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Show THE SILENCE OF DEATH. Tactics of the Boers That Greatly , Puzzle the British. - Boer Camp, Upper Tugela River, I Sundny, Jan. 21. After Commandant ! Botha checked the British advance yes- j tercay morning i-i was expected inai there would be no further action until tomorrow. This morning, However, siigns were discerned of an intended movement in the British northern cam p. When the heat, which was more frightful than any yet experienced, had worn off. the British cannon stariea in full force and. the infantry advanced in extended order. Generals Botha and Cronje held the high hills over Which the road to Ladysmith passed. When the Mauser fire opened, a pandemonium of sound filled the air. The vindictive crash of Lyddite shells, the sharp volleys vol-leys of Lee-Metfords, and the whiplike whip-like crack of Mausers were interspersed with the boom of the Boer Maxims. The battle ended with darkness, but not without evidences of execution among the British that was manifest at sunrise. Field Cornet Ernst Emilio was killed, nor did the generals escape unscathed. At the central position, Swartzkop, where the other road to Ladysmith crosses the hills, the British advanced from low kopjes on the banks of the Tugela unmolested. Then they entered the zono of Mauser fire, and although ! their naval guns kept up the usual tor- ! rible racket, the advance was stopped and the British had tocount out their dead and wounded. Commandant Viljoen and two burghers burgh-ers were knocked senseless by an explosion ex-plosion of lyddite, but Commandant Viljoen recovered. Field Cornet Heli- ! bron was wounded, and on refusing to surrender, was shot. The loss was probably insignificant. They complain that expansive bullets in Mausers were fired in the field and soft-nosed bullets with Lee-Metfords. The Boers admit that sporting Mausers were occasionally found, but they deny the charge respecting expansive bul-j bul-j lets. ! Not a shot was fired by the Boers with cannon or rifle at the Swartzkop j position this side oi the river. One i thousand infantrv and a battery advanced ad-vanced into the second rw of low nills between the republicans and the river. Heavy cannonading proceeded at a range of 2,000 yards, but the Boers maintained the silence of death. This must have staggered the British, as the advance was stopped, and this morning morn-ing they retired to their old position. |
