberts made his position untenable. He was prevented from entering Bloemfoutein by General French's capture of the railroad. Reports of his ill health had been common, and there 818 DEATH OF GENERAL JOUBER' were stories too, of his unpopularity and loss of authority ; but the general belief was that he was engaged in superintending the construction of defenses for Pretoria, in readiness for the expected siege by Lord Roberts. His death following the capture of Cronje, left the Boers without the services of their two most famous and able commanders. General Joubert could collect his whole army iu forty-eiglit hours, a much speedier mobilization than any other nation could boast of. He divided the Transvaal into seventeen divisions, each under a commander. These again were subdivided into sec- tions, commanded by field cornets and assistant field cornets. The wonderful mobility of his forces, practically a mass of irregular mounted infantry, has been the subject of repeated com- ment and undisguised admiration on the part of many British commanders. When the Boers raided British territory, Bechuanaland, in 1884, General Jou'^ert was probably the only prominent Boer who refused to support the movement, and his opposition resulted in the withdrawal of the Boers from the territory seized, as he threat- ened to resign unless he had his way, saying: "1 positively refuse to hold office under a government that deliberately breaks its covenants, and we have made covenants with England." General Joubert was almost six feet in height and of stout build. His nickname of "Slim" was conferred on him for his shrewd military tactics, the word "slim" in Dutch being equiva- lent to the American slang word "slick." The widow of General Joubert, who was a Miss Fraser, was with her husband through- out the campaign, and frequently shared his dangers in the field. KIND WORDS FOR THE DEAD HERO. All the papers of London printed singularly kind editorials concerning General Joubert. They praised his military skill, upheld his chivalrous conduct and regretted that so strong and moderate a mind should be absent from the final settlement of the dispute. Although some of the younger commanders thought the old DEATH OF GENERAL JOUBERT. 619 soldier wanting in dash and enterprise, his raid into the country south of the Tugela was considered the best piece of Boer leader- ship during the whole war. It is now known that he crossed the: Tugela with only 3,000 riflemen and six guns, but so bold and rapid were his movements that the British commanders thought 10,000 Boers were marching on Pietermaritzburg. For a few days, although in t^^e presence of greatly superior forces, he isolated General Hildyard's brigade at Estcourt and at the same time threatened General Barton's camp at Mool river. Then, is British reinforcements were pushed up, Joubert recrossed the Tugela without losing a prisoner, a wagon or a gun. General White's estimate of him, pronounced two days before he died, as a gentleman and a brave and honorable opponent, illustrated the tone of all British comment. THE MASTER MIND OF THE WAR. One of our ablest American journals commented as follows upon the situation in South Africa : "The death of Commandant General Joubert may prove of some importance in the South African war. He has been the most influential of Paul Kruger's associates in all the affairs of the Transvaal, and was the ablest as well as the most experienced military leader among the Boers. Cronje was probably a more modem soldier, but he is already out of the fight. Of the younger commandants, whose names we occasionally hear in the dispatches, we have not learned enough to estimate their actual share in the war. "Joubert, who mainly directed the former fights, has been credited with the general plan of campaign adopted at the incep- tion of the war, and particularly with the invasion of Natal and the strong opposition so long maintained to the advance of General Buller. It has been assumed that the army concentrated for the defense of the Vaal would be under his command, and so little is known of his lieutenants — except Olivier, who has shown a good deal of ability in getting back from the Orange river — that scarcely any other name has been mentioned. 620 DEATH OF GENERAL JOUBERT. "It ii; known, however, that Joubert has had the valuable aii: of a number of European officers', and as a matter of fact, the strategy of the Boers has been of so obvious a character that tlu- effect of Joubert's loss is likely to be more important in a personal and political than in a military sense. The Boer campaign, apart from the excursions of small bodies of light troops, has no>v resolved itself into a simple question of holding an inner circle of strong defenses, and this they should 1)e able to do ^\■ithout the need of any scientific generalship, provided they maintain their determination and do not fall out among tliemsclves. A LOSS THAT CANNOT BE REPLACED. "The loss of this able soldier, whose campaign, considering the great odds against him, has been one of the most brilliant in military annals, wi . cast a deep shadow over the two republics. But it will not d,:sh the hopes of his countrymen, who have just been encouraged by the masterly movements of Olivier and Grobler, who have eluded every attempt of the British to inter- cept their armies. They are hastening northward to join the main Boer army at Kroonstaad. With a new commander the Boers may accomplish remarkable results if their main army takes advantage of any opportunity for assuming the offensive. "The loss of Cronje's army has probably taugiit the Boer generals the necessity of abandoning the old system of adhering always to "the stationary defensive." Numerous instances o/its fatal inapplicaMity might be cited. If a general in a strong posi- tion is sure that his opponent will attack him in front the defen- sive battle may be preferable. But otherwise the danger of remaining on the defensive before a superior force is immense. Had Hooker on May i, 1863, persisted in his original arid excellent plan of pushing forward he might possibly have crushed Jackson. But by suddenly assuming che defensive he enabled his opponent, with a very inferior force, to execute one of ^ns grand and resistless flanking operations upon the right wing and rear of the Union army." General Louis Botha was the Boer commandant chosen DEATH OF GENERAL JOUHERT. 621 lieutenant general of the forces in Natal after Commandant Gen- eral Joubert left for Pretoria, when Cronje surrender "i. Now that Joubert was dead, on him fell the military leadership. He couimandcd the forces that repulsed General Ruller's assaults at Spion Kop and at V; al Krantz. He gave Buller the heavy six- day fight about Pieters. H^ brought the Boer army with big guns and transports safely away from Ladysmith and fortified the Biggarsburg range. ''After the battle of Colenso as soon as T saw how a general like Botha could be improvised I began to wonder whether Lord Roberts himself would be able to cross the Tugcla," wrote Count DeVillebois Mareuil, the French officer with the Boers. I m CHAPTER XXXII. The Second Canadian Contingent. By Rev. Dr. Robert Wilson. THE readiness with which men all over the Dominion volnii teered for service in the First Contingent led a few narrow- minded persons to attribute their zeal not to a patriotic desire to fight for Queen and Empire, but because it afforded them an opportunity to have a fine holiday excursion at the public expense ; that on their arrival they would find the war over, and that the way to wealth would be open to them in that land of gold and diamonds. But such an insinuation was soon shown to be groundless, for when a second contingent was proposed, althoui^li matters had assumed so grave an aspect that hard fighting was seen to be inevitable, and at least months of bloody strife lay before them, instead of diminishing, the desire to help the Mother- land grew stronger day by day, and again it was found that more men than were needed were eager to enlist. The Second Contingent was drawn from the North West Mounted Police, the Mounted Rifles, and the Field Artillery. The first named left Halifax on January 27th, and were as fine a body of men as ever marched through the streets of that fine old city. They were of magnificent physique, tall, sinewy, hardy and strong, men of splendid stature, intelligent in look and fearless in manner, representatives of the best type of Canadian manhood — men of whom any commander might well be proud — men who looked like fighters, ready to dare and to do. Before leaving their quarters they were addressed by Lieu- tenant Governor Daly and the Mayor in spirited and patriotic terms, and $15,000 were handed the officer in command for the use of the men. Although Saturday is the busiest day of the week, business was practically suspended, and all that could were on the streets anxious to see the boys from the West take theii departure for the seat of war. Enormous crowds gathered all 622 ■?■ SECOND CANADIAN CONTINGENT. 6St along the line, and windows, balconies, hoUvSetops, and wherevei else standing room could be had, were at a premium. The Imperial troops quartered in the Citadel left their barracks and took up a position on Citadel Hill and extended to the Colonials a most fitting send off; and as the latter went by the Regulars, with waving hats and ringing cheers, showed how greatly their conduct was appreciated by their brethren from beyond the seas. The excitement was intense, the enthusiasm was irrepressible, the cheering was lusty and continuous, and the scene one to be remembered. Familiar as the residents of Halifax are with mili- tary and naval pageants, it is safe to say that never in their history were they so profoundly moved as on this occasion. HEARTY CHEERS AND FAREWELLS. At the Dockyard gate some pathetic scenes were witnessed, for there the final farewells were taken. Friends of the departing ones had come many a mile to clasp the hands of dear ones, to say good-bye, and to whisper words of encouragement and cheer. Some of the partings were very touching, and over these we draw a veil. But while all realized the gravity of the situation, there was an evident determination on all sides to make the leave-taking as free as possible from painful memories. At a given signal the great iron gates were closed, the troops marched on board, and, amid the shrieking of steamboat whistles and the cheers of thousands of well-wishers, the "Pomeranian" passed down the harbor on her way to far distant Africa, where the Briton and the Boer were engaged in deadly combat. It is often said that history is constantly repeating itself, and the issues of this war furnish another illustration in confirmation of the same. About one hundred and fifty years ago there passed through these gates the gallant sons of Britain to measure swords with the French at Louisburg and Quebec. And as the result of that contest placed Canada imder the British flag, so in this case it was confidently believed that the old flag would be carried to victory. ^ i U \h ^ppip 824 SFCOND CANADIAN CONTINGENT. The most iiotable event of the campaign of a Canadian char- acter was the raising and equipping for service in South Africa of what is known as THK STRATHCONA HORSE. This fine force of 500 mounted men came from the north- west, and in intelligence and strength were quite above the avef age. They had been selected with great care, were good shots, excellent horsemen, and every way fitted for effective work. The whole cost of the force, until its arrival in Capetown, was provided for by Lord Strathcona, better known as Sir Donald Smith, and who deserves more than a passing notice in these pages. When a lad of eighteen, he left his Scottish home on the banks of the Spey, and found employment with an uncle in the service of the Hudson's Bay Company. Step by step he pushed his way to the front, and won the best positions in the gift of that great organization. In th i Riel Rebellion, which grew out of the purchase by Canada of the Hudson's Bay Territories, he rendered such important ser\ ce as to receive the public thanks of the Gov- ernment. Later on, he entered the Dominion House of Commons, was knighted by Her Majesty, was sent to London as Canadian High Commissioner, and then was raised to the peerage under the name and title of the Right Honorable Baron Strathcona and Mount Royal of Lochnell Castle of the United Kingdom — the one Scotch, the other Canadian. His princely contributions to various educational and philan- thropic objects and institutions, aggregating some $50,000,000, have won for him enduring fame, while his latest splendid offer- ing on the patriotic altar called forth the warmest admiration oi all classes throughout the Empire. Canadians everywhere are proud of the man who has outdistanced every Colonial benefactor in this respect, and were glad to have an opportunity of manifest- ing their appreciation. And the time for doing so was singularly appropriate, j ust before the departure of this force news had been received of tht^ w SECOND CANADIAN CONTINGENT. 626 relief of Kimberlej, the surrender of Cronje, tlie deliverence from the jaws of death of the heroic White, and later, the fdl of the Free State capital. Nowhere did these events call forth more enthusiastic rejoicing than in the provinces down by the sea. In every city, town and hamlet the joy was general and heartfelt, and not a discordant note was anywhere heard. Fredericton, Aloncton, Chatham, St. Stephens, Amherst, Truro, Halifax and Saint John vied with each other in their endeavor suitaol}' to celebrate these events. Majuba had been avenged and British pluck and endurance had been signally displayed. Cannon boomed, bells rang out their merry peals, whistles shrieked, bands played, impromptu meetings were held at which patriotic addresses were deli^^ered, everybody congratulated everybody else, and public feeling was at fever heat. When, therefore, these troopers from the West passed through on their way to Halifax, they were everywhere greeted with an enthusiastic welcome, and followed by a hearty God-speed. PRESENTATION OF A FLAG. As the troop passed through Moncton, a beautiful silk flag was presented to Col. Staele, on behalf of the city, by Miss Cooke, whose brother had fallen some time previously in the Imperial service in Africa. Their reception at and send-off from Halifax was all that could have been desired as far as the people were concerned. The weather was unfavorable, but that did not materially effect the c'emonstraci'ms. As on previous occasions, the crowds in attend- ance were enormous, and everyone that could do so witnessed the imposing pageant. Every bit of standing room was utilized, unoccupied spaces there were none, and before, behind and all around a sea of faces met the eye. In fl^g, banner, and badge the Red, White and Blue met the look on all sides, and being St. Patrick's Day the Green was very much in evidence. Never had such respect been paid to Ireland's patron saint, for thousands of other nationalities thai ('■■I m m if -I ■"tWiii SECOND CANADIAN CONT NGENT. day wore tlie green in response to the re' nest of the good Qneen and in honor of the brave Irishmen who had fallen or were fight- ing in defense of the Empire. All that had been said of the enthusiasm manifested at the previous departures was equally . applicable to this one, for everything in martial music, the wear- ing and waving of the national colors, lusty cheering or whatever else could enthuse and thrill was more than reproduced at this later one. Among the notable incidents of the day mention may he made of the following: Lieut. -Governor Daly addressed the force in warm and telling terms, in which he gave expression to his high appreciation of the large-hearted patriotism of Lord Strathcona, as well as his belief that the men before him would give a good account of themselves whenever the opportunity was afforded them. Hon. Dr. Borden, the Minister of Militia, fol- lowed in a brief address in which he said he had "no doubt that the Strathconas would uphold the honor of the British flag and the reputation of the Canadian soldiers." He also read a telegram from Her Majest}'- the Queen expressive of the confidence she had in them, and wishing them God-speed and a safe return. LAST WORDS FROM RELATIVES. A sight that evoked much interest and called forth the heartiest cheers was witnessed on Hollis street. As the proces- sion swept along the balconies of the lioLels were crowded by the wives and other relatives of the of&cers, who had come all the way from the West to see their husbands and friends depart, for ariid the excitement of the hour the sad thought could not be banisned that in some cases the farewell was a final one. Bye and bye the end came, the pier was reached, the order was given to embark, the last good-byes were exchanged, and the "Monteroy" moved out into the harbor, while the stirring strain of the national anthem rang out over the waters. And as the multitude sought their homes, from many a heart went up the prayer for the coming of the time when wars will have become things of the past. SECOND CANADIAN CONTINGENT. 5?r To the foregoing account of the Second Canadian Contingent by Rev. Dr. Wilson, may appropriately be added some details of the gallant conduct of the Canadian troops who had already eached the battlefields of South Africa. Under date of London, February 27th, Hon. Joseph Chamberlain sent to Lord Newton the following message : "Her Majesty, the Queen, desires you to express to the people of the Dominion her admiration of the gallant conduct ot her Canadian troops in the late engagement and her sorrow at the loss of so many brave men." Hon. E. Sears, Mayor of St. John, N. B., sent the following message to Colonel Otter, commanding the Royal Canadian Regiment, in South Africa: "St. John City is proud of her boys and of the Canadian Regiment. The citizens sympathize with the wounded and regret that we have to mourn for dead." HONOR TO THE CANADIANS. The Daily News^ an influential journal of London, said: "To the Canadians belongs the honor of having hastened the inevitable. It would be rash, however, to suppose that the Boers will sue for peace or that all our difficulties are removed." As showing the feeling in Canada on the war question, news of of the surrender of Cronje was 'received at Ottawa early in the morning with intense enthusiasm. Flags floated from the Parlia- ment buildings, the clubs, the hotels a»d from all the principal places in the city. Indeed, every one who had a flag pole saw that it was put in use and those who had not used their windows from which to hang out the Union Jack. The feeling outside was imported into Parliament, although once again the news of victory was somewhat saddeiieJ. by later reports which showed that eight Canadians had been killed and thirty wounded in the attack on the Boer trenches. Tliis informa- tion was given to the house by the Premier and was received with a hush. For a moment a death-like stillness pervaded the chamber but when Sir Wilfrid went on to read from the despatches that the Canadians had led the attack which made Cronje surren- !; 628 SECOND CANADiNN CONTINGENT. m der tliere was an outburst of hearty applause from Liberals and Conservatives alike siicli as one seldom sees in Parliament. The fact that the son of a Liberal member of the house, Mr. D. Johnson, of Lambton, was said to be among the killed, andthaL Lieut. Col. Pelletier, the son of the speaker of the senate, was wounded, brought the news close to both branches of the legisla- ture. That the Canadians had done their duty was what ever} one was proud of Sir Wilfrid Laurier said : "It may not be out of place that we should interrupt the rt ular course of business to give a moment's attention to the nev from Africa today. The news we have received is of a charactei at once to cheer and sadden our hearts. It is cheering in this respect, that it brings the announce- ment that our Canadian troops on the field have received their baptism of fire and have supported the ordeal in a manner credit- able to themselves and to their country. The telegraphic message gives no details whatever, still "w ^ know by the number of casualties which have taken place tha. ^ ir men have died at their posts and that their courage has been equal to what was expected of them. But.this is the saddening part of it. HORRORS OF WAR. "'Such is the awful chaiacter of war, that its triumphs are always mixed with tears, and however much we can rejoice at the victories achieved by the British arms — victories in which our fellow countrymen are taking a part — still, the announcement is saddened by the fact that twenty of our countrymen have lost their lives and sixty-nine are now lying between life and death. The announcement is such as to, if it were possible, still more co.^ni) us in our resolve of doing our full duty in the present emergency We can do nothing at present to solace these families who arc bereaved, but we can assure them, and this I am sure we do with our whole heart, that their loss is not their own alone ; but is als'^ ours and our country's." Loud cheers followed this gia^ t, fnl inbute of the Premier to the gallantry of the CanaJun soldi; rs, a id cner eulogies scarce SECOND CANANIAN CONTINGENT. 829 less eloquent and pathetic were added by prominent members of Parliament The following cable was sent to Colonel Otter by the Premier ; " I desire to convey to you and your men the grateful thanks of the Government and Parliament of the Dominion for the gallantry displayed on the battlefield. Canada warmly appreciates the sac- rifices made by her sons for the honor of the Empire. The wounded have our sympathy and our prayers for speedy recovery. Those who have given up their lives will ever be held in remem- brance by a grateful people. Wilfrid Laurier." :iii: ROYAL VISIT TO A HOSPITAL. On the day of this patriotic demor- ation there was no prouder person in England than Private A. E. Cole, of the Second Royal Canadians, who was the only wounded Canadian so far known in England and who was specially honored by the Queen and other members of the royal family who visited ITetley. Noticing his regimental name the Queen asked to see him. Cole, a bright fellow, 25 years of age, was ushered into her Majesty's presence and she tenderly inquired as to the circumstances under which he was wounded. Cole saluted and replied: "It was on 'clie occasion of Colonel Pilcher's march to Sunnyside, your ^lajesty. Our regiment advanced to the attack and while cross- ing the open ground I was shot through the foot." The Queen expressed s.'mpath}^ with Cole's suffering and showed a keen appreciation of the loyalty displayed by his com- rades and himself in volunteering for active service. The Prin- cess Beatrice also spoke in a kindly manner to the young Canadian, Letters sent home by the Canadian troops possessed a thril- ling interest. From one of these, which is typical of all the rest, we are permitted to make extracts. It is from a member of " B" Company, Chester • . McLaren: " I am writing thiL from Naauwpoort Hospital, where I was taken after the battle at Paardeburg Drift, on Sunday, i8th inst 34 ■-*?•- i f^i t' ! 630 SECOND CANADIAN CONTINGENT. IIS* inH As it is some time since I wrote you, I will try and give yoi; a detailed account of our march after leaving Belmont till the present. "Monday night, rath inst, we entrained at Belmont at sundown and proceeded to Graspan and bivouacked there, getting settled about i o'clock. As we left our tents at Belmont we had to sleep in our great coats. We only got nicely asleep when the bugle sounded to arise. We found it was 3 o'clock, and we oiilv had two hours' sleep ; we packed the wagons and were marchinn before sunrise. We did twelve miles that morning under a ter- rific sun with not a breath of wind to help us, and before we got six miles we drank all our water, and had to march the other six without anything. DANGERS AND HARDSHIPS. " When about a mile from Ramsdam, the name of the drift we were making for, over two hundred of our men had to drop goiis down the steep bank of the river and hanl them up the opposite bank, so that the oxen and mules could be hitched to them. We also had to take across the two naval guns we had with us. They weighed 7,000 and 8,000 lbs., respectively. " We reached here at noon, and we did all this heav}'- work till 6 o'clock with only a hard-tack biscuit, but at 6 o'clock we had a good dinner served to us of fresh beef and soup, and we didn't do a thing to it. Oh, no ! I was mess orderly for tlie day, and in addition to my share of the hard work had to get water from the river, a quarter of a mile distant, and get all pots and kettles ready for breakfast, and by eight o'clock I was rolled up in ni}- great coat and sound asleep. Shortly after the orderly corporal came around and ordered us to draw four days' rations of biscuits. ADVANCING DAY AND NIGHT. " We had to go from wagon to wagon before finding them, anc' before we had them distributed it was 12 o'clock. We onh touched the ground before we were sound asleep. We were again called at 3 o'clock, and started at 5. Marched to Wedgrail, a dis- tance of nine miles, but this was a pleasant march, as the sk}^ was hazy, and a nice breeze blowing, which made it more like an early morning constitutional than a forced march. We camped here all da3% and our company' was on picket, which was not at all unpleasant, as we could see the storming of Jacobsdal where the Boers were so suddeul}^ surprised and driven out. Next day we marched to Jacobsdal, and camped there all day. " Mere we commandeered a good-sized calf, and I was lucky enough to get my hands on a pair of ancient hens, which, when l)()iled down, had a chicken flavor, but it was impossible to get our teeth tlu'ough them, so we drank the broth and ate the calf, and were full and contented for once. We took off our boots and puttes, the first time for five days, and laid down for a few hours' sleep, but we only had an hour or so, as we were called and marched to Klip Drift, a distance of 13 miles, and bivouacked till Saturday after- noon at 4 o'clock, when we started again, our regiment acting as HiiP 682 SECOND CANADIAN CONTINGENT. m J Mi m rear guard of the convoy. We marched till 8 o'clock, and then rested two hours, and then started for Paardeberg Drift, where we arrived at 5 o'clock Sunday morning, doing 19 miles that night, with only a little soup, coffee and biscuit since our Jacobs- dal feast. "We piled arms, and laid down, but in less than half an hour we were startled with the booming of cannon very close to us. We soon learned that our artillery were exchanging shots wit! Crouje's forces. At 5.30 wt were ordered to put on our accoutre nients. Mad a half-pint of coffee and a gill of rum, and then marched lip to the high ground to support a secticm of artillery. We laid there for a few minutes to accustom us, I presume, to the sound of the guns. We were then ordered to cross the Modder River. IN WATER UP TO THE SHOULDERS. "As there was no bridge, we had to walk thi"ough the water, which was up to our shoulders, and as the current was very swift it took us all our time to keep our feet. Some of the boys got washed off their feet, but none hurt or drowned. "A" and "D" companies were first across. The}'^ were sent to support the Gordons, who were in the firing line. " B " Company came next to support "A" and "D," who had gone into the firing line. We laid down behind ant hills or any cover we could get. By this time the bullets were falling thick and fast all around us, wound- ing more, in fact, of us than of those on the firing line. "At 8.30 we advanced to the firing lines amidst a perfect shower of bullets — laid there and fired till 4.30 p. m., and the order to fix bayonets was given, and Bugler Williams blew the charge, standing boldly on an ant hill. The Cornwalls had in the meantime reinforced the line, and we all went down together, but never reached the trenches. We stopped. Had we not done so, we would all have been cut up, as we would have been iu a trap. Only one of our boys reached the trenches, and he was shot through the head with an explosivv^. bullet and instantly killed. " It certainly was a warm day's work, and we only had a SECOND CANADIAN CONTINGENT. bottle of water and a biscuit. We were fighting all day, and just as the sun was setting a companion and myself, who thought if we got a little further up we would have a better chance at them, made a break from our ant hill to another. We got over safely, and just started firing, when I felt a sharp pain in my thigh. I put my hand down and found blood, and knew that I had been struck, but the ball, which was from a Mauser, only went in about an inch, and then downward about four inches and came out. The wound is very clean. After being hit my companion took me by the liaiid, and we ran for 300 yards, the bullets falliiig all around us. Then we dropped on our stomachs and crawled 3(10 yards more. SENT TO THE HOSPITAL. " Hy this time it ^Afi too dark to shoot, so we got up and walked nbout a mile to the field hospital, where I had my wound dressed, was put to bed and nlept soundly ff^r eight hours. When I awoke I felt splendid, barring iiiy stiff leg. Next day we were sent to Naauwpoort hospital, where I am at present. I hope to be all right again before this letter reaches you. Our acting color sergeant (Davies) got a bad wound in his arm with a dum-dum • the bone was badly shattered. I got off splendid, and feel honored that I got wounded fighting for my cour.try. Many, many poor fellows got badly crippled, I trust our people at home will not think we did ot do our duty. We are very comfortable in our hospital tent. We have nine iron beds ; everything lo\ely, and we get the best attention and good food, and we will be ^orry wlien we have to leave. As this letter is already too long, will c^ose '"ith kindest regards to all my London friends." t\kr 1! m i' 'I :m CHAPTER XXXIII. « British Troops Under a Galling Fire. EARLY in April the tactics the Boers were displaying cansed i; distlictly nneasy feeling in England. Owing to the succes Bive victories of General Roberts, cnlniinating in the occnpation of Bloemfontcin and the snccessfnl clearing ont of the bnrghers in the sonthcrn Free State, the feeling of overconfidence which pre- vailed in the early days of the war had again taken possession of the people. Newspaper dispatches described the disorganized retreat of the Boers and magnified the number of burghers surrendering tlieir arms. It was stated that it was doubtful whether the Boers would make a determined stand in the Free State, and this statemcrt in many ways encouraged a popular idea that the backbone of the war had been broken, and that the Trans vaalers \\ould do nothing but act on the defensive in the future. This pleasing prospect was rudely shattered by a disaster to Colonel Broadwood's column, on March 31st, which emphasized in the most striking manner that the Boers were by no means dis- heartened. Later reports from Bloemfontein added Increased gravity to the disaster. Grobler, who had seized Platberg and had menaced Ladj^brand, forcing Pilcher back, received reinforcements from Winburg. The combined forces pushed their way to Thabanchu, and finding ihe Boers threatening to attack Broadwood, retired on the waterworks at Sannas Post on the Modder, twenty miles from Bloemfontein on Friday night, the 30th. Early Saturday morning he was shelled by the Boers, who approached his position on three sides. Broadwood dispatched his artillery and baggage towards Bloemfontein, covering the retreat with cavalry. While crossing the water coarse thej;- were attacked by a concealed body of Boers, and horses and men shot down and 6&4 f'4io--is^i{i.. BRITISH TROOPS UNDER A CAM-INH I'lRE. 080 everything thrown into confusion. The result was the loss of five j^Mins of the 11 R.ittcry, two guns of the Q Battery iind all the bag- ^Mge, with 37(1 casualties, among which \/ere 200 missing. General Colvillc. with the Ninlh Division, arrived at noon on Saturday, followed h^• (ieneral French, with two cavalry divisions, two hours later. The fighting was resumed, but the Boers appeared to have held the Bloenifontcin water works, and were not dislodged It was also reported that they cut . .ff the water supply at Bloem- fontein. There was a report in London that the lost guns had been recaptured by the British, but there was no confirmation of this. Il is most probable that tli'" Boers sent them back to the rear as quick as possible, and their stubborn resistance at the water works prevented pursuit by French's cavalry. HEAVY LOSS OF GUNS. To lose gnns was always considered as a disgrace. In the present war the British up to this time, were particularly unfortu- nate in this respect, their losses of guns being heavier than at any period of Britain's military history since 1783. They areas follows : Nicholson's Nek, 4 ; Stormberg, 2 ; Colenso, 10 ; near Bloemfontein, 7 ; total, 23. In exchange the}^ have captured only seven guns, five at Paardeberg and two surrendered in the Free vState. It was not a very satisfactory exchange for the great PvUipire to make. The main Boer force at Kroonstad also showed signs of tak- ing the offensive. It advanced to Smaldeel, sixty miles south of Kroonstad. This was good evidence that the Boers had gained boldness during the British delay, which was necessary for the reorganization of the transport service. It was thought Lord Roberts might be forced to resume operations before he had completed his preparations and rehorsed and reclothed his troops. It would seem that the Boers intended to force the fighting. They gathered together an army, reorganized it, and placed it on the front and both flanks of the principal British army. The m f , I ;, I w m ^ ^ ^ /2 m /: f M ^ ^^. ^A *: ^^^^ V '/ # IMAGE EVALUATION TEST TARGET (MT-S) 1.0 I.I S us 110 « ... I 1.25 1.4 1.6 Photographic Sciences Corporation // A f/.i ^ ^ 33 WEST MAIN STREET WEBSTER, N.Y. 14580 (716) 872-4503 ip"p mmmmmmmmmmm S86 BRITISH TROOPS UNDER A GALLING FIRE. force in front of General Tucker, to the north, and the column to the east, were ready to dispute the British advance. Lord Methueii was waiting to move with the Yeomanry upon the Boers gathered at Paardeberg, between Bloemfontein and Ximberley. One effect of the British retirement from Thabanchu was that it left th« whole southeastern part of the Free State open to raids of the Republican forces. The War Ofl&ce in London received the following despatch from Lord Roberts, dated Bloemfontein, April i : " I received news late yesterday afternoon from Colonel Broadv/ood, who was at Thaba N'Chu, thirty-eight miles east of here, that information had reached him that the enemy was ap- proaching in two forces, *from the north and the east. He stated that if the report proved true he would retire towards the water works, seventeen miles nearer Bloemfontein, where we have had a detachment of mounted infantry for the protection of the works. ORDERED TO MARCH AT DAYLIGHT. **Broadwood was told in reply tliat the Ninth division, with Martyr's Mounted Infantry, will march at daylight to-day to sup- port him, and that if he considers it necessary he should retire from the water works. He moved there during the night and bivouacked. At dawn to-day he was shelled by the enemy, who attacked on three sides. He immediately despatched two horse artillery batteries and his baggage toward Bloemfontein, covering some of them with his cavalry. " Some two miles from the water works the road crosses a deep spruit (channel), in which during the night a force of Boers had concealed themselves. So well were they hidden that our leading scouts passed over the drift without discovering them, and it was not until the wagons and guns were entering the drift that the Boers showed themselves and opened fire. Many of the drivers of the artillery horses were immediately shot down at short range, and several of the guns were captured. The remainder galloped away, covered by Robert's Horse, which suffered heavily. ^ "Meanwhile, Lieutenant Chestermasters, of Rimington's BRITISH TROOPS UNDER A GALLING FIRE. S8> Scouts, found a passage across the channel unoccupied by the enemy, by which the remainder of Broadwood's force crossed. They reformed with great steadiness, notwithstanding all that previously occurred. Broadwood's report, which has j"ist reached me, and which contains no details, stated that he had lost seven guns and all his baggage. He estimates all his casualities at about 350, including 200 missing. On hearing this morning that Broadwood was hard pressed, I immediately ordered General French, with two remaining cavalry brigades, to follow in support of the Ninth Division. The latter, after a magnificent march, arrived on the scene of action shortly after 2 P. M. Broadwood's force consisted of the Royal Household Cavalry, the Tenth Hussars, Q and U Batteries of the Royal Horse Artillery, and Pilcher's Battalion of Mounted Infantry. The strength of the enemy is roughly estimated at from eight thou- sand to ten thousand, with guns, the number of which is not yet reported." WOUNDED AND MISSING. The War Office received another despatch from Lord Roberts, dated at Bloemfontein, Sunday, April i, 8.15 P. M., in which, after referring to his_previous telegram, he gave a partial list of the missing British officers. Of Q Battery, four officers were wounded, two of whom are missing. One gunner was killed and forty non- commissioned officers and men were wounded or missing. Lord Roberts continued: "In U Battery all are missing, except Major Taylor and a Sergeant Major. The two cavalry regiments did not suffer so much. A report has just come in that the enemy has retired towards Ladybrand, leaving twelve wounded officers and some seventy men at the water works. We are now sending an ambulance for them." The Iocs of the British guns was attended by incidents of splendid lieroism. The leading battery was so near the Boers, ambuscaded in the river bed, that the latter said : " It is useless your attempting to advance. Throw down your 688 BRITISH TROOPS UNDER A GALLIWG FIRE. arms." This was a summons to surrender, but no attention was paid to it. The Sergeant of the battery, fearing the other battery would misunderstand the hindrance, rushed through the convoy and warned his comrades, enabling the rear most battery to save a portion of the guns, which came into action later. Life Guards- men and a, gunner got a gun unler a tremendous fire, and foni others were saved by the men dragging them off after their horses had been shot. Following the scouts of General French's cavalry division to the scene of battle, a correspondent witnessed one of the most ter- rible spectacles of the war. Horses lay stiffened in the various attitudes of sudden death and mingled among them were ghastly human bodies, with the wrecks of wagons and food and forage scattered wide. Ever3'thing told a terrible tale of surprise and carnage. A MOST INGENIOUS TRAP. It would be impossible to conceive anything more ingenious than the Boer trap, and the only wonder is that a single man escaped. On crossing the spruit (river channel), where the ground rises immediately toward a grassy knoll, with stony slopes fai-ing the drift, one came upon an enclosure from which it was possible to fire over the drift. At this point the spruit makes a circular bend, while the south embankment, which is protected by the par- tially constructed railway embankment, enabled the enemy to pour in a galling fire on three sides, as well as a double tier of fire in front. When the convoy was first attacked a scene of frightful con- fusion followed. The mules stampeded, and the wagons were overturned, while the concealed enemy poured in a deadly fire. When the first battery appeared the Boers seemed undesirous of continuing the slaughter, and called upon the British to surrender At that moment, however, B battery, which was escaping from the rear of the convoy under heavy fire, wheeled into action and began shelling the Boers with the four remaining guns. The Boers con- BRITISH TROOPS UNDER A GALLING FIRE. 689 fessed that this battery accounted for five killed and nine wounded of their losses. Early in the afternoon the Boers collected about the convoy, began removing the guns and wagons and permitted the collection of the British dead and wounded. The actual casualties were less than had been expected. Despite this incident, it is impossible not to admire the gallant manner in which the littla force was able to extricate itself from an almost hopeless position. The Bloemfontein correspondent of a London Journal, tele- grapiiing April ist and describing the loss of the convoy, said: "The Boers opened with a murderous fire. It was simply slaughter. The Kaffir drivers of the convoy ran away, leaving their teams, and it was impossible for our men to hit the hidden enemy. Our gunners fought bravely, trying to save the guns, but our people were greatly hampered by the Kaffirs, who ran hither and thither, looking for cover from the fearful fire that poured in on all sides. Meanwhile, the enemy were hotly press- ing Colonel Broadwood, whose mounted troops were completely surrounded. SUPERB BRAVERY OF THE BRITISH. " The British showed magnificent bravery. The officers were quite cool and composedly directed operations. The opportune arrival of reinforcements saved Colonel Broadwood from annihila- tion. The water supply was out and the pumping gear destroyed, as well as the field telegraph. One hundred wagons were lost through the cowardice of the Kaffir drivers. It is reported that two guns have been recaptured. The whole force is retiring on Bloemfontein." The detailed accounts of the Korn Spruit disaster showed strikingly, on the one hand, the skilful daring of the Boer tactics, combined with a humane endeavor to induce the convoy to surren- der without needless slaughter, and on the other hand scornful contempt of death and inj ury on the part of the British, and the clever extrication of a section of the entrapped force. In the con- fusion firing proceeded from all directions. The Boers northwest t m^. f P ^I^Hiv If Hit i'' i. i^!l i- H t 11 1- I I'l 640 BRITISH TROOPS UNDER A GALLING FIRE. of the spruit fired on the convoy, among which were some of their own men inextricably mixed with the British. The captured Brit- ish, creeping under the wagons, recovered their arms and fired on their captors. Discrim'nation was impossible. A correspondent said he encountered on April 2d an Ameri- can with the Boers near the waterworks. The American said he was accompanying them merely as a sightseer. He had never seen such magnificent pluck as the British showed in this fight. The whole Boer army was profoundly impressed and filled with admir- ation by the bravery of the British. The Boers never doubted their ability to capture the entire force. They were simply dumb- founded by the courage of the British who were caught in their trap and the masterly manner in which the greater pirt of them were extricated. FULLER ACCOUNT OF THE DISASTER. Puller returns of the disaster to the British troops did not tend to improve matters. The War Office posted a despatch from Lord Roberts reading as follows : BloemfonTEin, April 2, 10.30 P.M. — " In continuation of my telegram of March 31st there has been considerable delay in get- ting accurate returns of the casualties, as the action took place twenty-two miles hence, the telegraph cable has been interrupted several times, cloudy weather has interfered with signaling, and, although there has been no engagement since, the force is con- tinually in touch with the enemy. "There were many acts of conspicuous gallantry displayed during the day. The Q Battery remained in action under a cross fire, at 1,200 yards, for some hours, the officers serving the guns as the casualities reduced the detachments. Several gallant attempts were made to bring in two guns, the teams of which had been killed, but at each attempt the horses were Rhot. "The Essex, Munster, Shropshire and Northumberland Mounted Infantry and Roberts' Horse covered the retirement of the guns from that position to the crossing of the drift two miles further south and withstood the determined Attacks of the enemy. BRITISH TROOPS UNDER A GALLING FIRE. 541 On April yth another account of a Boer trap and British vic- tims cane from South Africa, but this time it was robbed of some of its bit:erne?s to the British by news of a counter success, won by Meth iien on the western frontier, involving' the death of General Viliebois Mareuil, chief among the trained foreign advisers of the Boer military leaders. This disaster to British arms, by which five companies were captured or killed, was another instance of the remarkable mobility of the Boers and the rapidity and secrec}^ of their movements, and illustrated the difficulty of the task, which General Gatacre had of keeping open the line of communication of Lord Roberts. About forty miles south of Bloemfontein and ten miles east of Bethany Station was stationed this little British force for the purpose of protecting the railway line, and preserving peace in the district, which had been recently occupied by the Boers. BRITISH SURROUNDED. The British position was surrounded before noon Tuesday the 3rd, by a strong force of the enemy with four or five guns. After having held out for nearly twenty-four hours the British surrendered. How they were caught in this manner, only a few miles from the railway, by the enveloping contingent of Boers, who must have taken some time to establish their guns and detachments in such a way as to overpower all resistance, was one of the mysteries of the aifair. The only conclusion that could be arrived at was that their outposts were not alive to their duties or that the scouting was most inefficiently performed. The evident object of the Boer leaders was not to retake Bloemfontein, but to larass the British, compelling them to keep close to their line of communications and delaying, if possible, Lord Roberts' advance against the Boer position at Kroonstad. They seized Thaba Nchu and Lady brand, flanking Lord Roberts' line of advance on the east, and from these, as if on a pivot, they have swung round to the railway in his rear, seeking fot \ good chance to cut his communications or capture small detaci inents. 042 BRITISH TROOPS UNDER A GALLING FIRE. The forces engaged in this movement numbered about ten thousand men, although some accounts say there were more. The rest of the burghers still remained to the north, in front of Lord Roberts' position. This plan of campaign had many advantages from the Boer point of view. It not only delayed the accumulation of supplies for the British advance, but also unset- tled the country already occupied by Lord Roberts. The military prestige gained by the Boers in this raid would evidently compel the British commander to leave behind him much larger garri- sons in the district than would otherwise have been necessary. The whole Boer dash southward was a sample of the guerilla warfare which the Boers apparently intended to begin as soon as Roberts resumed offensive operations. Being the finest mounted infantry and the most skilful of tacticians, the Boers were able to carry out this audacious plan, which would mean attempted by any other army. ''ruin" if BOERS CHOSE THEIR OWN BATTLE GROUND. It was clear that Lord Roberts was not able to keep pace with the movements of these raiders. His object was to concentrate his troops as far as possible. In spite of his overwhelming num- erical superiority, his task was by no means an easy one, for the Boers would not fight unless they selected their own battle ground. Turning to another part of the war field. Lord Methuen, witli what has been described as the Mafeking relief force, moved from Kimberley to Boshof, forty miles to the northeast. He encountered a body of seventy Boers, posted on a kopje, nine miles from the town. It was said that these Boers had come from Kroonstad. If so, they were probably on the way to join their comrades on the Vaal River, at Christiana and Warrenton. After about four hours' lighting the litLle Boer force surren- dered. Among the killed was General de Villebois-Mareuil, the distinguished French tactician and strategist, who was of great service to the Boers, and whose death was a serious loss. Relating to the disaster suffered by the British described BRITISH TROOPS UNDER A GALLING FIRE. 648 above, the following dispatch from Lord Roberts was published by the War Office in London : " Bloemfontein, Thursday, April 5. — Another unfortunate occurrence has taken place, resulting, I fear, in the capture of a party of infantry, consisting of three companies of the Royal Irish Fusiliers and two companies of the Ninth Regiment of the Mounted Infantry, near Reddersburg, a little eastward of Bethany Railway Station, within a few miles of this place. They were sur- rounded by a stronger force of the enemy with four or five guns. The detachment held out from noon, April 3, until 9 A. M., April 4, and then apparently surrendered, for it is reported that the .firing ceased at that time. Immediately after I heard the news, during the afternoon of April 3, I ordered Gatacre to proceed from Springfon- tein, his present headquarters, to Reddersburg with all possible speed and I dispatched the Cameron Highlanders hence to Bethany. He arrived at Reddersburg at 10.30 yesterday morning without opposition, but could get no news of the missing detachment. There can be no doubt the whole party has been made prisoners." DEATH OF FAMOUS BOER GENERAL. The War Office also has received the following dispatch from Lord Roberts, dated Bloenuuntein, Thursday, April 5 : " Methuen telegraphs from Boshof (in the Orange Free State, a little northeast of Kimberley), as follows : " Surrounded General Villebois Mareuil and a body of Boers to-day. None escaped. Villebois and seven Boers killed, eight wounded, fifty prisoners. Our losses were : Killed, Captains Boyle and Williams, both of the Yeomanry, and two men of the Yeomanry. Wounded, about seven men. The attack lasted four hours. The corps behaved very well. Our force was composed of Yeomanry, the Kimberley Mounted Corps and the Forth Battery of artillery.' " These spirited engagements had an undue importance attached to them for the reason that they showed the determination of the Boers to still carry on the war and continue the fight Lo the bitter end. M4 BRITISH TROOPS UNDER A GALLING FIRE. In the death of General Villebcis Mareuil the Poers lost their best instructed soldier in continental methods of warfare. As the late General Joubert's chief of staff his brain devised the Boer defenses against General Buller's advance to the relief of Ladysmith. He is supposed to have chosen the gun positions and to have laid down the covered trenches. He disposed the Boers at the centres, from which they were sent massed to the defense of any part of a wide arc. General Villebois Mareuil was the most notable of all the soldiers of fortune serving with the Boers. He had written occa- sional interesting letters to French correspondents. He was about 50 years old, and it is said that he entered the Boer service merely because war was his trade. PRESIDENT STEYN ON THE WAR. President Steyn, in his address to the Free State Volksraad at Kroonstadt, on Wednesday, April 4, said the burghers were in a better position than at the commencement of hostilities. He threatened those who had surrendered to the British and announced that the Free State had borrowed half a million from the Transvaal for the purposes of war. England, he declared, had broken every convention. Referring to the correspondence with Lord Salisbury, he observed : " The destiny of the republics is in higher hands than those of the British Government, namely, in the hands of the people of France, Russia and Germany, who are agitating for intervention. The war will soon end. If it be true that Boer prisoners have been sent to St. Helena, we would be justified in consigning Brit- ish prisoners to the lowest depths of the Johannesburg mines." A despatch from Bloemfontein said : " All is quiet here. Remounts and reinforcements are arriv- ing, and preparations are being made to deal with the enemy. Last Tuesday many of the historic regiments, like the Scot? Greys, the Inniskilling Dragoons aud the Lancers, could not mus ter a hundred mounted men, while artillery horses were scarce.^ BRITISH TROOI'S UNDER A GALLING FIRE 045 The British estimate of Lord Roberts and the confidence of the public in his military prowess and fighting ability were aptly expressed by Kipling in the following stanzas, which, although to a great extent colloquial, are full of force and are descriptive of the man : There's a little red-faced man Which is Bobs I Rides the tallest 'orse 'e can— Our Bobs ! If it bucks or kicks or rears, 'E can sit for twenty years, With a smile round both 'is ear9-~> Can't yer, Bobs ? Then 'ere's to Bobs Bahabur— Little Bobs, Bobs, Bobs! 'E's our pukka Kandahadcr — •Fi^htin' Bobs, Bobs, Bobs I •E's the Dook oi Ag^y Chel, 'E's the man that done us well, An' we'll follow 'im to 'elJ I Won't we, Bobs ? If a limber's slipped a trace, " Ook on Bobs ; If a marker's lost 'is place, Dress by Bobs. For 'e's eyes all up 'is coat, An' a bugrle in 'is throat, An' you will not play the goat Under Bobs. * 'E's a little down on drink, Chaplain Bobs ; But it keeps us outer Clink — Don't it Bobs? T .1 So we will not complain, > ^ Tho' 'e's water on the braio, ' " , If 'c leads us straight again— Blue-light Bobs. 35 r iHi I 1: I h "tl'BB^m ' J^bH iiBiii. ll< ill if 'Is! 540 BRITISH TROOPS UNDER A GALLING FIR£. It you stood 'itn on 'is 'ead Father liobs, You could spill a quart o' lead Outer Bobs. 'E's been at it thirty years, An' amassin' souveneers In the way o' slugs an' spears—. Ain't yer, Bobs ? What e* does not know o' war, Gen'ral Bobs, You can arst the shop next door— • Can't they, Bobs ? Oh, 'e's little, but he's v.ise, 'E's a terror for 'is size, , An' 'e — does — not — advertise— Do yer, Bobs ? Now they've made a bloomic' Lord Outer Bobs, Which was but 'is fair reward — Weren't it Bobs ? An' 'e'll wear a coronet Where 'is 'elmet used to set ; But wc know you won't forget — Will yer, Bobs ? Then 'ere's to Bobs Bahadur — Little Bobs, Bobs, Bobs •. Pocket- WeUin'ton an arder— Fightin' Bobs, Bobs, Bobs i This ain't no bloomin' ode. But you've 'elped the soldier's load An' for benefits bestowed. Bless yer, Bobs I An account of Pretoria, the capital of the Transvaal, and c Johannesburg, the chief city during the war, shows the disastrous effects of the conflict. "Johannesburg," writes this eye witness, "of which it ha? been said that she supports all South Africa, is a fearfully deati BRITISH TROOPS UNDER A GALLING FIRE. 847 city at present. The bulk of its white population has deserted the Raud, and also many of the Kaffirs. The streets are deserted, the tram cars do not run, and the hundreds of rickshaws have dwindled to half a dozen. A few decrepit looking cabs stand idly about the squares. Most of the shops are closed and the windows boarded up. The countless chimneys which tower above the mines are cold, except the few being worked by the government. The enormous gold output has stopped. "This vast mint, which before the war was grinding out money at the rate of a million dollars a day, has closed down indefinitely. But one hotel and a few small restaurants are open. Millionnaires no longer loaf in the luxurious rooms of the Rand Club. Thanks to the special police, principally composed of Americans, perfect order is maintained and ample protection afforded. No saloons are permitted to keep open. The same wise precaution is enforced in Pretoria. STARS AND STRIPES EVERYWHERE. " A striking feature of Johannesburg at present is the large number of United States flags displayed. The Stars and Stripes wave everywhere, even above many Kaffir kraals in the suburbs. Apparently Uncle Sam has a few black citizens in South Africa he has never heard of. "More than three thousand British prisoners are now in Pretoria. They are well and humanely treated, as they them- selves gladly testify. The officers, of whom over a hundred have been captured, are quartered in the Staat Model School, a fine, new, well-ventilated building. People in England who have friends imprisoned by the Boers need have no uneasiness on their account. The problem of what to do with the prisoners of war is becoming a serious one. Although there is at present no scarcity of food, the government feels that it can ill afford to feed so many hungry mouths for an indefinite period. "A scene incidental to the perpetual skirmishing about the Tugela and Ladysmith illustrates the seeming haphazard fighting methods of the Boers. Just as dawn was breaking one morning a ■■■■m 648 BRITISH TROOPS UNDER A GALLING FIRE. patrol of about two hundred British cavalry crossed Klein Tugela, near the Pont Drift, and rode rapidly toward where a small herd of cattle which had strayed from the Boer lines during the night was grazing. The British had advanced some distance before they were observed by a Boer picket stationed on an isolated kopje. ' ' Four burghers composed the picket. They mounted instantl y and rode to intercept the British, first firing several shots to give the alarm. It was a sight to stir the blood to see those Boers dashing at a swinging gallop over the rocks and gullies which roughened the plain. The pale blue mist rising from the river and veiling the hills beyond made a pretty background to the spirited fight which followed. The four Boers reached a kopje in the path of the British, sprang from their horses, sought cover and began peppering away. By this time a dozen other burghers, drawn from neighboring pickets by the first shots fired, were gal- loping across the flats to aid the original four, making a total force of six'.een. BURGHERS AND BRITISH IN A LIVELY SKIRMISH. " Then ensued a pretty skirmish. The British dismounted and pushed ahead to dislodge the Boers and secure the cattle. For half an hour there was a splutter of rifle firing, then the British concluded the game was not worth the candle and retired. They left sixteen dead on the ground, and carried away a number of wounded. The Boers did not have a man scratched. By the time the fight was over fully two hundred Boers were hurrying to get into it. No orders had been given to a single man. The standing order for the Boers is to hasten to where there is fighting. It is Moltke's principle, ' March to the sound of the firing,' on a reduced scale. " The Boer generals determinedly adhere, wherever possible, to their defensive tactics. This policy accounts for their small losses. They have no reserves. The army consists of the male population of the two republics between the ages of twelve and seventy. Kvery man or boy put out of action is permanently lost. "Men are precious, particularly the burghers, for even if the of BRITISH TROOPS UNDER A GALLING FIRE. 049 Transvaal had Europe for a recruiting ground such men, once lost, could not be replaced. A Boer ri^.eman is equal to half a dozen ordinary soldiers. Then, the Boer governmt;nt regards the lives of its citizens as too precious to be thrown away. It is not lack of courage that induces a Boer to seek cover. Let no erro neons impression get abroad about this. At night the scenes f.bout the laagers are intensely picturesque. The burghers sit about smoking and chatting jovially, generally about matters of the home and farm. Nine o'clock is the hour for retiring. There is no bugle to sound ' taps,' but here and there a cow horn is blown as a signal of the hour. The chatter ceases, and within five min- utes the moon (if it is shining) will reveal scattered groups of burghers on their knees, offering up the evening prayer." TRYING TO SURROUND THE BOERS. Continuing the narrative of military operations, it v/ill be noticed that after the Boers were forced to retreat from Bloemfon- tein, the capital of the Orange Free State, they moved southeast and occupied Wepener. Lord Roberts immediately began a move- ment to capture them or compel them to abandon their position. He hoped to encircle them and prevent their escape. Tli£ out- come during the last week of April was a disappointment to the British commander. His movement cleared the Boers of Wepener and De Wet's Dorp, but the Boers escaped. Cleverly as Roberts spread his net, he could not do it widely and quickly enough. The Boers were too slippery for him. Roberts' object was primarily to relieve Wepener and clear the southeast corner of the Free Sta^e not only of the Boers' presence generally, but also to bring the Boers to an engagement, and to surround them or inflict serious losses upon them. Roberts had, with this object in view, been drawing a circle around the Boer position. The western semi-circle was complete, and on the other side the southern segment was closed in by the Basuto border, but the northern segment remained open. In the later operations the circle was drawn somewhat tighter and an attempt made to gcc around to the open gap, but that open gap I. I I'f 11 1 ^^m 60 BRITISH TROOPS UN^£R A GALLING FIRE. jerved the Boers, who succeeded, as usual, in taking all their guns ivith. them. Thus ended an exciting episode. Wepener had been relieved, ind the attempt of the Boers to turn the British position at Bloem- fontein and intercept their communications had failed, but they were not brought to a stand or surrounded by the British occupa- tion of De Wet's Dorp. Rundle's waiting game was now explained. While his division was held fast at Wakkerstroom refusing attack, French and Pole-Carew were moving around to place themselves astride of the line of retreat of the Boer forces. The presence of the British cavalry general in the neighborhood apparently set the Boers moving. The garrison at De Wet's Dorp slipped away during the night and joined the big force massing at or near Thabanchu. NEWS FROM LORD ROBERTS. The War Ofl&ce in London issued the following from Lord Roberts, dated Bloemfontein, April 25, 3.25 P. M. : " The enemy retired from in front of Wepener last night, and this morning fled northeastward along the Ladybrand road. Their number was between 4000 and 5000." The relief of Colonel Dalgety at Wepener was accomplished by General Brabant. Lord Roberts also telegraphed a message to the War Office that De Wet's Dorp was occupied by General Chermside without opposition. Another dispatch from Lord Rolerts was as follows : " Bloemfontein, April 25. — Pole-Carew's division reached Roodekop yesterday evening without casualties. Its advance was covered by cavalry and horse artillery, which drove back the enemy with heavy loss, their dead being left on the ground. The mounted troops halted for the night at Grootfontein, and at 7.30 ♦his morning were crossing the Modder river at Valsbank, in, accordance with my instructions to French to endeavor to place himself astride the enemy's line of retreat. French's arrival near tne Modder evidently, however, alarmed the Boers, for they evacuated their strong position near De Wet's Dorp during the night, and it was occupied by Chermside's division this morning. 'mm ippi ipi BRITISH TROOPS UNDER A GALLING FIRE. 551 "The mounted infantry, nnder Ian Hamilton, drove the enemy off the kopjes in the neighborhood of the water works without casualties on our side. The Highland Brigade marched twenty-four miles yesterday to support General Hamilton and halted for the night at Klip Kraal, four miles short of Sauna's Post. " Brabant and Hart are still a few niiles short of Wepener, and the numbers of the enemy appear to have somev/hat increased during the last few days. But it is not likely there will be much trouble in the neighborhood of Wepener once De Wet's Dorp is occupied by our troops. I inspected the City Imperial Volunteer Battalion yesterday on their arrival at Bloemfontein. They are in fine form and look very workmanlike. I also inspected the First Company of Imperial Yeomanry, which has arrived here. The men turn out smart and their horses are in admirable condition." STUBBORN RESISTANCE. The operations tended to clear the military situation. General Pole-Carew's progress through the country brought home to the Free Staters the fact that the policy of leniency had been abandoned. Besides seizing the stock of the farmers, who, after having given their submission, were found fighting, he comman- deered all the available forage, giving receipts for the same, and this prevented the Boers using the resources of the country. The Boers were evidently returning in order to concentrate for opposing the British advance. Now that Thaba N'Chu, as well as the approaches, was strongly held, Ladybrand, with the unfriendly Basutos lining the border, was rendered a position of extreme danger for the Boers, the gravity of which was accentuated fron the moment the British advance began. A special dispatch x'^om Thaba N'Chu, dated April 30 describing the fight at Israel's Poort, which is about seven mile, west of Thaba N'Chu, said : "Three hundred Boers were strongly entrenched on two kopjes. The place of honor was. given to the Canadians, who advanced very cleverly under their li in .9 in M !■■ m 1 i' 552 BRITISH TROOPS UNDER A GALLING FIRE. dashing commander, Colonel Otter. The Boers reserved theii fire until the Canadians had reached the wire entanglements. Then they opened with a terrific hail of bullets. ''The Canadians, however, had taken good cover, and were not greatly damaged. They were ably supported in the assault by the Grahamstown Horse. Successive rushes brought them right up to the kopjes, when Colonel Otter was struck twice, one bullet inflicting a nasty, but not dangerous, wound in the neck, and the other tearing the badges from his shoulder. But he still cheered his men on until the kopjes were carried. The Boers bolted. The British losses were twenty in killed and wounded." HOT SHELLS FROM BRITISH ARTILLERY. Another dispatch from Thaba N'Chu, describing the same engagement, said: "The British artillery shelled the kopjes all day from three positions. The Boer positions were extremely well chosen, con- sisting of a long range of very precipitous hills, with narrow poorts (passes) between, commanding a vast extent of country. The mounted infantry made a wide turning movement, while the foot infantry advanced within two thousand yards under good shelter. "During the afternoon the battle became general, and extended over a frontage of ten miles. The rifle, Maxim and artillery firing was deafening. At 3 o'clock the Canadians advanced in open order, but meeting with a terrific fire, they took shelter in a donga (ravine). When they finally captured the kopje the Boers were seen retiring north and east with wagons, and subsequently when the infantry made a dash the rest of the enemy fired a few shots and cleared oflf. CHAPTER XXXIV. British Army Forces the Boers to Flee. 'T'HE Britisli crossed the Vet River Sunday, May 6th, and * marched rapidly onward toward Kroonstad — where the Boers, who were in full retreat, were concentrating their forces for a des- perate stand. Lord Roberts' forces occupied Snialdeel Sunday, the Boers offering no resistance. On the British right General Hamilton defeated a Boer force and occupied Winburg. The Boers destroyed the Zand River bridge. TlxC plucky Canadians did some very gallant work in forcing the passage of the Vet River, and Lord Roberts laid great stress on their brave advance under a hot shell and musketry fire, from which they did not shrink. There was an honorable emulation among the Colonial troops, and they were restless at any attempt to hold them back. The Canadians and Queenslanders were con- spicuous for their gallantry. All the accounts show that they fought with great dash and determination, while the only object of the Boers seemed to be to avoid capture. The left wing of the British advanced on Saturday from the Vet River to Smaldeel without meeting with any resistance. The Boers had retreated towards Kroonstad, their rear guard being ten miles away. They left behind a large quantity of forage and rail- way material, and the British also ca^ptured a Maxim gun and twenty-five prisoners. Smaldeel is about one-fifth of the distance between Bloemfon- tein and Pretoria, and Kroonstad is another fifth. As Winburg was reported unofficially to have been occupied on Sunday by the right wing under General Hamilton, after a sharp fight and a hot pursuit, and as the Boers retired on the same day from their posi- tions east of Thaba N'Chu and left General Rundle's division free to march northward, there was nothing to retard Lord Roberts' advance. His two wings were closer together than they were when the northward advance was begun a week before. 568 I t: 664 BRITISH ARMY FORCES BOERS 1\> FLEE. General Hamilton's march on Winburg was conducted with great spirit, and he had hard fighting on the way. Details of the cavalry charge and the work of the Highland Brigade proved that the high prestige of the brigade was fully maintained. General Hamilton's management of his troops was excellent, and the finest qualities of the British cavalry and infantry were brought out His pursuit of the enemy after the battle was sharp and harassiii<( to the Boers, who fell back so rapidly that they could not carry off two guns, which the British captured. Lord Roberts' conviction that his northward march would draw off the Boers from their entrenched positions at Thaba N'Chu was justified by their retreat northward and eastward. General Rundle occupied without sacrifice of life the impregnable line of high hills which could only have been taken with heavj losses by a frontal attack. Lord Roberts did not ask his men to work miracles, but studied closely the dynamics of the science of war. BOERS MASSING FOR RESISTANCE. It was thought not improbable that the siege of Mafeking would be abandoned before General Hunter's column was within measurable distance of the town. There were already rumors from Pretoria that the Boer forces would be called south, and that there would be a general concentration of the Burghers against Lord Roberts on the Vaal River. General Hunter, meanwhile, was marching on and driving the Boers befo- him. Details of General Barton's engagement with the Boers at Rooidan showed that the Fusilier battalions fought with steadi- ness and pluck, and that the Imperial Yeomanry, under Colonel Meyrick, pursued the enemy mile after mile when the kopjes were taken. The Boer force was estimated at 3000, and it was driven from strong positions and vigorously followed toward Four- teen Streams on the next day. A junction was effected with Gen- eral Paget's forces, which had been blocked at Warrington. The losses of General Hunter's column were light. The casualty lists in the three engagements at the close of the week were insigni- ficant in comparison with the results secured. ( BRITISH ARMY FORCES BOERS TO FLEE. 66b A correspondent with the British Army wrote as follows con- cerning Lord Roberts' advance : "Two more important points have been captured in the onward sweep of Roberts' great army. The reported seizure by General Ian Hamilton's column of Winburg has been confirmed. Lord Roberts himself reported the equally important strategic success of the taking of Smaldeel, or Winburg Road, which is the junction point of the main line from Bloemfontein to Pretoria and the branch running southeast to Winburg. Details are now coming in concerning the brisk fight for the Vet River. From Brandford to the Vet is a distance of nineteen miles. General Pole-Carew started with his division at daybreak to march to the river. He arrived at Eensgeronen, tne first station south of the Vet, about midday, and here he halted. ENEMY CONCEALED IN RIVER BED. " The West Australians, who covered the advance of the column, discovered at one o'clock the Boers in the river bed, being fired on by the Burghers at a distance of three hundred yards. The artillery, comprising the Eighty-fourth and Eighty-fifth batteries, pushed forward, escorted by General Stephenson's bri- gade. These batteries caused the guns in the main Boer position to unmask. Other pieces of the enemy's artillery came into action on the British right. The Eighty-fourth battery moved away to engage them, leaving the other battery to answer the guns in the Boer centre. Two naval 12-pounders, two 2.4-inch and two 5-inch guns, coming successively into action, soon altered the aspect of affairs, two Boer guns being temporaril}'^ silenced. "Meanwhile, General Hutton, who was well to the west with the Canadians, Australians, New Zealanders and British mounted infantry, attacked the Boers at the drift by which they intended to cross. The Boers, who were led in this portion of the field by Lucas Meyer, second in command oi" the federal troops, had the advantage in number of machine guns, but the mounted Britishers managed to drive their antagonists out of the river bed, crossed < the river and took up a position, which outflanked their right. m 5 •■If , 666 BRITISH ARMY FORCES BOERS TO FLEE General Lutton during the night sent two squadrons to blow up the railway near Snialdeel, in the hope that by doing this he could capture some rolling stock, but the last train northward had left the junction Saturday evening. " From the southeast and the west come news showing that the surge forward of the main body of the British army is push- ing back the Boers on both sides. Fourteen Streams, where for six weeks the Boers have fired across the Vaal River at the British forces, near Warrenton, has been evacuated. The British there, under Colonel, Paget, have been joined by General Hunter and have crossed the river. "The Thaba N'Chu force of the enemy have left the strong position which they held, confronting General Rundle, and the British troops have taken possession of it. Like a broad arrow the British advance is now piercing the Boers' position in the Free State. From the Winburg hills the left is extended toward Boshof and Warrenton, while on the right, it runs southeast to north of Thaba N'Chu and Wepener." OFFICIAL ACCOUNT OF ROBERTS' ADVANCE. Lord Roberts' official despatches were as follows : "Smaldeel, May 6 (afternoon). — We crossed the Vet River this morning, and are now encamped at Smaldeel Junction. The enemy is in full retreat toward the Zand River and Kroonstad. The turning movement was made by the mounted infantry just before dark yesterday. It was a very dashing affair. The Cana- dians, New South Wales, New Zealand Rifles and Queensland Mounted Infantry vied with each other in the determination to close with the enemy. Captain Anley, of the Essex Regiment, commanding the Third Infantry Battalion, behaved in a very gal- lant manner. "The naval guns and the artillery did some excellent fight- ing, particularly two 5-inch guns, used for the first time with this force. We captured a Maxim and twenty-five prisoners. Our casualties are very few — only fifteen wounded, one killed and three missing." ... BRITISH ARMY FORCES BOERS TO FLEE. 667 Later, this dispatch was received: "Smaldeel, May 7 — 10.55 A. M. — General Hunter, after defeating the enemy May 4, joined hands with Paget near \v arrenton. The enemy left thirteen killed and wounded on the ground, and we captured several pris- oners. Our losses were slight. Hunter speaks in high terms of the gallantry of t\e \eomanry under Colonel Mayrick. The enemy have retired from the front of Thaba N'Chu, and the exceedingly strong position they held is now occupied by Rundle's division." At Smaldeel it was reported, on May 8th, that the Boers were quitting Zand River and were retreating toward the Vaal and taking up their position at Boshrand, south of Kroonstad. Large numbers of burghers came in and delivered their Mausers and horses to the British. They affirmed that there was a bitter quar- rel between the Free Staters and the Transvaalers, which was likely to end in the speedy surrender of the former. General French and his dashing cavalry had arrived at Smaldeel. CAVALRY REACH ZAND RIVER. Four thousand British cavalry watered their horses at Zand River on the 7th, twenty-five miles beyond Smaldeel, where Lord Roberts continued to date his dispatches. The scouts who had been searching the country for miles along the stream, found no Boers south of the river. The enemy were laagered in unknown force on the north bank. Thus the British advance guard was within forty-five miles of Kroonstad. The Free Staters, in the expectation that Kroonstad would speedily become untenable, Vvere preparing to transfer their government to Neilbron, a little more than fifty miles northeast. The proclamations of Lord Roberts appear to have had little effect upon the inhabitants of the invaded districts. Every farm was found deserted except by the women and children. All the men were away fighting. Reports at headquarters included the incidents connected with the occupation of Smaldeel. Some exas- peration was expressed at the ease with which the Boers escaped with their transports before the very eyes of the British. mm^ 668 BRITISH ARMY FORCES BOERS TO FLEE For instance, when the British entered Smaldeel, the Boer ox wagons coolly out-spanned only five miles away, as if in con- tempt of the ability of the British to overtake them. Lord Roberts was unwilling to sacrifice his horses fui the sake of a compara, tively minor advantage. Nevertheless, the waste of horseflesh, in spite of all precautions, was enormous. Smaldeel is a village of only a score of dwellings, but it expanded in one night to a vast canvas city and the glow of the camp fires was like a scene in an iron smelting district. The tidings from Mafeking were gloomier than ever. Every- body there had an empty stomach and a pinched face. The natives were no longer given even porridge, and the whites hud nothing but a quart of that substance and a pound of horse sausages daily. Everything else eatable was gone. Insufficient food, wet trenches, the cold nights were deadly to the health of the garrison. This information came from reliable natives. Lady Sarah Wilson, under the date of April 27, said : "The Boers now number 4,500, including young Eloff, President Kruger's grandson, who has sent for six more guns." TRYING TO ESCAPE STARVATION. The Mafeking correspondent of the London "Times," who also emphasized the extreme gravity of the situation, said : " It is impossible to ignore the significance of Colonel Baden- Powell's reference to the hardships endured by the women and children, among whom many deaths have already occurred. The commissariat is holding a certain stock of food stuffs in reserve for use in the direst extremity." At Zand River under date of May 9th, President Steyn said: " We will fight to the end. Not one of my burghers is unwilling to fight. We have never considered abandoning the Transvaal. We will fight at the Vaal River, at Pretoria, and afterward in the mountains. We have nothing to gain from peace, everything by fighting. Every slight British success has been followed by a terrible British defeat. Elandslaagte had its Colenso, Belmont its Modder River, Bloemfontein its Sannas Post." ^ mm BRITISH ARMY FORCES BOERS TO FLEL. aw At Pretoria, the government summoned all the able bodied men to assemble in Burgher's Square. The assemblage was addressed by Vice President Schalk Burger, who said that the time had arrived when the republics needed all their citizens at the front. Peace was possible only through the recognition of the absolute independence of both republics. England's reply to the peace proposals made it clear that her intention was to destroy the independence of the Boers. The enemy were nearing the borders of the Transvaal, and a critical hour was approaching. A large number volunteered to hold themselves in readiness to to proceed to the front immediately. Thus there was still a resolute determination to carry on the war to the bitter end. MEETING OF BOER PARLIAMENT. The Volksraad met on May 9th. The assemblage was most impressive, coming as it did at an acute hour of national peril. President Kruger's address was received with rapt attention by the chamber and the crowd. The eytis of the world, he said, were fixed on the Boers' struggle. President Kruger thanked the for- eign nations for the Red Cross aid the Transvaal had received, and for hundreds of letters of sympathy. He pr-^tested against the British abuse of the Red Cross, and their treatment of the Boer wounded and prisoners. Notwithstandin p" the war, the finances of the government, he said, were in excellent condition. After a brief session, during which several inspiriting speeches were made, showing that the sentiment at that time was for deeds and not words, the Volks- raad adjourned, most of the members immediately taking trains to return to the front. As a part of the general plan of the British advance. General Hutton's mounted infantry reconnoitered to the Zand River, where he saw a number of Boers with trains preparing to retreat to the north. Hutton advanced and occupied a kopje a few miles from the river. He held this position, and then pushed forward through corn fields and occupied a kopje overlooking Virginia Siding. The enemy at once engaged him, using six guns, two of which :* i n 4 II: i 1 ): 1 i^- v-h. H / [ f 1 1 1 6G0 liRITISH ARMY FORCES liOliRS TO FLEE were *'Long Tom" 4o-poun(lers. General Hutton's guns were unable to rccacli the Boers. The Canadians and New Zealanders were on a.\i advanced kopje. The Boers suddenly streamed out to the south of the Zand River and, dividing their artillery, gave Hutton's men a cross fire, menacing their retreat. The Australians were ordered forward to the right from the rear of the kopje, and engaged the Boers, whereupon the whole force withdrew. On May loth the War Office in London received the follow- ing despatch from Lord Roberts : " Cable Cart Headquarters at the Front, May lo, 9.30 A. M. — We are now across the Zand River. The enemy are still holding a strong position, but we arc gradually pushing them back." Later came the following : " The enemy are in full retreat. They occupied a position twenty miles in length. Ours was necessarily longer. With the widely scattered force it will take some time to learn the casualties, but I am hopeful we have not suffered much. The cavalry and home artillery are pursuing the Boers by three different roads." ROBERTS PUSHING ON HIS COLUMN. Lord Roberts rapidly cut down the distance which lay between his advancing host and Kroonstad. The commander-in-chief reported, as already stated, that he had crossed the Zand River, and that the Boers were in flight, with the British cavalry in hot pursuit along three roads. No long halt was made at Smaldeel, as had been expected. The messages received on the loth recorded an advance to Welgelegen Siding, which is on the railway and fifteen miles north of Smaldeel, and a movement thence to the Zand River, with the Seventh and Eleventh infantry divisions, Ian Hamilton's mounted infantry division, and four brigades of cavalry. The Boers had been expected to make a determined stand on the north bank of the Zand, but when they were attacked by the great force of the British they offered only a feeble resistance. BRITISH ARMY FORCKS HOKRS TO FLKK. 861 The next iniportjint news from the seat of war U>U\ of General Roberts' eontiniied advance. Not since Ladysmith and Kiniberley were relieved had London been in snch a state of excitement as it was on the evening of May I2tli. " Kroonstad taken, and withont opposition ! " The news came almost like a thnnderclap. Some of the military experts had been sayinj^ that Kroonstad wonld be taken withont stiff fij^htinj^, bnt the pnblic were skeptical. Not only from a stndy of the map, bnc al.so from other sonrces, it was known that nnmerons kopjes in the neighborhood of Kroonstad afforded the Boers the best opportn- nity for offering strong opposition. On the other hand, these mili- tary critics pointed ont that the conntry behind Kroonstad was so open that a protracted resistance at that point involved serions risk of the Boer retreat being cnt off by the British cavalry, which could be sent around in large force. BOER STRONGHOLD IN DANGER. Although few details reached London, beyond the fact that Kroonstad was occupied soon after noon and the British flag hoisted, it is evident that the Boer commanders were, for several days, fully alive to the danger to their supposed stronghold. Nevertheless, the British public never imagined the taking of Kroonstad would prove sucli a simple matter. Lord Roberts' des- patch arrived after London had begun the night's amusement — after the first acts in the theatres — when people had crowded into the lobbies and clubs, where people were enjoying after-dinner smokes. As the news was rattled out by the tickers great enthu- siasm was shown. Everybody broke into cheers for Roberts and sang "God Save the Queen " with no end of fervor. In view of the easy capture of this second capital of the Free State, showing that the Boers are fully acquainted with the odds against them in the huge British force, many military men thought the first really strenuous opposition to Roberts' progress would be made in the neighborhood of Johannesburg. Before sending the communication that he had occupied Kroonstad, Lord Roberts forwarded the following despatches : 36 M \- iiil 562 BRITISH ARMY FORCES BOERS TO FLEE. "Gc'ueva Siding, Maj' ii — Evening. — My headquarters, with Pole- Carew's division, marched twenty miles to-day and are now at Geneva Siding, fourteen miles from Kroonstad and about six miles from Boschrand, where the Boers are holding intrenched positions. Gordon's brigade is in touch with them. Tucker's division is a short distance southeast, and Hamilton's division is .still further east. Broadwood's brigade overtook a part of the enemy's convoy yesterday afternoon at Potgieter's Laager, soutli- east of Ventersburg, and captured several wagons and some prisoners. " French, with Porter's and Dickenson's brigades and Hutton's mounted infantry, is some distance due north of this place. We have taken nearly one hundred prisoners during the last two days. All the Free Staters who could give a good account of themselves have been disarmed and allowed to return to their farms. The nights are getting much cooler." LORD ROBERTS ENTERS KROONSTAD. "Boschrand, May 12, 9:05 A. M. — I am eight miles south of Kroonstad. The enemy evacuated the first line of intrenchments during the night. We are now reconnoitering towards Kroon- stad. Geneial French's cavalry seized the drift over the Valsoh River at half past four o'clock last evening, just in time to pre- vent passage being opposed by the enemy." The War Office received this dispatch from General Roberts: "KrooNvSTAd, May 12, 2 P. M. — I entered Kroonstad at half-past one, without opposition, to-day, when the Union Jack was hoisted amid cheers from the British residents. President Steyn fled last evening, after vainb'^ endeavoring to pursuade the burghers to con- tinue opposing us. The Trans vaalers said they would no longer fight on Orange Free State soil, and made oif for the Vaal River. Free Staters accuse the Transvaalers of having made use of them and then deserting. Many of the I-^rce Staters have gone to their homes. "The procession, entering the town, was headed by my body- guard, all of whom were colonels, and after my staff and foreigu BRITISH ARMY FORCES BOERS TO FLEE. 563 officers came the North Somerset Imperial Yeomanry, followed by Pole-Carew's divisiou, consisting of the Guards and the Eighteenth brigade, the Eighty-third, Eighty-fourth and Eighty-fifth batteries, two 5-inch guns, manned by the Royal Artillery Company, and the Twelfth Engineers. The rest of the force encamped around the town. Before leaving Kroonstad, President Steyn issued a proclamation making Lindley the seat of government of the Free State. Generals Botha and De Wet accompanied the Traus- vaalers." Meanwhile, General Buller's column was working northward in Natal, and driving the Boers before it in full retreat. General Buller's advance commenced on Thursday, the loth, when he left Ladysmith in strength. When within two miles of Helpmakaar the Boers opened a heavy artillery fire and the British guns replied, while a portion of Buller's troops worked around the Boer flank. The British attack was pressed home on the 13th. Bethune, on the right, outflanked the Boers, whose splendid defensive posi- tions on the Biggarsberg were practically taken. General Buller's march, subsequent to the attack, was carried out without a hitch. GENERAL BULLER'S BOLD MOVE. After four days' march eastward at the foot of the Biggars- berg ridges, in the direction of Helpmakaar, which was occupied by the Federals, the second brigade led the attack on the 13th. Dundonald's cavalry broke the Boers' centre, and Bethune's horse advanced on their extreme right. In the direction of Pomeroy, a small party of burghers occupied a ridge overlooking Helpma- kaar, but they did not wait for the assault. General Buller's turning of the Biggarsberg position was effected by a bold movement. The Boers had evacuated Helpmakaar, but were making a stand on the 7th at Bleskoplaagte, seven miles from Dundee. At the same time. General Hildyard took ludoba, and the Boers withdrew in disorder. General BuUer employed his full strength, and pushed on. His first marches were forty- five miles in three days. He was thus breaking into British terri- tory, which had been administered for six mouths by the Trans- 501 BRITISH ARMY FORCES BOERS TO FLEE. ^■^lalcl•s as thougli it were a part of the republic, they holding courts and levyiug taxes. His success, therefore, had political as well as military cousequeuces. On May i5tli General BuUer sent the important intelligence that his troops had marched into Dundee, and this town, from uliicli the British were driven in the early part of the war, was again in their possession. His despatch said : "We have occupied Dundee. About 2,500 of the enemy left on the I4tli for Glencoe where they entrained. Their wagons also left by De Jager's Drift and the Danuhauser road. Their Kaffirs said they were going to Laing's Nek. Almost every house in Dundee is completely looted. The Navigation Colliery is all right. The machinery of the Dundee collieries is destroyed. The houses of the town are damaged, but are structurally intact." RAPID CAVALRY MARCH. The following dispatch, bearing date of May 15th, was received at the War Office from General Roberts : "Dundonald reported late last night that he had driven the rear guard on to the main body of the enemy, near Buralinden, where they occupied in force a strong position with three powerful guns. Major Gough, with the composite regiment, manoeuvred to the right round their left flank and they retired. Dundonald then halted. He was twenty-five miles, as the crow flies, from his previous night's bivouack, and had covered nearly forty miles dur- ing the day in a waterless country, most of the time riding through smoke. I think this pursuit a very fine performance. From prisoners I learn that the enemy numbered over 2,000 at Helpnia- kaar, and being now joined by those who left Van Jonder's Pass, they must total nearly 3,000 men. Hildyard reports the occupa- tion of Wessel's Nek, and is repairing the line." It was officially announced that Glencoe was occupied on the 15th, and that the Boers had evacuated Biggarsberg. The War Office in Lbndon posted the following despatch from General Buller, dated May 16: •' We occupied Glencoe yesterday. The Trans vaalers have BRITISH ARMY FORCES BOERS TO FLEE. 565 now evacuated Biggarsberg. The Free Staters on the Drakens- berg are much reduced in numbers. The Carolina, Lyndeuberg and Pretoria Commandoes trekked north from Hlatikulu on 13th and 14th of May. Eleven guns were entrained at Glencoe. The last train, with ambulance, left there at dawn May 15. This result has been largely produced by the action of the Fifth Divi- sion, which, during the last few days, had done a great deal of very hard work — marching, mountain-climbing and road making. Trains are now running to Wessels Nek Station." ANOTHER ASSAULT ON MAFEKING. " Food will last until about June 10," was the latest official word from Colonel Baden-Powell, the British commanderatMafek- ing, sent to Lord Roberts under date of May 7. Five days later the Boers attempted to storm the town. The British relief column is due there at this time. Ten days before General Snyman was having difficulty in keeping the burghers together, owing to the approach of the British, and when the last Associated Press des- patch left Mafeking, on May 7, the Boers had killed on the previous day one of the horse guards and had captured several of Colonel Baden-Powell's few remaining horses. Nevertheless, the British garrison was making a gallant defense. The signs were many that the Boers were becoming disheartened and were reluctantly coming to the conclusion that the war was going against them. In fact, many lost courage from the moment General Cronje and his force were compelled to surrender. A correspondent depicted the manner in which the Boers at Burghersdorp received the new» of Cronje's downfall. He wrote : " When the news came the folk would not believe it. The / would just as soon have believed that the sun could fall from tl c heavens and leave the earth in darkness as that Cronje — the in.n- willed, tiger-hearted Cronje — would throw down his arms. Had the news come that he had made a mad rush at our guns and perished with all his men around him they might have believed it ; believed it and wept, and even as they wept they would have sworn to ayenge him. But they would not, they could not, and 666 BRITISH ARMY FORCES BOERS TO FLEE. they did not believe that he, the man in whom they had placed their faith, had surrendered with thousands of his men. " But at last the truth became known ; some who had escaped from Cronje's laager brought the fateful news, and then the stolid- looking fighting men broke down. They wept like boys. Great, rugged, bearded men dashed their rifles on the ground and spurned them with their boots, while down their sun-and-wind-tanned faces the tears poured readily. Others took the news sadly, with chins drooping on their chests, with hard, set faces, white with passion- ate pain too deep for words ; they stood leaning upon their rifles with hands hard gripped until one would think the tightened muscles would leave the impress of the straining fingers upon the cold steel. STUNNED BY THE BLOW. "Others again crowded together and looked dumbly from face to face, like cattle foregathered to the shambles. The blow ^ad stunned them. To them Cronje was something more than a man; he was an idol. What the great Corsican was to the French soldiery after the battle of Austerlitz so Cronje was to these rude farmers. He was their brain centre, their rallying point. Had Paul Kruger betrayed them to their foes for the sake of the British gold they would not have felt the shock as they felt this one man's surrender. " If Cronje had loved his country half as well as his country loved him he would have marched right on the point of a British bayonet on that morning so disat^^rous to the Boer arms, and have yielded up his life in order that the memory of his name might have remained as a watchword on the lips and in the hearts of his gallant yeoman soldier3\ "When the crash came, when the Boers knew for a certainty that Cronje had yielded, they felt that their idol was shattered. He had been to them as a god fashioned out of marble ; they found him at last to be only a man made out of mud, and when he fell the Cape Dutch cause and the Orange Free State fell with him. When he laid down his arms he launched a thunderbolt into the Boer camp which wrecked it forever.'' BRITISH ARMY FORCES BOERS TO FLEE. 667 Wild with cntliiisiasm as London was over the relief of Ladysniith, even more crazy scenes were witne;.sed on the evenini^ of May iSth, when the news of the safety of Alafeking reached there. The metropolis fairly went mad in demonstrations of delight over the event. All this week, by day and by night, Lon- doners, in fact, the entire nation, had been waiting anxiously for word of Baden-Powell's rescue. As one walked through the city he could see the eagerness in persons' ej^es as they listened to the shouts of newsboys or scanned the contents bills of the evening papers. All day long suppressed excitement was visible everywhere, for May iStli was the da}^ on which, according to Lord Roberts' promise, Mafeking should be relieved. After all, the news did not come through the War Office, but in a Renter despatch from Pretoria, giving the official announcement that the Boers had abandoned the siege, and that supplies of food were being sent into the town. WILD EXCITEMENT OVER THE NEWS. The despatch came at a comparatively quiet hour in the eve- ning, just after nine o'clock, when pleasure-seeking Londoners were at the theatres and concert halls. The news first came out by the welcome and thrilling words, "Mafeking Relieved ! " in big letters, being posted in a large, brightly-lit window of the Daily Telegraph office. Oiil}' a few people were there at first to see it, but their cheering immediatel}^ brought others, and the increasing volume of shouts quickly added to the crowd. Where they all came from is a marvel, but in a few minutes Fleet street was blocked. Omnibuses and cabs could hardly get past, but what did the passengers care r They were too delighted to think where they were going or what else they had to do. Loud cheers for the gallant garrison were heard on every side. Then the scenes of that great day on which the safety of Ladysmith was announced were repeated, only in an intensified form. The people went into a frenzy of delight. It was not so much " Bobs " who was the hero of the hour, but Paden-Powell. ill I 568 BRITISH ARMY FORCES BOERS TO FLEE. The crowd yelled his name and sang " He's a jolly good fellow " till they were hoarse. Then out of the crowds came along the streets a procession of waving flags, of all kinds. Where they were obtained so quickly at such a late hour would be difiicult to tell. In some cases shops reopened their doors to supply flags, and thj-^e were cleaned out quickly. One feature in these processions worthy of mention was the many Stars and Stripes which mingled with the Union Jacks. All night through the demonstration lasted. Crowds moved about shouting, singing, blowing ear-splitting horns, whistles, or shrieking sirens, beating drums, trays, or anything at all that they could lay their hands on, to add to the uproar. Everyone seemed to want to do but one thing — make noise. In the exuber- ance of their joy they did it in a way London had never known before. It was thought such sights as were witnessed on Lady- smith nig lit could hardly be excelled, but they certainly were when news came of the relief of Mafeking. DETAILED ACCOUNT OF THE SIEGE. The story of Mafekinqf is full of thrilling interest. When, just before the outbreak of the war, Colonel Baden-Powell had undertaken to put Mafekinp- into a state of defence he was speedily joined by Lord Salisbury's . ,xdier son, Major Lord Edward Cecil, who had been one of Lord Kitchener's aides-de-camp in the Khar- toum campaign. Captain Gordon C. W. Wilson, of the Royal Horse Guards, was also sent up to Mafeking on special duty, and he was joined there by his wife. Lady Sarah Wilson, youngest daughter of the seventh Duke and aunt of the present Duke of Marlborough. This adventurous lady attempted at the outset of the siege to make her escape south to Kimberley, accompanied only by her maid-servant, on horseback. She was, however, captured by the Boers, and after some weeks' imprisonment was offered by General Snyman in exchange for Viljoen, a notorious character. Through the remainder of the siege Lady Sarah Wilson tgok a promment BRITISH ARMY FORCES BOERS TO FLEE. 5f)9 part i.u organizing and superintending an auxiliary hospital, and as an amateur correspondent gave to the world nianj^ graphic details of life in the besieged town. Among the civilian population must be mentioned the Mayor of Mafeking, Frank Whiteley, who had charge of the laager con- taining six or seven hundred women and children, and had many hairbreadth escapes from the shells directed upon that quarter by the Boers ; and Mr. E. B. Weil, a member of a well known Soutli African firm. So keen was the spirit among the townsfolk at the beginningiof the siege that two women — the wife and daughter of a railway employe — absolutely declined to go to the women's laager Both were good shots, and, having their own Lee-Metfords, were capable of taking care of themselves. THE GARRISON'S BRAVE RESISTANCE. Of the gallant band of officers by whom the defence was sus- tained few came out of the siege unscathed, still fewer without having suffered from fever or some sort of disease due to the siege. The first serious losses were sustained on October 31, when a detachment of the British South African police, under Colonel Walford, made such a gallant resistance to the Boers in a day- break assault that the whole scheme of attack on the town was foiled. In this fight fell the Hon. Douglas Marsham and Captain Charles PechelL Their burial in the cemeter}^ outside the town, at the dead of night and the lanteru dimly burning, made an aft'ecting scene. The day after Christmas Day the garrison received its worst check. A sortie was planned for the capture of Game Tree PWt, which was greatly harassing the town. Three officers who rushed up to the wall of the fort and thrust their revolvers through the loopholes, were killed in the assault — the commatider. Captain Ronald Veraon, with Captain Harry Sandford and Lieutenant Paton. Out of the storming party of eighty, twenty-one were killed and thirty-three wounded. Captain Fitz Clarence, who was wounded, recovered, and was able later to take an active part iu the defence. II I i f)70 BRITISH ARMV FORCES BOERS TO FIEF™ At the outset of the siege Messrs. Weil, the govei .iniciit con- tractors, forwarded supplies of food for thirty da3's for 440 Kurj- peaus, 80 colored aud 30 natives, with 440 horses and 73 mules. The coutractors also forwarded, some say at Lord Cecil's snj:;- gestion, large stores for the populatiou of Alafcking, whicli included about 7,000 natives. Altogether the besieged, it is esti- mated, numbered 9,000 people. With this plentiful store tlie garrison did not begin to feel the pinch of hunger until tlu beginning of January. The commander had, however, taken pre- cautions to husband his resources in food. Six soup kitchens were improvised, and it I'.vas estimated by their means the meal that would have lasted only three weeks would be made to last three months. Vegetables were grown where possible, but could only be obtained at famine prices. DIET OF HORSEFLESH. Then came the slaughter of the horses. Any shot by the enemy were promptly handed over to the commissariat and sent to the stew pot. In the middle of February the ordinary ration for an adult consisted of four weevily biscuits and a " piece of meat which could truthfully be called beef." Three weeks later the meal ration was a half a pound for a woman and two ounces for each child. Five horses were killed daily. Great difficulty was experienced in feeding the natives, until an enterprising Scotchman evolved a mess closely akin to sowan, a substitute for porridge, which became their sole diet, as they objected to eating horseflesh through religious scruples. By Good Friday the ration for the whites had been reduced to six ounces of of oaten flour biscuit and three-quarters of a pound of meat. An attempt by Colonel Plunier to send forty head of cattle into the town by night was frustrated by the Boer cordon just as the party had reached the lines of the besieged. On April 25, when it was stated that Mafeking could holdout for a month, the bread rations had come down to four ounces. A case of whiskey was raffled at this time and fetched $535, while a fowl brought six dollars. BRITISH ARMY FORCES BOERS TO FLEE. fi71 By the middle of January life had become monotonous beyond measure. All the excitement piovided was by the unpleasant visitation of shells. The hottest lire poured upon the town was on April ii, when the big Creusot gun fired more than one hun- dred rounds, and the field guns from every side kept iip a constant rain of shells. Four of these entered the hospital, and it seemed as if a deliberate attempt was being made to pierce the bomb- proof shelters of the women. In these dug-out eaves the loss of life was due more to malaria and dysentery than to the missiles of the enemy. It was dangerous during the last month of the siege to move out of them, for "snipers" were always on the watch, and bullets flew through the streets at all times. Early in the siege Sunday was observed by common consent as a day of truce. The garrison was able to keep their spirits by games in the open. Football and cricket matches were played with much delight, and were followed by concerts and amusements, which relieved the strain of the imprisonment. Gradually the Boers gave up these concessions, so that nothing remained to the besieged but to sit and await the end with what patience they could command. On one occasion the Sunday relaxations were to wind up with a dance given by the bachelor officers. Just, however, as the dancing was about to begin the Boer guns opened fire and, as on the famous eve of Waterloo, all the combatants were forced to leave and spend the night under arms in the trenches which were swimming with recent rain. MAFEKINGS STORY TOLD IN BRIEF. Boer forces isolated the town on October 14th. Thus the siege lasted 214 days, if it ended on May 15th, as reported. Baden. Powell's fighters numbered at first about fifteen hundred men, all irregulars except a few officers. He had eight guns, six of them machine. Seven hundred white women and children and seven thousand blacks were also hemmed in. The besieging force varied from two thousand to five thousand. Cronje first attacked Mafeking on October 15th, following up 672 BRITISH ARMY FORCES DOERS TO FLEE. the destruction of an armored train at Kraaipan, below the town. Repulse with heavy loss was the result. Heavy guns were brought up and bombardment began. A fierce assault on October 31st was futile, both sides losing heavily. Weeks of "sniping" iind intermittent bombardment culminated December 26th in an unsuccessful British sally against Game Tree Fort. Twenty-one of the garrison were killed, and thereafter Baden-Powell remained on the defensive. Colonel Plunier, with two thousand men from Rhodesia, moving' south to raise the siege, got within fourteen miles of the town on March i6th, but was beaten back by the Boers, led by Snynian. Lord Roberts sent word that relief would arrive by May 18th, and a column estimated at three thousand men left Kim- berley early in the month to fulfil the promise. After January all in Mafeking were on reduced rations. Life was supported by means of horse and mule meat, soup made from the animals' skins, and porridge concocted f"om fodder oats. Six ounces of bread, a quart of soup and two quarts of porridge was the daily rations. A COSTLY DEFENSE. Casualties in the town's fighting force up to April 28th totalled 240, including sixty-six killed and 133 wounded. Deaths from disease added fully sixty more, making a twenty per cent, loss during the siege. The deaths among non-combatants probably numbered one hundred more. To meet the peculiar exigencies of the situation, Baden- Powell issued paper currency and postage stamps. The resource- ful commander also built a gun of steel plate to supplement his slender outfit of cannon, which comprised one weapon made in the last century. He had thrown his defence lines far out, thus pre- venting a concentration of heavy fire on a small space which would soon have knocked the town to pieces. At the raising of the siege of Mafeking it was felt that a decisive crisis in the war had arrived. Lord Roberts' advance from Bloemfontein to Kroonstad was a practically unobstructed march. The Boers did not fight, and BRITISH ARMY FORCES BOERS TO FLEE. 673 failed to make an effective stand anywlicro. At Brandfort the Boers retreated before the British within rifle range, leaving Col- onel Blake's Irish-Americans and other outlanders to do all the fighting. These lost heavily. The same thing occnrred at the Vet and Zand rivers, the Boers retreating immediatel}' after a fevr shells came. Generals Botha and De Wet effected a jnnction at the Zand River, bnt continued their retreat. President Steyn personally endeavored to induce the burghers to stand at Kroonstad, but failed, they continuing to fall back, notwithstanding his appeal. The Boer retreat was orderly, but sullen. They brought back all their baggage and artillery, and their losses were very slight. The British made a very rapid march. General Botha, with a handful of brave men, protected the rear. Kroonstad was evacuated when the British were within a few miles, and the Free State capital was removed to Heilbron. The British ciossed the Vaal at Fourteen Streams. The Boers abandoned Natal and retired to Laing's Nek. The bridge across the Vaal at Verinigen was blown up. ARRIVAL OF BOER ENVOYS IN AMERICA. The Boer Ambassadors who came to this country to urge the United States to interfere by mediation between the British and Boers, were cordially received, but the conservative sentiment of the people demanded that our government should not take any formal part in the controversy, and should content itself by attend- ing strictly to its own business. Frederick C. De Sumichnast, Professor of History at Harvard University, treated this subject as follows : " The teaching of history, the dictates of common sense and the plain calk' of policy, concur in forcing the conclusion that the government of the United States should receive the Boer delegates with an absolutely firm refusal to be in any way drawn into the British-Boer quarrel. " Unless, indeed, the United States are prepared to repudiate their noblest and best national traditions, they cannot intervene 674 BRITISH ARMY FORCflS BOERS TO FLEE. Oil behalf of a people that denied to the Huguenots the right to use their own language and to worship God in their own way; that refused to the Anglo-Saxon taxpayer any voice in the impo. sition of the taxes and the right to have his children taught in English ; that called the sacred right of petition a revolt against law and a reason for punishing the petitioner and refusing his rccjiiest, that deny to the Roman Catholic and the Jew alike any part or share in the offices of the government. "Unless the Declaration of Independence is to be trampled under foot and proclaimed obsolete and null, the United States cannot espouse the cause of a government which has systemati. cally denied every one of the rights which the Declaration affirms to be the inalienable possession of every man. Unless the United States — that sympathized with France in her effort to throw oft' the yoke of a monarchical government less tyrannous than the Boer — have renounced belief in the declaration of the rights of man — the charter of republican France as the Declaration of Independence is that of the United States — they cannot lift a finger to aid in the perpetuation of a corrupt and oppressive oligarchy masquerading under the name of republic. MUST DO AS WE WOULD BE DONE BY. " Unless the United States are prepared to admit that any European or Asiatic powers may intervene in behalf of the Filipi- nos, they can.uot admit intervention between the Briton and the Boer. Unless they are prepared to grant that the Cubans, the Porto Ricaus or the Hawaiians, dissatisfied with their treatment by this country, may at any time send delegations to European or Asiatic powers and entreat them to interfere between them and the paramount United States, then the latter cannot do that unto Great Britain which they would not have Great Britain or any other power do unto them. " Had Great Britain, had France, had Germany, had Russia attempted to interfere between the North and the South in the war of secession, there would have been a unanimous uprising of American manhood to repel the insolent aggressor. Had any BRITISH ARMY FORCKS I50i:RS TO FI.KF.. S7f) III nation given cflctt lo the uiidouhttd desire of iMiropeiin powers — Great Britain alone exeepted to intervene l)et\vc'en the United States and Spain in the reeent war, there wonld have been an instant and exphjsive declaration of hostilities from this conntry, and a firm resolve to teach the intrnder a lesson not to be soon forgotten, and Great Britain wonld have helped to administer it. The same principle applies to intervention by tlr"s country, 'i^he United States are bonnd to keep ont of the British-Boer qnauel if the}' desire other nations to keep ont of the domestic qnarrels between the United States and their dependencies and territories; aud, of course, they do desire this. NOT A WAR FOR INDEPENDENCE. "If the United States believes in maintaining a government that protects and enconrages the enslaving of the native popnla- tion, if they believe in taxation withont representation, if they believe in the branding of the Anglo-Saxon — whether he be a citizen of the United States or of Great Britain — as a being inferior to the Boer, and to be treated with contnmely and denied the elemental rights of the free man, if they believe in enconrag- ing a people whose leaders canse women to be flogged and shot, the refnge of besieged women and children to be shelled b}' a Synman, then — abandoning all their jnst claims and iheir well- won title to leadership in civilization — the powerful United vStates ma}' declare that they will throw their whole w'eiglit into the Boer scale of misgovernment, crnelty, sloth and ignorance, and that tliej' will fight against liberty, jnstice and good government. " The Boers are not waging a war for independence, else they wonld not have spurned the proffer of a gnarantee to defend that independence, made last September by the imperial government — a guarantee that the whole forces of the empire wonld be used to defend them against whomsoever, from within or withont the British dominions, attempted to impair their freedom. They are and have been fighting for the expulsion of the Anglo-Saxon, for the extension of their territor}' and their corrupt tyranny. They are endeavoring to enter in on the labors of other men, to t !l' .■I 111 w 576 BRITISH ARMY FORCES BOERS TO FLEE. reap where tliey have not sown, to throw back civilization and to fetter progress. " Intervention means war and all that war implies ; the chances of attack at home and abroad, for never before were the United States vnlnerable abroad as they are now. Unless inter- vention be war, then it is a mere rhetorical display unworthy of a great and powerfnl nation — it is a braggart emptiness that wonld be contemptible in a small tribe, that is not to be indulged in by a world-power. For a just cause the people of this country and the strangers within their gates would unhesitatingly make the greatest sacrifice and bear the heaviest burdens, but such a cause is not now at stake. WOULD BE AN UNRIGHTEOUS WAR. " A war between the United States and Great Britain for the sake of the Boer oppressors would not be a righteous war, and none know it better than those who would embroil the two great Anglo- Saxon countries in a combat, the issue of which would be disas- trous to the cause of freedom in all parts of the world, and would therefore be welcomed by every country envious of the progress of the American nation, by every tyranny seeking to destroy, or at least to hinder, the growth of the ideas of truth and liberty of which the United States and Great Britain stand as the most thorough and the most powerful exponents to-day." Further details of Colonel Mahon's Mafeking relief expedi- tion came through from wayside points. It was one long rush to Mafeking. C. H. Hands, the correspondent mentioned iii Lord Roberts' dispatch to the War Office as dangerously wounded in the fight in the bush May 13, sent his last message from Vryburg, May 9, by runner to Kimberley, May 21. He said : "The flying mounted column, secretly and swiftly organized by General Hunter, started from Barkly and arnVed here May 9, covering 130 miles in five days. It is a grand force of mounted men. Imperial Light Horse from Ladysmith, the Kimberley Mounted Corps, with Royal Horse Artillery and Pom Poms, and a selected body of infantry from the Fusilier Brigade. A special BRITISH ARMY FORCES BOERS TO FLEE. 677 equipment of light-spriiiged mule transport completed this splen- did force. "The force so equipped was enabled to move with such rapidity that, although this is a difficult country, requiring vigil and scouting, the Boers were surprised. The column moved parallel with the enemy's positions on the Vaal at Rooidam and Fourteen Streams, actually getting behind them without firing a shot. So close were we Sunday and Monday that General Hun- ter's balloon was visible and his bombardment heard. The route taken was between the Vaal and the Hart rivers, then along the river bank of the dry Hart to a point abreast of Taungs, and thence to Pudimoe, Roodepoort and Vryburg." BRILLIANT TACTICS OF COLONEL MAHON. A correspondent with General Hunter telegraphed as follows rrom Fourteen Streams : " Colonel Mahon's relieving column left Barkly West under secret orders May 4, and reached Vryburg May o The Boers marched on the right flank of the British, and a strange race followed ; Mahon pressing toward Mafeking with the utmost speed consistent with keeping the force in condition, and di« Boers hurrying parallel in an effort to pass him and to throw themselves across his path. The Boers succeeded. Mahon then turned west during the night. The Boers followed, overtook and attacked him in the bush, but were beaten off." Then, as Lord Roberts wired, Colonel Mahon and Colonel Plumer united forces at Jamasibi May 15, and Mafeking was soon relieved. A despatch from Lady Sarah Wilson contained a graphic account of the last assault upon the besieged town, as follows : "Mafeking, May 13, via Octsi, May 18.- -The town was awakened at four o'clock yesterday morning by a furious fusillade from the eastern face. An alarm by bugle and deep toned bell ringing, slow strokes, announced that an attack was in progress. In a marvellously short space of time the town guard manned the redoubts, hardly an absentee being reported. Bullets were flying thickly in Market square and the streets. Colonel Baden- 37 i 678 BRITISH AKMV FORCES BOERS TO FLEE. V r . 1^^ Powell at once determined tliat the fusillade wan a feint to distract attention from tlie real attack. Shortly afterwards roars of cheer- ing, certainly not English, rose from old Mafeking fort, now the headquarters of Lieutenant-Colonel Hore and his staff. " It was apparent that the enemy was in our midst, but there was no confusion or panic. Bodies of our men fell back and took up positions commanding their foes' further advance. Then com- menced a furious fusillade from the Boers in the fort. Thinking that the situation looked serious I made my way to the hospital near by and had a most disagreeable walk under the hail of bullets from two sides, which were luckily all fired high. I spent the day in the hospital, where all were busily engaged attending the casu- alties on both sides, which came in a stream. EXCITING COMBAT AT THE FORT. "Therefore, I had no further personal experience of what happened in the town, but the facts are as follows : The enemy selected the best line of approach via the Molopo River bed and were led by two of our deserters. They numbered 300 or 400, all picked men, led by a number of Frenchmen and Germans. This body was followed by 500 Boers, who were, however, cut off by our pickets. The Boers then broke up into three parties and rushed the fort, which was held by only fifteen men of the Pro- tectorate regiment. "The first intimation at neadquarters of what came through a telephone conversation, the ofiicer on i tenant-Colonel Hore, being suddenly interrupted by ; din and a strange voice calling through the instrument Boer. We have taken Mafeking.' " 'Have you, indeed? ' was the prompt reply, followed by an aside to the orderly, ' Please disconnect the wire.' "The enemy now found their further advance stopped, and that they were cut off at the same time. Altogether, no Boer prison- ers are now located here, besides their wounded, who are being carefully attended in the hospital. Over one hundred Mausers and rifles and ammunition were taken. The town is wild wiih .6 occurred i iity, Lieu- a confused -' I am a BRITISH ARMY FORCES BOERS TO FLEE. 579 delight. It is impossible not to admire the daring attack of the Boers, and the way in which it was executed. Our men also deserve unqualified praise. Tlie dogged pluck of this garrison on short rations would be hard to beat. Hard fighting continued all day, and for some hours our position was most critical." . Lord Roberts reported to the War Office, London, as follows : "Kroonstad, May 21. — Mahon repcts that the flying col- umn entered Mafeking at four A. M. May i8. He was stubbornly opposed by 1500 men on May 17, nine miles from Mafeking, but the Boers were driven from their strong positions after five hours' fighting, thanks, he says, to the magnificent qualities of his troops. " A detachment of Canadian artillery, by a series of forced marches, reached him the morning of the fighting, and rendered very valuable assistance. Mahon's casualties were about thirt}-. The Boer losses were heavy." SUPERB VALOR OF THE CANADIANS. This was another of the many instances in which the gallant Canadian contingent showed their superb fighting qualities and readiness for forced marches, as well as bravery in actual engage- I * ments with the enemy. Up to this time, the record of the con- tingent was not marred by a single failure, and Canada had ample reason to b ^ proud of her patriotic sons. Lord Roberts, having repaired the railroad and accumulated stores, set in motion on Sunday, May 20th, the great military machitiery which was intended to land his army in the Transvaal. It was well knowK that 13,000 Boers were entrenched strongly at the Rhenoster Riv^^, on the Blauwbosch Mountains, but Lord Roberts made all arrangements, prepared everything, and marched out of Kroonstad unopposed, confidently trusting to tbe cavalry to clear his flanks. The march was, as usual, silent, orderly and smooth, along the line of the railway. One whole division was left to hold Kroonstad, where many Boers came in and surrendered, including Commandant Wessels. Ian Hamilton's cavalry advanced on the right wing from 080 BRITISH ARM\ rORCES BOERS TO FLEE. I indley, while the dabhing French led his men away to the left. Hamilton's destination was Heilbron, which was known to be defended by Piet De Wet, who, a few days before, offered to sur- render, but refused when told tl^at it must be unconditional. On the twenty-second Hamilton, who had been promoted a lieutenant-colonel, drove back De Wet. Until the British came to the Rhenoster, which barred their passage, De Wet's 4,000 men stoutly defended a naturally strong position at Vecht Kowe. The British attacked under a heavy fire, and here the majorit}^ of Hamilton's casualties occurred. The Boers were still holding the river, and the situation was looking serious when the far-seeing Roberts came to the rescue. HAMILTON ENTERS HEILBRON. Monday afternoon the boom of British cannon was heard to the right of the Boer position, and the Boers began to give way before a slashing flank attack by Smith-Dorrien's infantry brigade. Thereafter the Boers sought only a rearward action. Hamilton entered Heilbron on the morning of the twenty-second. President Steyn, with De Wet, was exhorting the Burghers, who were sud. denly retiring. Broadwood's division, outside of Heilbron, did a dashing piece of work by cutting off a convoy of wagons belonging to De Wet and capturing a number of prisoners. French was, as usual, completely successful in sweeping across the Reitzburg road, past Wizkop ; he crossed Rhenoster Spruit^ near Winkel Drift, practically unopposed, about twenty miles west of the centre of the Boer position. Lord Roberts, directing the long deployed centre, personally arrived at North Homing Spruit on the 2 2d, where he encamped. The advance was resumed next day, everybody expecting a stiff battle at Rhenoster. But long before the infantry arrived at the river word rang along the line that the Boers had fled. On the same date it was reported that about 800 Boers had surrendered at Vryburg (north of Kiniberley, and a little more than half way between that place and Mafeking). The road was all clear from Mafeking, and all opposition in this district ended. if CHAPTER XXXV. British Flag Waves Over the Capital of the Transvaal. During tlie last week of May events pointed plainly to the speedy collapse of the Boer resistance to the swift advance of Lord Roberts and his victorious column. He marched 127 miles in eight days, and kept his communications open, thereby enabling him to bring up supplies for his troops. In this achievement, as well as in others that have already become historic, he maintained his reputation as a great commander, and added new laurels to his fame. Tracing the order of events in the closing days of the strug- gle, intelligence came from Bloemfontein that on May 28th the Military Governor, Major General George Prettyman, at noon, formally proclaimed the annexation to Great Britain of the Free State under the designation of the Orange River Colony. The ceremony was somewhat imposing and the scene in the market square inspiring. An immense concourse had gathered, and the town was gay with bunting. The balconies and windows surrounding the square were crowded with ladies, among them Lady Roberts and the Misses Roberts, the Countess of Airlie and Ladies Henry Bentick and Settrington, The troops were drawn up under command of General Knox, and entertained the spectators. The Governor, accompanied by Generals Kelly, Kenny and their staffs, escorted by the Welsh Yeomanry, was greeted with a general salute, after which, amid an impressive silence and in a clear voice heard in every part of the square. General Prettyman read Lord Roberts' proclamation annexing the Orange Free State, as conquered by her Majesty's forces, to the Queen's dominions, and proclaiming that the State shall henceforth be known as the Orange River Colony. Lusty cheers greeted the concluding words of the proclama- tion, and these were renewed with ever increasing volume as Lord 681 61 682 BRITISH FLAG WAVES OVER PRETORIA. ;"'', -n Acheson unfurled the Royal standard, and the bands struck up "God Save the Queen," all present joining in singing the national hymn. The ceremony concluded with cheers for the Queen, Lord Roberts and the army, and a salute of twenty-one guns. On the 5th of June the following stirring despatch, which had been eagerly awaited, was received in London from Lord Roberts : "Pretoria. June 5, 11.40 A. M. — We are now in possession of Pretoria, ^^he official entry will be made this afternoon at 2 o'clock." Lord Roberts occupied Six Miles Spruit on June 4. "Six Miles Spruit, 8.30 P. M., June 4.— We started tliis morning at daybreak and marched about ten miles to Six Allies Spruit, both banks of which were occupied by the enemy. Henry's and Ross's mounted infantry, with the West Somerset, Dorset, Bf;dford and Sussex companies of Yeomanry, quickly dislodged them from the south bank and pursued them nearly a mile, when they found themselves under a heavy fire from guns which the Boers had placed in a well-concealed commanding position. HURRYING UP THE ARTILLERY. "Our heavy guns of the naval and royal artillery which had purposely been placed in the front part of the column, were hur- ried to the assistance of the mounted infantry as fast as oxen and mules could travel over the great, rolling hills surrounding Pretoria. The guns were supported by Stevenson's Brigade of Pole-Carew's division and after a few rounds drove the enemy from their positions. "The Boers then attempted to turn our left flank, in which the; were again foiled by the mounted infantry and yeomanry, supported by Maxwell's brigade of Tucker's division. As, hu-.v- ever, they still kept pressing our left rear, I sent word to Ian Hamilton, who was advancing three miles to our left, to incline toward us and fill up the gap between the two columns. This finally checked the enemy, who were driven back toward Pretoria. I hoped we would have been able to follow them up, but the days BRITISH FLAG WAVES OVER PRETORIA. 583 now are very short in this part of the world, and, after nearly two hours' marching and fightiiig, we had to bivouac on the ground gained during the day. "The Guard's brigade is quite near the southernmost fort by which Pretoria is defended and less than four miles from the town. " French, with the Third and Fourth cavalry brigades and Hutton's New South Wales mounted rifles, is north of Pretoria. "Broadwood's brigade is between French's and Hamilton's columns; and Gordon is watching the right flank of the main force, not far from the railway bridge at Irene Station, which was destroyed by the enemy. Our casualties, I hope, are very few." One cannot but be struck with the genius of Lord Roberts for aiming his movements in order to effect the most remarkable coincidences in dates. He surpassed himself in choosing for the capture of Johannesburg the very day upon which that event would offer the most irony of historic contrast. It was the anni- versary of the arrival of Henry Milner and President Kruger in the capital of what was at that time the Orange Free State, for the Bloemfontein Conference twelve months before. Lord Roberts beat his own record march to Kandahar, and the war was con- sidered to be at an end. ACHIEVEMENTS OF THE BRITISH FORCES. Another account by a London journal was as follows : "The war is over. The Boer resistance has just simply melted away. The British flag is flying over Pretoria. "So, by a show of overwhelming force, Roberts has virtually ended the war. " All was chaos when he landed in South Africa. General after general had seen his reputation dashed to pieces by a horde of untrained farmers. Defeat after defeat had drawn down the derision of Europe. Three towns in British territory were besieged by the Boers, and in vain the British forces had been thrown against the besiegers. Roberts gathered a force of nearly 200,000 men, arranged to transport and feed them and took them north with 1 1 1 1 r ■ S ! *!.;■ 584 BRITISH FLAG WAVES OVER PRETORIA. him. He selected French, the dcashiiig cavalry coiiimander, the only general who had not been beaten, and took him and his cavalry up the western border of the Free State, leaving just enough men in the centre to preserve his lines of communication. "He relieved Kimberley, French's brilliant galop clearing the way. He chased Cronje's army, and after a march, in which he lost 30,000 animals caught him, hemmed him in, and forced him to surrender with his entire force. Then he took Bloemfontein. There he rested while his horses, oxen, and mules recovered or were replaced by fresh ones. This invasion drew the Boers back from Natal and enabled BuUer to relieve Ladysmith. After wait- ing until the Free State was cleared of hostiles, Roberts resumed his march. He relegated the old generals to the rear and used as his main aides young men, French, Ian Hamilton, Hutton, Broadwood, Bethune, Mahon. I-. HOW MAFEKING WAS RELIEVED. " Ma/eking was relieved by a dashing force of irregulars. Colonel Baden-Powell lost no time in threatening the Transvaal from the west. Marches of ten, fifteen, twenty miles in a day, with fighting on the outskirts but no resistance that was effective, brought Lord Roberts' force to the successive capitals to which the Free State Government was removed. He crossed the Vaal river and was in the Transvaal on the Queen's Birthday. Johan- nesburg was evacuated before him and he is master of Pretoria. He will probably proclaim the annexation of the Transvaal. Roberts' reward for victory is certain to be great. A high peer- age and perhaps a dukedom and all possible civil honors and a large grant of money by Parliament await him. Lord Roberts has beaten his own record in his march to Kandahar." A despatch from Newcastle announced that the following J proclamation had been issued by Lord Roberts, but was also being distributed by General Buller : " The troops of the Queen are now passing through the Transvaal. Her Majesty does not war upon individuals, but, she is anxious to spare them so far as possible the horrors of war. They i\ BRITISH FLAG WAVES OVER PRETORIA. 68^ " The quarrel which England has is with the government and not the people of the Transvaal. Provided they remain neutral no attempt will be made to interfere with persons living near the line of march. Every possible protection will be given them. Any of their property which it may be necessary to take will be paid for. "But, on the other hand, those thus allowed to remain near the line of march must respect and maintain neutrality. The residents of any locality will be held responsible in both their per- sons and property for any damage done to the railway or telegraph, or for violence done to any member of the British forces in the vicinity of their homes." RAPID MARCH TO JOHANNESBURG. Lord Roberts advanced to Johannesburg with greater celerity than was expected, and more rapidly than he would have done if he had had an active enemy to confront him. In that evenj; he would have been obliged to slow do "n the movements of his mounted force so as to keep the infantry and artillery in touch with them, and he would also have found it necessary to secure his long line of communications as he moved forward. But hav- ing no enemy to fear, he moved with his advance guard, waited for nothing after leaving the Vaal, and entered Johannesburg while his army was still trailing along the road behind him prob- ably for a distance of forty miles. Moreover, he sent out his scouts far enough in advance to allow them to look upon Pretoria. The position of the Boers at Laing's Nek in front of BuUer become untenable, for Lord Roberts was in possession of the railroad line in their rear, and all the British troops were converging upon Pretoria, even the forces sent to the relief of Mafeking. The South African Republics have been obliterated from the map. As Lord Salisbury proclaimed, "Not a shred of the former independence of the South African Republics shall remain." They will hereafter be British colonies, and the Boers will have to remove to another land or be absorbed in an English speaking I »!:» ■■• it- ¥ yi;t. 686 BRITISH FLAG WAVES OVLk PRETORIA. nation. It was recognized when the war started that it was to l)c a life or death struggle. If Kruger had succeeded in arousing all the Afrikanders, or in getting support from some foreij^n power, England might have been driven from South Africa ; fail- ing to do so, the destruction of the Republics was inevitable. The Boers.fought well, but were overwhelmed by numbers. They had also to contend in the end with a very skilful general. Lord Roberts was not put to a very severe test because he always had the advantage, but he made no mistakes, and not only planned his campaign well, but carried out his plans with complete success. He was fairly entitled to all the honors that Great Britain could shower upon him. It will be observed in looking back upon the history of the war that the Boers did not offer any real resistance after the cap- ture oi General Cronje. The loss of this high officer and of General Joubert seemed to have deprived them of their inspiration. While General Roberts was at Bloemfontein getting his army ready for another advance, a small body of Boers succeeded in entrapping the troops of one of the outposts, and this encouraged them to make a raid south of General Roberts' position ; but the force was small and did not succeed in doing anything more than delay the forward movement for a week or ten days. NO SIGNS OF ANY BOER ARMY. After that time there was no definite information of any Boer army being in the field. Small commands had skirmishes with the British cavalry, but no signs of the existence of a main army was given. It is quite probable, indeed, that not more than 20,000 , Boers were under arms toward the last, and these were divided *. . . into small detachments, never exceeding 4,. no in one command. The Boers lost everything save honor, that they retained by as gallant a fight as has ever been made by a free people. Details of the negotiations for the surrender of the Transvaal Capital were given by Lord Roberts in a later message : "Pretoria, June 5, 12.55 P- M. — Just before dark yesterday the enemy were beaten back from nearly all the positions they BRITISH FLAG WAVES OVER PRETORIA. 587 liad been holdiiij^?, and Ian Hamilton's monnted infantry followed them to within two thonsand yards of Pretoria, through which they retreated hastily. " De Lisle then sent an officer with a flag of truce into the J^own, demanding its surrender in my name. Shortly before mid- night I was awakened by two officials of the South African Republic, Sandbar, military secretary to CommandanVGeneral Botha, and a general officer of the Boer army, who brought me a letter from Botha, proposing an armistice for the purpose of set- tling the terms of surrender. "I replied that I would gladly meet the commandant general the next morning, but that I was not prepared to discuss any terms, as the surrender of the town must be unconditional. I asked for a reply by daybreak, as I nad ordered the troops to march on the town as soon as it was light. "In his reply, Botha told me that he had decided not to defend Pretoria, and that he trusted the women, children and property would be protected. At 7 A. M., to-day, while on the line of march, I was met by three of the principal officials with a flag of truce, stating their wish to surrender the town. It was arranged that Pretoria should be taken possession of by Her Majesty's troops at two o'clock this afternoon, REVIEW OF THE EVENTS OF THE WAR. "Mrs. Botha and Mrs. Kruger are both in Pretoria. Some few of the British prisoners have been taken away, but the majority are still at Waterfall. Over a hundred of the officers are in Pretoria. The few that I have seen are looking well." The war between the British Government and the Boer Republics of South Africa began on October 11, 1899. On that day the Boer Gavernment sent their now historic ultimatum. Two days later the British agent left Pretoria. Natal and Cape Colony were invaded, and Laing's Nek was occupied ; Mafeking and Kimberley were invested by the Boers, and an armored train with two guns was captured near Mafeking within the next two M ! ■'■ I 588 BRITISH FLAG WAVES OVKR TRKTOKIA. days. A couibiiied luovciueiit was directed aiL^ainst the Hritisli force of 4,000 men under Generol Synions at Glencoe. Com- mandant Lucas Meyer made the attack on the 29th. General Symons, the bntish commander, carried the hill on which the Boers had established themselves, captured their guns and drove them off, but he was himself mortally wounded and died a day or two afterwards. A detachment of Hussars was captured while pursuing the retreating foe. Meanwhile, the Boers had seized the railway between Glencoe and Ladysmith, and were only dislodged after a stubborn fight at Elandslaagte on the 21st. On this occasion Commandant Viljoen was killed and two guns were taken by the British. The attempt to isolate the British force at Glencoe thus failed, but, as another attack was threatened, the British force was compelled to retire and join t1 main body at Lady- smith, leaving the wounded at Dundee. STUBBORN FIGHT AND HEAVY LOSSES. To cover his retreat. General Sir George White had to fight again, at Reitfontein, on the 24th, and again the Boers were di.s- lodged. The loss on both sides on this occasion was heavy. A little later Colonel Baden-Powell inflicted some loss on Cronje's command in a brilliant sortie and bayonet charge at Mafeking. Meanwhile Ladysmith was gradually being invested by General Joubert, and the British suffered great loss on October 30tli. On that day about one thousand men, consisting of the Royal Irish Fusiliers, and the Gloucestershire Regiment, with No. 10 Mc un- tain Battery, were surrounded at Nicholson's Nek and forced to capitulate. They were overcome after they had lost their ammunition through a stampede of the mule train. The British troops at Colenso were on November 2d forced to retire over the Tugela bridge, and all communication between Ladysmith and the south was cut off. Also the bridges over the Orange River into Cape Colony were seized. Aliwal North, Jamestown and Colesburg were occupied on the i8th, and a considerable number of the Cape BRITISH I'LAO WAVES OVKR I'RITOUIA. 689 Colonists joined the Boers. Tlie Hritisli then l)ej^^;in an advance from the sonth, and Lord Metluien, eonunandinj; at Orange River, pnshed on, in an effort to relieve Kiniberley, to Helniont, and on November 23d defeated a strong;' Hoer force. Sixty-fonr wajj^cms were taken and 50,000 ronnds of aninumition, w'*!. /50 shells, were blown up. The British dealt another severe blow to the Boers at Enslin on the 25th, when the Boers fought under cover of a white flag. THE LADYSMITH CAMPAIGN. The position of Kiniberley had much influence on the pro- gress of the war. Cecil Rhodes went to the town on October 1 2th, and pronounced it "as safe as Piccadill}'." The force under Lord Methuen, ive days after defeating the encni}' at Belmont, effected the passage of the Modder River in the face of eight thousand Boers in "one of the hardest and most trying fights in the annals of the British army." The arrival of Sir Redvers Buller at Durham marked a n(»v stage in the Ladysmith campaign. The Boers, after investing that place, had continued to spread south and toward the Tugela. Before the appearance of the British reinforcements, they occ: pied Coleuso, as well as Beacon Hill and the Mooi river. Among the prominent incidents of the British advance were a night attack on the Boers at Willow Grange and the armored train engage- ment at Chieveley, on November 15th, when Winston Churchill especially distinguished himself. General Hildyard made an attack from Estcourt on Beacon Hill, and General Joubert had to withdraw in the direction of Coleuso and Ladysir.ith. On the last- day of November Ladysmith was effectively she'led by the Boers from Lombard's Kop. On December 8th the British stormed Lombard's Kop and captured a Boer gun. Two days later. General Gatacre attempted to surprise the Boer position at Stormberg, in Natal. The attempt resulted disastrously, his forces being raked by the Boers' rifle and artillery fire, without a possibility of replying. While the t i I fi - 6d0 BRITISH FLAG WAVES OVER PRETORIA. Boer loss in this engagement was slight, the British lost 687 officers and men. On the nth General Methuen, in attempting to relieve Kim- berley, attacked the Boer position at Magcrsfontein, north of tlic Alodder. The British were forced to retire with heavy losses, General Wanchope and the Marqnis of Worcester being killed. Two daj'S later the Boers, who were advancing sonth in Cape Col- ony towards Naauwpoort, were driven back by General French, with a loss of forty. On the 15th the British sustained another serious reverse. SORTIES AND ARTILLERY WARFARE. General Buller, in attempLing to force a passage of the Tugcla river at Colenso, was repulsed, with a loss of 1,097 offi- cers and men and eleven guns. Three days later the British War Office announced that Lord Roberts would be sent to command in South Africa, with Lord Kitchener as chief of staff, and that 100,000 men would be sent to the front. • For nearly the whole of the following month the hostilities consisted chiefly in an occasional sortie and in more or less harm- less ai tiller y warfare. But on January 6th the Boers nude a des- perate attempt to take Ladysmith. As early as 2.30 A. M. they attacked two strong positions of the British at Caesar's Camp and Wagon Hill. The battle was fiercely fought on both sides, and the positions mentioned were captured and recaptured three times, the British at the end holding their own and inflicting tremendous loss on the Boers. The attack continued until 7.30 P. M., anH at dark the Boers were driven out at the point of the bayonet. The British losses were 450 officers and men, and those of the Boers were thought to have been very much heavier. On the same day General French reported a "serious accident " at Colesberg ; a company of the Suffolk Regiment, with seven officers, was captured, and more than a score of officers and men were killed. On this day also Generals Roberts and Kitchener reached Cape Town. On January 12th the British army, under General Warren BRITISH FLAG WAVES OVER PRETORIA. Oyl ^ and Lord Dundonald, prepared for a general advance from Colenso to the relief of Ladysmith. They crossed the Tugela at Potgie- ter's andTrichardt's drifts, and Lord Dundonald's mounted troops engaged in a successful action with the Boers near Acton Homes, On January 20th General Clcry, with a part of General Warren's force, fought for thirteen hours, driving the Boers from hill to hill [ for three miles. Next day he pursued them two miles further. On the 2ist the Boers resumed the bombardment of Ladysmith. On January 23d General Buller announced the capture of Spion Kop, the key of the Boer position on the Upper Tugela ; but two days later the news was sent that he was obliged to give up that position. On February 27th it was learned that a supply train had reached General White during this engagement. The losses at Spion Kop in the attempt to relieve Ladysmith were 1,985, and the total loss of the British to that date was nearly 10,000. Rumor placed the Boer losses at Spion Kop at 1,700. Meanwhile the bombardment of Kimberley was continued, and it was reported, though without foundation in fact, that Colonel Plumer had relieved Colonel Baden-Powell on January 23d. The great failure of General Buller's second attempt to relieve Ladysmith was foUoweu by a withdrawal south of the Tugela on January 27th. THIRD ATTEMPT TO RELIEVE LADYSMITH. Three days later General Buller, the undaunted, told his troops that he hoped to be in Ladysmith in a week, and on Febru- ary 5th he again crossed the Tugela in a third attempt to relieve the beleagured forces of General White. By the 9th he had lecrossed to the soiitli of the Tugela, being unable to make head- way against the strong Boer position at Vaal Krantz. Witli the operations leading up to the relief of Kimberley the whole course of the war seemed to change. The fact that Lord Roberts and Lord Kitchener had arrived and had gone, early in February, to the British headquarters south of the Modder River, seemed a good omen. From this point a movement for the I'' y \ i ,m (92 British flag waves over Pretoria. II .h I Invasion of the Orange Free State, led by Lord Roberts, began on February nth. An expedition under General Macdonald to Koodoesberg, fifteen miles to the 'westward, had been made to divert the Boers in that direction. On the 1 2th a force of cavalry, led by General French, who had made a brilliant march from Colesberg to join Meth Lien's forces, made a dash across the Riet river, forced a passage on the Mod- der river the following day, and on the 15th entered Kimberley, where he was met by Colonel Kekewich, who had forced his way out of the city. The Boer troops under General Cronje abandoned their trenches at Magersfontein and retreated eastward towards Bloemfontein. The same day Lord Roberts occupied Jacobsdal an important base of supplies for the Boers, southeast of Kimber- ley. To that place he transferred his headquarters. By this time General Cronje was in retreat towards Bloemfontein, pursued by General Kelly-Kenny. CRONJE SURROUNDED BY THE BRITISH. On February 19, the railway to Kimberley was open ; by this time Lord Roberts' force had moved up to Paardeberg Drift, in the bed of the Modder river, where Cronje made his last stand and was surrounded by the British. After his request for an armistice had been refused, reinforcements under General Botha had been driven off and all other assistance from the outside proved unavailing. General Cronje, with 4,660 troops surrendered to Lord Roberts on February 27th. Meanwhile, on February 14th, General Bullerbogan nis fourth advance to the relief of Ladysmith. Four days later he executed a flank movement and drove the Boers across the Tugela and occupied Hlwangwane Hill. On the 20th General Hart occupied Colenso, and all the south side of the Tugela was held by General Buller. The next day General Warren crossed the river at Colenso, after slight resistance. It appears that, although mucli of Buller' s progress to Ladysmith was stubbornly resisted, it was by a diminishing number of Boers, since many of them were being withdrawn to assist Cronje on the Modder river. BRITISH FLAG WAVES OVER PRETORIA. 098 On February' 23d the Boers gave the town its final bombard- ment, for after a sharp engagement at Pieter's Station, on the 24th, the rest of the march northward was almost unopposed. On the 28th Lord Dundonald entered Ladysmith, and on March ist, Gen- eral Buller visited the city ; the Boers raised the siege and hurriedl)^ withdrew to the northward, leaving a vast amount of ammunition and supplies. During the final ten days of the Lady- smith campaign, General Buller' s losses were about twenty-four hundred, and the entire cost of the Ladysmith relief from the beginning was about fifty-five hundred men. SUCCESS OF THE BRITISH ARMS. While these stirring scenes were being enacted on the Mod- der river and at Ladysmitli, the British arms were also successful in other parts of South Africa. On Februar}'- i6th General Bra- bant's horse force drove the Boers from a strong position at Dor- drecht, in Cape Colony, after eight hours of hard fighting. Boer attacks on Mafeking on February lytli and i8th were repulsed with considerable loss to the attacking party. On February 25th Gen- eral Gatacre's scouts suffered a severe reverse at the hands of the Boers near Stromberg. On February 28th it was reported that General Cronje and his soldiers were on their way to Cape Town as prisoners of war. The same day General Clements entered Colesberg, where he niei with an enthusiastic reception. March opened with rejoicing throughout the British Empire, and especially in London, over the relief of Ladysmith, for now it seemed evident that the war was drawing to a close. For such a hope there seemed good reasons, since the Boers were everywhere retreating, Ladysmith being free of them, General Brabanthaving dislodged then from Dordrecht and a little later put them to rout, and General jatacre having entered Stormberg without opposi- tion, Meativvhile Lord Roberts was pursuing the Boers towards Bloemfontein. On March 7th, at Osfontein, he turned their flank on the Modder river and put Generals Dewet and Delarey to rout. Every day the British approached liearer to the Free State capital, their way being stubbornly opposed by the Boers. The 38 ■ ■■-,.- |r 5 it. '|i 694 BRITISH FLAG WAVES OVER PRETORIA. latter again resorted to their former tactics of firing on the British under cover of a white flag and using explosive bullets. On March 12th General French, the Kimberley hero, again distin- guished himself by his capture of hills commanding Bloemfonteiii. The next day Lord Roberts and the British troops occupied the Orange Free State capitol, which was formally surrendered to him. On the 13th a letter from Presidents Kruger and Steyn, relat- ing to possible terms of peace, and Lord Salisbury's reply, reject- ing the proposition for the independence of the two republics, were read in the House of Commons. The offer of the United States to assist in bringing about peace was also declined by the British Government. r LORD ROBERTS IN BLOEMFONTEIN. The entry of Lord Roberts into Bloemfontein, followed as it was by the occupation of Bishof, produced a speedy result of the highest importance. On the 17th large numbers of Free State burghers surrendered, opened their shops, and went back to their farms, accepting British rule. Meanwhile the efforts to relieve Baden-Powel at Mafeking were redoubled. A column which included the Kimberley Light Horse had started from the south, and Colonel Plumer advanced from the north as far as Lobaisi, where he was repulsed on the 15th and again, near Mafeking. on the 31st. Having received the submission of the Free Staters and established a stable condition of affairs, Lord Roberts prepared to move on towards Pretoria. March closed with the death of General Joubert on the 2'jth and the capture on the 31st at Korn Spruit of 400 men, including the loth Hussars and seven pieces of artillery. April opened with a disaster — that of Reddersburg, where on the 4th 500 men, including three companies of Irish Rifles and two of the 9th Mounted Infantry, were captured by the Boers. The next day, at Boshof, the British captured a small company of Boers, and Colonel de Villebois-Mareuil, the French military expert, who had been General Joubert' s chief of staff. " On April 9th the British garrison at Wepeuer was isolated, BRITISH FLAG WAVES OVER PRETORIA. 596 and tlie siege against Colonel Dalgetty and liis men began. On the next day they also attacked General BuUer at Elandslaagte, in Natal. On the nth General Gatacre's recall to England was announced, and a week later the British War Office made public a report from Lord Roberts, in which he severely criticised Gen- erals Warren and BuUer and Major Thornycroft in connection with the battles of Spion Kop. A little later General Warren was appointed Military Gov- ernor of Griqualand West. On April 22d Lord Roberts dispatched General Pole-Care w to the assistance of General Rundle, who was hard pressed by the fioers at Wepener. But Generals Hart and Brabant, who had arrived before him, found the investment abandoned and the Boers in full flight. Attempts to head thejti off as they retired were unavailing. FINAL STAGES OF THE WAR. On April 30tli the long-expected advance of Lord Roberts* force from Bloemfontein began. Brandfort was occupied on May 3d, and two days later the Vet River was reached, when after a sharp battle, General Hutton's mounted infantry turned the Boers' flank. The Boer army fell back, and Lord Roberts capti.red a quantity of stores at Smaldeel. Winburg was also occupied by General Ian Hamilton. On May latli General Roberts, at the head of the British army, entered Kroonstad, the temporary capital of the Free State, without opposition. Hundreds of Free Staters were reported as being anxious to surrender. Meanwhile, General BuUer began his advance from Ladysmith, capturing Dundee, Glencoe and Newcastle, the Boers evacuating their positions on the Biggarsberg. On May 17th, Lindley, the l?.tter temporary capital of the Free State, was occu- pied. Lord Roberts also announced the capture of three Boer Generals. But the piece of news that produced the greatest enthusiasm on the part of the sympathizers with the British cause was that of the relief of Mafeking on May i8th. Colonel B. T. Mahon, with liis troops from the south, joined forces with Colonel Plumer on , , . .. ,■ ■ I ■ ..■.■■,■. ... . ■ , " ,- - -■ 6m BRITISH FLAG WAVES OVER PRETORIA. the T5th, and after hard fighting for several days, entered Mafek- ing nnopposei. Colonel Baden-Po.vell, the gallant defender, was at once promoted from the rank of Lientenant-Colonel to that of Major-General. On the approach of Lord Roberts' rrmy the Boers abandoned their strongly fortified positions on the Rhenoster River and retired across the Vaal River, partly destroying the railway bridge at Vereeniging as the}- crossed. On the Qneen's birthday, May 24th, and the day followii 'y, the left wing crossed the Vaal at Parys, west of the railway bridge. On May 27tli the main bod}- of the British army crossed the river nnoppos*ed, near Vereeniging, and camped on the north bank. Roberts' army marched twenty miles on May 28tli; reaching Klip River Station, within eighteen miles of Johnannesbiirg. The Gold-City of South Africa was on the following night within the grasp of the British commander, and the fall of Pretoria, the capital, completed the conquest of the South African Republics. A '- I CHAPTER XXXVI. Lessons and Issues of the War. BY REV. ROBERT WII.SON, D. D., ST. JOHN, N. 3. FROM the history of this war lessons \»ill be learned that will not soon be forgotten, and the issues thereof will be of the most important and far reaching character. These will not merely affect the Briton and the Boer, but Avill have a much wider application, for the struggle has been v/atched with the keenest interest by the people of other lands. Among these may be mentioned the decided advantage that modern w; lapons give to a besieged force. The improvements made in recent years in gun and rifle have rendered it all but impossible to cross what is termed the fire zone of from two to four miles, without exposing the besiegers to almost certain destruction. A well-equipped intrenched force enjoys a CL-iiiparative immunity from danger that a few years ago would have been th( uglit impossibe, except behind regular forti- fications. This was/.trikiiigly illustrated in the cases of Ladysmith, Kimberley and Mafeking, where immensely superior numbers were kept at bay for months, and defeated in every attack made upon the besieged. Unintentionally, science has thus been made* to work in the interests of peace, for the very destructiveness of modern methods of warfare will render the nations less anxious to provoke a conflict. In the past, infantry has been relied upon, and the dashing bayonet charge has decided the fate of many a battle. But while this must ever continue to bt an important branch of the service, more importance than ever will be attached to mourted forces. Rapidity of movement has become indispensable, and for thi> the horse will be increasingly in demand. Both Briton and Boef proved the value of this animal in the recent struggle, and th< advance of Lord Roberts was seriously impeded for lack of horses h ! Ma ' M ! 'T 1^ 6{>S LESSONS AND ISSUE3 OF THE WAR. I And the splendid achievements of General French could not have been won had his troops not been mounted. The invisible soldier will in future be as much in demand as the smokeless powder. In the opening of the campaign the con- spicuous uniforms of the British officers made them targets for the enemy, and in a lesser degree the bright colored tunics and helmets of the soldiery led to disastrous results. In this matter, as in many others, old notions of neatness and taste must give away to those of utility and comfort, and safety must be especially considered. The British authorities soon saw the need of a change, and the sober and unaitractive khaki replaced in a large measure the uniform of the past. ERRORS THAT RESULTED IN DISASTERS. At different times during the war serious disasters befell the British arms for v.-hlch ro adequate reason was given, and which apparent^' ight have been prevented. This was all the more surprising /iew of the fact that the officers in command were men of acknowledged ability and of large experience, and had won distinction again and again. Confidence was placed in untrustworthy guides, orders were misinterpreted, and large numbers of men were surrounded, killed, or captured, by an enemy whose whereabouts had not been known. Some attributed these disasters to the divine displeasure, because the war was an imrighteous one. This view was not very widely entertained, and was confined to the Boers and their sympathisers. Others, while believing in the justice of the British cause, feared the nation had placed too much confidence in its big batallions and too little in its God. While it is not the business of the present writer to deal with these varied views, this much may be said, that nations need to be reminded that the Heavens rule, that the strength and per petuity of a state does not necessarily depend upon its fleets and armies, and that to be great it must be good in its laws and righteous in its purposes. By ignoring these things the empires of antiquity died out LESSONS AND ISSUES OF THE WAR. 699 and disappeared, and to avoid the fate that befell them the people of to-day must not forget that national safety and stability can only be secured by national righteousness and justice. The unity of the British Empire has been revealed in a very remarkable manner and emphatic notice has been given that war with any part of it means war with it all. Representatives of ten colonics stood side by side with the soldiers of the Motherland — all "Soldiers of the Queen" — the moral effect of which cannot be over-estimated. On the p^-inciple that men value what they pay for, Colonials have a greater interest than ever in the preservation of the Empire. Under the new order of things the outlying por- tions of Britain's vast domain will be no longer sources of weak- ness, but important points from which to assail the common foe. The Little England idea is dead and buried, and Imperialism is now the dominant feeling everywhere. Unexpected military resources have been developed ; Britain conies out of the fight stronger than ever, and the world has seen that the Mother of Nations can confidently rely upon the help of iier children in the day of danger. The war found the Empire a loosely formed group of great and small powers, it leaves it a firmly cemented federation, bound b}'' the common ties of language, political institutions, and above all, by ties of blood spilt and banners carried to victory in a com- mon cause. ?' ' ■'!i 1:1 FUTLL^E OF SOUTH AFRICAN REPUBLICS. As war anruls all treaties, dissolves all conventions, and leaves the conqueror to dictate his own terms, the overthrow of the South African Republic was no more than what was to have been expected. For the reasons given in this work the Transvaal had forfeited the right to exist, and the Free State without the slightest provocation or ground of complaint, having joined.hands with their friends beyond the Vaal, took the risks and must pay the penalty. Nothing short of this would have satisfied the British people, for all are agreed that after such a tremendous expenditure of blood and treasure, it would never do to allow them tiS'l Ivii ■ fiOO LESSONS AND ISSUES OF THE WAR. even that measure of indepciideiiee they had previously enjoyed. Lord Rosebery, the leader of the Liberal party, has publicly declared that the mistakes of 1881 must not be repeated. Shortly after the outbreak of the war, Mr. Chamberlain thus voiced the public feeling : "There will never be another Majuba. Never again will the Boer be permitted to erect in the heart of Africa a citadel from whence may proceed disaffection and race animosity. Never again will they be able to endanger the paramountcy of Great Britain ; and never again will they be able to. treat an Englishman as if he belonged to an inferior race." In a speech he delivered he re-affirmed his previous state- ments in these 'vords : "While the government does not wish to be vindictive, it is determined that never again will the Republics be a nursery for conspiracy. We are not prepared to recognize the independence of the Dutch republics, but determined they shall be finally incorporated under the British flag." All of this was fully endorsed by Lord Salisbury on May 29th, when he said : " We have made a tremendous sacrifice of blood and treasure in this conflict, and the only certainty of preventing a recurrence of this fearful war is to insure that never again shall such vast accumulations of armaments occur, and that not a shred of the former independence of the republics shall remain." BRITISH FLAG, AND NO OTHER. The Boer has seen his armies broken and scattered, his leaders fugitives or prisoners, and the Red Cross flag of Britain floating in triumph throughout the length and breadth of his land. The dream of the Africander, of a Dutch republic stretch- ing from the Cape to the Zambesi, Avill never be realized, and he must now accommodate himself to the new order of things with as good a grace as possible. To none will the change bring greater good than to the Boers themselves. With true liberty they have had no acquaintance. They have been the dupes of ignorant and designing men, who, for the most selfish purposes and by the most unscrupulous LESSONS AND ISSUES OF THE WAR. 601 means, have fostered a spirit of racial hatred. They will learn that while Britain is powerfnl, she is also niagnaninions ; and while for a time the annexed territories will be rnled as Crown Colonies, there will grow ont of this war a great South African Confederation, composed of the several States and Colonies, two of which will be the defunct Republics. Each of these will have its own local legislature, then a Fed- eral Parliament to care for general matters, and all under Imperial rule. As in Canada, all races and creeds are alike in the eye of the law, so will it be in Africa, and the Boer will yet bless the day when the flag of a corrupt military oligarchy was replaced by one representing constitutional government. A new era will thus dawn upon Africa. The folly of indulg- ing in impossible ambitions being seen, the energies of the people will be devoted to nobler purposes. Illiberal laws and mediaeval usages will give place to those in accordance with the spirit of this age. Immigration will be promoted, the resources of the country will be developed, education will be encouraged, the mis- sionaries of the Gospel will not be interfered with in their endeavor to elevate the aborigines, and every part of the Dark Continent will feel the throb and thrill of a great awakening. *i. ,i CHAPTER XXXVII. Great Rejoicings in Canada Over British Victories. AFTER General Roberts marched liis victorious army into Pre- toria, public interest was turned toward General Biillcr's column, wliicli was operating against a force of Boers in the vicinity of Laiug's Nek, in the extreme northwestern corner of Natal. It had been supposed by many that General Ruller would content himself with checking the Boers in front of him, and that the task of driving them away would devolve upon some portion of Lord Roberts' army, but it appeared that General BuUcr had hopes of accomplishing this feat himself The General sent an important despatch on June 9th from Yellow Broom Farm. This place is some ten miles northwest of Newcastle, on the road to Botha's Pass. The operations described in his despatch were interesting and important. General T nlbot Coke on the 6th seized Van Wyke's Hill. This hill is close to where General Buller had his headquarters, and commands the road to the pass. Four naval guns were then planted upon the hill, and at the same time some guns were got on to the southwestern spur of Inkewelo Mountain, ten miles to the north. Under cover of the combined fire from these two com- manding positions, General Hilyard, on the 8th, assaulted all the spurs of the hills between the Botha's Pass and Inkewelo. Gen- eral Buller praised highly both the disposition of the General and the dash of the troops, for whom no mountains were too steep. The assault appears to have been completely successful. The Boers were outflanked and forced to retire from a very strong position, and General Buller reported that he believed he had made Laiug's Hill untenable. To Lord Roberts and the army at Pretoria BuUer's success in forcing away into the enemy's country from Natal was a mat- G02 GRRAT RKjOlCINr, IN CANADA. 6on ter of great importance. It was plain, in view of the Boers' fejit in cntting the railway line between Kroonstad and the Vaal, that the British Commander-in-Chief conld not absolntely depend on the railway line to Bloemfositein. He wonld have to make nse of the railway throngh Natal to Pretoria for the rapid bringing lip of supplies. The line to Durban is both shorter and more easily defended than that to Cape Town. Doubtless it was because of Lord Roberts' recognition of the imminent need that BuUer pushed these operations. The throw- ing of a large force into the Free State or the Transvaal to co-op- erate with Roberts in pacifying the country now became an easy matter. CANADA'S ADDRESS TO QUEEN VICTORIA. While these rapid movements were going on at the seat of war. Great Britain and her colonies everywhere were rejoicing over their victories and celebrating them with noisy patriotic demonstrations. Canada shared in the general feeling of joy, and remembered the heroism of the brave soldiers she had sent into the field. On June 7th, in the House of Commons at Ottawa, Sir Wilfred Laurier, the Premier, moved the following address : "To the Queen's Most Excellent Majesty, Most Gracious Sovereign : "We, your Majesty's dutiful and loyal subjects ; the Senate and House of Commons of Canada, in Parliament assembled, desire to oifer to your Majesty our heartfelt congratulations on the approaching termination of the war in South Africa, as fore- shadowed by the recent successes, culminating in the fall of Pre- toria, which have attended the British arms. The feelings of pride and satisfaction with which we hail every fresh addition to the long and glorious roll of deeds wrought by British valor and resource, are enhanced on the present occasion by the proud cc u- sciousness that through the active co-operation of her sons on the battlefield, Canada is entitled to share in a new and special man- ner in the joy of the present triumph. "We rejoice that the conflict, now happily drawing to a close, 604 GREAT REJOICINO IN CANADA. 1 1' will result in the removal of those disabilities under which many of our fellow subjects have labored so long, and we cannot doubt that the extension of your Majesty's gracious rule over the whole of South Africa will be attended by those blessings which flow from a wise and beneficent administration of just and eqiial laws. "We pray, for your people's sake, that the blessings of your Majest3''s reigri may long be prolonged." In addressing himself to this motion the Prime Minister spoke as follows : ''The language of Jiis address, Mr. Speaker, seems to me to be sufficiently explicit, and I have but few obser- vations to oiler in support of it. We British subjects, of all races and origins in all parts of the world, are inspired with sentiments of exalted and chivalrous devotion to the person of her most gracious Majesty. This devotion is not the result of any maudlin sentimentality, but it springs from the fact that the Queen, the sovereign of the many lands which constitute the British Empire, is one of the noblest women that has ever lived, and certainly the best sovereign that England ever had. HUMANITY REVOLTS AGAINST WAR. '^War is abhorent to the delicate nature of women. We may safely assume, indeed we know, that the present war was particu- larly painful to Her Majesty. She had hoped that the closing years of her long and prosperous reign would not be saddened by such a spectacle as war. But it was not in the decree of Divine Providence that this hope and wish should be gratified. War came and it come with the surroundings of horror, of grievious sufferings, and of bloodshed. It came with alternating periods of reverses and of success. But, sir, happily the end is now within sight. The troops of Her Majesty are now in Pretoria, and the British flag, which is to us the emblem of liberty, is floating over the public buildings in that far-famed city. This happy result is due ?bove all to that fine soldier who has proved himself a great general and wlio on this occasion has, as never before, raised him- self to the greatest expectations that the people of tlie Empire had maintained of him* he GREAT REJOICING IN CANADA. C05 " The recent British victories are also due to the fine char- acter of the troops, who under the command of the victorious general have proved themselves ready for every emergency, ready to do everything that was expected of them ; ready and anxious to do :heir duty to the Empire, and in this we ma}^, perhaps, remark with pardonable pride that on more than one occasion, when the fate of battle was trembling in the scales of destiu}-, the scales were turned in favor of the British arms and the victory decided by the dash of our Canadian soldiers, who proved that though man}'' 3^ears have passed since last they were called upon to take the field against the foe, they are j-et wortiiy of the races from which they have sprung, and that the blood which courses through their veins is the same as that which inspired their ancestors to gallant deeds. INSTITUTIONS THAT MEAN EQUAL RIGHTS. " Happily, as I said, the end of the war is in sight, though we cannot hope that it is finished. Many battles have doubtless yet to be fought, and, indeed we may say that when the war is terminated greater problems will face the British authorities. But even thcnigh the war is not finished to-day utter the hope and the prayer that the long reign of Her Majest}'^ ni^y never more be disturbed by war, and that what remains to her of her natural life may now flow in peace. We pray that when the end of this long glorious reign comes the subjects of Her Majesty in South Africa shall have learned to appreciate those British institutions which in this age and in every laud signify lif>erty and equal rights." Loud cheers greeted the Premier' ;i patriotic utterances, and lie sat down amidst a round of appliuse. Sir Chark'S Tupp<^r then rose and said : ■'It gives me the greatest pleasure to second the address which has just been moved by the right honorable leader of the House and of the government and to associate myself in the warmest possible manner with the eloquent terms in which he has moved that address. I do not tliink it can be a source of unquali- i I -i^fif- r 606 GREAT REJOICING IN CANADA. fied regret that tlie war lias taken place. It has been the last of 2he Empire that during the illustrious reign of Her Majesty ji'hicn has never been surpassed by any sovereign in the world, either in regard to the quality of the sovereign or the great events that have occurred or the great expansion of the Empire over which she has been called to rule ; but I say that one of the most signal and important events connected with the expansion of the British Empire was the confederation of Canada. EUROPE HAS LEARNED A LESSON. " That was a measure that was regarded and still may be regarded in every portion of the Empire as a signal step in the consolidation of the Empire. The might, the power, the strength of the British Empire is to-day appreciated as it was not three months ago by the nations of Europe. That is one of the happy results of the war. In a short time there would be a happy, united South Africa, in which all races, all creeds, all classes would enjoy equal privileges in the eyes of the law and a united and happy population, loyal to the crown of England. Deeply as Canada lamented the fact that the blood of Canadians had been shed, that many of the gallant yeomanry of Canada who volun- teered their services to aid Her Majesty the Queen and British arms in South Africa have visited that country never to return to Canada, we feel that the sacrifice had not been in vain." Sir Charles continuing, pointed to the fact that the effective strength of the first Canadian Contingent under Lieutenani Colonel Otter was only 450, whereas it left for the war consider- ably more than 1,000 strong. He added that Canada had the satisfaction of knowing that in all the bravery which had been exhibited by the best troops of England none had surpassed that of the Canadians. He paid a high compliment to Lord Strathcona for the part he had taken in the raising of his own splendid force. The ardent patriotism of the Canadian people was well voiced by their representatives in Parliament, and ever}- sentiment expressed found a responsive echo in the heart of the nation. The heroism of Canadian troops was applauded roundly. ijti GREAT REJOICING IN CANADA. (t(>7 Oil June nth, Lieutenant General Sir Frederick Forestier- Walker, in command of the lines of communication in South Africa, reported that in a disaster to the British troops on June 7, at Roodeval, where the Boers cut Lord Roberts' line of communi- cations, the Fourth Battalion of the Derbyshire Regiment were all killed, wounded or made prisoners except six enlisted men. Two officers and fifteen men were killed and five officers and seventy-two men were wounded, many of them severely. It was inferred that the Boers captured over 500 men, and as late as June 10 held positions cutting off the British forces north of Kroonstad from reinforcements. The news that the shutting off of Lord Roberts' line of com- munication with the outer world was accompanied by such a serious loss came like a bolt from a comparatively clear sky. In London, until the news came, it was thought that the destruction of the railroad was accomplished by Free Staters, who where avoiding rather than annihilating the British detachments. UNEXPECTED STRENGTH OF THE BOERS. Nor were General Forestier-Walker's vague statements regarding Methuen and the situation at Heilbron looked upon as reassuring. The Boers seemed to be in sufficient strength to coni- pletelv separate all the British forces north and south of a line stretcii 'Of some fifty miles between Roodeval and Heilbron. The following report from General Buller was issued by the War Office in London : "Headquarters in Natal, June 11. — A Boer force was encountered on the Klip river, at its junction with the Gans Valei, last night. We anticipated at that defile a force of the enemy aboui 3,000 strong, who had, I think, intended to occupy 'it, and they retired as soon as our heavy guns opened, which were smartly broTiL 10 action by Major May, of the Royal Artillery, and Captain J unes, of the Royal Navy. " Tlie South African Light Horse and the Second Cavalry Brigade were smartly engaged while covering our left front. Our casualties are about six killed and seven wounded." 608 GREAT REJOICING IN CANADA. Telegraphic communication between Pretoria and tlie Sontli having been re-established, the first message to pass over the wire was a long despatch of high importance from Lord Roberts. Incidentally, too, it showed that the veteran Com- mander-in-Chief was alert and eager, striking hard to right and left, directing in person a fiercely fought engagement a few miles east of Pretoria and issuing necessary instructions to his lieuten- ants in v>ther distant parts of the wide arena of battle. The moment he heard that his line of communication had been cut ai Roodeval and that the Fourth Derbyshires w^ere cap- tured he diiLpatched Lord Kitchener, with all the troops that he could spare, to hasten south, and sent off a special messenger directing Lord Methuen to force his way from Heilbron to the main line, to join hands with Kitchener. They met at Vredefort road, on the evening of June lo, and then resuming their march reached Rhenoster the following day. This explains how it was that LorH Methuen lost touch with General Knox at Kroonstadt. GENERAL METHUEN SCATTERS THE ENEMY. On the seventh instant Methuen gained a victory over Gen- eral Dewet, took possession of his camp and scattered the Boers in flight in all directions. Lord Roberts' main army was also hotly engaged, near Pretoria. Thtr capital itself and Johannesburg remained perfectly quiet, but action became necessary, because General Botha had been drawing to himself a considerable ibrce of Boers, about fifteen miles to the east, on the road toward Middleburg and Machado- dorp, an obscure station on the line to Komati Poort, whither President Kruger transferred the bullion and seat of government. General Botha chose his position with great skill, for it was unassailable in front, and he could thus utilize most of his men on his flanks. Adopting his usual tactics, Lord Roberts sent General French around by the left and General Ian Hamilton on the right, leaving General Pole-Carew in the centre to move cau- tiously forward as the flanking columns thrust the Boers back. Lord Roberts hurriedly returned to Pretoria to get news of GREAT REJOICINC, IN CANADA. 609 General Metliiien's movements, leaving orders tliat tlie troops were to bivouac on the ground wliicli tliey had won. Yet he did not quit the field until he had seen two battalions with what appeared to be the key to the Boer position practically in their grasp, while Pole-Carew was able to move forward and occupy at nightfall the ground which when the battle began had been h»ld by the outposts of the Boer centre. LORD ROBERTS DESCRIBES THE BATTLE. Lord Roberts' official despatch was as foHows : " Pretoria, June 12. — Pretoria and Johannesburg are pel. fectly quiet, and several of the inhabitants have expressed grati tude for the peace and order which prevail. " After surrendering the city, Botha retired to a place about fifteen miles east, on the Middleburg road. He had a small force at first, but during the last few days his numbers increased and his being so near the town kept up the excitement in the country, prevented the Burghers from laying down their arms and inter- fered with the collection of supplies. It, therefore, became neces- sary to attack him. This I did yesterday. He held a very strong position, practicable unassailable in front, which enabled him to place the main portion of his troops on his flanks, which he kne-W from his former experience were his vulnerable parts. " I sent French, with Porter's and Dixon's cavalary brigades and Hutton's mounted infantry round by our left, and Ian Ham- ilton, with Broadwood and Gordon's cavalry brigade, Ridley's mounted infantry and Bruce Hamilton's infantry brigade round by our right. Both columns met with great opposition. At about three in the afternoon I saw two of Hamilton's infantry battalions advancing to what appeared to be the key of the enemy's defence, on their left flank. This was almost gained before dark, and I ordered the force to bivouac on the ground they had won. " Pole Carew, with his division, occupied our centre. As I have explained, he could not attack, but he gradually advanced so as to support Ian Hamilton, and when I left the field he waj> on the line held by the enemy's outposts in the morning.'* 39 610 GREAT REJOICING IN CANADA. One of General BuUer's divisions, the Fifth, arrived a Wakker- stroom on Saturday, June i6th. The town had already made sub- mission, and the farmers had commenced to give in their arms. General Hildyard undertook the administration of the district, and was to stay for some time in the principal town to accept the submis- sion of the farmers, most of whom already had their fill of fighting. Wakkerstroom is an important province, which has Ermelo to its north, Piet Retief to the east, and Vryheid to the south. The M'akkerstroom burgers had a full share of the fighting, and their ccynimando was always considered the crack one by the Boers. Ir the vvestern half of the Transvaal pacification goes on without an 3' great loss of life. Rustenburg has been occupied by General Baden-Powell, and a thousand stand of arms were given up in the latter town, while Hans Kyloff, a relative of the President, and Piet Kruger, his son, made their submission. A column from Pretoria started to restore the telegraph line to Rustenburg, and General Baden-Powell, riding out to meet it, passed on to Pretoria. THE BRITISH PUSHING ON. Klerksdorp surrendered to General Hunter, and he entered Potchefstroom, a town which is very strongly situated, and if gen- eral demoralization had not set in among the farmers of the west it might have held out for some time against the British troops. From Potchefstroom General Hunter moved on to Johannesburg. Lord Roberta sends from Pretoria some details of the attack on Virginia Siding, where the railway from Winburg Road to Kroon- stad crosses the Zand River. It would seem that eight hundred Boers, with three guns, attacked the British post there and killed Major Seymour. General Knox, who garrisoned Kroonstad, heard of the attack, and, moving out himself with a force of all arms, drove off the Boers. Having cut oif the railway north of Kroonstad, and having captured a battalion of militia, a feat which necessitated the de- spatch of Lord Kitchener and a force to the south from Pretoria, the raiders nearly repeated the achievement south of Steyn's second capital, (( the Ion U ^ GREAT REJOICING IN CANADA. 611 lu Under date of June 2otli it was reported that liostili*^ies again broke out in the southern end of the Orange River Colony. Re- ports reached London that the burghers, on the 19th, made a vicious attack on General Rundle's position, near Scheepes Nek, and were massing their strength before Ficksburg. Sniping be- tween the outposts apparently was followed by the Boers shelling the British. General Rundle was reinforced. The Boers engaged in these operations were Steyn's raiding commandoes. CHAMBERLAIN FRIENDLY TO AMERICA. Joseph Chamberlain, Secretary of State for the Colonies, ad» dressing a meeting of the Women's Liberal Unionist Association, in London, referring to Continental criticism, after remarking that England always expected this, went on to say : "But there are quarters whence even a note of disapproval would be a matter of serious concern. I refer to our Colonies and to the United States. I think we are happy in that we have their good opinion and approval. '* It is true, this good opinion of the United States is not unmixed with other sentiments. I will not now enter upon the causes, partly political and partly sentimental, which have led cer- tain Americans to sympathize with what they call a republic, although its whole existence and whole practice have been one per- petual denial of the principles upon which their great republic is founded. " I believe the great majority of true Americans recognize that our aims in this war are as high and unselfish as those which ani- mated themselves in the Spanish-American struggle. They fought then for justice and liberty, not for their own subjects, indeed, but for those whom they believed to be the victims of oppression, and we did not enter into quizzical disquisitions or technical discus- sions, but recognized that they were carrying out, as Anglo- Saxons, a great work of civilization and humanity. " Now we are asking their sympathies, and we believe that in the long run we shall gain the final seal of their approval." Messages from Lord Roberts and General BuUer showed that •1;, 612 GREAT REJOICING IN CANADA. the two British armies in South Afr'ca virtually joined hands on the 2 2d. Buller's infantry was at Kaatsbochspruit, six miles east of Standerton, while Lord Dundonald, with the Third cavalry bri- gade, was at Standerton. Lord Roberts' despatch was as follows : — THE TWO BRITISH ARMIES UNITE. " Pretoria, June 22. — Ian Hamilton's column reached the Springs yesterday en route to Heidelburg, where they will join hands with Buller's troops, who reached Paardekop yesterday, and will be at Standerton to-morrow, thus opening up communication between Pretoria and Ilatal and preventing any joint action between the Transvaalers and the people of the Orange River Colony. " Baden-Powell reports from Rustenburg that he found the leading Boers very pacific and cordial on his return journey hence. Commandant Steyn and two actively hostile field cornets had been captured during his absence. " Lord Edward Cecil, the administrator of the Rustenburg dis- trict, has to date collected 3,000 rifles. The Commissioner at Kroonstad reports that 341 rifles have been handtd in at Wol- marnstad." The London Gazette on June 26th announced that Victoria crosses had been bestowed on Major John Philipps Hornby, Ser- geant Parker and Driver Glassock, of Q battery, Royal Artillery, for conspicuous bravery in saving four of the guns from the convoy disaster at Kornspruit, Orange Free State, on March 31 last. Sergeant Parker, of Q battery, wrote a letter which contained the following paragraph descriptive of the action : " In galloping from tie spruit my gun was overturned and every horse was shot. I got up with No. 4 gun and we remained three hours under the most terrible fire. In five minutes we had lost two complete detachments, and only Gunner Lodge and myself were left to work the two guns, he at one and I at the other. We remained at the guns, loading, laying and firing by ourselves, an(? GREAT REJOICING IN CANADA. 613 brought both guns out of action by ourselves. We have been recommended for the Victoria Cross." The War Office in London has received the following despatch from Lord Roberts : " Pretoria Residency, June 26. — Sir Charles Warren reports that the rebellion in Cape Colony north of the Orange River is nov/ over. The last formidable body, under Commandant De Viliie: s, surrendered on June 20, consisting of about 220 men, 280 horses, 18 wagons, 260 rifles and 100,000 ammunition. Genera! Bad'^.n- Powell reports that pacification is going on satisfactorily in the Rustenberg district.'' CAPTURE OP ENGLISH HIGHLANDERS. The official report of the capture of a convoy of fifty wagons escorted by Highlanders between Rhenoster and Heilbront, June 4, was received. Lord Roberts reported that the convoy was sur- rounded and sent messengers to the nearest ports asking for assist- ance, but reinforcements were unable to reach the convoy and 150 Highlanders, in reply to a flag of truce from General Christian De Wet, surrendered during the morning of June 4. Dr. Jameson, a Kimberley despatch announced, has been elected a member of the Cape Parliament without opposition. The Berliner Tageblatt published correspondence from Vechtkop, regarding the engagements around Zand River, in which the Ger- man corps with the Boer forces was described as having suffered terribly. A list of the killed and wounded was given. Thus, so long after the capture of Pretoria, there were scattered Boer forces in various localities carrying on a desultory warfare. Kimberley and Mafeking had been relieved, Johannesburg had been occupied, ai^d from Pretoria President Kruger had fled, together with the Boers who were in arms, but still the warfare in certain localities was carried on. What was expected to be gained by the Boer forces in thus prolonging the contest it would be difficult to say. Already their conflict with the British had cost them dearly in blood and treasure and nothing was to be made by prolonging the fight. I; -! I ; P ill >. 1 i ^it *i ( 614 GREAT REJOICING IN CANADA. On June agtli the War Office in London issued correspondence with Lord Roberts regarding the charges of Mr. W. A. Burdett- Coutts, M.P., in regard to hospital mismanagement. On June 4 Lord Roberts' attention was called in brief telegrams to the alle- gations and also to other complaints of a general breakdown in the hospital system. Two days later he replied in part as follows : " The principal medical officer reported that the arrangements at Kroonstad were in all respects in good order, and Lord Metliucn said they were thoroughly satisfactory. I was deeply distressed at being unable to make suitable arrangements for the sick on our first arrival at Kroonstad, but it is obvious that a certain amount, of suffering is inseparable from the rapid advance of a large army into an enemy's country." On June 20 the War Office cabled Lord Roberts that disquiet- ing reports 1 eg; iing the hospital were ace umulating, and asked him if anytii ng could be done, and particularly whether more nurses were needed. SICKNESS EASILY AOOOUNTIiJD FOR. On June 25 Lord Roberts replied, saying that he did not wish to shirk responsibility or to screen the shortcomings of the medical corps, and he suggested a committee of inquiry. He said there had been an abnormal number of sick at Bloeni- fontein, due to the exhausting nature of the march and the terrible unsanitary condition of the camp at Paardeburg, where the only water available for drinking flowed from the Boer camp higher up, where the river was horribly contaminated. The Field Marshall stated that everything possible had been done to alleviate the suffering of the sick and wounded. He him- self personally visited the hospitals repeatedly, in order to assure himself that the patients were made comfortable and had the ut- most attention. He said he believed the treatment of the sick and wounded throughout compared favorably with that witnessed in any campaign of recent wars. The War Office to-day issued the following despatch from Lord Roberts ; GREAT REJOiCING IN CANADA. 61,'i " Pretoria, Jul}' 7. — General Buller arrived this morninp^. He looked ver}'^ well, and is apparently none the wors' f'^r the hard work he has gone through during the past eight months. " The inhabitants of Potchcfstroni are much interested in hos- pital accomniodatious for the British troops. A concert there realized /,'4o (#200), which was handed over to the medical officer in charge of tlie Krugersdorf Station. The managers of some of tlie local mines have placed several houses at the disposition of the medical officers in charge, and a large hai. has been set apart as a reading room for the troops.'' REPORT PROM LORD ROBERTS. Another despatch has been received by the War Office from Lord Roberts, as follows : " Pretoria, July 7. — The general commanding Ladysmith tele- graphs that 800 British prisoners belonging to the Yeomanry and Derbysliires have been put over the Natal border from Secretary Reitz's advance party, and have reached Acton Homes, en route to Ladysmith. No officers accompany them." Lord Roberts also transmitted the following : " Vlakfontein, July 7. — A convoy passed Greylingstad to-day. Before reaching a defile in the hills the Boers shelled the advanc- ing columns. Colonel Thorney croft's men occupied the hills to the right of the narrow pass, keeping the Boers back on a ridge to the left, while the infantry deployed in plain sight and the artillery occupied a position under the ridge. The Boers worked their guns rapidly, but the howitzers replied with effect, and drove back the Boers over the ridge." Various songs and poems formed a part of the literature of the war, which were worth preserving, one of them being the following: PRETORIA. Sing a vSong of Battle, Britton versus Boer 1 Sing a Song of Heroes that form the Army Corps — Tomni}'^ from t!ie Cornfield, Tommy from the Slum, Tomm}'^ from the world o'er, following the drumi m <16 GRIiAT RKJOICING IN CANADA. Sing a Song of Croiije, sullen, brave and sly. And four thousand " slim Boers " caught in a pie, Sent to St. Helena, just for change of scene. Wasn't that a dainty dish to set before the Queen ? Refrain. — For the Queeu is the Mother, Her table is the State, And we're all very busy Wiping something off a slate I If you want to see the finish. Come at ouce 1 or you'll be late I For we marched into Pretoria this morpingi Sing a Song of Jack Tar, bravest under heaveu, Blowing foes to pieces with their four-point seven. Sing a Soug of Empire here and over seas ; *' We can stand alone, boys 1 " " Let 'em come who please.^' Handy-man and Atkins, railway taking shape, Carrying the line of Red from Cairo to the Cape, Carrying the old Flag o'er hill and desert scene, Briton's dish of Empire to set before the Queen. Sing a Song of Ooni Paul — Kruger — Coffee King, Very sanctimonious and all that sort of thing. He's the latest staggerer ! So to him we'll sing — " You dared take the field, but not our Mafeking." Sing a Song of Lord " Bobs," Powell, Buller, White. Here's to all the others, for they're " all right." Sing the noble ladies whose tenderness we've seen. That's another dainty dish to set before the Queen. Sing a Song of Britain's noblest Volunteers, Canadians ! Australians ! worthy of our cheers, Diggers from the Cape and Scouts from o'er the seas. Yeomanry, with London's gallant C.I.V.'s. Sing a Song of Union, Army, Fleet, and Throne. Britain 'gainst the whole world still can hold her own. Such a mighty Empire never yet was seen. It's a truly Royal dish to set before the Queen. CHAPTER XXXVIII. \^ Fighting Around Pretoria. COLONP:Iv MAHQN, reinforced by General French's brigade, on July I itli, took all the positions held by the Boers in the neighborhood of Reitfontein. A number of Boer dead were found. The British casualties were trifling. Details came to hand regarding the disaster to the Lincoln- shire regiment on the same date. It appears that five companies were ordered on the loth to proceed and hold the pass through Magalesburg, in the neighborhood of Daspoortfort. They arrived at the pass in the afternoon, where three companies with two guns took up a position and camped for the night, leaving two companies on a plain south of the pass. The eastern hill was rugged, rocky and inaccessible, but further east apparently approachable from the main ridge. At daybreak the Boers appeared on the eastern kopje, and opened a heavy fire. Confu- sion ensued. The Colonel ordered the men to take up a position on a kopje west of the gap. From this point a hot fire ensued during the entire day. Two guns, under the escort of the Scots Greys, placed in advance of the main body, were captured, after a stout resistance. Nearly every man was killed or wounded. A Maxim gun was brought into action early in the day. The fire was too hot, and the men were finally forced to retire. A sergeant, aided by seven volunteers, saved the gun. There was a continuous fire all along the line, the Lincolnshire regiment men vigorously replying. About three o'clock in the afternoon the Boers appeared to the left of the position occupied by the British. An officer and forty men attempted to charge them. Several men were killed or wounded as the result of che charge. Three companies were practically surrounded, but they kept up a steady fire unwaver- 617 '' i ii; ; I * 618 FIGHTING AROUND PRETORIA. ingly until towards nightfall, wlien their ammunition had be.ea expended. It is understood, upon good authority, that the Boers employed armed natives. Two of the natives leaped from cover, when a small party from the Lincolnshire regiment stepped up and demanded their surrender. A soldier stepped forward and shot both of the natives dead. One officer who succeeded in making his escape had an encounter with an armed native. The losses of the British were numerous. About thirty of the British soldiers straggled back to camp. According to all accounts a great force was being assembled to prevent further progress of the Boers. TERRIFIC FIRE AND LOSS OF CANNON. It seems that while the dragoons' fight was proceeding, the Hoers attacked the outposts to the westward, held by the Lincoln regiment, the Scots Greys and another with a battery of two guns. The enemy, finding good covers behind rocks and amid thick brush, surrounded and overwhelmed three coinpanies of the Lin- colns and a squadron of the vScots Greys, who strove to save the guns. Owing to a terrific mauser fire, the task became impossi- ble, and the cannon were both lost. Colonel Robert, of the Lin- colnshire regiment, was wounded in the arm. The force only surrendered when cut oif, and it was found that the guns could not be brought back. Some horses of the Scots Greys got loose and escaped into the town. Detachments of men fought on until night, when they escaped. Reinforce- ments arrived afte: 4 o'clock in the afternoon, but it was then too late to attack the Boers. The Major of the Scots Greys was taken prisoner, but escaped. The enemy reappeared in the morning upon the kopjes to tho northeast of the Durdcpoort, ten miles out. The British guns opened fire, and se\ eral companies of the Warwickshire regiment and part of Dickson's cavalry attacked. The action at long range proceeded for hours. Infantry was also engaged in the fighting. General French an I Colonel Mahon, with General H'.cton, had a skirmish on ti. ^th at Reitfi ii'^ein, completely driving tbe FIGHTING AROUND PHETORIA. 610 a Boers from liills to tlie south, frustrating attempts to cut the railway. A despatch from Pretoria, July 12th, was as follows ; "Yesterday's fighting, of a somewhat serious character, believed to be part of a Boer plan, was an attempted attack on the outskirts of Pretoria. Three commandoes, those of DcUircy, Erasmus and Miwers, with six guns, during the previous night, took up positions facing the lesser kopjes, five miles north of Wonderboorn Range, but extending west to Zwartkoppies. " At daybreak. Squadron C, of the Seventh Dragoon Guards, advanced from the regiment's camp, near Doornpoort, on a scout- ing expedition. The regiment had a long line to watch, Cholmly's troop was leading when three miles out. Nearing a farm, they saw a score of khaki clad and helmeted men. One showed the white flag, M'^hich they afterwards cii jpped. This became the enemies' signal for a fusillade pt a range of from 100 to 200 yards on the front, rear and flank of the Dragoons, who had nupposed the enemy to be the Fourteenth Hussars. FOUGHT LIKE HEROES. " Horses and men fell, but Cholmly, though suffering from two flesh wounds and with his clothes and saddle riddled with bullets and horse hit, made a detour and halting his men and firing regained the outposts with eiglit troopers, the rest of the squadron assisting Lieutenant Church, who was also wounded. From the c.imp the dragoons advanced, and two guns shelled the Boers, checking them, but later, owing to the action breaking out farther west, the whole of the outpost line retired to the main range." At Bionkhorst Spruit, July 24th, the Boers having got wind of the Britisji advance, evacuated all their positions and moved to the northeast, towards Leydenburg, whither President Kruger weuv. A portion of the Boers remained north of Bush- veldt, wh; lice they attempted to interrupt commuuicatious. The bridges here and smaller bridges to the west were destroyed. The British force comprised two brigades under General , I li t 'M I* nil li I! *>' i I i Ai •i. 620 nCHTlNG AROUND PRETORIA. French and a brigade and a half under General Hamilton. Tlip Boers remaining upon their farms stated that most of the burghers were anxious to bring affairs to a finish, but that the foreigners were persistent. The capture of Fouriersburg was preceded by heavy fight- irg to force a passage of the passes, which was stubbornly con- tested for two days. General Hunter's forces had the hardest work in forcing Relief's Nek, his casualties amounting to about loo. Upward of 6000 Boers with a very large number of wagons, a large quantity of stores and many cattle were driven into the mountain passes, where they were watched by British troops. The War Office in London has received a despatch from Lord Roberts explaining that only one train was captured on the night of July 21 between Kroonstad and the Vaal, and that it contained supplies and two officers and 100 men of the Welsh Fusiliers. General French occupied Middleburg in the Transvaal, and General Pole-Carew, with the Guards Brigade, arrived at Brug- spruit, twenty miles west of Middleburg. GENERAL DE WET'S OFFER TO SURRENDER. A special despatch from Cape Town says : " General Christian De Wet has offered to surrender on condition that his followers be permitted to return to their homes unmolested. Lord Roberts has refused anything except unconditional surrender. Broadwood was watching Christian De Wet, who has taken up a position on high hills near Reitzburg, about seven miles south of the Vaal. P. De Wet, a younger brother of Christian, surrendered at Kroonstad on the 28ih." On July 30th, Pretoria telegrams announced that Lord Roberts had returned there with his staff, apparently find. .^ it useless to spend his energies against a constantly retreating foe. Commandant General Botha, with several [thousand Boers, like General Christian De Wet, thus eluded Lord Roberts' grasp. General Delarey besieged General Baden-Powell at Rusten- berg, in Western Transvaal. The relief force sent to Genenii Baden-Powell's assistance, under Colonel Hickman, proved too FIGHTING AROUND TRETOKIA. «21 weak to be effective, and was obliged to fall back on Pretoria. The operations were hampered with bad weather, thunder-storms and deluges of rain, accompanied by intense cold. Lieutenant MacLaren and three Highlanders died of exposure, as well as many horses and cattle. The following despatch was received in London from Lord Roberts : " On July 26th MacDonald fought a rear guard action with the enemy from early morning until dark, nine miles outside of Naaupoort, in the Bethlehem hills, resulting in his effectually blocking Naaupoort Nek to the Boer wagons. TERMS WERE UNCONDITIONAL SURRENDER. " Prisoners taken stated that the burghers would surren- der if guaranteed that they "\vould be treated as prisoners of war and not as rebels. To this I had assented. As a result of these operations Prinsloo, commanding the Boers, asked, through a flag of truce to-day, a four days' armistice for peace negotiations. " Hunter replied the only terms he could accept were uncondi- tional surrender, and imtil these were complied with hostilities could not cease. I expressed my approval, and told Hunter or no account to enter into negotiations. " As I am writing, a telegram has come from Hunter saying that Prinsloo had written a second letter expressing willingness to hand over himself, with his men, rifles, ammunition, and other firearms, upon condition that the horses, saddles^ bridles, and other possessions of the burghers being guaranteed them and they be free to return to their homes. " I have replied that the surrender must be absolutely uncon- ditional ; that all rifles, ammunition, horses, and other possessions must be given up, and that the burghers will be considered pris- oners of war. I added that Prinsloo' s overtures will not be 3.11owed in any way to interfere with Hunter's operations, which must be continued until the enemy is defeated or has surren- dered." A later despatch from General Roberts, dated July 29th, con- firmed the surrender of Prinsloo, with over 1,000 Boers. r? i I 1B( ,.!■■> FIGHTING AROUND PRETORIA. General Hunter received a written unconditional surren^ .r of all the Boers in Caledon Valley. General Prinsloo, lately elected to the chief command, arrived and tried to repudiate the unconditional surrender. General Hunter, however, refused any concessions. About ii o'clock the troops were drawn up in two long lines on the hills and over the valley, and the Boers rode in between, throwing down their rifles, together with a motley collec- tion of clothing, blankets and gear, such as v;as found in General Cronje's laager. The Ficksburg commanrl was first to lay down arms. It consisted of about 550 men. 'hen came the Lady brand com- mando with about 500 men. ""ifty horses, two guns and many wagons were given up. General Prinsloo and Commandant Crowther were received b}^ General Hunter at his tent, where they were accorded the courtesy due their rank. Lord Roberts telegraphed to the War Officii important information as follows : "Pretoria, August i. — Hunter re ts 1,200 more prisoners surrendered Jul}' 31st, with Commandantb Rouse and Fontenel, while Commandants Deploy, Potgieter and Joubert surrendered to Bruce Hamilton, who collected 1,200 rifles, 650 horses and an Armstrong gun. Lieutenant Anderson, a Danish officer in the Staats Artillery, also surrendered." There was much animosity to President Kruger on account of the fact that he and his officials persuaded the people that South African Republic paper money was as good as the Bank of England money, because based on inalienable State securities, even though the State should be conquered. As the English did not recognize this contention, many Burghers were ruined and miich misery was the result. The wives and children of the poorer Boers were almost starving. DEATH OF TWO GALLANT CANADIANS. While there was general rejoici:\g iiEong the British forces over the surrender of Boers, ana luo cvidctK-'s of the war being nearly ended, the death of two gallai'i C.^auj.dians caused universal 1 FIGHTING AROUND PRETORIA. 68ft regret, especially as they were noted for their bravery and manly qualities. One oi these was Lieutenant J. E. Biirch, Second Dragoons, St. Catharines, attached to Canada Mounted Rifles for special service. He was the son of Major T. O. Burch, St. Ann's, Ontario, and was killed near Pretoria, July i6th. His name was mentioned in a despatch from Lord Roberts in terms of the highest praise. He was a typical specimen of the brave young men who made up the Canadian contingents, all of whom were ready for any service, however hard or dangerous. It is such heroes that have given renown to British soldiers on a hundred hard fought battlefields. HEROISM OF MAJOR BORDEN AND LIEUT. TURNER. Another fallen hero was also deeply ■•" rned. The news of the death in action in South Africa of Major Harold Borden, only son of the Minister of Militia, was received at Ottawa, July 17th, and called forth very general expressions of sympathy with the bereaved parents. It came in the form of a brief cable from Lord Roberts ac Pretoria : "Regret to inform you that Borden's son wa& killed in action yesterday." The intelligence was broken to Dr. Borden by the Prime Minister, with Lieutenant-Colonels Pinault and Macdonald of the ?^ilitia Department. The young man was a particulary fine specimen of robust young Canadian manhood and had already won distinction b}' his brav-r.ry. He was only twenty-thiee years of age, stood six feet three inches in his stockings and weighed a hundred and ninety-eight pounds. He was brought up in King's county. Nova Scotia, and liad studied at Mt. Allison University, in Sackville, and later at McGill, in Montreal, where he was in his third year of medicine. Although a major commanding the King's County Hussars, he had gone out to South Africa as a lieutenant in B squadron of the ist Battalion Ci..icidian Mounted Rifles. In a war correspondent's letter to "The Globe," is told a i i • f i I" ■ 11 '' i.; I ;)! :■ I 624 FIGHTING ARu ND PRETORIA. gallant exploit performed by Major Borden on May 5, w1 .en, in company with Lient. Turner and five troopers, he swam the Vet River and opened fire on a Boer kraal. Fifty Boers were put to flight by the plucky seven who were the first representatives of the British army to cross the river in the march ncrthward. The particulars of the young officers' deaths were given by Lord Roberts in an official despatch to the British Government o{ July 18, and contained a magnificent tribute to the courage and gallantry of the deceased. Lord Roberts described the action in question and mentioned with regret the deaths of Major Borden and Lieut. Burch, both of the Canada Mounted Rifles. His trib- ute to the two young officers was contained in the following sen- tences : — " They were killed while gallantly leading their men in a counter-attack on the enemy's flank at a critical juncture of their assault on our position. Borden was twice before brought to my notice in despatches for gallant and intrepid conduct." Such sentences will ever be cherished by friends of the deceased officers and will soften somewhat the blow that fell upon the bereaved families. The tributes paid to these spirited 3'^ouug officers were richly deserved. The following cable was received by the Minister of Militia at Ottawa, under date of Capetown, July 19 : "Deeply regret to inform you of the death of your son in the action of Reitvlei, on July 16. Mrs. Borden and yourself have my sincerest sympathy at the sad loss of this gallant officer, whom I have twice had the honor to especiall}^ mention in despatches to the Commander-iu- Chief for gallant and intrepid conduct. (Signed) "HUTTON." A cable from Col. Otter to the Militia department, confirmed the numerous reports of the death of Lieutenants Borden and Burch, who lost their lives, the cable said, " Under the most gal- lant circumstances." In the same fight Colonel Otter stated that Private A. W. Brown, A squadron, was mortally wounded, and Private L. W. R. MuUoy, of the Princess Louise Dragoon Guards, Ottawa, severely wounded. •r if-^T, « FKIHTINC. AROUND PRKTOKIA. (Ili5 In Halifax Alajor Borden spent more tlian a month while the contingent was concentrating and the transports being got in readiness. He became popnlar with a very large circle, the nnm- ber of friends tliathcalwa3'sliad in this city being largely increased. His handsome, staUvart appearance won for him mnch admiration. His Avas the most striking appearance when the monnted rifles paraded, and in the crowds that thronged the streets ever\' eye was keen to catch a glimpse of Borden. Ralph Markham, of St. John, and others of the New Brnnswick cavalry were in Major Borden's command. A conple of days before the Milwankee sailed Major Borden took ont an insurance policj' for $2,000 in the New York Life, making the premium payable to Mrs. Dr. Borden, his step- mother. NOVA SCOTIANS WHO WENT WITH HIM. The other Nova Scotians who with Major Borden joined the Canadian mounted rifles were the followino- named : Sergeant R. H. Ryan, Kcntvillc ; Private B. M. Beckwith, Jamaica; Private Fred W. Hul)bard, Canning; Private John J. \lcCaffrey, Kentville ; Private L. C. McMillan, Springhill ; Pri, vate L. R. Miller, Lawrencetown, Annapolis ; Private E. A. San- ford, Canning ; Private \V. H. vSnydcr, Berwick ; Private T. A. Thompson, Oxford. Other Nova Scotians in B sc|uadron were the following named ; Private J. S. vSturritt, Halifax ; Private J. \V. Dea.se, Plalifax; Private P\ W. Lawson, Amherst ; Private A. J. Pawsc}', Gore, Hants. Major Borden's death marks the first Nova Scotian iu the second Can idian contingent who has died for his country' in South Africa. The squadron of King's Canadian Hussars which was com- manded by Major Borden, with its headquarters at Canning, is the successor of the King's County troop of cavalry which has been in existence for twenty-seven years. Besides being efficient in drill the King's Canadian Hussars to I W! 1 ,i^» tfl i ! I [ i- (ilT) FIGHTING AROUND PRETORIA. have al\va3^s been noted for their inarksnianship. It has had the credit of being the first in Canada in this respect. Its sharp- shooters were always among the first in the prize list at Bedford and Ottawa ai d 1. team won the Lanrie bugle three times at Bedford for skirmishing, and holds the record for all Canada, for the competition. sir wilfrid laurier and nicholas flood davin eulogizp: major borden. Ottawa, July 17. — On the motion to adjourn the House, Sir Wilfrid Luuricr made the following reference to the der/V of Major Borden: — " Before this motion is put, T am sure tlie House will ftgtee that I may properly take this opportunity to confirm llie sad rumor, which h is bjeii circulated through the corridors of tlic House this afternoon, to the effect that Major Borden, son of the Minister of Militia and Defence, met his death yesterday in South Africa. The rumor is unfortunately too true. This afternoon his Excellency iTceired a telegram from Lord Roberts informing him that yesterday near Pretoria, Major Borden was killed in action. Alajor Borden was a young man who enlisted recently to fight for the Queen in South Africa. He was a young man of great promise, athletic in figure, briglit, intelligent, a model boy in every way. "H2 hid, ai I am informed, already made a mark in his career, attracting the attention of his chiefs by his coolness under fire, by his d iring and by his courage, and had won the affections of his comrades by his amiable disposition. The precious life has been cut short by the uncertainties of war. Now, this event, I am sure will reach the heart of every member of this House. He is the son of a prominent member of this administration, of an old member of the House, and of a popular member, and, as I am reminded, the only son. Whatever bitterness there may be of strife I am sure that before s'uch misfortune all such bitterness disappears, and that on both sides of the House friends and foes will unite in offering to the bereaved father and to the bereaved KlC.llliNC. AROUND l'i../M;i aii'l slioot all the British officers was discovered August loth. Tht. plotincluded a miiiil)er of the townspeople, who were in conimuiii- catiou with the enemy. It was arranged that the capture and killing should take place on the evening of August 7th. Intense indignation prevailed throughout the British ami}-, and the gen- eral opinion was that the lenienc}- of the British invited such a conspirac}'. It was considered that no measure for the repression of such plots could be too strong. A desj5atch from Pretoria saidi: "Everything was prepared in the plot to make Lord Roberts a prist)ner and shoot the British officers, and the conspirac}^ was onl}- discovered at the last moment. The conspirators numbered about fifteen. They had planned to set fire to the houses in the extreme western part of the city, hop- ing that the troops would be concentrated tliere. The plan was that then the conspirators were forcibly to enter all houses occu- pied by British officers, these having been previonsl}' marked, and to kill the occupants. RINGLEADERS WERE ARRESTED. "All the Boer sympathisers were acquainted with the plot, and several had been told off to secure the person of Lord Roberts and to hurry with him to the nearest commando. Horses had been obtained for this purpose. Then the British learned the names of the ringleaders, who were put under arrest. The affair has created a tremendous sensation." The Pretoria plot was the theme of Uiany newspaper edito- rials. All the papers decried the idea of treating the Boers too leniently. "Hxamples, and stern examples," said one journal, "are necessar3\ Although we may not agree with Sheridan's fierce maxim : ' Nothing should be left of an enemy but eyes to weep with,' yet this was the conclusion of a not inhuman officer, who thoroughly understood war." Lord Roberts reported to the War Office in London from Pre- toria, under date of August lOth, as follows: A plot to carry me off has been discovered. It was clumsily (( plot, officer, Im Prc- unisily MC.IITINM; AKOl'NI) I'RKTOKIA. i\2'.) loiicc'ivcd. 'iM.c riugk'iulcr^ luul nil concerned uk now under arrest." The following was also reported under the same date: "The burghers of the Transvaal will Avelcome au\- plan to end the war, which is now I'ttle ni'>re than a series of guerrilla raids. The Boers iu the field are held together by compulsion, and by a feeling that ther is no sufficient reason why they should surrender, but their number is con tantly diminishing. There is, too, a strong feeling against the foreign adventurers now in the Roer ranks, not live per cent, of whom were in the Transvaal before the war. "Several prominent Transvaal citizens on being interviewed, expressed the opinion that I{ngland should annex the country at once. A reasonable time should then be given the real burghers to surrender their arms under penalty of confiscation of their property. Notice should be given to the foreign adventurers that any of them found with arms would be imprisoned and au)' usiug arms with fatal effect would l)e punished with death. The present state of affairs is intolerable and a stronger polic}' would give the burghers tlie required reason for submission." BRITISH DRIVING DE WET. Ivord Roberts reported to the War Office, under date of Pre^ toria, August 13, as follows : "Kitchener reports from School pi aats, eight miles east of Ventersdorp, that Dc Wet blew up three of his wagons. Six British prisoners who escaped from Dc Wet's camp state that Mr. Ste\'n is confinedin the camp under surveillance, and that De Wet was forced to abandon his ammunition and tliirt}' horses. Thej' also confirm the report that Alethnen captured one of De Wet's guns and shelled the main con^•oy effectivel}'. Ian Hamilton telegraphs that he hopes to be at Blaauwbank to-day with his main body. Mahon's mounted troops are pushing on to the west- ward." Another report from Lord Roberts, of the same date, said : " Methuen and Kitchener still following De Wet andSteyn, Yes- 1 IMAGE EVALUATION TEST TARGET (MT-3) ^^^ 1.0 I.I Hi |2.2 1.8 !ri 11^ 1.25 1.4 1.6 .4 6" — ^> VQ <^ V ^% >^ Photographic Sciences Corporation V i'> ^^ ;\ 23 WEST MAIN STREET WEBSTER, N.Y. 14530 (716) 872-4503 '"4 % 61W Fir.HTINC, AROUND PRETORIA. terda}'^ reached Modderfonteii!, ten miles east of Ventersdorp. Methueii is in toncli with I)c Wet's rear guard. Sniith-Dorieu reports that the Shropshires recently marched forty-three miles in thirty-two hours, and the City of London Imperial Volunteers, thirty miles in ten hours, hoping to prevent De Wet from cross- ing the Krugersdorp-Potchefstroom railway.Buller's occupation of Ernielo is having a good effect. A field cornet and 182 burghers of the Standerton Commando siirrendered 3'esterda\^ to Clery." At the same time it was found that General DeWet was endeavoring to make his way across the country to the south of Johannesburg, but his road was barred by Smith-Dorien in front, while both Lord Kitchener and Lord Methuen were attacking him from the rear. There was a sanguine belief now that the best of the Boer leaders might be cornered, but it was qualified by the reflection that his road to the north was apparently still open, and that he might slip awa}^ in that direction. The retreat of General Carrington from Zerust to Mafeking seemed to show that the hold of ^.he British on the western Transvaal was still very insecure. General Carrington appeared to have sustained a check, and to have been compelled to retire in order to wait till further reinforcements reached him from Rhodesia. CANADIAN TROOPS RETURNING. One hundred Canadians who were invalided in South Africa, and had been recuperating in Shorncliife, arrived in London August 14th, and took train for Liverpool, whence they sailed for home. They were greeted all along the route with ovations, and thousands of London's residents turned out to welcome them .upon their arrival, and gave them a tremendous send-off" as they marched through the city. The detachment belonged to a Cana- dian regiment of Strathcona's Horse. On the 2ist General De Wet crossed the Krugersdorp Potchefstroom railway and moved to the north in order to join Commandant Delarey, who was holding Rustenburg. Lord Kitchener and the other generals pursued and pressed him hard. His force was beyond Ventersdorp. FIGHTINr. NORTFI OF I'RF.FORIA. eai A special despatcli from Pretoria stated that Lieutenant Cor- dua was shot on the afternoon of August 24th, Lord Roberts having confirmed the sentence of death imposed upon the lieuten- ant on conviction of being ringleader in the plot to abduct General Roberts and kill British officers. Lord Roberts reported to the War Office from Pretoria on 1 August loth that a plot to carry him off had been discovered. The conspirator against whom the priucipal indictment wa« laid was Lieutenant Cordua, an officer of the Staats artillery of the South African Republic. On giviug his parole he was allowed to go at liberty in Pretoria. He was placed on his trial, Colonel Godfrey being the judge of the court held to try the prisoners. PENALTY OF HIS CRIME WAS DEATH. The trial began on August 17th. The prisoners at firs* pleaded guilty, but were advised by their counsel to withdraw t'».^ plea and to take their trial. From the evidence it appeared that Cordua, a number of foreigners formerly in the Boer service and. some Boers formed a plan by which the headquarters of Lord Roberts were to be surrounded while the attention of the troops was diverted by the noise of firing in another part of Pretoria. Resistence was to be overcome by force and the commander-in- chief carried off, if possible. Lieutenant Cordua and another of the conspirators started oft to communicate personally with General Botha. When all the arrangements were nearly complete, information was brought to the British headquarters staff, one of the conspirators having divulged the secret to his sweetheart. The court, on August 2 2d, after forty-five minutes' deliberation, found Lieutenant Cor- dua guilty on the charge of breaking his parole and entering into a conspiracy to kidnap Lord Roberts. Sentence was deferred until the finding of the court was confirmed by the commande'* in-chief, the judge having announced that the penalty of the crime would be death. " - The War Office received the following despatch from Lord FIGHTING NORTH OF PRETORI'. Roberts at Belfast, under date of August 27th : "TIk- lijers liave been beaten back by Bruce-Hamilton at Winburg. General Olivier lias been captured." The commander-in-chief added that three of Olivier's sons were also captured in the attack which the Boers made from three sides on Winburg, and that General Olivier was the " moving- spirit r.niong the Boers in th'^ southeast portion of the Orange colony during the war." Under date of August 26th, Lord Roberts reported from Bel- fast: " Engaged the enemy the greater part of the day over a territory of nearly thirty miles extent. Lyttleton's division and two brigades of cavalry, all under Buller, operated southwest of Dalmanutha. French, with two brigades of cavalry, moved north- west of Belfast, driving the enemy to Lekenvly, on the Belfast- L3'denburg road. As soon as French reached Lekenvly, Pole- Carew advanced from Belfast in support. LONG TOMS BROUGHT INTO ACTION. " The enemy, in considerable strength, opposed Buller's and Polc-Carew's advance. He brought three Long Toms and man}' other guns and pompoms (quick-firing guns) into action. The firing, until dark, was hot and persistent. Buller hopes his cas- ualties will not exceed forty. Pole-Carew has not yet reported. The Boers are making a determined stand. They have a large number of guns, the country is difficult and well suited for their tactics, and is less favorable to cavalry than any we have hitherto worked over." Wiring from Belfast. Lord Roberts said : " Our casualties on the 26th were wonderfully few considering the heavy firin ■; and the number of hours we were engaged. Buller estimates hi.; as two killed and twenty-four wounded. His troops had to bivouac wliere they stopped after darkness fell, and accurate returns are as yet impossible. The casualties of the force operating north of Belfast were three killed and thirty-four wounded." Under date of Geluk's Farm, August 27th, a dispatch said : " General Pole-Carew came into touch .with the Boers at their rir.MTiNr, north of Pretoria. mn main position, at Dahnanutha, on the 25tli, and shelled a planta- tion east of Belfast. The Boers replied with long range guns. " General French, on General Buller's flank, exchanged shots with the Boers, but no damage was done. An artillery duel occurred on the British front also, the 12-ponnders bombarding the Boers' position, and the latter displa3'ing great enterprise iu handling their guns, which were placed in strong position. The -^nemy evidentlj^ intends to contest stubbornly the ground between here and Machadodorp." STRONG POSITION OF THE ENEMY. Lord Roberts reported under date of Belfast, August 28, as follows : " Buller's advance occupied Alachadodorp this after- noon. The enemy made a ver}^ poor stand and retired north- ward, followed by Dundonald's mounted troops, who could not proceed beyond Helvetia on account of the difficult nature of the country^ and the eneni}'^ taking up a position too strong to be dis- lodged b}' the mounted troops. It appears that Buller's casualties were very few. French continued the movement to-da}- as far as Elandsfontein, from which he turned the enemy out with no difficulty. The latter retired rapidly, leaving cooked food behind." A despatch from Fouriersburg, dated July 27th, showed that the capture of Fouriersburg was preceded by heavy fighting to force a passage of the passes, which was stubbornl}' contested for two days. General Hunter'.'^, forces had the hardest work in forcing Relief's Nek, his casualties amounting to one hundred. Upward of 6.000 Boers, with a very large number of wagons, a large quantity of stores and many cattle, were driven into the mountain passes. The War Office received a despatch from Lord Roberts, explaining that only one train was captured on the night of July 2ist between Kroonstad and the Vaal, and that ^t con- tained supplies and two officers and one hundred men of the Welsh Fusiliers. General French occupied Middleburg, in the Transvaal, and General Pole-Carew, with the Guards Brigade, arrived at Brug- spruit, twenty miles west of Middleburg. 1 ' - , ! L Ct: V i i : I f' mmmm (;3i FIGHTINC; NORTH OF I'KKTORl A. Under date of Belfast, S-^ptenib^r r, Lord Roberts reported : " I have to-day issued under Her Majesty's warrant of July 4, proclamations announcing that the Transvaal will henceforth form a part of Her Majesty's dominions." The annexation of the Transvaal meant in the e3''es of the British Government and authorities that the country was now an integral part of the British dominions, and all the inhabitants arc British subjects. The British law lays down that any one taken in arms against the Queen, representing the constituted author- ity, is a rebel and traitor, and liable to the maximum penalty of death. Under militar}'^ law he maybe court-martialed and shot instantly. ORANGE FREE STATE ANNEXED. Whether Lord Roberts meant to adopt this course was doubtful. The Free State had been annexed some time. The Free Staters were treated as belligerents, although in the eye of British law they were rebels. It was thought that Roberts was going to institute a new regime to suppress with merciless severity the harassing guerilla warfare, or still treat the Boers as bellig- erents. But the proclamation was a precautionary measure to make his legal position secure should he decide it necessary to treat the Boers as rebels at a moment's notice. The proclamation gave Roberts the power to serve to all Boers captured in arms the same fate as Cordua, but with the assistance of a court-martial, with much less dela3^ Under the same date a Cape Town despatch said : " The communication to-day to the Assembly of Lord Roberts' procla- mation announcing the annexation of the South African Repub- lic, which will hereafter be known as the Transvaal, was greeted by the opposition with silence and by the Ministerialists with prolonged cheering." It was understood from the beginning that a considerable party at Cape Town, being of Dutch extraction, were in sympathy with the Boers and did not favor the policy of Great Britain. -, Fir.HTlNd NORTH OV I'RKTORIA. r>i\r> The next event of importance in the Transvaal was the sudden disappearance of President Kruger. Tl e foHowing despatch was received at the War Office ii» Londoi. from Lord Roberts : FLIGHT OF OOM PAUL KRUGER. " Machadodori', Thursday, Sept. 13. — Kruger has fled to Loren/o Marques, and Botha has been obliged to give over the command of the Boer army, temporarily, to Vilejon, on account of ill health. In consequence of this I have circulated a procla- mation as follows : " ' The late President Kruger, with relics and archives of the South African Republic, has crossed the Portuguese frontier and arrived at Lorenzo Alarques, with the view of sailing for Europe at an early date ; Kruger has formally resigned the position which he held as president of the South African Republic, thus severing his official connection with the Transvaal. Kruger's actions show how hopeless, in his opinion, is the war which has now been carried on for nearly a year, and his desertion of the Boer cause should make clear to his fellow burghers that it is useless to continue the struggle any longer.' " The ex-President, says a correspondent, displayed consider- able feeling on quitting the Transvaal, and is said to have wept bitterl}^ during the journey. Mrs. Kruger, who was at Pretoria, received a telegram from her husband asking her to join him. She replied that her health was not good enough to travel. It was reported that the Portuguese only permitted Mr. Kruger to enter their territor}- as a private individual. The flight of Kruger was preceded by active military operations on the part of the British forces all along the line. General Buller fought his way for ten miles through an inconceivably difficult country. He followed a narrow road that leads toward Spitzkop ftoni mountain to mountain, skirting great gorges. The Boers had fallen back about five miles over night. When the composite regiment gained the ere. t of a hill facing the Boer position, musketry fire was opened, and the Hors ArtiU ' ^3 - : 11.1 ,1 ^ ij fiSfi Fir.HTINC. NORTH OF PRKTORIA. lery were posted on the crest. Tlie infantry, composed of the King's Royal Rifles and the Gordons, advanced over the crest. The Boers then opened fire in earnest, working a pom-pom vigoronsly among the artillerists and infantry. The latter donbled for a sharp, stony spur of the kopjes, midway between the ridge and the enemy's position. The Maxim and riflie fire was heavy and continuous. The guns discharged fortj^ rounds each. The Boers made a hasty retreat and were pursued over the mountains. Their convoy, consi.sting of about sixty wagons, was seen just before sunset. Under date of September 8th, it was announced that the Brit- ish troops were in possession of Lydenburg. The Boers were completely out-mancEUvered and bolted through the village in the direction of Pilgrim's Rest. General Ian Hamilton's column out- flanked the Boers, who then evacuated their strong positions. Their retreat was so hasty that they abandoned some of their artillery', which fell into the hands of the Briti.sh. As the enemy retired tlie}-^ shelled General BuUer's lines to cover their retreat, but the projectiles fell short. QUICK MILITARY MOVEMENTS. Commandant-General Louis Botha was stated to be very much chagriutH at having to relinquish the strongest position the Boers have held since that on the Tugela River. Lord Methuen's force left Mafeking on the 8th, and encoun- tered snipers near Grootfontein. The next day he moved on Molopo, where a force was reported under Commandant Vermaak, The column advanced and the troops came under fire at 6.30. General Douglas's guns were heard on the left flank. The Yec manry moved to the right flank, the remainder of the brigade and Lord M'ithuen's column reaching Molopo at 10.30 A. M. The mounted troops pursued the enemy till 3 o'clock on Mon- day morning, the loth, capturing thirty nrisoners, tw^enty-t wo wag- ons, two heliographs, some horses, and 40,000 rounds of ammu ni- tion. The enemy fled in disorder, leaving wagons and grair en -route. The pursuit was abandoned, as the horses were tired. FIGHTING NORTH OF PRETORIA. 637 ;oiiii- Id on liaak. 6.30. Yec and Vlon- Iwag- [iv ni- ir en General MacDonald, on the morning of September 13th, crossed to the sonth bank of the Vet River near Tafcl Kop on the Wiiiburg-Bh)emfontein road and came In contact with the enemy some eight miles west of that place. ?Ie drove them northwards across the Vet River and pnrsued them north of the Win])urg- Smaldeel Railway. Tlie enemy retired in great confnsioii, I lie road being strewn with things thrown away in their hurrieu flight. Seven Boers were made prisoners, and thirty-one wagons, two hnndred and seventy trek oxen, six cases of dynamite, a qnantity of gnn and rifle ammnnition, groceries and other food snpplies, blankets, clothing, etc., were captnred. MacDonald spoke in high terms of the manner in which Iv)vat\s Sconts pnshed the pnrsnit. His words were : "Their action was 1)eyond all praise." LORD ROBERTS PRAISES CANADIAN SOLDIERS. Lord Roberts, writing to a Canadian correspondent, said it wonld be impossible to speak too highly of the work of the vari- ous Canadian contingents. They had hard work and snfi^ered many privations, all of which they endured with extraordinary cheerfulness. A fact which Lord Roberts thinks the Empire will not forget is that the determined advance of the Canadians on the morning of February 27 Lh. contributed in no small measure towards forcing the surrender of General Cronje. When it became known that Holland had offered ex-Presi- dent Kruger a ship to convey him to that country where he would find an asylum, the question was raised as to whether this action on the part of Holland would cause any friction with Great Britain. , : Under date of October 24th, a prominent Dutch official at the Hague expressed his views on this subject as follows : " Mr. Kruger," he said, "is not an unknown personage to the public here. He is of Dutch descent and was personally acquainted with the late King, the present Queen's father. As the one time President of a recognized State, some mark of consideration is manifestly due him. Mr. Benjamin Harrison, when in Berlin during the visit of our Queen, more than a year ago, was the ■m I Cflft Fir.HTINr. NORTH OF PRETORIA. recipient of much attention from the German government. Sucli utttntion could not possibly be construed as laciv ui respect for President McKinley. " Similarly Mr. Kruger is entitled by his former position and his personal worth to consideration from even his enemies. How much more, then, from a people of his own race ! Besides, it must not be forgotten that Mr. Kruger is only a private individual for the time being, hi.^ functions having been handed over to Mr, Schalk-Burger for a period of six months. "The Dutch government, therefore, acted in a perfectly natural as well as neutral manner in offering to transport him to Europe on a warship. It carried its scrupulousness to the extent of a.sking, through the Dutch consul at Lourenzo Marquez, what his object was in coming to Europe. He replied categorically that the sole reason for making the visit was to recuperate his failing health. This declaration removed every lingering obstacle to an offer from the government to give him passage on a Dutch war- ship. Nay, even the English government did not raise the slight- est objection to the offer. None, indeed, was possible from any point of view. KRUGER MUST NOT BEGIN INTRIGUE. " There are those who appear to think that Mr. Kruger's mission to Europe is to try to persuade the Powers not to recog- nize British sovereignty over the late South African Republic. This may be, but I can assure you that the government knows nothing, absolutely nothing, of such an intention. I am sure that no member of the Cabinet will contradict me if I add that Mr. Kruger will be sorely disappointed if he believes he will be allowed to establish a centre of political intrigue against a friendly Power in Holland. "The Ministry did everything in its power to avoid ruffling any susceptibilities before making its offer to Mr. Kruger. You may be snre that the same scrupulous observance of neutrality and consideration due to a nation with which Holland is on the friendliest terms will characterize the attitude of the government toward Mr. Kruger while he is on Dutch soil." APPENDIX. AUSTRALIAN COLONIES MAKE A RECORD IN THE WAR. GREAT WHEN the Transvaal War first broke out a great many Ans. tralians, who had read much abont the Boers and their deadly earnest ways of fighting, of their shooting, their horse- manship, and their capacity for adapting themselves to tr3'ing circumstances, and facing hardships, were convinced that the British regular soldier was not the ideal material to set against them. Tonni'v Atkins had pluck and persistence and discipline enough for anything, but where was the agricultural laborer from Devon or from Kent, or the born Cockney, to acquire the {il)ility to fend for himself in the wilderness and the knowledge to meet the " slimness " of the Boer battle methods ? He would go where he was told to go and try and do what he was told, even to the sacrifice of his life, but little use that where his enemy was invisible and protected, assailed him with deadly rifle fire ; surprised, harassed, outrode, and outmanoeuvred him. And the training of the most war-worn of the Imperial war material was not usually of the best for such fighting as this war called for. The British army is, practicall}', the onl}' army of the Euro- pean great powders which has had experience of actual fighting, yet that experience has been almost whoU}'' gained against more or less primitive peoples, who were wont to charge on to the dealh against machine guns and magazine rifles, armed themselves only with guns harmless beyond a few hundred yards and with all S(trts of scratch ammunition. In such engagements men could expose themselves with comparative safety. There was no artil- lery to pound them for miles off, and no Mauser to knock them ^ver at a mile. Anything of this sort they had themselves. It vas felt here that against tlie Boers a special stamp of men, AAl - *l p,j ; I •> # AUSTRALASIAN COLONIKS IN THK WAR. were required. The Boer tlicor}- of figlitiii^ consisted in set'in.i; witliont being seen, killing without being killed, and the nionieiil there was danger of reprisals, riding awa}' on waiting horses oti the principle that "he who fights and runs awa}', will live to fight another da}'." The Boers, in fact only calculate success or failure by the casualty list, and regard positions as only made to be abandoned just so soon as it is no longer safe to hold them. To meet these men and beat them at their own game, Aus- tralians felt that no one would be better fitted by nature than our own bush-dwellers. They had not had fighting to do as had so large a section of the South African settlers — that is, fighting with men — but they have had to fight with nature. They were used to finding their way over great trackless and waterless stretches of country with as much readiness as the Cockney docs in London streets ; to camping out as a matter of course tentless and shelterless, beyond such shelter as trees or rocks or branches give ; to living on little, and supplementing it with the product of the gun ; to making a man's horse a companion, and tending and caring him before himself. VALUE OF HORSES IN WAR. This last qualitj'^ is perhaps the most important in such cam- paigning as that of Africa, where tens of thousands of horses are being lost, where sore backs are the rule rather than the exception, and where the poor brutes are made to suffer horribly till death speedily ends their woes. The man who knows his horse as some- thing more than a beast that carries him can prevent a vast amount of the suffering which the bad rider necessarily inflicts, and gets far more out of his steed. Though the qualities of the Australian bushmen were recog- nized here from the first, the well-known prejudices of the British War Office were recognized as a bar to their offering. So when the colonies made their offers they offered trained mounted troops. Everyone is familiar with the refusal of the mounted men, and the grudging acceptance by the War Office of a limited number of infantry, The success of our Lancers, who volunteered on the AUSTRALASIAN COI.ONIKS IN THK WAR. • rt way back from England, and of the nionnted uKn whom Nc\t Zealand and Queensland sent in disregard to the \\ ur Office fiat, clianged all this. There was disaster after disaster, due to the failure of the "egular organization in scouting work. It was speedily ft)uud that even the men we sent first, who had no special pretensions to buslicraft, were the most successful scouts the army had. So prtsjently, when the outlook was black in both Natal and Cape Colony, at a time of national disaster, just such a time as those who don't know the colonies, had prophesied we would "cut the painter," the colonies came forward with the offer of what mounted men were needed, and these were accepted with grati- tude. GENUINE BUSHMEN SCOUTS WANTED. Encouraged by the changed attitude of the War Office, which no longer regarded colonial troops as outsiders which would be "horribly in the way," and had better be kept on foot so that they could be safely put to police a railway line lar away from the front, where they wouldn't get hurt, or hurt the fine feelings of the Imperial staffs, it was decided to raise a corps of genuine bushmen scouts and send, equip and maintain them by public subscription. We all know with what enthusiasm that movemeiit was taken up, how men flocked to the camp, and money rolled in, and the bitter heart-burnings there were towards the end when the best bushmen came down after leaving the far-out runs, and the great spaces of the west and north and southwest, only to find that they had been "crowded out" to a large extent by those who lived nearer at hand, and even by dwellers in the towns, whose knowledge of bushcraft was limited to occasional excursions "up the line." Still the leaven of these was not great, and it was generally agreed, when the regiment was got together uudet Lieutenant- Colonel Airey, that a finer body of horsemen had never worn the Empire's uniform, and that the men so spontaneously offered and BO speedily raised were as well worthy ito represent the people of the 4* AUSTRALASIAN COLONIES IN THE WAR. colon)', as those sent by the other colonies. What was heard from the front about the capacity of the colonial contingents to find their way about, take all the fighting that came their way, and give no troulle to anybody but the enemy ; and what was heard from this side as to the Bushmen's Corps forming, coupled with the advent of Lord Roberts to power, and the general recognition that the men under General French appeared for a long time to have a monopoly of what success was going, led to a complete change in the War Office attitude. FIRST CALL FOR COLONIAL TROOPS. For the first time in the history of the colonies we were asked to send troops. The War Office moved the Colonial Office to ask that Aiistralia send another 2000 mounted men. These were not to be men imbued with army traditions, but just men, like the Boers, "good riders and good shots.'' They were to be raised, equipped, carried and maintained at Imperial expense, thus differing from all the former contingents which were good- will offering either of the Australasian Governments or the Aus- tralasian peoples. Thus came into being the " Imperial Bushmen." The 2000 asked for were divided between the colonies roughly on a popula- tion basis. The only trouble experienced was that the different colonies wanted to send more men than were allotted to them. Queensland particularly insisted that on her out-back runs she had more of the type of men required, the genuine vanishing ''rough rider" than any other colony, and she got her way, and was allowed to send more than her population quota. In the selection of the new contingent it was sought to profit bj' the experience of the Bush Contingent Committee. So instead of requiring men to come to Sydney, bringing with them letters of reference from squatters, and here stand rejection upon tests in which there was an element of luck, the New South Wales Impe- rial Bushmen's Selection Committee declared that certain of its members should travel out to the town nearest the best recruiting grounds, and there put the men through suitable medical and fit trs ill lits ig AUSTRALASIAN COLONIES IN THE WAR. » i riding tests, and investigate their fitness where it wai known. This saved the men a vast deal of uncertainty and inconveni. ence, and it resulted in the getting together of a regiment 1 hat all who saw it and who are familiar with other mounted regiments claim to be "the finest body of mounted men ever got together aiu'where." This is a big thing to say, but it looks very much as though it were supported by facts. Most of these men were not selected in the city, but away in the back country. They are men who have been in the saddle from their childhood, who have ridden infinitely more than they have walked. They represent every country, calling and profession, from the wealthy squatter to his roustabout, from storekeeper to lawyei and journalist, but beyond everything else they are rough riders, horse-trainers, horse-breakers, boundary-riders, stockmen, drovers, and the like, men to whom horsemanship and the sort of observa- tion of nature that comes from lonely life in the bush are s«cond nature. A very shrewd observer in the Imperial Bushmen's camp is Regimental Sergeant Major Butler, a man of specially wide Headed by the Permanent Artillery Band, followed by about 5CXX) troops, each company having a band, the contingents started to march through the streets in one long procession, amid wild enthusiasm. A strong body of mounted police had great dijE- cult}'^ in keeping the line clear, and repeatedly had to drive back the encroaching masses forcibly in order to allow the troops to pass. An immense crowd gathered in the vicinity of the Parlia- .rnent House and Prince's bridge, where there were triumphal arches. The onlookers in Flinders-street gave tremendous ovations. The men were entrained at Flinders-street station for Port Melbourne, where the Medic was lying. Their reception at the port was a repetition of that in the city, the crowds being very enthusiastic. The Medic got away at four in the afternoon, a mighty cheer going up as she left the wharf The vessel was accompanied down the bay by a number of steamers, including the Monowai, lent by the Union Company, carrying members of Parliament and distinguished visitors. There were many touching scenes of farewell between the men^nd their relatives. It was decided to attach Cclonel Hoades, Colonel Williams, Lieutenant Umphelby and Captain Johnston as special officers to the contingent. They joined the Medic at Adelaide. TREMENDOUS DEMONSTRATION AT SYDNEY. The Premier (Mr. Lyne) said it was a red letter day in the history of the colony. It was not so much the number of troops as the moral support given to the Empire that wielded it together. He announced that he was sending a message to the Queen in the name of the Ministry and people thanking her for her gracious expression of interest in the contingent, and stating that the people of the colony would always be read}- to take their share in the duties and responsibilities of the Empire. Eord Beauchamp, responding to the toast of " The Contingent," said he was struck w^ith the remarkable outburst of enthusiasm shown throughout the colony. He believed and hoped that in the I'll;' SBi .1 ■lii If I I i*: w \i) AUSTKALASLAN COLONIllS IN THE WAR. near future uo British aruiy would be considered complete unless it Included some colonial troops. His Excellency wt'S sure the colony would have every reason to be proud of the contingent. If war could have been avoided it would have been, but now it had vome Great Britain was going to fight as it best could. The Commandant (General French) said the men were a splendid lot, and would compare with any colonial contingent. . They only represented about lo per cent, of those who volunteered.^ "COLONIES ARE WITH US HEART AND SOUL" New South Wales, in bidding God-speed to the first section of the Transvaal Contingent in the departing steamer Kent, emphat- ically endorsed the Right Hon. A. J, Balfour's statement in the House of Commons : — '' We have the self-governing colonies with us heart and soul." Despite adverse weather conditions, the dem- onstration, both as regards size and the national expression of loyalty, was one of the most remarkable witnessed in the colon}'-. An immense concourse, including thousands of visitors by special trains from all parts of the colony, was packed in the streets, on balconies, and on roofs along the entire line of march from Victoria Barrack^ to Circular-quay. The route was gay with bunting and patriotic devices, and flags were flying from most of the large buildings in the city. The shipping in the harbor was also pro- fusely decorated. Unfortunately, heavy rain set in jii-" about the time the troops were leaving the barracks, and continue'^ for the remainder of the afternoon. While greatly marring the display as a military pageant, the dowaipour failed to damp the enthusiasm of the onlookers, who, waiting patiently in the pouring rain, gave vent to their feelings by a long-continued burst of cheering, and waving hats and handkerchiefs. The departing troops consisted of forty Lancers to make up the full strength of the detachment from London landing at the Cape, eighty-six other officers and men and a medical corps. Accompanying the troops on the Kent were 189 horses. The men were escorted to the quay by detachments of various AUSTRALASIAN COLONIES IX THE WAR. » II branches of the defence forces and regimental bands. Notwith- standing their somewhat bedraggled condition, owing to the rain, they presented a fine soldierly appearance. As thsy filed through the barriers erected on the quay to keep back the crowd, they were greeted with round on round of farewell cheers from the assembled thousands. Prior to embartcation, a valedictory lunch was given by th(' agents of the Kent in honor of the departure of the troops to a brilliant gathering, including the Governor, members of the Min- istry, and about 500 leading residents. The proceedings were most enthusiastic. PATRIOTIC SPEECHES AND SONGS, The steamer Medic, with the Victorian and Tasmanian con- tingents aboard, arrived at Adelaide, October 30tli. The troops landed for a time and journeyed to the city by special train, escorted by the local forces. They marched to the Town Hall and were accorded a civic reception and luncheon. Great enthus-* iasm was shown by the crowds en route, and patriotic speeches were made by the Premier, the Mayor, and others. The iroops in the Aledic stood the trip along the coast well, and soon settled down to their quarters and routine. On her coastal trip the Medic passed a German mail steamer. That vessel was gaily dressed in bunting, and cheered the contingents, while her band played " God Save the Queen." The Premier of South Australia (Right Hon. C. C. Kingston), speaking at the reception to the contingents, wished them a safe return to Australia. They were, he said, certain to acquit them- selves like men, for they went to fight for Queen and country, and constitutional freedom from a serfdom worse than death. The proof that Britain was in the right was that Lord Roseberry supported Lord Salisbury. The visiting officers were entertained by the Officers' Club, the Governor CLovd Tennyson), presiding. Exuberant patriotism was the keynote of the gathering. The enthusiasm raised by the visit of the Victorian and Tas- manian troops to Adelaide reached its height when the city bade • n i 'n . IL* * AUSTRALASIAN COLONIES IN THE WAR. farewell to its own contingent. Never before were such crowds seen, or such a imiversal outburst of loyal enthusiasm or such a display of flags witnessed in the South Australian capital. Thousands of visitors from the country helped to make the dem- onstration a splendid success. The troops paraded early in the forenoon. Colonel Stuart, acting-commandant of the South Aus- tralian forces, in a short address reminded the men of their responsibilities and duties. They would, he said, carry their lives in one hand, and their country's honor in the other. If they implicitly obeyed and trusted their officers all would be well. To the strains of military bands and accompanied by detach- ments from various branches of the defence forces, the contingent marched through the principal streets to the railway station, and were entertained for Semaphore, one of the central suburbs and marine outlets of Adelaide. The crowds massed all along the route cheered themselves hoarse. From Semaphore a tug took the troops aboard the Aledic. The Mayor of Port Adelaide euter- .tained the contingent, members of the Ministry, and prominent citizens at luncheon aboard the tug. Loyal speeches were made by many of the guests. NEW ZEALAND SHOWS HER PATRIOTISM. His Excellency the Governor, informed the Premier that he had received a telegram from the Secretary of State for the Colo- nies to the effect that Her Majesty the Queen, desired to thank the people of New Zealand for their striking manifestations of loyalty and patriotism in their voluntary offer to send troops to co-operate with Her Majesty's Imperial forces in maintaining her position and the rights of British subjects in South Africa. She wished the troops God-speed and a safe return. The following communication was also received by the Secre- tary of State for the Colonies: — "The prompt despatch of the New Zealand Contingent, and the enthusiasm of the people of New Zealand have given Her Majesty's Government the greatest gratification, and have been hailed with enthusiasm by the people of England. nil mi AUSTRAIJVSIAN COLONIES IN' THE WAR. * in •'On the twentj'-first of October, 1805, was fought the famous battle of Trafalgar, in whicli Nelson lost his life. Exactly ninety-four years later n British colony, which was not then in existence, despatched a troop of mounted soldiers to fight for the Empire, of which the mighty admiral was so great a builder. Most appropriate \';is the date upon which it happened that the first contingent of the colonial troops was sent upon the voyage to the Cape. And to the youngest of the colonies belongs the honor of being first able to telegraph to the Mother Land, Our contingent has this daj'^ sailed for the Cape!' New Zealanders realized the sentiment expressed by the late Vincent Pyke, in his well-known song, 'The Old Flag,' composed in Dunediu in 1885— Three crosses in the Union. Three crosses in the Jack— And we'll add to it now the Cross of the South, And stand by it back to back. Though other skies above us shine, When danger's tempest lowers, We'll show the world that Britain's cause And Britain's foes are ours ! "When, only a fortnight before, the first party of voltinteers for active service arrived in the camp at Karori — before even a troopship had been commissioned — it was freely stated, in what might be said to be expert circles, that it was impossible to get a contingent away from the colony in less than a month. In a little over two weeks the Defence Office achieved the impossible. Men were seen coming into camp in small parties every day. It might truthfully be said that 'naked (in the military sense, came they into camp, and shortly they went out ftilly clothed.'" All this was done through the combination of the Defence Department and the manufacturers of the colony. Every man was clothed, booted, spurred and mounted, the result of a pro- digious amount of energy, so far-reaching as to include almost every section of the community, from the supply of saddles from Auckland, produce from the BluflP^ horses from the rutis of Wan- •lii |:i: h 'f;..i: f^ I II * AUSTRALASIAN COLONIKS IN Till: WAR, I giiiiiii, Hawkcs IJay, C.iiitcrbury and vSoutlilaiid, wool for the clolliiiig fnmi the sheepruus of both islands, and men from every district in the colony. It was gratifying to find that over three-qnarters of the nnm- ber of the men who formed the coiuingeni were natives of the colony they were going to represent. Man/ more had volnn- lecred, bnt as they were not qnalified riders, their services conld not l)e accepted. Others, again, who qnalified in all other partic- nl.'irs, were under age, and yet others were refnsed because the}'' were married. A few acceptionally good men, including officers, had their services accepted, even though the}- were married, but their circumstances were found to be exceptional. One officer left a wife and family, and also left behind him a flourishing business. Some of the rank and file also relinquished remunerative positions in response to what they considered the call of duty. With the departure of nearly loo men who had been employed npon the land, the backbone of the country suffered somewhat, and to these the temptation of settling in the rich oountr they were to help conquer might, it was thought, prove irresistible. At any rate, New Zealand's troop, from its com- mander to the youngest trumpeter, was composed, for the most part, of active, enthusiastic and ardent men, not one of whom was found wanting when the hour of trial came to them. ni pn th( so INTENSE ENTHUSIASM IN WELLINGTON. Red-lettered in the annals of Wellington will be Saturday, 2ist October, 1899. The native-born had no event in his memory which compared with the enthusia.nn displayed b}^ the citizens towards those sons of the colony who volunteered to risk life and fortune in South Africa in the interests of the Empire. Towns- folk and visitors assembled in thousands along the whole front of Jervois-qnay. Upon the southern portion of the street a platform had been erected for the accommodation of His Excellency the Governor and party, and the speakers who were to take part in the official ceremony. The whole length of footpath and roadway along Lambton-qnay was crowded by half past 2 o'clock. f AUSTRALXSIAN Q^LONIKS I\ THK WAR. If lay, lens lud ms- Itof )rm Ithe Itlie At 2.30 the volunteers, under Licuteuaiit-Colouel Collins, marclicd on Jervois-qua}', the I) Battery takinj^ up the southern position uear the Star Boating Sheds, and foruiiug the harrier across the roadway. Then came the City Rifles, Guards, Civil Service and Post and Telegraph Corps, the College Rifles, the Zealandias, with the visiting representatives of the ?y;ist and West Coast Battalions. Of hands, there were nn)re than had previously been heard upon any parade in Wellington. Besides those of the city, there were the Napier and Palnierstou North Garrison Bands, and the musicians of Pahautanui. After the soldiers had marched the length of the quay, they divided their ranks in two, and two deep, drove the people to each side of the road, leaving a clear space for tlie Contingent to nuirch down. ARRIVAL OF THE CONTINGENT. At this time the wharf, the decks and rigging of the vessels within sight, the windows and roofs of the buildings, and the whole of Jervois-quay was one mass of palpitating humanity. About 3 o'clock cheers were heard from the direction of Lambtou' quay, and a cry went lip, "They come!" The bands stationed along the quay had been enlivening the w liting time w»ch the strains of martial and patriotic music, but there came a nionient when emotion proved too much even for baudsmei.. That moment was when the troops for the front came marching round from the Post Ohiee into Jervois-quay, to the inspiring strains of the Garrison Band. ' The scene at that moment will never be forgotten b}- those who had eyes to see and ears to hear. The enthusiasm was frenzied in its intensity, and even the cynic was carried out of . his every day bitterness, and had perforce, to wave his hat with his fellows. Handkerchiefs, umbrellas, canes, hats, ribbons of many colors — the waving mass was kaleidoscopic. The ten thousand heads in sight were turned towards the oncoming heroes of the hour, whilst from every throat came cheers upou cheers, punctuated with many excited exclamations. Nor 'vere the ! '1 !|l| il 1! t6» AUSTRALASIAN COLONICS IN THE WAR. veterans ot* tlic long-ago Maori War forgotten, as tliey were sighted by the erowd. The scenes of enthusiasm on the departure of colonial troops which have alrc.idy been described were not exceptional. Similar demonstrations were witnessed as the loyal people of various towns came together to give the brave men a hearty send- off who were going to defend the lumor of the Kmpire. We must, however, furnish a brief account of the departure of the Bushmen's Contingent, which occurred in Februar}-, 1900, over a mouth after the tremendous cheering that signalized the departure of the second contingent on January 17th. The great enthusiasm shown on the departure of the New South Wales second contingent was repeated at S3'dney on the 28th, when the New South Wales Bushmen took ship at Woolloomooloo Bay for South Africa. The Railway Commissioners gave special facili- ties for country people to come in, and from an early hour the streets began to fill up. MOUNTED MEN AND FINE DISPLAY. The throng extended all along the line of route. One factor which assisted the spectacle was that the men who constituted the main attraction were mounted, and the papers had been asked to to warn the public that it was dangerous to go near the bushmen's horses. This kept the great majority back from the lines, but many, nevertheless, ran in to greet friends, or merely to shake hands with men because they were bushmen, aud one boy was killed by a kick from a horse. As the troops moved along there were mau}'' humorous inci- dents. Some men were snatching the handkerchiefs which girls frantically waved to them and decorating their horses with them or waving them in great bunches. One man's bunch must have had 50 handkerchiefs in it. Men on the outer rank stooped over and snatched kisses from the girls who lined the roadways, some- times meeting with stiff resistance, real or feigned, but as a rule tlie subject was either so surprised or so overcome with emotion and enthusiasm as to yield easily. v9( lluMU. who cr I)()re al wliicli ( the re Altogct Cheers the war stirring cheers f who ma vice" c service a The out dur: 77,330), ; eould ha I'eception The en route Ms'^quari the patri( with thai words ''.A an iusura or scroll t ior this ni tions of tl the Amen flags — wh on the oth( «6oo and It is n BB2 AUSTRALASIAN CULONIKS IN TIIK WAR. •17 v^oino 1)iislin:cn took male friends up on their liorses with them. Others j^ave spnrs or some other trappinj^ to entlinsiasts who cried ont for mementoes. A considerable nnml-cr of the men l)ore aloft fla^s on lonj;- poles. One man had a rinj^'-tailed 'possnm which clnnjif to his hand as he swnnsj^ it ronnd hishead. "Hnshie," the rei;imental doti^, was held by a diminntive trnmpeter. .'Mtogether it was a scene of strong emotion and great enthusiasm. Cheers rang ont all along the ronte — cheers from the sailors (vom the war ships as they swnng along in their *' whites," making a stirring display, cheers for the bnshmen, cheers for the lancers, cheers for the Ministers, and cheers for the "Third Contingent," who made a fine showing as they marched after the "active ser- vice" contingent — they had themselves volnnteered for active service and are going. ici- irls lem Lve Iver me- rule lion WARM RECEPTION TO GALLANT BUSHMEN. There mnst have been over 200,000 men, women, and children ont dnring the day (the trams carried 290,000, George-street 77,330), and all along the line of procession the hardy bnshmen conld have had no cause of complaint as to the warmth of the reception accorded to them. The main avenues through wliich the troops were to pass en route to the scene of embarkation, notably William, Pitt, and Ma-'qnarie streets, were gail}' decked with bunting, and no doubt the patriotic Australian, as he sauntered down Pitt street, accepted with thanks the encouragement and approval expressed in the words "America salutes the brave Bushmen of Australia," which an insurance conipau}'^ of New York displayed upon a wide ribbon or scroll that cros.sed the street. Major Rennie was responsible for this mark of cousinly good-will, and also for the other decora- tions of the company's building, consisting of three large flags — the American in the centre, flanked by the British and Australian flags — while below appeared on one side the American shield, and on the other the Australian. The brigade numbered in all between J 600 and 1700 officers and men. It is important to note the opinion of Colonel Otter concerning BB2 11: 18* AUSTRALASIAN COLONIKS IN THK WAR. ! i I ! III; In the buslimen. A well informed officer, writing on tins snbject, sa3's : "Even if it were composed of picked dnnderheads, specially selected by skilled authorities in idiocy, the amount of drilling i.nd instruction that the Bushmen's Corps is receiving could not but render a body that would pass muster anywhere without microscopic scrutiny. On the contrary, however, the men are, and the authority for the statement is the experienced Colonel Otter, their commanding officer, far and away above the highest standard yet fixed among colonial troops. " He is proud of them now, and he will hand them over on their arrival at the Cape, with as much pride as it is good for a commanding officer to feel. He never, he declares, in his eighteen years' experience of colonial troops, ever came across a keener lot of fellows, and he is delighted with the progress they have made during the time there has been available for 'licking them into shape.' To a man they are bright and alert, and they not only make the most of the instruction aiforded them, but they are con- tinually on the alert to pick up the work of soldiering. " He cannot, he says, speak too highly of the excellent work done by the Adjutant, Captain Patterson, and the drill instructors. They have been simply indefatigable, and it is most gratifjnng that, no matter how much work may be given to the men, they are always ready and willing for more." MESSAGE FROM MELBOURNE. Under date of February 21st, a report was received from Arundel stating that the Boers captured a number of wounded at Hobkirk's Farm, where the Victorian Mounted Rifles had a severe engagement with the enemy, and treated them most kindly. The suiferers were piovided with mattresses, and eggs were given as 'part of their food. Lord Ranfurly cabled to Sir John Madden, the Lieutenant- Governor, expressing his regret at the misfortune which befel the Victorians at Hobkirk's Farm, and his "heartfelt sympathy at the disaster to your gallant troop.s, who preferred death to sur- render." AUSTRALASIAN COLON IKS IN THE WAR. «IW from led at jevere The reu as mant- \q\ the [hy at sur- The work performed in the field b}^ the New South Wales medical corps called forth the highest praise from the British generals. In the fighting around Koodoosrand the corps acted with unflinching courage and devotion, the doctors and bearers accompanying the Canadians and the Gordous in their gallant rush on Cronje's position, and being among the first to enter the trenches, from which they removed the Canadian wounded, under a heavy fire. Lord Roberts, after an inspection of the New South Wales Field Hospital, warmly eulogized the perfection of the methods employed, and expressed himself specially pleased with the tor- toise tents, which are a novelty to the Imperial authorities. Dr. Fiaschi, of Sydney, was extremely fortunate in his treatment of the wounded, and was credited with having accomplished many surgical successes. VALOR OF AUSTRALASIAN TROOPS. In the successful patrol work accomplished by General French's cavalry division, which successfully prevented the scat- tered bodies of Boer reinforcements from reaching Cronje's posi- tion, a very important part was taken by the Australian troops. Strong bodies of New South Wales Lancers and Queens- land and New Zealand Mounted Infantry patrolled the country and cut off any chance of escape from Cronje's laager in the river bed. On March 3d, Mr. Chamberlain sent to Mr. Lyne, the Premier of New South Wales, a cable message, which he inti- mated might be made public for the purpose of pacif3'ing public anxiet3\ This message was understood to reproduce one sent previously, excepting in particulars which it was considered necessary to keep secret. In the cable received, Mr. Chamberlain asked whether the Australian colonies could send to South Africa 2000 more bushmen in addition to those already sent or aoout to be sent. It was intimated that these troops might possibh^ be required for service outside the Cape Colony and Natal, and it was further 2(5* AUSTRALASIAN COLONIES IN Til W 1^ stated that the Imperial Government was prepared to pay the men five shillings per day from the date of enrolment, and also defray- all expenses of railway transport from any point in Australia to the seaboard, of equipment and of transport. The colonial Treasurers were requested to arrange for the immediate payment of all these expenses, and were informed that tlie Imperial Government would recoup the Government of the colonies. The amended message also contained congratulations ion colonial loyalty in sending men and subscribing money to assist the mother country in an emergency. Simultaneously with Mr. Lyne's announcement of the receipt of this amended cable, a telegram arrival from Brisbane, stating that Mr. Lyne had communicated with Mr. Philip, the Premier of Queensland, stating that New South Wales would do her share towards supplying the troops asked for by Mr. Chamberlain. It was added in the telegram from Brisbane that Mr. Philip had answered that Queensland could send 500 men, and that Mr. Lyne undertakes to send 750 men from New South Wales. A great many people considered that the relief of Ladysmith and the surrender of Cronje would alter the situation a great deal but it was generally expected that a guerilla warfare, which would make troops of thebushm^n ^lass valuable, would continue for some time. CONGRATULATIONS TO MAJOR-GENERAL HUTTON. On May i8th it was officially announced that Major-General Hutton's Colonial Brigade, which includes the Australian contin- gents, had captured Commandant-General Louis Botha, Com- mander-in-Chief of the Boer army, and a number of other Boers at a place 30 miles west of Kroonstad. The Premier sent the following cable message to Major- General Hutton: "Warmest congratulations of the Ministry and people on success and capture of Botha." The rejoicings in Melbourne, Sydney, Wellington, Adelaide and other towns throughout the Australian colonies over the relief of Mafekiug were a most striking exhibition of the loyalty and of it w witli totl all. facet then rouu CQUU AUSTRALASIAN COLONIES IN THE WAR. *-Zl iera\ itin- ^om ■ Joers LajoV" istry Maide Irelicf ainl patriotism of the people. At Sydney there was a gi-CcU uprising. "Mafeking has been relieved." The posting of those words shortly after ii o'clock on the morning of May i8th, was the signal for an outburst of jubilation, of enthusiasm, of unre- strained patriotism that shook the city with its intensity. Some hundreds of people had waited patiently all the morn- ing for the confirmation either of the glad news which had come early the previous day, or of the depressing announcement which bore the Pretorian official imprimatu. And now the doubts were dispelled, the fears and forebodings which had grown grievously strong through the: hours of waiting, were swept away forever by those four pregnant words. CHEERING CROWDS AND MAGNIFICENT DISPLAY The city seemed delirious with joy. In a purely metaphor- ical sense, of course — drunk with a passion of patriotism. Seem- ingly demented men careered down the street, yelling the good news aloud. The j ubilatiou was epidemic. To the utmost recesses of the city the good tidings flashed, and in its wake surged cheering crowds. Cit}' establishments which had not cared to risk a .show of flags until all danger of a disastrous contradiction of the splendid story of success had passed away, suddenly blazed out into bunting. There was a sudden and magnificent and unani- mous display of color, gladdening to the sight. It was not only the buildings which blossomed into brilliancy of raiment — into pictured patriotism. Glancing along the streets it was to be noticed that three out of four passers by were decked with three colors — the red, white, and blue. Khaki was consigned to the oblivion of forgetfulness. The three-colored ribbons were over all. Omnibus horses bore them, trams displayed them, pretty faces smiled above bows which had been deftly made up from them, elderly and decorcus personages were even seen with them round their h its. At some of the great millinery shops, the girls at the ribbon counters, experienced to some extent what Baden-PoweU «tud his Illi ■1 Ii; ' iili ! i iji II I I Ii: III 22* AUSTRALASIAN COLONIES IN THE WAR. garrison have learnt at greater length, and with a more complete thoroughness. That is to say, they were besieged. In some instances quite early in the day all the available ribbon was sold out. In others would-be purchasers found a wildly enthusiastic good-humoied, but strongly determined crowd pressing in close formation towards the counters where the shop girls were entrenched. As the day approached meridian tiny pieces of tricolor were purchased at recklessly extravagant rates. And all this time the ordinary business of the great com- mercial heart of the city seemed to be absolutely paralyzed. Everyone was too excited to vend or buy. Sydney gave itself up unrestrainedly, whole-heartedly, unanimously, to the deification of patriotic decoration and the apotheosis of nationa'' noises of gratulation. Every instrument that could be requisitioned by means fair or foul was pressed into this eructation of a delirious clamor, which told of the joy which had caught Sydney up and carried her way from the dull round of routine on a wave of resonant enthusiasm. SHRIEKS OF JUBILATION FROM STEAMERS. On the harbor the steamers relentlessly used their sirens and other ear-splitting apparatus. Every locomotive on shore replied with a blaring shriek of jubilation. And in the mouths of inevitable and insuppressible youths smaller instruments of devastation shrilled out an unsparing concatenation of joy. The news b_ing official., the government buildings were deco- rated, and civil servants recklessly broke through the restraining red tape, and loudly acclaimed the hero of the day. On the top of the haunts of the accustomed tired departmental men were to be seen flushed and excited crowds of erstwhile staid officials courageously and fearlessly waving little banners, and behaving in quite as boisterous a way as the abandoned general public. Little cases of champagne, which were taken into many large private and semi-public institutions the previous day, but which had not been opened in consequence of the restless feeling that the news might not be confirmed, had their contents widely pub- th( banc AUSTRALASIAN COLONIES IN THE WAR. 23 ■ill plete some sold iastic close were es of com- lyzed. elf up cation ses of led b>' iirlous .ip and vave of sirens shore mouths ents of e deco- raining he top were to officials having lie. ly large t which ng that ly pub- lished to-da3\ Notably at the Merchants' Exchange was there an imposing assemblage of well-known business men. The reading room could barely accommodate the crowd. Cheers for the Queen, for '' Baden-Powell and the brave defenders of Mafek- ing," for " General Bobs, who promised to be there on the i8th," for " the Naval Brigade," and for " Kitchener, Buller, and our boys " were given with inmense enthusiasm, and toasts in honor of most of the pro British population of the world were honored. A congratulatory cable was sent by the chairman on behalf of the members of the Exchange at the close of the festivities. Similar scenes occurred at several of the great city establishments. Employer and employee joined in the celebration of the event, which is bursting the Empire's "heart of pride" with thankfulness to-day. From the upper windows of houses where numerous employees are occupied, bands of girls frantically whirled flags and flung patriotic kisses to the applauding populace below. ROYAL SALUTE AND WHITE ENSIGN. At 12 o'clock a royal salute of 21 guns was fired from the flagship Royal Arthur, and from the battery at Dawes Point, and from South Head. The warships all displayed the white ensign, although the Admiral had received no direct intimation of the relief of Mafeking. The firing of the salute was eagerly hailed as a splendid opportunity for a recrudescence of cheering, and thenceforward at intervals of a few minutes the air was smitten with patriotic noise until lunch hour lessened the crowds. Between noon and i o'clock the Governor drove through the principal streets, and his Excellency was everywhere greeted with the greatest enthusiasm. There was no appreciable slackening in the demonstrative- ness of the city's delight in the early afternoon. The military authorities, !who at the Victoria Barracks during the morning, expressed their joy, with the aid of guns and martial music, in the afternoon sent the bands to play in the streets and parks. This idea 'was greatly applauded by the public, who followed the bandsmen round, and cheered and cheered again as some of the ^!i i .11- I i 9mmm. 24 * AUSTRALASIAN COLONlIiS IN THE WAR. popular airs were played with an intensity of feeling which was evidently generated by the inspiring circumstances. A tremendous crowd gathered early in the afternoon to heaf the Scottish Regiment's band, which had taken up a commanding position opposite to the notice board from which the city had learned the official confirmation. The crowd was evidently pleased at the appropriateness of the band's choice of position, and vociferous cheers were given for most things which it occurred to them to cheer about, and there was a considerable number of them. A body of cadets and the Naval Artillery volunteers paraded the streets during the day. LORD ROBERTS CONGRATULATED. The following cable was forwarded by the Premier to Lord Roberts : — "New South Wales congratulates you on the relief of Mafeking, and accuracy in fixing date." The British Colonies were inten.sely patriotic and loyal to the Empire during the war in South Africa. The people of New Zea- land were ihrilledby the news of the relief of Mafeking, arxd every reader will be interested in an account of the rejoicings throughout the Colony that followed 'he rescue of the brave garrison, which suffered untold privations and defended their honor and their flag for 214 days. For days and weeks .e feeling had lain pent and slumbering in the breasts of the people of Wellington that Mafeking must soon be relieved so vivid and complete is the faith of the British public in the British soldier — a faith which the military exploits of centuries have justified and confirmed. They knew that Col- onel Baden-Powell and his gallant garrison and the loyalists penned up there in that far South African town would not sur- render. They realized that the hardships of the siege — the dietar}' of locusts and horseflesh, the scarcity of water, the inroads of disease, and the constant fusillade of shells — might entail unspeakable misery upon Mafeking's defenders — upon the women and children as well as the soldiery — but they knew that these would not induce the laying down of arms and capitulation to the AUSTRALASIAN COLONIES IN THE WAR. •2ft attacking Boer ; so they waited eagerly and hopefully the sign that relief had come. Rumors from unauthenticated sources had found ready cre- dence with those to whom the wish is ever father to the t'"'ought, but the great bulk of people refrained from indulging in enthusi- asm for which there was no legitimate justification. They just bided their time as patiently as might be. On Saturda}^, May 19th, the time was fully ripe. At ten minutes past i o'clock a telegraph operator was sitting at his place, " getting has cables through," when there came a ticking which denoted "Alafeking Relieved!" Regulations vanished. Springing to his feet, he spread the tidings with a joyful shout. Instantly the air became electric. Then followed an explosion of patriotic rejoicing, the like of which was never seen or heard of in the history of the capital. "Mafeking relieved !" was shouted from the housetops; clanged forth from bell-towers ; went echoir.g and bellowing through the streets ; was taken up by every tocsin, and siren, and cannon in the city; and then re-echoed and reverberated to the farthest sub- urbs in peans of rejoicing. HURRIED IN FROM ALL QUARTERS. Instantly business was suspended. The carpenter dropped his hammer, the shoeman his last, the clerk his pen, the thrifty housewife her broom, and all, with one accord, rushed off to make preparations as for some great festival. From the uttermost boundaries they came hurrying in — from Khandallah and Wades- town, and from Worser Bay — desperate to be foremost to the centre of the city. An animated crowd gathered, shouting and cheering in an ecstacy of delight. From every point of the compass the people came ; in vehicles and afoot, or wending on bicycles a tortuous and perilous course; everybody shouting and gesticulat- ing, and singing and rejoicing. Humanity bulged out of the tramcars, and never was a transit service more inadequate for a great emergency. Soon there appeared in all the streets cabs and landaus ladeu ♦(i • AUSTRALASIAN COLONIES IN THE WAR. witli the ucll-dressecl citizens waving flags and behaving hilari- Dush' ; whilst drags, and carts, and brakes, and expresses, elab- orately betrininied with flags and mottoes and devices, and contain- ing men and lads in all sorts of quaint and queer costumes, and playing a variety- of weird-sounding instruments, were rattling to and fro in every direction. Acting, probably on a preconcerted arrangement, the school children came together in large numbers, and presently issued forth in procession in charge of their teachers, waving flags, and giving forth the liveliest demonstrations of delight. Their appearance in the streets was the sign for renewed expressions of exultant enthusiasm on the part of the multitude. By half-past 2 o'clock many thousands of people had gathered in the large area separating the General Post Office and the Queen's Wharf, and, viewed from the vantage ground of the former, presented a sea of expectant faces towards the gallery from which it was anticipated the official announcement of the relief of Mafeking would be made. GROTESQUE FIGURE OF PAUL KRUGER. From a warehouse opposite, a life-sized effigy of Paul Kruger dangled at the end of a pole, to which elevation it had been pro- moted b}^ means of a block and tackle. The figure was sur- mounted with a boar's head, the lower part of the face being surrounded by white wool, which imparted to it a singularly life- like appearance, which was enhanced b}^ the sober garb of black in which the effig}' was contained, and the inevitable bell-topper which it clasped to its breast with characteristic poise. Several persons provided agreeable diversion by leading off" a number of patriotic songs from an elevation on the Post Office buildings, which were taken up with great gusto by the multitude below. Jupp's Band, which put in an early appearance, also did much to fan the excitement by its spirited playing of a number of popular airs. Meanwhile the Volunteers had been mustering strongl}^, and presently they appeared with Colonel Pole Penton at their head, and took up a position in advance of tlie crowd in AUSTRALASIAN COLONIES IN THE WAR. • »j 27 )ro- jiir- life- )per r of did kiber Iriug- itou \d in iiont of the G. P. O. During this time the luultitiide became a little impatient, and vociferous requests were made for the Acting- Premier in shouts of "Ward! We want Ward !" Presently the Hon. J. G. Ward presented himself on the balcony, and a great burst of cheering went up. Mr. Ward was accomi)anied by Mrs. Ward and his colleagues, Hons. W. C. Walker and W. Hall- Jones, and <^heir wives, and his Worship the Mayor (Mr, J. G. \V. Aitken), prominent jn the balcony also being Sir Robert Stout, Chief Justice ; Colonel Pole Penton, Mr. Justice Plimmer, Coun- cilor Townsend, Mr. Wilford, and other citizens. OFFICIAL TIDINGS OF MAFEKING'S RELIEF. The Mayor immediately proceeded to business. He officially announced, a.uidst a renewed outburst of cheering, that official tidings had been received of the relief of Mafeking. He was quite sure, he said, that every heart in New Zealand that day rejoiced iu the hearing of that good news. (Renewed cheering.) It was one of the noblest defences ever carried out — (great applause) — but it had entailed an immense amount of suffering, which they could not forget. Colonel Baden-Powell had shown himself to be made of the pluck of whicli great English generals had ever been made. ("Three cheers for Baden Powell !" given with tremendous enthusiasm.) He was sure that every heart would be thankful to G"d for the good news which had come. (Prolonged applause.) He called upon the Acting-Premier to address them. The Hon. J. G. Ward, wlio received a great ovaticm, said : "Mr. Mayor and fellow-citizens of New Zealand — I have the inexpressible pleasure of announcing to you the happy event of the relief of Mafeking. (Enthusiastic cheers.) The news has been confirmed by the receipt of cable messages from most authentic sources in Australia. (Cheers.) I deeply regret that the Right Hon. the Premier is not here to perform the duty now imposed upon me ; because, as you know, he has taken the keen- est possible interest in co-operating with the people of the colony Jn sending men to help the Mother Country in fighting for the 88 • AUSTKALASIAN COLONIES IN THE WAR. maintenance of our great and glorious Empire. (Here there was great cheering, and the crowd sang ' For He's a Jolly Good Fellow'). Immediately on receipt of the information, I sent the following cables : — 'To Colonel Raden-Powell, Mafeking. — On behalf of the people of New Zealand I desire to tender you our heartiest congratulations on the successful result of your heroic defence of Mafeking, and express to you warm appreciation of the noble way in which that defence has been maintained by you and the men under your control. Your noble defence will never be forgotten by the people in this portion of the British Empire, whose highest respect and goodwill you will have, — (Signed) J. G. Ward, Acting Premier.' (Cheers.) COLONEL BADEN-POWELL'S NOBLE DEFENCE. "The following cable was also despatched: — *To Lord Roberts. — On behalf of the people of New Zealand I desire to tender you our heartiest congratulations on the successful relief of Mafeking, and to express our warm appreciation of the noble way in which that defence has been maintained by Colonel Baden- Powell and the men under his control. — (Signed) J. G. Ward, Acting Premier.' (Cheers.) " And at the request of the officers of the New Zealand Post and Telegraph Department I sent another message as follows : ' To Colonel Baden-Powell, Mafeking. — On behalf of 3500 New Zealand Post and Telegraph officials, offi.^r you warmest congratulations upon successful issue, heroic stand, yourself, officers and men. Your magnificent defence will never be forgotten. — (Signed) J. G. Ward, Postmaster-General.' (Cheers.) "Fellow citizens, it is more than seven months sin*-? Baden- Powell, with his brave 600 men, first took charge of Mafeking, and when he did so, the gravest fears were entertained from end to end of the British Empire that with the heavy odds against him he would not be able to hold out for long. But we hove since learnt that he has shown himself to be a true warrior, full of courage and possessed of wonderful resource. (Loud cheers,) AUSTRALASIAN COI.ONIKS IN THE WAR. * '29 as alf /oil end itist love full He built trenches, behind which he and his noble band of men have withstood tlie determined attacks of the Boers. (Cheers. " Tlirouc^h those seven lon^, weary months he had shown what British pluck and British resource could do ap^ainst tremendous odds (cheers) and with his 6ix> noble men he has resisted the whole combination of the I^oer forces from outside of Mafckiufj:. (Enthusiastic cheers.) He has protected the women and children, he has succored the sick and he has maintained the prestige of the flag, which we are so proud to live under (cheers) and during the last few days of the defence of Mafeking, when it might naturally have been expected that their privations had worn them out, he and his men have still further demonstrated their wonderful vigor and resourcefulness by killing fifty-four Boers and capturing General Eloff. (Tremendous cheers.) BRAVE HEROES OF THE WAR. "Can we not truthfuUj^ say that, 'Stormed at with shot and shell, Baden-Powell stood the test well, with his brave six hundred.' (Loud cheers.) We must not forget on such an occasion to pay tribute to Lord Roberts, to Lord Kitchener, to those brave leaders, Buller, White, French, Warren, Hector McDonald, Wauchop, Kelly-Kenny, Pole-Carew, and last but not least Majors Robin, Jowsey, Francis and Cradock — those splendid men whom we have sent from New Zealand to share with the Imperial forces in South Africa the honors, the glories, the difficulties and dangers of fighting for the Empire. (Enthusiastic cheers.) "I wish now to show you some tangible evidence of what our men have already done in South Africa. I hold in my hand here a Boer flag. (Deafening and prolonged groans.) Ladies and gentlemen, let me teQ you the history attached to this flag. (Further groans.) That is a flag which was captured by Major Criiidock and his men of the second contingent from the Boers (loud cheers) and I now show it to you half-mast high (cheers) and upside down. (Grea' cheering.) This flag will show you that Major Cradock and the second contingent had made their wm 80* AUSTRALASIAN COI.ONIKS IN TIIF. WAR. presence felt in Soulli Africa. Il ^ill show j'on that tlicy went there to fijj^ht (clicers) and it is a snlcntiid tribute to tlic services they arc rcndcrinji^ to the Mother Lonntry that tlicy shoukl have been able to wrest the fla.ij from the enemy and send it to New Zealand, where it will remain as an evidence of the pnjwess of her devoted sons who fearlessly fought the foe on behalf of the Mother- land. (Hnthusiastic cheers.) And let nie point out to you that in this flag yon have the eml)leni of what the Boers intended it to be — a South African Republic — because it is the combined flag of the Transvaal and Orange Free State. (Groans.) This is signified by the stripe of yellow across the Transvaal flag. It showed that they were united, but in spitc|of their union Major Cradockand his men tore it from them and sent it home to New Zealand. (Enthusiastic cheers.) And I may here fittingly paraphrase those words with which you are all so familiar and say : ' We've hoisted the Union Jack ; We've beat the Hoers back ; And England will see it through.' (A voice : ' Three cheers for Baden-Powell,' followed by prolonged cheering.) AN EVENT TO BE REMEMBERED. "The relief of Mafeking will never be forgotten so long a.s the history of the British Empire lasts (cheers) and I am sure it M ill never 'iq effaced from the recollection of New Zealanders ; -heers) because in our small way we have done what we could in back np the dear old Mother Country by sending our men, by ' iibscribing our money, and by sending our women as nurses to attend the .sick and the wounded. We have shown the old Country that we in this distant land are prepared to take our share in the responsibilities of defending and increasing the realms of the Empire. (Lond and prolonged cheering.) " Ladies and gentlemen, this is Saturday afternoon (laughter and cheers) and we are not going to mark this great event by having an ordinary half-holiday, and I have the pleasure of informing 37on that Monday has already been proclaimed by the Government a general holiday throughout the colony. (I^oud AUSIKALASIAN COLONICS IN TlIK WAR. • 31 It to lie he ler I of he cheers.) Tin's luis been done because we know that tlio people of New Zeal.'uul are anxious to show in :i j)r()per way and jJiDpcr spirit their apj^reciation of the noble deeds perlornied by those brave men who have so heroically defended Mafekinj^, and on Monday we will show the outside world that we arc trn«':ind loyal Britishers in every .sense of the term. (I'udoni^ed eh' Tn tlie evening the scene assumed carnival proportions. Many )f the shop windows were especially illuminated and decor- ated, and red, white and blue were the predominating colors in the streets. At the General Post Office the illuminations were bril- liant, and reflected great credit on the taste and ingenuity of the staff. Flags of an ornate character were in every window, man}- of them bearing devices appropriate to the occasion. "Relief of Mafeking" burned out in red white and blue lettering over the main entrance, and above in the tower, a searchlight added its fierce rays to the illuminations. On the roof a party of pyrotech- nists were busy dispatching a fine selection of rockets into space, which vied with those sent up from elevations in other parts of the city. With a view to the entertainment of the public, a screen had been thrown over the maiu entrance to the General Post Office, and there were depicted, by means of limelight, pictures of an appropriate character in reference to which an assemblage of many tho'ioands expressed approval or disapproval, as inclination dic- tated. Right throught till midnight parties of revellers paraded the streets waving flags and singing patriotic songs, and it may safely be said that Wellington has never in her previous history witnessed such scenes of sustained and heart-felt enthusiasm. \ ■•■ )ore 'olo- the A ROYAL CELEBRATION. After the ceremony that took place outside the General Post Office to celebrate the relief of Mafeking, a number of gentlemen, at the invitation of the partners adjourned to Messrs. W. M. Ban- natyne and Go's offices, where several loyal and patriotic toasts were proposed and drunk in bumpers. That of "The British Army," coupled with the name of Colonel Baden-Powell, proposed by Mr. Harold Beauchamp, was received with great enthusiasm. The speaker referred to the magnificent courage, skill and resourcefulness displayed by the hero of Mafeking. The story of the defence of Mafeking would constitute one of the brightest pages in Britain's history. Mr Walter Nathan proposed the health, of the ministry, and CC3 -4 34 * AUSTRALASIAN COLONIES IN THE WAR. in doing so remarked that the action of the government in so rap- idly equipping and despatching 2000 troops and 3000 horses to uphold the honor of the Empire had evoked admiration from every portion of Her Majesty's dominions. In replying, the Acting- Premier (the Hon. J. G. Ward) alluded to the versatility of Colo- nel Baden-Powell — his literary, artistic and histrionic abilities, which equalled his skill as a great soldier — and he (Mr. Ward) . claimed that it was the man of many parts, who, nowadays, came to the front and remained there. The toast of the "Post Office Officials," associated with the Secretary, Mr. Wm. Gray, was proposed bv Mr. Beauchamp, v.^ho spoke in very complimentary terms of tic iine patriotic spirit shown by the department. Mr. Wm. Gray suitably replied. "Our Guests" was proposed by the Hon. J. G. Ward and .responded to by Mr. Beauchamp. During the proceedings "Soldiers of the Queen" was excellently sung by Mr. F. V. Waters, the company of course, joining heartily in the chorus. Among those present were the Hons. W. C. Walker, W. Hall-Jones and Jas. Carroll. SIGNAL LIGHTS AND TRANSPARENCIES. The Wellington and Manawatu Railway Company's premises were brilliantly illuminated on Saturday night in honor of the relief of Mafeking. Signal lights, flags and trail Npirencies were used with splendid effect. Beneath the flagstatt ■ t^e centre of the building photos of Baden-Powell and Lord Robei i were prom- inently placed, surrounded by the motto, "All honor to our heroes of Mafeking." The effect of the setting was enhanced by the presence of a Heretaunga horseman and a Wellington naval, standing, rifle in hand, on either side of the central flag. The Garrison Band visited the station, followed by a large crowd, numbering some thousands, about a quarter to nine, and special illuminations were contrived for the entertainment of the visitors whilst listening to the serenade. When the train steamed in at a quarter to ten a stirring scene presented itself The engine was fitted with red lights, and on approaching the station passed over a series of detonators^ AUSTRALASIAN COLONIES IN THE WAR. 35 tors, which exploded with tremendous effect at the same time that a special exhibition of colored lights and rockets was made in the vicinity. The display reflected great credit upon the directors of the company and upon their officials, especially Mr. Daniel Skinner, under whose supervision the arrangements for decoratiou and illumination were carried out. In the churches of the city on Sunday there were thanks- givings for the relief of Mafeking. The Rev. J. G S. Bartlett, in his sermon at St. Paul's Pro-Cathedral at morning prayer, said that "during the last few weeks our thoughts had been specially directed towards that gallauL little band in Mafeking. We had hoped aud prayed, as no doubt they had hoped and prayed, that relief would come to them. Now the whole empire rejoiced that deliverance had come. The British arras had continually fought for the oppressed and the afflicted, as our nation was ever on the side of j ustice and freedom. FIGHTING FOR JUSTICE AND LIBERTY. "As in the past, so to-day we were fighting, not for conquest, but for liberty and right. And God had blessed our nation in this work, and our joy abounded for all the mercies which He had bestowed upon us. For it was God alone who could give us v'ctory, and we blessed and magnified His great and glorious name for this latest victory. We ascribe all the glory to Him who was the only giver of victory. Might He give us grace to improve this great mercy to His glory and the advancement of His kingdom, to the honor of our Sovereign and our country, and as much as in us lay to the good of all mankind." A united thanksgiving meeting in recognition of the relief of Mafeking, was held in Wesley Church, Taranaki street Sunday evening, and, although the weather was unfavorable, some five hundred persons were present. The ministers and congregation represented the Wesleyan, Primitive Methodists, Congregational and Baptist among other churclies. The services consisted of prayers and appropriate hymns. In the prayers the dominant note was thanks to God for the latest victory that has attended 3(5 * AUSTRALASIAN COLONIES IN THE WAR. 11 „ the British arms. There were numerous expressions of confidence in the righteousness of the British cause, and the hope was voiced in more than one instance that l1?p! result of the war v/ould be for the benefit of the dark population of the Transvaal and the Orange Free State. Nearly all the prayers contained petiti jns that the day might soon come when national disputes would be settled without recourse to the arbitrament of war. Before the blessing was asked, a verse of the National Anthem was sung. Before the commencement of the morning services at St. John's Presbyterian Church, on Sunday, the Rev. J. Paterson alluded to the receipt of the intelligence of the relief of Mafeking, and requested the congregation to join in singing the National Anthem^ AUCKLAND WILD WITH ENTHUSIASM. There were great rejoicings in Auckland over the relief of Mafeking. Gnus boomed, bells rang, and the city was gay with flags, the streets being crowded. The Governor unfurled the Union Jack at the Pariiell School, and in his speech made refer- ence to the good news. He said the Empire would come out of the war far stronger and more united than ever before. The gallant defenders of Mafeking and the troops from all parts of the Empire in South Africa showed that the same blood flowed in the veins of Britishers at Home and in the colonies as flowed in the veins of those who fought at Waterloo and in the Peninsular War. He also referred to the splendid loyalty of New Zealand, as exemplified in connection with the war. On driving through town after the ceremony, bis Excellency was heartily cheered by the public. A feature of the celebrations was a crowd of about some thousands of people in front of the "Star" office, where the pro- prietors gave a splendid lantern show, introducing pictures of the British heroes of the Boer war, all of which were received with great cheering. The picture of Colonel Baden-Powell was a signal for tremendous cheering, which was continued for several minutes. The city was wildly enthusiastic at night. At 8 o'clock the AUSTRALASIAN COLONIES IN THE WAR • 3i volunteers marched through the streets. A short halt was made at Government House, and His Excellency gave a brief address. He spoke of the heroic conduct of the garrison, and at the rejoic- ings throughout the Empire at the news of Mafeking's relief. No one would rejoice more sincerely than Her Majesty the Queen. The procession then proceeded to the top of Queen street, where speeches were delivered by Mr. A. Kidd (representing the Mayor, who was indisposed), the Rev. G. MacMurra}^ (vicar of St. Mary's, Parnell), Pastor Clark (Baptist Tabernacle) and Mr. G. Fowlds, M. H. R. On the motion of Mr. MacMurray, a resolution was carried, expressing thankfulness to Almighty God for the relief of Mafe- king, and sympathy with the relatives and friends of those of the heroic garrison, who had been slain. The Doxology and National Anthem were heartily sung, and the volunteers iired a joyous salute. Hawera celebrated the relief by sports and the distribution of gifts for school children in the afternoon, and in. the evening the town was illuminated and there was an open-air concert and a series of patriotic speeches. Prior to the public display there was a thanksgiving service at the Anglican Church, attended by the Maj^or, and councillors and others. WANGANUI ECHOES THE REJOICING. The official confirmation of the relief occasioned an outburst of spontaneous rejoicing at Wanganui. For a couple of hours after the news was announced a pandemonium prevailed — bells, steam whistles and guns making the echoes ring. A roj^al salute was fired by the guns at the Soldiers' Monument, and the Bat- talion Band paraded. On the initiative of Lieutenant-Colonel Watt, a congratulatory telegram was sent to Lieutenant Baden- Powell. The employees at the Easton Railway workshops headed a specially improvised band. They marched down the i:own and took up a collection for the Indian Famine Relief Fund of ^5 los- The official demonstration was held in the evening i.i Cook's Gardens. The volunteers paraded, and speeches were >u* AUSTRALASIAN COLONIES IN THE WAR. made. The scene in the gardens was one to be remembered, and was of the most impressive character. The news of the relief caused intense excitement in Pal- merston. Bells were rung, sirens blown, and a band assembled in the Square, where the National Anthem was played. There was a great gathering of people in the town, and business was suspended for sevpral hours. The Mafeking news was received at Pahiatua with every demonstration of delight. The band turned out, the National Anthem and patriotic airs were sung, and a procession was formed. On receipt of the news of the relief of Mafeking, the band- playing, bell-ringing and gun-firing made a most deafening din at Greymouth. In the evening the fire brigade held a torch-light procession, with a band preceding them. GRAND JUVENILE PROCESSION. The relief of Mafeking was celebrated at Westport by a juvei. "e procession, and in the evening the volunteers, the band and fire brigade marched to the Town Hall, where addresses were delivered by Bishop Mules, Mr. Scanlon (the Mayor), Messrs. McKenzie and Colvin. Patriotic songs were sung, and the voi'un- teers fired three salutes. The town was gay with bunting, and and the people very enthusiastic. The news of the relief of Mafeking was announced by the hoisting of flags on the post office and the ringing of the Cathe- dral and fire bells at Christchurch. The wildest enthusiasm pre- vailed, and business was practically suspended. A trades proces- sion was organized and paraded the streets. At 3 P. M. the Mayor and the leading citizens delivered short addresses to a dense crowd in Cathedral Square. The volunteers with big guns and rifles fired a feu-de-joie (fire of joy), and bands played. In the evening the streets were illuminated, bonfires were burned in Hagley Park, and several effigies of Paul Kruger, which had done duty during the day, were cremated. The news of the relief of Mafeking was the signal for every bell in the town of Timaru to ring out a united and merry peal. AUSTRALASIAN COLONIES IN THE WAR. • 89 The ringing was kept up all through the afternoon. Shops and other business houses closed at once, and immense crowds gathered in the streets. Flags were displayed at all points, and the crowds cheered themselves hoarse. In the afternoon the Garrison Band and the military, the friendly societies, cyclists and citizens formed a procession. The procession was over a mile long, and after parading the principal streets the crowd massed in front of the po^t ofhce. Patriotic speeches were made from a window by the Mayor (Mr. John Hole), Archdeacon Harper, Commandant Laing Meason (who made special reference to the women at Mafeking), Mr. Kent, the Rev. W. Gillies, Mr. R. C. Tennent and the Rev. J. N. Buttle, each taking a diiferent view of the subject. The crowd cheered enthusiastically, especially at every reference to Colonel Baden-Powell and the Queen. TORCHLIGHT PARADE AND SPEECHES. At night there was a great torchlight procession. More speeches were made, and the reading of a telegram from Mr. Ward led to great applause. A huge bonfire was lit, and there was a splendid display of fireworks. Never before was such a happy and magnificent celebration seen here. The demonstration in connection with the relief of Mafeking began at 3 o'clock in the morning at Omaru, when the "Times" hands rang the bells. In a few minutes six railway engines which were drawn up in line had their whistle valves opened and were shrieking, while every other whistle and bell in the town joined in chorus. No other public demonstration was made till the official news was received, when the towns-people gave up business and went in for jubilation. At night there w?.s a great torchlight procession, the town being illuminated. On news arriving at Dunedin confirming the report of the statement that Mafeking had been relieved, a large crowd assembled at the Town Hall, where the Mayor gave a brief address. In view of this fine demonstration — over which the people were now self-complacent — no further steps were taken to 40 * AUSTRALASIAN COLONIES IN THE WAR. celebrate the event. The streets were however, thronged by good humored crowds. Confirmation of Mafeking's relief reached Invercargill about 1.30 p. m., and within a quarter of an hour the commotion in the main streets was something to remember. Flags were flying in every direction. The fire, church, factory and dinner bells were ringing, and the noise of instruments, from tin whistles to a big drum, rent the air. The Garrison Band turned out and played through the streets to the rotunda, where the throng listened to patriotic speeches by several public men. At night the celebra- tions continued in the form of a fireworks display. MELBOURNE SHOUTS AND WAVES FLAGS. The news from Mafeking electrified Melbourne. From early morn the people began to throng in from all the suburbs to the city, and trams and trains poured their ever increasing loads of humanity all the forenoon into the heart of the metropolis. The march of the Victorian naval and military forces was the great attraction of the day, and no better evidence of the enthusiastic favor with which the defenders of the country were regarded could be found than the immense crowd which assembled at every point along the line of route to add their acclamations to the gen- eral outburst of fervid rejoicing at the relief of Mafeking, and the triumph of its gallant defender, Major-General Baden-Powell. A military officer who took part in the procession, and who had a good opportunity of estimating the number of people in the streets, gave it as his opinion that no fewer than 200,000 persons took part in the unparalleled display of loyal enthusiasm. The city was splendidly decorated with flags, and public and private buildings vied with each other in gorgeous ornamentation. With military punctuality the march of the Victorian forces began exactly at half-past two o'clock, the prearranged time. With ' a handful of mounted policeman to clear the way, the military commandant, Major-General Downes, on horseback, accompanied by his staff, left the barrack square at the head of a force which represented every local arm of the service. Navy, artillery, eugi- AUSTRALASIAN COLONIES IN THE WAR. • 41 neers, militia infantry, army service, ambulance, the Melbourne Scottish Regiment, and the cadets were all included, and it is a noteworthy fact that for a purely metropolitan parade, in which none of the country corps were included, it was the largest ever held in Melbourne. No fewer than 2,407 officers and men of all ranks took part in the parade, and so admirably had all the arrangements been made that not a single hitch occurred in the military organization. The welcome which was given to the troops was something to remember, for the people in the streets seemed to recognize that the men who were marching before their eyes were the brothers- in-arms of the Victorians who showed such devoted heroism on many a South African battlefield, and the comrades of those who fell at Rendsburg were surely well worth cheering. MARCHING REGIMENTS AND BANDS. When the troops arrivec' in the city the crowd fairly surged across the line of march, and as the procession swung round the corner of Swanston street and Collins street, the soldiers had great difficulty in continuing their progress. The formation of fours in which they started was broken up, and singly or in pairs they slowly worked their way along, with many halts, to the objective, which was Parliament House. Many of the regiments were accompanied by their bands, and when the entire populace took up the strains and chanted "Soldiers of the Queen" in a chorus that echoed from the Town Hall to the Government offices in Spring street, the effect was soul-stirring. At Parliament House, His Excellency the Lieutenant-Gover- nor, who was accompanied by Lady Madden, by taking advantage of a friendly side gate, was able to place himself in the position assigned to him, and, surrounded by his Ministers and by the officers of Parliament, he addressed the assembled troops with all his customary eloquence. "It was his first duty," he observed, "to convey Her Majesty's gratitude to her brave soldiers, and to her well-beloved people." He went on to say that it was to show the gladness of their hearts that they were honoring Major* 42 • AUSTRALASIAN COLUNIES IN THE WAR. General Badeii-Powell and his glorions band of British heroes who stood so valiantly to their gnns at Mafeking. Then with a crash of loyal ninsic, and amid the hnrrahs of the people, who filled every inch of standing space almost as far as the eye conld see, the procession marched off once more, taking the ronte down Bonrke street and Elizabeth street, and so by Flinders street to the St. Kilda road. There were a few awkward moments for the police and mounted officers in Bonrke street and Elizabeth street, owing to the danger- ons practice of throwing fireworks, which was indnlged in by many persons whose enthnsiasm got the better of their judg- ment, but fortunately, serious accidents were avoided, and the troops were disbanded quietly on the St. Kilda road again. And then, with waving of flags and salvos of cheering, with songs and toasts, illuminations, and impromptu processions, Mafeking Day wore to a close, and the unparalleled manifesta- tion of rejoicing that will live long in the memories of all who took part in it, was over. HOW THE VICTORIANS FELL. A Boer described to one of the war correspondents the mag- nificent courage displayed by the Australians when they attempted to rescue the Worcesters who had fallen into a Boer trap. The fight took place near Colesberg during the struggle round that town. "What do you think of Australians as fighters?" He carried one arm in a sling, and the bandage round his neck hid a bullet wound. "The Australians can fight," he said simply. " They Tvounded me, and — they ki/^d my father." " Tell me, comrade, of the Australians who fell. They were mj'- countrymen." • - "It was a cruel fight," said the young man. 'We had ambushed a lot of the British troops — the Worcesters, I think they called them. They could neither advance nor retire ; we had penned them in like sheep, and our field cornet. Van Leyden, was beseeching them to throw down their rifles to save being slaught- AUSTRALASIAN COLO.MES IN THE WAR • 48 ered, fov they had no chauce. Just then we saw about a hundred Australians come bounding over the rocks in tlie gully ])ehind us. Tliere were two great big men in front cheering them on. We turned and gave them a volley, but it did not stop them. They rushed over everything, firing as they came, not wildly, but as men who know the use of a rifle, with the quick, sliarp, upward jerk of the shoulder, the rapid sight, and then the shot. " They knocked over a lot of our men, biit we had a splendid position. They had to expose tliemselves to get to us, and we shot them as they came at us. They were rushing to the rescue of the English. It was splendid, but it was madness. On they came and we lay behind the boulders, and our rifles snapped and snapped again at pistol range, but we did not stop those wild men until they charged right into a little basin which was fringed around all its edges by rocks covered with bushes. Our men lay there as thick as locusts, and the Australians were fairly trapped. They were far worse off" than the Worcesters up high in the ravine. ••FORWARD, AUSTRALIA 1 NO SURRENDER!" "Our field cornet gave the order to cease firing, and called on them to throw down their rifles or die. Then one of the big officers — a great rough-looking man, with a voice like a bull — roared out, ' Forward, Australia ! No surrender.' Those were the last words he ever uttered, for a man on my right put a bullet clean between his eyes, and he fell forward dead. We found later that his name was Major Eddy, of the Victorian Rifles. "He was as brave as a lion, but a Mauser bullet will stop the bravest. His men dashed at the rocks like wolves ; it was awful to see*them ; they smashed at our heads with clubbed rifles or thrust their rifles up against us through ; he rocks and fired. One after another their leaders fell. The second big man went down early, but he was not killed. He Avas shot shrough the groin but not dangeroush'. His name was Captain M'Inerney. There was another one, a little man named Lieutenant Roberts ; he was shot through t1)o heart. Some of the others I forget. The men v^'ouid not throw down their rifles ; they fought like furies. n * AUSTKAL/\S1.\N COLONIKS IN THE WAR. " One 'nan I saw climb right on to the rocky ledge where Big Jan Aldrechi was stationed. Jnst as hegotthere a bnllet took him, and he staggered and dropped his lifle. Big Jan jnniped forward to catch him before he toppled over the ledge, bnt the Australian struck Jan in the mouth with his clenched fist and fell over into the ravine below and was killed. '' We killed and wounded an awful lot of them, but some got away ; they fought their wa}'^ out. I saw a long row of their dead and wounded laid out on the slope of a farmhouse that evening — they were all young men, fine big fellows. I could have cried to look at them lying so cold and still." HEROISM OF COLONIAL TROOPS. "n South Africa writes alian troops and their A special correspondent at the fror thus enthusiastically concerning the i heroism : " It seems but yesterday since Major-General Hutton com- manded in New South Wales. Now he commands the Austra- lasian Brigade in South Africa. A federal force at the front is an accomplished fact. The scattered Australasian units have been brought together, and welded into a very efficient fighting brigade. Much good ought to result from the new order of things. The fighting material was there ; it needed but organization to put it into «hape. "The choice of a brigadier is a particularly happy one. Major-General Hutton knows his men — Australasians and Canadians. It has long been Lord Roljcrts' desire that the colonial troops, as a body, should form a distinct fighting unit. Innumerable difficulties stood in the way, but the genius o^' Bobs' overcame all in a manner that effectually quenched the slumber- ing fire of dissatisfaction. With any of the local Australasian officers in command there would have been trouble in store for the brigade, but no exception is taken to our ex-commandant's appointment. He is the old indefatigable Hutton — the tireless worker and keen administrator. " I met him an hour after he stepped off the train at Bloem- AUSTRALASIAN COLONIES IN THE WAR • 46 fontciu. He liad had a fatiguing journey from Kiniberley, but with Major Lord Rosniead, his aide-de-camp, he was starting off to hunt up the New South Wales troops. Then his shoukler straps were bare, but next morning he liad mounted the cross swords of a major-general. Legge and his men he foun I bivouacking in a mud vlei, with shelter improvised out of bl \nkets. Colonel Knight and his contingent was east of Karee Siaing, twenty-five miles from Bloemfontein, holding our most advanced post, with the enemy sniping night and day, and a couple of feet of water in the trenches. "One of the General's first acts — after visiting the Australians in hospital — was to send a case of provisions to Legge's starving command, for the supply of bully and " forty-nines " — army biscuit — h:i I given out. That the army moves on its belly is with him an article of faith. ' Eat first, then I want you to work.' Such were his instructions. BRTLi-lANT PARADE AND INSPECTION. " Next day there was a parade and inspection. The men rose from their rain-sodden b/vouac looking like so many retrievers emerging after a dip at Mrs. Macquarie's Chair. They faodto attention in two feet of mud. The horses looked tucked up and famished, but they carried their riders to the assault of an imagi- nary kopje. The next and succeeding days the Queenslanders and New Zealanders had a day out, under precisely similar con- ditions. The last-named two profess to see that no good \vill come of the amalgamation. We don't want Hutton ; we will lose our identity and our respective Governments will kick against the arrangement, say they. " We were favored by a visit f^om Messrs. Sleath and O' Conor, members of the N. S. W. Parliam-i.^t, who are here to study the South African problem on the spot. Their arrival was not heralded by any beat of drum, and there was no deputation to meet them at the station. They arrived unobtrusively in a goods truck one morning before daylight, having successfully run the gauntlet of British military officialism, from Bethulie Bridge. • , I. 46 AUSTRALASIAN COLONIES IN THE WAR. The member for Wilcannia no-w boasts an extensive military vocabulary. Sucli terms as 'frontal attack,' 'turning movement,' 'enfilading fire,' 'infantry in echelon,' flow from him unceasingly. " He and his colleague were taken for Boer spies at Bethulie, while pursuing their laudable eiforts to get to the front. The adventure is best given in Mr. Sleath's own words : ' We arrived at De Aar soon after the enemy had retired northwards from Nor- mal's Pont. Although duly accredited from Capetown, we were told we could not proceed. Finding it impossible to get through by way of Norval's Pont, which is the most direct route, we had to resort to strategy, and decided to get round the British flank at Bethulie. MISTAKEN FOR BOER SPIES. « < On arrival at the latter point, and after a heated interview with a beardless subaltern, who surveyed us through a monocle, we were told that we could not proceed. In fact, we were detained pending the receipt of instructions from headquarters. To -while time,' continued Mr. Sleath, ' we climbed a neighboring kopje, in order to reconnoitre. Our appearance there caused something like consternation in the camp below. They took us for Boer spies, who had come to see what was doing, and they turned out their whole available force in order to capture us. I didn't like the looks of things,' added Mr. 31eatli, 'especially when I saw one crowd with fixed bayonets working round on our rear. I first thought the camp commandant had arranged a review for our particular edification. " ' We were soon undeceived. Some one called out to ns to halt. I thought this somewhat funny, seeing that we were halted. Anyhow, I thought it was time to vacate the position, so O' Conor and myself decided to retire on our base — the local hotel. We had not gone very far before we were surrounded, so there was nothing for it but unconditional surrender, and we went back to camp, hemmed in by a glistening line of bayonets.' " ' We've caught them, sir, ' reported the officer in charge of the party to the camp commandant. Visions of two members dig- ging their own graves preparatory to being shot flashed across AUSTRALASIAN COLONIES IN THE WAR. ♦ 47 LS to Ited. )tior We Avas Ik to of dig- iross the minds of Sleath and O' Conor. Certainly for a few minutes things looked black for the pair, and the Wilcannia and Sher- brooke seats became very near to being declared vacant, owing to the sudden death of the respective members. Explanations fol- lowed. Though satisfied as co their identity, the commandant wore the air of a man who was soriy to have to forego a real pleas- ure. Sleath and O' Conor were given their conge, and were told to trek at once. They lost no time in shaking the inhospitable dust of Bethulie off their feet. " A train came along, they boarded an open truck, and wedg- ing tliemselves in among camp kettles and quartermaster's stores, they duly reached the capital of the Orange Free State. Neither of them appears to be particularly impressed with the British army or its officers. The member for Wilcannia feels sure if some of the officers were put into a stockyard in daylight they would lose themselves in attempting to get out. Certainly the visitors have seen whatever there has been co see. They even inspected the New South Wales contingents. Mr. Sleath has developed a keen military instinct, and is bent on becoming the expert of the House. He is amassing facts and figures, which he intends to spring upon an astonished Parliament m due course, and upon a a gentleman whom he dubs 'the Paddmgton Pompom.' A DAY AT THE FRONT ENOUGH. " Yesterday Wilcannia's elect arraying himself in a khaki helmet, visited our outposts 20 miles northeast of here, where the N. S. W. Mounted Infantry are on duty. It is asserted that he scored an outer off a Boer, who was injudicious enough to show himself while Sleath was looking along a rifle barrel. Not keen on bivouacing in a foot or so of water, Mr. Sleath returned to Bloemfontein, after a day at the front on active service. " Two days ago both members were granted an interview by Lord Roberts. The Field Marshal chatted amicably for ten minutes, and concluded by expressing a hope that his arrange- ments would permit him to visit Australia at the conclusion of the war. ' Lady Roberts is just as anxious as I am to see Australia ' 48 * AUSTRALASIAN COLONIES IN THE WAR. added his Lordship. Lady Roberts has relatives living ai Geelong (Vic). "Since the enemy smashed up Broadwood's column aiid captured the waterworks at Sanna's Post, cutting off the city supply, there has been an epidemic of sickness among the troops. The scarcity of water, the want of shelter of any kind from the heavy rain that has fallen intermittently for a couple of weeks, has led to an outbreak of enteric. Death has been busy iu the ranks of the Australians. Corporal Harkus, of the Lancers, succumbed on April 4, after a short illness. He was one of the Aldershot coutingeut, and one of the best all-around men that our Lancer Regiment possessed. His comrades deplore the loss of a true soldier and a sterling good fellow. ESCAPED BULLETS TO DIE IN HOSPITAL. " He was with French's division at Koodoosrand and Paarde- berg, took part in all the fierce fighting and trying marches that marked the cavalry advance eastward to Bloemfontein. He survived the bullets oul}^ to fall a victim to the fever. He died in the New South Wales Hospital. All that human care and skill could do was done for him by Major Fiaschi and his staff. Two days before Harkus died Ma^ or- General Hutton saw him, and the visit seemed to brighten him up considerably. Lieutenant Basche of the Mounted Infantry, also a victim to fever, was buried, the funeral being attended by General Hamilton, commanding the Mounted Infantry Division ; Major-General Hutton, Colonel Knight, Captain Legge, Lieutenant Newman, and other N. S. W. officers. About a month ago, on the March across the Free State, Basche sustained a severe fall from his horse, owing to the animal putting its foot in a meercat hole. He was recovering from the inj ury when he was attacked by fever. " Basche was a valued member of the N. S. W. Army Service Corps, and, if I remember rightly, was a clerk in the N. S- W. Treasury. Both he and Corporal Harkus are buried in the pretty little cemetery at the base of Monument Hill, where already many an Australian sleeps his last sleep." AUSTRALIA TO THE FRONT. BY J. BAXIvER. In this short article I intend to place before my readers an account of the spontaneous outburst of enthusiasm and unwavering loyalty of the Australians to the cause of the Empire. The ear- nestness with which this great people applied themselves to the task of raising and despatching the various contingents that have sailed from these shores, is truly grand and admirable. It has been my pleasure to visit the various colonies, and to look upon and admire the brave men who so readily and nobly came to the front, in the time of the Empire's need. Wherever I have seen them, the same spirit has been mpuifest, settling down to drills and, in many instances, unique experiences exceptionally well. I have heard more than one drill instructor say, " Well done." PROUD OF THE LOYAL AUSTRALIANS. Kice w. ^etty iady Now that the end of this sad war has come, we feel more than ever proud of these brave fellows, who have fought so nobly, and endured so much. Australia will never forget her braves, nor yet the mother land, in whose interests they offered themselves so freely. I am purposely refraining from reporting speeches of our great men on the departure of the various contingents, because if I attempted it, I could fill a volume far larger than the complete book of which this chapter forms a part ; neither can I dwell upon the merits of our officers, or the contingents despatched by the var- ious colonies. I would look upon the various colonial contingents as one grand army, and the valor and loyalty of one colony, the same as that of the rest. All have done their best and nobly so. Governors, governments and people have come to the fore, as one great mighty nation, whose mission is to extend the beneficent rule of the Fnglish speaking peoples. ,: DD , .. *49 IBI 50* AUSTRALASIAN COLONIES IN THE WAR- I remember well some of our critics severely criticising the offers made by Australians, but now bave become converted ; an army approaching 10,000 has assured them that here is the right kind of men. The nations must look on, and reckon with this fac- tor in future struggles with the Bnipire. The page of British his- tory will prove exceedingly interesting from this on, containing accounts of colonial bravery on the field, and her noble contribution towards the building up, and cementing together, a great nation and a company of nations. It will give to the colonies a stronger voice in imperial affairs. In the accounts of the departure of the various contingents, I intend to be as brief as possible, and to reserve some portion for the mention of the appreciation of our men, by those in a position to judge. On the nth day of October, 1899, the Australian Lancers were accorded a tremendous ovation on their departure from London for the seat of war. The English newspapers spoke highly of them, a,nd the massed bands of the Grenadier Guards led them on, amid the cheering of the crowds who lined London streets. SPLENDID SPECTACLE AND LOUD CHEERS. On the 29th day of October, the departure of the New South Wales contingent and army medical corps was a magnificent and imposing spectacle, witnessed by thousands of people ; the enthusi- asm was intense, and the line of route extending through Oxford St., Bourke St., William St., Park St. and Circular Quay was lined with an enthusiastic populace, who cheered them vociferously. Every balcony, window, and available space was occupied by those anxious to get a farewell glimpse of, and to cheer the brave men, who were leaving for the battlefield. Inspiriting addresses were delivered ; the men more than ever determined to show the jpeople of Australia, who loved every man in the contingent, the stuff they were made of, and to make the Boer feel the impetus of the energy of Australian soldiers. The departure of the second and main body of the New South Wales contingent a week later, is spoken of in the local press as a AUSTRALASIAN COIvONIKS IN THE WAR. *51 tremendous send-off, eclipsing that of the previous Saturday, the men making a gallant display, and when the steamship Aberdeen cast oif her moorings there was a mighty demonstration, at the quay. As on the previous Saturday, the city was gaily decorated, the streets lined with eager faces, who, cheering lustily, followed up the rear, until the quay was reached. As the Aberdeen steamed slowly down the harbor, she was accompanied by every ferry-boat crowded to excess. The boats were responsible for the tre^'iendous din they raised, which was to indicate the overcharged feelings of the citi- zens, and amid the blaze of bands, the shouts of thousands of peo- ple, the waving of hats, the tears of relatives and love(f ones, and the good wishes of everybody the contingent had gone. EVERY MEMBER A LOYAL PATRIOT. On the 15th of November, the Newcastle people were favored, as the port of departure of another detachment of troops. Newcas- tle was selected. Sj^dney so far had been the centre of operations, and Newcastle rose to the occasion, and gave to the men a very hearty send-off. In the course of an address to the n ?n, the mayor said all hoped they would have an opportunity of winning the lau- rels they dese ed, and he was satisfied that each member of the contingent would prove a credit to the Empire for which he was about to fight. Until the steamship Langton Grange had passed out of sight, the people vented their feelings in the popular songs of the day and hearty cheering. The departure of the steamship Warrigal with the members of " A " Battery, was not accompanied by any public demonstra- tion, hit nevertheless they were accorded quite as genuine a send-off as the previous contingents by the great numbers who gathered on the quay to witness their embarkation. It was thought advisable to defer a public demonstration, until the departure of another and larger body of men. They sailed away after very spirited ad- dresses by ministers and others. They are described as the best in the service, and a model of what will be in the future the com- monwealth artillery. 152* AUSTRALASIAN COLONIES IN THE WAft. The fourth contingent of Lancers for service in South Africa left Sydney by the steamship Australasian,, on Februarj'' 17th. The contingent left Victoria barracks at 8.15 A.M., mounted in ser- vice marching order, preceded by the Royal Artillery, a band and a body of mounted troopers. They were loudly cheered by their comrades and members of other regiments, and in Oxford St. they received quite an ovation. GREAT SEND-OFF FOR THE LANCERS. They were addressed by the Premier, who after complimenting them, said the Lancers at the front had shown that they were capa- ble of upholding the honor of their regiment, and he felt sure the present detachment would not be behind their comrades in that respect. As the time for departure drew near, the crowd increased ; the brow of the hill outside the wharf was crowded with spectators. Shortly after 3 o'clock the warning bell rang, and amidst frantic waving of handkerchiefs, affectionate good-byes and hearty cheering they sailed. The Bushmen's contingent sailed in the Atlantian and Maple- more, two fine steamers, on Feb. 28th, 1900. It was the occasion of another monster demonstration, excelling if possible all its pre- decessors ; it seemed as if the whole of Australia was en fete^ and had turned out to give her noble sons a fitting send-off, a hearty " God bless you," and a wish for their safe and speedy return. It was indeed a spectacle beyond description. The line of route lay along the principal streets of Sydney, and as this great body of men came streaming down, en-route for South Africa, the excitement was unparalleled ; it looked as if the city had gone mad with joy. Right along the line men and women grasped hold of hands of the bushmen, for a last shake, and the faces of all became a perfect picture. Mothers, fathers, friends with tear-stricken faces, giving their sons a longing look and a heart-spoken " Good-bye, be careful," joined in the heartiest send-off I ever had the pleasure of witness- ing. The shouting and cheering was deafening. The complete order of procession was as follows : AUSTRAI^ASIAN COLONIES IN THE WAR. *53 Half Squadron Lancers. Royal Navy, by pemiission of His Excellency the Admiral. Official carriages. G. O. L. and staff. Band of the Xvaucers. "A" Squadron, " D " Squadron, Detachment of " B" Squadron. Bushmen's Contingent to embark on the Steamship Atlantian. Police Band. Detachments " B " Squadron, " C " Squadron. Bushmen's Contingent to embark on the Steamship Maplemore. Band of the R. A. A. Third Contingent. Half Squadron Lancers. Four government steamers accompanied the huge transports, as they steamed slov/ly down the harbor, amid tremendous cheering. SALUTATION FROM AMERICA. One of tht most notable streamers stretching across Pitt St., from the .Mutual Life Association of New York building, had the accompanying cheering message, " America Salutes the Brave Bushmen of Australia," while a little down the same street was another, with the ever welcome words, " Good Luck." So ended the day, which had been a tremendous ovation. The men were addressed by the Governor, the Premier, Major General French, Hon, Ed. Barton, Hon. John Lee, Minister for Defence, Hon. Mr. O'Sullivan, Minister for Works, and Lieutenant Col. Wright. The departure of t'. . Imperial Bushmen's contingent, on April 23rd, was emphasized by an amount of enthusiasm worthy of the occasion, yet it hardly reached the height which swept over the city on the 28th of February. They were a fine body of men, who were just as determined as those who had gone before to defend . imperial interests. The city was gaily decorated, and its streets crowded with appreciative people. ; - 54* AUSTRALASIAN COLONlJiS IN THE WAR. In the course of an address by the Governor, he made note of the fact, and pointed out to them that they, the Imperial Bush- men's contingent, formed the first body of troops leaving under Imperial pay. He assured them that the sympathy not only of New South Wales, but of the whole Empire would be with them, and he wished them good luck, and a safe return. VAST CROWD AND GREAT DEMONSTRATION. Colonel Mackay, the popular leader of the contingent, together with his 750 men were cheered again and again by the thousands of spectators, as they approached the vessel that was to carry them to South Africa. The British war-ships lying in the harbor made quite a display, as did also the numerous steamers of the many companies trading to this port, and thus the shipping contributed nobly to the ^reat national event. The spectators on the shore were mull nous, and when, at near 6 o'clock, everything was in readiness, and the last whistle had sounded, there was great activity. A crowd of small steamers accompanied the steamer Armen- ian to her anchorage, amid tremendous cheering and the music of several bands. It is estimated that over 300,000 persons witnessed their departure. As a token of German sympathy in the present struggle, the German steamer Gera was gaily decorated, and in the evening burnec' 'ed fire, as the Armenian put to sea with the noble bushies. On the battlefield these sons of the Empire, " Australia's best," have proved themselves equal to the demands made upon them ; they have fought nobly, and at the time of writing two of these braves have been recommended for the Victoria Cross. Rudyard Kipling in a letter to J. B. Wellings, Esq., dated Capetown, April, 1900, says: "I had the pleasure of seeing some of -your Sydney boys at work near Bloemfontein the other day, and they did it well." Field Marshal Lord Roberts in a cable to the War Office pub- lished in London, May 7, stated that the Canadians, New South Wales, the New Zealand, and the Queensland Mounted Infantry vied with each other in their determination to close with the enemy AUvSTRALASIAN COLONIES IN THK WAR. *5& during the righting on the banks of the Vet River. The trbops captured a Maxim gun and 25 Boers. I have selected the following cases as a type of the rest to show the bravery and determination. Lieutenant Harris, of the InuiS- killings, son of Sir Matthew Harris, mayor of Sydney, picked up a wounded man, and took him up behind him, and the moment that he did so a bullet killed the man, and another tore a great gash in young Harris's mare. She struggled down the hill with her entrails hanging out, aud got her rider out of danger, and then dropped dead. Trooper Tom Morris, one of those recommended for the Vic- toria Cross, is spoken of as the plucky Singleton lad. The circum- stance that gave rise to his recommendation, which it is understood will be confirmed, is reported as follows : HOT SHOT FROM BOTI- SIDES. " We were at Arundel near Colesburg, and a body of us were ordered out under Major Lee, to examine a row of kopjes ab ;Ut four miles long. We had ridden along for half the distance without finding any sign of the enemy, when they suddenly opened fire on us from the kopjes on both sides. All we had to do was to draw their fire, so we started back at once. I was near the rear of the detachment and as I rode along I could see the Boers coming round the other kopje to cut us oif. " TV en I looked back to see if any of them were following us and saw '^rooper Harrison's horse fall. It was shot under him. So I went back and took Harrison up and galloped away." Such is the modest story he tells himself. His comrades however tell more. They say as Harrison fell the Boers rushed down from the kopjes on both sides towards him, evidently intending to make him prisoner, but the others maintained such a heavy fire that he was forced to take cover behind the body of the dead horse. A number of Boers also closed in from the kopjes on either side, and were firing after the retreating Lancers, at the very moment Morris turned his head. Swinging his horse round he galloped back right in the face of the fire, picked up Harrison 56* AUSTRALASIAN COLONIES IN THE WAR. witli the enemy scattering bullets from three sides of them, and rode back safely, running the gauntlet of the enemy for the second time. VICTORIA CROSS FOR A GALLANT TROOPER. Trooper A. Kruger, of German parentage, born in Ballarat, Victoria, in 1870, is the second one recommended for the Victoria Cross, on account of his truly noble effort to save Lieutenant Hensman, who had been shot. It seemed a tas!i impossible ; the firing was exceedingly heavy. Giving his rifle to Lieutenant Darling, he crawled along behind cover, over the top of a big flat rock, which when examined after- wards was chipped all over with bullets. For 40 yaids he crawled along, until he reached the wounded man, who had been hit with a soft-nosed bullet, which had splintered four inches of his thigh bone, and entered his other leg. Cutting away the breeches, he dressed it, the Boers keeping up a hot fire all the time. Trooper Conway came along to help them, without a scratch. Kruger asked Conway to shovel up some earth to make a pillow for Hensman, who at this time was suffering terribly from the pain in his back. Conway scooped two handfuls of earth, and while fetching the third was shot, the bullet passing through his head, scattering his brains on Hensman and Kruger. In spite of the bandage Kruger waved, the Boers kept up the hail of bullets, and coming closer called on them to surrender. Kruger got hold of Conway's rifle, shot three of the enemy, which steadied them. Taking off his putties, he strapped Lieutenant Hensman to his rifle. He was carried away by the relief party, and died in the hospital a few days afterwards. Both ^lorris and Kru- ger have been uivalided to the colonies, and the people are justly proud of their heroes. They are indeed a specimen of the rest, w ho would do exactly the same under similar circumstances. The correspondent of the ^' Dundee Advertiser " (and also of the " Daily News "), writing from Burghersdorp on March 2 1 , says : .—I had a good many opportunities of chatting with Boers during AUSTRALASIAN COLONIES IN THE WAR. ^57 the time which elapsed between my capt^tre and liberation, and had a long talk with the President of the Orange Free State, Mr. Steyn, and also with several of his Ministerial coUeagnes. Their ministers of religion, whom they call predikants, also chatted to me freely as occasions offered. I had more than one interview with their fighting generals. Medical men in Llieir service I fonnd very mnch akin to onr own medical men. They stated that they patched up the wounded and asked no questions concerning nation- ality, just as our own doctors do. BOERS SAY AUSTRALIANS ARE FIGHTERS. " You, of course, blame all the colonials, Australians and others, for coming to fight against you ? " I asked a Boer. " I don't know that I do, or that my people do in a sense," the veteran replied. '* It all depends upon the spirit which animated them. If your Australians, who are of British blood, came here to fight for the motherland, believing that the cause was a just and a holy one, and that she needed you, they did right." " What do you fellows think of the Australians as fighters ? '* "The Australians can fight," one said simply. "They wounded me and they killed my father." Perhaps it was the wind sighing through the hospital trees that made the Boer lad's voice grow strangely husky ; possibly the same cause filled the blue eyes with unshed tears. " It was in fair fight, lad," I said, gently. " It was the fortune of war." " Yes," he murmured, " it was in fair fight, in awful fight. I hope I'll never look upon another like it. I did not hate your Australians ; I did not want to kill any of them. My father had no ill-will to them, nor they to him ; yet he is out there — out there, between two great kopjes, where the wind always blows cold and dreary at night time." , : " Tell me, comrade, of the Australians who fell. They were my countrymen." " It was a cruel fight," he said. " We had ambushed a lot of British troops — the Worcesters I think tL'^y called them. They 58* ATTSTRAI.ASIAN COLON. IvS IN THE WAR. could neither advance ror retire. We had penned them in like sheep, and our field ^'ornet, Van Leyden, was beseeching them to throw down their rifle • cO save l)einj^ slaughtered, for they had no chance. Just then we saw about kxd Australians come bounding on the rocks in the gully behind us. RUSHING TO RESCUE THEIR COMRADES. " There were two great big men in front cheering them on. We turned and gave them a volley, but it did not stop them. They rushed over everything, firing as they came, not wildly, but as men who knew the use of the rifle, with the quick, sharp, upward jerk to the shoulder, the rapid sight, and then the shot. They knocked over a lot of our men, but we had a splendid position. They had to expose themselves to get to us, and we shot them as they came at us. ** They were rushing to the rescue of the English. It was splendid, but it was madness. On they came, and we lay behind the boulders, and our rifles snapped and snapped again at pistol range, but we did -"lot stop those wild men until they charged right into a little basin, which was ranged around all its edges by rocks covered with bushes. " Our men lay there as thick as locusts, and the Australians were fairly trapped. They were far worse off than the Worcesters up high in the ravine. Our Field Cornet gave the order to cease tiring, and called on them to throw down their rifles or die. Then one of their officers — a great, rough-looking man, with a voice like n bull, roared out, ' Forward, Australia ; no surrender.' Those were the last words he ever uttered, for a man on the right put a bullet clear between his eyes, and he fell forward dead. We found later that his name was Major Eddy, of the Victorian Rifles. He was as brave as a lion, but a Mauser bullet will stop the bravest. His men dashed at the rocks like wolves. It was awful to see them. They smashed at our heads with clubbed rifles or thrust their rifles up against us through the rocks and fired. "One after another their leaders fell. The second big ].::;-i went down early, but he was not killed. He was shot through llic AUvSTRALASlAN COLONIlvvS IN TIIIv WAR. *59 groin, but not dangerously. His ncainc was Captain M'Inncrary. There was another one, a little man, named Lieutenant Thorn. He was shot through the heart. Some others — I forget the men- would not throw down their rifles, but fought like furies." CONGRATULATIONS FROM THE PREMIER. Major General Hutton is loud in his praises of the colonials, and congratulated them on their fighting qualities. In a letter to the Premier of this colony dated Kroonstadt, May i6, 1900, he says : " The cheerfulness with which your New South Wales rifle- men have taken ali the hardships and discomforts of the campaigu makes me feel proud of having been associated with them as their general in the past, and of being the general commanding in the present. ... It gives me gr jat pleasure to offer you and your gov- ernment my hearty congratulations upon being represented by such fine soldiers." I cannot close without a special reference to the New South Wales Army Medical Corps. Their praises are in everyone's mouth, ana I am told that every sick and wounded soldier, of what- ever branch of the service, hopes that providence may place him under the care of the New South Wales Ambulance. The noble women who have gone to the front as nurses, are worthy of all praise and we may rest assured they have played their part well. There is every reason to believe that our. braves will add to the laurels, and the more we know of them the more are we proud. The people oi the colonies have responded nobly to the claims made, in sending off" and caring for her boys at the front, and the returned ones have been cordially welcomed home. The rest when they return will have an ovation, outshining by far that of their departure. I cannot close this article without mention of the fact that so grand a body of men are they, and so desirable a class of settlers, that it is said Cecil Rhodes returned specially to offci* attractions to induce them to settle in South Africa. We want them here. This is their home, and we will always see to them. 60* AUSTRALASIAN COLONIES IN THE WAR; In concluding this inaJequate testimony to the brave colonial sons of the Empire, I would like to make note of a special body of fifty bushmen, who formed the famous " Forbes Fifty," a noble body, and a credit to that part of the country from which they came. Many of our sons have been invalided home, and as a proof of our sincerity, we have with every one who has returned so .far, accorded them a genuine welcome home. - "* ~^"gyT Tta al of y> le. iir ed