The age-herald., 1899-09-24
JoUBERT's BRAVE BoERs
A Charge Up a Mountain Front 2,OOO
 Feet in Height

H. I. Cleveland in Chicago Times Herald
 The crest of Majba Hill. that eternal rock at the gateway to the Transvaal was red with English blood at midday, Feb ruary 27 1881. English soldiery, men of the 94th Foot. of the 5Sth regiment, of the whose name and fame had been made in wherever the flag of the Empire had ad- vanced--stumbled over each other in an agony of the Dutchmen of the South Afri- can Republic.
 From the line of the to the sum- init of Majuha Hill is nearly 1000 feet. Two thousand feet above the summit is a rough plateau. The entrance to the Transvaal countryside military route to the heart of Boerand--is by way of this plateau, under meath the shadow of Majuba, through Laings Nek to the fertile pasturage of he valleys beyond. Sir George Pomeroy Colley knew this in 1881; the Rt. Hon. Joseph Chamberlain knows it now In 1881 no railway entered this region. One traverses it now, but in the event of war it undoubtedly would be quickly rendered useless. The trails are narrow and rocky. The slopes are of precpitous nature It is not d region for the deployment of troops and the giving of battle with men face 10 face. On the contrary, it is re- treat for the ~harpshooter, the planner of ambG'les, the solitary marksman, who rightly placed, may hold a company in check. Natural conditions at Majuba Hill have not changed since 1881 and the death of Sir George Pomeroy Colley.
 The English campaigns of 1880 and 1881 against the Boers were provoked by the refusal then, as now, of the Boer to con sent to foreign meddling with his internal affairs. II makes little difference to those not interested in the quarrel whether the Boer vas right or not. Right and war are not twin brothers, and after war is once begun it is tedious to discuss the morality of the theme. The Boer himself thought he was right. His Bible said he was, and the hymns he sang repeated the old story of the triumph of the righteous over the ungodly and the prevalence of justice to the end. Thinking he was right positive as to this, he acted quickly. Near Pretoria he surprised 250 men of the Nine ty-fourth Foot and killed and wounded thirty of them. The remainder he locked up as prisoners.
 Kruger was at the front with the Boers; also Pretorious and Joubert. They and the troopers of the republic rode to Laing's Nek, by the Buffalo river. and in the heart of the Drakenberg mountains And from the east through Natal Land were coming the English forces with Colley. They met in the latter part of January at Lang's Nek. Galley was supported by the Fisty- eighth regiment, the SiXtieth Rifles and naval reserve. 1 400 men in all. They were trained soldiers Kruger and Joubert had 2,000 Dutch farmers, familiar with the rifle The encounter cost Coley 169 men, killed and wounded, and they were picked off in five minutes time. The Boers lost three. Colley retired to Hatley's hotel while the Boers waited to the west of Majuba Hill.
 On the night of February 26 Colley thought to surprise his opponents. He led 700 of his men across the plateau at the foot of Majuba Hill and then to the sum init. He had parts of the Fifty-eghth reg iment, the Ninety-fourth Foot, the Sixtieth Rifles. the Ninety-second (Gordon) High landers and a naval brigade. They car ried three days provisions and eighty rounds of ammunition each Once on the summit they found cup-like depression surrounded by piles of stones. Into this they went, confident that they held the gateway to the Transvaal and that when endorsements came they could easily de- scend upon their enemies and conquer. The morning of the 27th came and with it the knowledge to the Boers, 2000 feet down the west approach to Majuba Hill, that the summit was held by Englishmen What did they do?
 An English officer looking down from his rocky perch into their camp saw them loading their tents and supplies into wa gons As fast the wagon was filled 1t started down a trail into the interior of the land. Thus, if defeated in what he nurposed to do. the Boer had made safe his supplies and could retreat to provis- ions. All that morning the Boers loaded their wagons, and the horses and oxen drew them away.
 "They are retreating" cried the enthu- siastic Englshman on the summit