| CHAPTER II.
|
Those
who have never left England can form but a faint idea of a railway which
runs through wildernesses, with here and there a small tract of cultivation.
The flat plains are useless for engineering purposes in countries of drought
and flood. So, in Natal, the single narrow line twists and curves, down
and up gradients that an English engine would be helpless to ascend, round
small ledges cut in the living rock of the hill, and anon plunging into
some great rent which the puny hand of man has torn in the colossal mountain-side. |
Up
above us, for hundreds of feet, tower the kopjes of Natal; below us, in
the valleys, the cattle and buildings are almost invisible, so high are
we above them. The small ledge along which we are steaming, just broad
enough for the single line, is lost to sight round the sharp curve a little
further on, only to re-appear on the hillside across the valley. All around
Nature is in her greenest robe; the sheep wander on the plain, the Kaffirs
at work in the fields stop as we rush past to look at us, the only element
of war in so peaceful and happy a scene. |
A
few hours, and what a change will be before our eyes! The quiet homestead
will be replaced by charred and battered ruin, the kine in the pasture
by the slain chargers of the battlefield left to rot upon the ground,
and in place of the labourers cultivating Nature's gifts, the stern sentinel,
whose every sense is strained to catch the first warning of the coming
foe. And one pathetic feature will be added to the scene. What is it we
see yonder, hid away under the bushes? It is a little group of long, narrow
mounds, with here a rough wooden cross bound with a bit of rope, and there
a few large stones, hastily collected, which mark the last resting-places
of some of England's heroes. |
But
to return to ourselves. On the way up to Pietermaritzburg the scenery,
viewed from the railway, is remarkably fine. Here and there stand a few
kraals, and less frequently a well-built farmhouse, with every sign of
prosperity. We felt the cold somewhat in the open trucks as the day waned,
but had too much to look at to allow it any thought. At Gilletts, a little
station about three hours' run from Durban, we were presented with some
hot tea by the ladies of the place - an hospitality which we fully appreciated.
Let it be remembered, to the credit of these ladies, that they had done
the same for every train-load of troops, except one or two at first, who
had passed up-country during the war. |
At
Inchanga, where we arrived at 6 p.m., a slice of bread and a mouthful
of coffee were served out, and this, with the breakfast we had on board,
was all the food we received that day. As our stomachs grew empty, I'm
afraid some of us already began thinking with regret of the good food
we had wasted on the way out. |
We
ran into Pietermaritzburg station at 9.15 p.m., and quickly unloaded the
baggage. There is one large platform here for passenger traffic, and the
station is well supplied with the necessary conveniences of travelling,
including large refreshment and dining-rooms, book-stall, lavatories,
&c. The goods sheds adjoining are also on a very extensive scale.
|
Having
packed our luggage, we were marched into camp, and here supplied with
a blanket each, and told off to our tents. As there were but four available,
we averaged decidedly over twenty men to each tent. It was, too, our first
sample of what Mother Earth is like in South Africa for a bed. We got
hardened to it later on, but the first night we had very little sleep.
Next morning we experienced drawing our own rations. A good number of
Indians are admitted every day into camp; and from these fresh butter,
salads, eggs, and fruits can be obtained at a reasonable figure when you
have beaten the dealer down considerably. For a little time the ox and
mule teams drawing the wagons were a novel sight, but we soon got used
to our new surroundings. |
The
camp - which occupies a large and healthy site on a hill-side - is composed
of lofty wooden huts surrounded by enormous verandahs; but these were
all in use as the base hospital. The troops were, in consequence, under
canvas. During our first stay here there were a great many men wearing
the blue hospital suit, some strolling under the trees, hoping to get
back their strength lost in fighting the fever fiend; others, sitting
on the banks by the roadside, could show wounds received in the many gallant
attempts to accomplish the relief of Ladysmith; while, side by side with
these, sat those who had suffered in the heroic defence of that town. |
Owing
to the crowded condition of the tent, several of us slept in the open
for the first time. Soon after dark we gathered up our blanket, overcoat,
Balaclava cap, with haversack or helmet for pillow, and sallied forth
to find some quiet and secluded spot in which to spend the night. About
1 or 2 a.m. we would awake to find a nice drop of rain - as one of our
comrades called it - descending, and that our bedding was already tolerably
damp. Seizing our blanket, &c., we promptly made tracks for the nearest
verandah, where we spent the rest of the night. |
But
these minor trials were not to trouble us for long. Greater hardships
awaited us, and we quickly learned to look back to our stay at Pietermaritzburg
as a happy and comfortable time. Orders were received for us to be ready
by Wednesday, April 11, for the front. Our kitbags, after we had extracted
such necessities as we could take with us from them, were sent into store;
and this, as after events proved, was the last we were to see of the larger
part of our belongings. |
At
10 p.m. 100 rounds of ammunition per man were served out; and with our
spare shirts and socks rolled in our overcoat, and one or two rifles in
our haversack, we fell in, all our baggage, consisting of just what we
had about us, ready to take the field. Rain was falling at the time, and
continued to do so all night, which, as we traveled in open trucks, greatly
added to the general discomfort. The regulars of the battalion we were
going to join, who were at the base, bade us an affectionate farewell,
and wished us better luck than they had had, as most of them were wounded.
We marched to the station, and took our seats in the carriages, where
we promptly began to make ourselves as snug as possible for the long journey
before us. |
The
engine whistles, and off we go into the rain and darkness, leaving behind
the last glimpses of peace and plenty. Before us, in the night, lie starvation,
cold, and heavy fatigue; but of this we are as yet ignorant. |
As
morning broke we found ourselves on the famous battle-fields around Tugela.
Here, on our right, we pass the wreck of the armoured train reminiscent
of the engagement when Winston Churchill, the war correspondent, so nobly
distinguished himself. A little further on, and we see the spot where
the heroic son of as great a military leader as England has ever seen
finds a resting place in the ground on which he covered himself with glory
- I refer to Lieutenant Robert's grave. It stands close to the railway
track, and beside him lie several more who fought and died in their country's
cause on that great day. A little beyond this we run through the small
town of Colenso, on over the temporary bridge across the Tugela, and then
winding in and out amongst the hills on which the Boer entrenchments still
remain, we get some idea of the enormous magnitude of General Buller's
task. For miles the stone walls and trenches run along the front of these
precipitous hills, and on every vantage point is prepared a place from
which some sharp-shooters can fire down upon the attackers. Not a bush
or tree but, peering through the branches, you perceive the little half-circle
of stones piled up, waist-high, beneath it, from which some sniper could
pick off our men on the flat plain across the river. Now and again a few
horses lay decaying on the ground; here a few ragged tents still stand
fluttering in the wind, and there the broken wagon cumbers the ground,
a now useless wreck. |
Presently
we whisk round the shoulder of a steep kopje, and from our height up the
hillside look down upon the scene of that fruitless attempt our enemy
made to flood Ladysmith. Half-way across the river stands this gigantic
dam, but it was never completed. Many and many a time the quiet valley
we were now running up had resounded in a thousand echoes, as some well-planted
shell from our Ladysmith guns, at one fell blow destroyed the labours
of many hours. And here the work stands, even as the labourers threw down
their tools on the last day of relief. The bag, half-filled, shall never
be completed for the purpose for which it was assigned. The same hand
shall never again grasp the rusting spade; but for many years this partly-built
wall will stand as a memento of the time when Britain's supremacy was
threatened, but in vain. |
On
through the narrowing ravine, and out again, we dash upon the plain, and
on our view bursts the grand amphitheatre where the greatest of modern
fights was fought, and the bravest of men stubbornly held out, hoping
almost against hope until relief came. There, before us, lies this famous
place of which we have heard so much - Ladysmith, the impregnable - while
British hearts defended it. The little clusters of graves are getting
more frequent now we near the scenes where the heaviest engagements were
fought and won. We run into the large station and look about us. Things
are not so bad as we thought. There are still some houses in a whole condition;
the station has not suffered either. But here and there can still be seen
traces of the Boer shells. |
Our
stay, however, is but a short one. A fresh engine picks us up, and we
are on the move once more. Now, as we run through the town, we get a better
view of the damage down. Although some weeks have elapsed since the siege
was raised, there are still sufficient signs to show us how terrible it
must have been for those - more especially women and children - who were
beleaguered here. |
Out
again beyond the town we speed, and in a short time steam into Elandslaagte
station. Here, on our side, the line at last terminates. We detrain, form
up, and march to the East Surrey Regiment's camp, which lies away to the
east of the railway about three-quarters of a mile. A cheer from these
war-stained veterans greets our arrival, a hearty welcome, and what, as
we have had nothing since 5 p.m. the previous day, and it is now 3.30
in the afternoon, we are glad to see, namely, a sample of the bully beef
and biscuits and a drink of tea. |
Only
two days before, the camp had been shelled and forced to retire, and it
was now placed under cover of a slight rise in the ground. We pitched
our own line of tents, and were soon comfortably quartered. The site of
the camp was not so healthy as it might have been. It was close to the
spot over which the Lancers charged the day General Yule reached Ladysmith
from Dundee, and the ground around was thickly strewn with the remains
of scores of horses killed in the victorious engagement. The air, in consequences,
was somewhat highly perfumed, and the Lancers' charge was called to our
minds every time the breeze came from the north. |
On
Saturday, 14th, we were employed for some time building sangars (a breastwork
of stones) and digging trenches, and in the afternoon were marched to
the Sunday River for a bath and washing purposes. One section of the company
took their arms with them, as the river was beyond our outpost lines,
and these had to keep watch whilst the others bathed, being in their turn
relieved. We overstepped the mark as regards time, and there was some
anxiety in camp about us, but we arrived safely back about 7 p.m. Next
day - Easter Sunday - we took our first turn at outpost duty, mounting
guard on the naval guns and elsewhere, and heard the distant booming of
Boer cannon. With the aid of the telescope, we got a first glimpse of
our enemy, hard at work at their trenches on the Biggarsberg Mountains. |
As
to our commissariat, we were pleasantly surprised to find that tinned
meat was not used in standing camp; also that beer was obtainable at 3d.
per pint. Fresh beef was issued daily to the cooks, who stewed it with
the allowance of potatoes, compressed vegetable, rice, or onions, making
a fairly palatable dinner. Fresh bread was also issued at the rate of
1lb. per man per diem. All water had to be brought into camp in carts
drawn by half-a-dozen mules, and for the first time we experienced a difficulty
in procuring a good wash. Canteen prices were extremely heavy, Kop's ale
being 9d. per bottle, and biscuits, &c., very expensive luxuries.
Coming fresh from the base, we noticed the immense difference between
the soldier in the field and in the barracks. At Maritzburg we left them
smart, shaved, and clean, with well polished buttons and boots; here,
those doing the active service stood about, ragged, bronzed, and bearded
men, with the rough glow of strength and health in the weather-beaten
faces, and with many an industrious patch upon their threadbare khaki;
glad to have sound boots on their feet and clothes on their backs, if
possible; but when half the sole was gone, and their uniforms were in
rags, by no means discouraged, often enduring long and toilsome marches,
with little or no food; these were the true British soldiers. The drawing-room
officer would have looked in vain for the smart military step, the glitter,
and polish, and cleanliness but our heroic commander, General Buller,
knew that, well or ill, defeat or victory, these men could be depended
upon, and formed the flower of his army. |
Our
company quickly assumed the same vagabond appearance, taking their place
and doing their turn of duty with the regular soldiers. Shortly after
our arrival an order was issued to the effect that - "The Volunteer Service Company just arrived will henceforth be known as 'I' Company." And as such we were designated as long as we were with the battalion. |
Here,
also, we caught a glimpse of our immediate commander, General Clery, but
became far more familiar with his face as we passed him many a later day,
watching the troops march into camp after a long tramp; and every one
of his men would be in before he thought of rest for himself. |
On
Easter Monday, 16th April, sports were held during the day, and in the
evening an open-air concert took place within reach of the enemy's guns;
several or our men sang. A heavy shower broke up the entertainment rather
early but what there was of it was a great success. |
| Next morning we began our first march. |
| ____________________ |
© Copyright Christopher John Garrish. All rights reserved.