The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1900-02-04
EIGHT PLUCKY YOUNG BoERs
THEY SCATTERED DESTRUCTION IN
A COLUMN OF BRITISH.
Killed and Wounded Several, Includ-
ing Two Omcers-SOme Hot Fir
ing at ColensO Described.
Correspondence of the Associated Press.

tOrla he continues.
Yesterday rode out to watch the even
ing bombardment, which make on their
intrenchments with the Az guns. From the
low hill on which the battery is established
the whole scene is laid bare. The Boer
lines run in a great crescent along the
hills. Tier above tier of trenches have been
scored along their sides and Che brown
streaks across the grass of the open
country south of the river. After tea in the
captains tent Captain Limpus. of the Ter
rible, invited me to look through the tele-
scope and mark the fall of the shells The
glass was one of great power and L could
plainly see the figures of the Beers walk
ing about in twos and threes, sitting on
the entertainments or shoveling away to
heghten them. We selected one particular
group near kraal, whose range had been
carefully noted, and the great guns were
slowly brought to bear onsthe unsuspecting
target.
II looked through the spy hole at the
tiny picture Of the kraal--a long breast
work of newly thrown up earth six or
seven miniature men gathered into little
bunch. two others skylarking on the grass
behind the trench, apparently engaged in a
Il
A naval officer craned along the seventeen
foot barrel, peering through the telescope
sights Another was penciling some cal
culations as to wind and light and other
intricate details. The crew stood attentive
around.
AT last all was done. 1 looked back to
the enemy. The group was still intact
The boxers were still playing-one had
pushed the other down. A solitary horse
| man had also come into the picture and
was riding slowly across. The desire of
murder rose In my heart. Now for a bag.
Bang! jumped at least foot, disarrang-
ing the telescope, but there was plenty of
time to reset 1t while the shell was hiss
ing and tearing its way through nearly
] five miles Of air. 1 found the kraal again
the group still there. but all motionless
| and alert, like startled rabbits. Then they
| began to bob into the earth, one after the
other. Suddenly, I'm the middle of the
kraal, there, appeared huge flash. bill
| Lowry ball of smoke and clouds of dust.
Bang! / jumped again. The second gun
had fired. But before this shell could
| reach the trenches dozen little figures
| scampered away. scattering in all direc-
tons. Evidently the first had not been
| without effect. But when L turned the
glass to another part of the defenses the
| Beers were working away stolidIv and
| only those near the explosion showed any
| signs of disturbance. The bombardment
continued for half an hour, the shells be-
| ing flung sometimes into the trenches,
| sometimes along the houses of Colenso
| and directed with marvellous accuracy At
| last the guns were covered up again in
| their tarpaulins, the crowd Of military
| spectators broke up and dispersed amid the
tents and soon it became night"
LADYSMITHS PLIGHT
| Mr.. Churchill gives rather dismal fore
cast of the future that confronts the Lady
smith force 'Ladysmith has stood two
| months siege and bombardment. Food
| and ammunition stores are dwindling. Dis
ease is again increasing, The strain on
| the garrison has been, in spite of their
pluck and stamina, severe one How long
can they hold out? 1t is difficult to say
| precisely, because after the ordinary ra-
| tons are exhausted determined men will
| eat horses and rats, and beetles and such
| like odds and ends and so continue the
| defense. But another month must be the
| limit of their endurance, and then If no
| help comes, Sir George White will have to
shoot off all his ammunition blow up all
his heavy guns, burn all wagons and
! equipment and sally out with his whole
| force in a fierce endeavor to escape south
| ward. Perhaps half might succeed in
| reaching our lines, but the rest, less the
killed and wounded, would be set to occupy
the new camp at Waterfall. which has al
ready been laid out; such the intelligent an
| ucipation of the enemy for their accommo-
| dation."
From Pretoria the Daily News has Sc
cured an interesting translation of a letter
written by Deneys Reitz to his father, the
| Transvaal state secretary. The writer is
| with the Boer forces before Ladysmith He
| Is seventeen years of age. Joubert is a
brother. just returned from Europe:
Before Ladysmith. Dec. r. 1899.
Dear Father-Joubert and are still safe
and an well. l see in the Standard and
stormed Lombard's kop, but it is not
| stated that they damaged two of their
guns. On the following morning they came
past us but were soon driven back. But
now comes the worst. We were on outskirt
| duty last night about six hundred yards on
| a hill on which stood a howitzer. Below
| this hill lay other outposts, which, either
| through treachery or carelessness, allowed
| the english to pass. About 1 o'clock we
| heard the English on top of the hill crying
| hurrahs. We sent word to the field cornet
but before he could arrive the howitzer was
damaged. Tie English again cheered and
| we were so enraged that we Immediately
| ran through the bushes to stop them when
| they should come down again. There We're
/ OHly eight Oi Us.
at was, of course, pitch dark. When we
| had run a short distance we heard, Halt,
| who goes there?' from the sentry from a
| body of English who had remained in the
| bushes We fired volley in their direction
and ran as fast we could to ditch be-
| hind U.S. After waiting some minutes we
| again advanced among the bushes and
after having marched about a mile we
| reached the creek which runs below the
| HILL Here body of English who had re-
NAMED behind fired volleys at us. We lay
against the bank of the creek and replied
i to their fire. 1t became hot, however,
| that we retired around the corner of the
bank. Here Sample Van Zyl was shot. He
was about a yard ahead of me. He was
struck by two bullets, in the throat,
| the other through the lung. We are very
| sad to-day on account of his death, for he
was the life and soul of camp. He did
| not die Immediately. We placed him against
| the bank and gave him water. We were
| then obliged to leave him for some of the
English were behind whilst those who
had been on the top of the hill were in
front of us. -
1--WE ran to the east bank and then an
| Englishman rushed down toward me and
was going to stab me with his bayonet
| but he was little too high up so that he
| could not do it, He said: Throw down your
| gun and won't shoot But / said: Throw
down yours or shall shoot And so /
would have, but he threw down his gun
Then he fumbied with his hands In his
breast- probably to loosen his cartridge
pouch. but thought he meant 10 take out
a. revolver. My comrades shouted out: