A West Pointer with the Boers /

by John Y. Fillmore Blake

Without going into details, I will simply say that at daylight the following morning, we were surrounded by 4,000 cavalry, and it was a case of run for your life or surrender. All escaped but sixty-nine men, and our one cannon. Not a man was killed on our side, that is certain, and if any were wounded, they were taken prisoners. We escaped under a hot fire, and this was kept up on us for about three miles. In his report, General Bruce Hamilton had sixteen killed, many wounded, whom he left at the farm ruins, and one gun taken, as well as sixty-nine prisoners. How an English general can report such a monstrous lie is beyond me, for he knows that his men know, and that we know that no one was killed on the Boer side. Within half an hour after the English left, some of the boys rode back to look over the place. There was but one man killed in that fight, and he was a Scotchman whom the English half buried before they left. Bruce Hamilton is generally known as "Brute" Hamilton, and while this name fits him as far as it goes, yet "Brute Hamilton the liar" would fit him still better.

It was during this month, too, that I suffered the loss of my old friend and companion, Major J.I. Pretorius. During my absence he and thirty-three artillery boys were surrounded by about 300 cavalry near Balmoral Station, and captured. Be it said to his credit that he and his men never surrendered. Every cartridge they had they fired, and when they had no more, the English simply came and took them. I was sure he would never hoist the white flag, and I was sure, too, that he would never surrender as long as he had a cartridge left. He was a dashing fellow, thirty years old, and did not know what fear was. He is one of the great Pretorius family of South Africa, and he made the name good. Had he not been so reckless, I think he would have been appointed a general, and I am sure he would have proved himself a most brilliant one.

To show what a reckless devil he was, I will tell you that one day I was about 1,500 yards from him and another reckless fellow, Lieutenant Roos, of the artillery. They wished to attract my attention and have me come where they were. To do this he and Roos loaded their rifles, took deliberate aim, and fired at us. The bullets went just over our heads, and struck not twenty feet from us. We concluded they were English, and prepared to return the fire, when off they galloped. We went after them and found them at a house that had only been partially destroyed. We recognized their horses tied to a tree, and rode up to them. I gave him blazes, but he simply smiled, and said, "Can't you take a joke?"

Now that he had been captured, I felt very lonely, and took but little pleasure in every-day life. The English were continually after us, however, and surrounded about eighty of us at daylight in the morning. Firing seemed to come from all directions but one, and in that direction we looked for safety. We went at full speed and had gone but a few hundred yards when we saw some cavalry just coming up in front of us. We thought we were gone, and this cavalry thought we were charging them, so off they went at the top of their speed. We were brave now and went right after them, scattered them and chased them three miles, when we stopped, having captured in the race sixty-three of them with as many fine horses. That is what we considered great luck.

Now I will go into the Free State, and say a few words about one of General De Wet's most daring deeds.

It was at Groenkop, a high hill on the farm Tweefontein, near the little town of Bethlehem. It was Christmas eve and all wanted a Christmas pie. This was a high hill with three very steep, abrupt sides, while the other was a gentle slope leading to the plain below. On the top of this hill were about 380 men well protected in about twelve forts. General De Wet, when it was dark, took 500 men and approached the steep side opposite the one of easy ascent, because he knew that the English would all prepare for attack from the easiest way. He and his men crawled up that hill, and when first challenged by the English sentry they rushed forward, and after a hot face to face fight, captured all the force, forts and stores. According to General De Wet's own report, he lost fourteen killed and thirty wounded, while the English lost 116 dead and wounded, and 240 prisoners. He took one cannon, one pom-pom, twenty wagons, a great quantity of ammunition and rifles, 500 horses and mules, and a load of whiskey, so he and his men were well supplied for a fine Christmas dinner.

THE GOVERNMENT VELDT MINT IN THE LAST DITCH

Strange to say, the Boers nearly always took from the English their Christmas dinners. The first Christmas they took nearly all the Queen's chocolates, the second Christmas, all the plum puddings, and now General De Wet, a third Christmas, has taken the poor devils' Christmas dinner from them again. I heard some prisoners once say that they wished their friends at home would secretly send them Christmas dinners three months ahead, so that they could get them and eat them before the Boers found it out.

Generals Smuts and Kritsinger continued to make things merry in Cape Colony, and their commandants helped themselves to several convoys, much to the regret of the English, but with great pleasure to themselves. Before the month closed, however, General Kritsinger was severely wounded while trying to rescue one of his wounded men near a blockhouse, and was in consequence captured. In this was a severe loss, for he was a dashing and persistent fighter.