The Washington weekly post. (Washington, D.C.) 1878-1916, 1900-01-09

London. Jan. s.-'The men were crowd
Ing round the engines in line. Offering
the drivers fabulous prices Tor a cup OF
water. writes the Globe correspondent
aascTibilg the close o. the battle al Ems
lU- hut it was useless. The drivers had
been threatened with court martial II
they supplied any, as there was great
difficulty IN keeping 4 sufficient supply
Tor the engines. / saw one soldier lying
fat on the line under an engine catch
.lg few drops IN his mouth from
stcam-pipe'
such extracts a. this from the mailed
descriptions Of the fighting In South
Africa give some faint idea Of the condi
tons under which IL Is being carried on.
Beiated a. these letters are By the time
they appear IN English papers. they
throw much needed light upon the cam
paign, so barrenly reported over the cen
sOTcd cables.
The heat thar drove British soldiers 10
drink gratefully from the exhaust-pipc Of
m engine after seven hours lighting a.
EUsl.H. where they lost I79 killed and
wounded. has proved a serious factor I'm
the care Of the wounded Surgeon Ma
kins. formerly Of 81. Thomas Hospital,
writes under date OF the field hospital al
Orange River.
During an eight-days' stay some 60
wounded men have passed through the
hands Of the royal army medical army
corps here. In one night alone 900 pa
tents arrived from the fight al Modder
River. Yesterday'the thermometer regis
tered l2J degrees Fahrenheit IN some Of
the tents The journey from here to the
base hospital AT Wynberg. which takes
iwcnty-eight hours. emphasizes the diff
cultIes due 10 the immense length of the
line of communication
The Immense majority Of the wounds
have been inflicted by the Mauser or ! .ee-
Metford bullets and a small proportion
by Martini bullets and large projectiies.
wounded Boer referred to the Lee Net
iord as 'gentlemanly bullet. and this
remark Is equally applicable 20 the Mau-
ser. The wounds made by them are
small. clean, and little disposed 70 SUD-
purate. Those bullets met with have
DeeH ltJle deformed, unless they have
fTuck stones before entering. and | have
seen no single instance which would sug-
eest the use Of either flattened or So
called explosive bullets among the wound
ed here"
Fitzclarence's Charge.
From Mafeking, under date Of October
D. the Times correspondent IN that he.
leaeuered place wildly describes a night
aofue by Capt. FitZclarence with fiftv-
five men of the Protectorate Regiment
ana Lieut.. Murray, with twenty-five men
OF the Cape police
shortly after II o'clock" writes Tho
correspondent, Capt. FitzcIarence and his
mon started on their perilous undertaken,
In the faint light of the night we could see
their figures from our Tedans silently bur-
rying across the veldt. In the blue haze
OF the distance a black blur hetokened The
position Of the enemy. and il seemed thar
al any moment the hOarse challenge IL
the Boer outposts would give the als-,,
The men crept on in slightly extended or
der. holding themselves in readiness for
the supreme moment. Nearer ana vet
nearer they draw 10 the Boer intrencb-
mentS. The silence was intense The heavy
gloom, the WiStful noises OF the veldt al
night, the shddOwy patches in the bush.
all seemed 10 heighten the tension Of ones
nerves. In a little while our men We're
within a few yards of the enemy; then
luIllNely each fixed his bayOnet TO his rife
and as the blades rang home upon their
sockets the gallant band raised a ringing
cheer
instantly the BOer position was cal
Vanlzed into activity, figures showed ev-
eryWhere, shots rang out, men shouted.
horses StampedeG, and the confusion
which relgned supreme gave to our men
one vital moment in which to hurI Them.
selves across the intervening space. Then
there was loud crash. for, as il happcn-
ed many Of our men were nearer The in
uenchments than had been anticipated
ana their eager charge had preCipitatad
them upon some sheets of corrugated iron
which the Beers had torn from the grand
stand of the race course for protecrton
from the rain. With our men upon he
parapet Of the trench a few rapid v3Ilevs
were fired into the enemy. who. taken
completely by surprise, were altogether
demordllZed. Those in the first trenches
seem 10 have been petrified by fright.
Where they We're they remained. trans
fixed with bayonet, knocked senseIess with
the rifles butt. or shot dead. Cant. Fitz-
clarence himself, with magnificent qaI-
lantry and craftsmanship killed four az
the enemy with his sword, his men plyins
their bayonets strenuously the while.
This was the first trench, and rs the
fight grew hotter, some little memory Of
their earlier boasts inspired the Beers 10 |
make stand. They fought: they rough. |
well. COmmandaHJ Botha told Lieut.. Xon-
cile1, who had charge of the flag marry
that arranged for an aTmistica this morn
ms. that he thought that at least .hous- |
and men had been moved against his posi- |
ton.
Beers startled and Unneryed.
after the first fury had been exnen5cd |
our men charged at the bayonet point |
right across the line OF trenches. II was /
In this charge that the Beers lost most |
heavily So soon as the squadron reach
ad the extremity Of the Boer position they
independently. their movement |
covered by the thanking fire Of the Cane DO
lice. which added still further to the per
HleXiues of the enemy The CALLING fire Of
ne Cape police disturbed them for some |
lime longer than was required In the
actual retirement of the force.
Inc Beers had been completely m
lerved by the onslaught of the Protector
ale men. and feature or the hours which
'lapsed between the tuaI Withdrawal Of
1ur force from The scene Of conflict and
he advent o.. dawn was the heavy firing
of The enemy. who sill continued dis
haTElnE useless vOlleyS into space. The
loss 90 us In the encounter had been six
killed, ten wounded, and TWO Of our men
taken prisoners. but the gravity OF the
osS which the enemy sustained can be |
most surely measured by the fact that
.nu late hour this afternoon they could
1ot find The spirit TO resume the lombard
nent. IL is said in camp here that some
9" Beers Will nave reason 10 remember
n chatse Of the Protectorate Regiment"
The doucs OF The besieged At Ladysnith
have been fully described by recent let
eTs. II The Beers continue to so closely !
l'm IN and continuously lombard Whites |
force the besieged promise TO become full
leaged cave jewellers, for. according 10
Ac Daily News correspondent al Lady
smith, gae prevalent tendency there is 10
IurTuW.
Some people" writes the authority |
having spent much time and patient la
Dor On making burrows for themselves. |
Ind life there 80 lHtOlerabIy monotonous
hat ;1ey prefer 10 lake the chances above
ground. Others pass whole DAYS with
wives and families. or in solitary misery |
nFr her - ftrr1rr 3 |