The Irish standard., 1902-01-04

defenses had been made and his men
stationed under cover of darkness.
Butler gave no cause to change men
or position.
He began by sending forward the
Imperial Light Horse and infantry on
the right flank; and so careless had
been the scouting that these men, ri
flies slung upon their shoulders, talking
and laughing, We're within sixty yards
before the burghers opened up Il
CALLING fire that resulted in terrific
slaughter. Seeing this failure, Butler
then ordered the advance of the left
across the bride drift SKIS miles high
cr up on the Tugela. But here again
Botha had posted the Swaziland and
| Zoutphnsberg commanders, men ac-
cuStomed to shoot wild beasts on the
vcidt, cool nerved and unerring of aim
They allowed the British to come
within two hundred yards before let
ting loose volley that turned the
Tugela into flowing blood. The Eng
lish troops-Dublins, Connaught Rang
ers, Innisllilens and Bordcrers-here
made five charges through stream
that was sown with barbed wire. 81
never thought human beings could be
so brave" declared General Botha.
The third and last attack was in
The center, where was stationed the
5<rugersdorp commando called the
"Transvaal Black Watch" They al
so reserved their fire, but when they
did open, the fusilade was. so terrible
that nothing could live therein. The
Beers fire was so incessant, indeed,
that all the guns and horses of an
Armstrong battery in the right center
were shot away, and the tide Of battle
now turned where Briton and Boer
were striving to get possession of
these twelve guns. Butler called for
volunteers to save them, and five at
tempts were made, in one Of which
Lieutenant Roberts, son of Lord Rob
crts, was mortally wounded. AS soon
as one party had been shot down, an
other looks it's place, until the spot
was Il perfect SHAMELESS and the Brit
ish were in full retreat before the
precious guns were abandoned. When
Il company of Beers hurried across the
Tugea to drag the cannon away, they
found horses and men piled up high,
with Colonel Bullock and dozen ar
tillerymen still savagely resisting. The
colonel drew his revolver to shoot the
first Boer, but was hit on the mouth
with riflcbutt. He aftcrward be-
came dcrangcd, and in the Pretoria
prison went about with placard
reading: Il am the man who lost
ten guns at Colenso."
Thus ended the first chapter of the
Hoer war;
With the CHASTITY repulsc ut Coenso
the British Empire realized what
Kruger meant when he said England
might win, but the price would Stag
ger humanity" A cry of rage and
despair went up from the mother
country and her colonies. Australia
and Canada, both intensely loyal,
equipped splcndidly mounted troops ut
their own expense-Busllmen, New
Zealandcrs. Light Horse, Rough Rid
crS.
England. however, was only harden
ell in heart by failure and grew san
gune again when Lord Robert OF
Kandallar and Kitchener Of Nhartoum
We're chosen to suDdue the Beers. 1t
looked now truly as though the con-
test must end, with warriors of such
renOwn to lead. These two arrived
at Cape Town on Jan. 10, and Roberts
Immediately organized an army of one
hundred and thirty thousand, which
was to sweep north in one mighty
column. Before he was we'll started
occurred the battle of Spion Kop.
where. after the bloodicst engagement
that had yet taken place, were found
the dead bodies OF six hundred Eng
lish. Many fell in hand to-hand con-
fict with the Beers, who, under Louis
BOtla, fought their bravcst battle.
But Spon Kop was the last gasp
for the burghcr army in Natal. Men
and horses were completely tired from
constant vigilance, and Roberts APP
proach from the south, threatening
the very citadel of Pretoria, called
for concentration of troops in the Free
State. General Botha told me that
for two months he had but three
thousand men to guard Il front of
thirty miles. 1t was done by swiftly
changing position every night, drag
ging the heavy cannon from kopje to
kopic, in order that the English might
not know the true situation.
When Butler made his fifth and last
attempt, therefore, to cross the Tugela,
lie found little opposition, and on Feb.
IS his victorious army entered the
shell-plowed streets of Ladysmith. 1t
is history that his troops marched
half way through the town before get
ting a single cheer, so gaunt, gloomy
and hungcrstricken were those who
had endured the siege. What ell