The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1901-05-11

AZ xxNxl
stationed, and the remaining four hun
dred De Wet took with him to a dry
river-bed that lay to the west, toward
which he hoped the British might re-
treat. The horses were concealed
there, with their mouths tied shut to
prevent their whinnying.
The sun rose at 6 o'clock, and from
the post were heard the sounds of
camp-life, rafting of coffee-cans and
crackle OF fires. There was not even
one outpost or scout, and when the
Beers on the north opened fire at 6:15,
the English camp was thrown into a
panic.
The British artillery soon got in
position, however, and opened on the
kopje. The duel kept up for half an
hour, then the Boer artillery let loose
with its Krupps and created havoc.
Three hundred British mounted in
fantry rode out on the veldt toward
De Wet, and then wheeling off, sud
denly disappeared. They were not seen
again in fe fight. By 8 o'clock the
English were so demoralized that they
began to retreat, and, as De Wet ex-
pected, they rushed toward the spruit.
First in the long khaki line were 12O
wagons, scattered among WHICH were
many Cape-carts, or spiders" But
right in the midst Of the line De Wet
spied twelve cannon, and these he
planned to capture. The first Tommy
to arrive at the spruit was driving an
ammunition wagon. De Wet rose up
like a specter, with his carbine resting
on his arm, and motioning with his
finger said, "Come on, Tommy, want
you" The Tommy gulped down an
oath and obeyed, never daring to sig
nal his comrades. A dozen wagons
had crossed the stream before word
had passed to the rear and put the col
umn into confusion. Broadwood sent
three hundred men down to the spruit
to see what was the matter. De Wet
and his 400 sharpshooters had not fired
rs yet. When the captain was within
fifteen feet of De Wet, the latter
stepped out from cover again and
called out, "Stop! Put down your
arms" Some of the men obeyed, but
the captain tried to get away and De
Wet shot him through the head. With
in few square feet of that officer,
Captain Allen, the Norwegian military
attache, told me that he afterward
counted 80 dead Englishmen. The
rattle of the Mausers was like hail on
tin roof Every strand on wire
fence across the spruit was shot away.
Nearly all the artillerymen dropped
dead with bullets through their heads.
Every horse was shot down, and it
was only by the most desperate BRAY
cry that Broadwood was able to extri-
cate five of the twelve cannon. The
triple fire of the Beers so demoralized
the English that for a time 1t was
thought Broadwood himself must sur
render. Between 10 and II o'clock,
however, he managed to get his PAN
icky troops in full retreat toward
Bloemfontein, and to their heels chung
300 Beers, who followed to within
sight of the Free State capital, yelling
like mad. jumping off to shoot, and
then remounting to get another crack.
When De Wet got his commando to-
gcther at !; o'clock to "take Stock he
found his own loss to be four killed
and twelve wounded. OF the Tenth
IIuss,lrs, Roberts Horse. Royal Field
Artillery and Burmah Mounted In
fantry-the troops that Broadwood
commanded-25O lay dead or wounded
and 1875 had been taken prisoners.