Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1899-10-23


! leased the English prisoners
Boers Open Hot Fire.
| The Beers. numbering some 1,600 men,
| with three guns, occupied a commanding
| position. They poured such well directed
fire the British and their scouts were
so active that the British force steadily
| retired until reinforcements arrived, when
| the mounted infantry was sent to drive the
| BOer scouts from the ridge on the right.
! large force of mixed cavalry, in the
| meanwhile, swept over the plain and up
| the hill on the right. The Lancers were
met with a heavy fusiIlade, while the
| left British battery opened fire with good
| effect.
| The British infantry, who had debarked
! from the railway train in the interim, ad-
| vanced steadily over the plain and up the
| rocky ridge previously cleared by the cav
| airy. The Boer artillery dropped shrapnel
| into the advancing columns, but the Brit
| ish finally scaled the hill. whence they
overlooked the broad valley to three rocky
| hills forming the Beers position. their camp
being in the center. On the left center the
! Beers had a battery of large guns. The
! smaller hills were also strongly held. On
| the BOer right was the station in a valley
| on the British left. The latter's cavalry
| was on both fanks, and a battery on the
| right was busy throwing shrapnel at the
| Beers batteries
| The British infantry formed for the at
| tack in extended order behind the brow of
a hill, the Devonshires on the left with
| four companies of the Manchesters and
some of the Gordons on the right.
British Advance Begins.
At about pm. the infantry advanced
| through the valley as steadily as on a
| field day. Half way down the slope they
met a terrific infantry and artillery fire.
The men fell rapidly, and the wounded
were carried to the rear But in spite of
| the steady work of the Boer guns and the
| sharpshooters concealed behind the rocks
| the increasing fire of the advancing Brit
| lsh infantry gradually gained the upper
hand' and Manchesters and Gordons, edging
toward the right, gained the top of the
ridge, thus outfianking the enemy's left.
| At 6 O'Clock the bt giles sounded the
| charge and the British syept ahead
| The Beers fought to the last, only ATTEMPT
| ing to escape when further fighting WAS
! hopeless.
In the meantime the Devonshires press
ing steadily up the left, were strongly op-
| posed ct the Boer camp and from the flank
| ing hills and carried both at the charge
with wild cheers and bugle blasts.
By o'clock the British had gained the
position and cease firing was sounded
| Three 12l2-pounder NOrdenfeldts were
| captured, with quantities of munitions.
| The Boer loss was heavy. The wounded
| among the rocks were attended to as far as
! possible in the dark
| Cen French thanked the troops on the
| he!d' especially mentioning Col. Ian Ham,
llton's splendid handling of the infantry.
| Rrit
| position Saturday night
| Some estimates place the Ro2r 1oSO.s q
500 men, but this is perhaps exaggerated.
Col. Sc0tt-ChishoIm's Record,
Col. scott-ChishoIm of the Imperial Light
| horse who was killed, was formerly at
| tached to the 9th Lancers He served with
Instruction IN the Afghan war and organiz-
| cd the present Imperial Light Horse, a ma
| Jority of whom are refugees from the
| Rand.
The death of Gen. Viljoen is a severe
blow to the burghers, and the death Of
| Gen. Kock and the capture of Gen Pre-
| torius will handicap the further movements
! of this column
According to advices from Durham, Natal,
the Beers have entered Zululand, a large
| column advancing toward Meloth
| The best opinions do not credit the reports
| that the Beers are suing for peace or thar
| they are likely TO yield at present. though
| they think the Beers will probably retreat
| to their line of defense in the mountain
passes of Laing's Mex and Drakensburg,
| where they have blocked the passes with
| great boulders and masses of rock blown
up on either side, and where, if they so de-
| sire, they would be able to hold out until
| the advance of Major General Sir Redvers
| Butler, through the Orange Free State.
| compelled them to leave the Natal side to
| meet the invasion from the south.
Designs of Foreign Powers.
The sensational rumors of the designs of
foreign powers inimical to British interests
meet with scant credence. though it is ad-
mitted it is difficult to explain the immense
| forces on land and sea which Great Britain
| is now mobilizing.
| In Vienna it is reported that the British
| naval movements are due to a rumor that
| Russia, with the assent of France is about
to acquire from Spain Ceuta or some other
naval station on the African coast.
| Elsewhere it is stated that the movements
| of the French Mediterranean fleet in the
| neighborhood of the Levant, in order that
1t could easily be joined by the Russian
| Black sea fleet by the Straits of the Dar-
| daneIes is occasioning suspicion.
| Lady Randolph Churchill and Mrs Ar
! thur Paget are organizing a fund among
| American ladies in England with the in
| tention to completely equip a hospital ship
for service on the South African coast at
a cost of $500 Lady Curzon and Mrs
| Bradley Martin have been invited to iotn
| the committee.
| The authorities in Australia are much
| exercised at the reports that the imperial
| government has ordered canned meats in
America though the war office has prom
lsed to conserve Australian interests. Those
In the best position to judge, however, pre-
dict that the packers of the United States
Will secure large orders, as the British
colonies are unable to supply a tithe of
the quantity required if the campaign con-
tinues long