The Portland daily press., 1896-01-04
Beers OF SOUTH AFRICA.
Continued From First Page.

the most formidable fighting machines
that the world has ever seen. He was
familiarswtth every trick and strategem of
the art OF war, and whatever tactics his
opponents attempted, they found them
selves invariably checkmated. Confront
| ing such unerring marsk men as the
Beers in their own country under such
guidance, the British regulars were al
most as much at their mercy as troop
of lions or herd of CRATES would have
been. The first engagement took place
at point near the line dividing Natal
and the Transvaal called Brunkers
Spruit Lieut.. Col. Anstruther, COM
manding the Oath British regiment, was
marching to the relief of one of the be-
leagured garrisons Just before the
regiment crossed the line single horse
man galloped up to Col. Ahstruther and
handed him document. 1t conveyed an
order signed by President Kruger for
bidding him to enter the territory of the
South African Republic, and warning
him that if he did so his force would be
fired upon. Not a Boer was anywhere in
sight. The naughty British colonel tore
up the document with scornful laugh,
told the messenger to inform Kruger that
he deted his authority, ordered the band
To strike up the "British Grenadiers, -
and proceeded to march across the line.
The mounted messenger galloped off, aud
the next moment a volley of shots came
from between low ridge of ground at
bnr two hr.,,I Il;
officer in The regiment fell; the colonel
was mortally wounded by bullet that
passed through both of his thighs. The
Oath regiment bewildeIed by the loss of
all its officers at one Llow, surrendered
after shorG resistance. The Beers in
formed them they did not wish to hurt
any of them il they could avoid it, tell
ing them that they intended if possible to
eonfne their attention entirely to officers
They adhered so strictly to this policy
that towards the end of the campaign
officers were obliged to wear privates uni
forms and carry rifles to escape certain
death. Gen. Sir George Colley, with three
British artillery regiments next attempted
to penetrate into the Transvaal through
Lang's Neck, one of the passes of the
Drakensberg mountains. He met with
n disastrous repulss. The most remark
able occurrence in the action was the
marching of the 5Sth regiment in column
of companies into the jaws of Vabaped.
concealed trench, whence the Bosrs
poured a volley into their ranks in front
and on both TANKS, which almost
destroyed the regiment. A few days
afterwards when British force with two
cannon was marching to meet supply
train, they were engaged by the Beers on
a rocky plateau on the banks of the
morning till after dark, and resulted in
a terrible defeat for the British. During
the course of the engagement the supply
and ambulance conveys arrived and were
both captured by the Beers. All the
gHnneIs of the two cannon were killed as
soon as they attempted to open fire, and
the derceness and accuracy of the dis
charge directed upon the cannon, may be
judged by the fact that they were almost
completely coated with lead from muzzIe
to breeoh, and their wheels nearly shot to
pieces. The remnant of the British force
retreated under the cover of darkness.
The wounded had to be left on the field
without any medical attendance. Two
military chaplains one a Roman Catholic
the other of the Church of England,
remained with them. The description
given by one of them of the scene after
they were left alone on the field was a
narrowing one. After darkness fell, a
furious storm of thunder and lightning
and rain began. Between the rumbling
of the thunder the heartrending groans
and shrieks Of the wounded could be
heard mingling with the roar of the
Inogog river. Both Of the clergymen de-
clared that the experience was more
terrible than anything they could have
conceived. The Beers did not interfere
with them and they passed the night in
administering spiritual consolation to the
dying and carrying water to the thirsu
parched wounded. many of whom
persisted from exposure and want of
surgical aid. Among the slain in this
engagement was Lieut.. O'Connell Of the
Goth regiment, a grandson of the Irish
Liberator.
The battle of Majuba Hill completed
the discontinue of the British, and
practically won the Beers their inde-
pendenoe. Gen. Colley the British COM
mander, was rendered desperate by his
defeats, and contrary to the orders of
General Sir Evelyn Wood, who in COM
mand of strong reinforcements was
marching to his assistance. sought to re-
trive his reputation by defeating the
enemy before his arrival Majuba Fill
was tall peak about one thousand feet
high. that commanded the Boer position,
and Gen. Colley calculated that if he led
his force to the top of it he would SO to.
speak, have the dead drop upon them. 1t
took all night to scale this rocky and
precipitous peak, and when the soldiers
reached the top at about daybreak they
were completely exhausted. They found
tbs top to be d level plateau, SO hard that
1T was impossible to dig trenches upon it,
and upon which they were in full view of