The evening herald. [volume] (Shenandoah, Pa.) 1891-1966, 1899-12-13
THE TRANSVAAL WAR.
Reduoings the Rations in the Be-
sieged Town Of Mafeking,
METoALFBs BRILLIANT FEAT.

British Force Climbed HilI aud De-
stroyed "a Doer Howitser by the Use
of Gun Cotton-Lndy Sarah Wilson
Exchanged For "A Boer Prisoner.
London, Dec. 13.-With the excep-
tion of Sundays sortie at Ladysmith,
which the morning papers are unani-
nous in regarding as a brilliant piece
of work, there are no further advices
from the seat of war A war Office dis
patch reports that Mafelng was safe
up to Dec. 4, but that the Beers had
been Smelling the town since Nov %
with increased effect Rations had
been considerably reduced, meat by
half a pound and bread by a quarter
of pound, in view of a probable Iona
siege. Water, however, was still plenti-
full
The Beers fear the British bayonets.
This is illustrated in the full accounts
now arriving of previous sorties. 1t
seems that in Sir Archibald Hunters
sally from Ladysmith to capture the
Boer guns the British did not carry
bayunets While they were storming
the hill the Beers, suddenly aroused
from sleep, rushed to the edge and
opened an indiscriminate fire upon
them. But just before the British Sc
cured a footing on the top Of the hill
some one among them shouted fix
bayonets and give them cold steel.
At this the Beers turned and fled into
the darkness.
Little mention is made in the war
Office dispatches of horses, but 1t is
understood that the losses in this re-
oil "
Among the officers alone from 20 to 80
per cent of their mounts have been
shot under them, the Boer tactics be-
ing to shoot first at an officers horse
and then at the rider when dismounted
General Gatacre's disaster at Storm
berg has been blamed for lack of
knowledge of the country, but, accord
ing to The Daily Telegraph, when the
war began there were no official maps
available at Cape Town, and therefore
1t is probable that General Gatacre is
still without them.
The Times, while praising Colonel
/ Metcalfe's brilliant feat at Ladysmith
expresses the opinion that, relief be-
/ ing now so near, such a sortie was
| rather perilous, and it would be bet
ter for General White to avoid them
so far as possible.
The feat referred to by The Times
was given out by the war Office in a
| dispatch from General White of Dec.
II, as follows:
Last night Colonel Metcalfe and 500
of the Second Rife brigade SORTED to
capture a Boer howitzer on hill
! They reached the crest without being
discovered, drove off the enemy and
then destroyed the hOwitzer with gun
cotton. When returning Metcalfe
found his retirement barred by the
Beers, but he forced his way through.
using the bayonet freely. The Boer
losses were considerable. The British
losses were Lieutenant Ferguson and
IL men killed, three officers and Al
men wounded; six men captured"
A special dispatch from Lourenzo
Marquese says a Boer telegram from
Mafeking announces that Lady Sarah
Wilson, aunt of the Duke of Marlbor-
ough, who was captured by the Beers
while acting as a correspondent for the
London Daily Mail, has been eXchang-
ed for a Boer woman who was a pris-
oner at Mafeking.
The Morning Post again endeavors
editorially to arouse the British peo-
pie to a recognition of the Serious
nature of the struggle and of the grave
position in which matters now stand" "
It urges the government to prepare
Immediately to send more troops to
South Africa.