The morning news., 1899-10-18

loss OF tWelVe Killed ard fourteen wound
cd. but the defenders had actually lost
six times as many. The sharpsnooting
skirmishers had put no less than half the
force they were attacking nors 3e combat.
After the withdrawal of the Beers, Col
ley, whose horses were nearly al killed,
with great difficulty succeeded in saving
The guns. dotted al over as they were
with the splashcs % the Boer bullets, and
by a desperate night march he regained
his camp under cover II darkness vii n
the remnant of his forces. eng and had
10 learn by bitter experience thaf Va.or
without good shooting Is but a waste Of
the lives of her bravest sons. The spirit
and stanchness of the British troops were
admirable and Col1eys own letters warm
ly acknowledge the fact. But s sho
they were completely outcla assed.
Reinforcements row began to arrive
Collcys force at the front, which had suf-
fercd so heavily in these Two engagements,
was strengthened by The arrival of the
Nipcty-second Highlanders. fresh from
their victories in Afghanis an and with
them he resumed the offensive. This time
he decided TO avoid making a direct Mt
tempt on Laings Mex. and aimed at turn
Ing hat position by occupying the Majuba
mountain, which ovorhung the pass on the
southwest. After Laings Hex, CoEey had
promised the survivors Of the Ffty-eighth
10 give them another chance trying con
c'usions with their opponents; and to seize
Najuba be took with him force com
posed of three companies Of the Ninety
second two of the Fifiy-elghth and two Of
the Sxtieth. supplemented as before by
a naval contingent BY a ski!ful and dar-
ing march on the night OF Feb. ., he &c
cupied. without opposition. this post of
vantage, which appeared 10 him imprcg-
nable.
But. unfortunately for Colley. the posi-
4
had imagined. The Maiuba mountain
was what Western Americans would call
bclted mesa; IT was 0at-topped, or.
rather saucer-toppcd nights with belt
of perpendicular cliff running round il q
little below the summit, broken only here
and there by a few gulles. through which
access to the summit might be gained
from the lower slopes. Those lower slopes
were steep, and the upper parts of them
were screened from view from the sum
mit by being below the belt or cliff which
looked so formidable to the eye. Techni-
cally speaking, they were dead" ground
As soon as daylight revealed to the force
holding Laings Mex that their flank was
threatened they began to prepare to send
their wagons 10 the rear; but they deter
mined, also, before rctreating, to try the
effect OF a direct assault upOn Majuba.
According to the account given by General
Sir William Butler, some of the Highland
~ cI y
line in inc rnornin, ligbt eIol,trr, ~.
fists de6antI, al III, boeti1a - -,
Law ooa fsot 1olor, ar4 - - -
could now see every detail. Come up
here, you beggars,' they cried and If Al
fred Aylward may be trusted, 223 Beers
accepted the invitation. Part of the Roer
assailants took cover et ORC, VIII ~
usual skin and onened q Iong-raa,a g,,a
on tba summit of Ntainha MI a. 5ts
Dut little execution t6ouob a s{noia sI,o.
AT 900 wards roortaIlv ,,o,,,,,1ea tt,, .1e
Romillv conrnander of A., ,,',.ei =,
gent. But eenoraIIv enealTine m S9fl,,l5
ers Of the biu toolt fyood go, -, ~
noso tbopeeI,,os ,,e,,1--',.,, "O, 70 eA-
marksmanshio of the Roe,e r{tt, ~,
suit that the actual loss ineictod NV 49,,
loug-range fire was small Tbo,,,b ~
Beers Kept il up incessantl,, an that -
summer morning. scarcely anv ono o,-ce,t,
poor Romilly was touched
HOW the Beers Took the Hill.
Nevertheless. the Beers were NOT throw
ing away their powder for notbine ,r,n,,
succeeded in their object of comDelIine- tb'
defenders Of the hill to keen closely ,I,,dor
shelter. and prevented them from obea,,.
ing what happened on the stones holo,,,
the encircling girdle Of cIiff prot(at,a
thus by the fire of their conpanions sr,o,i
parties of Peers were creepinp as stealth
lily as deerstalkers over me wide sna,as
of the mountain side. whore the cliff ~,
above screened them both from tbo s,cp,
and from The fire of the defenders Sir
William Butler gives an avcaIlo,t 49,,
shaded so as to exhibit clearly the dead.
portions of the hillside across which those
experienced hunters made their wav un
observed. SO stealthily and so cautious
were they that they took the whole morn.
lng over their stalk; but their caution ond
skill were crowned with perfect success.
Al one part of the circumference OF
Ma1uba there is little outlying kopje or
peak, which is really the key 10 the tposi-
ton. With unerriug instinct, one of the
Boers leaders made for this point Accord
ing 10 Sir William Butler. he had about
sixty men with him: and when he arrived
quite near II, with his party still undiscov-
cred he detected a picket of several sol
diers VINO We're standing in an exposed
position, unconscious of the near neigh
borhood of their foes. The Boer leader
ordered number of his men to hold Their
rifles at the present" step back out of
cover, and fire a rapid voley The ma
neuver was skillfully executed; the whole
picket was clean swept away. and in n