The British-Boer War. EXPERIENCES OF LANCE-COB PORAL C. A. WILSON (3rD NEW ZEALAND CONTINGENT).

Waimate Daily Advertiser, Volume III, Issue 50, 25 September 1900, Page 3

The British -Boer War. EXPER IENCES OF LANCE- COB PORAL C. A. WILSON (3rD NEW ZEALAND CONTINGENT).

(Continued). j Aliwal North, the boundary town oi Cape Colony on its north easi comer, is a place about halt the size of "Wai mate. It hos the straggling look that 1 characterises njoat of the South African 1 villages. Here and ihero you ■will see a good dwplHnphovse or shop, but the most of ihe "ihuctuic^ are composed nf bricks " siung togetliM " as someone i lcmarked. Item, sin! and time have combined 1:1 many c >~ss to remove iho mortar, there ni'-t al»vf>v=; a !ju;-.Jj<Ji oi j 'jPt Q i?i:t."-rl ri.~~«! ni'j'itj; r " l ra>'Lrc<i WJndo'vri, liko blind < ycti, to the lo.i'i, and Ihcoe give a careless aspect to the t\hola street. Tho people, too, do uot hurry themselves mucn, and on a fine hot day may bo sec 1 lounging on tbe stocp of the building smoking, or else lounging in little gioups on the shady side of the streeo. On eithor side of I the streets, tiees are generally planted, in fact, 1 nover was in a town in which they were absent. Thsse keep cool the house opposite which they grow r beside njuch unprov^giho look of the town. Jn all these little towns the best build!' q 13 tha church, and tLib alv. ays inelrdes a f>oe clock to?»«r. 1 When a.cti- off \on mo eMuotad by the [ tall Tu n into br,ii3\iO;7 that you aio appro.tcl lOg n large tovn. Th 5 clcc-p rekgio-.i°» fjc'aig that poruieates the Boer 13, povhaps, thr> be f . ttai 1 ; in hi^ charnctoi , p-lthorgh I bclnve mat \>he a'"ff3 OgQ Bo^v io not as bad s^s ht u prjinued He bns been deluded by his leadors n .iid told p!1 covts 01 stories Roo'.it tho utior flenAnhresß of the Bnc&h until he was com palled by j rto takf v>p avuis. They aro not, eg wv pa my c xpenence goon, a coTThnlly peoplo (anart from the us>> of the wnito flt-g"), they mp.dly fight in f-uch a manner ps io do 'be mosn exocutiou v. lbh the least loss to them selves — an<? that i& exactly »vhp.fc we would do 'if a foe over invaded N3\v Zealand, To proceed to tho camp. The horses had pll been led awey b«foie a numbei of us started, and wa put onr kit 3 en one of the waggons, ana star'-fifl to walk. It was stiU raining eliglitly, but { nothing to speak of. We met a boy ! celling "extras" on tbe road und bought a co^i le at a " Uokoy ' each, j " Ticksy " is simply the Dutch word I for thieepence, and you nover hear it j called anything else. For tho higher values, the English is used. What the extra was I do not now remember, bufcitwisnothingstvi'tling. Proceedi-ig, wo overtook a bullock waggon, and tha "khakis" on it invttod us to have a ride.' Wo got aboard and r,bsn ensued a "li'.Viy time. Those waggons have no springs, and this one was almost empty. The road was a mere track across tho veldt, and it crowed a roagh " qlnit " or creek. Tho n&tne driverg drove liko Johu, the son of I-'mshi, their soft whips cracking, and then" voices laised to the highest pitch of -discords see. When the descant into the skat bpg*n, the pace became a cracker, and we bouudod into tae air like indiai'ubber balls. Wa were very glad when the journey was Gnded and we were at libeily to descend and pick out our horses. These had to be picketed and fed, and then we had to get our kits into the allotted tantsWhen a boli tent has accommodated 16 taen, their arms and accosintt'Cments, kits find saddlery, there is little spare room, in fact, a sardine has a feee and airy existence compared with the men. But one boon drops down to three things. Wet and weary we lay down some time after daik, and no one but the relief picquats aud guards woke till roveillo at 5 a.m. Next day the routine began again. We were encamped vlth the Goloibl Division under General Brabant, sad consisting oi Bt'ftbaut's Hoiso, the Border Ijlotse, Kaffrarian Rifles, Queonstown Mounted Infantry aud Ivtiltc Mounted Iniantry. Infantry under General Hart j brought up the to&al to, I should eci...iite, 6000 men. With the troops were a battery of six field guns (12 pounders), two 15 pounders, knd cv.'O Maxim guns. Aliwal North had been bomburded some tisno before ibis, at least the troops around the town had been, for the Dutch did not bombard buildings they expected to occupy, besides exasperating pr*eple they ex pocted io govern. We had trenches all round the hills on tho Orange Free side, and theso were occupied night and day, for we hourly expected attack. Eeveille sounded, or rather we were awakened at 4 a.m., and we stood to arms, with trappings ready to put on our horses, till daylight, between 5. 80 and 6 o'clock at this time, After this we went to otablen and after stables we had breakfast, consisting of coffee, biscuit and " bully " one morning, aftd JM&pvut, poffee and bully tbe

sett, this gh;ng a charming var.ety j tlie men,!. Then we held a watenng tirade, the Orvnge Kiver being about •« mile and abe If away. Tbe Oranga iivei i e ! eo'ifinod be<v'eeri high hanks, .ud must, bring down a groafc voiuuia oi water when ia flood, bufc when 1 ,ay it the stream was about 20 yards wide and a couple of feet doep. The bod is of rock, and there are, of course, very deop pools at intervals. "We wonfc to water fully aimed, for the eonntry w.i^rongh and o coniwando whs always subp^ctod of beiti£ m the district, dub wo vteie uot, ouce aUfioKul. [To be Coniin icl )