The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1900-01-08
People Of Ladysmith Becoming Cave
DWelIers..
Blunders of British Ar
tillery.
Suffering For Lack Of Water at
Enslin.

Correspondence Of the Al isted Prees.
London, December 30.-"The men were
crowding round the engines on the line
cup Of water )" writes the Globe CORES
pendent, desoribing the CLOSE Of the battle
at Enslin, "but it was useless. 1hs
drivers had bseL threatened with court
martial II they supplied any, as there was
great difficulty In keeping sufficient sup
ply for the engines. saw one soldier ly-
Ing fiat on the line under an engine,
catching @ few drops In his mouth from
o steam-p
Such extracts as this from the mailed
descr options Of the fighting In South A.
rica, awe some faint idea OF the oondi.
tions under which IL 10 psing carried on.
Belated as the letters are. BY the time
they appear In the British papsrs, they
throw much needed light upon the Dam.
paign, 90 barrsnly reported over the GEN.
sored GABLES. The heat that drove the
British soldiers to drink gratefully from
the exhaust piGe Of an engine altar seven
| hours fightias ct Enslin-whers they lost
I79 killed and wounded-has proved . Sc
rious factor In the care OF the wounded.
In the British Medical Journal, Sur
geon Maxine, formerly Of St Thom %
hosr ital, writes under date Of the field
hospital at Orange river: "During an
eight days stay some 600 wounded men
have passed through the hands Of the roy
al army medical CORPS here. In one night
alone SEQ patients arrived from the fight
at Mo6dsr river. Yesterday the thsrmom-
stsr registered 1l5 degrees Fahrenheit In
some of the tents. The fact that the jour.
ney from here to the has. hospital 1t
Wy bersn takes twenty Fight hours en-
phasizss the difficulties due 10 the Inn
msnse length Of the line Of oommupioa-
ton.
"Ths Immense majority Of the wounds
have been Inflicted BY the Aauser or
Lee Astford bullets. and . somewhat
smaller proportion By Martini bullets and
large projsotiles. A wounded Boe- re-
ferred to the Lee Metford ~ gentle
manly bullet and this remark is equally
applicable to the Maussr. The wounds
M ade by them are small, clean and little
disposed to suppurate The bullets met
with have been little deformed, unless
they have struck stones before entering.
and have sesn no single instance which
would suggest the use Of either fat.
tened or so-called explosive bullets
among the wounded here"
HOW MAFEKING Is DEFENDED.
From Mafsking, under date Of October
26, the Times correspondent in that be-
IsAg uersd place wildly describes nigh
sorties by Captain Fitzolarenoe with 90
mon of the Professionals regiment and
Lieut.. Murray with 20 men Of the Cape
20 lice.
"Shortly after eleven O'clock" writes
this correspond nt. 4" Captain Eitzclarenoe
and his men started on their perilous un-
dsrtaking. In the faint light Of the
night We could see their figures, silently
hurrying across the veldt. In the blue
hazs Of the distance black blur betok-
sned the position Of the enemy and 1t
seemed any moment the hoArss challenge
Of the Bosr outposts would give the
alarm. The men crept on In slightly ex-
tended order, holding themselves In read-
iness for the supreme moment. Nearer
and yet nearer, they drew TO the Boer in
erchmsnts. The silence was INTENSE.
The heavy gloom. the wistful noise o I
the veldt at night the shadowy patches
In the bush, all seemed to hsightsn the
tension of ones nerves In . little while
our men were within a few yards Of the
enemy; then furtively each attached his
bayonet to his rifle and, as the blades
sank home upon their sockets. the gal
liant band raised . ringing chesr. In
ssantIy the Boer position was galvanized
into activity, figures showed everwyhers.
shots rang out, men shouted. horses
stampsusd and the con fusion which
reigned supreme gave to our men one VI
tai moment In which to huri thems ,lves
aorcsJ the intervening space. Then there
was loud crash for. as 1t happened,
many of our men were nearer the In
| trenchments than had been anticipated,
and their eager charge had preoipitatsd
whi,h tins Beers had torn from this
grandssa of the race course for protec-
ton from the rain.
"with our men upon the parapet Of the
trench q few rapid volleys were fired
into the enemy. who. taken completely
by surprise. were altogether demoralized.
Thoss In the first trenches seemed to
have been petrinsd BY flight. Where they
were. there thsy remained. stayed wish
bayonet, knocked ssnss lesI with the rifle
|