Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1901-02-09

ant Pict Dewet. With him went some
eleven hundred men, six guns, one
Maxim Nordenfelt and one small Max
i'm,
The remaining four hundred with
those Of us who accompanied the head
quarters staff. rode on 10 Marais' farm,
at Oosprut, and offsaddled there, About
4 o'clock In the morning old Christian
Dewet moved us down into the Koorn
Spruit and disposed Of az along the FUR
Their bank near the Bloemfontein water
works, where the big road dives down
TO cross the drift.
In front OF us the British biyouac
fires glowed duly not a quarter Of
mile away. Away over a mile and
half to the eastward. where the sky
was already beginning to tighten, Pet
Dewet with his six guns and ], 100 men,
was safely slowed within 800 yards Of
the British lines.
Between us were Gen. Broadwood q
force Of fully 1900 men ana rich
convoy. And yet had we encountered
no outpost, discovered no picket we
had ridden the ten miles since the dis
patch rider arrested us unchalenged,
and now the old hunter lay eXpectantly
awaiting daylight and the British
As the dawn broke Piet De~ets guns
sounded the reyeile. In an instant
Broadwood and his camp were awake
and busting. Soon. out Of the morning
half light, doomed the first Cape cart
rafting downward toward US and
Bloemfontein. The word went round,
mo shot to be fired till Gen. Dewet's
rifle gives the signal
without advance guard OF cavalry
screen. scouts or flankers, the rich con-
voy rolled downward into the waiting
arms of Dewet. First came the Cape
carts, then the light baggage wagons,
and after them the long string OF lum-
bering mule wagons-tw0 TOmmies in
front. two Tommies behind--jangling
their way toward Bloemfonteln.
on the verge OF the spruit stood
Christian Dewet, silent, cool and as the
lead mules crossed the lip he placed
restraining hand ON the lines and MUIR
INJURED invltingly, Come in"
DEwETs FIRST COUP.
They came, and after them came full
" fourscore others -draggled Tommies,
dumbfounded Tommles, deyil-may-
care Tommies-but no single Tommy
had the presence Of mind to wave back
his successors in the miserable process
sion. And there was no escort,
with time and the packing Of the
baggage train in the spruit something
Of doubt arose In the mind or the
British commander. He dispatched
squadron OF mounted infantry to recon-
hotter the position. Ti1a troopers came
crisply trotting up, deployed and adj
vanced to within eighty yards OF u.s.
Every face In the long, straight line
stood out distinctly as Dom Christian
once more arose and Invited the cav
alrymen's commander to come over
Through his interpreter, Ricketts,, De-
wet told the officer he and his troop
must surrender or fall where they
stood The commander heard and rode
back to his men. covered all the DIS
lance by Dewets rigid rife, Then the
command rang out, Files about gal
lopl" Dewet's rifle cracked. the mount.
ed infantryman pitched forward out OF
his saddle. and thirty-two Of his troop
ers lay wounded or dead beside him.
Away out across the two thousand
yards 10 safety an ugly wake OF KHAKI
marked the course OF the escorts re-
treat until the days fight was done.
Had the cavalrymen's commander
had presence Of mind equal TO his cour-
age and given the order CHARGE ne
had altered the days fortunes and
had not written this story But Brit