FRASERTOWN.

Gisborne Times, Volume V, Issue 60, 12 March 1901, Page 3

FRASERTOWN.

(From Our Own Correspondent),

A native named Apirana Whata Whata met with a serious accident a day or two ago. He was riding a draught horse up a steep hill-side, carrying a child in front of bun, when the horse lost its -footing and fell on him. He had just time to throw the child into some fern, but was not able to disentangle himself. The horse rolled over him several times, down the incline, inflicting, it is feared, fatal injuries. Bazaar Committee. A meeting of the Frasertown Library Bazaar Committee was held in the schoolroom on Tuesday evening, to review the result of their labors and receive tbo balance-sheet, which showed receipts T 96 13s 3d, expenses Tl 9 17s, balance to credit of Library building fund .£76 16 3d. The result was considered very satisfactory, and votes pf thanks were passed to all those who had assisted to make the bazaar a success.

An Interesting Letter. A resident here lias received ail interesting letter from a Frasertown boy, now fighting for his King and country in South Africa, and from which I have been permitted to take the following extracts : The columfi to'whieh I have been attached is in the vicinity of Klerksdorp, and about 200 of us have been holding this drift for the past seven weeks. We have 150 Tommies here, a 15 pounder-gun and 45 scouts of the sth N.Z.. Regiment. Our position is good. We are strongly entrenched, so there is not much fear of a Boer attack, although at one time there were about 700 of them with a 9-pounder away to our front in the State. The river is the boundary between the two late Republics, and we have two out-posts across the river. Since coming out here we have had five skirmishes, the last of which took place on the sth inst. In the first four we had two horses severely wounded, but no troopers were hit, and the Boers had seven men killed and some wounded. We have commandeered all their stock around here and sent all the women and children away to Johannesburg. The poultry and little pigs we made use of for the table. It is | amusing-to watch a trooper chasing fowls round a house and a Dutch girl following him with a cup of milk or coffee in the vain hope that it willsatisfy the “Verdome Rooinek’s” appetite (he takes both). Seeing that she has failed she generally “• flukes ” (swears) for all she is worth, many of the women swear like troopers, but some of Them stand watching you with a finger in the mouth like a great baby. Some of them do kick up when ordered to trek. One old lady, about 60 inches round the chest, refused to go, so her arms and legs were tied, and several troopers, with the usual “ one, two, three,” slung her on to the waggon. It is amusing in some ways, but sad in others. Nearly all over the Transvaal, there is plenty of fruit, but, worse luck, there is not any about this part. The river is a fine stream, and very suitable for swimming. There are no crocodiles or eels in any of the rivers flowing away to the west coast , that they flow west is tho only reason that can • be giyen, strange as it may seem,