Coming upon Mr. James' clear and accurate account of the Corne Drift (Kornespruit or Sanna's Post) ambuscade reminds me of how the heroic survivors of that red-hot fight drifted back to town, drifted into the hotel dining-rooms—actually drifted into my bedroom in the case of Colonel Pilcher—and I missed the chance at the time of looking at them with eyes that saw the hell they had been through; without the understanding by which I could measure their pluck.
There had been a fight at the Waterworks, and we had been beaten, and had suffered a shocking loss of men and guns—that was all that most of us knew on the Sunday that followed the fighting on Saturday, March 31st. Afterwards I saw a score of the dare-devils who had squeezed out between the fingers of Death's clenched hands, and I made the fight my most serious study in the war—but I missed the chance of seeing it for myself, and then I lost the glow of knowing what I looked at when I saw the survivors come in.
Mr. Gwynne went out to the scene and caught a glimpse of the end of it. As there are few living correspondents better equipped to judge events in war, and as it is the pride of more than one general to obtain his views and accounts of the actions he witnesses, I will quote a bit of his editorial of April 5th, in which he touches upon the Sanna's Post affair: "Perhaps never in the history of British campaigns have our soldiers shown more splendid courage, more dogged resistance and greater coolness. General Broadwood has covered himself with glory by the masterly way in which he extricated his little force from a veritable death-trap. And who is there who can pay adequate tribute to the behaviour of our gunners, and the gallant band of British soldiers who held off a greatly superior force under most difficult and trying circumstances?"
It was while Mr. Gwynne was at the scene that a Boer suddenly appeared and advanced toward him unarmed like himself; indeed, Mr. Gwynne believes the man was a war correspondent. The two talked of the fight: "Your people showed wonderful courage," said the Boer; "we thought we had bagged your whole force. I am bound to say that had the Boers been in such a tight place they would have surrendered."
BOER PLANS AND VIEWS.
"The following is a literal translation of a genuine Boer document recently discovered. It has been forwarded to us for publication by an officer of the Intelligence Department, to whom we tender our best thanks."
Observations on the Present War.
BY CAPTAIN I. D.
(A Translation.)
In order to form an opinion on the manner of operations of both hostile parties, at present or in the future, it is necessary, as far as possible, to endeavour to obtain an understanding of the different properties and conditions of both belligerents.
From a physical point of view, the Boer stands far above his enemy in respect to bodily strength and perseverance.