The Western enterprise., 1900-01-06
HOW THE WAR BEGAN
RoERs WERE ALL READY.
Before Marching to Battle 10000 Soldiers
Knslt In Prayer.-How They Hauled
Cannon to the Top of Mountain.

A correspondent of the Chicago
Record, writing from Pretoria in Oc.
tober, tells how the war commenced
with the Beers.
On Monday afternoon, October 9th.
at o'clock, that fateful document
which left the world agape was handed
to Mr.. Conyngham Greene, her
maJesty's agent at Pretoria, by the
state secretary An hour later one
word was flashed through the South
African Republic on the telegraph
wires, and that word was "Oorlogr'
WAR.
The burghers on the Natal border
expected to cross into Natal the next
day. The same afternoon Poiweni
mountain, near Majuba, was fortified
by the burghers. The fortification was
OF nature which will cause astonish-
ment all over the world when 1t be-
comes known. Pojweni is very steep
hill, about 1000 feet high, and on ac-
count OF the tremendous cliffs, practi-
cally inaccessible. The Beers have
brought an enormous six-ton siege gun
down from Pretoria, but the French
ana German engineers employed
laughed the idea of mounting the gun
on PoJWen1 to scOrn. They declared
that 1t was absolutely impossible, even
with the most up-to-date hydraulic ap-
paratus, to get the enormous thing
mounted. The Beers, however thought
Inherently, and declared their inten-
t1on OF mounting the gun without any
hydraulic apparatus whatsoever. First
nve or six span of the best oxen in the
laager" were yoked to the huge en-
glne or destruction; but the incline was
TOO steep for them to obtain foothold,
ana they tailed to move the gun.
Nothing daunted, General Joubert
called up 800 picked men of the WAX
Kefstroom commando and bid them
plant the gun on POjweni The men
tackled the job with fervor, land. at
tachlng a huge iron cable to the gun,
attempted to drag it up by sheer
strength of muscle. The cable, how
ever, snapped, with the laughable re-
suit that 500 burgherS went sprawling
on their backs. Once more, however,
the cable was attached, and, aided by
strongly plated hide ropes, the tug of
war again began.
To-day that huge gun stands mount
ed on hill 1000 feet high, and mount
ed by human muscle alone.
On the morning of October 18th the
news was received that General Piet
CronJe had crossed the border into
BRUSH Bechuanaland at Ridigrand
ana was marching on Mafeking. On
the same day our forces on the Natal
border made a forward move into
Natal. Those who were present de-
scribe the sight as one never to be
torgotten,- From daybreak there was
hustle and stir in the great Boer
camp, where close on 10000 men were
preparing to march into the enemy's
country. When they were all ready
the minister mounted wagon and
called upon all the men to pray to God
to guard them during the coming
struggle. To see 10000 rugged men
kneeling on the veldt there, with the
sunlight just touching here and there,
was sight to be remembered by all
who were present. After a most i'm
pressive prayer by the minister pres
ent the whole commando stood up and
sung one of the solemn songs the Beers
are so proud of. Verify a CromwelPS
camp on a huge scale! No wonder,
with such fervent belief in the right |
eousness of their cause, the burghers |
are confident of success.
After the hymn all was hurry and |
hustle as one bullock train after the |
other rolled into the road and away
over the border into Natal. That night |
after sundown the wagons were still |
moving out of the camp, so one can
what a huge train there must |
have been. Once having crossed the |
border the Beers moved forward |
rapidly, and the next day their van
guard. under General Kock, was in
New castle.