The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1900-03-09
BULLERS THORNY PATH NAREPAT OTAJBLANI
HIS FORCES MEET TREMENDOUS
RESISTANCE.
Long Disptach Construed as a Victory
But Fears Felt it May Have a String
to 1t.

BY United States transport Thomas
LONDON, February 2S, 2;40 p, M
General Buffers account of the tre-
mendous resistance he is encountering
in his efforts to reach Ladysmith has
brought public interest with a sharp
turn from complacent contemplation of
Lord Roberts victory to a realization
of the serious conditions still existing
in Natal. Though General Buffers
| lengthy dispatch is construed as a vic
| tory bravely won, the commander OK
the forces in Natal has so often re-
ported similar victories without achiev-
! ing his main objective that the public
| has learned to contain its jubilatfon
until Ladysmith is actually relieved.
while the long list of casualties invari-
| ably following any apparent gain BY
| General Butler is always awaited with
| dread and anxiety, which temporarily
rob his partial success of its acclaim.
| However, it is the generally accepted
belief that General Butler is determin-
! ed to reach General White this time
and though the stages are disappoint-
ingly slow, the nation considerably
awaits news of the relief of those 5000
besieged troops,
General Buffers report shows there
is urgent need of Lord Roberts exert
ing every effort to still further draw
off the Beers from Natal to the Free
State. That he will do so, and is quite
likely doing so by marching on Bloem-
fontein, is regarded as almost certain
by the military critics here. With the
additional 600 Beers reported prisoners
at Kimberley, it seems that the num-
Der of men captured by Lord Roberts
nearly reaches 5000
The afternoon papers comment on
the hero of Kandahars achievement,
laying special stress on the gallantry
4
Paardeberg special, were actually fght-
ing hand-to-hand in the Boer trenches
when General Cronje surrendered.
though this scarcely agrees with Lord
Roberts dispatch.
The Queen has telegraphed General
Fuller as follows:
IT have heard with the deepest con-
Germ the heavy losses sustained by my
brave Irish soldiers, and / desire to ex-
press my sympathy and admiration Of
the splendid fighting qualities they have
exhibited throughout these trying ope-
rations."
Lord Roberts has forwarded. an ad-
ditional list of the British casualties
a during the three days fighting at Paar-
! deberg showing IL killed, 80 wounded
a and missing and including Z officers
l and Canadian privates wounded.
Following is General Buffers latest
/ dispatch, referred to above, and sent
, to the War Office:
t ''HEADWATERS AND LADWANIK,
= Feb. 2S, 5 p. m.-Finding that the pas
sage of Langewatches Spruit was COM
manded by entrenchments. l reconnoi-
9 tered for another passage of the Tu-
gela. One was found for me below the
cataract by Colonel Sandbach, Royal
4 Engineers, on February 20. We COM
t menced making an approach thereto
= and on February 26, finding that could
e make the passage practicable, 1 crossed
the guns and baggage back to the
- south side of the Tugla, took up the
s pontoon bridge onNMonday night anc
o relaid it at the new site, which is JUS
a below the present marked cataract
Y During all this time the troops hat
s been scattered, crouching under hastily
8 constructed small stone shelters, anC
o exposed to a calling shell and rifle fire
= and throughout they maintained the
e most excellent spirits. Tuesday Gener
= al Barton, with two battalions of the
$ Sixth Brigade and the Dublin Fusileers
d crept about a mile and a half dowI
n the banks of the river, and ascending
e an almost perpendicular cliff of abou
= 500 feet, assaulted and carried the tol
of Pieters Hill. This hill, to a certain
e extent turned the enemy's left, anC
e the Fourth Brigade, under Colonel Nor
e colt, and the Eleventh Brigade, Colone
a Kitchener commanding the whole un
der the command of General Warren
assailed the enemy's position, whicl
l was magnificently carried by the Sout
d Lancashire Regiment about sunset
: We took about sixty prisoners an
i scattered the enemy in all directions
% There seems to be still a considerabl
body of them left on and under Bal
wano Mountain. Our losses, hope, ar
not large. They certainly are muc
is less than they would have been wer
l. it not for the admirable manner i
rt which the artillery was served, espeC
t. tally the guns manned by the Roya
TO Naval force, and the Natal naval vol
,e unteers."
A dispatch from Arundel says tina
the British troops have again occupie
Rensberg.
p The War Office has received the 70
= lowing dispatch from Lord Roberts:
"PAARDEBERG, Feb. 2S.-Cron1
v with his family left here yesterday /
" charge of Major General Prettymai
and under the escort of the City In
perial Volunteers and Mounted Infar
lg try.
ar Later in the day the remaining prs
le oners went in charge of Earl of Enrol
and escorted by the Gloucesters and
p hundred Imperial Volunteers. tt
women and children are being sent
their homes. l understand that grei
dissatisfaction was felt by the Boel
e. at CrOnje's refusal to accept my Off
of safe conduct to the women and chi
H. dren, and medical care for the wounds
e. 40 of whom are now in our hospita
B. Many of them are in a terrible pligl
In for want of care at an earlier stage.
ur IT inspected the Beers laager yei
terday, and was much struck by II
We ingenuity and energy with which II
position was made almost impregni
y ble."
ABOUT THE SAME COST.
Everything a man needs to supp