New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1901-10-06
THE FIGHTING CONVOY.
A DAYS WORK WITH THE BRITISH
FORCES IN SOUTH AFRICA.


The sun swings up blood red and warm
. quarter of an hour ago the ragged brigade
was -, shivering to death The icy cold bar
TO be summing himself in a suburb of Hades
NOW the sun beats down hot and resistIess on
the burning veldt, and in the nearest wagon two
bullccks drop. That means extra pressure and
increased torture for the diminished span The
poor prutes strain at the yoke. and trail
through the sweltering heat. Through the dust
comes the fiendish yelling of the drivers and the
thud, thud. thud, thud of the whips reversed
Kip! Klop! Kip, Klop, There is no mstak-
ing II, the double snap of the Mauser
Three or four little jets of dust squirt up in
front Of the scouts like the first big drops of
thundersto rm. But the scouts press on. Their
business is not only to locate but to ascertain
as accurately as possible the number of the
good order, chatting and smoking the while
Ihen an orderly gallops back TO the staff and
uraws up by the brigade-major his i'll fed
mount. wet from hip to shoulder There are
nfty-odd Beers on that kopje sir"
a moment later you hear the tss. tss. tss of
| the gun harness and the rattle OF the gun car
| riages They swing round and pun up under
| cover of the advance guard.
Two thousand eight hundred" shouts the
| range hnder. Then there is sound like the
whack on big drum. and at the foot of the
| kopJe where the enemy were located. comes up
short" shouts the lieutenant in charge of
The hfteen-pounder. Try three thousand two
Then the gun gives a grunt. jumps back. and
runs run forward again as II to get good view Of
| The shell has cleared the crest of the kopie
| TRY three thousand"
| Then there is another bang, and right on the
| summit or the kOpte a cloud OF dust Spurts uD
| into the air. Outside the cloud OF dust two or
three horsemen can be seen racing for cover
bang! 1t is shrapnel this occasion and
Just where the last shell burst fifty spurts OF
dust rise up. From that point the field gun
sweeps the whole crest OF the kopje
| Kip! Klop, Kip! Klopi The firing has be
| come pretty general all round the convoy over
on the right flank little white flag is in a fit
| or Mysteries. The staff signaller trains his
| glasses on the flag and watches Ii for a few
| moments Dropping them. he turns to a staff
officer and jerks out the statement that a eun
| is required Immediately on the right flank
Tss. tss, tss. goes the gun harness again as a
lo-pounder wheels off to the right with its
| srinnins gunners hanging on for dear life Then
out or the cloud OF dust following in the wake OF
| the 15-pounder you notice the gun swing ROUND
and uniimber and start to make little hell Of
| its own.
In front OF the gun are the nankers lying low
behind n small knoll. In front of the fankers
rise UP the spurts and jets OF dust where the
Mauser shower OF lead is biting the veIdt Be
| yond this and over the donga and beyond the
stretch OF grassy veldt rises a kOpje rugged and
precipitous. There is not sign OF any living
| thing on IL. But the 15-pounder is vomiting
! shrapnel all over its side and feTreting every
| bOwlder from base to crest. Now and then you
see little things like ants swarming over the
powders. The gunners trail their weapon
the ants. but by the time the little white leecy
cloud unfolds where the shell bursts the figures
have disappeared. and away the other
trenity OF the kopte comes kip, kfop. kp
klOp! from other rifles.
The guns with the advance guard have failed
! TO clear their kOpje so far. They have battered
and thumped it for half an hour. The order
comes for the convoy 10 close and take
cover, Then there is a running fire of bullock
whips right down the long sinuOus line OF
wagons Yelling, shouting cursing and fosginS
! for all they worth. the black mps of driv-
crowd their wagons together the side OF
! on Derby Day 1t is going to be long job
| The enemy are hanging on like hornets and are
swarrnng the surrounding kOpjes like ants on
u honey pot. Yes. a long job. And so the
negroes start a brew of coffee while TIN
baggage guard gets out the regimental football
| to while away the time
| The Manchesters form the rear guard to-day
| Consequently, the rear guard gun is perfectly
| safe. Ever since daybreak the ManChesters have
! been harried and sniped all through the slow
| long, sulen. swelterng march. This is how the
enemy have shepherded them So soon as the
rear guard got down into the hollow the enemy
would be the summit of the kOpje behind
taking pot shots across the Open This an
noyed the Yeomanry in the of the Man
chesters The burghers have been repeating the
trick over and over again. Then brilliant idea
strikes the Yeomanry officer. He waits until the
rear guard gets Well over the crest of the next
kOpje. hundred yards down the slope on the
far side ne hurriedy dismounts his men. He
turns the company Maxim on the crest just
vacated. and orders the in charge to sit
tight and wait. Then the enemy come swarm
ing upon the ridge, expecting to find the little
ragged yellow we'll down in the hollow
SO they appear ripple of death passes
| right along the line of horsemen which reSu-
| lary staggers the enemy.
! Rat-a-tat- Ia t-rat- ia raj "a tat-tat-tat!
| That is the Maxim chatterinS away like a
monkey when its tail is pulled.
atIxxr hos