Daily inter mountain. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1881-1901, 1899-12-30

regiments which a been left behind in
camp should attempt to force the pass
through Laings Mex and that the troops
on Majuba Hill should make a new attack
on the Beers and in that manner crush
them. SO positive We're the soldiers of
the success that awaited their plans that
they specialized on the number of Beers
who would live to tell the story of the
battle.
1T was Sunday morning. and had the
distance between the two armies been less
the soldiers on the hill might have heard
the sound Of many voices singing hymns
OF praise and the prayers that were being
offered by the Beers kneeling in the val
ley. The English held their enemies in the
palm of their hand, it seemed, and with
a few heavy guns they could have killed
them by the scores.
The sides of the hill were so steep that
1T did not enter the minds of the English
that the Beers would attempt to ascend
except by the same path which they had
ltraversed, n that was impossible, be-
cause the path leading from the base was
occupied by English forces. The idea
that the Beers would climb from terrace
fto terrace from one bush to another, and
the summit in that n occurred
ito no one.
i Before there was any stir in the Beers
camp the English soldiers stood on the
edge of the summit and, shaking their
fists in exultation, challenged the enemy:
SoiIIS up iC1C yOu, DSSSdIS
'The Beers soon discovered the pres
ence of the English on the hill, and the
camp presented such an animated sc eue
that the English soldiers We're led to i'm
agine that CONSERVATION had seized the
Beers and that they were preparing for a
retreat.
"A short time afterward, when the
Beers marched toward the base Of the
Hill, the illusion was dispelled; and sill
later. when $50 volunteers from the Boer
army commenced to ascend the sides Of
the hill, the former spirit Of b~ragg1dociO
which characterized the British soldiers
resolved itself into = feeling of nervous
ness. During the forenoon the British
fired at such of the climbing Beers as they
could see, but the Beers succeeded in
lodging from one stone to another. so
that only one of their number was killed
in the ascent.
when the $50 Beers reached the sum-
NIT of the hill. after an arduous climb of
more than five hours, they lay behind
rocks at the edge and commenced a hot
fire at the English soldiers, Who had re-
treated into the center of the plateau, so
yards distant. The English soldiers had
been ordered to fix their bayonnts and
wereprepared to charge but the order was
never given. A fresh party of Beers had
reached the umnlit and threatened to
flank the English, who, having lost many
of their officers and scores of man, became
wildly panic-stricken.
Several minute after General Colley
was killed the British soldiers Who had
escaped from the storm of bullets broke
for the edge of the summit and allowed
themselves to drop and roll down the sides
of the hill. When the list Of casualties
was completed it was found that the
Beers had killed 80. wounded 1874 and
taken prisoners 50 of the 600 soldiers who
assembled the hill. The loss OF the Boer
side was one killed and five wounded
Sir EVELYN Wood succeeded General
Cooley and arranged an armistice with
the Beers. Then the Gladstone govern
ment concluded a treaty of peace with
them.