The Houston daily post. [volume] (Houston, Tex.) 1886-1903, 1900-01-07
TIERS FROM AFRICA.
Fill In the Gaps Left by The Much
Censored Cables
Wounds OF TEE BRITISH SOLDIERS

bnstrste the FnIs,ty of the Re-
brt that the Beers Are Using
m Explosive Bullets.
4ospondence OF the Associated PressD
bon, December 3o-"The men we're
Ing around the engines In line o.
(t& the drivers fabulous prices for a
~ - wster." writes the Globe CORE
4ent, descihing the close Of the battle
t{ hin. but IL was useless. The drivers
8/4 Zen threatened with court martials IL
ftupplied any, as there was great diff
l0lt< IN keeping sufficient supply for the
X&{Nks | saw one soldier lying fat on
Ae g1tbe under an engine catching few
f9p45fu his mouth from a steam pipe
Hqth extracts as this from the mailed
e3cfiption OF the fighting In South Africa
3Y4e some faint idea Of the conditions
fN4er which 1t is being carried on. Be-
&ted as these letters are by the time
Ehey appear in English papers, they throw
1uch needed light upon the campaign so
bHtrsnly reported over the censored cables.
The heat that drove British soldiers to
blink gratefully from the exhaust pipe Of
M engine after seven hours fighting at
5nelin, where they lost 179 killed and
Wounded, has proved a serious factor in
he care OF the wounded.
Surgeon Mackins. formerly OF St.
Thomas hospital writes under lead of the
held hospital at Orange river: During
bur six days stay some, 500 men have
been passed under the hands of the royal
medical corps here. On one night acne
boo patIents arrived from the fight at Mol
her srKer, Yesterday the thermometer
tegisfered 1875 degrees Fahrenheit in some
BIZ TIE tents. The journey from here to
HE base hospital at Wynberg. which takes
wenfy- eight hours emphasizes the diff
gerences due TO the immense length of the
! lice M communication.
"Tb& immense majority OF the wounds
have been inflicted by the Mauser or Lee
hfetford bullets and small proportion by
Martini bullets and large projectiles.
|w0unidFd Boer referred to the Lee Metford
AS sgeutlemanly bullet, and this remark
is equally. applicable to the Mauser. The
mounds made by them are small ard clean
These bullets met with so far have been
little Reformed, unless they have struck
ktones before entering, and have sem
no single instance which would suggest
The use OF either nattened or so-called eN-
plosive bullets among the wounded here"
L From Msfeking, under date OF October
bs. the Times correspondent in that be-
leaguered place wildly describes night
boftie by Captain Fitz- Clarence with fifty
hyc men of the Protectorate regiment. and
kieutepant Murray with twenty-five men
|Df the Cape police.
ssShortly after IL O'clock writes this
|correspon dent Captain Fitz- Clarence and
his men started on the nerilous undertake
kn9, hurryipg silently across the veldt. In
kha5blue haze OF the distance black blur
6et olened the position of the enemy and
! IL seemed that any moment the hoarse
Ehallenge of the Boer outposts would give
The alarm. The silence was intense. The
heavy gloom, the wistful noises of the veldt
|at night, the shady patches In the bush,
|all seemed TO heighten the tension of one S
nerves. In a little while our men were
within a few yards of the enemy. Then
bach fixed his bayonet to his rifle and the
|kal}anL band raised ringing cheer In
|stantly the Boer position was galvanized
Into activity, figures showing everywhere,
|shcts rang out, men shouted, horses STAN
|pcded, and the confusion was supreme.
|rhcn there was a loud crash, for many OF
BUR men were nearer the Entertainments
khan had been anticipated and their charge
had precipinted them upon some sheets
be corrugated iron which the Beers had
|erected for protection from the rain. With
bur men upon the parapet of the trench
lew rapid voleys)were fired into the enemy
|Nho Then, taken completely by surprise,
were altogether demoralized. Those In
The nrst trenches seemed to have been
|petri1ed by fright Where they were,
khero they remained, disabled with bayo-
|net. KIN ock ed senseless with the rife butts
pr shot dead. Commandant Boutha after
Ward hold Leuteant Moncreith, who had
|charxe of the flag party that arranged for
|Rn srms tice, that he thought at least 1000
|nen had been moved against his position.
|AfterEthe first fury had been expended,
|our men charged ct the bsyonet point
|rithf across the line of trenches 1t was
|this charge that the Beers lost most heavi-
IL In So soon as the squadron reached
the cxtremity of the Boer position they
|retreated Independently their movement
|heinK covered by the fanking FIRE of the
|ti4pe pollce.
sThe Beers had been completely un-
|aerved by the onslaught of the protectorste
linen and feature of the hours elapse be-
Tween the final withdrawal of our force
|from the scene Of conflict aud the advent
|ns dawn was the heavy firing OF the enc
|my. who still continued discharging use
Hess volleys into space The loss to us in
|lhe Encounter had been six killed, ten
|wounded and two of our men taken pris-
|opers but the gravity of the loss which
THE enemy sustained can be most surely
measured by the fact that until late hour
|after they could not ind the spirit to re-
|snme the hombardment. 1t is said In camp
|here that some 200 Beers will have reason
10 remember the charge of the protectorate
|resimept,'
The dolngs Of the besieged at Ladysmith
|have BEEN fully described by recent let
tiers. II the Beers continue to SO closely
|hem b and continually lombard with
rs force. the hesieged promise to become
full Gedged cave jewellers, for. according
10 the Daily News correspondent at Lady
smith. the prevalent tendency there is to
|turrow.
The people. writes this authority. hav-
hug spent much time and patient labor In
|naking burrows for themselves, find life
There so intolerably monotonous that they
|prffcr TO take the chances above ground.