United States or Botswana ? Vote for the TOP Country of the Week !
After leaving the Majuba district, we came to the Transvaal frontier, where we had been told we might meet with scanty courtesy. However, we had no disagreeable experiences, and then the train emerged on the endless rolling green plains which extend right up to and beyond the mining district of the Rand.
'A century of wrong! British ignorance of South Africa, Boer ignorance of civilisation, British intolerance, Boer brutality, British interference, Boer independence, clash, clash, clash, all along the line! and then fanatical, truth-scorning missionaries, experimental philanthropists, high-handed jingo administrators, colonial ministers who disliked all colonies on the glorious principles of theoretic liberalism, bad generals thinking of their own reputations, not of their country's success, and a series of miserable events recalled sufficiently well by their names Slagter's Nek, Kimberley, Moshesh, Majuba, Jameson, all these arousing first resentment, then loathing, then contempt, and, finally, a Great Desire, crystallising into a Great Conspiracy for a United Dutch South Africa, free from the flag that has elsewhere been regarded as the flag of freedom.
There was the ambulance affair on Majuba, when the Boers came upon an unarmed party bearing the wounded with the red cross flying over them, and after asking who they were and getting a reply, fired a volley into the group, killing Surgeon-Major Cornish. under Commandant Cronjé were guilty of actions contrary to the usages of civilized warfare.
Ward The Boer rejoicings The Transvaal placed under martial law Abandonment of their homes by the people of Pretoria Sir Owen Lanyon's admirable defence organisation Second proclamation issued by the Boers Its complete falsehood Life at Pretoria during the siege Murders of natives by the Boers Loyal conduct of the native chiefs Difficulty of preventing them from attacking the Boers Occupation of Lang's Nek by the Boers Sir George Colley's departure to Newcastle The condition of that town The attack on Lang's Nek Its desperate nature Effect of victory on the Boers The battle at the Ingogo Our defeat Sufferings of the wounded Major Essex Advance of the Boers into Natal Constant alarms Expected attack on Newcastle Its unorganised and indefensible condition Arrival of the reinforcements and retreat of the Boers to the Nek Despatch of General Wood to bring up more reinforcements Majuba Hill Our disaster, and death of Sir George Colley Cause of our defeat A Boer version of the disaster Sir George Colley's tactics.
And among the latest miracles were Northampton's success in sending the atheist to Parliament, the infidelity of the Tay Bridge three days after Christmas, the catastrophe of Majuba Hill, and the discovery that soldiers objected to being flogged into insensibility for a peccadillo.
Nineteen years afterwards, on the same day of the same month, we suffered a terrible defeat at Paardeberg, where we lost General Piet Cronje and a great force of burghers. And now the 27th of February had come round again, and this time it was the twenty-first anniversary of Majuba that we were celebrating. The day of our coming of age had thus arrived, if I may be allowed to say so.
Ingogo may be called a drawn battle, though our loss was more heavy than that of the enemy. Finally came the defeat of Majuba Hill, where four hundred infantry upon a mountain were defeated and driven off by a swarm of sharpshooters who advanced under the cover of boulders.
It would bear examination why it was that only this small corps was present at so vital a point, and why, if they could push the pursuit to such purpose, others should not be able to do the same. Time was bringing some curious revenges. Already Paardeberg had come upon Majuba Day. Buller's victorious soldiers had taken Laing's Nek.
Take them as a whole, the Boers are not pleasant people to live with, especially to those who are within their power, as the natives have found out sufficiently, and as the British have found out ever since Majuba, and the retrocession of the Transvaal.
He had known how it would be when that fellow Gladstone dead now, thank God! made such a mess of it after that dreadful business at Majuba. He shouldn't wonder if the Empire split up and went to pot. And this vision of the Empire going to pot filled a full quarter of an hour with qualms of the most serious character. He had eaten a poor lunch because of them.
Word Of The Day