Show BEN BRABANT ahuad ak MM alewal north april 10 an engagement took place yesterday at lepener We pener the boers wickers maxim did considerable execution at farst but the british guns soon got the range and did great havoc the Roux ville commando has gone to lepener We pener the fighting at lepener was severe and lasted all day long alie boers received a check the casualties were rather heavy on both sides another commando is advancing toward we pener from alewal north april 10 heavy fighting was continued at lepener this morning the result is unknown three boer commandos are attacking the town alewal north monday april 9 evening the fighting at lepener was severe and lasted all flay long the bows received a check the casualties were rather heavy on both sides another commando Is advancing toward lepener from london aill lo 10 the boer attack on gen brabants force at lepener was resumed at dawn today the ene mys attack on two or three sides on monday lasted until in the afternoon when it ceased and it was believed that the enemy had teen beaten off but it was announced this morning from alewal north that fighting bad again begun gen brabants force from two to three thousand bold positions in a rough country it is not known what the numerical strength 0 the boers is but whatever it may be it is being rapidly augmented A body of two thousand boers is marching towards from between lepener and Springton tein the detonation of heavy guns was heard at maseru on monday sir godfrey lagdon the british resident commissioner of land had left maseru for the border the events in the southeast portion of the free state have caused tho eighth division which was ordered to fourteen streams to be diverted to Spring fontein mysterious movements 0 troops at are proceeding the newspaper correspondents are not allowed to telegraph their destinations and the presumption is that lord roberts is making dispositions to cut off the raiding boer forces when they try to withdraw northward north vard irom the pursuing british columns the appearance reappearance re of the boers in the occupied country has caused a revival of warlike feeling among the free of Faur esmith and phil districts the federal agents are busy getting details of the surrendered boers and owing to th british garrisons being withdrawn from these districts the british residents are uneasy and are sending de lagates to Spring fontein to ask for help they were told that steps for their defense would be immediately taken the boers are reported to have ventured south of the Biggars berg and to be posting heavy guns four miles north of they are also said to have fortified the vicinity of nek general frederick carrington has reached cape town and is going to beira portuguese east africa forthwith the war office proposes to land at cape town before the end of may twenty thousand horses which will be conveyed there in the twenty three steamers sailing from new orleans buenos ayres and australian ports the westminster gazette likens the british campaign to the fruitless series of campaigns in which the large disciplined armies of spain sought to crush the cuban insurrection adding of course our troops far excel in valor and discipline the conscript armies of spain and the climate Is in our favor but our enemy equally excel the ragged cuban insurgents in connection with the resumption of hostilities in natal an interesting rumor Is in circulation that gen buller has obtained possession of one of the drackenberg Drak kenberg passes whereby he hopes to take the boers in the rear in the event of his being successful gen buller has enough troops to leave twenty thousand men to hold natal while he advances by way of harrismith Harri smith whence he would be able to threaten the boer positions at bethlehem and Kroon stadt the officials here ridicule the statement that was contained in a dispatch from st petersburg published in the Aften bladt of stockholm saying that the czar is extremely agitated over the anglo portuguese arrangement in regard to the landing of british troops and supplies at belara and that he intends to issue a proclamation against it in the course of his forthcoming visit to moscow and say there is not basis for the statement that the foreign office has received letters on the subject the foreign office officials consider that it is entirely out of the province of russia to interfere with the anglo portuguese arrangements the war Is evidently regarded by the foreign office here as in the nature of a rebellion and quite outside the category of what was provided or by the hague conference so intervention of any kind under the hague convention is regarded as impossible tuesday march 27 news was received yesterday of the advance of the southern relief column the boers this morning opened fire at sunrise with seven guns including one this haa been the most vigorous bombardment of the boason the boer siege gun alone has already fired over eltty rounds under cover of the fire the boers advanced totite northern face of the works but retired precipitately on coming within rifle range they also advanced to the southwestern parts and were repulsed there was one casualty tac boers under commandant jan cronje are evidently falling back before the advance of the southern relief column and are concentrating with two commands who are retiring before col plumer in order to make a final effort to reduce the town all the borts torts and outlying positions are manned the troops are standing to arms and everybody is under cover all are convinced that this is the boers last attempt new york april 10 A dispatch to the new york herald from april 8 says the boers have posted a big gun on knights bill north of and another in the vicinity of weasels nek station the enemy are re ported to be strongly In trenched at |