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Show BOERS AGGRESSIVE. KIMBERLEY BESEICED BYTRANS-VAAL BYTRANS-VAAL TROOPS. I splala NnMU and Coinpaav aptured 01 Derailed Train Sbootlac All Along the Bordar. London, Oct. 17. Newt from South Africa it that Kimberley it besiege and the Boars are massing' in force. The Boers have cut the railway at Helmont, having seized the Spyfontein railway station and constructed fortified forti-fied earthworks. There are strong" de' fending forces at Modder river and tho Orange river. The object of these energetic operations opera-tions is believed to be tha capture of Cecil Rhodes. Kimberley is now isolated, iso-lated, both railway and telegraphic communication being- cut. The Modder river station master reports re-ports that firing has been heard in the direction of Kimberley, and Die station master at Belmont telegraphs that a force of Hoers is advancing south wsrd. Shooting has been almost continuous along the entire border of the Boer republic, re-public, while pitched battles have occurred oc-curred or are oecurring at various points in Natal and British Beehuana-land. Beehuana-land. As Mafeking is cut off telegraphically, tele-graphically, the stories from that point are generally of Kaffir origin and must be regarded with suspicion. pioweraew, tn engine driver ot Captain Nesbitt's train, which was derailed de-railed and boarded by the Boers, states that if the train had returned when warning was received that the Hoers held the line, it could easily have made its way back to Maribogo, but Captain Nesbitt insisted upon an endeavor being be-ing made to reaoh Mafeking. When the pilot engine was derailed, said Flowerdew, we spent a half hour trying to replace it on the track. Thn the Tioers commenced firing, and several sev-eral men were wounded. The firing was kept up all nipht, but without effect. ef-fect. The Boers were careful to concentrate con-centrate their fire upon the engine, sc as to save the armored carriage and ammunition trucks. At dawn they commenced to bombard the cars. 1 escaped by crawling a mile and a half on my belly in the sand. - When both engines were destroyed, Captain Nes-bitt Nes-bitt exhibited flags of truce, but the Boers oontinued their firing for another quarter of an hour. There is no doubt that all the others n the train are prisoners and that the carriage and tha ammunition intact fell into the hands of the Boers. Flowerdew was fearfully bruised. |