With the Naval Brigade in Natal (1899-1900) Part 5

_Monday, 27th August._--The Boers have again cut the line and are sh.e.l.ling Ingogo, so we must evidently march on their laager. Down comes the rain in a perfect deluge for three days which is most depressing, more especially as our poor mess-house is full of water from a leaky roof and we have to take our meals with feet c.o.c.ked up on tin sheets. The South Lancas.h.i.+res have suddenly got the order to move for which we are all very sorry. I presented Major Adams with two old bra.s.s cases and two blind 12-pounder sh.e.l.ls for the regiment from the Navy detachment, as a memento of our pleasant time with them. We have been very busy making our positions secure from attack in case of accidents with barbed wire, besides sangars and trenches.

_Wednesday, 5th September._--Very thick mists up here, and as we hear rumours of attack we have very alert and wakeful nights. A great many movements in our front which only succeed in dispersing the Boer commandos without capturing them. We hear of Lord Roberts'

proclamation of the 1st September annexing the Transvaal, and we give three cheers![4]

[Footnote 4: The following is a copy of a telegram which the Governor received from Lord Roberts, dated 13th September, 1900:

"I have ordered the following proclamation to be printed and widely circulated in English and Dutch.

"The late President, with Mr. Reitz, and the archives of the South African Republic, have crossed the Portuguese frontier and arrived at Lourenso Marques, with a view of sailing for Europe at an early date. Mr. Kruger has formally resigned the position he held as President of the South African Republic, thus severing his official connection with the Transvaal.

"Mr. Kruger's action shows how hopeless, in his opinion, is the war which has now been carried on for nearly a year, and his desertion of the Boer cause should make it clear to his fellow-burghers that it is useless for them to continue the struggle any longer.

"It is probably unknown to the inhabitants of the Transvaal and Orange River Colony that nearly 15,000 of their fellow-subjects are now prisoners of war, not one of whom will be released until those now in arms against us surrender unconditionally.

"The burghers must now by this time be cognisant of the fact that no intervention on their behalf will come from any of the Great Powers, and, further, that the British Empire is determined to complete the work which has already cost so many valuable lives, and to carry to its conclusion the war declared against her by the late Governments of the Transvaal and Orange Free State--a war to which there can be but one ending.

"If any further doubts remain in the minds of the burghers as to Her Britannic Majesty's intentions, they should be dispelled by the permanent manner in which the country is gradually being occupied by Her Majesty's forces, and by the issue of the proclamations signed by me on the 24th May and the 1st September, 1900, annexing the Orange Free State and the South African Republic respectively, in the name of Her Majesty.

"I take this opportunity of pointing out that, except in the small area occupied by the Boer army under the personal command of Commandant General Botha, the war is degenerating into operations carried on in an irregular and irresponsible manner by small, and, in very many cases, insignificant bodies of men.

"I should be failing in my duty to Her Majesty's Government and to Her Majesty's Army in South Africa, if I neglected to use every means in my power to bring such irregular warfare to an early conclusion.

"The means which I am compelled to adopt are those which the customs of war prescribe as being applicable to such cases.

"They are ruinous to the country, entail endless suffering on the burghers and their families, and the longer this guerilla warfare continues the more vigorously must they be enforced."]

_Wednesday, 12th September._--Not much to record. Lieutenant Halsey, R.N., looking very fit, came to see me yesterday from Standerton, and from what he says we are likely to remain on here for some time longer defending the position which is no doubt an important one. My oxen are well, but some of the men are getting enteric. We have to be on the alert against Kaffirs who prowl up the hill with a view, as we think, of taking a look round on the defences.

_Friday, 14th September._--Engaged in writing details of the graves of two of the _Tartar_ men who, as the Admiral said in a memo, on the subject, had given their lives for their Queen and country. Apparently the Guild of Loyal Women of South Africa have engaged to look after all the graves of H.M. sailors and soldiers in this country and have written to ask for their position. What a kindness this is, and what a comfort to the poor families in England who cannot come out to do so!

The two services must be ever in debt for it. We are all glad to hear that Kruger has bolted from the country via Delagoa Bay. But why let him escape?

_Sunday, 23rd September._--Still here, with all sorts of news and rumours constantly coming up; Kruger sailing to Europe in a Dutch man-of-war; Botha said to be on the point of surrendering; some 15,000 Boer prisoners in our hands and so on; while at Volksrust the burghers are surrendering at the rate of fifty a day, and here at Sandspruit they are dribbling in by half-dozens for what it is worth. But from now up to 1st October at Gra.s.s Kop we have to record "Nothing, nothing, always nothing," although in the outer world we hear of great doings, and of C.I.V.'s, Canadians, Guards, Natal Volunteers, and others all preparing to go home for a well-deserved rest. Our turn must soon come, and I am busy preparing my Ordnance and Transport accounts in view of sudden orders to leave the front. The following circular may be of interest as showing the gifts given for the troops in Natal during these operations by native chiefs and others in that colony.

CIRCULAR WITH LINES OF COMMUNICATION ORDERS.

No. A 23.

The following gifts of money have been sent from native chiefs, committees, and others in Natal for the benefit of the troops in Natal. The amounts received for the sick and wounded have been handed over to the princ.i.p.al medical officer, lines of communication, and the other gifts to the officers commanding concerned:

_Date_ _From whom received._ _received._ _Amount._ _On what account._ s. d.

Ngeeda (of Chief Ndguna's tribe) 7/3/00 7 0 0 1st Manchester Regiment.

Chief Xemuhenm 22/3/00 10 0 0 For troops who defended Ladysmith.

Berlin Mission (New Germany) 22/3/00 8 0 0 For sick and wounded.

Native Christian Communities 28/3/00 15 0 0 For war funds.

Chief Umzingelwa 28/3/00 5 0 0 For relief purposes.

Chief Laduma 30/3/00 8 0 0 For sick and wounded.

Members of Free Church of Scotland Mission (natives) 30/3/00 9 5 6-1/2 " "

Natives of Alexandra Division 3/4/00 7 15 3 For Royal Artillery who fought at Colenso.

Free Church of Scotland (Impolweni natives) 6/4/00 3 17 4 For sick and wounded.

Loyal Dutch round Tugela district 12/4/00 41 7 6 " "

J. H. k.u.molo (Lion's River District) 13/4/00 3 18 0 " "

P. M. Majozi 16/5/00 3 0 0 " "

Chief Gayede (Amakabela Tribe) 19/5/00 6 0 0 " "

Chief Ndgungazwe 26/5/00 8 9 10-1/2 " "

Headman Umnxinwa 26/5/00 3 0 0 { For Sergeant who led Headman Umnxinwa 15/7/00 0 17 0 { East Surreys at { Pieter's Hill.

Chief Bambata, of Umvoti Division 3/6/00 3 0 0 For sick and wounded.

Chief Christian Lutayi, and Mr. Bryant Cole 5/6/00 9 1 0 For sick and wounded.

Chief Ncwadi 9/6/00 219 6 0 " "

Chief Ncwadi 15/7/00 147 1 6 " "

Chief Mqolombeni 10/6/00 5 0 0 " "

Native Chiefs (Timothy Ogle and Ntemba Ogle) 15/6/00 20 0 0 " "

Chief Mahlube 21/6/00 15 0 0 " "

Chief Nyakana (Mampula Division) 28/6/00 2 0 0 " "

Chief Xegwana 7/7/00 1 10 0 " "

NEWCASTLE, H. HEATH (_Lieut.-Colonel_), _30th July, 1900._ _C.S.O., Lines of Communication._

CHAPTER VIII

Still holding Gra.s.s Kop with the Queen's -- General Buller leaves for England -- Final withdrawal of the Naval Brigade, and our arrival at Durban -- Our reception there -- I sail for England -- Conclusion.

_Tuesday, 2nd October._--Gra.s.s Kop. Still here with the Queen's and my friends Major Dawson and Lieutenant Poynder. What an odd sort of climate we seem to have in South Africa. Two days ago unbearable heat with rain and thunder, and to-day so cold, with a heavy Scotch mist, as to make one think of the North Pole; so we are s.h.i.+vering in wraps and balaclavas, while occasional N.W. gales lower some of our tents.

The partridges seem to have forsaken this hill, so poor "John" the pointer doesn't get enough work to please him; but his master, Major Dawson, when able to prowl about safe from Boer snipers, still downs many a pigeon and guinea fowl which keeps our table going.

_Friday, 5th October._--We are all delighted to hear that Lord Roberts is appointed Commander-in-Chief at home; report says that he comes down from Pretoria in a few days to inspect the Natal battlefields and to look at his gallant son's grave at Colenso. I must try and see him if I can. One of our convoys from Vryheid reported to be captured on the 1st by Boers, the Volunteer escort being made prisoners and some killed; this has delayed the return of the Natal Volunteers who were to have been called in for good on that day.

_Wednesday, 10th October._--Still we drag on to the inevitable end.

The reported capture of a convoy turns out to be only a few wagons escorted by a small party of Volunteers who were unwounded and released after a few days.

This is a great week of anniversaries. Yesterday, the 9th, was that of the insolent Boer Ultimatum of 1899 which brought Kruger and his lot to ruin; to-day and to-morrow a year ago (10th and 11th October), the Boer forces were mobilizing at this very place, Sandspruit; and on the 12th they entered Natal full of b.u.mptious boasting. They were going, as they said, to "eat fish in Durban" within a month, and many of them carried tin cases containing dress suits and new clothes in preparation for that convivial event. And they would have done so except for the fish (sailors) and the women (Highlanders), as they styled us, who, they said, were too much for them, combined I think with the Ladysmith sweet shop, which proved their Scylla with Colenso as their Charybdis.

Major Burrell of the Queen's was up here a few days ago and made a special reconnaissance to Roi Kop under cover of my guns; he told us many amusing stories of his experiences with Boer and foreign prisoners at Paardekop while sweeping up the country round there; one Prussian Major of Artillery had come in from Amersfoort and surrendered, saying he had blown up seven Boer guns just previously by Botha's orders. This German Major, it seems, was a curious type of man; waving his hands airily he would say that foreigners were obliged to come and join the Boers so as to study the art of war which only the English got any chance of doing in their little campaigns; this being so, he said, "Ah, I shall go back to my native land, then six months in a fortress perhaps, after that, _sapristi_, a good military appointment. _Eh bien_! what do you think?" He also said about our taking of Almond's Nek that Erasmus, who was commanding at Laing's Nek, had been told that we were turning his flank and was advised to send ten guns to stop us; he thought a minute and said "No, I will not send guns, it is Sunday and G.o.d will stop them." Perhaps the Prussian Major's veracity was not of the highest cla.s.s, but this yarn if told to General Buller would no doubt interest him, because undoubtedly if the Boers had had ten more guns defending Almond's Nek we should have had considerable more difficulty in taking it. The following Natal Army Orders of 17th July, 1900, will show how considerately we dealt with the Boers and others in the foregoing operations in the matter of paying for supplies.

SUPPLIES REQUISITIONED, ETC.

The following are the prices fixed to be paid for supplies requisitioned, etc.:

No bills will, however, be paid by supply officers or others until approved by the Director of Supplies.

Receipts will be given in all cases on the authorized form, and duplicates forwarded same day to Director of Supplies. The receipts will show whether the owner is on his farm or on commando.

Oat hay, per 100 bundles 15s. to 18s. according to quality.