The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1900-02-12
DEMORALIZED.
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20 when a strong party of Beers stalk
ed a Cossak post consisting or seven
Hussars, who were stationed some way
outside the line of the pickets- Creep
ing up unnoticed, they cut them OF
from their horses, all of which were
shoth and then killed two of the Hus-
sars as the latter retired The follow
ing afternoon the same post was held
by five Natal carbineers and the Beers
tried to repeat their success. The car
bineerS however had seen them and
holding their fire till the Beers came
within easy range, killed three and
wounded several more. There is no
doubt that lack of discipline is an adj
vantage to the Beers in this kind OF
skirmishing. First, it makes them more
mobile. The moment that news is
brought that men are wanted at GER
tain point. each man saddles his own
pony and goes straight there as fast as
his pony will carry him. There is no
waiting to start till the last man is
ready, no waiting to fall in. and ad-
vance in column, which through a.
roa dless country is a source of constant
small delays. Each man goes for him
self and when he reaches the point,
where he is wanted, uses his own pecu-
liarly instructive knowledge in taking
up his position. Then again, when ad-
vancing each man acts as if ne were his
own scout with the result that 1t is al
most an impossibility to draw body
of them into an ambush. Despite their
activity, however, the condition Of the
Beers does not seem to be very pros
porous. The week after the battle 120
Kaffirs who had been working for the
Beers deserted to us. many of them
being in starving condition. They
said the BOer loss had been heavy al
most entirely owing to the effect of the
lyddite in the trenches. The following
week some more Kafiirs came in tell
ing the same story. On January 3, u
BOer deserters came in. They said that
the Beers were short of both food and
forage. All this points to the fact that
the long waiting here is telling heavily
on the Beers"
The Daily News correspondent at
Cape Town, reviewing the campaign up
to January 8, declared that "our lead
ership has signally failed in detail. At
Gras Pan, if time had been given, a
sufficiently strong and fresh force of
cavalry could have been got up-thirty
hours would have done ito cut off
the enemy's retreat; another regiment
of cavalry and another battery, and we
might have netted the entire commando
defending Gras Pan. At MagersfOn-
tein twenty-four hours delay would
have given us the balloon and a pre-
limlnary examination of the Boer pO-
sitiOn and have saved US the High
land brigade At StOrmberg the rules
which guide a subaltern playing sol
diers' at Aldershot may be set aside by
q general who has an empire at stake.
Colenso seems but to repeat the uni
Versal laundering"
The political outlook in Cape Colony
comes in for good deal of attention
The Cape Town correspondent of the
Daily Telegraph declares that some
curious and foreseen results will follow
this campaign in the politics Of Cape
Colony. It is supposed that five thou
sand subjects of the queen in this col
ony have taken up arms on the side of
her majesty's enemies. They are voters
almost to man.
BY the law some thousand of bond
votes should go. The last thing that
President Kruger and President Steyn
desired in making war on Great Brit
ain was to strengthen Mr.. Rhodes po-
litical power. 1t seems to me no other
result is possible than the presentation
to him of at least half a dozen of the
safest bond seats in this colony"