The Sun.
London, England, 1865-09-20 00:00:00

The Boers and the Basuto Kaffirs.

(From the Friend of the Free State.)
The engagement of the 29th of June at Ver-
keerde Vley was brought on entirely by accidental
circumstances, and the result shows what can be
done by a few men showing only ordinary pluck.
It seems that early in the morning Mr. Willem van
Zijl, field-cornet of the Kaffir River ward, left Boer
camp with about 200 men for the purpose of patrol-
ling the country ; and riding about all day many
got tired, or afraid, and returned to camp, reducing
the strength of the patrol to 116 men. Towards
the afternoon these men came in sight of a large
body of the enemy, mustering, as they assert, about
3,000 mounted men, having in their possession
about7s,ooo sheep, 2,409- head of cattle, and a
number of horses, being the plunder of Keerom and
the adjoining farms. When the patrol first sighted
this force, they (the Basutos) were between them
and the laager they had left in the morning, and as
there was no possibility of reaching the camp, Van
Zijl thought it his wisest course to keep on their
skirts, out of range, and, as occasion might offer,
to cut off stragglers. -Now to return a moment to
the camp. Owing to the desertions from Van
Zijl's patrol, during the day there were together
about 500 men, not one of whom knew there was
so large a Kaffir commando, and much less of its
having been in the free State and already returning
with such immense booty. About 4 o'clock in the

afternoon, some four or five Kaffirs were seen in
the distance on a ridge. The usual bustle then
took place ; some, as they usually do when
danger is near, commenced singing psalms ; others
hid themselves in and under the waggons ; others

were driving in the stock, &c., at a hand gallop.

while others actually commenced taking their guns
to pieces and washing them out so as to have a good
excuse for not leaving the laager. Of these 500 men

only about 100 saddled up and galloped off in twos
or threes to ascertain what was the matter. These

few men arriving in this loose and disorderly man
ner on the top of the range, to use the words of ;

distinguished officer of her Majesty's service who
was present as a non-combatant, and who had ridden
up from the camp with them, " were perfectly ap-
palled and astounded at the sight which met theii
view." The whole flat for miles was apparently
covered with mounted men, estimated then in the
rough at 5,000, although in the end this was found

to be incorrect, as many masses of "cattle were a:

first included in this estimate, the total number o.
Basutos, from Captain Brigg's account, being from
2,000 to 2,500 men. Immediately the Basutos saw
the small body of men opposed to them they took
up a position on a similar range opposite the
burghers, with a low valley about 300 yards broad
intervening. The burghers, who were fearfully
outnumbered, began to cast anxious looks towards
the camp, where the Commandant-General had
remained, and on reinforcements being demanded
of him he would not send a man, stating there
were not sufficient to defend the camp in case it was
attacked. This was undoubtedly the case. The
present commando law system allowing a waggon
to about every 15 men, besides many men taking
their own waggons, and as none of the waggons
used for taking up supplies are ever, or scarcely
ever, sent back, the consequence is, the laager be-
comes too unwieldy to move, and requires the whole
force which ought to be employed as a moveable
column to defend it. This has been the case ever
since the war commenced, and hence arises one of
the great causes of the want of success. In the war
of 1846 and 1847, under the command of Sir A.
Stockenstrom, we hardly ever saw a waggon. We
used to leave them for one or two months at a time,
with only a pack-horse enter deep into the enemy's
country, destroying everything we could not bring
out, and when our coffee, sugar, meal, &c., ran
short—do without them, living for months entirely
upon the grain and cattle of the enemy. But then,
when we returned to the standing camp, we had an
excellently organised commissariat, through which
we were supplied plentifully and liberally with
everything we required, until we started on a fresh
expedition. The sooner the commandos return to
the good old system of long horse patrols, the sooner
the war will be finished. But to return to the ridge
and the 100 men. After sending to the camp they
became fidgetty and anxious, asking among them-
selves where were their leaders, and who would
lead them, when there suddenly appeared among
them Commandant Wessels, who had been away
on two or three days' leave, and was then follow-
ing on the outskirts of the Basutos, but per-
ceiving the small body of Boers had made for
them at once. Wessels--a wiry=madec. 'smart,
dapper little man (the right man in the right place)
—sprang in front of the men, and shouting " Fol-
low me," prepared at once to charge on the Basutos.
It was an act of extreme daring, and looked
like rushing on to certain death, especially as
the Basutos made ready at the same time to charge
them. Wessels brought his men steadily forward
at a gallop to within about 400 yards of the enemy,
when he halted, dismounted, and poured in two
well-directed volleys. Commandant Roos with 30
men remained behind on the ridge. Wessels, as
soon as he was mounted, dashed forward again to
within 200 yards of where the enemy bad halted in
evident astonishment at the hardihood and bravery
of this daring little band. Wessels and his men
again dismounted when within 200 yards, and
poured a withering volley into them, and at the
same time the 110 men under Van Zijl, who had at
length arrived at the conclusion that something was
going on in front, charged boldly on the Basuto
rear. The
.Caffres, astonished and panic-stricken,
turned tail and fled. The cattle with the firing had
become quite excited and maddened, and had fairly
commenced to go at a run, many Caffres being
among them whistling and urging them on, so that
when the 2,500 Basuto warriors really broke and
fled the cattle became mixed up with them. Young
Holmes, Mr. Lavers, jun., and Mr. Howell
deserve special thanks for this extraordinary bravery
in rushing into the thick of the Basutos and turning
the cattle among them, the Basutos firing no end of
shots at them at little more than an arm's length,
and, wonderful to say, without doing them any in-
jury. It was specially noted by Captain Briggs
that young Holmes, after turning the cattle, rode
repeatedly into the thick of the flying enemy, pass-
ing each time numbers of them until he obtained
the oha;cs of
one shot. Weeseic, theco:.anda-:2:, behaved. rith
411
great pluck, and showed 3 44:10d 44. s 7,
billed vita cwuage.