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LONDON CORRESPONDENCE

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the Quota and was about to effect a junction with Sand ill i and the Gaekas somewhere in the valley of the Kei; he also reported that Ibeka would be the point of attack. Oolonel Glyn had a small column commanded by Captain TTp<thp»v ^24t,h-~ Raiment. consisting of about 450- -PuHifofS1 "aha-. 4 £ \U.. Europeans, in camp at the Quintana Moun- tain—a place of great strategic importance, as from it the various ridges wKipb r'uiriidtfoi along/'the Kei river can be patrolled, and it overlooks- the Ohichaba Valley, a stronghold of the Gaekaa and other disaffected tribes which have risen in the colony. Quintana is about twelve miles from Ibeka, and, hearing that the enemy were moving in this direction, Colonel Glyn reinforced this column on the 5&h of February by a detachment of Oarrington's Horse—a luott useful regiment of ir- J regular cavalry, raised by Lieu tenant.,Car ring few, of the 24th Regiment. This brought the strength of the column to about 200 cavalry. ^d 300 infantry, and two gups. The cavalry consisted of Frontier Police under Inspector: Holden, jight horse under Commander Oarrington while the infantry were coin posed of two companies 24th Regiment, under Captain Rainforth detachment of Naval Brigade under Lieu- tenant Hamilton, her Majesty's ship Active, with a I rocket-tube; and the guns were a 9 pounder) under Cochrane, of the Police Artillery Troop, and a 7- pounder, in charge of Capetown Volunteers; a few men of the RoyaJ Engineers, who had been working at the defences ef the camp; the whole under the command of Captain Upcber, with Captain Grenfell, aide-de-camp, as Staff. Officer. WAITING FOR THE ATTACK. On the evening of the 5th news came that Kreli was moving round into the Nyameni Valley, at the«fr>ot of the ridge where the Quintana camp lay. Here he was to be joined by Sandilli, and a force of Gaekas and eur camp was to be attacked by the combined forces on the evening of the next day. Spies also stated that Kreli had about 3000 men, and that Sandilli was to join him with about 2000 Gaekas, which information proved nearly correct. On the morning of the 6th, Fingo scouts brought in reports that the EaffirS iwfere trooping into the bosh at the. foot of our cwmp in large numbers. Captain Upcher rods out to recon- noitre, and saw below in:the valley hundreds of- men crossing the river and eoming into the bush. With the 9-pounder gnn we might now have done great execution but, as our great object was to get them to attack us, it was thought wiser not toshow in force, but simply to await the arrivaljof the enemy. On return to campprdera were given thatonthe approach of the enemy tents were to b^ struck and left„on the ground. The men were told off quietly to their various positions. The waggons were made into a laager-tbat is, were formed into a square; the cattle were driven close under the suns, and we iwaited and longed that Gneto, the greats witch-doctor, who wis known to be with Kreli, might find favourable omens either in the flight of a bird, the direction of. the wind, or some other equally frivolous excuse for attacking or not, by which the movements of a Kaffir army are frequently guided. FINGO SCOUTS. Fingo scouts were posted on a hill about a mile off, and we could see them on the) sky-line riding back- wards and forwards on their horses, searching care- fully the various kloofs running down into the river. Four, five* and six o'clock passed, and not a move. Darkness came on, and with it a report they they had passed our camp and had gone on to attack the Springs, a camp some ten miles off. An express was sent into Ibeka, to warn the head-quarters, and we I lay down in our clothes perfectly miserable at the though" of the enemy passing so near, and our never even having had a shot at them. Anasty fog came on at night, but as a Kaffir never attacks at night we were under no apprehension. The men, however, lay down I just as they were, in their great coats, and extra Fingo scouts were posted. ADVANCE OF THE EJMMNRS. 'f I At daylight next morning, about a quarter before five, Feldtman, the Fingo chief, came up to the tent of the officer commanding aad told him the Kaffirs were advancing. In five minutes every tent was down, all the hones saddled up, and men in their places; and shortly, from two sides of the camp, the south and west, we saw a dense mass of Kaffirs approaching. I The camp had been chosen by Captain Nixon, R.E., as a site for a small square fort, and had been com- menced, and was high endnghto afford excellent cover I for the men. A few shelter-trenches had been dug outside a day before the attack, and into these trenches the infantry were told off, and three sides of the fort were 141solined with men. The two guns were it aide at each angle, and the naval rocket-tube in. the centre. 4. DISPOSITION OF THE. TROOPS. The camp was about 1200 yards south of Quintana Mountain, on a rise, with open ground on all sides ¡ the only weak place a wooded kloof to the right. A strong body of Fingoes were sent to hold this kloof. A* company of the 24th, under Captain Rainforth, was sent out to skirmish on a hill, which rose about 400 yards from the camp, and which commanded the' aforesaid kloof. Eighty of Oarrington's Horse were placed in the dip between our camp and the next hill; police horses in waggon laager cattle in the rear of camp. The mist cleared, and, riding out towards the enemy with Commandant Oarrington, I could see the Kaffirs halted, mounted men riding up and down their ranks arranging the order of attack. There were about 2500 men on our front, and about 2000 on our left, as far as we could judge. SHELLING THE KAFEIBS. As we turned to rejoin the camp a rocket from the Naval Brigade, followtd by a shell from Coehrane's 9-pounder, whistled over our heads, and tore into the ranks of the Kaffirs, and we could see them stripping off their blankets and taking away the wounded men. They came on in a most determined manner; the 24th skirmishers opening fire as they got within range, re- tiring at the same time to bring them under the guns of the fort. Oarrington's men galloped, out, de- livered their fire, and retired. Still on they came, and when they got within 800 yards Captain Upcher opened fire from the fort. They had stood the shells and rockets well, calling out to us if a shot went over their heads. But when they got fairly under the fire of the breechloader, they stag- gered in opening out, leaving many on the ground tried to rally; came on most pluckily for a shut way; broke again rallied again for a minute, and then gave way, some rushing to the rear, but the greater num- ber making for the cover of the kloof, on the right of our position. •• J < t THE FINGOES LET LOOSE. The Fingoes bad been kept in hand with difficulty and now getting the order to advance they yelled out their war-cry and dashed into the kloof, rushing at the Kaffirs. A desperate fight ensued, in which the Kaffirs were worsted at all points and fled down the kloof. At the same time Oarrington's Horse galloped up the hill and charged the body which had Bed towards the rear, their commandant, fifty yards ahead of them, riding right in among the hundreds of flying Kaffirs. They did great execution. The enemy on the left had got closer owing to the strongest face of the square being towards the front. Some of them lay within about 350 yards of the in- trenchment. When they broke Feldtman's Fingoes were let loose at them, and chased them for miles, killing a great many. Firing now ceased from. the fort, but in the kloof the yells and heavy fire of the Fingoes still went on. Our men had. not tasted foed, and were trying-to get something to eat and drink, when on our right—we had as yet been free from Kaffirti-a dense bcdy was seen moving over the hill. The firing in the kloof was se hot that Captain Upcher took the Naval Brigade and part of the 24th and went out to assist in clearing it. ATTACK ON BANDILLL'S MEN. Captain Grenfell, with some police, Oarrington's Horse, and a portion of the 24th moved off to attack the Gaekas. This attack proved to be Sandilli's men, who had come late. The police were sent out to hold the front till the infantry could get up, and this they did most gallantly under command of Sub-Inspector Hatton till reinforced by Carrington's Horse when the Kaffirs were attacked and driven back. At one time the enemy were so close that a policeman was stabbed by an assegai. At this moment a number of Kaffirs came out of the kloof in our rear, se that for a short time we were between two fires. The men from the kloof were charged by Oar- rington and his horse, and driven back into the kloof, where they were disposed of by the Fingoes. Here Oarrington had two horses killed, two wounded, and his own shot in the jaw, one Fingo killed, and two men of the Light Horse wounded. Some of Sandilli's men were cut off here and killed in the open. One, a fine-looking man, having dis- charged his gun, and thrown all his assegais, finding all chance of escape tone, drew his blanket round him, and, with head erect and strut like a turkey-cock, marched straight up towards the Fingoes. and though three times wounded, walked on till brought down by a shot in the back, when he fell and died without a murmur. CLEARING THE KLOOF. Captain Upcher and Captain Grenfell now moved down on each side of the kloof with their men in skirmishing order—cavalry on three flanks and Fin- goes on the edge of the eover-gradually clearing it till arriving at the end, when the Kaffirs were seen streaming out in hundreds. A force that Oolonel Giyn had sent to reinforce us now arrived, under V.J\ ri'„ k hJ; .if- i A f y £ L-

--TEXT OF THE PEACE TREATY.

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FOUNDERING OF; 1^2" II&ferY…

MARRIAGE IN HIGH LIFE.

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