The Irish standard., 1899-10-14
MAJUBA HILL 1881.
Observation-Disclosures .wess,oa.s

February Fl, 1881. English soldicry,
men OF the Ninc,y-iourth Foot, OF the
Fiity-eighth regiment OF the Sixteenth
Rifles, fled like leaves before the whirl-
wind OF the storm. Englisllmcn whose
name and fame had been made in India,
China the Canadian provinccs-wllcr-
ever the flag OF the empire had adj
vanccd--stumb'ed over each other in All
agony OF fear, tcrror-s stricken by the
assault OF the Dutchmen OF the South
African republic.
From the line OF the sea to the SUM-
nit OF Majuba Hill is nearly 1000 feet
Two thousand icct below the summit is
rough plateau The entrance to the
Transvaal Countrywide one military
route to the heart oil Bocrland-is by
way OF this plateau underneath the
shadow OF Majuba, through Laing's
Mex to the fertile pasturagc OF the val
ieys beyond. Sir George Pomcroy Col
ley knew This in 1881; the Right Hon
orabie Joseph Chamberlain knows it
row. In 1881 no railroad entered this
region. One traverscs it now, but in
tlic event oil war it undoubtedly would
be quickly rendered useless. The trails
are narrow and rocky. The slopes are
OF a prccipi,ous nature. 1t is not Il
region io; the dcpoymcnt OF troops
ard The giving OF battle with men face
to lace. On the contrary, it is a retreat
Tor the sl,arpslootcr, the planncr OF
&lnbushcs, the solitary marksnlan who
rightly placed may hold company in
check. Natural conditions at Majuba
Hill have not changed since 1881 and
the death OF Sir George Pomcroy Col
ley.
According to II. l. Cleveland. in the
Chicago Times Herald the English
campaigns OF 1880 and 1881 against the
Beers were provoked by the refusal
then, as now, o! the Boer to consent to
Iorcisn mcddling with his intcrna! al
fairs Ii makes little difference to those
not interested i'll the quarrel whether
the Boer was right or not. Right and
war are not twin brothers. and after
war is once begun it is tedious to dis
cuss the morality OF the thing. The
Bocr himself thought he was right. His
Bible said he was, and the hymns he
sang repeated the old story OF the tri-
umph OF the righteous over the I'M
godly and the prevalence OF justice to
the end Thinking he was right. posi-
tive as to this, he acted quickly Near
Pretoria he surprised $50 men OF the
Nincty-iourth Foot and killed and
wounded thirty OF them. The remain
der he locked up as prisoners. He did
so we'll in this little skirmish that the
London News i'll commenting upon it
said:
The methods by which the Transvaal
was handed over to British power. when
closely examined, prove to have been
Unfair and handed"
Which. ii written two hundred years
ago, would have sent the editor OF the
icrctical journal to the Tower or the
block.
Kruger was at the front with the
Rocrs; also Prctorious and Johbert
They and the troopers Of the republic
rode to Laiug's Mex, by the Buffalo
river and in the heart OF the Drakcn-
berg mountains. And from the cast
through Natal Land were coming the
British, forces with Coley. They met
in the latter part OF January at Laing's
Mex. ColIey was supported by the
Fiity-eightll regiment, the Sixtieth
Rifles and naval reserve, 1910 men
in all. They were trained soldiers.
Kruger and Joubert had 1000 Dutch
farmers, familiar will, the rifle. The
encounter cost Col;cy 100 men killed
and wounded, and they were picked off
i'll five minutes time. The Beers lost
three. Collcy retired to Hatlcy's Hotel,
while the Beers waited to the west OF
Majuba Hill.
On the night OF February 20, Colley
thought to surprise his opponents. Tic
led 100 OF his men across the plateau
at the loot OF AIajuba Hill and then TO
the summit. He had parts OF the Fifty,
eighth regiment, the Nincty-four;h
Foot, the Sixtietl Rifles, the Ninety
second (Gordon) Highlandcrs and a
naval brigade. They carried three days
provisions and eighty rounds OF ammu-
milton each. Once on the summit they
found there a cuplike depression sur-
rounded by piles OF stone. Into this
they went, confident that they held the
gateway TO the Transvaal and that when
rcinlorcemcnts came they could easily
descend upon their enemies and con-
quer. The morning OF the 27tl came,
and with it the knowledge to the Beers,
1000 feet down the west approach to
Majuba Hill, that the summit was held
by Englislmcn. What did they do?
An English officer looking down from
his rocky perch into their camp saw
them loading their tents and supplies
into wagons. AS fast as wagon was
filled it started down trail into the
interior OF the land Thus. if defeated
in what he proposed to do, the Boer
had made safe his supplies and could re-