GUNNER BROWN AT THE WAR.

Greymouth Evening Star, Volume XXXI, 15 February 1901, Page 4

GUNNER BROWN AT THE WAR.

Gunner Henry Brown, of Greymouth, writing under place and date of " On the Veldt, January 6th, 1901," says : " We left Tuli on the 22nd of November for Buluwayo, the march occupying thirteen days. We had pretty rough weather and arrived there on December Ist. We stayed there that night and entrained the next day, but did not know where we were going until we landed at the Orange Eiver.

On the journey down we stopped at Mafeking for three hours. I met Charlie Cribb and had a long " pitch " with him. He told me that he was tired of the Post Office job and wants to get to the front again.

The journey took four days and nights, the distance being about 1,200 miles. We only stopped at the Orange River for a week, and then we entrained for De Aar.

We were not long there when we shifted up the line to Hoot Kraal, where the Boers were taking charge of the line. There was n company of Yeomanry comin" down the line when the Boers tried to°stick the train up, but the Yeomanry managed to drive them up. The Colonel who was in charge of the Yeomanry advanced on the Boeis, but soon found his mistake: the Boers led him into a trap and captured the lot of them. We stayed at Tloat Kraal for about three hours to feed and water the horses. We had not gone far when we met the Y'eomanry that had managed to escape. Wc did not go far that night on account of it being pitch dark. We were up at three o'clock next morning to get at whore the Boers were, but when we arrived the Boers had fled.

The Y'eomanry that the Boers captured we met coming into camp, and you would have laughed to sec them. Some had no boots on and no shirts. The Boers had simply stripped them. All their convoys and ammunition were captured.

I spent my Christmas on the veldt and have been out for a fortnight.

We had to give up chasing the Boers because our rations and horse feed run out. As soon as we get them we will be after the Boers again. The horses and mules are all dying fast.

We are cightmiles from West Victoria. I have left the maxims and transferred to the fifteen-pounders, and am attached to Colonel Thorneycrolt and He Liles; so if you hear of any fighting you will know Head and I are in it.

The man in command of the Boers is Brant. He has about twelve hundred men with him.

At Brix Town and Vexberg they have done great damage by looting, and some have smashed the line of communication.

The closest range we have got to them was four thousand yards. Wo had our guns in position but did not fire. The Boers will take some catching as they have no transport with them. They get feed from any of the Dutch farmers. We ought to do better next time, as they have sent a lot of transports back.

They say they will lot us go back when the twelve months is up, but I will stop to the finish.