Campaign Pictures of the War in South Africa (1899-1900) | Page 4

no Chinaman that I have
come in contact with could ever imitate the half-idiotic smile, the
patient, ox-like placidity of countenance, the meek, religious look of
holy resignation to the will of Providence which comes naturally to the
ordinary Boer farmer. It is this faculty which made our very clever

Army Intelligence people rank the farmer of the veldt as a fool. Yet, if I
am any judge, and I have known men in many lands, our friend of the
veldt is as clever and as crafty as any Oriental I have yet mixed with.
Now for the Australian fight. On the day before Christmas, Colonel
Pilcher, at Belmont, got wind of the assemblage of a considerable Boer
force at a place 30 miles away, called Sunnyside Farm, and he
determined to try to attack it before the enemy could get wind of his
intention. To this end he secured every nigger for some miles
around--which proved his good sense, as the niggers are all in the pay
of the Boers, no matter how loyal they may pretend to be to the British,
a fact which the British would do well to take heed of, for it has cost
them pretty dearly already. On Christmas Eve he started out, taking two
guns of the Royal Navy Artillery, a couple of Maxims, all the
Queenslanders, and a few hundred Canadians. Colonel Pilcher's force
numbered in all about 600 men. He marched swiftly all night, and got
to Sunnyside Farm in good time Christmas Day. The Boers had not a
ghost of an idea that our men were near them, and were completely
beaten at their own game, the surprise party being complete. The
enemy were found in a laager in a strong position in some rather steep
kopjes, and it was at once evident that they were expecting strong
reinforcements from surrounding farms. Colonel Pilcher at once
extended his forces so as to try to surround the kopjes. Whilst this was
going on, Lieutenant Aide, with four Queensland troopers, was sent to
the far left of what was supposed to be the Boer position. His orders
were to give notice of any attempt at retreat on the part of the enemy.
He did his work well. Getting close to the kopje, he saw a number of
the enemy slinking off, and at once challenged them. As he did so a
dozen Boers dashed out of the kopje, and Aide opened fire on them,
which caused the Boers to fire a volley at him. Lieutenant Aide fell
from his horse with two bullets in his body; one went through the
fleshy part of his stomach, entering his body sideways, the other went
into his thigh. A trooper named McLeod was shot through the heart,
and fell dead. Both the other troopers were wounded. Trooper Rose
caught a horse, and hoisted his lieutenant into the saddle, and sent him
out of danger.

Meantime the R.H. Battery, taking range from Lieutenant Aide's fire,
opened out on the enemy. Their guns put a great fear into the Boers,
and a general bolt set in. The Boers fired as they cleared, and if our
fellows had been formed up in the style usual to the British army in
action, we should have suffered heavily; but the Queensland bushmen
had dropped behind cover, and soon had complete possession of the
kopjes; another trooper named Victor Jones was shot through the brain,
and fourteen others were more or less badly wounded. The Boers then
surrendered. We took 40 prisoners, and found about 14 dead Boers on
the ground, besides a dozen wounded. They were all Cape Dutch, no
Transvaalers being found in their ranks. We secured 40,000 rounds of
their ammunition, 300 Martini rifles, and only one Mauser rifle, which
was in the possession of the Boer commander. After destroying all that
we took, we moved on, and had a look at some of the farms near by, as
from some of the documents found in camp it was certain that the
whole district was a perfect nest of rebellion. Quite a little store of arms
and ammunition was discovered by this means, and the occupants of
the farms were therefore transported to Belmont. Our fellows carried
the little children and babies in their arms all the way, and marched into
Belmont singing, with the little ones on their shoulders. Every respect
was shown to the women, old and young, and to the old men, but the
young fellows were closely guarded all the time. The Canadians did not
lose a single man, neither did any of the others except the
Queenslanders.
Another Boer commando, about 1,000 strong, with two batteries of
artillery, is now hovering in the ranges away to the north-west of Enslin,
but Colonel Hoad is not