Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1900-05-23
COMM WANDERING IN NATAL.
Ind>.> Interesting and Lively Ac-
count Of Military ''BurGiinS.

From III" l,,I.'ion News
An interesting narrative has been sent
home to friends in England by an Enshsh
lady who was called upon I" hoid the laiiiils
ruoffrec against the Beers while her father
was detained as a prisoner in their camp III
III, nefghborhpod Of Estcourt:
1-b. road to Moot river was alive with
crowd of horSemcn. wagons. SPIDERS &c
,aunnt compare it To anything but swarm
# black ants: they were always on TIE
move. coming and going. just as ants pass
in a line along a track! About IL O'Clock
thu Bo.rS opened the ball by four OF them
ri.iiug M Ia the gate and asking II We had
any horses To- sell. | will tell you. TO start
with every one carried Il l"ade1 MaGser
across his knor. and his hand on the tilS-
ger. with two bandolcrs full of cartridges
| got used to Looking down rifle barrels. We
said W. did not want I" sell any horses. so
This man said they must have them g 'htS
wanted horses ba lily. and he would give US
s; receipt for than. OF course. there was
lothing to be done. they took my tfiip
horses and fathers pony. FROM the mouse
W.. saw tn, WretcheS budding up oar
ethtr flock and catching ana kllllaS tilt-h
by dozens
Parties kept on coming, asking for
h,,~.-: they Were civil. certainly; but We
always kept the back gate shut. ana did
not allow them inside. About II O'Clock
three Fr-e Skaters rode up. one called
Eest,r SPOKE English perfectly. and looked
riuit, a gentle man. They wanted yoke ana
e,.r for fourteen oxen. W. told them that
iI-v could not have it. In the meantime
.hc oxen had t,eu driven up the hills, and
t. our disgust thirteen of them were our
own Father demonstrated. and said we
had be..q iOld that if people stayed quietly
ON their farms they woi!.d not b. moleSted,
and Vet our stock was being looted and
Killed. 50 BcSf"r said why did not father
<" and the general, and represent
l. To- him. ana he was quite sure the
stock Vttlll he. returned and he tBEStffb
woulG guarantee his safety" 1t seemed
Ihaucr to -,iyr our property. 50 father sad
hI-d up Charley and they went up To the
ramp n the foot Of tho cutting. | began
10 SUSPECT something after a bit, and about
fUudpvU very civil young Dutchman
came from the camp with note from
father. saying AS Bcstcr had taken hIm
Into the camp and he had seen the guns,
&c. they must detain him until the camp
moved on. They seemed very kind. and
H. was all right
threes and fuurs. had been continually COM
ing. wanting bread butter. eggs and milk
] never knew anything Ike the length of
those days. they Were like three four
in one. However. at last dark came. We
left lights burning all night. not To give
any excuse for thinking there was no one
I'm the house.
Wednesday We were up by :. and after
breakfast our visitors began To appear. ard
w had another day on the rack. About
midday capt. BiekSley ana his assistants
from the Johannesburg ambulance came.
They wanted to buy bread. etc. Some was
cooking. they waited for il. He was cVI-
IDENTIFY big swell. and gentlemanIy. We
thought il polite To ask him TO wait in the
front v.raudsi. and / brought them out t"a
and cake which much appreciated.
capt BlekSley asked my name, and said he
WI very glad 10 lind We had remained n
our farm. the ruin and dcSolation in
these deserted humcSteads past dc
S"riptipu and most pitcuus and terrible. He
said H. hoped | had not been molestcd III
ple had been civil enough. but their re
quests Wee always urged with loaded rifles
across their knees and fingers the trig-
ger which Was not exactly pleasant He
regretted 1t should h. necessary, but in
Some cases thcir people had been fired at
and they were bound to guard against sur
prise. | told him my father had been taken
10 try and protect our stock from further
mul,lSta;ion. and had been detained priS-
Uu-r al which he profesSed himself muc.I
fri-Vcd.
On sunday evening all our KaffirS came
back They left here without a pass. AID
&cTc detained at Moot river by the poi ~.
Monday. in The evening, as We We're at din
You may imagine my relief They rclea ed
him TIA" previous night. and he left at = III
ih' morning with pass from Slim Pet
Father and uncle have been going through
The stock today. and they have taken thtr-
teen head of cattle and nearly 100 head OF
sheep. W. do not quite know what horses
are gone yet They have left us ten young
up and little forage also. things might
have been worse. The sheep. too. were
shorn. and the money for the wool safely
in the bank.