The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1900-01-07
One Soldier Glad to Wet His Parched
Lips with Moisture from the Ex-
haust Pipe of an Engine.
GRAPHIC STORY OF A soRTIE
FURIOUS DASH OF CAPT. FITZCLAR-
ENCE ON THE BOER TRENCHES.
Soldiers and Citizens mt Ladysmith
Housed in Caves-MOdder River
Battle Almost a Second Alma.
of the Associated Press.

Correspondence of the Associated Press.
LONDON, Dec. 30.-"The men were
crowding around the engines in line offer
ing the drivers fabulous prices for a cup
of water.' writes the Globe correspondent,
describing the close of the battle at Enslin,
''but it was useless. The drivers had been
threatened with court-martial if they sup
piled any, as there was great difficulty in
keeping sufficient supply for the engines. 1
saw one soldier lying fiat on the line under
an engine catching a few drops in his
| mouth from a steam pipe
Such extracts as this from the mailed de-
scriptions of the fighting in South Africa
give some faint idea of the conditions un-
der which 1t is being carried on. Belated
as these letters are by the time they ap-
pear in English papers, they throw much
needed light on the campaign, so barrenly
reported over the censored cables. The
heat that drove British soldiers to drink
| gratefully from the exhaust pipe of an en-
gine after seven hours fighting at Ensln,
where they lost 179 killed and wounded, has
proved serious factor in the care of the
wounded.
Surgeon Makins, formerly of st. Thomas
hospital at Orange river: rDuring an eight
| days stay, some GOO wounded men have
passed through the hands of the royal
| army medical corps here. In one night
alone 300 patients arrived from the fight at
| Modder river. Yesterday the thermometer
registered LIS degrees Fahrenheit in some
of the tents. The journey from here to the
base hospital at Winberg, which takes
| twenty-eight hours. emphasizes the diff
culties due to the immense length OF the
| line of communication.
'"The immense majority Of the wounds
| have been inflicted by the Mauser or Lee
Metford bullets, and small proportion by
Martini bullets and large projectiles. A
wounded Boer referred to the -Metford
as 'gentlemanly bullet and this remark
| Is equally applicable to the Mauser. The
| wounds made by them are SMALL cleah and
| not disposed to suppurate. These bullets
met with have been little deformed, unless
| they have struck stones before entering,
| and have seen no single instance which
would suggest the use Of either 1attened
| or so-called explosive bullets among the
wounded here"
FITzCLARENCE's soRTIE.
From Mafeking under date of Oct. 26, the
Times correspondent in that beleaguered
place vividly describes a night sortie by
Captain Fitzclarence with fifty-five men of
the Protectorate regiment, and Lieutenant
Murray, with twenty-five men of the Cape
| Police. Shortly after IL o'clock" writes
| this correspondents, Captain Fitzclarence
and his men started on their perilous under
| taking. In the faint light of the night we
could see their figures silently hurrying
across the veldt. In the blue haze of the
distance black blur betokened the posi-
ton Of the enemy. and it seemed that at
| any moment the hoarse challenge of the
Boer outposts would give the alarm. The
| men crept on slightly in extended order,
| holding themselves in readiness for the su-
preme moment.
"The silence was intense. The heavy
gloom. the wistful noises of the veldt at
night the shadowy patches in the bush, all
seemed to heighten the tension of ones
nerves. In little while our men were
within a few yards Of the enemy; then fur
| lively each fixed his bayonet to his rife and
as the blades rang home upon their SOCK
cts, the gallant band raised a ringing cheer.
| Instantly the Boer position was galvanized
| into activity, figures showed everywhere,
shots rang out, men shouted, horses stam-
peded and the confusion which reigned su-
preme gave to our men one vital moment in
which to hurl themselves across the inter-
vening space. Then there was loud crash,
| for, as it happened, many of our men were
nearer the intrenchments than had been
anticipated, and their charge had precipi-
| tated them upon some sheets of corrugated
| iron which the Beers had torn from the
grand stand of the race course for protec-
| ton from the rain.
with our men upon the parapet of the
| trench, a few rapid volleys were fired into
| the enemy, who, taken completely by sur
prise, were altogether demoraliZed Those
| in the first trenches, seemed to have been
petrifed by fright. Where they WERE there
| they remained, disabled with bayonet,
knocked senseless with the rifles butt or
| shot dead Captain Fitzclarence himself
with magnificent gallantry and swordman-
| ship killed four of the enemy with his
sword, and his men plying their bayonets
strenuously the while. This was the first
trench, and as the fighting grew hotter,
some little memory of their earlier boasts
| inspired the Beers to make a stand They
/ fought well. Commandant Botha told
Lieutenant Moncrieff, who had charge of
| the flag party, that arranged for an
armistice in the morning, that he thought
at least 1000 men had been moved against
| his position.
A BAYONET CHARGE.
"After the first fury had been expended,
our men charged at the bayonet point right
across the line OF trenches. 1t was in this
charge that the Beers lost most heavily.
So soon as the squadron reached the ex-