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+The Project Gutenberg EBook of South Africa and the Transvaal War, Vol. IV
+(of 6), by Louis Creswicke
+
+This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with
+almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or
+re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included
+with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org
+
+
+Title: South Africa and the Transvaal War, Vol. IV (of 6)
+ From Lord Roberts' Entry into the Free State to the Battle of Karree
+
+Author: Louis Creswicke
+
+Release Date: February 4, 2012 [EBook #38768]
+
+Language: English
+
+Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1
+
+*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK SOUTH AFRICA, TRANSVAAL WAR, VOL IV ***
+
+
+
+
+Produced by Brownfox and the Online Distributed Proofreading
+Team at https://www.pgdp.net (This file was produced from
+images generously made available by The Internet Archive)
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+ SOUTH AFRICA AND THE
+ TRANSVAAL WAR
+
+[Illustration: THE QUEEN LISTENING TO A DISPATCH FROM THE FRONT.
+
+From the Picture by S. Begg]
+
+
+
+
+SOUTH AFRICA
+AND THE
+TRANSVAAL WAR
+
+BY
+
+LOUIS CRESWICKE
+
+AUTHOR OF "ROXANE," ETC.
+
+WITH NUMEROUS ILLUSTRATIONS AND MAPS
+
+IN SIX VOLUMES
+
+VOL. IV.--FROM LORD ROBERTS' ENTRY INTO THE FREE
+STATE TO THE BATTLE OF KARREE
+
+EDINBURGH: T. C. & E. C. JACK
+MANCHESTER: KENNETH MACLENNAN, 75 PICCADILLY
+1900
+
+
+
+
+Printed by BALLANTYNE, HANSON & CO.
+
+At the Ballantyne Press
+
+
+
+
+CONTENTS----VOL. IV.
+
+
+ PAGE
+
+CHRONOLOGICAL TABLE vii
+
+
+ CHAPTER I
+
+THE VOTE OF CENSURE 1
+KIMBERLEY 14
+GENERAL FRENCH'S RIDE, FEBRUARY 12 TO 15 30
+STRATEGY _versus_ TACTICS 37
+THE HERDING OF CRONJE, FEBRUARY 16 TO 18 49
+THE BATTLE OF PAARDEBERG, FEBRUARY 18 54
+TRAPPED 62
+THE SURRENDER OF CRONJE 71
+
+
+ CHAPTER II
+
+MAFEKING, DECEMBER AND JANUARY 80
+
+
+ CHAPTER III
+
+AT POPLAR GROVE 95
+THE FIGHT AT DRIEFONTEIN, MARCH 10 101
+AT BLOEMFONTEIN, MARCH 13 108
+
+
+ CHAPTER IV
+
+MAFEKING, FEBRUARY 112
+
+
+ CHAPTER V
+
+AT CHIEVELEY AGAIN 121
+LADYSMITH, FEBRUARY 1 TO 26 129
+THE BATTLE OF PIETERS, FEBRUARY 20 TO 27 134
+EXPECTATION 151
+THE RELIEF OF LADYSMITH, FEBRUARY 28 153
+THE FORMAL ENTRY, MARCH 3 156
+
+
+ CHAPTER VI
+
+CHANGES IN CAPE COLONY, FEBRUARY AND MARCH 163
+AT BETHULIE, MARCH 12 171
+
+
+ CHAPTER VII
+
+BLOEMFONTEIN UNDER BRITISH RULE 174
+THE BATTLE OF KARREE 192
+
+
+ CHAPTER VIII
+
+MAFEKING IN MARCH 194
+COLONEL PLUMER'S OPERATIONS 204
+
+
+LIST OF STAFF 213
+
+
+APPENDIX 215
+
+
+
+
+LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS----VOL. IV.
+
+
+MAP ILLUSTRATING THE MOVEMENTS FOR THE RELIEF OF
+KIMBERLEY AND THE CAPTURE OF BLOEMFONTEIN _At Front_
+
+
+1. _COLOURED PLATES_
+ PAGE
+THE QUEEN LISTENING TO A DISPATCH FROM THE FRONT _Frontispiece_
+
+THE IMPERIAL YEOMANRY 12
+
+THE ROYAL LANCASTERS 16
+
+WEST YORKSHIRE AND YORKSHIRE REGIMENTS 88
+
+THE INNISKILLING DRAGOONS 104
+
+SOUTH AFRICAN LIGHT HORSE, BRABANT'S HORSE, AND
+DUKE OF EDINBURGH'S VOLUNTEER RIFLES 120
+
+STRATHCONA'S HORSE 184
+
+THE CAPE TOWN HIGHLANDERS 200
+
+
+2. _FULL-PAGE PLATES_
+ PAGE
+THE DASH FOR KIMBERLEY--THE 10TH HUSSARS CROSSING
+KLIP DRIFT 32
+
+THE LAST STAND MADE BY THE BOERS BEFORE KIMBERLEY 36
+
+CAPTURE OF A BOER CONVOY BY GENERAL FRENCH'S TROOPS 40
+
+THE BATTLE OF PAARDEBERG 56
+
+CRONJE'S STRONGHOLD 64
+
+CRONJE SURRENDERS TO LORD ROBERTS 72
+
+CRONJE'S FORCE ON THEIR MARCH SOUTH 80
+
+SHELL FROM THE NAVAL BRIGADE DISPERSING BOERS 96
+
+THE FORMAL SURRENDER OF BLOEMFONTEIN 108
+
+SLEEPLESS MAFEKING 112
+
+THE RELIEF OF LADYSMITH--THE LAST RUSH AT HLANGWANE HILL 128
+
+IN BELEAGUERED LADYSMITH--WATCHING FOR BULLER FROM
+OBSERVATION HILL 152
+
+HINDOO REFUGEES FROM THE TRANSVAAL IN CAMP AT CAPE TOWN 168
+
+CONVEYING WOUNDED TO WYNBERG HOSPITAL CAMP 172
+
+THE BRITISH OCCUPATION OF BLOEMFONTEIN--AN EVENING CONCERT
+IN MARKET SQUARE BY THE PIPERS OF THE HIGHLAND BRIGADE 176
+
+COLONEL PLUMER'S GALLANT ATTEMPT TO RELIEVE MAFEKING
+FROM THE NORTH 208
+
+
+3. _FULL-PAGE PORTRAITS_
+ PAGE
+THE MARQUIS OF SALISBURY, K.G. 8
+
+LIEUT.-GENERAL THOMAS KELLY-KENNY, C.B. 24
+
+GENERAL CRONJE 48
+
+MAJOR-GENERAL A. FITZROY HART, C.B. 136
+
+MAJOR-GENERAL H. J. T. HILDYARD, C.B. 144
+
+BRIGADIER-GENERAL THE EARL OF DUNDONALD, C.B. 156
+
+LIEUT.-GENERAL HON. N. G. LYTTELTON, C.B. 160
+
+MR. M. T. STEYN, LATE PRESIDENT ORANGE FREE STATE 192
+
+
+4. _MAPS AND ENGRAVINGS IN THE TEXT_
+ PAGE
+SHELL PICKED UP IN KIMBERLEY STREETS 15
+
+"LONG CECIL" MADE AT DE BEERS MINES 21
+
+PLACARD ERECTED BY MR. RHODES 27
+
+TYPICAL UNDERGROUND DWELLING AT KIMBERLEY 36
+
+10TH HUSSARS WITH NORDENFELDT GUN 46
+
+PLAN OF PAARDEBERG 57
+
+GUNS CAPTURED AT PAARDEBERG 68
+
+BOER TRENCHES AT PAARDEBERG 78
+
+MARKET SQUARE, MAFEKING 85
+
+GUN MADE IN MAFEKING 87
+
+DIRECTING AN ARMY FROM A MILITARY BALLOON 102
+
+FACSIMILE OF "THE MAFEKING MAIL" 114
+
+SCENE OF FIGHTING AT MONTE CRISTO 125
+
+BALLOON MAP--BATTLE OF PIETERS AND RELIEF OF LADYSMITH 135
+
+SIGNAL APPARATUS OF H.M.S. "FORTE" 146
+
+KING'S POST, LADYSMITH 151
+
+MAP OF OPERATIONS ON ORANGE RIVER 165
+
+SIGNAL STATION AT BLOEMFONTEIN 182
+
+NATIVE CHURCH, MAFEKING 199
+
+MAP SHOWING ADVANCE TO MAFEKING 205
+
+LOBATSI RAILWAY STATION 212
+
+
+
+
+CHRONOLOGICAL TABLE----VOL. IV.
+
+
+FEBRUARY 1900.
+
+12-13.--General French, following up Hannay's movement, crossed Riet
+River, and next day with a strong force marched twenty-five miles into
+the Free State, seized Klip Drift on the Modder River, occupied the
+hills to the north, and captured three of the enemy's laagers, with
+supplies.
+
+13-14.--6th (Kelly-Kenny's) Division on north bank of the Riet River at
+Waterfall Drift.
+
+14.--Lord Roberts advanced to Dekiel's Drift.
+
+15.--General French reached and relieved Kimberley, captured Boer laager
+and supplies, and forced the enemy to withdraw.
+
+The Boers evacuated Majersfontein and Spyfontein, retreating to
+Koodoosrand Drift.
+
+16.--General Kelly-Kenny, in pursuit of Cronje retiring east with 10,000
+men on Bloemfontein, captured 78 waggons with stores, 2 waggons with
+Mauser rifles, and 8 waggons with shell belonging to Cronje's column.
+
+Capture of Cingolo Hill by Sir Redvers Buller's force.
+
+Lord Roberts occupied Jacobsdal.
+
+Flight of Cronje's force and occupation of Majersfontein by the Guards.
+
+17.--Cronje's force overtaken and surrounded at Paardeberg. General
+Brabant engaged the enemy near Dordrecht.
+
+Successful reconnaissance by Colonel Henderson from Arundel.
+
+18.--Severe fighting at Paardeberg, where Cronje was being gradually
+surrounded.
+
+Capture of Monte Cristo. General Lyttelton's Division, by a brilliant
+converging movement, drove the Boers across the river.
+
+19.--Capture of Hlangwane by the Fusilier Brigade. The Boers evacuated
+the hill, and left a large camp behind them.
+
+Bombardment of Cronje's position began. Boer reinforcements driven back.
+
+Cronje asked for armistice, but Lord Kitchener demanded his surrender;
+Cronje refused, and was then bombarded heavily.
+
+Reoccupation of Dordrecht. General Brabant entered the town in the
+morning, the Boers taking to flight.
+
+20.--General Hart occupied Colenso.
+
+Lord Roberts defeated Boer reinforcements at Paardeberg.
+
+21.--5th Division crossed the Tugela at Colenso.
+
+23.--Advance on Ladysmith continued. The Boers' position at Grobler's
+Kloof attacked.
+
+The cordon round Cronje began to close in.
+
+Captain Hon. R. H. L. J. de Montmorency, V.C. (21st Hussars), killed
+while doing magnificent work with his Scouts near Stormberg.
+
+26.--Finding the passage of the river near Colenso commanded by strong
+entrenchments, Sir Redvers Buller sent his guns and baggage back to the
+south side of the Tugela, and found a new crossing.
+
+26-27.--Colesberg and Rensberg, having been evacuated by the Boers, were
+occupied by General Clements, while Jamestown was occupied by General
+Brabant.
+
+27 (on anniversary of Majuba, 1881).--Cronje, with 44 commandants and
+other officers of all grades, and over 3500 men, surrendered
+unconditionally to Lord Roberts.
+
+Sir Redvers Buller's force captured the Boer position at Pieters. This
+action opened the road to Ladysmith. Boers retired north to Ladysmith.
+
+28.--Relief of Ladysmith after 120 day's investment.
+
+
+MARCH 1900.
+
+1.--Lord Roberts and Lord Kitchener visited Kimberley and attended a
+meeting in the Town Hall.
+
+2.--Cronje and his staff, having been moved to Simonstown under a guard
+of City Imperial Volunteers, were put on board H.M.S. _Doris_, and sent
+to St. Helena.
+
+3.--General Buller formally entered Ladysmith.
+
+Skirmish near Osfontein. General French came in contact with a Boer
+force, who tried to get away, but were held to their position by the
+British force.
+
+4-5.--General Brabant advanced from Dordrecht against Labuschagne, and
+was completely successful.
+
+5.--General Gatacre occupied Stormberg without opposition.
+
+7.--Lord Roberts dispersed Boers near Poplar Grove.
+
+General Gatacre reached Burghersdorp.
+
+8.--General Clements occupied Norval's Pont.
+
+10.--The Boers dispersed near Driefontein, fifteen miles east of Poplar
+Grove.
+
+11.--Presidents Kruger and Steyn received reply from the Prime Minister
+refusing to entertain their absurd overtures for peace.
+
+12.--General French (with cavalry, R.H.A., and Mounted Infantry) arrived
+before Bloemfontein, and captured two hills which command the railway
+and town.
+
+General French captured the railway near Bloemfontein.
+
+General Gatacre approached Bethulie.
+
+13.--Lord Roberts occupied Bloemfontein. His despatch ran:--"The British
+flag now flies over the Presidency vacated last evening by Mr. Steyn,
+late President of the Orange Free State. The inhabitants gave the troops
+a cordial welcome."
+
+14.--General Pretyman, C.B., appointed Military Governor of
+Bloemfontein.
+
+15.--General Gatacre occupied Bethulie.
+
+Boers attacked Colonel Plumer's camp and were repulsed.
+
+16.--Fighting at Fourteen Streams.
+
+19.--Lord Kitchener occupied Prieska, and received the submission of
+rebels.
+
+20.--Rouxville occupied by Major Cumming.
+
+21.--Smithfield occupied by British troops.
+
+23.--Party of English officers shot near Bloemfontein.
+
+27.--General Clements occupied Fauresmith, and arrested the landrost.
+
+Death of General Joubert.
+
+29.--Action at Karree Siding. Boer position taken.
+
+Wepener occupied by Brabant's Horse under Colonel Dalgety.
+
+30.--Colonel Broadwood with Cavalry Brigade and two batteries Royal
+Horse Artillery at Thabanchu retired on waterworks pressed by the enemy.
+
+31.--Loss of convoy and six guns at Koorn Spruit.
+
+Action at Ramathlabama for the relief of Mafeking, and Colonel Plumer's
+small force repulsed by the Boers.
+
+[Illustration: MAP ILLUSTRATING THE MOVEMENTS FOR THE RELIEF OF
+KIMBERLEY AND THE CAPTURE OF BLOEMFONTEIN
+
+EDINBURGH AND LONDON T. C. & E. C. JACK.]
+
+
+
+
+SOUTH AFRICA AND THE TRANSVAAL WAR
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER I
+
+THE TURNING OF THE TIDE
+
+_February 27, 1900._
+
+ "Storm, strong with all the bitter heart of hate,
+ Smote England, now nineteen dark years ago,
+ As when the tide's full wrath in seaward flow
+ Smites and bears back the swimmer. Fraud and fate
+ Were leagued against her: fear was fain to prate
+ Of honour in dishonour, pride brought low,
+ And humbleness whence holiness must grow,
+ And greatness born of shame to be so great.
+
+ The winter day that withered hope and pride
+ Shines now triumphal on the turning tide
+ That sets once more our trust in freedom free,
+ That leaves a ruthless and a truthless foe
+ And all base hopes that hailed his cause laid low,
+ And England's name a light on land and sea."
+
+ --ALGERNON CHARLES SWINBURNE.
+
+
+THE VOTE OF CENSURE
+
+The terrible events of the month of December had produced a disquieting
+effect upon the public mind. Agitated questions were asked on all
+subjects connected with the series of catastrophes, and the replies were
+so unsatisfactory that one and all became sensible that the actions of
+those in power were not sufficiently in unison with public sentiment,
+and even the keenest supporters of the Government numbly experienced a
+loss of confidence in those at the helm. It was felt that some one must
+be to blame for the miserable condition of affairs, the hideous series
+of defeats that had made Great Britain an object of ridicule on the
+Continent. For the forwarding of our troops "in driblets," for the
+ineffectiveness of our guns in comparison with Boer weapons, for the
+uselessness of the carbine in competition with the Mauser, for the
+scarcity of horses, for the preparedness of the Boers, for the
+unpreparedness of the British, for the under-estimation of the strength
+of the enemy, and for many other things which tended to bring about the
+national disaster, various members of the Government were blamed.
+Charges of incapacity were levelled at the Secretary of State for War,
+the War Office, and the Committee of National Defence. Even the stoutest
+Tories were found declaiming against the attitude of lethargy--flippancy,
+some said--adopted by those in whose hands the fate of the nation rested.
+Mr. Balfour, in certain speeches somewhat ill-advisedly delivered at a
+critical moment, had contrived almost to wound people who were already
+deeply wounded by humiliation and anxiety. His mood had not been in
+sympathy with the public mood. He had endeavoured to brush away the stern
+problems facing him by minimising their seriousness, by affecting to
+believe that the Government was, like Cæsar's wife, beyond reproach. His
+attitude implied that the Cabinet could do no wrong, and that the
+misfortunes and errors (if errors there were) were due to a concatenation
+of circumstances for which neither the Government at home nor the
+generals abroad could be held responsible. In consequence of this
+attitude, on one side Mr. Balfour was blamed, on another, Mr.
+Chamberlain. The Colonial Secretary was accused of the policy of
+"bluffing with a weak hand," while the Chancellor of the Exchequer, as
+was inevitable, came in for his share of obloquy. It was the cheeseparing
+principle that was at the bottom of it all; cheeseparing and red-tape
+were responsible for debility and delay of all kinds, and political
+inertia had undoubtedly spelt defeat. The clamour was reasonable and
+just. It was felt that prudence and energy should have served as fuel to
+stoke the engine of public affairs, not as a brake to be put on in the
+face of disaster. On all hands the public of one consent cried for a new
+broom and "a great co-ordinating guiding mind," and the universal clamour
+awoke the Government to a consciousness that there are times and seasons
+in the history of nations when party recriminations and crystallised
+party etiquette must give way before the stress of a great national
+need--the need to preserve at all costs the honour and the reputation of
+the Empire in face of the whole world.
+
+Accordingly, the opening debate of the Session was one which cannot be
+passed over. The Queen's Speech struck a note of decision that was at
+once comforting and in sympathy with her people. Thus it ran: "I have
+witnessed with pride and the heartiest gratification the patriotism,
+eagerness, and spontaneous loyalty with which my subjects in all parts
+of my dominions have come forward to share in the common defence of
+their Imperial interests. I am confident that I shall not look to them
+in vain when I exhort them to sustain and renew their exertions until
+they have brought this struggle for the maintenance of the Empire and
+the assertion of its supremacy in South Africa to a victorious
+conclusion."
+
+The Earl of Kimberley commented on the ignorance of the Government
+regarding the military preparations that for years had been going on in
+the Transvaal, and indulged in criticisms which might have been weighty
+had his hearers not been tickled by the strange irony of fate which
+converted into critic one of the authors of the humiliating drama which
+had been left to shape itself from the disastrous _scena_ of 1881.
+
+To these criticisms the Prime Minister--somewhat broken by domestic
+bereavement--offered but a weak and depressing reply. "How," he asked,
+in regard to the Boer preparations, "could the Government know what was
+going on?"
+
+ "I believe, as a matter of fact, though this must not be taken
+ as official, that the guns were generally introduced in the
+ boilers of locomotives, and that the munitions of war were
+ introduced in piano-cases and tubs. But we had no power of
+ search, we had no power of knowing what munitions of war were
+ sent out. We certainly had no power of supervising their
+ importation into the Transvaal. It is a very remarkable
+ peculiarity of the public opinion of this country that people
+ always desire to eat their cake and have it. They rejoice very
+ much with a spirit of complacency that we have a very small
+ Secret Service Fund. Information is a matter of money and
+ nothing else. If you want much information you must give much
+ money; if you give little money you will get little
+ information; and considering the enormous sums which are spent
+ by other Powers, not least by the Transvaal Republic, in secret
+ service--which I was told on high diplomatic authority has been
+ £800,000 in one year--and comparing this with the ludicrously
+ small sums which have for a great number of years been
+ habitually spent by English Governments, it is impossible for
+ us to have the omniscience which the noble Earl seems to regard
+ as a necessary attribute of Her Majesty's Government."
+
+Further on he said:
+
+ "We must all join together to exercise all the power that we
+ can give in order to extricate ourselves from a situation that
+ is full of humiliation and not free from danger, though I do
+ not say the danger may not be easily exaggerated. Many a
+ country has commenced a great war with difficulties of this
+ kind. We have only to look back at what the Northern States of
+ America went through at the opening of the Civil War to see how
+ easy it would be to draw a mistaken inference from the reverses
+ which we have met at the opening of this war. We have every
+ ground to think that if we set ourselves heartily to work and
+ exert all the instruments of power we possess we shall bring
+ this war to a satisfactory conclusion. I think we must defer
+ the pleasing task of quarrelling among ourselves until that
+ result has been obtained. We have a work that now appeals to us
+ as subjects of the Queen, as Englishmen, and it must throw into
+ shadow the ancient claims which party expediency has on the
+ action of all our statesmen."
+
+This speech concluded, Lord Rosebery suddenly sprang up, and delivered
+himself with thrilling emphasis of sentiments which went at once to the
+heart of the nation. Deeply he deplored the Prime Minister's speech,
+which made it hard for "the man in the street" to support the policy of
+the Government.
+
+The country, he insisted, had a right to know if there was adequate
+information given to the Government before the crisis of the Transvaal
+affair, or even sufficient to guide them in their diplomacy or their
+negotiation. "That is a point which the nation will insist on knowing,
+whether in this House or the other. If you had not sufficient
+information, dismiss your Intelligence Department, dismiss Mr. Conyngham
+Greene and your consular agents wherever they had touch with this
+matter--at Lourenço Marques or elsewhere. If you did know of it, you
+have a heavy responsibility to bear. The noble Marquis asks, 'How could
+we see through a deal board?' I suppose he meant by that to allude to
+the pianoforte cases in which, with more knowledge than he gave himself
+credit for, he unofficially states that the ammunition was brought into
+Pretoria."
+
+Passing on to the question of Secret Service money, he declared that the
+Government was in possession of a very commanding majority in the House,
+and that if they had the responsibility of Government they were bound to
+ask for what funds, whether Secret Service or other, which they might
+think necessary for the safety of the Empire.
+
+ "They cannot," he pursued, "devolve that responsibility on
+ others by speaking of the working of the British Constitution.
+ I ask noble Lords to analyse the speech of the noble Marquis,
+ which is still ringing in their ears. It is the speech of a
+ Minister explaining a disastrous position. He practically has
+ only given two explanations of that situation. They are, first,
+ that the Government had not enough Secret Service money to
+ obtain information, and, secondly, the mysterious working of
+ the British Constitution. I suppose that there are foreign
+ representatives in the gallery listening to this debate, and I
+ suppose that the speech of the Prime Minister will be flashed
+ to-night all over Europe, and Europe, which is watching with a
+ keen and not a benevolent interest the proceedings of our
+ armies in South Africa, will learn that the causes of our
+ disasters are one avoidable and the other inevitable. The
+ avoidable one is the inadequate amount of the Secret Service
+ Fund, and the inevitable one the secular working of the British
+ Constitution."
+
+Leaving the question of unpreparedness, he came to the great point, and
+asked what the Government intended to do.
+
+ "There is a paragraph in the Queen's Speech which I rejoice to
+ see, of a somewhat didactic character in its first sentence,
+ but not without interest in its second. 'The experience of a
+ great war must necessarily afford lessons of the greatest
+ importance to the military administration of the country. You
+ will not, I am convinced, shrink from any outlay that may be
+ required to place our defensive preparations on a level with
+ the responsibilities which the possession of so great an Empire
+ has laid on us.' The noble Marquis made no reference to that
+ paragraph, except to say that he does not think we shall see
+ compulsory service in the life of the youngest peer present. I
+ do not affirm or question that proposition, but I can say I do
+ not think it is so immeasurably remote as the noble Marquis
+ considers that some form of compulsory service may have to be
+ introduced to meet the growing exigencies of the Empire. I am
+ sure that neither from this nor from any other sacrifice will
+ the nation recoil to preserve the predominance of our Empire.
+ We have sent away from our island a vast mass of troops which
+ usually garrison it. Situated as we are in the centre of a
+ universe by no means friendly to us, that we should not have a
+ hint from the First Minister of the Crown what military
+ measures the Government propose to take in face of the
+ disasters we have met with, and what sacrifices we must
+ inevitably be called on to make to redress them, is one of the
+ most extraordinary features of the working of the British
+ Constitution on which the noble Marquis has laid such great
+ stress. I agree with him in saying that the country will carry
+ this thing through. It will carry it through in spite of all
+ the impediments, both of men and of methods, that have shackled
+ it in the past; but I venture to say that it will have to be
+ inspired by a loftier tone and by a truer patriotism than we
+ have heard from the Prime Minister to-night."
+
+Mr. Balfour, in the House of Commons, was as damping to popular hopes as
+the Prime Minister in the House of Lords. Regarding the all-important
+subject of the under-estimation of the Boer strength, he somewhat airily
+said:
+
+ "It will be asked, How comes it, then, that this great
+ under-estimate of the Boer strength was made if we knew
+ approximately what the Boer armaments were, and what Boers were
+ likely to take the field? I do not know that I have got any
+ very satisfactory answer to give to that question. It is a
+ purely and strictly military problem, and, as history shows, it
+ is a kind of problem very difficult to answer satisfactorily.
+ You can gauge the military strength of a European nation with a
+ fixed army, with all their modern military apparatus, and with
+ all their military statistics at your disposal; but when you
+ come to problems of States whose military organisation is not
+ of that elaborate kind, great mistakes have been made in the
+ past, and I doubt not great mistakes will be made in the
+ future. They certainly have been made by almost every military
+ nation of whom we have any record. But if this is regarded as
+ an attack upon the military experts of the War Office, it is
+ surely an unfair attack, because soldiers, who are not
+ especially given to agreeing with one another, were absolutely
+ unanimous upon this point. I do not believe you will be able to
+ quote the opinion of a single soldier of any position whatever,
+ or of no position, delivered before, say, July 31 or August 31
+ last, indicating any opinion which will show that the force
+ which we in the first instance sent out would not be amply
+ sufficient, or more than amply sufficient, for all purposes.
+ (Cries of "What about Butler?") The right hon. gentlemen put a
+ question to me about Sir W. Butler. We had not the slightest
+ trace at the War Office in any communication, public,
+ semi-public, or private--no communication of any sort, kind, or
+ description, which indicated that in Sir W. Butler's opinion
+ the force we sent out was not sufficient--I was going to say
+ doubly sufficient--for any work that it might be called upon to
+ perform."
+
+Indeed, the whole tenor of the speech was generally regarded as
+unsatisfactory and dispiriting. It was felt that, as Lord Rosebery
+expressed it, the Government must be left to "muddle through" somehow.
+People who hung anxiously on the lips of the Government for definite
+statements regarding future resolute action were disappointed, and
+waited wearily the conclusion of the debate.
+
+On February 1, Sir Charles Dilke drew vigorous comparisons between the
+present and former campaigns. In regard to our lack of artillery he
+said:
+
+ "All our generals had told us that direct artillery fire had
+ failed against the Boer entrenchments. It had been known for
+ years past that direct artillery fire would be likely to fail
+ against strong entrenchments; yet we sent twenty-one batteries
+ of field-artillery to South Africa before the first one of the
+ three howitzer batteries was despatched. It was one of the
+ strongest charges which he and others had brought against the
+ War Office for some years, that our army was more badly
+ supplied with field-artillery than any other army in the world.
+ It was not even comparable with the field-artillery of
+ Switzerland and Roumania. In regard to our guns, the Leader of
+ the House had stated in a speech at Manchester that we had guns
+ in South Africa sufficient for three army corps of regular
+ troops. He should like to know on whose authority the right
+ hon. gentleman made that statement. The first force sent to
+ South Africa from India was supplied with guns, not on that
+ scale, but still in fairly decent and respectable measure. The
+ forces of Lord Methuen and Sir Redvers Buller fell altogether
+ short of even the scale adopted for the Indian Contingent. Both
+ these generals had themselves called attention to their
+ deficiency in this respect. We had not even now got artillery
+ on anything like the scale laid down by the right hon.
+ gentleman, and we could not have it in South Africa, because we
+ had not got it in the world. In these circumstances he could
+ only characterise the statement of the Leader of the House as
+ entirely erroneous and misleading, and altogether a blunder.
+ With regard to the batteries which were even now being sent
+ out, many of them were manned by reservists and by garrison
+ artillerymen, who had had no experience in the handling of
+ modern field-guns."
+
+Proceeding to the question of lack of cavalry, he argued:
+
+ "With regard to cavalry as with regard to artillery, the first
+ force was well supplied, but the forces of Lord Methuen and
+ General Buller were very deficient in that respect. In that
+ connection the First Lord had made an attack on the critics of
+ the War Office. He said they had not seen, or if they had seen
+ had not insisted on, a novel fact in the present war, namely,
+ that for the first time in the history of the world they had
+ seen an army composed entirely of mounted infantry. The right
+ hon. gentleman had only to read Sir William Butler's 'Life of
+ General Colley,' where he would find very marked attention
+ drawn to that matter. As to the Defence Committee of the
+ Cabinet, of which the right hon. gentleman was a member, though
+ he himself had been spoken of as the author of that body, he
+ must admit that it had failed. It was instituted after a
+ correspondence in which he himself, his hon. friend (Mr. Arnold
+ Foster), and Mr. Spenser Wilkinson took part, and it was not
+ new to the present Government. It was instituted in the time of
+ Lord Rosebery's Government as a Committee of the Cabinet, but
+ it had been proclaimed to the world in the time of the present
+ Government. It had failed on account of the slackness of those
+ who attended the deliberations of the Committee. It had not
+ been worked as the authors of the proposal thought it might
+ have been worked in the interests of the Empire. The Committee
+ ought to have foreseen these difficulties with respect to
+ mounted men; they were foreseen by military men. Though
+ political differences occurred between Sir A. Milner and Sir W.
+ Butler, Sir A. Milner consulted General Butler on the military
+ aspect of the situation, and General Butler's opinions were
+ known to the Government, or should have been. They were known
+ to Sir A. Milner at any rate and were not concealed by him when
+ he was in this country a year ago. According to his (Sir C.
+ Dilke's) information, which reached him immediately after the
+ statement had been made to Sir A. Milner, General Sir W. Butler
+ declared that 60,000 men would be required in Cape Colony and
+ 25,000 men in Natal. Leaving that, however, what was the
+ attitude of the Cabinet with regard to the need for cavalry?
+ They telegraphed to the Colonies to refuse mounted men. They
+ gave their reasons in the telegram of October 3: 'In view of
+ the numbers already available, infantry most and cavalry least
+ serviceable.' On December 16 they telegraphed to the Colonies,
+ 'Mounted men preferred.' After all the loss of life that had
+ taken place, and the months of checks and reverses, they had
+ discovered what competent soldiers had discovered before the
+ war, and must have told them, that mounted men were essential
+ for a campaign of this kind."
+
+In reply, the Under-Secretary of State for War made the first telling
+and apposite statement which had been furnished for the Government
+during the course of the proceedings. His exposition was
+straightforwardness itself. Though merely the mouthpiece of the
+Government, Mr. Wyndham gave utterance to definite statements which
+created a very favourable impression throughout the country, and served
+at once to wipe away the taste of foregone pronouncements. He said:
+
+ "Every one to his dying day would look back with regret on the
+ great many disasters which had followed, but no one could ever
+ know what would have happened if the other course had been
+ adopted. It was very easy to conceive that if Sir G. White had
+ not stayed at Ladysmith and Sir R. Buller had not gone to his
+ relief disaster might have been developed in another line, and
+ that there might have been that universal rising of the Cape
+ Dutch which, thank Heaven, had not occurred. When it was stated
+ that Lord Methuen had not sufficient cavalry and artillery with
+ him, it must be remembered that Lord Methuen was hurried off to
+ the Orange River, and, as a matter of fact, he arrived on the
+ frontier in fewer days than the German army reached the French
+ frontier, and he had not with him the cavalry, which had been
+ diverted for the relief of Ladysmith and other purposes. On the
+ morrow after Nicholson's Nek three more battalions were sent
+ from home, though none had been asked for, and Lord Landsowne
+ offered a sixth division. In reply, he was told that
+ preparation was desirable, but that there was no immediate need
+ for its despatch. The situation was again changed by the
+ reverses at Stormberg and Magersfontein and the check at
+ Colenso. Thereupon the sixth division was ordered to embark
+ without any communication from South Africa, and at the same
+ time the seventh division was ordered to be mobilised. On
+ December 15, the day after his check at Colenso, Sir R. Buller
+ asked for the seventh division, the mobilisation of which had
+ already been ordered, and for 8000 mounted irregulars from
+ this country. Lord Landsowne replied that the seventh division
+ would embark on January 4, which it did. Next day the first
+ step was taken in connection with the raising of the Imperial
+ Yeomanry, and volunteers were invited to come forward in order
+ to fill the places left vacant by the raising from each
+ battalion of one company of mounted infantry. The patriotism of
+ the Militia was also appealed to, and fourteen battalions were
+ now serving in South Africa, while others were on the way. A
+ great military authority once said, 'When a battalion is asked
+ for, send a brigade.' That had been the course pursued by Lord
+ Landsowne."
+
+In regard to the number of our guns, Mr. Wyndham continued his argument
+in the following terms:--
+
+ "As the right hon. baronet had pressed for information with
+ regard to the number of guns which had been despatched to South
+ Africa, it would not be out of place to tell the House that we
+ had sent and were sending 36 siege train heavy guns; there were
+ already there 38 mobile naval guns, and in addition to these
+ there were 36 5-inch howitzers carrying a heavy shell charged
+ with 50 lbs. of lyddite, in all 110 guns, some of them with a
+ range of 10,000 yards, and all capable of throwing heavy
+ shells. Besides these there were 54 horse-artillery guns and
+ 234 field-artillery guns, in all, counting the howitzers, 324
+ guns capable of accompanying troops in the field. Including the
+ two mountain batteries, there were altogether 410 guns in South
+ Africa, without reckoning the guns that were going out with the
+ Volunteers and the Colonials, which would bring the number up
+ to 452."
+
+[Illustration: THE MARQUIS OF SALISBURY, K.G.
+
+PRIME MINISTER AND FOREIGN SECRETARY.
+
+Photo by Russell & Sons, London.]
+
+Then taking the subject of mounted troops, he went on:--
+
+ "On the question of mounted troops, it had been said that the
+ Government announced to the world their conviction that
+ unmounted troops were the kind of troops most suitable to South
+ African warfare. The word 'mounted' was never used. However, he
+ would not insist on that, but he did think that those who had
+ quoted this opinion so often should consider when they were
+ used, because then they would see that they gave no indication
+ that the Government held the opinion attributed to them. As a
+ matter of fact, since the outbreak of the war the Government
+ had sent out a larger proportion of mounted troops than was
+ usually contemplated, because they believed that mounted troops
+ were especially suited to go to Africa. The time at which the
+ phrase was used that infantry was most wanted and cavalry least
+ wanted was on October 3, before the ultimatum was sent, before
+ the war began, and at a time when Sir R. Buller was satisfied
+ that an army corps, a cavalry division, and the necessary
+ troops for the line of communication, giving 50,000 men in
+ addition to the 25,000 already in South Africa, was an adequate
+ force. When the question of the Colonial Contingents was first
+ raised, Queensland offered 250 and New Zealand 200 mounted
+ infantry, and the 108 New South Wales Lancers then in this
+ country volunteered, making in all 558 mounted men. No specific
+ offer was received from the other Colonies, but they expressed
+ a wish that they might be allowed to take some part in the
+ campaign. He thereon consulted Sir R. Buller as to the number
+ that should be asked for in order that each Colony might be
+ represented more or less in proportion to their respective
+ populations. Sir Redvers stated that it would be easier to give
+ the Colonial troops an immediate place at the front if they
+ were invited to contribute manageable units of 125 men each. If
+ the original offers of the Colonies had been accepted, there
+ would have been 1375 more mounted men at the front at an
+ earlier date, when no one contemplated that the force sent out
+ would be insufficient for its task. The Colonial Legislatures
+ have not changed their note in consequence of the
+ disappointments and reverses which have been experienced, but
+ have made further offers--an example which might well have been
+ followed nearer home. Altogether there had been accepted from
+ the Colonies 2075 unmounted and 4678 mounted men. The
+ proportion of mounted to unmounted troops in South Africa at
+ four different periods were: In the original garrison, 7600
+ unmounted and 2000 mounted; on October 9, the day of the
+ ultimatum, 12,600 unmounted and 3400 mounted; on January 1,
+ 83,600 unmounted and 19,800 mounted; while the total number of
+ troops in South Africa, not including the Fourth Cavalry
+ Brigade, were 142,800 unmounted and 37,800 mounted, and in the
+ next fortnight or three weeks there would be out there 180,600
+ of all arms."
+
+Sir Edward Grey said:--
+
+ "He was giving the right hon. gentleman some instances of the
+ value of the support from his side. The primary object of the
+ policy which had ended in the war was not to drive the Boers
+ from British territory, as they were not then on it. The
+ primary object was not to plant the British flag at Pretoria
+ and Johannesburg. These two things might be the result of the
+ war, but they were not the primary objects of the Government
+ policy. The objects which he wished to see attained, and which
+ he would pledge himself to give the utmost support to the
+ Government in attaining, were, first, equal rights between all
+ white men in South Africa, and by that he meant that never
+ again should a situation arise in any part of the British
+ sphere in which a modern industrial community should be placed
+ under the heel of an antiquated minority which was dominated by
+ prejudice and governed by corruption. The second object was
+ that never again in South Africa should it be possible for
+ arsenals to be formed or an accumulation of military material
+ under any control except British control. That was the end to
+ be attained, and to that end the Government would have
+ support."
+
+On the 3rd of February Mr. Bryce expressed his opinions. He affected to
+disbelieve that there had been any Dutch conspiracy to drive the British
+from South Africa, and considered that, owing to the menace of the
+Government in the arrangement of negotiations, the meek Boer had no
+resource but to prepare for war.
+
+Mr. Goschen admitted the gravity of the situation and the responsibility
+of the Government _en masse_. The Cabinet, he decided, must stand or
+fall together. The Admiralty, in acceptation of its responsibility, had
+assisted the army with heavy guns without weakening its resources.
+Lastly, he touched enthusiastically on the exhibition of Colonial
+loyalty:--
+
+ "Before concluding I must say a word with reference to the
+ Colonists. They have been supporting us with unstinted loyalty
+ and unstinted generosity. There has been a spirit shown by the
+ Colonies of affection to the mother country which has been the
+ admiration of the world. May we not suggest that that unstinted
+ loyalty and that unstinted generosity is to some extent a
+ reward for the consideration which has been shown the Colonies
+ for some time past; and is it not right to remember that for
+ years there has not been a Secretary for the Colonies who has
+ so endeavoured to win the affection of the Colonies as the
+ right hon. gentleman who now holds that office? You tax us with
+ not having shown foresight and judgment. At all events our
+ treatment of the Colonies has ensured, not their loyalty--that
+ will always be there--but the enthusiastic impulse of the
+ Colonies to come to the assistance of the mother country. We
+ have a great work to do; we want to do that work, and now hon.
+ gentlemen opposite move an amendment the only object of which
+ could be to damage and weaken the Government, who are the
+ instruments of the national will. If hon. gentlemen opposite do
+ not wish to take our places and to bear the burden which rests
+ on our shoulders, is it wise to endeavour to shake the
+ confidence of the country in the men who must continue this
+ war, and gather together all the forces of the Empire to bring
+ it to a successful conclusion? Supposing there should be a
+ division which could be called a bad division for the
+ Government, what would the cheers which would greet that
+ division mean? They would mean, 'We have succeeded in damaging
+ and weakening the Government.' The time may come when we will
+ be damaged. If the war is not successful, sweep us away as men
+ who have no judgment, but do not lame the arm of the Executive
+ Government when they have such a work on hand as we have got to
+ do. There has been patriotic co-operation between us and some
+ of the Liberal Party. We thank them for it. I believe this is a
+ Parliamentary bad dream--an interlude between the patriotic
+ attitude of these gentlemen a few weeks ago and the patriotic
+ attitude which I hope we may look forward to when this debate
+ closes. They have assured the country they will support us in
+ going forward. I thank them for that, for it is more important
+ than the petty criticisms to which we have been treated. We are
+ the trustees of the nation for the work that has to be done.
+ The nation will support us, I believe; and so long as we
+ receive that support, God willing, we will fulfil our task."
+
+Sir E. Clarke, among other things, said:--
+
+ "He did not believe the annexation of the Transvaal and the
+ Orange Free State would be of the slightest benefit to the
+ country. The annexation of the two Republics would compel us to
+ very greatly increase our already enormous military
+ expenditure, and it would not give us any advantage
+ commensurate with the difficulties of administration. He had no
+ desire to press his own views, which were singular, and
+ certainly not popular, on that side of the House. He only
+ pleaded that this question might be left open, and that
+ Ministers might not pledge themselves to a course which would
+ involve so great a sacrifice. While he agreed generally with
+ the doctrine of Cabinet responsibility, he considered that the
+ real responsibility for the war lay with the Colonial
+ Secretary. The Prime Minister, in whom all England put the
+ greatest confidence, having many other things to deal with, and
+ being distressed by domestic anxieties, might not have been
+ able to attend so closely as he otherwise would have done to
+ South African affairs; but it could not be gainsaid that there
+ were two men, one in this country and the other in South
+ Africa, who must be associated with the beginning of the war.
+ He wished that the highest sentiments of patriotism would
+ induce those two men to leave to others the positions they now
+ occupied. He believed that the difficulties involved in a
+ solution of the questions arising out of the war would be
+ increased by the fact that the lines of communication and
+ action in South Africa were in the hands of the Colonial
+ Secretary and Sir A. Milner. He had not a word to say about the
+ honesty of these two gentlemen; but if, for a few weeks or a
+ few months, in this grave national crisis and time of deep
+ anxiety, others could take their places--if the Prime Minister
+ himself would take under his own control the communications of
+ the Colonial Office with South Africa, and if Lord Rosebery
+ would give his services to the country, and go out to South
+ Africa to assist in a solution of the difficulties, it would be
+ a sacrifice not too great to ask even from the greatest men
+ among us, and one for which the country would be very grateful.
+ He had said that he was not going to make a controversial
+ speech. He did not think he had. If he had, it had been with no
+ intention of personal attack or party bitterness, but with the
+ deep conviction that in deciding on the great issues with which
+ Parliament had to deal we had to consider not only the things
+ of to-day but the things of the future."
+
+Mr. Chamberlain's speech on the 5th of February was an advance on former
+proceedings. Sir William Harcourt dilated on the indomitable energy of a
+free people fighting for their independence, praised the gallantry of
+the troops, and blamed the Government for being led by the opinions of
+the authors of the Jameson Raid, to which the Colonial Secretary made
+dignified reply. Finally he questioned--
+
+ "How do we meet the charge of mistakes? Not by denying the
+ mistakes, but by saying what we have done and what we are doing
+ to repair them. You say we sent too few troops. We are pouring
+ troops into South Africa, and, as you have been told, in a few
+ weeks you will have an army of 200,000. You said we were
+ forgetful of the need for mounted men. We have been increasing
+ the number of horse infantry until in a very short time the
+ number of mounted men in the British forces will be almost as
+ great, if not as great, as the total number of mounted men in
+ the Boer army. You say our artillery is deficient and not heavy
+ enough. We have sent battery after battery, until now you have
+ an unexampled force of that arm. We have at the same time added
+ a number of heavier guns. When the war began, no doubt the
+ needs of the war were under-estimated at that time; it is part
+ of the same mistake. We failed to respond as we ought to have
+ done to the splendid offers that came from our Colonies. We
+ accepted enough to show how much we valued their assistance,
+ but we hesitated to put on them any greater strain than
+ necessary. But what is happening now? They are multiplying
+ their forces, and every offer is gratefully and promptly
+ appreciated and accepted. And we shall have in this war before
+ it is over an army of Colonials called to the aid of Her
+ Majesty who will outnumber the British army at Waterloo and
+ nearly equal to the total British force in the Crimea."
+
+In conclusion he said:--
+
+ "In Africa these two races, so interesting, so admirable, each
+ in its own way, though different in some things, will now, at
+ any rate, have learned to respect one another. I hear a great
+ deal about the animosity which will remain after the war, but I
+ hope I am not too sanguine when I say that I do not believe in
+ it. When matters have settled down, when equal rights are
+ assured to both the white races, I believe that both will enjoy
+ the land together in settled peace and prosperity. Meanwhile,
+ we are finding out the weak spots in our armour, and trying to
+ remedy them. We are finding out the infinite potential
+ resources of the Empire; we are advancing steadily, if slowly,
+ to the realisation of that great federation of our race which
+ will inevitably make for peace, liberty, and justice."
+
+On the following night Mr. Asquith, on Talleyrand's principle--that
+speech is given us to hide our thoughts--dilated interestingly on the
+position, his sympathies oscillating between the Opposition, the
+Government, and Mr. Kruger. Sir Henry Campbell Bannerman declared it to
+be the duty of the Opposition to press Lord Edmond Fitzmaurice's
+amendment to a division. He inferred that the conspiracy of the Cape
+Dutch was a chimera, and went so far as to suggest that when our
+military supremacy was asserted in South Africa the question of
+settlement might be left to decide itself _sine die_! Said he: "Provided
+that our territories are free and our military supremacy asserted, what
+matters it at what time or what place a settlement is arrived at?"
+
+In his reply Mr. Balfour distinguished himself. He said that it was
+discovered that the War Office has more than fulfilled its promises, and
+appealed to the members of the Opposition who sympathised with the
+justice of the war to reflect before voting for the amendment. It was
+necessary to help the soldiers at the front by proving to them that they
+were supported by a united country, and that every hostile vote might
+induce or encourage our opponents to prolong the contest. He concluded
+by saying:--
+
+ "Can they contemplate with equanimity that their first action
+ in a session of Parliament meeting under such circumstances
+ should be a weakening of the Government, whose hands they
+ profess to desire to strengthen--whose hands I believe they
+ genuinely desire to strengthen--in every succeeding operation
+ connected with this war? Can they contemplate with equanimity
+ the reflection that possibly their votes may lengthen the war,
+ and, by lengthening it, may increase that tragic list of losses
+ with which we are already too familiar? If in giving their vote
+ they add one fraction to the chances of a European
+ complication, one fraction of a chance that an unnecessary life
+ may be lost or a family thrown into mourning, can they easily
+ reconcile that with their duty towards their own principles and
+ to that country of which they are, I believe, as devoted
+ servants as we on this side of the House? I think it is a
+ violation of every Parliamentary tradition that men who desire
+ to keep in office a Government should vote for an amendment
+ which, if carried, will turn out that Government, and that it
+ is contrary to every patriotic instinct to vote in a minority
+ against the Government. The size of that minority will affect
+ the whole course of European policy, the whole course of the
+ war. I have stated the problem as it presents itself to my
+ mind. I know that you are men of conscience and honour, and I
+ must leave it to you to decide the problem, each man in his own
+ case as his conscience and honour dictate. To the House at
+ large I can only make one appeal. It is that we, who are the
+ representatives of the country, may rise to the height reached
+ by those whom we represent. I ask no more, and I can ask no
+ more, of the House than that they should imitate, for they
+ cannot exceed, the courage, steadfastness, resolution, and
+ firmness under adversity, and the calmness of temper with
+ which our countrymen all over the world have dealt with the
+ situation in its entirety. If the House of Commons do, as no
+ doubt they will, imitate, for they cannot better, the conduct
+ of those who have sent them here, then who can doubt that the
+ clouds by which we are at present surrounded will in a short
+ time be dissipated and the Empire will issue from the struggle
+ in which it is now engaged stronger, not only in its own
+ consciousness of strength, but in the eyes of the civilised
+ world."
+
+[Illustration: SERGEANT OF THE IMPERIAL YEOMANRY.
+
+Photo by Gregory & Co., London.]
+
+In the end, by 352 to 139--a majority of 213--the vote of censure on the
+Government moved by Lord Edmond Fitzmaurice was defeated. The decision
+adequately expressed the feelings of the country. It must be remembered
+that many of the Government supporters were in South Africa,
+consequently a total poll of 491 represented a heavy vote. The following
+list serves to show the number of members of both Houses who had
+sacrificed party spirit to patriotic convictions, and had proceeded to
+the front:--
+
+ HOUSE OF LORDS.--Earl of Airlie, commanding 12th Lancers; Earl
+ of Albemarle, lieutenant-colonel, City of London Imperial
+ Volunteers; Lord Basing, major, 1st Dragoons; Lord Castletown,
+ special service, South Africa; Lord Chesham, commanding a
+ battalion of Imperial Yeomanry; Earl Cowley, lieutenant,
+ Imperial Yeomanry; Lord Denman, lieutenant, Imperial Yeomanry;
+ Earl of Dudley, D.A.A.G. for Imperial Yeomanry; Earl of
+ Dundonald, C.B., major-general, commanding 3rd Brigade (Natal)
+ Cavalry Division; Earl of Dunraven, captain, Imperial Yeomanry;
+ Earl of Erroll, special service, South Africa; Earl of Essex,
+ second in command of battalion of Imperial Yeomanry; Earl of
+ Fingal, lieutenant, Imperial Yeomanry; Lord Kitchener of
+ Khartoum, G.C.B., K.C.M.G., Chief of the Staff; Earl of
+ Leitrim, lieutenant, Imperial Yeomanry; Earl of Longford,
+ captain, Imperial Yeomanry; Lord Lovat, captain, Lord Lovat's
+ Corps; Duke of Marlborough, staff captain for Imperial
+ Yeomanry; Lord Methuen, K.C.V.O., C.B., commanding 1st Division
+ in South Africa; Duke of Norfolk, K.G., captain, Imperial
+ Yeomanry; Lord Roberts of Kandahar, K.P., G.C.B., G.C.I.E.,
+ G.C.S.I., V.C., Field Marshal Commanding-in-Chief; Lord
+ Romilly, special service, South Africa; Lord Rosmead, major,
+ 6th Battalion Lancashire Fusiliers; Duke of Roxburghe,
+ lieutenant, Royal Horse Guards; Earl of Scarborough, second in
+ command of battalion of Imperial Yeomanry; Earl Sondes,
+ lieutenant, Imperial Yeomanry; Duke of Westminster, A.D.C. to
+ Governor; Lord Wolverton, second lieutenant, Somersetshire
+ Yeomanry Cavalry; Lord Zouche, lieutenant, Imperial Yeomanry.
+
+ HOUSE OF COMMONS.--Mr. W. Allen, trooper, Imperial Yeomanry;
+ Hon. A. B. Bathurst, captain, 4th Battalion Gloucester
+ Regiment; Colonel A. M. Brookfield, commanding battalion of
+ Imperial Yeomanry; Lieutenant-Colonel R. G. W. Chaloner,
+ commanding battalion of Imperial Yeomanry; Hon. T. H. Cochrane,
+ captain, 4th Battalion Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders; Lord
+ A. F. Compton, captain, Imperial Yeomanry; Viscount Cranborne,
+ commanding 4th Battalion Bedford Regiment; Mr. W.
+ Bromley-Davenport, captain, Imperial Yeomanry; Sir J.
+ Dickson-Poynder, lieutenant, Imperial Yeomanry; Viscount
+ Folkestone, major, 1st Wilts Volunteer Rifle Corps; Mr. W. R.
+ Greene, lieutenant, Imperial Yeomanry; Hon. J. Guest,
+ lieutenant, Imperial Yeomanry; Mr. G. Kemp, captain, Imperial
+ Yeomanry; Mr. E. H. Llewellyn, major, 4th battalion Somerset
+ Light Infantry; Mr. H. L. B. McCalmont, commanding 6th
+ battalion Royal Warwick Regiment; Mr. F. B. Mildmay,
+ lieutenant, Imperial Yeomanry; Viscount Milton, lieutenant,
+ Imperial Yeomanry; Mr. D. V. Pirie, with Remounts Department,
+ South Africa; Lord Stanley, special service, South Africa; Lord
+ Edmund Talbot, special service, South Africa; Viscount
+ Valentia, A.A.G. for Imperial Yeomanry; Major W. H.
+ Wyndham-Quin, captain, Imperial Yeomanry; Major the Hon. H. V.
+ Duncombe, adjutant, Imperial Yeomanry; Sir Elliott Lees,
+ captain, Imperial Yeomanry; Sir S. Scott, lieutenant, Imperial
+ Yeomanry.
+
+
+KIMBERLEY
+
+There was little bombardment after the 25th of November, and though not
+living on the fat of the land, the garrison was not short of provisions.
+Mr. Rhodes, with characteristic forethought, now caused the formation of
+a committee to inquire into the resources of those dependent on the men
+killed, with a view to compensating them for their loss, and in other
+ways exerted himself for the welfare of sufferers in the town.
+
+Considerable friction occurred between the civil and military
+authorities. The clashing of wills was inevitable in so small an area,
+for Colonel Kekewich represented military power, while Mr. Rhodes could
+be no other than he is, and ever has been--a power in himself. It was
+unfortunate that two such forces should have been placed in collision,
+but it remains to the credit of both that, in spite of the tension of
+the situation, they should have co-operated to the end to save the town
+from the common enemy, and protect the interests and lives of all who,
+but for this co-operation, might have suffered much more intensely than
+they did.
+
+Early on the morning of the 9th of December a force with a battery under
+Colonel Chamier--to whom the efficient and mobile condition of the
+artillery was due--made a reconnaissance to the north. The Lancashire's
+Mounted Infantry and two guns were posted on Otto's Kopje while the Cape
+Police protected the Dam Wall. The Kimberley Light Horse in the centre
+extemporised some rifle-pits out of some prospectors' huts in order to
+cover retreat when necessary.
+
+The enemy were screened by the debris of a wall at Kamfeens, but when
+the boom of the British gun burst out and a shell roared in their midst,
+they hurriedly sought cover in their foremost rifle-pits, whence with
+great energy they "sniped" in the direction of the officers who were
+superintending the operations. Meanwhile tremendous barking of cannon
+and pinging of rifles continued, the Boers having got the range of Otto
+Kopje to perfection. The troops had an exceedingly hard time, but
+continued their operations till dusk. They lost only one killed and four
+wounded.
+
+On the wise principle that it is safer to act early on the aggressive if
+you do not want to have to act late on the defensive, the smart little
+force indulged in more military movements.
+
+[Illustration: SHELL PICKED UP IN KIMBERLEY STREETS. Photo by Alf. S.
+Hosking, Cape Town.]
+
+Colonel Kekewich's general plan for the defence of Kimberley was based
+on the principle of always keeping the enemy on the move and constantly
+in fear of attack from an unexpected quarter, but the immediate object
+of the numerous sorties and demonstrations in force now made by the
+garrison was to assist the operations of Lord Methuen. The Colonel
+explained that, "when the advance of the Relief Column from the Orange
+River commenced, and I was put in possession of information concerning
+the probable date of its arrival at Kimberley, I adopted such measures
+as I hoped would cause the retention of a large force of the enemy in my
+immediate neighbourhood, and thus enable the Relief Column to deal with
+the Boer force in detail." As the portions of mounted corps were
+continually employed, the work which fell on the detachment, 1st Batt.
+Loyal North Lancashire Regiment, Cape Police, Diamond Fields Horse,
+Kimberley Light Horse, and the Diamond Fields Artillery, was very
+arduous; but the bravery and dash of these troops was unending. Colonel
+Murray, of the Loyal North Lancashire, was invaluable in many
+capacities, and Captain O'Brien of the same regiment, in command of a
+section of the defences, was unfailing in energy and zeal. Cool as the
+proverbial cucumber were Major Rodger of the Diamond Fields Horse and
+Major May of the Diamond Fields Artillery. The motto of these officers
+was the reverse of that of the notable _gens d'armes_, for they were
+"always there when wanted," and generally in the fore-front. The
+officers of the Kimberley Regiment, too, were conspicuous for courage,
+coolness, and sagacity. They knew as by intuition what was wanted and
+did it. From Colonel Finlayson, who commanded the regiment, to
+Surgeon-Major Smith, who tended the wounded in the field, there was none
+who did not contribute to the stock of efficiency which was placed at
+the disposal of the Colonel.
+
+On the 20th of December, the mounted detachments under Colonel Peakman,
+with maxims and 7-pounders under Colonel May, started off in the pitch
+darkness of 2 A.M., and marched through Kenilworth in the direction of
+the wreck of Webster's Farm, and on towards Tollpan in the Free State.
+British cannonading then took place, the Kimberley guns shelling Tollpan
+Homestead at 2500 yards' range, and the Boer gun on Klippiespan ridge
+returning the compliment with interest. Fortunately the hostile shells
+burrowed deep in the sandy soil, and consequently little damage was
+done. The Boers were found to be very comfortably situated at the three
+corners of a six-mile triangle--at Coetgie, Scholtz, and
+Alexandersfontein--commanding three separate sources of water supply.
+This reconnaissance was of importance, as the positions of the enemy's
+guns and outposts were determined, and the garrison was enabled to be on
+guard against raiders and snipers, and to protect itself, its patrols,
+and cattle from the fire of the enemy. In the matter of protecting the
+cattle from the tricks of the Dutchmen, as in many other ways, Mr. Fynn,
+manager of the De Beers farms, did splendid service. This gentleman was
+Mr. Rhodes's right-hand man, and as a natural consequence of the honour
+he enjoyed rose to every occasion that offered, now managing a corps of
+scouts, now superintending the conveyance of food, now dealing with
+truculent natives, and always conducting his varied avocations with
+immense energy and tact.
+
+[Illustration: Lieutenant. Captain. Adjutant.
+
+THE ROYAL LANCASTERS.
+
+Photo by Gregory & Co., London.]
+
+On the 22nd of December a good deal of martial activity took place. At
+cockcrow a detachment of mounted forces, with artillery and infantry,
+went west for the purpose of reconnoitring Voornitzright and part of
+Weldermstkuil. On the right were the Diamond Fields Horse under Major
+Rodger, supported by a company of the North Lancashire Regiment under
+Lieutenant de Putron. Presently an animated cannonade began between the
+enemy's artillery from Kamferdam and the Diamond Fields Artillery guns
+on Otto's Kopje. In the centre Colonel Peakman, with the Kimberley Light
+Horse and Cape Police, proceeded along Lazaretto Ridge. There, before
+retreating, he made the necessary discoveries--firstly, that the Boer
+patrols were then the only occupants of the place, and secondly, that
+the enemy's reinforcements were advancing behind Wimbledon Ridge.
+Meanwhile Colonel Chamier on the left, with R.A. guns and an escort
+under Major Snow, was exchanging salutations with the Boer guns
+posted in the earthwork in the centre of Wimbledon Ridge. This
+occupation was pursued for some time, during which the enemy were found
+to be rapidly approaching. Directly the guns were limbered up some 500
+Boers came on the scene, and began to pour a fierce fire from the
+earthworks at the foot of the Ridge upon the Kimberley troops, who
+retired to cover. The object of the reconnaissance was gained, however,
+for it proved in what an inconceivably short space of time the enemy
+could summon his reinforcements, and, moreover, that three of his guns
+were yet in the neighbourhood of the town.
+
+On Christmas Eve congratulations were received by flashlight signals
+from the Military Secretary at Cape Town:--
+
+ "Convey to Colonel Kekewich and all the garrison and
+ inhabitants of Kimberley his Excellency's best wishes for their
+ good luck on Christmas Day and in the coming New Year."
+
+Colonel Kekewich replied:--
+
+ "Kindly inform the Military Secretary that I and the garrison
+ and inhabitants of Kimberley thank his Excellency for his kind
+ message. We also wish respectfully to offer our very best
+ wishes for Christmas and New Year."
+
+This little interchange of compliments caused infinite pleasure to those
+whose days were one unvarying round of trial and suspense. The weather
+was exceedingly hot; at times the thermometer registered 105° in the
+shade, and life without absolute necessities in torrid weather is trying
+even to the patience of the active. To those whose intercourse with the
+world was confined to flashlight signals, it was barren in the extreme.
+But with much pluck they thus announced their sentiments in a journal
+called the _Diamond Fields Advertiser_, which still maintained a
+languishing existence: "Excepting two or three of our inhabitants who
+shared the terrible privations of the siege of Paris, few of us have
+ever spent such a Christmas before, and few will ever care to spend such
+a Christmas again. The scarcity of turkeys and plum-pudding at this time
+of traditional plenty need only distress the gourmand. The majority of
+the people of Kimberley are happily made of sterner stuff, and do not
+look for luxuries in a time of siege." They were nevertheless not
+utterly plum-puddingless. Mr. Rhodes, with characteristic forethought,
+had caused to be cooked in the Sanatorium some two score of these
+bombshells to digestion, and had distributed them in each of the camps.
+Here they were devoured with much merrymaking and a general interchange
+of felicitations, which went on by telephone from one camp to another.
+From the Mounted Camp to the Royal Artillery: "Best wishes and longer
+range to your guns." From the gunners, in return, while they kept one
+ear open for movement in the direction of the Boers' "Susannah:" "May
+our range be always long enough for us to be guardian-angels to the
+Mounted Corps."
+
+On the following day the artillery was at work responding to the salutes
+of the Boers, who commenced to fire with great activity after their
+Christmas rest. They dropped some thirty-five shells in the direction of
+the fort, and received nineteen well-directed replies. Two of the mines
+were fired by the thunderstorm of the previous night, but no one was
+injured. Food now was becoming more and more scarce, and those connected
+with the distribution of provisions had to exercise much forethought and
+economy.
+
+The task of arranging for the victualling and supply of the garrison and
+40,000 people in the town was undertaken by Major Gorle, Army Service
+Corps, and the zeal and resource which he brought to bear on his onerous
+duties were applauded on all sides. Of course there were found persons
+who, on the take-everything-from-everybody-else-and-give-it-all-to-me
+principle, thought they were badly treated, but these were the exception
+rather than the rule. The arrangements for milk were made by a special
+civil committee, consisting of Mr. Oliver, the Mayor, whose courage and
+energy in keeping up the spirits of the people were wonderful, Mr.
+Judge, and four visiting surgeons of Kimberley Hospital, Doctors Ashe,
+Watkins, Mackenzie, and Stoney. These made themselves notable for the
+untiring energy with which they devoted themselves to their incessant
+duties. They kept a sharp eye on the milk, serving it out cautiously at
+the depôt, and only to those who had a medical certificate that they
+required it. The Colonel was very appreciative of the help given by most
+of his civilian coadjutors, for, in reference to the difficulties of his
+position, he stated in his despatch: "It will be realised that, under
+the peculiar circumstances in which the defence of the scattered town,
+containing over 40,000 inhabitants and much valuable machinery, was
+entrusted in the first instance to a force consisting of about 570
+Imperial troops and 630 Colonial troops, my efforts would have been of
+no avail had it not been for the valuable assistance and advice which
+many citizens afforded me in a military as well as a civil capacity."
+
+Mr. Henderson, Captain Tyson of the Kimberley Club, and Dr. Smart
+collaborated with the ruling spirit of the place, organising relief
+committees, distributing thousands of pints of soup per diem, and
+apportioning such fruit and vegetables as were to be had for the good of
+those who were most sorely in need. That green stuffs were scarce may be
+gathered from the fact that the allowance for nine people for half a
+week was a bunch of five carrots, four liliputian parsnips, and several
+beets (duodecimo editions). The garrison, later on, were glad of
+mangel-wurzels, when quantity rather than quality came to be
+appreciated.
+
+The Boers were now beginning to build redoubts on Dronfield Kopjes,
+about a mile east of the railway and in a northerly direction, showing
+that whatever withdrawals might be going on from besieged places
+elsewhere, the City of Mines would receive its due of attention up to
+the last. The Boer prisoners inside the town presented quite a
+rejuvenated appearance, owing to the delicate attentions of Mr. Rhodes.
+Christmas saw them provided with new outfits, and a general air of
+cleanliness and health pervaded them. The invalids in hospital, both
+British and Boers, were visited frequently by the Colossus, whose
+generosity in the matter of delicacies, which were now very scarce, was
+highly appreciated.
+
+Much of the Kimberley news was obtained through the energy and
+acuteness, almost amounting to genius, of the despatch-runners. Of
+these, Mr. Lumming of Douglas succeeded in getting in and out of the
+town with missives for and from Mr. Rhodes, always at tremendous risk.
+The Boers had offered a large reward for his capture. On one occasion,
+so as to evade observation in a district swarming with the enemy, he had
+to travel quadruped fashion on hands and knees for some thirty miles.
+Tales of the despatch-runners' ingenuity in all parts of the Colony were
+many. One Kaffir boy, though caught by the Boers and stripped by them,
+carried his despatch safely, it having been packed in a quill and hid in
+his nostril, while another--a canny Scot--concealed his treasure in the
+inmost recesses of a hard-boiled egg.
+
+On the morning of the 27th of January the mounted troops under the
+indefatigable Colonel Peakman at an early hour reconnoitred the Boer
+position near the Premier mine. The Boers were indulging in a last
+little doze, when some shells were neatly dropped into their laager. The
+alarum was effective. They were up and doing in no time, and set to work
+firing with the utmost vigour, but their shots were not accurate and
+much waste of ammunition took place. It may be remembered that Colonel
+Peakman, Kimberley Light Horse, after the death of Colonel Turner was
+selected for the command of the mounted troops in Kimberley. A tower of
+strength of himself, he was surrounded by a gallant crew, among whom
+were Major Scott, V.C., Captains Ap-Bowen and Mahoney (both severely
+wounded on the 25th of November), Captains Robertson and Rickman. There
+were also in the corps several lieutenants conspicuous for dash and
+daring, notably Lieutenants Hawker (wounded 22nd November), Harris, and
+Chatfield. Of the Colonel an amusing tale was told, which, if not
+_vero_, was certainly _bentrovato_, and served to cheer up those who
+needed to salt the monotonous flavour of daily life. It fell to the duty
+of Colonel Peakman to introduce horse-flesh at the officers' mess, a
+ticklish task, and one that required considerable tact. When the dish
+was served, the Colonel said, "Gentlemen, as I was unable to get the
+whole of our ration in beef, a part of it had to be taken in
+horse-flesh. Here is the beef," said he, carving at the joint opposite
+him, "that at the other end of the table is the horse. Any one who
+prefers it may help himself." No one accepted the invitation, and after
+there had been a great run on the beef, the Colonel suddenly said, "By
+Jove, I'm mistaken; of course _this_ joint is the horse, the other is
+the beef!" Thus the palates of the heroes of the Kimberley Light Horse
+were educated to the fare that was shortly to become unvaried.
+
+Later on, a chunk of donkey occasionally replaced the equine morsel, and
+cats, it was noticed, began to be less in evidence. There were
+whispers--hints---- But to proceed to facts.
+
+On the 29th a tussle took place between the foe and a man named Sheppy,
+who, with twelve mounted natives, was herding a thousand De Beers horses
+and mules. The cattle-drivers were at work when out from the bushes
+rushed a hundred Boers. These at once opened fire, but the herdsmen
+managed to return it and effect their escape.
+
+The transformation of diamond-diggers into warriors was an entire
+novelty, of which Kimberley boasted not a little. The entire community
+of the De Beers Company were now soldiers of the Queen, receiving the
+same rate of pay as before, with food in addition. The total white
+population in the town was 14,000, and of these 6000 were employés of
+the mine, men from Natal. The Company worked wonders--of course under
+the auspices of the ruling genius of Kimberley. They stuck at nothing,
+from assisting with food supplies--distributing soup in gallons--to
+providing for the employment of upwards of 4000 natives in making
+improvements in the town. Sanitation too they undertook when contractors
+failed, and, when the supply of water was cut off at the main reservoir
+by the enemy, they came to the rescue by providing another source of
+water supply.
+
+Owing to the excellent management and regulation of stores, the
+community had hitherto been enabled to live at normal prices, and food
+had been within the reach of all. But now the pinch of the siege began
+to be felt. Luxuries such as eggs, vegetables, &c., were naturally
+scarce, but horse-flesh even grew to be limited, for there was little
+forage left. The tramcars ceased to work, and Dr. Ashe predicted that
+presently there would be "no carts save military ones and the doctors'
+and the hearse!"
+
+People had to take their meat allowance half in beef and half in
+horse-flesh, and the over-fastidious were but meagrely nourished. These,
+however, soon came to "take their whack" of horse-flesh gladly, and some
+even declared that horse, by any other name, would be quite appetising!
+Conversation largely consisted of speculations regarding food or its
+absence, and once or twice there was a rub with the military. Dr. Ashe
+expressed himself frankly when confronted with red-tape difficulties,
+addressed the Colonel--of course, minding p's and q's, for people had to
+look to the dotting of i's and crossing of t's in those days--and
+suggested that, "in matters which affected the health and feeding of the
+people," the doctors thought that, in virtue of their knowledge of town,
+climate, and people, they might be consulted. The objection to the
+red-tape difficulty being proved sound, the Colonel at once altered the
+routine, but, said Dr. Ashe, "he flatly declined to ask any opinion from
+the general body of doctors, as they might have ideas which would affect
+the military situation."
+
+[Illustration: "LONG CECIL," MADE AT THE DE BEERS MINES. Photo by D.
+Barnett, War Correspondent.]
+
+The new gun, "Long Cecil," manufactured in De Beers, was greatly prized.
+It distinguished itself on its début by plumping a shell in the centre
+of the Kamfersdam head-laager exactly over the position of the
+Dutchmen's gun. Bombardment continued spasmodically, sometimes at night,
+the shells entering several houses and "making hay" of the furniture;
+but wantonly barbarous was the attack on the laager containing the women
+and children, which took place on the 23rd of January. One of the little
+innocents was killed and another probably maimed for life. On the 24th
+more bombardment began as early as four in the morning, and firing
+continued all day. The worst feature in the affair was the
+attack--deliberate and premeditated it appeared--on the hospital, which
+caused general grief and indignation. There was no excuse for such
+inhumanity, as the place was distinguished by two Red Cross flags.
+
+Very lamentable was this habit of the Boers to violate the sacred rules
+of the Geneva Convention, for it alienated even those who were in
+sympathy with their cause. They could not plead ignorance of the rules
+of warfare, for at one time they ignored these rules to play the
+barbarian, while at another they utilised them to act the poltroon. The
+history of the Convention may not be generally known. It was promoted in
+1864 and subsequently signed by all the Continental Powers. It was
+decided that--
+
+1. Ambulances and military hospitals were to be recognised as neutral,
+and as such to be protected and respected by all belligerents.
+
+2. The _personnel_ of these hospitals and ambulances, including the
+_intendance_, the sanitary officers, officers of the administration, as
+well as military and civil chaplains, were to be benefited by the
+neutrality.
+
+3. The inhabitants of the country rendering help to the sick and wounded
+were to be respected and free from capture.
+
+4. The sick and wounded were to be attended to without distinction of
+nation.
+
+5. A flag and a uniform were to be adopted for the hospitals,
+ambulances, and convoys of invalids; an armlet or badge for the
+_personnel_ of the ambulances and hospitals.
+
+6. The badge was to consist of a red cross on a white ground.
+
+Committees were formed throughout Europe and America to carry out this
+convention, and the Society worked under the title of the "International
+Society of Aid for the Sick and Wounded." It played its first important
+part in 1870 in the Franco-German War, before which time battlefields
+had been scenes of almost inhuman torture.
+
+Now, in consequence of the brutal disregard of a world-appreciated
+agreement, the Boers--in many ways men of fine character--were placing
+themselves beneath contempt. Their conduct also to the loyalists and
+non-belligerents was also causing exasperation.
+
+The ministers of all denominations--Wesleyan, Presbyterian, Baptist,
+Congregational, and Jewish--all united in condemning the Boer Government
+and its methods. They were especially scandalised at the inhumanity of
+the Dutch commandoes, who intermittently poured shells not only into the
+heart of the town, but into the suburbs, where women and children were
+known to congregate, while leaving for the most part unmolested the
+forts occupied by the citizen-soldiers. Homes were destroyed mothers and
+children stricken down, and some killed. These might have been looked
+upon as the accidents of war had it not been confessed in Boer papers
+that such acts were deliberately committed and vaunted.
+
+Spasmodic bombardment took place during the evening of the 24th, and
+continued through the night, striking some buildings--the hospital and
+other defenceless positions--and maiming a woman and her child. Another
+child was killed. Profound admiration was expressed by all in the
+achievements of "Long Cecil," and the utility of the new long-range
+weapon was highly appreciated. Indeed, Mr. Rhodes viewed this Kimberley
+masterpiece with quite a paternal eye, and his pleasure in firing it was
+considerable.
+
+Enough could not be said of the splendid valour and pertinacity of the
+townspeople, who co-operated in the warlike proceedings as though they
+had been to the manner born. Though the fortification belt was some
+twelve miles in circumference, at all points it was protected by these
+amateurs of the sword, who, under no military obligations whatever till
+sworn in on the immediate emergency, rose to the occasion with a
+chivalric warmth that was as perfectly amazing as it was admirable.
+Devotion to the Sovereign Lady who rules the Empire was never more
+steadfastly shown and more ardently maintained.
+
+The zeal and the "go" of the Cape Police was notable. Among the most
+prominent of the corps were Colonel Robinson, gallant Major Elliot and
+Major Ayliff (wounded on December 3), who was brave as he was tactful.
+Perpetually useful and conspicuously gallant were Captains Colvin,
+Crozier, White, and Cummings. Their duties, most difficult, were almost
+interminable.
+
+Life was monotonous in the extreme. From the town it was possible on
+clear days to view the Modder River balloon, and the occasional sight of
+it afforded a stimulus to the drooping spirits of the inhabitants. Its
+rotund form floating so peacefully high in air seemed like a harbinger
+of hope promising and consoling, and teaching the lesson of patience and
+perseverance that overcome all things! Of course, it was only the
+sentimentalists of the community who thus interpreted the language of
+the aërial monster, but these, like the people who find sermons in
+stones, promptly took heart, and bore their trials with renewed dignity
+and pluck. Both these qualities were in great demand, for the Boers and
+their tactics were exhausting to the patience of the most forbearing.
+Their pertinacity was great. At one moment they would pour shells into
+the town, making hearts palpitate or stand still in horror at the
+gruesome fracas; at others they would persistently "snipe" from hidden
+corners and bushes, and render movements in the open, to say the least
+of it--inconvenient.
+
+Sniping always continued, though, for a day or two, no serious
+bombardment took place. Indeed, there was reason to believe that a Boer
+gun was _hors de combat_. The report came in that "Susannah" had burst.
+There was general jubilation. Later on it filtered out that "Susannah"
+was "all serene," but this was doubted. The sanguine hoped against hope.
+We are ready enough to believe what we wish to be true, and finally, for
+want of something to discuss, the question of "Has she burst, or has she
+not burst?" was bandied about in the tone of a popular riddle.
+Unfortunately "Susannah" was intact, as subsequent experience proved.
+Not only was "Susannah" herself again, but it was reported that a
+considerable Boer reinforcement had arrived in the neighbourhood, and
+that three guns from Spyfontein were being ranged in attitude to defy
+"Long Cecil," whose prowess was more decided than pleasant. Still the
+inhabitants bore up very creditably, and enlivened themselves
+continually with concerts or entertainments of some kind. The
+programmes, it must be noted, were always marked "weather and Boers
+permitting"--a modern adaptation of the customary _D.V._
+
+The Boer spies took a lively interest in all that concerned Mr. Rhodes,
+and hopes were entertained that before long some one would receive the
+price of his capture. But this gentleman pursued his avocations in the
+town and its suburbs with unabated interest, arranging for the comfort
+of the refugees, and evincing paternal solicitude in the laying out of
+new suburbs, and the construction of a regular row of bomb-proof
+shelters, which were being excavated at Kenilworth. People now became
+great connoisseurs on the virtue of brick, old and new, and began to
+mistrust corrugated iron as affording less protection from the artillery
+fire of the enemy. They became judges also of shell--of the
+peculiarities of shrapnel and ring shells--and sapiently discussed the
+merits of time fuses and percussion fuses. Food, however, was the prime
+subject of conversation--a subject of "devouring" interest, some one
+said. The refugee fund now amounted to £3000, owing to the united
+subscriptions of Mr. Rhodes and the De Beers Company. It was none too
+much, as the demand on its resources was some £600 weekly.
+
+[Illustration: LIEUT.-GENERAL THOMAS KELLY-KENNY, C.B.
+
+Photo by C. Knight, Aldershot.]
+
+The Colossus, regardless of the fate that hung over the town, continued
+to make plans and projects for the development of the place. On a high
+plateau he purposed to create a new suburb, and the name will doubtless
+bear a relationship to the great events of 1900. A column was in course
+of erection to commemorate the siege, but the tale of bombardment, writ
+large on many of the buildings, is one that will scarcely be forgotten,
+and forms memorial enough. Some curious damage was done, a shrapnel
+shell electing to penetrate the wall of a draper's shop and wound a
+feminine dummy and smash a wax effigy of a boy used as a clothes model.
+Fortunately few human beings suffered. Great precautions were taken for
+the safety of the inhabitants, and a look-out was kept, so as to give
+warning by whistle whenever the smoke of the enemy's guns breathed a
+hint of coming destruction. A calculation was made as to the sum total
+expended by guns, British and Dutch, and it was discovered that
+Kimberley had fired 1005 shells, while the besiegers had spent three
+times that number. The total loss of life attributable to shell fire
+amounted at this date to about twelve killed.
+
+Affairs within the town were now growing almost as bellicose as affairs
+without it. Continued friction generates heat, and of this throughout
+the siege there had been more and more as time went on. It was quite
+evident that Kimberley was not sufficiently large to afford an arena for
+the combat of brains _versus_ military discipline, and that the patience
+of the besieged was nearing the snapping-point. Indeed there was doubt
+as to whether operations for the relief of Kimberley would be pursued,
+and it is averred that the Commander-in-Chief sent a message to Mr.
+Rhodes, saying, "Hope I shall not be compelled to leave you in the
+lurch." Naturally the Kimberley barometer fell to zero. Then came
+rumours of the coming of Lord Roberts, but these scarcely served to
+allay the general impatience.
+
+A curious incident occurred on the 29th. Some thirty-five Zulus took
+their departure. They had been ordered by their chief to leave the town,
+but when they obeyed they had promptly to return, as they encountered
+the Boers, who threatened to shoot them.
+
+At this time food was becoming more and more scarce; even horse-flesh
+was distributed with caution. Milk was obtainable only by the invalids,
+and some four hundred babes died for want of proper nourishment. It was
+pathetic to see people standing at the Town Hall waiting eagerly to take
+their turn for the scanty portion of meat that could be provided for
+them. The ceremony of the drawing of meat rations had an aspect almost
+comic in its desperate seriousness. Matutinally at 5.30 A.M. might be
+seen a vast concourse of persons scampering in hot haste to gain a front
+place. So animated was the early bird to catch its morning worm, that it
+was up and doing before the regulated hour, 5.30 (fixed by
+proclamation), before which time people were forbidden to leave their
+houses. The police put a stop to this superactivity, and hungry persons
+were seen from five to the half-hour waiting patiently at their gates
+till the exact moment should arrive when they could make a dash for a
+place in the tremendous crush which, two by two, gathered outside the
+market.
+
+Marvellous was the rapidity with which this vast crowd, at hint of a
+shell, would drop to earth. As by some mechanical process there would
+come a bang, and then, like a card castle, the whole procession would
+drop flat. The Boers, knowing, most probably, that this was an eventful
+period of the morning, would invariably start off about six with a
+boisterous "good-morrow."
+
+Gradually the rations grew shorter and shorter and shorter. They now
+consisted mainly of horse-meat, served out every second day, mealie
+meal, stamped mealies, with a sparse allowance of tea, coffee, and
+bread. For those who had children under three years of age one tin of
+milk was allowed. With this strong children could get along well, but
+there were many weakly ones, and these waned and waned till the baby
+funerals became pathetically frequent.
+
+The Dutchmen were exceedingly ingenious in the invention of tricks and
+traps. One of these was to move a waggon with sixteen fat oxen in charge
+of but two men into the open Vlei below Tarantaal Ridge, and there to
+leave it, apparently unguarded, for two hours. They thought that this
+bait would lure forth the cattle-guard, but they were disappointed, for
+the authorities were too acute to allow them to get "a bite." They knew
+that in rear of the Vlei was a deep sand-drift, behind which a large
+body of men might be comfortably concealed, and consequently left waggon
+and cattle severely alone.
+
+After this began the bombardment by a new Boer gun--a diabolical
+instrument, whose perfections were hymned by an artillery expert, who
+declared it to be one of the most perfect pieces of ordnance ever made!
+A correspondent in the _Daily Telegraph_ described the terrifying effect
+produced on the nerves of the sick and the weakly. He went on: "The
+shock caused by the firing of this gun was distinctly perceptible five
+feet under ground at a distance of five miles, and the miniature
+earthquake thus created was clearly registered by the new seismograph at
+Kenilworth, the pendulum of which remained perfectly stationary during
+the firing of the smaller guns, or the passage of the most heavily laden
+trains or vehicles at very close quarters."
+
+The 9th of February was a terrible day. There was crashing and booming
+from morning till night, and no one dared venture abroad. One inhabitant
+had his child killed under his very eyes and his wife mortally stricken
+down. Towards sundown a shell struck the Grand Hotel, killing Mr.
+Labram, the De Beers chief engineer, whose valuable brains had been the
+salvation of the place. He had constructed armoured engines, armoured
+trains, and had completed his ingenious labours by constructing the huge
+4.1-inch gun, with carriage and shells complete--a triumph of science
+considering the conditions under which the achievement was attempted.
+Now he was gone, and Kimberley was vastly the poorer.
+
+The bombardment was growing daily more severe. Each time the Boers fired
+their 100-pounder gun a bugle was blown from the conning tower and all
+ran to cover. There would be an interval of seven minutes between every
+shell, and the bombardment would last for about two hours. Then the
+Boers would take a rest, and, after a breathing spell, begin again. By
+the kindness of Mr. Rhodes the mines now became harbours of refuge for
+thousands of women and children, who, huddled together in the 1200-feet
+level, were thus protected from the shells which were launched in the
+midst of the town. Those days in dark diamondiferous caverns were full
+of strange experiences. There, over a thousand shrinking beings found
+asylum, bedding, food, and such comfort as could be secured for them.
+There, babes were born into the world--human diamonds brought into the
+daylight from the grottoes of the millionaires--babes which surely
+should take some strange part in the drama of the century. It was an
+underground village swarming with the weak and the distressed, a
+feminine populace, kept from panic and despair by the man who, large
+enough to make empires, yet proved himself capable of sympathy with the
+small sorrows and quakings of the sick and the fearful.
+
+[Illustration: PLACARD ERECTED BY MR. RHODES. Photo by F. H. Hancox,
+Kimberley.]
+
+The experiences of a lady who enjoyed the hospitality of the mine were
+scarcely exhilarating. She said: "We went down the mine, but only stayed
+one day. Of course, one felt safe, but it was so miserable; still, it
+was another siege experience, the crowds of people down there. On the
+1000-feet level were 500 persons alone, and the buzz of tongues, and
+the children crying, and the noises altogether, besides the damp, were
+horrible; although Mr. Rhodes and those working under him did all in
+their power to make things as comfortable as possible. Hot coffee, soup,
+bread, milk for the children, everything obtainable was sent down; and
+some thousands of people were fed free of charge from the Saturday night
+till the following Friday morning.... Those people who run down Mr.
+Rhodes should have been here during the four months of the siege. The
+soup-kitchen was another of his institutions, threepence a pint for good
+soup, and those who had no money got it free."
+
+Now that the nerve-destroying capabilities of the Boers' 100-pounder gun
+were proved, and Mr. Rhodes and other citizens were conscious of the
+immense amount of danger to town and life that must result from the
+bombardment, the Colossus, in conjunction with the Mayor and others,
+forwarded to Colonel Kekewich a letter which he begged might be
+heliographed to headquarters. The letter ran:--
+
+
+ "KIMBERLEY, _February 10_.
+
+ "On behalf of the inhabitants of this town, we respectfully
+ desire to be informed whether there is an intention on your
+ part to make an immediate effort for our relief. Your troops
+ have been for more than two months within a distance of little
+ over twenty miles from Kimberley, and if the Spytfontein hills
+ are too strong for them, there is an easy approach over a level
+ flat. This town, with a population of over 45,000 people, has
+ been besieged for 120 days, and a large portion of the
+ inhabitants has been enduring great hardships. Scurvy is
+ rampant among the natives; children, owing to lack of proper
+ food, are dying in great numbers, and dysentery and typhoid are
+ very prevalent. The chief food of the whites have been bread
+ and horse-flesh for a long time past, and of the blacks meal
+ and malt only. These hardships, we think you will agree, have
+ been borne patiently and without complaint by the people.
+ During the last few days the enemy have brought into action
+ from a position within three miles of us a 6-inch gun throwing
+ a 100-lb. shell, which is setting fire to our buildings and is
+ daily causing death among the population. As you are aware, the
+ military guns here are totally inadequate to cope with this new
+ gun. The only weapon which gives any help is one of local
+ manufacture. Under these circumstances, as representing this
+ community, we feel that we are justified in asking whether you
+ have any immediate intention of instructing your troops to
+ advance to our relief. We understand large reinforcements have
+ recently arrived in Cape Town, and we feel sure that your men
+ at Modder River have at the outside 10,000 Boers opposed to
+ them. You must be the judge as to what number of British troops
+ would be required to deal with this body of men, but it is
+ absolutely necessary that relief should be afforded to this
+ place."
+
+To this Lord Roberts replied:--
+
+ "I beg you represent to the Mayor and Mr. Rhodes as strongly as
+ you possibly can the disastrous and humiliating effect of
+ surrender after so prolonged and glorious a defence. Many days
+ cannot possibly pass before Kimberley will be relieved, as we
+ commence active operations to-morrow. Future military
+ operations depend in a large measure on your maintaining your
+ position a very short time longer."
+
+A great deal of gossip hung round the suppression of the _Diamond Fields
+Advertiser_, but the whole affair was merely a storm in the ink-pot
+resulting from the clashing of opinions civil and military. After the
+publication of a leading article on the 10th of February, an article
+with which Mr. Rhodes was entirely in accord, the military censor
+addressed the following letter to the editor:--
+
+"ARMY HEADQUARTERS, KIMBERLEY, _February 10, 1900_.
+
+ "Sir,--Since the _Diamond Fields Advertiser_ has now on two
+ occasions printed leading articles on the military situation
+ which are extremely injurious to the interests of the army and
+ the defence of this town, without previously submitting the
+ same to the military censor, I am directed to inform you that
+ from this date the proof of the _Diamond Fields Advertiser_
+ must be submitted to me before the copies of any daily number,
+ leaflet, or other form of publication is issued to the public.
+
+ "I am further requested to inform you, in your own interests,
+ that on the two occasions referred to you have committed the
+ most serious offences dealt with by the Army Act, under which
+ Act you are liable to be tried.--Yours faithfully, W. A.
+ O'MEARA, Major, Military Censor."
+
+The military censor was within his rights. The editor, after the manner
+of editors, did not care to be muzzled, so the _Diamond Fields
+Advertiser_ was temporarily suspended.
+
+The editorial chair at the time was not an enviable berth, owing to the
+invasion of shells from the 100-pounder gun, therefore the holiday may
+have been beneficial in more ways than one.
+
+The new gun, mounted on the kopje at Kamferdam, was determined to make
+life hideous, and so incessantly swept the neighbourhood that a state of
+panic began to prevail even among those who had hitherto borne
+themselves with unconcerned front. In addition to this perpetual tornado
+of horror the pinch of famine was becoming sharper, and the question of
+relief seemed to be growing into one of "now or never." Despair seized
+on many. They began to count the days, and wonder when it would all end,
+and whether indeed it would ever end at all! Two days--three days--five
+days--the 15th of February! Then, dramatically, as in a fairy tale or a
+stage play, came the rumour of help, the whisper that French, the
+gallant, the energetic, the invincible, was coming, as on the wings of
+the wind--coming to restore freedom to those who, in their tedious
+imprisonment, were fainting with hope deferred. In an instant all was
+changed. The rumour became reality. Colonel Kekewich and his staff rode
+forth, and it was as though the good fairy had waved a wand. In an
+instant the dismal streets seemed to grow gaudy with flags, to flutter
+and flare as with the hues of the butterfly. Panic ceased, and gave way
+to almost hysterical joy. People laughed, chaffed, threw up their hats.
+The mines disgorged their human wealth--some thousand of women and
+children, who came forth alacrious, with swinging step and loudly
+babbling--babbling like mountain torrents let loose from the ice of
+winter! It was a scene for painter, not for penman; for who shall
+describe wrinkles of anxiety swept suddenly away, pangs of hunger
+allayed by thrills of glad excitation, nervous exhaustion magically
+forgotten, and all this simply because there was dust in the
+distance--the dust of coming feet--the dust of the British cavalry
+sweeping nearer and nearer on a glorious errand of deliverance!
+
+Five minutes later the looked-for moment had arrived. Anticipation had
+given way to fact--the 124 days' siege was at an end. Yet there were
+some who could scarce believe their ears. A man, hearing that General
+French had arrived, approached a trooper who was holding a horse outside
+the Club, and asked if the good news was true. "Yes," was the reply;
+"I'm 'is horderly; this is 'is 'at, and over there is 'is 'orse!" And
+the Kimberley man stared at the three objects before him as though he
+could never take his fill of satisfaction.
+
+
+GENERAL FRENCH'S RIDE
+
+And now, as the conjuror says, to explain how it was all done. The
+object of the combined movements was to turn Cronje's position, which
+extended west and east from Majersfontein to Koodoesberg Drift on the
+one side towards Klip Drift on the Modder on the other, to relieve
+Kimberley, and, if possible, cut off the retreat of the Boers to
+Bloemfontein and invest the whole force. This stupendous programme was
+unfolded to General French and his A.A.G. Colonel Douglas Haig at the
+time already mentioned, when the great cavalry leader mysteriously ran
+down from Colesberg to the Cape. Here the plans for the future campaign
+were discussed, and here General French agreed to embark on an
+enterprise which had it failed in a single particular might have brought
+about "such a disaster as would have shaken England's dominion in South
+Africa to its very foundation." This is the opinion of Captain Cecil
+Boyle, a splendid young officer, who, when asked to join General
+French's staff as galloper, was almost overcome with joy. But the plan
+did not fail: indeed it succeeded beyond expectation, and the relief of
+Kimberley, accomplished solely by the mounted troops--said to be the
+largest force ever commanded by a British General--was a feat scarcely
+to be excelled in the annals of warfare. This feat was performed between
+the 11th and the 15th of February, during which the Division experienced
+hardships of every kind. Horses and men were worked incessantly,
+without a day's rest and in a broiling sun, which literally baked every
+portion of the human frame exposed to it, and grilled the eyeballs,
+causing the most acute suffering to man and beast. Supplies and forage
+ran short, and the horses were reduced to 1½ lb. of corn a day, while
+the men lived finally from hand to mouth, killing and eating as they
+went along, now a sheep, now a goat, and presently nothing but boiled
+mealie cobs. Water was so scarce, and the sufferings of the animals so
+terrible, that when a stream was once encountered, the brutes, wild with
+an anguish of delight, tore towards it in their frantic career, becoming
+absolutely beyond control, and carrying their riders straight into the
+river. Some in this way were drowned. Many horses died of exhaustion. At
+the end, out of 8000, only 5400 remained. But all discomforts were
+forgotten in the success of the achievement, which from first to last
+was conducted with admirable _finesse_ and consummate dash. Indeed this
+marvellous ride is looked upon by those who could technically criticise
+the difficulty and daring of the enterprise as one of the finest
+achievements of British arms.
+
+On the 11th of February the great cavalry division under General French
+started. With marvellous rapidity, and with a vast amount of mystery,
+the troops had gathered together in the neighbourhood of Enslin or
+Graspan, and commenced to move south-east on the now celebrated march
+for the relief of Kimberley. So swiftly was everything planned, and so
+dexterously was it accomplished, that even the wary Cronje, whose spies
+were everywhere, was incapable of believing that the detested rooineks
+were advancing with the rapidity of a cyclone for the purpose of
+sweeping him and his burghers from their comfortable positions. But a
+clean sweep they made nevertheless. Before the British advance Dutchmen
+fled precipitately from their farms, leaving their sweet mealie pap _in
+statu quo_, and all their effects exactly as they had been using them.
+
+They carried to Cronje wild rumours of British multitudes approaching,
+and preparing to make a last frontal attack upon Majersfontein, rumours
+which exactly suited Lord Roberts' strategic plan. Cronje instantly
+primed himself for the reception of the British, strengthening his
+fortifications and keeping his eye on the west, where he knew the
+Highland Brigade was operating. This again was precisely what Lord
+Roberts had intended him to do.
+
+Meanwhile, in the light of the stars, the great cavalry division with
+its batteries of artillery was on the move, rumbling cautiously through
+the mysterious, Boer-haunted regions under the guidance of the Hon.
+Major Lawrence, Chief of the Intelligence Department, and travelling
+many miles before sunrise on its important journey to Ramdam. Here
+horses were watered, men rested, details and remounts from Orange River
+picked up. On the morning of Monday the 12th, the troops were again on
+the move, starting at 3 A.M., and endeavouring to cover as many miles as
+possible before the sun should rise and make the whole earth into a
+scorching, blistering wilderness. But now, in return for the cool night
+air, they had to contend with jetty obscurity. Very slow, therefore, was
+their progress. When helped by the dawn they got along faster, and soon
+the whole division reached Waterval. Here extra precautions were taken,
+for none knew how many Dutchmen might be ensconced in the surrounding
+kopjes or whether the drift might be swarming with Boers. But they were
+not long left in doubt. A Boer shell greeted the troops with such nicety
+of range that the General and his staff barely escaped. Colonel Eustace,
+R.H.A., immediately turned his attention to the hostile gun, and shortly
+silenced it, but the enemy still held on.
+
+Dekiel's Drift is commanded by kopjes, having on the bank an
+octopus-armed donga which cuts deeply into the soil. At this drift the
+Boers endeavoured to make a stand, but the Mounted Infantry and Roberts'
+Horse were too much for them. Unfortunately, Captain Majendie, second in
+command of the latter regiment, was shot from Drift Kopje, in the shadow
+of which his remains were interred. There was no time for expression of
+mourning and regret; the Boers had to be routed, and presently, finding
+their rear threatened, they went streaming away from their strong
+position, taking with them their guns. After this the drift was taken
+possession of, and in the rays of the setting sun the disciplined
+hosts--brigade after brigade--crossed the Riet River, keeping possession
+of both banks.
+
+Horses and men were wearied out, scorched, and famishing, and there was
+a general sense of relief when at last they were joined by Lord
+Kitchener and staff and the Sixth Division, with convoys of provisions
+and fodder. At dawn on Tuesday a great deal had to be done--breakfast
+finished, nose-bags filled, &c., before it was possible to order the
+advance. Day was well developed by the time the brigades had started,
+and now came the exceeding trials of their march. The level veldt was
+like a mirror to a brazen sky, and all through the sweltering hours when
+the sun blazed its strongest, men and horses, shadeless, parched, and
+sparsely fed, moved on mile after mile on their imperative errand
+without pause and without relief. Even a beautiful well of water, which
+tempted them to distraction, had to be passed by untouched. It was
+necessary to reserve it for the infantry, who were following on the
+morrow. So dry, dejected, yet determined, they went on and on, crossed
+the districts of Poortje, Zwart Kopjes, Kromkuil, and made a brief halt
+at Wegdraai. From thence they swung along past pans and kopjes and
+plains, due north to Klip Drift.
+
+[Illustration: THE DASH FOR KIMBERLEY--THE 10th HUSSARS CROSSING KLIP
+DRIFT.
+
+Drawing by John Charlton, from a Sketch by G. D. Giles, War Artist.]
+
+Captain Boyle, in the _Nineteenth Century_, gave a fresh and spirited
+account of their movements on this important and critical march.
+
+"The distance covered in extended order was great, and to save the
+artillery horses Major Lawrence directed the columns by a slight
+_détour_ north-easterly, leaving Jacobsdal some seven or eight miles to
+our left. The heat was now intense, and was further increased by the
+accidental burning of the veldt over a large area, thereby destroying
+our field-cable, as we learnt afterwards. From flank to flank the
+distance was so great that at times the General's gallopers could not
+move their horses out of a walk, though the message was important, and
+everywhere men and horses alike suffered from sun and thirst.
+
+"General Gordon's brigade, far away on the left, was ordered to bring up
+its left shoulders to meet what looked like an attack on the right, but
+the guns of the 1st Brigade put the enemy to flight, and the march was
+resumed in slightly different order. The left brigade, under General
+Gordon, was ordered to advance; the centre brigade, under General
+Broadwood, was deployed to the right; and the right brigade, under
+Colonel Alexander, was ordered to follow in the rear. From a little
+stone-covered knoll the General and his staff scanned the distant river
+and its banks eight miles off, and instantly determined to push on for
+the drift. 'Move up the whole division,' and the three gallopers started
+back with the order to the brigades, which had been halted meanwhile.
+General Gordon on the left, with the 9th and 16th Lancers and his guns,
+and General Broadwood on the right, with the 12th Lancers, Household
+Composite, and 10th Hussars, moved off at once; but Colonel Alexander's
+brigade was far in the rear--he had already lost sixty horses, and the
+rest could move but slowly. The artillery horses could scarcely drag
+their guns and waggons, but still the General determined to force the
+drift; and I believe this decision was one of the most critical in the
+relief of Kimberley, for, had we not gained the drift directly our
+presence was known, the enemy would most certainly have fortified a very
+strong natural position. But the General's mind was made up, and he was
+quick to act. Throwing Gordon on to the left to effect a crossing, and
+Broadwood some five miles away on his right, the advance to the river
+was made so swiftly that the enemy were absolutely surprised. After
+shelling for some time, Gordon crossed and went in pursuit. Only four
+guns out of twelve could come into action in the centre, but with such
+effect that the enemy shortly retreated over the hills. By this time
+General Broadwood had crossed on the right, and his brigade trumpeter
+sounded the 'pursue.' The general rout was now complete--camp, waggons,
+everything was in our hands. New bread was lying about on the veldt and
+dough-tins ready to be placed on the fire, with such haste had the Boers
+left their position.
+
+"My horse had died with my last message to the 1st Brigade, and I
+trudged on over the level veldt partly on foot, partly on ammunition
+waggons, over the last five miles, crossed the Modder River with the
+four guns of P and G Batteries, and went to congratulate the General,
+who was sitting on the north bank, on his splendid achievement; for by
+this last forced march of nearly ten miles he had won half his way to
+Kimberley. Little incidents after the rout were full of the humour that
+hangs around everything grave. One of the staff plunged into the river
+and caught some geese, but some one else ate them; a pig ran the
+gauntlet through the camp--amidst roars of laughter, even from the
+serious General--of lances, bayonets, knives, sticks, boots,
+water-bottles, anything to hand, and at length was caught by a lucky
+trooper, who shared his feast that night with his friends. A waggon of
+fresh fruit was taken, sufficient to make thirsty men's mouths water,
+but some thought the grapes were sour. Why the Boers retreated in such a
+hurry is difficult to understand, for the position and drift were very
+strong and easy to defend, especially against a spent foe; and, but for
+the quickness of the advance over the open veldt, which took the Boers
+completely by surprise, the division would have encountered a very nasty
+opposition."
+
+The Dutchmen were pursued with splendid animation by General Gordon's
+jaded brigade, who succeeded, worn out as they were, in capturing some
+ambulance waggons and some Boer doctors; while General Broadwood's
+brigade, also worn out, chased the Boers into the far distance till
+absolute exhaustion forced the abandonment of the pursuit. So at the
+drift the cavalry division enjoyed its terribly needed repose. They had
+gone through an appalling ordeal, but it had been wonderfully
+surmounted, and the command of river both at Klip Drift and Klip Kraal,
+some miles to the east, had been secured.
+
+On the 14th the Boers still continued to buzz about after the fashion of
+mosquitoes--now advancing, now retiring, worrying and annoying, but
+never coming boldly to the attack.
+
+They made strong efforts to fathom the movements and designs of the
+British, but without success. Colonel Gorringe, Chief of Lord
+Kitchener's Staff, now arrived, and announced that Lord Kitchener and
+General Kelly-Kenny were advancing by night from Dekiel Drift, whereupon
+Captain Laycock, A.D.C., rode out and succeeded by midnight in
+conducting these officers safely to camp. In the small hours the Sixth
+Division, after a hard and really glorious march, which must be
+described anon, arrived. Thus his left flank being secured, General
+French was free to pursue his impetuous ride. This he did after handing
+over to the infantry the positions he had gained. While the cavalry
+division moved out, Kelly-Kenny's division--as in the game of "general
+post"--quickly shifted to the vacant place, thus making any return of
+the fleeing Boers impossible.
+
+The three cavalry brigades then drew up in columns of brigade masses,
+with the seven batteries of horse-artillery on their left, where the
+strongest attack from the laager near Kimberley was expected. How far
+the Boers were aware and prepared for the British move was uncertain,
+but it was decided that at all costs the cavalry would cut through them.
+
+Operations began with the shelling and capture of two laagers on the
+north side of the river, and the way being thus cleared of the enemy,
+the division made its way to a point where it was met by the contingent
+from the Modder River. The force, now increased by Scots Greys,
+Household Cavalry, and two Lancer Regiments, numbered some 10,000 men,
+seven batteries of horse-artillery and three field-batteries.
+
+Scarcely had the brigades proceeded before the Boers opened fire, and
+soon men and gunners fell, and horses riderless and pairs devoid of
+drivers were seen rushing madly over the plain. From a kopje on the
+right came the rattle and roar of musketry, which was replied to by the
+guns of the horse-artillery. There was no doubt now that a horde of
+Boers were hiding in front, and that the way forward was only to be
+gained by a desperate plunge. There was no hesitation. General Gordon
+and his gallant men were ordered to charge and clear the right front,
+and the thing was done. Away went the 9th and 12th Lancers, galloping
+for all they were worth, on and on like a flash of avenging lightning.
+At sight of the human avalanche the Boers, who had been "raining hell"
+from their trenches, suddenly threw up Mausers and hands; but it was too
+late, the whirlwind was upon them, and over a hundred Dutchmen bit the
+dust. Others ran helter-skelter, a whimpering and shouting rabble!
+
+Now came the greatest sight that military men have witnessed for
+years--the rush of the legions across the great plain of
+Alexandersfontein. This vast area, about three to five miles square, is
+surrounded by menacing kopjes, which harboured Boers rendered desperate
+by surprise and consternation. Across the open the Lancer regiments and
+Scots Greys as advance guard, with the rest of the force deployed at ten
+yards' intervals, rushed like a hurricane, a sirocco in the desert.
+Boers still showered down their lead, but the cavalry, heedless,
+thundered along, throwing up a volume of dust, while kopje after kopje
+was swept by the mounted infantry. The enemy was dispersed on every
+side.
+
+Five long miles the race of the centaurs continued--centaurs galloping
+as if for dear life--Carabineers and Greys leading the main body, the
+12th Lancers on the left, the Household Composite Regiment with the 9th
+Lancers on the right--a regal show, and one worth a lifetime to have
+witnessed.
+
+[Illustration: TYPICAL UNDERGROUND DWELLING AT KIMBERLEY.]
+
+At De Villiers the exhausted warriors watered their horses and strove to
+gather together the poor brutes for a final effort. Many were
+sun-stricken, others had simply used themselves up. The speed that was
+to outwit Cronje had to be paid for in horse-flesh. But, owing to that
+speed, much loss of human life was spared. Lieutenant Sweet Escott (16th
+Lancers) had fallen early in the day, but considering the fire of the
+enemy it was a marvel that only one officer had been killed. One man was
+also slain, and there were about thirty wounded.
+
+[Illustration: THE LAST STAND MADE BY THE BOERS BEFORE KIMBERLEY--CHARGE
+OF BRITISH CAVALRY IN THE ENGAGEMENT AT KLIP DRIFT.
+
+Drawing by W. S. Small, from a Sketch by G. D. Giles, War Artist.]
+
+At two o'clock the troops were halted at the base of a small kopje, from
+the crown of which it was possible to descry the chimneys of Kimberley
+in the distance. It was as though they had sighted the Promised Land. Up
+went a mighty cheer from a thousand throats, ringing almost against the
+vault of the burnished heaven, and echoing far and wide among the
+threatening Boer-haunted kopjes! Kimberley was on the eve of relief.
+The trial, the trouble, the turmoil were over! The triumph was won! On
+went the Division, riding now with all their might, and at sight of them
+the enemy, hot-foot, commenced to gallop into space. Soon the Division
+was within sight of the suburbs, and their guns were addressing
+themselves to a Boer laager on the east of the town. The extra uproar
+struck fresh alarm in the people of Kimberley, who had been driven
+distraught by the Boer's 100-pounders, and a message was flashed out,
+"The Boers are shelling the town." Then came the answer--the glorious
+answer--"_It is General French coming to the relief of Kimberley_." The
+news to the imprisoned multitude seemed incredible. They dreaded lest it
+might be a new wile of the Dutchman, and, to make assurance doubly sure,
+flashed out a fresh query. But by sunset the British troops had
+appeared: the whole force, battered, bronzed, but jubilant, was
+galloping into Beaconsfield.
+
+
+STRATEGY _VERSUS_ TACTICS
+
+Some one has said that strategy is a permanent science whose principles
+are immutable, while tactics vary with the variations of weapons and
+modes of warfare. The first example of this permanent science was
+presented only when Lord Roberts came to South Africa, but so complete
+and skilful, and withal so subtle, was the initial demonstration, that
+its fruits within ten days of his arrival at the front were ready to
+drop to his hand. Looking back, the plan of Lord Roberts' operations
+appears simple in the extreme, but at the time only masterly conception
+and accuracy of execution could have ensured success for so complicated
+a programme. To appreciate its subtlety and its neat execution, it
+becomes necessary to follow the other portions of the programme,
+beginning from the entry into the Free State of the enormous army that
+was massed on its borders by Monday the 12th. On that day three
+divisions of infantry, the 6th, 7th, and 9th, General French's division,
+two brigades of mounted infantry under Colonels Hannay and Ridley
+respectively, the artillery under General Marshall, consisting of three
+brigade divisions of horse-artillery, two brigade divisions of
+field-artillery, one howitzer battery, and a Naval Contingent of four
+4.7-inch and four 12-pounders, marched from Graspan and Honeynest Kloof
+through Ramdam. The total field force amounted to 23,000 infantry and
+11,000 mounted men, with 98 guns, and a transport of over 700 waggons
+drawn by nearly 9000 mules and oxen. Later on the artillery was
+reinforced by the arrival of a battery of 6-inch howitzers, throwing
+100-lb. shells, and three Vickers-Maxim quick-firers and the Brigade of
+Guards, which had remained opposite the Boer trenches at Majersfontein.
+
+The following table serves to show roughly the disposition of the
+troops:--
+
+ FIELD-MARSHAL LORD ROBERTS' FORCE
+
+ FIRST DIVISION.--(Lieutenant-General Lord Methuen).--1st
+ (Pole-Carew's) Brigade--3rd Grenadier Guards; 1st Coldstream
+ Guards; 2nd Coldstream Guards; 1st Scots Guards. 9th
+ (Douglas's) Brigade--1st Northumberland Fusiliers; 1st Loyal
+ North Lancashire (half); 2nd Northamptonshire; 2nd Yorkshire
+ Light Infantry; 18th, 62nd, 75th Field Batteries.
+
+ SIXTH DIVISION.--(Lieutenant-General Kelly-Kenny).--12th
+ Brigade--2nd Worcestershire, 1st Royal Irish, 2nd Bedfordshire,
+ 2nd Wiltshire (half battalions). 13th Brigade (Knox's)--2nd
+ East Kent; 1st Oxfordshire Light Infantry; 1st West Riding; 2nd
+ Gloucester; 76th, 81st, and 82nd Field Batteries; 38th Company
+ Royal Engineers.
+
+ SEVENTH DIVISION.--(Lieutenant-General Tucker).--14th
+ Brigade--2nd Norfolk; 2nd Lincoln; 1st King's Own Scottish
+ Borderers; 2nd Hants. 15th Brigade--2nd Cheshire; 1st East
+ Lancashire; 2nd South Wales Borderers; 2nd North Stafford;
+ 83rd, 84th, and 85th Field Batteries; 9th Company Royal
+ Engineers.
+
+ NINTH DIVISION.--(Major-General Sir H. Colvile).--3rd
+ (Highland) Brigade (MacDonald's)--1st Argyll and Sutherland;
+ 1st Highland Light Infantry; 2nd Seaforth Highlanders; 2nd
+ Royal Highlanders (Black Watch). 18th Brigade--1st Essex; 1st
+ Yorkshire; 1st Welsh; 2nd Royal Warwick.
+
+ CAVALRY DIVISION.--(Major-General (Local Lieutenant-General)
+ French).--1st Brigade (Broadwood)--10th Hussars; 12th Lancers;
+ Household Cavalry. 2nd Brigade (Porter)--6th Dragoon Guards;
+ 6th Dragoons (two squadrons); 2nd Dragoons; New Zealanders;
+ Australians. 3rd Brigade (Gordon)--9th Lancers; 16th Lancers;
+ Horse Artillery; G, P, O, R, Q, T, U Batteries.
+
+ TROOPS WITH LORD ROBERTS.--Gordon Highlanders; 2nd Duke of
+ Cornwall's Light Infantry; 2nd Shropshire Light Infantry;
+ Canadian Regiment; Roberts' Horse; Kitchener's Horse; City of
+ London Imperial Volunteers (Mounted Infantry Company); 2nd,
+ 38th, 39th, 44th, and 88th Field Batteries; A Battery R.H.A.;
+ 37th and 65th Howitzer Batteries; three Naval 4.7-in. guns;
+ part of Siege Train.
+
+It will be seen by the above that General Colvile had been appointed to
+the command of the Ninth Division, while Colonel Pole-Carew was
+transferred from the command of the Ninth Brigade to that of the Guards
+Brigade, and was succeeded in the former post by Colonel Douglas, late
+Chief of the Staff to Lord Methuen.
+
+Having viewed this force, it becomes somewhat interesting to note how
+smoothly wheel turned within wheel. The movement began by the
+concentration of General French's division at Ramdam. On the morning of
+the 12th the infantry appeared, and General French moved on, crossed
+Dekiel's Drift on Tuesday the 13th, and captured Klip Drift and Drieput
+Drift, on the Modder River. Following him closely on the 12th came the
+divisions of General Tucker and General Kelly-Kenny. The latter division
+was accompanied by Lord Kitchener and his staff. The negotiation of the
+first drift, which was almost impassable for transport, next occupied
+the ingenuity and tested the perseverance of the troops. The drifts,
+like the kopjes, are the almost unconquerable bogies of South Africa.
+They are the natural defences of the country, offering obstruction on
+every hand, and, however boldly you may storm the kopje, you must with
+infinite patience negotiate the drift. This is no small undertaking, for
+drifts, in a way, partake of the paradoxical character of
+individuals--the weaker the person, the more difficult is he to manage;
+the more insignificant the river, the greater the perverseness of the
+drift. It resolves itself in both cases into a question of narrowness.
+Small streams and small minds are banked up too high to allow moving
+room in their midst. The result of an attempt to advance is congestion
+of a painful kind. At this particular drift it was found impossible for
+the team of mules to lug the formidable waggon-loads up the north bank,
+and at last the feat had to be accomplished by adding relays of oxen to
+assist in the tremendous labour. Finally, by 4 A.M. the next morning the
+troops got across, General Tucker's division marching to within some
+three miles of Jacobsdal, and hugging the river all the way, so as to
+run no risk of being without water. General Kelly-Kenny followed,
+marching from Waterval Drift to Wegdraai on the morning of the 14th, and
+proceeding thence at 5 P.M. on the same day to Klip Drift, which was
+reached in the middle of the night. The rapidity with which this rush on
+his heels was accomplished enabled General French, who had been awaiting
+the arrival of the infantry, to proceed on his flying swoop for the
+relief of Kimberley. This, as we know, was accomplished on Thursday the
+15th of February. Meanwhile the wheels of the strategic machinery were
+going round. A small cavalry patrol had entered Jacobsdal, which town
+was found to be full of wounded, including many of our own invalids from
+Rensburg. On the way back the mounted infantry were attacked, and
+Colonel Henry was fired on by a party of Dutchmen who were concealed in
+the vicinity of the river, and so sudden was the attack that nine men
+were wounded. Colonel Henry, Major Hatchell, and ten men were missing. A
+battery of artillery shelled the environs of the place, and put to
+flight such Boers as were hanging about, whereupon the British remained
+masters of the situation. Thus it will be seen that while the Dutchmen
+were fleeing from Jacobsdal, from Alexandersfontein, and from the
+neighbourhood of Kimberley, for fear of being cut off, they had
+surrounding them Lord Methuen at Majersfontein, General Tucker at
+Jacobsdal, General Kelly-Kenny at the Klip and Rondeval Drifts, General
+French on the north, and General Colvile wheeling around, ready to suit
+his movements to any emergency. In this manner Cronje found the teeth of
+a trap preparing to close on him, and recognised that there was no
+alternative but to "make a bolt for it."
+
+Thus the first part of the programme was accomplished. Kimberley was
+automatically relieved; Cronje was on the run. But his running was no
+easy matter. Since Lord Roberts' strategy had come into play, there was
+a prospect of a neck-and-neck race between the mobile Boer and the
+mobile Briton, and success depended on General French's ability not only
+to rout but to head off the retreat of the Dutchman. That the British
+cavalry commander should outmatch him in celerity was a contingency
+which had not occurred to Cronje; that he should advance independently
+of the rail, and start off across the Riet to trek to the Modder, was
+described by one of his countrymen as distinctly "un-British." Whether
+this epithet was used to denote admiration or contempt we cannot say.
+Certain it was that the wily persecutor of Mafeking and Kimberley
+thought that the secret of the art of trekking was confined to himself
+and his rabble, until he discovered, too late, that the equally wily
+French with his disciplined legions was ready to ride over him. On the
+16th of February the astonished commandant, with a horde of 10,000
+Boers, was scudding in full retreat towards Bloemfontein. On all sides
+were Boer laagers in a state of abandonment--stores, tents, food,
+Bibles, raiment--everything had been left by the amazed and
+panic-stricken Dutchmen. Dronfield, Saltpan, Scholtz Nek, and Spyfontein
+were now evacuated. Under cover of darkness the investing hordes had
+taken to their heels, leaving behind them even herds of cattle and
+ammunition, in their desire to gain a loophole of escape. But they soon
+found that, wherever they might go, there was the rumour of British
+opposition, an armed and avenging race advancing!
+
+The fact was that the trekking of the Boer hordes had been adroitly
+discovered by Lord Kitchener, who, having detected an unusual haze of
+dust in the distance, at once gave orders for the mounted infantry not
+to follow French, but to pursue the enemy. Accordingly, to quote the
+_Times_ correspondent, who was present:--
+
+"The mounted infantry rode in pursuit across the plain, endeavouring to
+get to the north of the convoy, while General Knox's Brigade was pushed
+along the north bank of the river, which makes a large bend to the north
+between Klip Drift and Klipkraal Drift, to strike the convoy on its
+southern flank. Cronje sent on his waggons to Drieputs Farm, at the
+north-eastern end of the bend, where they laagered at about eleven, and
+maintained a running fight with our troops all day. The skill with which
+the Boers conducted this rear-guard action extorted unqualified praise
+from all our officers. As the detachments on the extreme right of the
+Boer line were driven back by our mounted infantry, they rode round
+behind their centre and took up fresh positions on their left against
+the 81st Battery and Knox's Brigade, which were advancing along the
+north bank of the river. At midday the Boers attempted to hold three low
+kopjes two miles north-east of Klip Drift, but were driven back to a
+stronger position at Drieputs."
+
+[Illustration: CAPTURE OF A BOER CONVOY BY GENERAL FRENCH'S TROOPS NEAR
+KIMBERLEY.
+
+Drawing by Stanley L. Wood, from a Sketch by an Officer.]
+
+Fighting went on throughout the day. At seven o'clock on the evening of
+the 16th it became almost possible to see the end; the artillery had
+commenced the vigorous shelling of the laager, and all the divisions
+moving on the great axis were now aware that Lord Roberts' strategic
+plan was likely--how soon they knew not--to be crowned with success.
+
+But we must here break off to eulogise the wonderful activity of
+Kelly-Kenny's division, which acquitted itself so honourably. The march
+from Graspan to Brandvallei beyond Klip Drift, a distance 55¾ miles, was
+accomplished in five marching days. The Light Brigade on the eve of the
+battle of Talavera did sixty-two English miles in twenty-six hours,
+losing only seventeen stragglers by the way. They accomplished this feat
+by adopting the peculiar step invented by Sir John Moore, three paces
+walking alternating with three paces running, which enabled them, when
+tracks were suitable, to cover six miles an hour! No such evolutions as
+these were possible, owing to the torrid weather and the necessity to
+take precautions against exposure in the open veldt during midday. The
+temperature may be imagined when it is stated that in one day about
+sixty-six soldiers sun-stricken fell out of the ranks. On the morning of
+the 12th of February the infantry marched some nine and a half miles
+from Graspan to Ramdam, and from thence on the 13th moved to Waterval
+Drift. On the 14th they proceeded to Wegdraai, and on to Klip Drift,
+which was reached in the small hours of the 15th. Here, notwithstanding
+their fatigues, the 13th Brigade at once engaged with the enemy's
+rearguard, and exhibited splendid fighting qualities, which in the
+circumstances were remarkable even for Englishmen. The West Riding,
+Gloucesters, Buffs, and Oxfords had a warm time during the whole of the
+16th, as the enemy from kopjes beyond the river in the region of
+Klipkraal assailed them for nearly eight hours, assisted by a pom-pom
+which caused considerable loss. Though a furious sandstorm later on
+permitted the Boers under cover of night to get away, abandoning
+seventy-eight waggons, the next morning the invincible Sixth Division
+started in pursuit. Captain Trevor (1st East Kent Regiment), Lieutenant
+Shipway (2nd Gloucester Regiment), and Colonel M'Donnell, R.A., were
+wounded in the course of the engagement. Major Evelegh, Oxford Light
+Infantry, while proceeding to join his battalion in the Sixth Division
+with a small convoy and escort, was surrounded by a large party of
+Boers, and after a gallant defence was forced to surrender.
+
+Fighting and marching without ceasing, the infantry went to Brandvallei
+and thence to Paardeberg, where they arrived at 9.30 P.M. on the 17th,
+in time to take a brief rest prior to the operations which have yet to
+be described, and in which they took such a prominent part. The
+marching, considering the tremendous heat and the difficulty of
+obtaining water, was a feat of which General Kelly-Kenny might justly
+have felt proud. Though plodding along incessantly through the heavy
+burning sand under a sun which baked and frizzled even through their
+uniforms, these men maintained patience and cheerfulness in a rare
+degree. The whole force was animated by complete faith in their
+commander, and moved unanimously like some magnificent piece of
+machinery, scarce taking time to eat or sleep in the zest of their
+persistent pursuit of the enemy. And they were not alone in their
+zealous performance of their share in the great scheme. The nicety and
+precision of the transport arrangements may be imagined when we remember
+that at one time four divisions were moving independently of their base,
+making marches across the arid waterless tracks, and carrying with them
+the necessaries of life for a healthy working multitude. A new regime
+had begun, and the mobility of our columns had grown equal to that of
+the Boers, while the railway had been relegated to a subordinate place
+in the strategical plan.
+
+Colonel Graham, in his "Art of War," declares that "to organise the
+means of transport for an army acting at a long distance from its
+principal magazines, in a country where it is entirely dependent on its
+own supplies, is a problem difficult of solution." Now, the solution of
+this problem was due to the wonderful talent of Lord Kitchener, who was
+earning his right to be looked upon as the greatest military organiser
+of his generation. But his gigantic effort did not increase the
+popularity of the late Sirdar. He ran counter to too many private
+interests. The army is too intersected with grooves to be crossed
+without a few nasty jars, and it was scarcely possible for so young and
+successful a general and a peer--one possessed of almost criminal good
+luck and amazing moral as well as physical courage--to be looked upon by
+his contemporaries-in-arms with excessive approval. The secret of
+discord was given in a nutshell by Mr. Ralph of the _Daily Mail_. He
+wrote:--"His first conspicuous act when in South Africa was the
+withdrawal of the transport service from separated commands in order
+that it should be managed by the Army Service Corps. Thus it came about
+that every brigadier and colonel saw a certain amount of his power
+shifted to what he considered a subordinate branch of the service. A
+goodish degree of latitude in the enjoyment of comforts and extras,
+which had been made possible when these officers controlled the waggons,
+was also curtailed. The army wailed and gnashed its teeth, but I confess
+I always thought that reason and right were on Lord Kitchener's side in
+this matter. Lord Kitchener's plan was the only one by which an
+insufficient number of waggons and teams could be utilised for all that
+they were worth."
+
+The mobility of an army depends on the reduction of transport, and to
+the task of organising transport sufficient to ensure the mobility of
+100,000 men the hero of Omdurman applied himself with his customary
+thoroughness. He conceived the gigantic ambition of doing away with all
+distinctions of transport, regimental, departmental, ammunition, or
+ambulance, and merging them in an immense whole, thus creating a single
+general corps, and it was doubtless to this conception and the able way
+that the scheme--with the assistance of Colonel Richardson--was carried
+out, that Lord Roberts owed the expedition of his march to Bloemfontein
+and the further success which resulted from his sure and swift rushes
+onward. Ordinarily speaking, in the army each unit is allowed its own
+transport. For instance, colonel, adjutant, and orderly-room are
+allotted by regulation a tent apiece. Every three officers share a tent,
+every fourteen men another. Staff-sergeants, batmen, and other details
+are proportionately provided for. Mounted officers are allowed 80 lbs.
+baggage, double the amount allowed for "smaller fry." Without going into
+minute particulars, we may reckon that a brigade would move with 70
+waggons and a division with about 180. To reduce the huge encumbrance of
+say some 2000 waggons, with their complement of oxen and drivers, was a
+stupendous labour, from which, with its consequences, this military
+Hercules did not shrink. Each unit was taken in hand, and its
+excrescences--regulation excrescences, we may call them--were cut down,
+peeled of all superfluities, much to the disgust of the staff officers
+and various other personages who stickle for their rights, and resent
+any innovation that threatens to dock off an iota of the creature
+comforts that belong to them by the divine right of red-tape and
+red-book regulations.
+
+Not only were the rules of transport revised, but special hints tending
+to the development of the initiative of the private soldier were issued
+to the troops. Herewith is appended the notable document which may be
+said to have marked the beginning of the new era:--
+
+ CAPE TOWN, _February 5, 1900_.
+
+ The following notes by the Field-Marshal Commanding-in-Chief
+ are communicated for the guidance of all concerned.--By order,
+
+ KITCHENER OF KHARTOUM, _Chief of Staff_.
+
+
+NOTES FOR GUIDANCE IN SOUTH AFRICAN WARFARE
+
+ _Cavalry_
+
+ 1. On reconnaissances or patrols not likely to be prolonged
+ beyond one day, the cavalry soldier's equipment should be
+ lightened as much as possible, nothing being taken that can
+ possibly be dispensed with.
+
+ 2. It has been brought to my notice that our cavalry move too
+ slowly when on reconnaissance duty, and that unnecessary long
+ halts are made, the result being that the enemy, although
+ starting after the cavalry, are able to get ahead of it. I
+ could understand this if the country were close and difficult,
+ but between the Modder and the Orange Rivers its general
+ features are such as to admit of small parties of cavalry,
+ accompanied by field-guns, being employed with impunity.
+
+ _Artillery_
+
+ 3. If the enemy's guns have, in some instances, the advantage
+ of ours in range, we have the advantage of theirs in mobility,
+ and we should make use of them by not remaining in position the
+ precise distance of which from the enemy's batteries has
+ evidently been fixed beforehand. Moreover, it has been proved
+ that the Boers' fire is far less accurate at unknown distances.
+ In taking up positions, compact battery formations should be
+ avoided, the guns should be opened out, or it may be desirable
+ to advance by sections or batteries. Similarly retirements
+ should be carried out, at considerably increased intervals, by
+ alternate batteries or sections, if necessary, and care should
+ be taken to travel quickly through the dangerous zone of
+ hostile artillery fire.
+
+ The following plan, frequently adopted by the Boers, has
+ succeeded in deceiving our artillery on several occasions.
+
+ Suppose A to be a gun emplacement, the gun firing smokeless
+ powder. Simultaneously with the discharge of the gun at A a
+ powder flash of black powder will be exploded at B, a hill in
+ rear, leading us to direct our projectile on B. Careful
+ calculation with a watch, however, will defeat this plan.
+
+ _Infantry_
+
+ 4. The present open formation renders it difficult for officers
+ to exercise command over their men, except such as may be in
+ their immediate vicinity. A remedy for this would appear to be
+ a system of whistle calls, by which a company lying in extended
+ order could obey orders as readily as if in quarter column. I
+ invite suggestions for such a system of whistle calls as would
+ be useful.
+
+ 5. It is difficult to recognise officers as equipped at
+ present, and it seems desirable they should wear a
+ distinguishing mark of some kind, either on the collar at the
+ back of the neck or on the back of the coat.
+
+ 6. Soldiers, when under fire, do not take sufficient advantage
+ of the sandy nature of the soil to construct cover for
+ themselves. If such soil is scraped, even with a canteen tin, a
+ certain amount of cover from rifle fire can be obtained in a
+ short time.
+
+ 7. The distribution of ammunition to the firing line is one of
+ the most difficult problems of modern warfare. One solution,
+ which has been suggested to me, is for a portion of the
+ supports gradually to creep forward until a regular chain of
+ men is established from the supports (where the ammunition
+ carts should be) right up to the firing line. The ammunition
+ could then be gradually worked up by hand till it reached the
+ firing line, where it could be passed along as required. This
+ would, no doubt, be a slow method of distributing ammunition,
+ but it appears to be an improvement on the present method,
+ which is almost impossible to carry out under fire.
+
+ 8. Reports received suggest that the Boers are less likely to
+ hold entrenchments on the plain with the same tenacity and
+ courage as they display when defending kopjes, and it is stated
+ that this applies especially to night-time, if they know that
+ British infantry are within easy striking distance from them.
+ How far this is true time only can show.
+
+ ROBERTS, _Field-Marshal Commanding-in-Chief, South Africa_.
+
+To return, however, to the great advance. Much of the travelling was
+done by night, in order to save the oxen from the trying temperature of
+the day, though even during the night the heat was equal to that of an
+ordinary British midsummer. In addition to the painful toil of motion
+over the heavy, sandy, rugged leagues, there was the hourly danger of
+attack. Cronje had made known his need for reinforcements, and at the
+time, from the south, Andries Cronje was moving, and from the north,
+Commandants Snyman and Fournie, while from other quarters and in the
+direction of Ladysmith there was the belief that Boer hordes might be
+advancing. There was only one encounter with the Dutchmen, but it ended
+in a mishap that was a serious one, for the results were felt for days
+afterwards, and helped to try the heroism of the troops who engaged in
+the movement to the uttermost. A convoy of 180 waggons, one-quarter of
+the total transport, containing forage and provisions, was lost at
+Waterval Drift. An interesting picture of the terrible passage of the
+drift was given by a sapper who accompanied the convoy:--
+
+"It was a pitiful sight to see the poor infantry fellows played out,
+some dropping with a slight sunstroke, and the cattle dropping dead in
+all directions. We moved sometimes by day and sometimes by night.
+Night-time was the best on account of the oxen working much better in
+the cool of night. Nothing occurred of note with us--but our fellows
+were fighting every day in front on their way to Kimberley--till we got
+to Riet River or Drift, which was a terrible pass in the river. Miles
+and miles of transport had to pass through a narrow passage across the
+drift, and it took a terrible time for one waggon to pass over, let
+alone the hundreds that had to pass. We were lucky to get across and
+encamp below a hill for the night. Next day they still continued to pass
+the drift, in fact they had been at it all night, and still hundreds of
+waggons to come on. The Boers evidently knew of this obstacle, and a
+party came up from the south and had vengeance on the column, as they
+couldn't on the fighting line. It was a lucky thing for us we were
+clear, or else we might have found our baggage gone and ourselves put
+over the border (i.e. sent to Pretoria or shot). The Boers took up
+position in the hills and shelled the waggon convoy. The nigger drivers
+are terrible cowards, and all fled to the hills or kopjes near at hand,
+leaving the waggons and oxen to the mercy of the Boers. Some of the oxen
+we succeeded in driving back into our camp on the other side of the
+river. The good old New Zealanders (who have proved of great use and
+very daring in this campaign) rode over to where the nigger drivers
+were, and threatened to blow their brains out if they didn't return to
+the waggons, which they did after the Boers had left off shelling for a
+bit, after doing a terrible lot of damage. Lord Bobs came up just as
+they were going to try and get some of the waggons away, and said 'Let
+them go.' Our loss proved to be over £100,000, which I am glad to say we
+recovered later. The Boers thought this convoy was lost purposely, and
+when we arrived here we found the whole of it except what had been sent
+to our prisoners at Pretoria."
+
+[Illustration: TROOP OF THE 10TH HUSSARS WITH NORDENFELDT GUN. Photo by
+H. Johnston, London.]
+
+The unpleasant adventures of E Squadron of Kitchener's Light Horse, who
+were taken as prisoners to Pretoria, make a separate narrative of
+themselves, as they took place while the main body was moving on to the
+relief of Kimberley.
+
+The squadron was attached to General French's column, and took part in
+the engagement at Riet River. On its way to the relief of Kimberley, a
+halt was made at a farm a short distance from Modder River, and part of
+E squadron was detached to hold a well of water until the arrival of
+another column, expected in four hours, and then to advance along with
+them. The relieving column never arrived. Squadron E held the position
+for four days without food against a large force of Boers. They (E
+Squadron) occupied an old farmhouse. They loopholed the walls, and
+although continuously harassed by the Boer fire, they managed to
+maintain their position and the post they were placed in charge of.
+During that time they had to subsist on water only, and that brackish.
+Their horses were dying daily, as there was not a blade of grass on the
+veldt, and the stench was abominable. On the third day of the siege a
+poor goat that had wandered near the besieged was immediately captured
+and devoured. On the fourth day they commandeered one of the enemy's
+horses, which they intended to slaughter, their own being too emaciated
+for that purpose. But the Boers, having been reinforced, gave them no
+time to do the butchering. On the evening of the fourth day a messenger
+bearing a letter from General de Wet arrived, demanding surrender within
+ten minutes. The Boer force consisted of 500 men and two 12-pounders.
+The officers consulted together, and decided, in view of the hopeless
+condition of their little garrison of fifty all told, worn out and
+starving and their horses dead, to accept the inevitable.
+
+While all this was going on, and Cronje was making the discovery that he
+might be completely outflanked, and that the position of the Boer army
+at Spyfontein must become untenable, Lord Roberts was entering into
+Jacobsdal. The place was orderly and quiet. The three churches were full
+of patients, the town having been used mainly as an hospital. The
+invalids, for the most part, were sufferers from enteric, the result of
+too much Modder River. After a long and painful intimacy with the
+grilling veldt, the sight of houses and civilised dwellings struck
+gratefully on the eyes of the incoming troops. A store was hailed as a
+veritable godsend. Some one bought a tin of oatmeal, and walked off with
+it as one who had secured a prize; some one else gave a goodly price for
+a pot of pickles, and came away licking his lips like a modern
+Eliogabalus. The rejoicing was no mean emotion, for the unfortunate men,
+with the appetites of athletes, had been existing on lovers' fare. One
+of the famished but cheery fellows wrote: "We marched into Jacobsdal,
+and as soon as we arrived we thronged the stores for provisions. I made
+the following purchases for three of us:--
+
+ _s._ _d._
+ Three two-pound loaves at 1s. each 3 0
+ Three tins of condensed milk at 1s. each 3 0
+ Two tins of syrup at 1s. 3d. each 2 6
+ One small packet of cocoa 0 9
+ One tin of Quaker oats 1 3
+ One pound of sugar 0 6
+ --------
+ 11 0
+
+Then we gorged ourselves to make up for three weeks' semi-starvation.
+The most prominent building of Jacobsdal is the church, which stands in
+the centre of the town. The town itself lies in a hollow--Sleepy Hollow
+would be an apt title for the place just now. Most of the houses,
+including the church, are at present converted into hospitals, and the
+female population are acting as nurses. Most of them are in mourning for
+relatives lost during the campaign." Later, the troops moved on and
+encamped at a farm which had also been used as an hospital. Sights
+pathetic were only too common--our own sick and wounded in various
+stages of suffering, and outside, to use a "Tommy's" description, "some
+poor devils wrapped in sheets ready to be put to bed for the last time!"
+
+[Illustration: GENERAL CRONJE.
+
+From a Photo by M. Plumbe.]
+
+Lord Roberts visited the large German hospital, and expressed himself
+well pleased with the splendid cleanliness of the place and the general
+evidences of good management. Among the sufferers was found Colonel
+Henry, who had been taken prisoner on the 14th. Strangely enough, all
+the inhabitants of the place evinced satisfaction at the arrival of the
+British, particularly on making the discovery that it was not the habit
+of the British troops to loot and destroy, as they had been led by the
+Burghers to believe was the case. They were now made acquainted with the
+proclamation which Lord Roberts issued to the Burghers of the Orange
+Free State when his force invaded their territory. It was printed both
+in English and Dutch:--
+
+ "The British troops under my command having entered the Orange
+ Free State, I feel it my duty to make known to all Burghers the
+ cause of our coming, as well as to do all in my power to put an
+ end to the devastation caused by this war, so that, should they
+ continue the war, the inhabitants of the Orange Free State may
+ not do so ignorantly, but with full knowledge of their
+ responsibility before God for the lives lost in the campaign.
+
+ "Before the war began the British Government, which had always
+ desired and cultivated peace and friendship with the people of
+ the Orange Free State, gave a solemn assurance to President
+ Steyn that, if the Orange Free State remained neutral, its
+ territory would not be invaded, and its independence would be
+ at all times fully respected by Her Majesty's Government.
+
+ "In spite of that declaration, the Government of the Orange
+ Free State was guilty of a wanton and unjustifiable invasion of
+ British territory.
+
+ "The British Government believes that this act of aggression
+ was not committed with the general approval and free will of a
+ people with whom it has lived in complete amity for so many
+ years. It believes that the responsibility rests wholly with
+ the Government of the Orange Free State, acting, not in the
+ interests of the country, but under mischievous influences from
+ without. The British Government, therefore, wishes the people
+ of the Orange Free State to understand that it bears them no
+ ill-will, and, so far as is compatible with the successful
+ conduct of the war and the re-establishment of peace in South
+ Africa, it is anxious to preserve them from the evils brought
+ upon them by the wrongful action of their Government.
+
+ "I therefore warn all Burghers to desist from any further
+ hostility towards Her Majesty's Government and the troops
+ under my command, and I undertake that any of them who may so
+ desist, and who are found staying in their homes and quietly
+ pursuing their ordinary occupations, will not be made to suffer
+ in their persons or property on account of their having taken
+ up arms in obedience to the order of their Government. Those,
+ however, who oppose the forces under my command, or furnish the
+ enemy with supplies or information, will be dealt with
+ according to the customs of war.
+
+ "Requisitions for food, forage, fuel, or shelter made on the
+ authority of the officers in command of Her Majesty's troops,
+ must be at once complied with; but everything will be paid for
+ on the spot, prices being regulated by the local market rates.
+ If the inhabitants of any district refuse to comply with the
+ demands made on them, the supplies will be taken by force, a
+ full receipt being given.
+
+ "Should any inhabitant of the country consider that he or any
+ member of his household has been unjustly treated by any
+ officer, soldier, or civilian attached to the British army, he
+ should submit his complaint, either personally or in writing,
+ to my headquarters or to the headquarters of the nearest
+ general officer. Should the complaint on inquiry be
+ substantiated, redress will be given.
+
+ "Orders have been issued by me prohibiting soldiers from
+ entering private houses or molesting the civil population on
+ any pretext whatever, and every precaution has been taken
+ against injury to property on the part of any person belonging
+ to or connected with the army.
+
+ "ROBERTS, _Field-Marshal, Commanding-in-Chief, South Africa_."
+
+
+THE HERDING OF CRONJE
+
+To return to General French. The cavalry division bivouacked outside the
+town of Kimberley, but their repose was limited. At 3 A.M. on the
+morning of the 16th they were up and doing. The enemy in the north was
+giving trouble. Some sharp fighting took place, during which Lieutenants
+Brassey (9th Lancers) and P. Bunbury were killed. This early activity
+was tough work for the already weary troops, who had been fifteen hours
+without a meal. Indeed, it was generally remarked that the relievers
+looked sorrier specimens of humanity than the relieved. The Colonial
+troops, the Queensland and New Zealand Contingents, and the New South
+Wales Lancers, considering all things, were wonderfully fit after having
+played a conspicuous part in the operations. These troops had joined
+General French's column from the regions of the Orange and Modder
+Rivers. The New South Wales Lancers rode on the extreme right flank of
+the first brigade, and their ambulance corps, under Lieutenant Edwards,
+kept up with the column, and was complimented on being the first
+ambulance to cross the Modder River. Like the rest of the troops, they
+had taken their share of small rations, merely nominal rest,
+sun-scorching, and maddening thirst, and yet were full of zeal--"keen as
+mustard," as some one said--to engage in the herding of Cronje and
+effect his capture. Worn out as they were, they had sprung to attention
+on a rumour brought in by a despatch-rider to the effect that Cronje had
+evacuated Majersfontein and was in full retreat.
+
+At midnight on the 16th, no confirmation of this news had been received.
+The jaded troops, and still more jaded horses--mere skeletons in horse's
+skins--were preparing for real repose, when all was changed! A telegram
+arrived from Lord Kitchener saying that Cronje, with 10,000 men, was in
+full retreat from Majersfontein, with all his waggons and equipment and
+four guns, along the north bank of the Modder River towards
+Bloemfontein; that he had already fought a rearguard action with him;
+and that if French, with all available horses and guns, could head him
+and prevent his crossing the river, the infantry from Klip Drift would
+press on and annihilate or take the whole force prisoners.
+
+Here was a surprise! Pleasant yet unpleasant, for shattered men in the
+last stage of fatigue. But General French--whom some one has described
+as possessing the shape of a brick, with all the solid and excellent
+qualities of one--rose to the occasion. He was on the point of going to
+sleep, but there was no thought of rest now. Arrangements had to be
+made, horses weeded--out of a division of 5000 only one brigade was fit
+to move!--more borrowed from the Kimberley Light Horse, whose
+holiday-time had come, and other preparations hurriedly set on foot to
+ensure an immediate rush--a swoop that should be as swift and successful
+as it was startling!
+
+One may imagine the midnight picture. The dark immensity of veldt--the
+dust-driven, sweltering veldt--and Cronje, miles ahead with his horde,
+the remnant of his convoy, his women and children, fleeing along the
+north bank of the Modder, harassed by the Sixth Division, threatened by
+the Seventh and Ninth, and yet longing to cross the river, to get safely
+to Koodoosrand Drift, where he hourly expected reinforcements would come
+to his succour. French, dead beat after glorious work accomplished,
+rising from the first hospitable pillow he had seen for days--springing
+suddenly to action, ordering, organising, deciding how to effect the
+great swoop on Koodoosrand Drift and head off the fugitive. There was no
+time for the buckling on of mental and moral armour; only the warrior at
+soul could have been ready for such a situation. But such an one was
+here. He gave swift orders. In three hours' time General Broadwood and
+his brigade and three batteries of artillery--the only ones available
+out of seven--sallied forth towards the east, in the dusk of the
+morning. Their destination--Koodoosrand Drift--was some forty miles off,
+and once here Cronje's last loophole of escape would be gone! The
+General and his staff followed at 4.15 A.M., riding at full speed, and
+catching up the brigade about fifteen miles off.
+
+The whole nature of their errand and the proposed movement was a
+surprise, for this manoeuvre had not entered into General French's
+original calculations.
+
+When the General had seen the Sixth Division safely at Klip Drift and
+secured his left flank, he proceeded on his rush to Kimberley. Of other
+movements save his own he was ignorant. Even as he and the troops were
+riding into the town, Cronje, who had discovered the futility of his
+position at Majersfontein and the danger of it, was trekking madly across
+the front of the Sixth Division. On the morning of the 16th Lord
+Kitchener, hearing that the Majersfontein laager and the Modder River camp
+were deserted, and seeing a cloud of dust in the distance, had guessed
+what was happening, and immediately altered his plans to meet the
+emergency. As we are aware, he instantly gave orders for the mounted
+infantry not to follow French, but to pursue and attack the Boer convoy,
+while he telegraphed later to French, with the results just described.
+General French grasped the position at a glance. He knew no time was to be
+lost, and soon Broadwood's brigade, with horses that could barely move,
+was pushing on as fast as spurs could insist. The early morning dusk broke
+into the green and grey and gold of dawn; birds flew frightened hither and
+thither; foxes rushed to their holes; springbok and hares tempted the
+sportsmen, but never a glance to right or left was wasted. All eyes were
+strained to the east, to the momentous east, and the wooded banks of the
+distant river. Nearer and ever nearer they came--specks were seen on the
+horizon--men?--horses?--the enemy moving?--scudding away before he could
+be cornered? No--Yes? A moment of excitement, anguish--joy! The General
+had mounted a kopje, reconnoitred, and discovered the truth. It was
+Cronje's force--the remnants of his convoy some 4000 yards off--the convoy
+streaming down into the drifts that lead to Petrusberg and thence to
+Bloemfontein! They must never reach that destination! Kitchener's
+words--"Head him and prevent his crossing the river"--so simple in sound,
+so complex in execution, thrilled every heart. Quickly the guns were got
+into action--grandly--almost magically--the first shot plumped--bang! in
+front of the leading waggon just as the convoy was preparing to descend
+the drift! What a reveillé! Cronje, as we know, was rushing from the
+clutches of the Sixth Division at Drieputs. Breathless, he gathered
+himself together. Suddenly he found himself assailed by a new force--a new
+terror! He divined in a moment what had happened. It was French, the
+ubiquitous French--French redivivus, as it were--who was putting the
+finishing touch to the chapter of disaster. Poor Captain Boyle, in his
+letter to the _Nineteenth Century_, thus described the great Dutchman's
+plight:--
+
+"His only chance now was to sacrifice his guns and convoy, and cut his
+way across the river under the heavy fire of our guns. Immediately on
+the first shell bursting in the laager, about thirty Boers galloped out
+to seize a kopje on our right, afterwards called Roberts' Hill; but the
+10th Hussars in a neck-and-neck race had the legs of them, and seizing
+the hill in advance, beat them off with their carbine and Maxim fire.
+The Boers from their laager answered our shell fire for a short time
+with great accuracy from two or three guns. But these were quickly
+silenced, and shell after shell from Artillery Hill fell plump into the
+laager. Finally, our second battery was moved to a little distance from
+Roberts' Hill and opened fire from the southern slope on to a kopje to
+which the Boers had retired. All that afternoon at intervals our guns
+poured shells into the laager, but no response came, and we spent our
+time watching the Boers, now 3000 yards away, entrenching themselves in
+the open and along the river-bank. Their waggons caught fire and the
+ammunition exploded, and as they realised their position more and more,
+so must their hearts have sunk. Anxiously must they have waited for the
+first sign of the infantry gathering round, as anxiously as we did in
+our turn watching from the high kopjes.
+
+"The cavalry, worn out as they were and without food, had to hold the
+kopjes and water their horses in turn some five miles off. They got what
+grazing they could in the kopjes as they lay there, for no corn had come
+on from Kimberley, and neither men nor horses had had any food except
+the three days' rations with which they originally started from Klip
+Drift the Thursday before, a good deal of which had been shaken off the
+saddles or lost in the long gallop up the plain to Kimberley. The
+General, the men, the horses, all alike had to live on what was found at
+Kamilfontein--a few mealies, a few onions, and the crumbs of biscuits in
+our pockets were all we had until some Free Staters' sheep and cattle
+were rounded and killed. Had it not been for this plentiful supply of
+meat, the men must have fared very badly for the next three days. No
+transport came in until Monday night, and the horses had but 1½ lb. of
+corn in three days. The men were put on half rations of biscuits even
+after the transport arrived.
+
+"Meanwhile, on Saturday afternoon about 5 P.M. Broadwood sent word to
+French that in the far distance he observed the dust rising, which he
+took for Kelly-Kenny's division. French returned to Roberts' Hill, and,
+until the sun set, anxiously awaited the arrival of the infantry--but
+they marched but slowly. From 6 P.M. till 7 P.M. we opened fire again
+from our batteries to show Lord Kitchener our exact positions." The
+splendid work done by the Royal Horse Artillery was described by another
+eye-witness. He said: "I will give you an idea of what good gunners we
+have in the Artillery. General French said to one of the gunners, 'See
+those three waggons over there? (a distance of about 3½ miles); see what
+you can do with them.' The gunner fired three shell, and the waggons
+were no more."
+
+We must now watch the progress of the other portions of the force who
+were actively engaged in taking their share in the huge undertaking.
+Colonel Stephenson's brigade, on the night of the 16th (while General
+French was learning the great news), had re-crossed the river at Klip
+Drift, and on the morning of the 17th (at the same hour as Broadwood's
+brigade was moving from Kimberley) had marched to the south of the river
+with the same intention--that of heading off Cronje at Paardeberg and
+Koodoosrand Drift. Thus, with Broadwood's brigade on one side, and
+Stephenson's on the other, Cronje's prospects of escape were scarcely
+worth a dime. The _Times'_ correspondent, talking of Colonel
+Stephenson's troops on the morning of the fateful 17th, said:--
+
+"They were joined about ten at Klipkraal Drift by Knox's brigade, which
+marched along the northern bank. The mounted infantry, pushing on,
+reached Paardeberg Drift that evening, and encamped on rising ground
+close to the south bank. The infantry, leaving Klipkraal at six in the
+evening, made a night march for Paardeberg Drift, but, missing their
+way, slightly passed the Drift and bivouacked on some rising ground
+nearly two miles beyond, separated from the river by a smooth plain
+shelving gently down to it. The mistake was a fortunate one, as it
+brought the infantry almost opposite to the place where Cronje had
+determined to cross. Cronje had left Drieputs during the night after the
+battle, abandoning seventy-eight waggons, and pushed on along the north
+bank of the river during Saturday for Koodoosrand Drift. Soon after
+passing north of Paardeberg Drift he heard that French had already
+returned from Kimberley, and was holding a line of high kopjes running
+north-west from Koodoosrand Drift, and completely commanding the drift.
+Wheeling his waggons to the right across the plain, he laagered on the
+north bank of the river at Wolveskraal Farm. This was opposite to a
+drift of the same name, about half-way between Paardeberg and
+Koodoosrand Drifts, being about four miles in a straight line from each.
+Here he intended to cross on Sunday morning. But already, during the
+night, he became aware of the presence of the mounted infantry south of
+Paardeberg Drift, and decided that he could not get his convoy away
+without fighting. Probably Cronje did not realise that Kelly-Kenny's
+infantry could have already marched up and occupied the rising ground
+not three thousand yards south of Wolveskraal Drift; still less could he
+know that General Colvile's division (whose endurance had been
+extraordinary) was but a few miles behind, and was to reach Paardeberg
+Drift before daybreak. If Cronje had known this, there is little doubt
+that he would have promptly sacrificed all his transport and all his
+guns in order to get his men away and escape from the trap into which he
+was now caught. As it was, he sent a great part of his force to line the
+river-bed all the way down to Paardeberg Drift, in order to act as a
+rear-guard and check any attempt to interfere with his crossing
+Wolveskraal Drift at his leisure."
+
+Later on, the Ninth Division, with the Highland Brigade, who had made a
+forced march from Jacobsdal, arrived on the scene just in time to see
+the Boers sending up rockets to show their position to expected
+reinforcements. And there is little doubt that Cronje, unable to realise
+the expeditious advance of "lumbering Britons," mistook General
+Colvile's troops for the longed-for relief.
+
+Among the missing from near Paardeberg were Lieutenants Romilly (Duke of
+Cornwall's Light Infantry) and Metge (Welsh Regiment), and Captains
+Arnold and Vaughan of Kitchener's Horse.
+
+Here we have the position of affairs as they stood on the night of the
+17th and on the morning of the 18th, when the trap so ingeniously set
+for Cronje commenced to close little by little--north, south, east, and
+west. Everywhere he turned the detestable rooineks menaced him, and he
+who so lately had eaten his breakfast to the tune of his 100-pounder
+gun, that belched ruin and mutilation over the whole region of
+Kimberley, was now constrained to breakfast to a new and disagreeable
+inversion of an identical melody!
+
+
+THE BATTLE OF PAARDEBERG
+
+On Sunday, the 18th of February, the most exciting action of the war
+took place. It was costly as it was momentous, for it served to decide
+the fate of the fleeing Dutchman. The scene of the drama was not
+unpicturesque. From the Paardeberg to the Koodoosrand Drift the Modder
+flowed along a deep hollow from thirty to a hundred yards in depth. To
+either side the forks of small dongas radiated, while the high banks
+were fringed with the feathery foliage of the mimosa and willow. Donga
+and tree stump afforded excellent cover for the slim adversary, sniper
+or scout. The river travelled from Koodoosrand Drift west-south-west,
+deviating southwards on either side of the Wolveskraal Drift. A vast
+expanse of veldt, some two thousand yards wide, shelved down towards the
+south bank of the river, fringed by higher ground; and this grassy plain
+extending eastwards joined a circle of kopjes now known as Kitchener's
+Hill. On the opposite, the north bank of the river, was another similar
+plain, dotted with minor kopjes to within a thousand yards of the river,
+and beyond them was the higher hump of Paardeberg Hill.
+
+The action began at dawn. Firing grew hotter and hotter with the growth
+of the morning, and soon pandemonium was let loose. While part of the
+mounted infantry was forcing the rearguard up the river another part was
+manoeuvring on the right front and flank of the enemy. The Dutchmen
+meanwhile from King's Kop turned on a quick-firing Hotchkiss gun, which
+swept the flat country from the kop to the southern bank of the river.
+The antagonists had both posted themselves on the north bank of the
+river--both banks of which were level, and this expanse afforded no
+cover for movements. Over this expanse the Ninth Brigade had to move,
+struggling through a zone of fire towards the concealed enemy.
+
+Cronje by this time had realised that his position was critical--almost
+hopeless. Bringing his fine military qualities to bear on the situation,
+he decided to make the best of a bad job, and entrench himself with all
+the skill possible. He held about one square mile of the river-bed on
+either side of Wolveskraal Drift, and beyond that he knew were
+encircling kopjes, each one concealing its multitude of rooineks. On the
+east, slowly creeping up, were the menacing numbers of Tucker's
+Division; on the west the vast crowds of the mounted infantry and the
+Sixth Division; on the south were field-guns little more than a mile
+off, threatening to shower destruction from Gun Hill, while on the north
+were Naval guns and howitzers. Indeed, everywhere was fate frowning,
+obdurate, vengeful. But the Dutchman retained his pluck and his wits. He
+even believed that with everything against him he might yet employ the
+same tactics which had nonplussed Lord Methuen at Modder River. He still
+retained a poor opinion of his adversary, and his delusion lent him
+confidence. He hurriedly built trenches, that in themselves were
+masterpieces of defensive art, and took up his headquarters in the
+centre, in a red brick house--a species of travellers' hostelry, which
+may be found near all drifts in South Africa. Here at night Mrs. Cronje
+joined him. During the day she was placed in the women's shelter at the
+east side of the area, which shelter was protected by waggons and
+trenches all along the bed of the river. Talking of these trenches, the
+correspondent of the _Times_ declared that "the skill with which they
+were constructed as defences against both rifle and shell fire was
+worthy of the highest praise. All except those of the outer lines of
+pickets were made so narrow and deep that it seems as though they were
+in many cases entered from one end rather than the top, as any such
+ingress must even in a week's time have considerably widened the neck of
+the excavation. At the top they were perhaps eighteen inches wide, at
+the bottom about three feet, and by crouching down the most complete
+protection was afforded from bursting shell.
+
+"Every natural protection, such as the ramifications of the dongas
+which eat into the banks on both sides of the river, had been utilised,
+though the bombardment from both sides compelled them to abandon their
+first hasty breastworks cut into the actual top of the bank, which was
+here from about fifty to a hundred yards from the river itself, and
+thirty feet in height.
+
+"For the first time here the 'T' trenches, of which much has been said
+during the present campaign, were used. They did not seem to present the
+least advantage over the ordinary shapes, except that in an exposed
+angle they may have provided additional protection against an enfilading
+fire."
+
+Cronje's first object in entrenching himself in the bed of the river was
+to arrest the further advance of the mounted infantry, who had taken
+possession of the bed of the river west of his position. In this he was
+successful. Worn, harassed, and almost helpless, he determined to make a
+desperate stand, hoping against hope to gain time till some help from
+without should arrive. But this help never reached him. A grand
+enveloping movement commenced, and Cronje, brought to bay, found himself
+face to face with what proved to be his Sedan.
+
+By this time he and his followers were snugly ensconced in bush and
+donga and scrub round the laager, and from the trees around they
+vigorously sniped and poured volleys at the advancing troops. In the
+advance to the attack the Highland Brigade was on the left, General
+Knox's brigade in the centre and on the right, while General Smith
+Dorrien's brigade, after crossing the river by Paardeberg Drift, moved
+along the north bank. The Highland Brigade had a terrific duty. The
+Boers, from their position in the bed of the river and on both sides of
+it, commanded the left of the Brigade, and as the kilted mass moved
+forward in the open poured upon them a deadly fire, which forced them to
+lie prone for the rest of the day. Here at noon, when bullets were
+humming their loudest, General Hector Macdonald was wounded. He had
+dismounted, and was directing the movements of the brigade, when
+overtaken by a shot which penetrated thigh and foot. Despite this
+unlucky accident and a tremendous spell of hard fighting, the brigade
+exhibited splendid pluck and tenacity. They were destitute of cover, but
+maintained their position with astonishing fortitude, and this after the
+long forced march they had made from Jacobsdal, and while enduring the
+tortures of maddening thirst, which could not be assuaged. A heavy
+thunderstorm mercifully overtook them in the course of the afternoon and
+raindrops large as gooseberries clattered down their relieving moisture
+on the parched and exhausted troops.
+
+[Illustration: THE BATTLE OF PAARDEBERG.
+
+Drawing by Sidney Paget from a Sketch by W. B. Wollen, R.I.]
+
+On the north bank of the river was Cronje's laager, an environment of
+waggons, carts, ammunition, and stores. While General Smith Dorrien's
+force, among which were the Canadians, Gordons, and Shropshires,
+attempted to charge into the laager, they too were vigorously shelled by
+the enemy, who, undefeatable, held on valiantly to a kopje on the south
+bank of the river. Here they posted a Vickers-Maxim and other deadly
+weapons, and in a measure divided our force in two. The Seaforths and
+the Cornwall Regiment made a splendid charge with the bayonet, and drove
+the Boers from their cover round the drift, but in the glorious rush
+both the Colonel and Adjutant of the Cornwalls were stricken down.
+Ninety-six of the men were wounded, but they now held the north-west
+side of the enemy's position.
+
+[Illustration: PLAN OF THE BOER LAAGERS AND TRENCHES AND THE BRITISH
+POSITIONS AT PAARDEBERG. (By an Officer of the Royal Field Artillery.)]
+
+On the east the Sixth Division was hard at work tackling a horde of
+Boers, who made a last despairing lunge in order to burst through the
+entangling forces and push for the south bank of the river. The effort
+was stubborn as it was desperate, but they were defeated by the dash of
+the West Riding Regiment, who pressed forward with the bayonet and
+succeeded in seizing the drift. Many splendid fellows were wounded and
+slain in the collision. Meanwhile the artillery continued to direct
+their incessant thunder against the laager, pouring in a deluge of
+destruction from all quarters, and forcing the Dutchmen to shrink within
+the space, little more than a mile square, into which they had so
+hurriedly scrambled.
+
+General Kelly-Kenny having possessed himself of both Klip Drift and
+Koodoosrand Drift, the Boers were now enclosed east and west. But here,
+crunched in a veritable death-trap, they fought tenaciously. Worn,
+harassed, and weakened by their hurried march, they yet held a stubborn
+front to our assaulting troops, and from the cramped region of their
+laager did as much damage as it was possible to do. The Canadians, who
+had behaved with conspicuous gallantry in the attack on the laager, lost
+nineteen killed and sixty-three wounded. A description of the fight as
+seen from their point of view was given by a private in the 1st
+Contingent:--
+
+ "We left Klip Drift on the Modder River at 6 P.M. Saturday, and
+ marched all night until seven on Sunday morning, covering 23
+ miles. During the march we could hear the guns ahead. I was
+ orderly man for Sunday, so, removing my pack, I went to the
+ river for water. Just a little way up the river a brisk fire
+ opened up. When I got back to our lines I found them issuing a
+ ration of rum. I had mine, and it just braced me up.
+
+ "By this time the engagement was pretty brisk. Our brigade was
+ ordered on the left of the river, which we crossed at a ford
+ just in rear of the camp. The Shropshires crossed first, then
+ followed the Canadians and Gordons. The water was up to our
+ necks. Some went deeper and had to swim. We crossed in fours,
+ holding on to each other, formed up in column and advanced a
+ short distance, when we extended to seven paces in skirmishing
+ order. C Company formed to support A Company.
+
+ "By this time the bullets were coming pretty thickly, and we
+ had some very narrow squeaks. We reinforced A Company at 500
+ yards and opened fire. The Boer fire was heavy, and some of our
+ boys had been hit, but we soon subdued the fire. Their position
+ was in the river, and we were lying out in the open, no cover
+ of any kind except a few anthills. We could see very little to
+ fire at except the fire from their guns. Our line was in a
+ crescent shape, the right on the river, and the left extended
+ along about 500 yards. In the afternoon our troops were ordered
+ to cease fire. As soon as we stopped they started sniping,
+ which made us hug the ground.
+
+ "Shortly after joining the firing line Captain Arnold of A
+ Company was struck. The Boers started a murderous fire on the
+ stretcher-bearers who carried him away, a trick they did all
+ day long. Towards evening the left was ordered to reinforce the
+ right. It was a daring move, but we did it by running down in
+ threes and fours. At dark all the forces retired, and quite a
+ few men volunteered to search for the wounded. I was out all
+ night until four the next morning, when I laid down played out.
+ I never want to witness such terrible sights as I saw that
+ night again. Whenever we showed ourselves in the moonlight the
+ sharpshooters would fire at us. We were all up early next
+ morning, but the Boers had retired farther up the river. So we
+ collected our wounded and buried the dead. I was helping a
+ hospital sergeant, and he sent two of us up the river to search
+ for wounded. We found a few, and also came across a wounded
+ Boer, whom we bandaged and took back to camp. We also came
+ across a few dead. We questioned the Boer, and he said that
+ they had retired during the night, carrying their wounded and
+ throwing the dead into the river. After dinner, which we had
+ about four, we went out on outpost duty. During the night there
+ was quite a little firing going on. This morning we advanced
+ towards the position again, and about ten o'clock retired for
+ some breakfast and advanced again. Although under fire all day
+ we did not fire, but the artillery certainly played Cain with
+ them."
+
+Captain Arnold's wound was mortal, but Lieutenant Mason, who was also
+shot, was not dangerously hurt.
+
+A Colonial, writing from the front at Paardeberg, said that fighting
+"went on during the day until about five o'clock, when the Cornwalls
+arrived in support. The officer commanding this battalion seemed to
+think that too much time had already been spent in fighting the Boers,
+so ordered the charge. The result was fatal to the Cornwalls, as they
+had to retire. The Canadians, acting under the orders of the commanding
+officer of the Cornwalls as senior officer, also charged, and with a
+like result; but the Canadians, in place of retiring, simply lay down
+and remained. It was during this charge that most of the fatalities
+occurred. The unfortunate commanding officer of the Cornwalls was
+killed, and Captain Arnold and Lieutenant Mason of the Canadians
+wounded. The Brigadier subsequently expressed his regret that the charge
+took place, but at the same time warmly congratulated the Canadians on
+their behaviour, as did Lord Roberts also."
+
+Of gallantry and daring there was no end. From dawn till sunset raged a
+battle of appalling fierceness, of magnificent persistency. From drift
+to drift the hollows reverberated with the perpetual roll of musketry,
+the brawling of multifarious guns, the hoarse cheers of charging troops,
+the shouts of the unflinching enemy. Curling smoke burst in wreaths and
+garlands from the sides of the hills and rose against the purple of
+thunder-clouds; flaring tongues of vengeful flame danced and forked
+their reflections of heaven's lightnings; spouts and torrents of water
+poured from the sky, mingling with the heroical blood of Britain's best,
+that trickled in rivulets, north, south, east, and west of the scene,
+and traced far and wide the history of sacrifice on the now sacred
+ground. For all this, the position of the contending parties remained
+unchanged--Cronje defiant and enclosed, the British lion crouching,
+watching.
+
+At dusk the scene was weirdly, terrifically picturesque. From the south
+and north sides of the river shells hurtled through the air, falling and
+exploding along the river-bed, now setting fire to a waggon, now a cart,
+and filling the gloom with lurid panoramas of flame and an awe-striking,
+ceaseless din. Once an ammunition waggon was struck. Then the blaze and
+crackling which followed, intermingling as they did with the roar of
+artillery and the rattle of rifles, made a fitting concert for Hades.
+And to the tune of this demoniacal intermezzo the cordon round the enemy
+was gradually closing, his last chances of escape were one by one being
+sealed, the last links in Lord Roberts' strategical chain were being
+forged.
+
+At night there was peace. The Modder might have been the placid purling
+Thames winding along between fringed and sloping banks to the bosom of
+the sea. But there was none to admire the pretty scene. All were worn
+out, and glad to drop to sleep where they had fought, while the
+bearer-parties--"body-snatchers," as they were jocosely styled--picked
+their way in the darkness, doing their deeds of mercy with zealous,
+unflagging perseverance. During this time many deserters from the enemy
+came in. They had seen the hopelessness of their case, and had been
+urging, uselessly, the implacable Cronje to surrender.
+
+The following is the list of those who were killed and wounded during
+the fight:--
+
+ _Killed_:--Mounted Infantry--Colonel Hannay.[1] 2nd
+ Warwick--Lieutenant Hankay. Duke of Cornwall's Light
+ Infantry--Lieutenant-Colonel Aldworth,[2] Captain E. P.
+ Wardlaw, Captain Newbury. Seaforth Highlanders--Second
+ Lieutenant M'Clure. Argyll and Sutherland
+ Highlanders--Lieutenant Courtenay. West Riding
+ Regiment--Lieutenant Siordet. 1st Yorkshire--Second Lieutenant
+ Neave. Oxford Light Infantry--Lieutenant Bright, Second
+ Lieutenant Ball-Acton. _Wounded_:--Staff--Major-General Knox
+ (13th Brigade), Major-General Hector MacDonald (3rd Brigade).
+ Duke of Cornwall's Light Infantry--Captain J. H. Maunder,
+ Lieutenant H. W. Fife, Second Lieutenant J. W. C. Fife, Second
+ Lieutenant R. M. Grigg. Seaforth Highlanders--Captain G. C.
+ Fielden, Captain E. A. Cowans, Captain G. M. Lumsden,
+ Lieutenant J. P. Grant, Second Lieutenant D. P. Monypenny (died
+ of wounds), Second Lieutenant A. R. Moncrieff. 1st Gordon
+ Highlanders--Second Lieutenant W. B. J. Nutford. Argyll and
+ Sutherland Highlanders--Lieutenant C. N. Macdonald, Lieutenant
+ G. Thorpe, Second Lieutenant G. A. Akers-Douglas, Second
+ Lieutenant F. G. S. Cunningham. Black Watch--Lieutenant-Colonel
+ A. M. Carthew-Yorkstoun, Major Hon. H. E. Maxwell, Major T. M.
+ N. Berkeley, Captain J. G. H. Hamilton, Lieutenant J. G. Grieve
+ (N.S.W. forces attached). West Riding Regiment--Captain F. J.
+ de Gex, Captain H. D. E. Greenwood. 1st
+ Yorkshire--Lieutenant-Colonel H. Bowles, Major Kirkpatrick,
+ Lieutenant C. V. Edwards, Captain A. C. Buckle (South Stafford
+ attached). Oxford Light Infantry--Major Day, Captain Watt,
+ Lieutenant Hammich. East Kent Regiment--Captain Geddes.
+ Shropshire Light Infantry--Captain Gubbins, Captain Smith,
+ Lieutenant English, Second Lieutenant Kettlewell.
+ Canadians--Captain H. M. Arnold (since died of wounds),
+ Lieutenant J. C. Mason, Lieutenant Armstrong. R.A.M.C.--Captain
+ J. E. C. Canter. Lieutenant G. H. Goddard. East Surrey--Captain
+ A. H. S. Hart. 2nd Lincoln--Second Lieutenant Dockray
+ Waterhouse. 1st Yorkshire--Second Lieutenant W. G. Turbet. 2nd
+ Oxford Light Infantry--Captain Fanshawe, Lieutenant Stapleton.
+ 2nd Bedford--Captain R. W. Waldy, Lieutenant Selous. 2nd
+ Norfolk--Lieutenant Cramer-Roberts. 1st
+ Welsh--Lieutenant-Colonel Banfield, Major Ball. 2nd East
+ Kent--Captain Godfrey-Faussett, accidentally shot (died
+ February 21). 1st West Riding--Captain Taylor, Captain Harris.
+ Roberts' Horse--Lieutenant A. Grant. Argyll and
+ Sutherland--Captain N. Malcolm, D.S.O. 1st Gordon
+ Highlanders--Lieutenant Ingilby. 1st Welsh Regiment--Major
+ Harkness, Lieutenant F. A. Jones, Lieutenant Veal. Mounted
+ Infantry--Lieutenant-Colonel Tudway (1st Essex). 1st
+ Essex--Captain Milward, Second Lieutenant Thomson.
+ _Missing_:--Captain Lennox, 81st Field Battery R.A.
+
+The following table gives the distribution of the losses among
+officers:--
+
+ _Killed._ _Wounded._ _Missing._ _Total._
+ Staff -- 2 -- 2
+ 2nd Duke of Cornwall's Light Infantry 3 4 -- 7
+ 2nd Seaforth Highlanders 1 6 -- 7
+ 1st Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders 1 4 -- 5
+ 1st West Riding Regiment 1 2 -- 3
+ 1st Yorkshire Regiment 1 4 -- 5
+ 1st Oxfordshire Light Infantry 2 3 -- 5
+ 2nd East Kent Regiment -- 1 -- 1
+ 1st Gordon Highlanders -- 1 -- 1
+ 2nd Royal Highlanders -- 4 -- 4
+ 2nd Shropshire Light Infantry -- 4 -- 4
+ Royal Canadian Regiment -- 2 -- 2
+ Royal Army Medical Corps -- 2 -- 2
+ 81st Battery R.A. -- -- 1 1
+
+ --- --- --- ---
+ Total 9 39 1 49
+
+The heaviness of this list and the evenness with which the casualties
+were shared bear witness to the dash and daring displayed by all the
+battalions engaged.
+
+A good deal of comment subsequently took place regarding the methods
+adopted during this day's warfare, and many were of opinion that the
+attempt to take the position by assault was unnecessarily wasteful of
+life. Considering the positions of the various regiments on the morning
+of the battle, it seemed as though the encircling of the enemy and
+forcing him to submission by a slow process of pressure would have
+served equally well to bring about the inevitable end. But again it has
+been urged that there was at the time no knowing how soon reinforcements
+might come to the assistance of Cronje, or what results might accrue
+from permitting the Boers--at the time breathless and weary--to gather
+themselves together for fresh resistance. Delay was evidently the one
+thing that Cronje was playing for, and Lord Kitchener, on his side, was
+averse from risks which might bring about the failure of the vital
+undertaking.
+
+
+TRAPPED
+
+The enemy had little rest. The small hours were spent in constructing
+entrenchments round the laager. All owned that their stubborn energy was
+admirable, but further active resistance on the part of Cronje was now
+beginning to be regarded by all--even his own people--as an act of
+suicide and murder. "It was magnificent, but it was not war," as the
+Frenchman said. The Mounted Infantry and a battery of artillery next
+morning turned their attention to an offending kopje, whence the Boers
+could yet pour their equivalent for "cold water" on the British plans,
+and while circling round the position were accosted with a morning
+salutation from the rifles of the Federals on the summit of the hill.
+Fortunately the fusillade was launched with more vigour than accuracy,
+and there were no casualties. Pursuing their investigations, the troops
+discovered a good defensive position and seized it.
+
+Early in the morning Cronje sent a white flag, demanding twenty-four
+hours' armistice for the purpose of burying his dead. This most probably
+being part of a wary plot to gain time for reinforcements to come to the
+rescue, a reply was sent back from Lord Kitchener to the effect that it
+was impossible to grant the request, which must await the arrival of the
+Commander-in-Chief. Lord Roberts was then on his way from Jacobsdal, and
+when the matter was referred to him, he at once sent a message refusing
+to accede to the proposition. General Cronje's reply, being roughly
+translated, implied that he wished to surrender, but when Lord Kitchener
+requested him to surrender in person, it was discovered that he had no
+notion of capitulation--unconditional surrender being the terms offered.
+Lord Roberts then ordered the resumption of the bombardment.
+
+About midday came the rumour that French was at hand, and that he was
+taking his share of the great hemming-in movement, but the cavalry
+division was then nowhere in view. Lord Roberts arrived later, and
+addressed the troops, who welcomed him with cheers. Meanwhile the 18th,
+62nd, and 75th field-batteries and the 65th (howitzer) battery
+surrounded the laager, and commenced an avalanche of destruction, the
+howitzers battering the river-bed with an enfilading fire, the fumes of
+lyddite rendering the surrounding air green with noxious vapour. Waggon
+after waggon of ammunition exploded with infernal uproar, shrapnel and
+lyddite danced diabolically over the river-bed and laager, yet there
+were no signs of surrender--not the flutter of a white flag in the
+direction where remained the obdurate man who, his last chance gone,
+refused to bow to the inevitable. Prisoners now and then, worn out and
+disgusted, came in, their rifles slung, and gave themselves up. In the
+laager were sixty women and girls, they said, and Cronje, "disconsolate
+and defiant, sat holding Mrs. Cronje's hand and comforting her in the
+river-bed." Meanwhile Broadwood's brigade had appeared, exhausted and
+starving. The cavalry had come along the river-bank to Paardeberg in
+order to reach the forage and the convoy which was accompanying the
+infantry divisions from Klip Drift. Their state was lamentable, for it
+must be remembered that General Broadwood had galloped off during the
+night of the 16th almost provisionless. His brigade had borne the brunt
+of the fray, for General Gordon had only been able to follow later with
+some 120 horses out of his whole brigade. Colonel Porter's brigade
+marched later still, owing to some accident with the telegraph. The work
+of relieving Kimberley and heading Cronje had cost the cavalry some 990
+horses out of a total of 4800.
+
+The loss of life, however, had not been excessive considering the strain
+and the engagements that had taken place between the 14th and 16th, but
+some goodly young officers were missing. Lieutenant Carbutt (R.H.A.),
+Lieutenant Brassey (9th Lancers), Lieutenant Hesketh (16th Lancers), and
+Lieutenant the Hon. M'Clintock Banbury (Scots Greys), were among the
+killed. Among the wounded were Captain Humfreys (Q Battery), Lieutenant
+Houston (P Battery), Lieut. Barnes (Q Battery), Captain Gordon and
+Lieut. Durand (9th Lancers), Captain Tuson (16th Lancers), Lieut.
+Fordyce and Second Lieut. Long (Scots Greys), Lieut. Johnson
+(Inniskilling Dragoons), Lieut. Gray (Roberts' Horse). The fatigued
+remnant of the cavalry division now engaged in tackling the
+reinforcements that Cronje had so ardently expected.
+
+In consequence of the huge circumference of the British circle, it was
+almost impossible to chronicle the innumerable small but brilliant
+actions which were continually taking place, and which in the excitement
+of the investment were almost overlooked. On the night of the 19th the
+Gloucesters performed a dashing though futile feat. In the afternoon
+they neared a kopje in which the Dutchmen were ensconced. They bided
+their time, and just as the shades of night began to fall rushed on the
+enemy with bayonets and drove them off with considerable loss. The
+positions taken were evacuated, however, during the night.
+
+On the 20th the Boers before dawn were again hard at work increasing
+their entrenchments all round their laager, but their plucky labours
+were impeded by continual shells which were launched now and again to
+prevent the work from being carried to completion. Meanwhile from the
+east came the echo of artillery, a rumour of battle which proved that
+the untiring French was actively engaged in standing between the Boer
+reinforcements and Cronje, who still held out gallantly in the fond yet
+forlorn hope of their ultimate arrival. He was humanely offered many
+chances to give in, but since he stoutly refused them all, measures were
+taken by Lord Roberts to bring the fighting to a speedy conclusion.
+
+But the doggedly valiant attitude of the enemy was not lost on his
+assailants. It had been impossible to withhold from Cronje a certain
+admiration for the masterful manoeuvres which extricated him from his
+impossible position at Majersfontein, or for the stubborn resistance
+with which his force, outwitted, harassed by the mounted infantry, and
+fighting a skilful rearguard action, had succeeded in getting at least
+thirty-five miles to Koodoosrand Drift. It was now equally impossible to
+overlook the magnificent energy of the man, who, with his means of
+flight at an end, his 50,000 lbs. of ammunition sacrificed, his stores
+captured, his oxen exhausted to the death, with almost certain defeat
+staring him in the face, could turn and fight an action both ferocious
+and sanguinary. Moreover, by the sheer magnetism of his personality he
+forced his followers to show a bold front and maintain a desperate,
+almost fatuous, courage in the face of the most terrific shelling that
+the century has known.
+
+[Illustration: CRONJE'S STRONGHOLD ON THE MODDER RIVER.
+
+Drawing by H. C. Seppings Wright, from a Sketch by Frederic Villiers,
+War Artist.]
+
+Little by little the enclosing circle began to grow narrower. The
+infantry--the Cornwalls assisted by the Engineers--again set to work to
+push the enemy still farther back into the river, but otherwise little
+advance was made. The position was now sufficiently terrible for the
+enemy. Cronje's trap was about a mile square, while commanding it in
+every direction were guns multifarious; bushes and banks and ravines
+were swept by cataracts of shrapnel, while volumes of greenish-yellow
+smoke from bursting lyddite curved and twisted around the river-bed,
+then carried their noxious vapour to the serene sapphire of the heavens.
+In the clear atmosphere the reiterations of Maxims filled up the pauses
+between the steady booming of artillery, while now and again the
+impotent despairing splutter of rifles from the enemy's laager mingled
+with the stertorous rampage.
+
+On the fourth day of Cronje's resistance what might have been an
+unfortunate incident occurred. The Gloucester and Essex regiments by an
+accident had bivouacked on the north side of the river too close to the
+enemy's laager. The result was that on the first gleam of daylight they
+were discovered by the Dutchmen, who treated them to a volley by way of
+reveillé. Luckily the firing was not at all up to the Boer mark and the
+regiments came off scot-free.
+
+During the day General Smith Dorrien's force on the north worked towards
+the doomed laager while General Knox's brigade held the containing lines
+on the south side of the river. In the east General French was keeping
+an eye on a swarm of Boers who were hoping to come to the rescue of
+Cronje. These held a strong position on a kopje which seemed to be
+specially constructed by nature for defensive purposes. Still, when
+General Broadwood's brigade and a battery of horse-artillery turned
+their attention to the summit and scoured it thoroughly, the Dutchmen
+helter-skelter fled. Unluckily for them, their precipitate action took
+them straight into the arms of General French, who having headed them
+towards the drift, now gave them so warm a reception that numbers bit
+the dust. Some escaped, but fifty were taken prisoners. Forage,
+provisions, and equipment were also seized, though the corpses of the
+slain were carried off, so that the tale of loss could not be told.
+
+The capture of the kopje was an excellent move, as it was a useful
+position whence to watch for and intercept reinforcements that might be
+coming from Ladysmith or elsewhere to the succour of the doomed. A
+message was sent to the obdurate Commandant offering a safe conduct and
+a free pass anywhere for the women and children. Lord Roberts also
+proffered medical attendance and drugs. The offers were curtly rejected.
+Finding courteous overtures of no avail, the bombardment of the position
+was resumed, and the artillery continued to fire till dusk put an end to
+the operations. While the firing was taking place the mules of the 82nd
+Battery, while still hitched to the waggons, took it into their heads to
+stampede, causing a scene of the wildest confusion. The next day,
+however, all save one waggon were recovered.
+
+During the night the Shropshire Regiment accomplished a fine feat. They
+pressed forward some two hundred yards, captured new ground, and there
+entrenched themselves. It was an excellent finale to four days'
+incessant work under a withering fire, and by the 22nd they were fairly
+exhausted. They were then relieved by the Gordons. Here be it noticed
+that the Gordons were now incorporated with the Highland Brigade, which
+was thus composed of four kilted regiments. The Highland Light Infantry,
+who wear "trews," had joined General Smith Dorrien's force.
+
+The exchange of positions between the Shropshires and Gordons was
+effected in a manner worthy of the slim Boer himself, and showed that
+the Britons had speedily taken practical lessons from their adversaries.
+The Shropshires having, as said, seized 200 yards of new ground, they
+were relieved the following morning by the Gordons. The Highlanders,
+snake-like, wormed themselves forward to the trenches on their stomachs,
+while the Shropshire men in like manner crawled over the bodies of the
+relieving force. An officer who witnessed the evolution said, "I have
+often heard of walking on an empty stomach, but I'm hanged if I've ever
+seen the feat accomplished so well and so literally."
+
+Another tremendous thunderstorm broke over the position, causing
+considerable discomfort to the troops, but still more to the unhappy
+creatures who, through the stout resistance of Cronje, were held to all
+the horrors of the trap into which he had fallen. We were now closing in
+on every side.
+
+A grand attempt was made on the morning of the 23rd to bring help to the
+Dutchman. Commandant de Wet with a horde of some 1000 Boers, collected
+from the region of Ladysmith, appeared, and made a desperate effort to
+thrust himself through the British lines. Part of the force on its way
+towards its hoped-for destination was luckily accosted from a kopje
+occupied by the Scottish Borderers. The greeting, smart and accurate,
+was scarcely to the Dutchmen's liking, and they made off in another
+direction, but still with the same result. From position to position
+they were hunted, and in sheer despair they made for an unoccupied
+kopje, where they hoped at last to make a stand. But they were
+disappointed. The lively Scottish Borderers were "one too many for
+them." Seeing the Boers in act of seizing this point of vantage, the
+Borderers promptly hurled themselves in the coveted direction. There was
+an animated neck-and-neck race, and the Borderers, who won by a nose,
+promptly took possession of the hill and completely routed the Federals.
+
+Finally the Boers found shelter in a kopje which was _vis-à-vis_ to a
+like eminence held by the Yorkshires. A passage at arms followed, with
+the result that the fusillade of the enemy died a natural death. Then
+the Yorkshires, who had so strenuously brought about this result, were
+reinforced by the Buffs, lest some more of the Boer hosts from Ladysmith
+should put in an appearance. At this time the 75th and 62nd Batteries
+gave tongue from an adjacent farm, but their vociferous notes produced
+little effect upon the crown of the Boers' stronghold.
+
+So great was the silence that the Yorkshires moved on with a view to
+prodding the enemy in his lair, but, in the attempt, they were so
+furiously assailed by the shot of the enemy that they, in default of
+cover, were unable to proceed. Meanwhile the Buffs persevered, moving
+warily round the position till within 150 yards of the Dutchmen, who
+were eventually driven off. More than eighty--their horses having been
+shot--surrendered. On many of these were discovered explosive bullets,
+and it became evident that desperation was driving the Boers to
+disregard the rules of civilised warfare. Many of our wounded were found
+injured by these unholy missiles; and other tricks--barbarous
+tricks--were reported. On one occasion a Vickers-Maxim gun was directed
+at an ambulance, which at the time was fortunately unoccupied.
+
+During the week our losses were fewer than on the opening day. Captain
+Dewar and Lieutenant Percival, 4th King's Royal Rifles, and Lieutenant
+Angell, Welsh Regiment, were killed. Among the wounded were:--
+
+ 2nd Gloucester--Lieutenant-Colonel R. F. Lindsell; 2nd
+ Derbyshire--Lieutenant C. D. M. Harrington; 9th
+ Lancers--Captain Campbell; P.R.H.A.--Lieutenant Houston; Royal
+ Engineers--Captain Crookshank; 1st Lincoln--Second Lieutenant
+ Wellesley; Argyll and Sutherland--Lieutenant and Adjutant
+ Glasford; 1st East Kent Regiment (attached 2nd
+ Battalion)--Lieutenant Hickman; 2nd Lincoln--Captain Gardner;
+ King's Own Scottish Borderers--Captain Pratt; East
+ Kent--Captain Marriott; Yorkshire--Captain Pearson, Lieutenant
+ Gunthorpe, 2nd Lieutenant Wardle.
+
+Lieutenant Metge (1st Welsh Regiment) was missing.
+
+Daily the enemy was squeezed into a smaller space. General Smith Dorrien
+had now pushed up the river-bed to within two hundred yards of Cronje's
+entrenchments. The object lesson in perseverance, both on the part of
+Boers and British, was becoming almost awe-inspiring--the tension was
+veritably appalling. Soaked with rain to the very skin--the fevered skin
+that had been scorched, and toasted, and begrimed with dust--our men,
+grim and fierce, with the storm-winds piping the pipe of death about
+their ears, held their ground. Rations had been intermittent till the
+convoys began to come in, and, almost fasting, they had been acutely
+conscious of the foul, the nauseating atmosphere that now enveloped them
+like a loathely vaporous entanglement. The river had swollen and bore
+upon its turbid breast horrific revelations--thousands of rotting
+carcases and festering loads of poisonous wreckage, that rendered the
+act even of drawing breath almost a heroism. All along the great march
+endurance had been put to supreme test, for the track had been margined
+with the dead bodies of exhausted oxen and horses. These lay littered
+about, unburied, disembowelled, and in various stages of putrefaction.
+Everywhere vultures and flies and other loathsome parasites of the
+veldt hovered and sidled and crawled, glutting themselves at veritable
+orgies of destruction, and contesting their prizes with the winds.
+These, taking their fill, hastened to diffuse the remains of the grisly
+banquet far and wide. Thus the foul dust, wantonly distributed, blew in
+the throats and eyes and ears of gallant men, and contributed death more
+liberally, more pitifully, than even the bullets of the Boers!
+
+[Illustration: GUNS CAPTURED AT PAARDEBERG. Photo by Alf. S. Hosking,
+Cape Town.]
+
+Plentiful rain had fallen, saturating humanity, and causing the heated
+ground to retract the fumes of a charnel-house. But in one way better
+times had come. There was fuller fare. Large convoys made a daily
+appearance, and the men were refreshed after their labours with the
+promise of plenty. Food of a substantial kind was indeed necessary, for
+it served to attune the stomach to the noxious vapours that hourly grew
+almost tangible. Cronje, though he knew it not, was sowing the seeds of
+a harvest of revenge! He was killing his thousands! For many days our
+troops had been enduring lenten fare; they had rung the changes on
+hardships, fatigues, and self-abnegations of all kinds. They had been
+battered on by storms. They had outstripped transport and supplies. They
+had kept the inner man appeased and working on quarter rations. They had
+marched like giants in ten-league boots, and meanwhile fed like fairies;
+yet withal had borne countenances cheery and noble, full of confidence
+and unquenchable pluck. But these splendid creatures were but mortal.
+The foul fiends of enteric and malaria were already sapping their
+buoyant constitutions, and marking them, one after another, with the
+deadly seal of possession.
+
+Every day of the Dutchman's resistance was therefore full of horror,
+full of anxiety. There were continual rumours that the Boer
+reinforcements were in view, that the Federals were massing for a
+desperate effort. Wearied and battered, the cavalry at Koodoosrand were
+perpetually speeding on wild-goose chases, in one of which both General
+French and Colonel Haig nearly lost their lives. A reconnaissance in
+force had been ordered. The drift, swollen by rains, was now a torrent,
+and in crossing the General and his A.D.C. were thrown by their restive
+horses into the river, whence they only emerged safe and sound in
+consequence of their being fine swimmers and pneumonia-proof Britons.
+
+Cronje, finding that the reinforcements failed to reach him, decided on
+the night of the 26th to cut his way out and seize a kopje before dawn.
+But his intention was frustrated by the Mounted Infantry, who, in spite
+of the darkness, kept a watchful eye on the slippery enemy.
+
+Quite early on the morning of the 27th of February, the anniversary of
+Majuba day, the splutter of musketry greeted the ears of the dozing
+camp. Some one was up and doing early. It was the Canadians. They were
+acting on the principle of the early bird that catches the morning worm.
+Supported by the Gordons, Cornwalls, and Shropshires, they were
+advancing, building a trench in the very teeth of the enemy, and at
+fifty yards' range were saluting him with such deadly warmth as to
+render his position untenable. How this energetic and gallant movement,
+the wonder and admiration of all, was brought about was described by the
+correspondent of the _Times_. "It appeared that Brigadier-General
+MacDonald sent from his bed a note to Lord Roberts, reminding him that
+Tuesday was the anniversary of that disaster which, we all remembered,
+he had by example, order, and threat himself done his best to avert,
+even while the panic had been at its height; Sir Henry Colvile submitted
+a suggested attack backed by the same unanswerable plea. For a moment
+Lord Roberts demurred to the plan; it seemed likely to cost too heavily,
+but the insistance of Canada broke down his reluctance, and the men of
+the oldest colony were sent out in the small hours of Tuesday morning to
+redeem the blot on the name of the mother-country.
+
+"From the existing trench, some 700 yards long, on the northern bank,
+held jointly by the Gordons and the Canadians, the latter were ordered
+to advance in two lines--each, of course, in extended order--thirty
+yards apart, the first with bayonets fixed, the second reinforced by
+fifty Royal Engineers under Colonel Kincaid and Captain Boileau.
+
+"In dead silence, and covered by a darkness only faintly illuminated by
+the merest rim of the dying moon, 'with the old moon in her lap,' the
+three companies of Canadians moved on over the bush-strewn ground. For
+over 400 yards the noiseless advance continued, and when within eighty
+yards of the Boer trench the trampling of the scrub betrayed the
+movement. Instantly the outer trench of the Boers burst into fire, which
+was kept up almost without intermission from five minutes to three
+o'clock to ten minutes past the hour. Under this fire the courage and
+discipline of the Canadians proved themselves. Flinging themselves on
+the ground, they kept up an incessant fire on the trenches, guided only
+by the flashes of their enemy's rifles; and the Boers admit that they
+quickly reduced them to the necessity of lifting their rifles over their
+heads to the edge of the earthwork and pulling their triggers at random.
+Behind this line the Engineers did magnificent work; careless of danger,
+the trench was dug from the inner edge of the bank to the crest, and
+then for fifty or sixty yards out through the scrub. The Canadians
+retired three yards to this protection and waited for dawn, confident in
+their new position, which had entered the protected angle of the Boer
+position, and commanded alike the rifle-pits of the banks and the
+trefoil-shaped embrasures on the north."
+
+For some time it seemed as though hostilities were suspended, and
+then--a sign, a flutter of white, a signal of surrender caught the
+straining eyes of the regiment nearest the crest of the hill. In an
+instant the plains and the hollows, the kopjes, and even the dome of
+heaven, seemed animated--lending themselves to repeat the ringing cheer,
+to reiterate the cry of an immense joyous heart splitting a little
+universe in twain. Ears languid, ears hard-working, ears occupied, ears
+expectant, all caught the sound, echoed it and knew that at last the
+looked-for hour had come, Cronje had surrendered! Many Boers threw up
+their hands and dashed unarmed across the intervening space; others
+waved white flags and exposed themselves carelessly on their
+entrenchments, but not a shot was fired. Colonel Otter and Colonel
+Kincaid held a hasty consultation, which was disturbed by the sight of
+Sir Henry Colvile (commanding the Ninth Division) quietly riding down
+within 500 yards of the northern Boer trenches to bring the news that at
+that very moment a horseman was hurrying in with a white flag and
+Cronje's unconditional surrender, to take effect at sunrise.
+
+
+THE SURRENDER OF CRONJE
+
+Then all was activity. A note was borne to Lord Roberts stating that
+Cronje had given in, and General Pretyman thereupon rode out to take his
+surrender. The scene was highly impressive. Lord Roberts, in front of
+the cart in which he slept, walked up and down awaiting his prisoner,
+while a guard of the Seaforth Highlanders with drawn bayonets formed a
+line to either side. In the distance a small group of horsemen was seen
+approaching, a silhouette which gradually grew clearer in the golden
+light of the morning. It was General Pretyman with the redoubtable
+Cronje riding a white pony on his right and the escort of the 12th
+Lancers following. The subsequent scene was a study in reserve. After
+all the tumultuous passions, the ferocity of bloodshed, the
+diamond-cut-diamond activities of death-dealing lyddite and
+Vickers-Maxims, the two leaders met without the smallest sign of
+emotion. To Lord Roberts, who stood with his staff awaiting him, Colonel
+Pretyman said, "Commandant Cronje, sir!" The two great men looked at
+each other, the Dutchman touched his hat, the Englishman returned the
+salute. The group dismounted, and then, regretfully be it noted, Lord
+Roberts, the blameless upright British soldier gave his hand to the
+tyrant of Potchefstroom. "You have made a gallant defence, sir," said
+the British Commander-in-Chief; "I am glad to see you. I am glad to get
+so brave a man!"
+
+The picture of the redoubtable Cronje as he approached our great little
+Field-Marshal was remarkable in its contrast. On the one side you saw a
+burly square-jawed agriculturist, grizzly of beard, tanned and battered
+of complexion, portly and cumbrous of form. On the other, you had the
+lithe figured aristocratical British soldier, trim in his kharki
+uniform, and wearing his sword with the air of nameless distinction
+which belongs to the born ruler of men. Cronje's aspect was that of a
+substantial farmer, his heavy cane, his slouch hat encircled by its
+orange leather band, his bottle-green overcoat and tan boots were
+distinctly bucolic, but his rigid implacable countenance, an utterly
+impenetrable façade, betrayed the masterly and indomitable character of
+the man.
+
+There is no doubt that by his fierce, his masterly resistance to the
+British he won for himself the respect of all who trapped him. His
+undoubted pluck, a quality which has such unending fascination for the
+English, served in a great measure to wipe off the terrible remembrance
+of his atrocious deeds in other years. Cronje spoke scarcely a word. He
+said there were 3000 Boers in the laager--as a matter of fact, there
+were over 3700--and also requested that his wife, son, grandson, and
+secretary might be allowed to remain with him. This request was acceded
+to; arrangements were made that his relatives should accompany him into
+captivity. He then partook of refreshment in Lord Roberts' quarters with
+the staff. Though he smoked, he said little and remained gloomy and
+preoccupied.
+
+The prisoners trooped across the river like some patriarchal or gipsy
+horde, with trousers turned up so as not to damp them in the swollen
+drift. They splashed along, each armed with his household effects, pots
+and pans, blankets and rifles, some jesting and skipping in sheer
+exuberance of animal spirits that long had been subdued, some stolid and
+serious in the full comprehension of the grievous end of all their pluck
+and endurance. And they had endured! From the hundreds of wounded that
+were brought in the same tale of suspense, and misery, and horror was
+told in varying keys. Always they had awaited reinforcement; they had
+even invented a scheme for cutting a way out to meet the relieving force
+which never came. But volunteers for this deed of daring were few. About
+a hundred in all. This meagre array was not sufficient. Others had
+pressed on the relentless Cronje the philosophy of surrender. They urged
+that directly, if not annihilated by shell fire, they would be laid low
+by fever; already eighty-seven men were slain and a hundred and sixty
+wounded. These had no doctors even to attend them. The surgeons had been
+left behind on the Modder, and the offer of Lord Roberts of medicine and
+succour had been refused. The suffering had indeed been terrible and now
+was of no avail.
+
+It was not pleasing to the vanity of the British army to find themselves
+confronted with such a rabble of tatterdemalions, and to remember how
+this nondescript mob had so long held them in check. But there was no
+denying that the ruffians had qualities, and that they, unkempt and
+undisciplined as they were, had proved themselves foemen worthy of our
+steel and tacticians meriting study.
+
+[Illustration: "MAJUBA DAY"--CRONJE SURRENDERS TO LORD ROBERTS AT
+PAARDEBERG.
+
+Drawing by R. Caton Woodville, from a Sketch by Frederic Villiers, War
+Artist.]
+
+It was curious how much our troops had learnt both from the
+undisciplined Boers and the inexperienced Colonials. From the latter
+they picked up the art of taking cover, and from the former the art of
+obtaining it. The Boer was not content merely to crouch behind a stone
+and show a head only when about to shoot. He cunningly arranged his
+sangar so that he should expose no head at all. He built up his small
+stones to the necessary height, taking care to leave a central loophole
+through which he could take aim and yet remain invisible. An officer, in
+giving his opinion of the Boer as a fighter, showed the lessons that had
+been taught by him. "As a defender of defensive positions in a
+mountainous country he is unequalled. He digs good trenches and chooses
+good defensive positions, and he lies there quietly and waits for his
+enemy to advance across the open. But he never, hardly ever, dares to
+attack in the open, and if his flank is turned or his rear
+threatened, he gets nervous, and retires to a better position if he can.
+If our positions could be reversed--that is, if Tommy Atkins had to
+defend the kopjes, and if the Boers had to attack them in the open,
+there can be no doubt as to the result. Tommy, perhaps, would not be
+quite so good as the Boer in defence, but, on the other hand, the Boer
+would fail in the attack; indeed, he could not be brought to attempt it.
+As a shooter the Boer is no better than our own men. The only difference
+is that he attempts to shoot at far longer ranges. The Boer has taught
+us to dig big trenches and to use big guns as mobile artillery."
+
+The mobility of the big guns was at the moment more of a puzzle than
+ever. The Boers were in possession of some Vickers-Maxims in laager, two
+15-pounders, and some big guns. We captured the minor weapons, but the
+big ones were sedulously hidden, and how they had vanished became a
+problem that was never solved. It was supposed they were buried in the
+bed of the river, but search failed to unearth them.
+
+Trophies innumerable were picked up. Sir Howard Vincent succeeded in
+securing a quaint seventeenth-century Bible, and Roberts' Horse
+possessed themselves of Cronje's green bell-tent and ox-waggon. One
+cavalry officer thought himself lucky to secure a new pair of stays
+marked "11¾, waist 28 inches," evidently the property of a capacious
+vrow. Letters multifarious were found, among them Cronje's commission,
+signed by President Steyn.
+
+Most of the prisoners, when interrogated, declared they were sick of the
+war, and confessed that but for their fear of Cronje they would long ago
+have surrendered. His was the powerful, the guiding hand. Some of them
+expressed queer notions of the causes of the trouble, giving forth at
+second and even third hand--and in a very garbled condition--the
+sentiments poured into them by "sympathisers."
+
+Said one, "The war is got up by the capitalists. The generals arrange a
+victory or a reverse to suit their own interests on the Stock Exchange!"
+
+A private remonstrated, "You don't include Lord Roberts? You'll admit
+that he is disinterested!"
+
+"Not a bit of it! He is a shareholder along with Chamberlain and Rhodes
+and the other millionaires. They all look after number one."
+
+Against such prejudice and ignorance it was useless to argue.
+
+Some of the Free Staters expressed their joy at being relieved of the
+company of the Boers. They had been on bad terms with them, and had
+scarcely dared to speak a word in English for fear of their lives. One
+declared that he was not permitted even to address his horse in the
+odious language!
+
+There were great and astonishing contrasts in the groups of prisoners
+that were gathered together. Many of them were youths of sixteen to
+eighteen years of age. Some seemed in a hopeless stage of sickness and
+despair, others attenuated by the amount of vinegar consumed to cure the
+stupefying effects of our lyddite. Endurance, it was plainly to be seen,
+had been carried to the last pitch. Some, on the other hand, appeared as
+though already reviving with the relaxation of the strain to which they
+had been subjected; some even delighted to find themselves in British
+hands, no longer tormented by "hell-scrapers," as they called the
+shrapnel, and already clamouring to partake of spirits and refreshment,
+for which they had longed in vain. The rapture at their deliverance
+overcame all other sentiments; they had no thought for the ups and downs
+of the war, and many, indeed, were still unaware of the causes that had
+led them to share in it. Cronje had evidently kept a tight hand on them,
+and but for his unique influence many would long before have
+surrendered. This peculiar despotism was marvellous when it is
+considered that none of the younger commanders could induce more than a
+portion of his commando to follow him from the Natal side to the scene
+of operations. Cronje had the privilege of being the most admired and
+well-detested person on the stage of the moment, and one Boer was seen
+clenching his fist in the direction of the vanquished tyrant and
+exclaiming, "You hard man! you deserve to be shot." There were many who
+heard him who endorsed the opinion.
+
+A great deal of undue attention seemed to be bestowed on the Dutch
+Commandant, and evidently it was his undisputed military genius that
+earned for him the admiration of his conquerors. Only to this final
+display of skill and pluck can be attributed the deference paid to a man
+whose Anglophobia had made itself prominent for many years, one who cut
+such a despicable figure in his relations with us at Potchefstroom, and
+who was responsible in particular for much of the brutality which has
+been accredited to the Boers in general. It was certainly a case of
+turning the other cheek to the smiter, for the captive was allowed to
+take with him his wife, and retain in his possession his favourite
+horse, Wolmarens!
+
+Accompanied by Mrs. Cronje, he was sent to Cape Town in a covered
+waggon, guarded by a special convoy under the command of Colonel
+Pretyman. There was considerable pathos in the scene of departure, for
+many of the other prisoners had gone through the ordeal of the
+bombardment with their wives by their sides, and these, less fortunate
+than Mrs. Cronje, had to be left behind!
+
+The majority of people, it must be owned, were horrorstruck at the
+consideration shown to one to whom the word consideration was an empty
+name. A Scottish Colonial, writing home, expressed his irritation at the
+mode in which warfare was conducted. He said: "Cronje is now a hero,
+housed in the Admiral's cabin on board the _Doris_. He is probably
+saying, 'What fools the British are.' For, give him a chance, and he
+would commit again the treacherous murders for which he has been
+responsible in the past with as little compunction as he would feel at
+putting his heel on a scorpion. I wonder if we may take this bit of
+foolishness as an indication of the way in which England is going to
+settle up finally with the Republics. Her policy has so often before
+ended in weakness that one cannot help feeling nervous."
+
+He was merely one of a thousand who argued that it was impossible to go
+to war with kid-gloves on, and who regretted the terms of the
+proclamation which had been made on the entry of Lord Roberts to the
+Free State. This proclamation, which will be discussed anon, was another
+of the nineteenth-century humanitarian movements which were mistakenly
+applied to seventeenth-century comprehension. To return to the events of
+Majuba day.
+
+Lord Roberts subsequently visited the Boer laager, and testified his
+admiration of the ingenuity and energy with which the position was made
+almost impregnable to assault. In spite of ten days' bombardment by over
+fifty guns and howitzers, the number of Boer wounded was said to amount
+to only 160--a fact which went to prove that the power of artillery can
+be broken by the ingenious use of the spade. The entrenchments, when
+examined, proved to be most skilfully contrived, with narrow mouths some
+eighteen inches wide, and wide bases, some quite three feet broad, which
+rendered them almost impregnable to shell fire.
+
+The effect of the bombardment was terrific. The laager presented an
+appearance of black chaos, varied only by streaks of yellow, which told
+of the gambols of lyddite. Waggons were wrecked with shrapnel; some had
+ceased to exist; rings and twists and girandoles of distorted metal were
+all that was left of them. Within the laager was a decaying, disordered
+mass of Boer belongings, saddles innumerable, karosses and panniers,
+coats and feminine apparel, fragments of old tin trunks, and 2,000,000
+rounds of ammunition; wreckage of all sorts, united by the
+super-evident, unavoidable, and persistent bonds of stench, which
+permeated everything, weaving visible and invisible in one noxious
+nightmare of the senses.
+
+Round this arena of pestilence sentries were posted. It was necessary to
+prevent loot, though little of value remained save munitions of war.
+Most of the Boer property had been left behind in the hurried rush from
+Majersfontein and Spyfontein. Still the locality had to be guarded, and
+the guards, as well as all who approached, had to pocket their
+sensibilities. Indeed, it was a marvel how the Boers had managed to
+exist in the pestilential atmosphere that pervaded the river-bed.
+Dotted everywhere, or collected in heaps, already rotting in the
+tropical heat, were the remains of horses, mules, and cattle, some of
+which had been driven to death, while others had been hurried there by
+the voice of our howitzers or the rain of our rifle fire. In the fringe
+of this atmosphere our troops had lived for some three days past, for
+nightly they had advanced some fifty to an hundred yards nearer the
+laager, and there dug trenches and located themselves, till, at the end,
+the last three nights were passed almost within pistol-shot of the enemy
+and in the thick of a stench whose opacity was well-nigh suffocating.
+
+An interesting account of his enforced stay in the laager was given by a
+trooper in Kitchener's Horse, who was taken prisoner on the day previous
+to the great battle which settled Cronje's fate. He had become separated
+from the rest of his troop while scouting along the Modder River. When
+he looked round for his friends, he found himself surrounded by a party
+of Boers, who, jumping from the bushes, fired upon him. His horse was
+shot and rolled over upon the young trooper, carrying him with him into
+the river. The Boers rescued him, relieved him of his bandolier, and
+made him prisoner. Together they went to the laager. "There," the
+trooper said, "I was taken before Commandant Cronje, who asked me our
+strength and movements. On my replying that I was only a trooper, and
+did not know, he said, 'Oh, never mind; if you don't want to tell me, I
+shall not try to make you.' A guard was placed over me, and we stayed
+the night in the laager. I should say there were about 6000 Dutchmen all
+told, and forty women and children. A great many among them were
+Irishmen, a few Scotchmen; in short, almost every nation was more or
+less numerously represented. All that night they were busy entrenching
+themselves, employing a great deal of native labour to help them."
+Through the whole of the 18th of February the young man endured the
+bombardment, which he described as so heavy that it was impossible to
+remain in the laager, and consequently all, even the women and children,
+took refuge in the trenches. The Boers' mode of firing he specially made
+a note of: "The Boers did not in the least mind our attack, and laughed
+amongst themselves as they saw the men advancing. They allowed them to
+come up to about 600 yards from the trenches, and then opened a
+tremendous fire from their rifles. It did not seem to be aimed at any
+particular man, but more at a certain fixed distance. At that they fired
+as fast as they could. The range was obtained by a few fixed shots, who
+fired, watched the dust caused by the strike of the bullets, and then
+gave out the range. Our men came up to within 150 yards and then
+retired. They fired volleys at the longer distances, but all their fire
+seemed to me to be short." Each day there were losses, but comparatively
+few, as the bottle-shaped trenches afforded excellent cover; those that
+fell, however, were buried where they lay. He went on to say that "The
+shelling of Monday night destroyed several waggons, two of which were on
+either side of Cronje's own. No one could have been braver than he was.
+He stood upon the waggon-step, field-glasses in hand, and did not seem
+to care in the least how thickly the shells and bullets fell. Many of
+the Free Staters, however, were quite the reverse, and were in a great
+state of terror when the bombardment began. The ammunition waggons blew
+up, and several of the provision waggons were burned. The shrapnel
+killed the majority of the horses and cattle, which had no shelter but
+the banks of the river. Beyond that the fire did little real damage."
+The prisoner declared his belief that "could they have kept their laager
+out of fire they would never have surrendered. The loss of the provision
+waggons was what caused them to give in. They had only four days' food
+left. Their ammunition was still plentiful. After the explosion of the
+ammunition waggons by shell-fire on February 19, all the remaining
+cartridges were distributed throughout the trenches, and on the south
+side every trench was still full of unused ammunition. Everything was
+done in the trenches, even the cooking, each individual having with him
+a box of provisions sunk into the ground. These boxes were replenished
+at night as there was no possibility of reaching the laager during the
+day."
+
+Lord Roberts addressed the Canadians, and expressed his satisfaction and
+appreciation of the splendid work they had done and the courage they had
+shown. To them he attributed the greater share in the Boer surrender.
+All were delighted at the attention shown the heroic Colonials, who had
+done splendid work, and at the exhibition of Lord Roberts' tact and
+kindliness in thus singling out the Canadians for the position of
+honour. In the Jubilee of 1897 the Field-Marshal had told the Colonial
+Bodyguard that he would like to have them with him if he were ever in
+another campaign, and now the Canadians felt that the Chief's cherished
+words had been no mere formula, and that they had been given the chance
+to distinguish themselves that they had so eagerly desired.
+
+To General Colvile was given the credit of inventing the order of attack
+which at last brought the Boers to their senses. He arranged that the
+first rank should advance, bayonets fixed, till the enemy opened fire.
+Then they were to lie down and continue to fire on the Boers, while
+Engineers and the second line dug a trench. The trench thus made was
+within eighty yards of those of the Boers, and owing to its trefoil
+shape, the troops were able to enfilade both the river and northern
+trenches of the enemy and make them untenable. From their point in the
+original trench the Gordon Highlanders kept up a brisk fire, while the
+Shropshire Light Infantry, who were posted over a thousand yards to the
+north-west of the position, co-operated.
+
+In the very successful attack on the enemy's trenches the Royal Canadian
+Contingent lost seven killed and twenty-nine wounded. Major Pelletier,
+who commanded the French company, foremost of the three companies, was
+wounded, and also Lieutenant Armstrong. It is interesting to note that
+few of this gallant company of Great Britain's defenders could speak
+English!
+
+[Illustration: BOER TRENCHES AT PAARDEBERG. Photo by Alf. S. Hosking,
+Cape Town.]
+
+Colonel Otter, in command of the Canadians, had distinguished himself on
+many occasions by rare coolness and display of great talent in the
+field, and he now took pleasure in reporting excellently of the various
+members of the battalion under his command who had especially
+distinguished themselves. Among these were:--
+
+ Captain H. B. Stairs, 66th P. L. Fusiliers, and Lieutenant and
+ Captain A. H. Macdonell, Royal Canadian Regiment. E Company,
+ No. 5130, Corporal T. E. Baugh, R.C.R. F Company, No. 7782,
+ Private O. Matheson, 12th Newcastle Field Battery; No. 7803,
+ Private A. Sutherland, D. of Y. R. C. Hrs.; No. 7868, Sergeant
+ W. Peppeatt, Royal Canadian Artillery; No. 7871, Corporal R. D.
+ M'Donald, Royal Canadian Artillery; No. 7822, Private C.
+ Harrison, 2nd Montreal Regiment C.A.; No. 7841, Private A.
+ Bagot, 65th Montreal Rifles; No. 7778, Private Sievert, 93rd
+ Cumberland Infantry; No. 7615, Private A. T. Seriault, 9th
+ Voltigeurs de Quebec.
+
+But these were only a select few among the number who were engaged in
+incomparable things done incomparably well.
+
+FOOTNOTES:
+
+[1] Colonel Ormelie Campbell Hannay was in his fifty-second year, having
+been born on December 23, 1848. He entered the army as an ensign in the
+93rd Foot (now the Princess Louise's Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders)
+on October 5, 1867, received his lieutenancy on the 28th of October
+1871, and from February to November 1878 was instructor of musketry.
+Obtaining his captaincy on November 17, 1878, he was employed on special
+service in South Africa during the latter part of the Zulu War, from
+June to October 1879, for which he had the medal with clasp. From April
+to September 1883 he was aide-de-camp to the brigadier-general at
+Aldershot, was gazetted a major in January 1884, and from September 1886
+to November 1887 was again employed on staff service, for the first
+portion of the period as an aide-de-camp in Bengal, and for the latter
+portion in Bombay. He became lieutenant-colonel in June 1893, and
+colonel in June 1897, and in June 1899 was placed on the half-pay list,
+from which he was removed last October in order to take up the temporary
+appointment of assistant-adjutant-general at Portsmouth. Not till
+December 30, 1899, was he chosen for special service in South Africa.
+
+[2] Lieutenant-Colonel William Aldworth, D.S.O., was forty-four years of
+age, having been born on October 3, 1855. He entered the army as a
+sub-lieutenant on June 13, 1874, and was gazetted to the 16th Foot, of
+which he was adjutant from October 17, 1877, to March 29, 1881. Gazetted
+a captain in the Bedfordshire Regiment on March 30, 1881, he served with
+the Burmese Expedition from January 14, 1885, to March 3, 1886, as
+aide-de-camp and acting military secretary to Sir Harry Prendergast,
+first as a major-general in Madras, and then as general officer
+commanding in Upper Burma, being mentioned in despatches and receiving
+the D.S.O. and the medal with clasp. He also took part in the Isazai
+Expedition in 1892, and in February 1893 was gazetted a major. In 1895
+he served with the Chitral Relief Force under Sir Robert Low with the
+1st battalion of his then regiment (the Bedfordshire), and took part in
+the storming of the Malakand Pass and the engagement near Khar, for
+which he had the medal with clasp. Again he was in active service in
+1897-98, under Sir William Lockhart, in the campaign on the North-West
+Frontier of India, with the Tirah Expeditionary Force as
+deputy-assistant-adjutant-general of the 2nd Brigade, and with the
+Khyber Force as deputy-assistant-adjutant-general, being present at the
+forcing of the Sampagha and Arhanga Passes, and the operations against
+the Chamkanis and in the Bazar Valley. He was mentioned in despatches,
+received the brevet of lieutenant-colonel (May 20, 1898), and two
+clasps. He obtained the substantive rank of lieutenant-colonel in the
+Duke of Cornwall's Light Infantry on October 12, 1898.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER II
+
+MAFEKING IN DECEMBER AND JANUARY
+
+
+Christmas Day, in deference to warlike etiquette, was observed as a
+holiday; but, in spite of the pacific nature of the occasion, the man
+who was the brain of Mafeking was organising a plan by which the cordon
+around the town might be broken. He was deciding that there must be a
+big fight on the morrow, and that a desperate effort must be made to
+change the cramped vista of affairs. Waiting was a weary game, and it
+was felt that some one must make a move. The Boers certainly, had they
+chosen, might have carried the town by assault, but for such activity
+they had no appetite. This was no boy's job, and, as they themselves
+confessed, they went out to shoot, not to be shot. Not so the gentle
+civilians, who, while incarcerated in this little hamlet of the veldt,
+had developed into valiant campaigners. They were always ready to be up
+and doing, and gladly fell in with the Colonel's plans. Frequent
+reconnaissances had disclosed the fact that the enemy's position, though
+strong on the western face, was fairly vulnerable at a point on the
+east, and at this point it was decided an attack on the morning of the
+26th should be directed.
+
+The plan of attack was as follows:--Captain R. Vernon, King's Royal
+Rifles, with C Squadron, and Captain FitzClarence and D Squadron, to
+lead; Captain Lord Charles Bentinck, with A Squadron, to hold the
+reserve upon the left, which was under the command of Colonel Hore.
+Major Panzera and the artillery were to take up a position upon the
+extreme left of the line. The railway running to within a few hundred
+yards of Game Tree had been repaired, in order that the armoured train,
+under Captain Williams and twenty men of the British South Africa
+Police, with one-pounder Hotchkiss and Maxim, from a point parallel with
+Game Tree, might protect the right flank. This flank was to be further
+supported by Captain Cowan and seventy men of the Bechuanaland Rifles.
+The entire operations from this side were to be under the command of
+Major Godley, while Colonel Baden-Powell and his staff, Major Lord
+Edward Cecil (Chief Staff Officer), Captain Wilson, A.D.C., and
+Lieutenant Hanbury Tracy watched the direction of events from Dummie
+Fort.
+
+[Illustration: CRONJE'S FORCE ON THEIR MARCH SOUTH.
+
+Drawing by Sidney Paget, from a Sketch made 8 Miles South of Paardeberg
+by W. B. Wollen, R.I.]
+
+It must be remembered that at that time the character of the fort they
+intended to assail was barely known. In reality, it rose some seven
+feet above a ditch deep and wide, which almost defied assault. However,
+it was decided that Game Tree, from which had poured voluble rifle and
+artillery fire for many weeks, must at all hazards be silenced. It was
+most important that communication with the north should be, if possible,
+re-established, and there was every hope that a successful fight might
+make it easier for Colonel Plumer to eventually join hands with the
+besieged.
+
+The night passed. As the grey dawn broke over the veldt, a flash weirdly
+orange and a golden puff of smoke showed that the preconcerted plan had
+begun to be put in operation. Major Panzera with his seven-pounders had
+started the programme. Presently the Maxim rapped out in chorus, while
+on the right the great dusty crocodile, the armoured train, slunk along
+to its destination. Its whistle shrieked. It was Captain Vernon's signal
+for action. On the instant a thin line of moving kharki broke from
+cover, bayonets glittered among the scrub, cheers and the rattle of
+musketry filled the air. Officers and men were dashing, as only Britons
+can dash, each striving to outrush the other towards the lair of the
+enemy. Quick as thought they had plunged into the scrub that girdled the
+sandbags, and excitedly, jubilantly, some one on Dummie Fort sang out,
+"They are swarming over the bags--the position is ours!"
+
+All waited anxiously, almost breathlessly. The moments grew and grew,
+seconds became years. The sputtering of rifles continued, and swelled
+into a vast hum, and then some one--the same some one, only in a very
+different voice from that which spoke last, said hoarsely, "Our men are
+coming back!"... Yes. They were indeed coming back--the remnant--firing
+sullenly their parting shots ere they receded. The enemy's position had
+been proved impregnable! Their parapet was loopholed in triple tiers and
+roofed with a bomb-proof protection. It had but a single opening, large
+enough to admit one man at a time. It was in firing his revolver into
+one of the loopholes and endeavouring to pull out a sandbag with his
+left hand that Lieutenant Paton was killed. Captain FitzClarence, far
+ahead of his men, was shot in the thigh within 150 yards of the fort,
+and both Captains Sandford and Vernon were laid low almost within a
+stone's throw of the rifles of the enemy. Lieutenant Swinburne, who,
+directly Captain FitzClarence was wounded, led his men forward with
+dauntless energy, escaped unhurt. But few were equally lucky. Out of a
+storming party of eighty, twenty-one were killed and thirty-three
+wounded. It was when he saw this useless sacrifice of life that Major
+Godley sent a message to headquarters by the aide-de-camp. "Captain
+Vernon, sir, has been repulsed," he said, "and Major Godley does not
+think it worth while trying again." Nor was it. All that could be done
+was to send the ambulance to perform its grim duty.
+
+In describing the tragic affair, Mr. Angus Hamilton, in _Black and
+White_, said: "Indeed, from the armoured train it could be seen that the
+progress of the men towards the fort was like the Charge of the Six
+Hundred into the Valley of Death--a conviction which became more and
+more apparent as our men gallantly held to their course. Within 300
+yards of the fort it was almost impossible for any living thing to
+exist, and the rush of the bullets across the zone of fire was like the
+hum of myriads of locusts before the wind. The gallantry of the effort,
+the admirable steadiness and precision with which the attack was
+delivered, has been compared by our commanding officers to deeds which
+rank among the foremost of our martial chronicles."
+
+It was veritably a charge of heroes. Scarcely one man could be singled
+out as the bravest of the brave where all showed such magnificent
+courage. Captain Sandford, Indian Staff Corps, though wounded mortally
+by a bullet in the spine, with his last breath ordered his men to
+continue their advance and leave him to his fate. Captain FitzClarence,
+wounded in the leg, bleeding, exhausted, was seen sitting up and
+directing the charge. Elsewhere was Captain Vernon, with a bullet
+through him, rushing on and on in company with the heroic youth, Paton,
+whose effort to scale the inaccessible rampart brought about his death.
+This splendid fellow was shot through the heart; while Captain Vernon,
+who had again been hit, and still pursued his onward course into the
+teeth of the foe, was struck on the head and killed. The only other
+officer that escaped uninjured was Lieutenant Bridges, and he hurt his
+ankle while assisting a wounded comrade. The details of the killed and
+wounded were as follows:--Officers killed, three; wounded, one. Men
+killed, eighteen; wounded, thirty-two; missing, thirteen. Thus ended a
+superb effort, which, failure though it was, was vastly superior to many
+a meaner martial success.
+
+So the garrison had to go on in the old, old way, though many popular
+and beloved members were now missing, and the hospital was full of cases
+that threatened to end seriously. Owing to the commendable forethought
+of Lord Edward Cecil and the enterprise of Messrs. Julius Weil, the
+garrison was provided with the wherewithal to make what resistance they
+did. Lord Edward Cecil's work was ceaseless; as Chief Staff Officer he
+came in for both the external fights and the internal discords. He
+smoothed down quarrels, dispensed justice, allayed "siege fever" in all
+its intermittent phases, and in fact performed the tasks of ten men,
+with unfailing courtesy and inexhaustible patience. The pinch of the
+siege had gradually become more painful, and luxuries for some time had
+been commandeered for the use of the sick. Luckily, some Chinamen among
+the besieged contrived to grow vegetables in small quantities for the
+use of the inhabitants, and by force of good management in the disposal
+of the food supplies, which had been stocked by Messrs. Weil before the
+outbreak of the war, a fixed scale of rations for every man, woman, and
+child was secured. Conversation grew monotonous. It circled round the
+positions of the guns, the chance of relief, and question of stores,
+till it produced a mental giddiness that verged on the idiotic. Few
+grumbled, few swore. In this matter the Boers acted as a safety-valve.
+When people felt in the "something's too bad of somebody" mood, they
+could go out and snipe, and vent their spleen usefully and to the honour
+of their country! Sundays were more than ever flat. There was not the
+excitement attendant on dodging shells in the open. Speculation on the
+subject of food languished round the limitations of Hobson's choice. Mr.
+Neilly in the _Pall Mall Gazette_ gave a sorry outline of the scanty
+fare. "I will attempt to give you an idea of what this scarcity of diet
+means. You are in a trench. In the early morning you have handed to you
+a piece of bread as big as a breakfast roll and a little tin of 'bully'
+sufficient for one average meal. You have some of it for breakfast, and
+if you have not an iron will you will eat the lot there and then, and go
+hungry for the rest of the twenty-four hours. What you leave is kept in
+the broiling sun until luncheon-time, when you find the beef reduced to
+an oily mess that does not look very appetising. You eat more and
+tighten your belt a hole or two to delude yourself into the belief that
+you have had a satisfying meal. You roast away again until dinner-time,
+when you gather up the last crumb and sigh for a few hours in the
+Adelaide Gallery or even in an East-End cookshop. But this is not all;
+you are for guard duty from midnight until 3 A.M. You have no sleep
+before you go on, and the slumber you fall into when relieved is
+destroyed an hour after you have entered upon it by the morning order to
+stand to arms. You thus get a schoolboy's luncheon to keep you alive for
+twenty-four hours. It is made unpalatable by the sun, and if a Mafeking
+shower falls, the odds are that it will be flooded over and buried in
+the mud at the bottom of the trench."
+
+At this time Cronje, by way of recreation, returned to Mafeking, a
+fleeting visit, possibly to test some novel plans for the purpose of
+subduing the town. He came armed with incendiary shells, which were
+supposed to hit and blaze up and cause an inspiriting conflagration. But
+they did not succeed. They caused a conflagration certainly, but its
+duration was limited. At the end of it, Mafeking smiled still, but
+smiled with the curled lip of scorn. The convent, notwithstanding its
+symbol of the Red Cross, had been hit, and crushed, and wrecked; the
+hospital had been assailed; the sacred claim of humanity had been
+outraged; women and children had been subjected to terrors of fact and
+terrors of dread. These atrocities continued, and Her Majesty's
+long-suffering subjects looked on and waited; they believed that
+deliverance must soon come. If they had not had that belief to help
+them, they would have died or surrendered. They believed that a day of
+reckoning would arrive, and that then Cronje and his diabolical
+hirelings would come by their deserts. If only they could have skipped
+six weeks and looked into the mirror of Fate, the drama at Paardeberg
+Drift would have reassured them. As it was, they had to live in faith.
+The series of atrocities that marked the Boer assaults had scarcely a
+counterpart in modern history, and it grew doubtful, if ever their turn
+should come, whether the besieged would be prevailed upon to emit one
+spark of that "magnanimity" with which their countrymen had been so
+lavish, and which the Boer had grown to account as a natural weakness of
+these "verdomde rooineks."
+
+Siege life was now becoming painfully irksome. A blazing sun, a
+drenching rain, a gust of wind through the pepper trees, this was all
+the variety at hand. The inhabitants of the town began to feel like
+ghosts of themselves, ghouls walking the earth, yet out of touch with
+those who spoke of them as a memory, and nothing more. To them it was
+the quiet of the grave. They waited like some enchanted princess of a
+fairy tale for the time when the magic wand should wave and their pulses
+throb with joy and excitation, with laughter and zest for the good
+things of the hour. Now they walked as in a dream to the accompaniment
+of shot and shell, surrounded by devilish ogres and looters of the dead,
+while somewhere within a few miles of them, kith and kin, living and
+breathing kith and kin, seemed as phantoms in a nightmare to pass by and
+to ignore! A speechless, soundless asphyxia of the soul seemed to be
+creeping over these tired patient heroes! They still waited and hoped,
+but hoping and waiting had now grown monotonous, almost mechanical, as
+the tickings of an eight-day clock.
+
+Rumours many and fantastic were brought in by the natives. It was
+believed that a new year's gift of three waggon loads of ammunition had
+been received by the Boers from Pretoria, and also a new gun. This
+weapon it was afterwards discovered was provided with more combustible
+bombs, horrible missiles that disgorge a chemical liquid which ignites
+in contact with the air. Here was a continual horror, and one that was
+only combated by extreme precautions. Though Colonel Baden-Powell in his
+nook on the stoep of his house continued to whistle his insouciant
+notes, his busy brains needed to be Machiavellian in their ingenuity.
+Some declared he slept with one eye open; others, that he never slept at
+all. Certain it was that when all were hushed in slumber he was "on the
+prowl," either on the roof or in the open, reading from the heavens
+above or the earth beneath the enemy's approaching machinations. Some
+find sermons in stones; B.-P. found inspiration in sand and sky.
+
+[Illustration: THE MARKET SQUARE, MAFEKING.]
+
+The Boers continued their bombardment, the sun continued to blaze, to
+smite the tin roofs and glaring sandy roads. After persistently
+directing shells on the women's laager the ruffians succeeded in
+murdering three little children. These were of Dutch nationality, and it
+was hoped that their loss might possibly awaken a feeling of humanity
+and remorse in the breast of those who had prompted the assault on the
+defenceless position. But their conduct was rendering those within the
+town exasperated almost to madness. They panted for a chance to mete out
+annihilation to the blood-lusting rascals and untamed savages who were
+harassing them. They did their best, and sat down to the business of
+clearing off as many as possible of the polyglot horde who worked the
+guns.
+
+The work done by the Bechuanaland Rifles and the British South Africa
+Police was prodigious. They shrunk from no toil and no exposure so that
+they might reduce the number of the besiegers. Early in the New Year the
+Rifles entrenched themselves within 900 yards of the enemy's big guns,
+and spent days and nights in the trenches, relieved at intervals by the
+Police. From nine on one night till nine the next they would occupy
+their unenviable position, carrying with them their day's food and
+water, and employing themselves during the hours of light by keeping up
+a persistent fire on the Boer siege gun. On occasions their fire was so
+accurate that the Dutchmen had entirely to abandon the work of loading
+and training the gun. So smart, at last, grew the British sharpshooters,
+that during each Sabbath the gun was shifted farther and farther away.
+
+Colonel Baden-Powell's resourcefulness was again put to the test, and
+was again triumphant. The Boers were somewhat nonplussed by the
+discovery that he had a new weapon of defence. They put their heads
+together and concluded that the weapon must have sprung from the bowels
+of the earth. It so happened that in some long-forgotten stores in the
+town an old ship's gun was suddenly discovered. Quickly it was brought
+into action. But the ways of this old muzzle-loading 16-pounder were not
+as the ways of the modern "Long Toms," whose tricks were "understanded"
+of the Boer people. It had curious and distinctive virtues of its own.
+This gun threw solid shot, which, unlike a shell that bursts and is done
+with for better or for worse, gallivanted along the ground according to
+its own sweet will, and produced little surprises that caused the
+Colonel much amusement and not a little satisfaction.
+
+[Illustration: GUN MADE IN MAFEKING. Photo by D. Taylor, Mafeking.]
+
+The biography of the treasure-trove was written by Mr. Angus Hamilton
+of _Black and White_, who declared that there was quite a flutter of
+excitement at the appearance of the antiquated weapon. "It would seem,"
+he said, "to have been made about 1770, and is identical with those
+which up till very recently adorned the quay at Portsmouth. Its weight
+is 8 cwt. 2 qr. 10 lbs., and it was made by B. P. & Co. It is a naval
+gun, and is stamped 'No. 6 port.' How it came here is uncertain, and its
+origin unknown; but one gathers that it must have been intended more for
+privateering than for use in any Government ship of war, since it is
+wanting in all official superscription. This weapon, which we have now
+christened 'B. P.' out of a compliment to the Colonel, has been lying
+upon the farm of an Englishman whose interests are very closely united
+with the native tribe whose headquarters are in Mafeking Stadt. Mr.
+Rowlands can recall the gun passing this way in charge of two Germans
+nearly forty years ago. He remembers to have seen it in the possession
+of Linchwe's tribe, and upon his return to the Baralongs, after one of
+his trading journeys, he urged the old chief to secure it for use in
+defence of the Stadt against the attacks of Dutch freebooters. The chief
+then visited Linchwe and bought the gun for twenty-two oxen, bringing it
+down to Mafeking upon his waggon. In those days it had three hundred
+rounds of ammunition, which were utilised in tribal fights. With the
+exception of visits which the gun made to local tribes, it has remained
+here, and is now in the possession of Mr. Rowlands. It has recently
+been mounted, and is in active operation against our enemies. We have
+made balls for it, and are intending to manufacture shells, in the hope
+we shall at least be able to reach the emplacement of Big Ben. The first
+trial of 'B. P.' in its new career gave very satisfactory results. With
+two pounds of powder it threw a ball of ten pounds more than two
+thousand yards. The power of the charge was increased by half pounds
+until a charge of three pounds threw a ball of the same weight as the
+first rather more than two miles. We, therefore, have pinned our hopes
+upon it, and commend to the responsible authorities the reflections
+which may be derived from the fact that our chief and most efficient
+means of defence lie in such a weapon."
+
+The mosquito tactics of the wily Colonel proceeded as usual, but the
+Boer was hard to checkmate. On the 15th of January an attack was made by
+the sharpshooters against the enemy's big gun battery, with the pleasing
+result that on the following day the 94-pounder and high-velocity Krupp
+evacuated their positions, and retired to a more distant one on the east
+side of the town, whence their command of the place was comparatively
+limited. In this quarter, now that the foe was pushed out of rifle
+range, it was possible to open grazing for cattle, a very desirable
+movement, for the poor lean beasts were waning rapidly. At this time
+Captain FitzClarence was reported among the convalescents, the wound
+received on the 26th of December having almost healed.
+
+Preparations were set on foot for the purpose of routing the enemy with
+dynamite, failing all other means of ridding the town of his too
+intimate proximity. Colonel Baden-Powell's motto, unlike that of British
+Governments, was to take time by the forelock. He left nothing to
+chance. In order to avert any risk of running short of supplies, rations
+were reduced, and oats which had previously belonged to the beasts were
+promoted to the use of their owners. Very stringent laws existed for the
+economising of everything. Matches and tinned milk were commandeered,
+and the theft of a matchbox was now viewed as a heinous crime. Tobacco
+in small quantities remained, but wines and spirits were fast running
+out. There were pathetic leave-takings as each quart of whisky
+disappeared from the stores; there was no knowing when would arrive the
+hour for a fond and a last farewell. Conversation grew still more
+monotonous. It mostly consisted of how the inner man should be
+sustained, and of anecdotes of agility in avoiding shot and shell.
+
+[Illustration: WEST YORKSHIRE REGIMENT (Colour-Sergeant).
+
+YORKSHIRE REGIMENT (Sergeant).
+
+Photo by Gregory & Co., London.]
+
+Still, considerable interest was taken in the performances of the old
+16-pounder, which had been rigged up and christened by some "Skipping
+Polly," on account of its skittish habits and its propensity to
+ricochet. This, though erratic in its proceedings, did good work, and
+struck the parapet of the enemy's fort. On the 10th of January violent
+rains came down, and rendered most of the trenches in front of the town
+uninhabitable, and life in general almost unendurable. Never was there
+greater need for the inestimable virtues of pluck and patience, and if
+medals had been awarded for these united qualities, the inhabitants of
+Mafeking would all have possessed them.
+
+The pinch of siege life now became terribly evident, for the Kaffirs
+were reduced to eating mules. The British feared their turn at this diet
+would come directly. But the garrison was still cheery, and their
+entrenchments were considerably improved. In these Colonel Baden-Powell
+took a just pride, and his activity in promoting the safety and comfort
+of the inhabitants was boundless. They declared that they could feed
+themselves for another three months, but the nature of the form of
+provision was not divulged. Hardships and privations were endured by the
+little force with really amazing pluck. Beds they had scarcely enjoyed
+since the commencement of the siege; baths were almost as foreign, few
+had had a chance to remove their clothes; and news--the stimulus of the
+outside world--was entirely lacking. Letters now and then were passed
+out, but the real truth could never be trusted to black and white.
+
+The office of censor was undertaken by the Hon. A. H. Hanbury Tracy
+(Royal Horse Guards). His occupation was a hard and a thankless one, for
+constant vigilance had to be exercised lest reports concerning the inner
+state of Mafeking--reports most ardently craved by those interested at
+home--might fall into the hands of the enemy, and thus cramp the
+operations of Colonel Baden-Powell and those who helped him to present a
+bold and fearless front to the hovering hordes who were waiting smugly
+for what they believed to be the inevitable.
+
+On the 17th General Snyman bethought himself of a new way of starving
+the garrison into surrender. He sent a party of natives to enjoy the
+hospitality of the already sparsely fed town. It had not a mule to spare
+for extra Kaffirs, and Colonel Baden-Powell sternly though regretfully
+refused admittance to the new-comers. According to Boer usage, the
+officer and orderly who conveyed the message, notwithstanding the fact
+that they carried a white flag, were fired upon by the enemy while they
+were returning. A dastardly trick this, and the garrison resented it.
+
+At this time the news of the grand Ladysmith sortie was received with
+rejoicings, and the bellicose youngsters of the community began to rack
+fertile brains in hope to emulate the courage and dash of the sister
+garrison. On this day a shell hit the shelter occupied by Major Baillie
+and Mr. Stent, Reuter's correspondent, and portions crashed through
+Dixon's Hotel, but fortunately without injuring any one.
+
+News now reached the benighted villagers that Colonel Plumer, with three
+armoured trains, had actually reached Gaberones, some three hundred
+miles north of Mafeking. The troops had some sharp tussles with the
+Boers, and drove them out of rifle range while the railway operatives
+mended the line. Where Colonel Plumer's three trains came from was a
+mystery. He was known to have _one_, but there was no saying of what
+Rhodesia might not be capable in time of stress. Colonel Plumer had his
+work cut out for him, but he was not a man to sheer off difficult tasks,
+and there was intense hope that he might succeed. But there was always
+the Boer artillery--a terrible barrier between the relieving force and
+Mafeking--and in the face of this even the finest warriors, almost
+gunless, could scarcely be expected to advance alive.
+
+On the 19th of January the small community celebrated the 100th day of
+the siege. All the corners of the square had been knocked off by the
+ever-active Boers, but the village maintained a suitable air of
+liveliness. Exhibitions were arranged, and some smart fighting showed
+that the right arm of the British had lost none of its cunning.
+
+There were fat days and lean days in Mafeking. Though for the most part
+leanness prevailed, there was now and then to be found an oasis in the
+desert of the commissariat. Occasionally some successful raid made by
+the natives was productive of real meals--succulent beef _versus_ old
+mule and husks. In the course of one daring foray the natives secured
+two dozen head of cattle; in another they carried off prizes of fat kine
+to the tune of a score. The excursions took place under cover of
+darkness, and, like all raids, were pursued without the consent of the
+Government. The natives had a process peculiarly their own in seducing
+the fat kine to follow them home. Devoid of clothing, and crawling
+snake-like over the veldt, they would approach the grazing cattle and
+gradually draw off such beasts as appeared goodly in their eyes, and
+which had been previously marked down with the acuteness of hungry
+instinct. Noiselessly the animals were enticed on and on till they
+reached the precincts of the staadt, where the raiders were anxiously
+looked for by their Baralong friends. These famishing individuals
+greeted the successful capture of the wherewithal to maintain life with
+shouts and dances of joy.
+
+The garrison was soon put on a scale of still more reduced rations.
+These consisted of half a pound of meat and the same of bread daily. The
+luxuries of life--the people in England looked on them as
+necessaries!--tea, sugar, biscuits, jams, &c., were commandeered. In
+January the following housekeeper's notes were made by the correspondent
+of the _Times_:--"Meal and flour have jumped from 27s. per bag to 50s.;
+potatoes, where they exist at all, are £2 per cwt.; fowls are 7s. 6d.
+each; and eggs 12s. per dozen. Milk and vegetables can no longer be
+obtained, and rice has taken the place of the latter upon the menus.
+These figures mark the rise in the more important food-stuffs as sold
+across the counter, but the hotels have, in sympathy, followed the
+example, they upon their part attributing it to the increase which the
+wholesale merchants have decreed. A peg of whisky is 1s. 6d., dop brandy
+1s., gin 1s., large stout is 4s., small beer 2s. In ordinary times
+whisky retails at 5s. per bottle. This rate has now advanced to 18s. per
+bottle and 80s. per case. Dop, which is usually 1s. 4d., is now 12s. per
+bottle; the difference upon beer is almost 200 per cent., and inferior
+cigarettes are now 18s. per 100."
+
+On the good management of the contractors, Messrs. Weil & Co., every one
+depended for flesh and blood. On them rested the responsibility of
+issuing daily rations--bread and meat for the garrison, forage for
+horses, and food for natives--and very excellently they fulfilled their
+difficult task.
+
+On the 21st an unusual sort of show was held. The exhibits ranged from
+foals to babies, Mr. Minchin (Bechuanaland Rifles) securing first prize
+for the former, while Sergeant Brady, B.S.A.P., was the proud winner of
+the prize for the latter.
+
+Colonel Baden-Powell sent a despatch reporting his own doings at the end
+of January to Colonel Nicholson. It ran as follows:--
+
+ "Inform the Commanding Staff Officer that we are well here. On
+ January 23 the enemy moved their north-east supporting laager
+ to within 4500 yards of the town. We pushed our advance works
+ in that direction, and mounted Lord Nelson, an old naval
+ smooth-bore gun, in an emplacement 3100 yards from the enemy.
+ On the evening of January 29 we unmasked our guns and shelled
+ the enemy's camp with complete success. Next morning the Boer
+ laager was moved back two miles.
+
+ "On the 31st we were busy on all sides of the town. On the
+ south the men in our advance works had a skirmish with three of
+ the enemy's Krupp and Maxim guns, the firing being very heavy.
+ A bombardment of our front on Cannon Kopje by the Boer
+ 94-pounder followed. On the east front our four guns replied to
+ this by a concentrated fire on the brickfield entrenchments,
+ where the enemy poured in a musketry and artillery fire.
+
+ "On the north the enemy's 5-pounders kept up a steady fire.
+ They dropped one shell through the roof of the hospital, but
+ luckily it did not explode. On the west the enemy, from their
+ advanced works, opened a heavy rifle and Maxim fire on Fort
+ Ayr, which our fort eventually silenced by the well-aimed fire
+ of its guns. The enemy sent three big shells into the town
+ after dark, but they gained nothing during the day.
+
+ "Our casualties during the past two days from the enemy's shell
+ fire have been three killed and three wounded. Mr. Kiddy, of
+ the Railway Department, has died of fever.
+
+ "On February 2 General Snyman, in reply to my letter with
+ regard to his deliberately shelling the women and children's
+ laagers on the 27th ult., offered no excuse or apology, and by
+ a transparent falsehood practically admits that he ordered it.
+ I have told him that I have now established temporary premises
+ for the Boer prisoners in the women's laager and in the
+ hospital, in order to protect these places from deliberate
+ shelling."
+
+General Snyman and Colonel Baden-Powell had also a correspondence
+regarding Snyman's arming and raising of natives. In reply the old
+commandant said that he had merely armed the natives as cattle-guards.
+In his turn he complained that the British had been seen making
+fortifications on Sunday. The Colonel, who only relaid some mine wires,
+informed him that he had himself been entertained by watching the
+building of new fortifications by the Boers on that day.
+
+On the 25th of January a shell burst through the convent, which was used
+as a convalescent hospital, and slightly wounded Lady Sarah Wilson, who
+had taken upon herself the care of the invalids. On the following day
+the women's laager was continuously shelled, but fortunately with small
+result. There was general jubilation at reports received regarding the
+success of Lord Roberts' operations. The news was an immense stimulus,
+and speculation as to the date of relief was freely indulged in. The
+besieged had learnt to gather hope from the smallest incidents. The
+disappearance from time to time of the 5-pounder Krupp, the 1-pounder
+Maxim, the 9-pounder quick-firing Creusot, which had a trick of making
+weekly excursions somewhere--caused them to conjecture whether Colonel
+Plumer had reached a point where these pieces could be made to come in
+handy. The 100-pounder Creusot, however, was untiring. It engaged only
+in shorter peregrinations, moving from one emplacement to another by way
+of variety, and keeping up a system of torture which acted badly on the
+nerves of the unhappy persons who were honoured with its attentions.
+
+The following telegram, forwarded by runner from the Mayor of Mafeking
+(Mr. Whiteley), was addressed to Queen Victoria: "Mafeking upon the
+hundredth day of siege sends loyal devotion to your Majesty, and
+assurance of continued resolve to maintain your Majesty's supremacy in
+this town." The splendid little garrison had indeed a right to be proud
+of itself for having for so long a period held at bay a puissant and
+spiteful foe. It had fought, it had schemed, it had set its wits against
+the wits of Cronje and his successors, and defied them magnificently.
+"No surrender" was its motto, and the reply from the enemy was stamped
+on every house of this minute town--so minute that it could have been
+"stowed within the railings of St. James' Park"--and scribbled in large
+black defacing lines wherever shot and shell could penetrate. Some idea
+of life's daily accompaniment of artillery may be arrived at by reading
+a description of his experiences recounted by Mr. Neilly of the _Pall
+Mall Gazette_. He said:--"When the enemy's artillery began to send us
+the heavy ration, those who knew most about the power of modern
+long-range high-velocity arms dreaded most the consequences. At the
+advice of our commander-in-chief, we went to earth, some into dug-outs,
+I, with others, into the wine-cellar of the hotel, which I consider was
+the most comfortable and luxurious place in the town. After breakfast a
+twelve-pounder on the heights went 'Boom!' Where had the shell gone? Had
+it struck a house? Had the building collapsed? Would the town be
+flattened and set on fire when the whole battery came into action? We
+speculated so until the second boom sounded, and the third quickly
+followed. Himmel! We had got it, and what a crash it was! Something had
+given way, and _débris_ and shrapnel scattered like a hailstorm across
+the dining-room floor overhead. While some calmed the ladies, others of
+us doubled up through the trapdoor, slid the panel that divides the bar
+from the dining-room, and looked in. The dense smoke of the bursting
+charge filled the place, but there was nothing to indicate that anything
+was aflame. When the air cleared slightly we entered, to find the floor
+and tables littered with brick-dust and scrap iron; but the area of
+destruction was confined to the brickwork at the side of the window.
+Nothing was stirred upon the tables, which were laid for luncheon. That
+was enough. Had the house been built of good tough English brick, its
+flank would have probably collapsed; the rottenness of the walls had
+saved them; the rottenness of all the houses would bring about
+comparative safety to the town. Solids struck by shell add to the
+destruction wrought by the projectile through flying splinters; but
+there is no use in trying to batter sand stuck together with water. The
+concussion sends off the detonator, the burst makes a hole in the wall,
+and the further results are an untidied room and a bad fright to anybody
+who may be in it."
+
+The writer, like the rest of the plucky crew, talked airily of the
+ordeal that all passed through, without a single boast of the splendid
+effect of the garrison's doughty resistance to the enemy in the early
+phases of the war.
+
+It is scarcely possible to exaggerate the full importance of this
+magnificent defence at that time. As an object-lesson in British pluck,
+and the marvellous celerity with which peace-loving citizens may become
+glorious fighters, the defence as a whole stands without parallel. But
+from a political point of view the initial stoutness of the resistance
+was a _coup_ which had far-reaching results.
+
+There is no doubt that at the outset of the war a conspiracy was on foot
+between the Cape Dutch and the Federals, and that the capture of certain
+towns was to be taken as a signal for the joining of the allies to drive
+the British from South Africa. It was thought that the apparently
+insignificant village of Mafeking would be among the first to fall, and
+the conspirators congratulated themselves that once the place went
+under, the door to Rhodesia would fly open. The gallant Cronje, with
+nothing better to occupy him, could have worked his way north, attacked
+Colonel Plumer and his small force, and without doubt defeated them. He
+would then have proceeded on a triumphal march. Having intimidated the
+natives, who invariably back the man with the visible biceps, and having
+armed the Matabele and Mashonas, he would have completely swept and
+devastated the fair country of the Colossus before our troops could have
+had time to save it from ruin. How far the ruin would have spread it is
+difficult to say. Like dynamite, it would have struck upwards and
+downwards, north and south. The capture of Mafeking would have unhinged
+the native population there, and forced them to side with the Boers; and
+once the natives got under arms the situation would have become so
+complicated that it might have taken years to unravel, if indeed the
+Government had the patience to unravel it at all.
+
+Then disaffection would have spread rapidly, even to Table Bay. Had
+Cronje at the outset not been kept tied to the place, occupied in trying
+to crack the nut which he eventually found too hard for his own teeth
+and for the sledge-hammer weapons of his mercenaries, he would have gone
+on from town to town gathering up adherents as he went, and causing
+intimidation of such a kind that even the loyally disposed would in
+sheer self-defence have thrown in their lot with him.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER III
+
+AT POPLAR GROVE
+
+
+Before going on, it must be noted that on the 19th Lord Roberts had
+issued a proclamation to the Burghers of the Free State in English and
+Dutch. He said that the British having entered the Free State, he felt
+it his duty to make known the cause, and to do his utmost to end the
+war. Should the Free Staters continue fighting, they would do so in full
+knowledge of their responsibility for the lives lost in the campaign.
+Before the war, the Imperial Government desired the friendship of the
+Free State, and solemnly assured President Steyn that if he remained
+neutral the Free State territory would not be invaded and its
+independence would be respected. Nevertheless, the Free Staters had
+wantonly and unjustifiably invaded British territory, though the
+Imperial Government believed that the Free State Government was wholly
+responsible, under mischievous outside influence, for this invasion.
+
+The Imperial Government bore the people no ill-will, and was anxious to
+preserve them from the evils which the action of their Government had
+caused. Lord Roberts warned the Burghers to desist from further
+hostilities, and he undertook that Burghers so desisting should not
+suffer in their persons or property. Requisitions of food, forage, fuel,
+and shelter must be complied with. Everything would be paid for on the
+spot, and if supplies were refused they would be taken, a receipt being
+given. Should the inhabitants consider that they had been unjustly
+treated, and should their complaint on inquiry be substantiated, redress
+would be given. In conclusion, Lord Roberts stated that British soldiers
+were prohibited from entering houses or molesting the civil population.
+
+By the terms of this proclamation it was necessary to abide, though, by
+degrees, as will be seen, it began to be discovered that generous
+concessions made to our enemies were misinterpreted and taken advantage
+of in ways which tended to prolong the war.
+
+Lords Roberts and Kitchener paid a flying visit to Kimberley on the 1st
+of March, and attended a crowded meeting in the Town Hall. Lord Roberts,
+with his usual grace, dwelt on the courage, endurance, and heroism
+exhibited by the troops and residents, not only in Kimberley, but in the
+other besieged towns.
+
+Cronje's fate being sealed, the Field-Marshal shifted his headquarters
+to Osfontein, seven miles up the Modder from Paardeberg. Near here it
+was rumoured that such Boers as had failed to come to the succour of
+Cronje had flocked. These, numbering some 10,000, had gathered at the
+summons of their chief from the regions round Stormberg, Colesberg, and
+Ladysmith, and were now busily entrenching a position some fifteen miles
+long. Of this the flanks rested on kopjes to the south of the river on a
+group called Seven Sisters, and to the north across the river on a
+flat-topped kopje, behind which were further fortified kopjes, forming a
+formidable position at Poplar Grove, a place so called because of a
+sparse display of poplar and Australian gum-trees in the vicinity.
+
+At this time the two Presidents of the Republics, finding things getting
+too hot to be comfortable, made magnanimous proposals for peace. The
+following is the text of their despatch.
+
+ "BLOEMFONTEIN, _March 5, 1900_.
+
+ "The blood and the tears of the thousands who have suffered by
+ this war, and the prospect of all the moral and economic ruin
+ with which South Africa is now threatened, make it necessary
+ for both belligerents to ask themselves dispassionately, and as
+ in the sight of the Triune God, for what they are fighting, and
+ whether the aim of each justifies all this appalling misery and
+ devastation.
+
+ "With this object, and in view of the assertions of various
+ British statesmen, to the effect that this war was begun and is
+ being carried on with the set purpose of undermining Her
+ Majesty's authority in South Africa, and of setting up an
+ Administration over all South Africa independent of Her
+ Majesty's Government, we consider it our duty solemnly to
+ declare that this war was undertaken solely as a defensive
+ measure to safeguard the threatened independence of the South
+ African Republic, and is only continued in order to secure and
+ safeguard the incontestable independence of both Republics as
+ sovereign international States, and to obtain the assurance
+ that those of Her Majesty's subjects who have taken part with
+ us in this war shall suffer no harm whatsoever in person or
+ property.
+
+ "On these conditions, but on these conditions alone, are we
+ now, as in the past, desirous of seeing peace re-established in
+ South Africa, and of putting an end to the evils now reigning
+ over South Africa; while, if Her Majesty's Government is
+ determined to destroy the independence of the Republics, there
+ is nothing left to us and to our people but to persevere to the
+ end in the course already begun, in spite of the overwhelming
+ pre-eminence of the British Empire, confident that that God who
+ lighted the unextinguishable fire of the love of freedom in the
+ hearts of ourselves and of our fathers will not forsake us, but
+ will accomplish His work in us and in our descendants.
+
+ "We hesitated to make this declaration earlier to your
+ Excellency, as we feared that as long as the advantage was
+ always on our side, and as long as our forces held defensive
+ positions far in Her Majesty's Colonies, such a declaration
+ might hurt the feelings of honour of the British people; but
+ now that the prestige of the British Empire may be considered
+ to be assured by the capture of one of our forces by Her
+ Majesty's troops, and that we are thereby forced to evacuate
+ other positions which our forces had occupied, that difficulty
+ is over, and we can no longer hesitate clearly to inform your
+ Government and people, in the sight of the whole civilised
+ world, why we are fighting, and on what conditions we are ready
+ to restore peace."
+
+[Illustration: SHELL FROM THE NAVAL BRIGADE DISPERSING BOERS FROM BEHIND
+THE SEVEN SISTERS KOPJES, DURING THE ACTION OF 7th MARCH AT LE GALLAIS
+KOPJE, NEAR OSFONTEIN.
+
+Drawing by Sidney Paget, from a Sketch by W. B. Wollen, R.I.]
+
+The answer to this effusion, addressed by Lord Salisbury on behalf of
+Her Majesty's Government to the Presidents, ran:--
+
+ "FOREIGN OFFICE, _March 11, 1900_.
+
+ "I have the honour to acknowledge your Honours' telegram, dated
+ March 5, from Bloemfontein, of which the purport is principally
+ to demand that Her Majesty's Government shall recognise the
+ 'incontestable independence' of the South African Republic and
+ Orange Free State as 'sovereign international States,' and to
+ offer, on those terms, to bring the war to a conclusion.
+
+ "In the beginning of October last, peace existed between Her
+ Majesty and the two Republics under the Conventions which then
+ were in existence. A discussion had been proceeding for some
+ months between Her Majesty's Government and the South African
+ Republic, of which the object was to obtain redress for certain
+ very serious grievances under which British residents in the
+ South African Republic were suffering. In the course of these
+ negotiations, the South African Republic had, to the knowledge
+ of Her Majesty's Government, made considerable armaments, and
+ the latter had, consequently, taken steps to provide
+ corresponding reinforcements to the British garrisons of Cape
+ Town and Natal. No infringement of the rights guaranteed by the
+ Conventions had, up to that point, taken place on the British
+ side. Suddenly, at two days' notice, the South African
+ Republic, after issuing an insulting ultimatum, declared war
+ upon Her Majesty; and the Orange Free State, with whom there
+ had not even been any discussion, took a similar step. Her
+ Majesty's dominions were immediately invaded by the two
+ Republics, siege was laid to three towns within the British
+ frontier, a large portion of the two Colonies was overrun, with
+ great destruction to property and life, and the Republics
+ claimed to treat the inhabitants of extensive portions of Her
+ Majesty's dominions as if those dominions had been annexed to
+ one or other of them. In anticipation of these operations the
+ South African Republic had been accumulating for many years
+ past military stores on an enormous scale, which, by their
+ character, could only have been intended for use against Great
+ Britain.
+
+ "Your Honours make some observations of a negative character
+ upon the object with which these preparations were made. I do
+ not think it necessary to discuss the questions you have
+ raised. But the result of these preparations, carried on with
+ great secrecy, has been that the British Empire has been
+ compelled to confront an invasion which has entailed upon the
+ Empire a costly war and the loss of thousands of precious
+ lives. This great calamity has been the penalty which Great
+ Britain has suffered for having in recent years acquiesced in
+ the existence of the two Republics.
+
+ "In view of the use to which the two Republics have put the
+ position which was given to them, and the calamities which
+ their unprovoked attack has inflicted upon Her Majesty's
+ dominions, Her Majesty's Government can only answer your
+ Honours' telegram by saying that they are not prepared to
+ assent to the independence either of the South African Republic
+ or of the Orange Free State."
+
+To return to Osfontein. There was now a short and much-needed interval
+of repose, in which men and horses tried to recuperate. It was, however,
+necessary for the cavalry to be continually scouring the country to
+ascertain the whereabouts of the enemy.
+
+On the 6th of March Lord Roberts welcomed the Ceylon Mounted Infantry,
+and sent the following telegram to Sir West Ridgeway, Governor of
+Ceylon:--"I have just ridden out to meet Ceylon Mounted Infantry, and
+welcome them to this force. They look most workmanlike, and are a
+valuable addition to Her Majesty the Queen's army in South Africa."
+These troops were in excellent condition, so also were their handy Burma
+ponies, smart, knowing, and game little beasts, warranted to turn on a
+sixpence and stand any amount of wear and tear.
+
+On the same day the Colonials had a smart set-to with the Dutchmen, who
+were endeavouring to locate themselves in the vicinity, and the New
+Zealanders and Australians made themselves more than a match for the
+Boers, losing themselves only six wounded, while they put ten of the
+enemy out of action. The rest of the gang disappeared, on the principle
+of those who fight and run away live to fight another day. In fact, they
+moved to some strong eminences that commanded either side of the river,
+the centre of the position being at Poplar Grove Farm. Here the Federals
+thought to embarrass the British advance, but Lord Roberts decided to
+undeceive them. The Field-Marshal's plan was now to turn their left
+flank with the cavalry division, and then to meet their line of defence
+with the infantry divisions, and thus enclose them as Cronje had been
+enclosed.
+
+Accordingly the troops got themselves into battle array. The Naval
+Brigade brought their 4.7 guns four miles north-east of Osfontein, while
+the cavalry prepared to turn the Boer left, and started before daybreak
+of the 7th to accomplish this feat. On the north bank was left the Ninth
+Division with some handy Colonials and guns. Moving to the east were the
+Sixth and Seventh Divisions, with the Guards Brigade in the centre.
+
+The dawn grew. The Boers in the golden rays of morning were disclosed
+massed in the far front, and later was seen the glorious mass of
+French's cavalry sweeping south--a martial broom which the Boers began
+to know meant business.
+
+At eight o'clock the music of battle started, the Naval guns on one side
+and the batteries of General French on the other. Lyddite and shrapnel
+bounced and spluttered over all the small kopjes wherein the Dutchmen
+had made a lodgment. It was sufficient. The Boer guns spat
+impotently--the puling cry of dismay--then, knowingly, the Federals made
+preparations for a stampede. They saw in the distance the Sixth Division
+advancing, the Colonials cleaving the columns of dust, the Highland
+Brigade coming on and on, their dark kilts cutting a thin line across
+the atmosphere--they saw enough! To east they flew, speeding towards
+Bloemfontein--guns, waggons, horsemen--as arrows from the bow, and
+leaving behind them their well-constructed trenches, their ammunition,
+tents, and supplies. After them went the Colonials and City Imperial
+Volunteers, all keen sportsmen, exhilarated with the heat of the chase,
+but the Boers were uncatchable. No one has yet beaten them in the art of
+running away. Nevertheless, Lord Roberts was left in undisturbed
+possession of Poplar Grove. In the early afternoon the Boers certainly
+endeavoured to make one futile, feeble stand, but their effort was
+unavailing, and by sunset they were careering into space, while the
+cavalry vainly endeavoured to hem them in. Horse-flesh had come to the
+end of its tether; poor food and much galloping had reduced the noble
+steeds to helpless wrecks, and unfortunately the manoeuvres of
+Paardeberg could not be repeated. Curiously enough, though no Boers were
+caught, the military net was full of strange fish, a Russian, a
+Hollander, a German all being left in the lurch. It was a humorous
+episode. While the Boers were making off as fast as legs--the mounts of
+some had been shot--and horses could carry them, a dilapidated country
+cart, surmounted by a red flag, was seen to be approaching. From this
+cart presently emerged several forlorn personages, looking very sorry
+for themselves indeed. They accounted for their plight by saying that
+while the final fight was taking place their mule-waggon had broken
+down. The mules having been unloosed, promptly stampeded, and left them
+between two fires, that of the Boers (to whom they were attached) and
+the British. The name of one foreigner, in dark blue uniform, was
+Colonel Prince Gourko, of the Russian army; the other, attired in plain
+clothes, was Lieutenant Thomson, of the Netherlands (Military Attaché of
+the Boers). With them was a German servant in attendance on the Russian
+prince. Finding themselves in an uncomfortable quandary, one from which
+there was no escape, they decided to join the British. They were
+introduced to Lord Kitchener, and thereupon presented to the
+Commander-in-Chief, who received them with his usual courtesy.
+
+Lord Roberts, telegraphing home in the afternoon, thus described the
+day's work:--
+
+ "OSFONTEIN, _March 7_ (4.30 P.M.).
+
+ "March 7.--Our operations to-day promise to be a great success.
+
+ "The enemy occupied a position four miles north and eleven
+ miles south of Modder River.
+
+ "I placed Colvile's division on north bank; Kelly-Kenny's and
+ Tucker's, with cavalry division, on south bank.
+
+ "The cavalry division succeeded in turning the left flank,
+ opening the road for 6th Division, which is advancing without
+ having been obliged to fire a shot up to present time (twelve
+ noon).
+
+ "Enemy are in full retreat toward north and east, being closely
+ followed by cavalry, horse-artillery, and mounted infantry,
+ while the 7th (Tucker's) and 9th (Colvile's) divisions, and
+ Guards Brigade, under Pole-Carew, are making their way across
+ the river at Poplar's Drift, where I propose to place my
+ headquarters this evening."
+
+Later on the Commander-in-Chief wired from the said headquarters:--
+
+ "POPLAR GROVE, _March 7_ (7.35 P.M.).
+
+ "We have had a very successful day and completely routed the
+ enemy, who are in full retreat.
+
+ "The position they occupied was extremely strong, and cunningly
+ arranged with a second line of entrenchments, which would have
+ caused us heavy loss had a direct attack been made.
+
+ "The turning movement was necessarily wide owing to the nature
+ of the ground, and the cavalry and horse-artillery horses are
+ much done up.
+
+ "The fighting was practically confined to the cavalry division,
+ which, as usual, did exceedingly well, and French reports that
+ the horse-artillery batteries did a great deal of execution
+ amongst the enemy.
+
+ "Our casualties number about fifty.
+
+ "I regret to say that Lieutenant Keswick, 12th Lancers, was
+ killed, and Lieutenant Bailey, of the same regiment, severely
+ wounded. Lieutenant De Crespigny, 2nd Life Guards, also
+ severely wounded."
+
+Though the state of the cavalry was deplorable, it was thanks to the
+splendid execution of General French that the Boers showed so little
+fight, and there were so few casualties. The enemy saw the cavalry
+menacing their line of retreat, and pelted off from kopje to kopje, now
+and then sniping at the leading squadrons, and occasionally plumping a
+shell or two into the British midst. With the Dutchmen, Presidents Steyn
+and Kruger were said to be, and these worthies made a desperate attempt to
+rally the forces, but without success. Some say they even shed tears to
+encourage their countrymen, which tears had evidently a damping effect,
+for the Boers--some 14,000 of them--retreated all the faster. They were
+absolutely demoralised by Lord Roberts' tactics, and felt seriously
+injured that the trenches which had been prepared against a frontal attack
+should have been ignored. They had been so accustomed to be attacked in
+front that they began to look upon the Commander-in-Chief's "roundabout
+way of doing things" as distinctly unfair. They took themselves off, and
+when General French, who advanced ten miles ahead of the main body,
+scoured the front, he reported that not a Boer was to be seen. A vast
+amount of ammunition was left behind, and this, including several boxes of
+explosive bullets, labelled "Manufactured for the British Government," was
+promptly destroyed.
+
+Good news now arrived. The A and B squadrons of Kitchener's Horse,
+reported missing, suddenly returned to camp at Paardeberg. They, with E
+squadron, were cut off on the 13th of February, and given up for lost.
+Though E squadron was captured by the enemy, A and B squadrons succeeded
+in escaping, and, after losing their bearings on the veldt, and
+enduring three weeks' somewhat unpleasant experiences, found their way
+into safety.
+
+Quantities of the Transvaalers disbanded and returned to their farms. In
+other quarters, too, progress was announced. General Gatacre occupied
+Burghersdorp and General Clements had reached Norval's Pont, and thus
+the sporadic rebellion in Cape Colony was slowly beginning to die out.
+
+The army advanced and formed a fresh camp beyond Poplar Grove, where on
+the 8th and 9th more of the troops concentrated. The force was now
+moving through a fine grassy country, made additionally green and
+refreshing by plentiful rains, and the horses were improving in
+condition and spirits, while the men were in first-rate fettle.
+
+On the 10th of March the army proceeded onwards. By this time the Boers
+had posted themselves on the kopjes eight miles south of Abraham's
+Drift. It was imagined that they would be able to offer little
+resistance to the advancing force, but they, however, made a very
+determined stand.
+
+
+THE FIGHT AT DRIEFONTEIN
+
+On leaving Poplar Grove, Lord Roberts' force, rearranged and divided
+into three, advanced on Bloemfontein _via_ Driefontein, a place about
+six miles south-west of Abraham's Kraal and some forty miles from the
+capital of the Free State. Along the Petrusberg Road, to the right,
+moved General Tucker's division, with the Gordons and a cavalry brigade.
+The central column, composed of General Colvile's division, the Guards
+Brigade (General Pole-Carew), and Colonel Broadwood's brigade of
+cavalry, accompanied Lord Roberts, while on the left, advancing along
+the Modder River, was General French with Colonel Porter's cavalry
+brigade and General Kelly-Kenny's division. The ranks had been filled up
+by detachments from the Modder and Kimberley, which latter place had
+been converted into the advanced depôt. Among the additional troops were
+the Ceylon Mounted Rifles, a soldierly lot and much admired by those who
+saw them. At 10 A.M. the brigade of cavalry under Colonel Broadwood,
+which was marching in advance of the central column, came in touch with
+the enemy. Their position was a strong one, an open, crescent-shaped
+group of kopjes, with the centre a plateau, dropping on all sides to
+flat ground. At the extreme end of the semicircle (on the crescent at
+the north-east) was posted a formidable gun, and this weapon, perched on
+a commanding kopje at Abraham's Kraal, protected the position from
+advance from the north-west. It also provided the Republicans with a
+loophole for escape. Colonel Broadwood had no sooner discovered the
+enemy in his snake-shaped array of kopjes than he commenced to shell
+him and drive him forth from the lower projections of the position. That
+done, he there planted his mounted infantry till reinforcements should
+come to his aid.
+
+[Illustration: DIRECTING AN ARMY FROM A MILITARY BALLOON.]
+
+On the right Colonel Porter had now come in contact with the foe.
+General French's orders were to avoid imbroglio with the enemy and to
+keep in touch with the centre. On a message being sent by Colonel Porter
+to inform General French of the presence of the Dutchmen, the infantry
+division changed its course. They now marched twenty miles to the south,
+reaching the position about one o'clock. The march was an achievement.
+Twenty miles across the blistering, blinding veldt, as a commencement to
+a fighting day six hours in length, was a feat of endurance of which the
+infantry division might well have been proud. The change of course had
+the effect of avoiding the necessity to attack Abraham's Kraal, though
+at the same time it unfortunately left open the enemy's line of retreat
+to the north, which, later on, he was not slow to make use of. With the
+arrival of General French's force, Colonel Broadwood was free to
+continue his movement to the left of the enemy's position, and working
+round it, found himself assailed by the 9-pounder of the enemy. He
+nevertheless pursued his course, gaining ground very slowly but surely,
+and by nightfall the brigade of cavalry had worked eight miles to the
+rear of the Dutchmen's position. This flanking movement, though not
+concluded at dusk, resulted in the eventual retirement of the enemy.
+
+Meanwhile in the centre of the plateau hot fighting was taking place,
+General Kelly-Kenny's division having made a bold attack on the north of
+the stronghold, whence the troops were greeted from behind a screen of
+boulders with a storm of shot and shell. The Dutchmen, safe and
+invisible, could not, however, succeed in arresting the dogged advance
+of the Welsh Regiment, who formed the first line of the attacking force.
+They went on and on despite the fierce fusillade of the Federals, their
+numbers growing momentarily thinner, but their nerve and perseverance
+showing no diminution. The Boers, ingenious as ever, offered a skilful
+and stubborn resistance, pouring a heavy enfilading fire from kopjes
+both east and south-west, while they plied two 12-pounders with intense
+vigour.
+
+From the south now came the artillery, T Battery R.H.A. sweeping the way
+for the infantry advance. But they had no easy task. Before they could
+get into action the Vickers-Maxim of the Federals commenced its deadly
+activities, and while the gunners were unlimbering killed first one man
+then another, and laid low several horses. But the brave artillerymen
+undauntedly pursued their work, and presently, with the loss of very few
+minutes, exchanged hearty greetings with the weapon which had wrought
+such havoc among their numbers. At this time U Battery, at the north of
+the Boer centre, was active, but later on, when the 76th Field Battery
+moved towards the enemy with a view to clearing a way for the rush of
+the infantry, U Battery joined T, and together they blazed away at the
+ridges held by the Dutchmen. But throughout the whole period they
+pursued their work under showers which unceasingly rained down from the
+rifles of the foe. Meanwhile the Welsh Regiment, supported by the Essex
+and Gloucesters, moved on and on till they reached the shelter of the
+crest of the ridge. Here, at 500 yards range, a crackling concert of
+musketry was heard, the Boers firing with great ferocity and
+stubbornness, the British with coolness and accuracy. From the centre of
+the position the Yorks, supported by the Buffs, did magnificent work,
+and they, together with the Essex Regiment, later on in the afternoon
+began doggedly to ascend towards the stone sangars of the enemy, which
+yet vomited forks of flame.
+
+Now they crawled and now they wormed themselves along through the grass,
+dripping with gore and covered with sweat, many of their officers gone,
+comrades dropping to right and to left of them, while the fire of the
+enemy continued to rattle down in their midst. Then, as the fusillade
+slackened, they leapt up and made for the ridge, taking it, going over
+the crest with glittering steel and ringing cheer, and finding not one
+single Boer had awaited their coming. The Dutchmen had vanished into
+thin air! It was a magnificent deed--the finest that had been witnessed
+for a long time--but it was dearly paid for. The way was paved to
+Bloemfontein, but with the corpses of the honoured dead. The brunt of
+the fighting fell on the Sixth Division, more particularly on the Welsh
+and Essex Regiments, the Ninth Division, with the Guards, arriving too
+late in the day to take part in the fight. A great number of officers
+were put out of action--so many, indeed, that some of the leading
+companies were led, and admirably led, by their colour-sergeants. A
+characteristic feature of the engagement was the Dutchmen's slim and
+ingenious mode of firing a big gun from amid a group of red houses, each
+floating a white flag, an arrangement which served to cover the
+retirement of the enemy, and on the success of which he doubtless
+complimented himself not a little.
+
+[Illustration: SERGEANT OF THE INNISKILLING DRAGOONS.
+
+Photo by Gregory & Co., London.]
+
+At dusk a splendid sight was visible. In the last glimmer of day Lord
+Roberts and his staff entered the central plateau, followed by degrees
+by all the troops--an imposing force, which evidently determined the
+Boers in their resolution to make themselves scarce. This they did, guns
+included, with really creditable and surprising rapidity. They were much
+disheartened by defeat, however, and though they had offered most
+stubborn resistance, the character of their defence was lacking in
+evidence of the determination which had hitherto been noticeable. Among
+the mortally wounded was the gallant officer commanding the Royal
+Australian Artillery, Colonel Umphelby.[3] The Boers lost over 100, but
+the list of our own killed and wounded was a long one. Amongst the
+killed were:--Captain Eustace, the Buffs; Lieutenant Parsons and Second
+Lieutenant Coddington, Essex Regiment; Captain Lomax, Welsh Regiment;
+Mr. McKartie, a retired Indian civilian attached to Kitchener's Horse.
+Wounded--Colonel Hickson, the Buffs, Lieutenant Ronald, the Buffs;
+Captain Jordan, Gloucesters; Second Lieutenant Torkington, Welsh
+Regiment; Second Lieutenant Pope, Welsh Regiment; Second Lieutenant
+Wimberley, Welsh Regiment; Captain Broadmead, Essex Regiment; Lieutenant
+Devenish, Royal Field Artillery; Major Waite, Royal Army Medical Corps;
+Lieutenant Berne, Royal Army Medical Corps; Colonel Umphelby, Royal
+Australian Artillery (since dead); Lieutenant C. Berkeley and Second
+Lieutenant Lloyd, Welsh Regiment; Second Lieutenant G. H. Raleigh, Essex
+Regiment.
+
+The Australians came in for a heavy share of the fighting. The 1st
+Australian Horse, brigaded with the Scots Greys, were fiercely fired on
+by the enemy as they advanced to within 800 yards of the wide bend of
+kopjes. The New South Wales Mounted Infantry, under Colonel Knight, and
+the Mounted Rifles, under Captain Antill, engaged in animated pursuit of
+the enemy as they fled towards the north, their fleet horses showing a
+marked contrast in condition to the jaded steeds of the English cavalry.
+
+Lord Roberts expressed his satisfaction at the brilliant work performed
+by the Welsh Regiment in the storming of Alexander Kopje, a feat in
+which they displayed consummate skill as well as amazing pluck. Some
+heroic actions took place during the day, particularly in connection
+with the supply of ammunition, which ran short owing to the necessity of
+relieving the infantry for their heavy march, of fifty rounds apiece.
+Some dastardly ones were also practised by the Boers, who, finding
+themselves in a perilous situation, the artillery in front and a
+squadron of mounted infantry hovering on their flank, hoisted a white
+flag and threw up their hands in token of surrender. Naturally the
+British accepted the sign, and, while they were approaching the
+Dutchmen, some others of their number hastened to pour a volley into the
+British ranks. Lord Roberts himself having been a witness of this
+treacherous act, remonstrated with the Boer leaders, and ordered that in
+future if such action were repeated the white flag should be utterly
+disregarded. The following protest was made by the Commander-in-Chief:--
+
+ "To their Honours the State Presidents of the Orange Free State
+ and South African Republic.
+
+ "Another instance having occurred of a gross abuse of the white
+ flag, and of the signal of holding up the hands in token of
+ surrender, it is my duty to inform your Honours that if such
+ abuse occurs again, I shall most reluctantly be compelled to
+ order my troops to disregard the white flag entirely.
+
+ "The instance occurred on the kopje east of Driefontein Farm
+ yesterday evening, and was witnessed by several of my own
+ staff-officers as well as by myself, and resulted in the
+ wounding of several of my officers and men.
+
+ "A large quantity of explosive bullets of three different kinds
+ was found in Cronje's laager, and after every engagement with
+ your Honours' troops.
+
+ "Such breaches of the recognised usages of war and of the
+ Geneva Convention are a disgrace to any civilised Power.
+
+ "A copy of this telegram has been sent to my Government, with a
+ request that it may be communicated to all neutral Powers."
+
+The Boers had now entirely disappeared. It was nevertheless hinted that
+they might be collecting in some new and unexpected region. The column,
+however, resumed its victorious march, proceeding twelve miles without
+coming upon the enemy. The beating of yesterday had produced a good
+effect, for the Dutchmen kept their distance, though in the kopjes all
+along the direct road to Bloemfontein, which lay due east, they were
+said to be swarming. It was also reported that Transvaalers and Free
+Staters had fallen out, and that the former, under Joubert, were
+determined to make a stand behind a magnificent entrenchment that they
+had built. The advance was supposed to come from the west, and
+consequently the Boer line of entrenchments extended some six or eight
+miles from the town facing towards Bam's Vlei. There were shelter
+trenches, made not on the kopjes, but about a hundred yards out on the
+plain beneath. They used sandbags, and had gun epaulements besides. In
+addition to all this, they had made sangars and piles of stones on the
+kopjes. Unfortunately for them, our troops made a cunning detour, which
+again dislocated the Dutchmen's programme, and forced them in their
+mountain fastnesses to sit inactive, while the cavalry was wheeling
+south to the outskirts of Bloemfontein! Here there were no
+fortifications and very few Boers.
+
+Mr. Steyn now secretly left Bloemfontein for Kroonstad, as, in spite of
+Mr. Kruger's representations, it had been decided to surrender the
+capital of the Free State. Lord Roberts, who had sent in a formal demand
+for surrender, received no reply. General Joubert made preparations,
+with some 3000 men, to avert the surrender, but his approach, veritably
+at the eleventh hour, was barred by the clever manoeuvres of the
+British. This splendid piece of work was executed by Major
+Hunter-Weston, R.E. He was sent by General French to cut the railway
+north of Bloemfontein, and thus preclude any chance of Boer interruption
+to the triumphal progress into the town. In the dead of night the Major,
+with seven men of the field-troop, all mounted on picked horses (a
+precaution that was very necessary considering the hard work done by the
+troops both before and after the relief of Kimberley), started on their
+hazardous expedition. Darkness cramped, though it cloaked their
+movements, and the ground over which they sped was seamed with dongas
+and many impediments; and, moreover, a wide sweep had to be made to
+avoid Boer pickets. Before the peep o' day they reached their
+destination. Then they began to search for a place suitable for
+demolition. They came on a culvert supported with iron girders, one of
+which was hastily but cautiously prepared by placing two 10-lb. charges
+of gun-cotton against the web, which was fired within twenty minutes.
+Then, with a detonation that seemed to shake the day into dawning, the
+line was completely wrecked and rendered impassable, and Joubert, whose
+"special" was timed to arrive at Bloemfontein at 8.10 A.M., lost his
+last chance of interfering with the proceedings! This in itself was an
+excellent _coup_, and particularly serviceable, since it secured to the
+British the use of twenty-six locomotives at a time when they were much
+needed.
+
+General French had also seized and destroyed some portions of the
+railway south of Bloemfontein. His headquarters were made at the house
+of Mr. Steyn's brother--who had tried unsuccessfully to get away, and
+was forced to remain at his farm--while the troops were now posted at
+different points outside the town, and were, in comparison with their
+former state, in clover.
+
+Early on the 13th the 1st Cavalry Brigade moved slowly towards some
+kopjes to the east of Bloemfontein and occupied them. All knew the great
+day was come when Lord Roberts with Kelly-Kenny's and Colvile's
+divisions, the Guards Brigade, and the Mounted Infantry would be
+presently marching into the Free State capital. Whereupon the
+adventurous journalist, determined there should be no pie without the
+impress of his finger, put his best leg foremost and decided to lead the
+way. The correspondents of the _Sydney Herald_, the _Daily News_, and
+the _Daily Telegraph_ were seen like madmen spurring over the plain.
+There was ten to one on the favourite, the Burleigh veteran, and the
+Colonial was only backed for a place, yet he it was who won! They were
+received in the Market Square with beams. There was a shade of relief
+even on the most surly countenances. Mr. Fraser, a member of the
+Executive, the Mayor of Bloemfontein, and others, "bigwigs of B.," as
+somebody called them, came out and did the honours. These gentlemen were
+invited to take carriages out to welcome the British force,
+which--diplomacy being the better part of hostility--they accordingly
+did. In starting they encountered the first of the British victors,
+Lieutenant Chester-Master, with three of Remington's scouts. At last
+they came to the Chief's halting-place, and the surrender of the town
+was made known. The mediæval ceremony of delivering up the keys of
+Parliament and Presidency was gone through. Formalities over, Lord
+Roberts made the gracious assurance that, provided no opposition was
+offered, the lives and properties of the Bloemfontein public were safe
+in his hands. Having notified his intention to enter the capital in
+state, the Mayor, Landrost, and others departed to acquaint the
+townspeople.
+
+
+AT BLOEMFONTEIN
+
+Bloemfontein! A name of milk and honey, of flowers and dew! Every vowel
+breathed of pastoral simplicity, of luscious grasses and lowing kine, of
+gambolling game and purling stream. A name for a poet to conjure with! a
+talisman to awaken the mellow music of a Herrick and recall the soul of
+Walton to benevolent rejoicings in the "sights and sounds of the open
+landscape." Unfortunately, the mellifluous name was not derived from the
+German for flowers or from the melody of fountains. It owed its origin
+to a Boer peasant who stood godfather to the hamlet and also to an
+adjacent stream. Here in other days the innocent Voertrekker unpacked
+his waggons and set out his little farmstead, choosing green rising
+ground, an oasis in the sandy veldt, and the neighbourhood of a
+refreshing rivulet for comfort's sake, and not because he foresaw that
+in fifty years this spot would be the central scene in one of the
+largest dramas of the world! In the year 1845 the Union Jack first waved
+its protective folds over the homestead. At that period it was converted
+into the official abode of a British Resident, and from that time, with
+an expansion which was truly British, the tiny village developed till it
+became a town, and finally passed over, through British apathy and
+dislike for responsibility, to the hands of the Free Staters. And there
+it might and would have remained had not President Steyn, who owed us no
+grudge, and with whom we were on the best of terms, decided to put his
+finger in the diplomatic pie, in the hope that some of the plums would
+fall to his share. Thus, in his greed for power and his contempt for the
+British, he embroiled his country, and being unable to defend his
+capital, was forced to scurry off to his birthplace, Winburg, some miles
+to the east, where, with the assistance of his foreign mercenaries, he
+yet hoped to save himself from the consequences of his ill-advised
+interference. So it came to pass that on the 13th of March 1900,
+thirty-nine days after the commencement of his great march, Lord
+Roberts, with the magnificent British army in his wake, moved unopposed
+towards the capital of the Free State.
+
+[Illustration: THE FORMAL SURRENDER OF BLOEMFONTEIN.
+
+Drawing by J. Finnemore, from a Sketch by W. B. Wollen, R.I.]
+
+The entry into the town was an imposing spectacle. The Mayor, Dr.
+Kellner, the Landrost, Mr. Papenfus, and Mr. Fraser, as we know, had
+driven out in a cart to meet Lord Roberts, and four miles outside the
+town the keys of the town were given up. Then the Field-Marshal, the
+most simply dressed man in his whole army, appeared at the head of a
+cavalcade a mile long. He was followed by his military secretary, his
+aides-de-camp, the general officers on his staff with their respective
+staffs. Then came the foreign attachés, some war-correspondents, and
+Lord Roberts' Indian servants, who contributed a warm note of colour
+to the sombre files of kharki. After this came a serpentine train of
+cavalry and guns, which entered the city at one o'clock. It was the most
+wonderful military display that has been seen for years. A gigantic
+army--not a peace but a war army, not the crude army of Salisbury Plain
+but the perfected article, the army minus its raw recruits and plus its
+trained reserves, which owed its magnificent development to the man whom
+Lord Wolseley has called "the greatest War Minister we ever had."
+Looking at the splendid physique of the warrior multitude, it was
+impossible for military men, even those who had criticised most severely
+the short service system, to deny that to-day the triumph of Lord
+Cardwell's principle was complete!
+
+The crowds collected from far and wide, all business was suspended, and
+knots and cliques gathered together to witness the procession moving up
+the slopes towards the town itself. Cheer after cheer rang through the
+air, kerchiefs waved and blessings were prayed for, as the procession
+marched through the collected crowd and on into the market square. Lord
+Roberts then went to the Government Buildings, and took formal
+possession in the name of the sovereign. There was renewed cheering and
+singing of "God save the Queen," when, half-an-hour later, at twenty
+minutes to two, a small silken Union Jack, specially worked by Lady
+Roberts, was seen floating over the town.
+
+The day passed without notable incident. A public holiday was observed,
+and the kharki-clad crowds rejoiced themselves by singing "Tommy Atkins"
+and feasting right royally. They were quite undisturbed by the scarcely
+complimentary remarks of the Burghers, who compared them in number and
+colour and appetite to a swarm of locusts!
+
+Mr. Steyn's brother, who, it may be remembered, had failed to get away
+with his belongings in time, remained discreetly at his farm, where he
+entertained General French, and subsequently Lord Roberts. One of the
+curious features of the entry into the capital of the Free State was the
+extraordinary welcome given by the inhabitants to the conquerors.
+Regiment after regiment filed past to the tune of hearty cheers, and
+surprised pleasure at the orderly and humane entry of the enemy was
+visible on every face. While the public offices were taken over by Lord
+Roberts' staff, the banks were visited by Colonel Richardson. This
+officer was accounted one of the heroes of the hour, for sufficient
+praise could not be given to the achievements of the Army Corps or to
+Colonel Richardson, whose task of provisioning, foraging, and
+transporting 40,000 men and 18,000 horses savoured of the labours of
+Hercules. There were quibblers, of course; but, practically considered,
+all had gone off without a hitch, and the whole arrangements moved, as
+the phrase is, "on greased wheels," the influence over all of the
+beloved "Bobs" having been simply magical.
+
+The next day Lord Roberts inspected the Guards Brigade, complimented
+them on their splendid march, and expressed his regret that through a
+mistake he had been unable to enter Bloemfontein at the head of the
+Brigade. He consoled them by saying, "I will lead you into Pretoria!" In
+these gracious words the troops were rewarded for their disappointment,
+for the Chief, though he had promised them to lead them into the town,
+had finally decided that it was expedient to enter the capital without
+waiting for the infantry.
+
+The Guards Brigade had made a magnificent march of thirty-eight miles in
+twenty-eight hours, taking from 3 P.M. on the 12th to 1 P.M. on the
+13th, with an interval of only two and a half hours for sleep. Yet, in
+spite of this, and of having been in some of the toughest fights of the
+campaign, they were cheery and elated. One of their number (the Scots
+Guards) described their arrival:--"We waited three hours outside
+Bloemfontein for Lord Roberts, as we were told that the
+Commander-in-Chief wished to ride at the head of the Guards Brigade into
+the town. But he did not come, and our Colonel got orders to go in on
+his own. Our reception in Bloemfontein would have surprised you. It was
+quite funny in its way--not in the least like entering an enemy's town.
+The people simply came forth and cheered us as friends. A small group of
+nuns who came out to meet us wished us 'Good evening,' and said we were
+very welcome. To myself, as an Aberdonian, it was very home-like to pass
+by a shop with the inscription, 'Bon-Accord Restaurant.' The proprietor
+was standing at the door shouting himself hoarse. I was not surprised
+afterwards to learn that he was a pure Aberdonian. We camped outside the
+town, and next day Lord Roberts reviewed the Guards Brigade. His
+Lordship made a short speech, in which he complimented us on our rapid
+march, and said he was sorry he had not been able to lead us into
+Bloemfontein. 'But,' said his Lordship, 'I hope to be at your head when
+we go into Pretoria.' We all gave three very hearty cheers for the
+Commander-in-Chief, who has always been the soldier's friend. We would
+follow him anywhere."
+
+To return to the closing events of the momentous 13th. At 8 P.M. a
+telegram was sent home describing with simple brevity the entry into the
+capital:--"From Lord Roberts to the Secretary for War.--Bloemfontein,
+March 13, 8 P.M.--By the help of God and by the bravery of Her
+Majesty's soldiers, the troops under my command have taken possession of
+Bloemfontein. The British flag now flies over the Presidency, vacated
+last evening by Mr. Steyn, late President of the Orange Free State."
+
+An army order was issued on the 14th, in which the Chief said:--
+
+ "On February 12 this force crossed the boundary of the Free
+ State; three days later Kimberley was relieved; on the
+ fifteenth day the bulk of the Boer army under one of its most
+ trusted generals was made prisoner; on the seventeenth day news
+ came of the relief of Ladysmith; and on March 13, twenty-nine
+ days from the commencement of operations, the capital of the
+ Free State was occupied.
+
+ "This is a record of which any army would be proud--a record
+ which could not have been achieved except by earnest,
+ well-disciplined men, determined to do their duty, whatever the
+ difficulties and dangers.
+
+ "Exposed to the extreme heat of the day, bivouacking under
+ heavy rain, marching long distances often on reduced rations,
+ all ranks have displayed an endurance, cheerfulness, and
+ gallantry which is beyond all praise."
+
+Lord Roberts added that he desired especially to refer to the heroic
+spirit with which the wounded had borne their suffering. No word nor
+murmur of complaint had been uttered. The anxiety of all when succour
+came was that their comrades should be attended to first.
+
+So the great march was over--the hurry, the fatigue, the loss of life,
+the perpetual anxieties had brought about the desirable end--and the
+tremendous first act in the historic drama of the century was nearing
+its conclusion. Looking back on the difficulties that had been
+surmounted--the movement of some 40,000 men and 20,000 quadrupeds across
+over 100 miles of mostly dry veldt, where water was scarce and heat
+tropical, and where the enemy lurked in masses in kopje or donga, and
+had to be fought at intervals--the march appeared little short of
+miraculous. Now the curtain was shortly to go up on the first scene of
+the second act, an act which would have for its background the Orange
+River Colony, formerly known as the Orange Free State!
+
+FOOTNOTES:
+
+[3] Lieutenant-Colonel C. E. E. Umphelby, who died of the wounds which he
+received during the fight, was forty-six years of age. He commanded the
+Victorian portion of the Royal Australian Regiment of Artillery. He joined
+the Victorian Militia Garrison Artillery in 1884, and in the following
+year was appointed lieutenant in the Permanent Artillery. He was promoted
+to be captain in 1888, major in 1891, and lieutenant-colonel in 1897. Sent
+to England by the Victorian Government in 1889, he passed through various
+artillery courses, including the long course at Shoeburyness.
+Lieutenant-Colonel Umphelby was attached to the staff of Major-General M.
+Clarke at Aldershot from June to August 1890. See vol. iii., "Victoria."
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER IV
+
+MAFEKING IN FEBRUARY
+
+
+The investment was much less close than formerly. Owing to the
+increasing activity in other parts of the theatre of war, Colonel
+Baden-Powell was relieved of the pressing attentions that were
+previously bestowed on him. Now for the first time he found himself in
+touch with the outer world, for telegraphic communication was restored
+in the direction of Gaberones, about ninety miles north of Mafeking, and
+from thence a bi-weekly service of runners was instituted for the
+conveyance of letters and telegrams, of course at the owners' risk.
+There was delight all round, and "Old Bathing Towel," as contemporary
+Carthusians used irreverently to call him, made haste to rejoice the
+hearts of those at home with a report of his doings.
+
+[Illustration: SLEEPLESS MAFEKING--HOT WORK IN THE TRENCHES.
+
+Drawing by R. Caton Woodville.]
+
+On the 4th of February the etiquette of the Sabbath was broken by an
+accident. The machine-gun at Fort Ayr was fired, and the enemy was not
+slow to reply. Lieutenant Grenfell, unarmed and without a flag of truce,
+pluckily went out to tender apologies for the accident. He was met by
+the Boers, who exchanged for a flask of whisky two copies of the
+_Standard and Diggers' News_, containing glowing accounts of Boer
+victories on the Tugela! It needed more than the contents of the flask
+to correct the dismay occasioned by the lamentable, if exaggerated, news
+of the abandonment of Spion Kop, and the inhabitants could only console
+themselves by remembering what a stupendous and gratuitous liar the Boer
+could be. Luckily for them, they only accepted half of the Dutchmen's
+tales, and had learnt by experience that the art of editing Boer
+journals was dependent on imaginative rather than realistic talent. For
+instance, "one who knew" described the methods of _Volkstem_
+thus:--"When you knew it, something could be extracted. The key to the
+mystery was this: The paper always published the exact opposite of what
+had taken place. For instance, a few days before Cronje's capture it had
+a grand headline--'Cronje the Captor.' And underneath came the
+astounding statement that Cronje had cornered 900 British Lancers on the
+Koodoosrand. Alas! for Cronje and his Lancers! They existed only in the
+editor's fertile imagination." So, notwithstanding the report of
+reverses elsewhere, the large heart of Mafeking was still bent on
+bursting its cramped shell. If antiquated methods of warfare were
+carried on in other parts of South Africa, they were certainly not
+pursued here, for Colonel Baden-Powell was a modern of the moderns. The
+secrets of the enemy's tactics were at his fingers' ends, and where
+science failed to match them resource came in. He knew how to make
+dynamite spit and scream and threaten; he studied the problem of tension
+and the art of playing on the nerves of his adversary, and Cronje's
+remark, "Not men, but devils," made as that redoubtable one shook the
+dust of Mafeking off his shoes, must have been the dearest compliment
+the Colonel's heart could crave. The Colonel, in a despatch forwarded to
+Colonel Nicholson--an officer who, with a small column and armoured
+train, held Mangwe, Palapye, and other places on the rail--dated
+February 12, described his activities:--
+
+ "MAFEKING, _February 12_.
+
+ "On the 3rd inst. our Nordenfeldt was chiefly occupied in
+ preventing the enemy from completing their new work on the
+ northern slope of the south-eastern heights. Assistance was
+ rendered by our seven-pounder, emplaced in the bush to the east
+ of Cannon Kopje. The enemy's siege-gun replied vigorously.
+ During that night the enemy were nervous and restless, and kept
+ firing volleys at our working parties, being apparently
+ apprehensive of attack. Their firing continued until dawn, when
+ the work in our trenches ceased.
+
+ "There was a curious incident at Fort Ayr that Sunday. Our
+ machine-gun there was fired accidentally, and the enemy
+ replied. Lieutenant Grenfell went out and apologised for the
+ accident. Though the gun had been fired and the enemy had
+ replied, he did not take a flag of truce with him. The Boers
+ met him, and exchanged two copies of the _Standard and Diggers'
+ News_ for a flask of whisky.
+
+ "On Monday, the 5th, irregular shelling continued all day. In
+ the evening heavy rains fell, but the enemy kept up the
+ bombardment till midnight, firing a new incendiary shell,
+ which, however, failed to take effect.
+
+ "On the 7th there was a desultory bombardment, and the
+ sharpshooters were busy. On the 8th the enemy's siege-gun fired
+ one shell only.
+
+ "On the 11th the enemy were quiet, being engaged in fortifying
+ their big gun emplacement, and generally preparing to resist
+ attack from outside. A good deal of night-firing was exchanged
+ between our outlying positions and those of the enemy, volleys
+ being fired at short ranges.
+
+ "Next day the enemy were fairly quiet. Mr. Dall, a well-known
+ citizen, was killed, and two Cape boys were wounded, while two
+ natives in the town were killed and some four wounded."
+
+The circumstances of Mr. Dall's death were deeply tragic, for his wife,
+who was in the women's laager at the time, on hearing of the news was
+half-distracted by the shock. Owing to the grievous affair the dance
+that was to have taken place was postponed to the following day.
+
+[Illustration: FACSIMILE OF ISSUE OF 25TH JANUARY 1900 OF THE _Mafeking
+Mail_.]
+
+Colonel Baden-Powell issued an order which broke to the besieged the
+information that the Commander-in-Chief had requested them to hold on
+till May. Hearts dropped to zero! If properly conserved, it was believed
+that provisions might be eked out till the Queen's birthday, but the
+quality of the fare was bad enough without consideration of the
+quantity. The men were tough, they were game for anything; but the
+women--helpless, worn, unnerved, surrounded by children, and limited to
+the confines of an insanitary laager--they made an additional tangle to
+the already knotty situation. The townsfolk going to the posts in the
+trenches, with their own lives in their hands, had upon them the burden
+of thought for those, their weaklier belongings, who were waning with
+anxiety and disease--waning many of them into their graves. Still the
+garrison grumbled little. It set out as Sabbath decoration for the forts
+and trenches some smart Union Jacks which had been worked by the ladies
+in the town, and the dauntless ones engaged in a concert, the programme
+of which was vastly appreciated. Here "B.-P.'s" well-known talents came
+in handy, for he played the Chevalier of the entertainment and displayed
+all the versatility of that renowned performer. From the æsthetic
+Paderewski (with his hair on) to a Whitechapel Coster is a good jump,
+but the gallant Colonel, who had so long impersonated Job to order of
+the British Government, was not to be defeated by minor representations,
+however various. After this joviality a ball was attempted, but alas!
+with sorry success. Before the gaily attired guests were well under way
+the uproar of Maxims and Mausers had begun. They tried to dance. It
+would have been a case of Nero fiddling while Rome was burning. A staff
+officer arrived ordering all to fall in. Soon there was a general
+stampede, officers fled to their posts, orderlies rushed off to sound
+the alarm, the galloping Maxim tore through the blue obscurity from the
+western outposts to the town; the Bechuanaland Rifles and the
+Protectorate Regiment hurried to the brickfields, the Cape Police made
+for the eastern advance posts, while the ladies, charming, disconsolate,
+hied them precipitately to places of refuge. There, in the lambent beams
+of the moon, were seen excited shadows, all either rushing to their
+bomb-proof shelters or scudding to the sniping posts of the river.
+Showers of bullets flecked the sapphire air, and the exquisite serene
+night was changed into a long, wakeful, quaking anguish. The Boers kept
+up their firing operations throughout the small hours, but at dawn, when
+they received a _quid pro quo_ from the British quarter, they deemed it
+best to subdue their ardour for a brief space. Rest was short-lived. On
+the 13th the gunners again made themselves offensive by endeavouring to
+hit the flour-mill, and they succeeded in their efforts, though
+fortunately without destroying it. They pursued their murderous
+industries throughout the day, pouring bullets on any one who dared to
+show a nose in the open, and about noon succeeded in seriously wounding
+Captain Girdwood, who was returning to luncheon on his bicycle.
+
+The unfortunate officer--one of the most popular fellows and as gallant
+as he was jolly--never rallied after receiving the fatal wound and died
+on the following day. In the evening he was buried. The solemn rite was
+conducted with simplicity under the mild moonbeams which silvered the
+gloomy scene and softened the rigid faces of the bronzed warriors who
+hung in melancholy regret round the open grave.
+
+The Boers sometimes endeavoured to affect jocosity. From the advanced
+trench, which was some hundred and ten yards from the besiegers' main
+trench, their voices could be heard travelling on the breeze. The
+prelude to their attacks began not seldom with "Here's a good morning to
+you, Mafeking," or other remarks of cheery or personal nature. Then
+rattle, rattle, and one of the British band would drop. On one of these
+occasions an amusing if tragic ruse was perpetrated. The Boers were
+known to be fond of music, and some one of the tormented hit on the
+happy idea of performing for the benefit of the hostile audience. The
+savage breast was soothed. The Boers were "drawn." They stopped to
+listen. Enraptured, they advanced nearer, nearer. Finally, two
+enthusiastic, inquisitive heads protruded from cover--protruded never to
+protrude again!
+
+The Boers soon began to try the expedient of attacking Mafeking by
+proxy. Assaults were made, or rather attempted, by a mongrel force,
+composed largely of mercenaries--Germans, Scandinavians, Frenchmen, and
+renegade Irish (probably "returned empties" from the gallant Emerald
+Isle), ne'er-do-weel's, who felt it necessary at times to do something
+for their living. These were assisted by natives, who were pressed into
+their service to make a convenient padding for their front in advance,
+for their rear in retreat, as they took good care to save their own
+hides when retirement was obligatory.
+
+Fortunately their artillery practice, which was patiently kept up, was
+very inferior, otherwise Mafeking would soon have been in ruins. On one
+afternoon the enemy plied his siege-gun and another gun with great
+vigour. Out of eight rounds one shot besprinkled two of the besieged
+with dust; a 5-pounder gun from one quarter and a 1-pounder Maxim from
+another filled the air with deplorable detonations for two whole hours,
+yet happily no life was lost. To this hot fire the inhabitants replied
+only with their rifles. It was wonderful in what good stead their rifles
+had stood them, and it was thanks to them, and not to the Government,
+that the town had been saved at all.
+
+The difficulties both at Kimberley and Mafeking were the result of the
+obstructive policy adopted by the Colonial Government before the
+outbreak of hostilities. While the storm-cloud hung on the horizon,
+Kimberley had appealed to Mr. Schreiner for permission to send up from
+Port Elizabeth Maxims which had been ordered by the De Beers Company,
+and the licence was refused on the ground that there was no necessity to
+strengthen the defences of the town. The appeals from Mafeking were
+treated in much the same way, the authorities at the Cape suggesting
+that there was no reason to believe that the situation demanded extra
+precautions!
+
+Ingenuity and pluck had been the backbone of British defence, not
+British guns. An ordnance factory was established, and excellent shells
+were cast, and even powder manufactured. Thus the alarm lest ammunition
+should run out before the arrival of relief was allayed. The great
+ambition of the garrison was to complete a 5½-inch howitzer, and throw
+"home-made shells from a home-made gun with home-made powder."
+
+Major Baillie described with some pride the self-contained nature of the
+community: "We have our bank, our ordnance factory, and our police; and
+we flourish under a beneficent and remote autocracy. And now, as regards
+the ordnance factory, it was started for the manufacture of shells for
+our 7-pounder, for shot, brass and iron, for our antique cannon, and for
+the adaptation of 5-pounder shells (left here by Dr. Jameson) to our
+7-pounders by the addition of enlarged driving-bands. These have all
+proved a complete success, and too much praise cannot be given to
+Connely and Cloughlan of the Locomotive Department, who have organised
+and run the factory. As great a triumph has been the manufacture of
+powder and the invention of fuses by Lieutenant Daniels, British South
+Africa Police and the Glamorgan Artillery Militia, which render us
+secure against running short of ammunition. A gun also is being
+manufactured, and will shortly be used. This factory is of long
+standing, but the authorities had not allowed us to allude to its
+existence."
+
+Other manufactures, too, were commenced, for manufacture it must be
+called--the art of making the poor skeletons, at one time known as
+horses, into succulent meat. Some declared that the number of cats and
+dogs was visibly thinning, but none dared pry too closely into the
+workings of the wonderful machinery that fed them. A number of the
+Protectorate Regiment's horses were slaughtered, and any others that
+were shot by the enemy were passed on to the commissariat.
+
+A soup-kitchen, under the supervision of Captain Wilson, was opened for
+the purpose of supplying some 600 natives with nourishing food, and
+rendering them contented with the vicissitudes of fate. The compound was
+scarcely inviting, and resembled a third-rate haggis. In two great
+boilers scraps of such meat as could be gathered together were simmered
+down, and to this immense stockpot was added various meals, which gave
+the mess the necessary consistency. The natives bought it eagerly at 6d.
+a quart, and really rejoiced in it.
+
+The blacks, indeed, suffered less than the whites. The latter were
+paying a guinea a day for very scant fare, while the Baralongs, who were
+earning from 1s. to 2s. 6d. a day, were able to sustain life on half
+their wages, and save the rest to buy luxuries, a wife possibly, when
+the stress of the siege was over. The young children suffered most of
+all, for malaria and unsuitable food played havoc in the women's laager,
+and the graveyard was filled with small victims to the Imperial cause.
+
+About the middle of the month the Boers became abnormally active, and
+for several days sounds of digging and picking suggested that they were
+throwing out new trenches beyond those they already manned in the region
+of the brickfields. The full significance of the activity was discovered
+by Sergeant-Major Taylor, who--in charge of three pits which formed the
+most advanced post--suddenly espied, some fifty yards in advance of the
+limit of the Boer trenches, a hostile figure! The apparition wore a
+German uniform, and Sergeant-Major Taylor was soon aware that the enemy
+were intending to sap the British position. Colonel Baden-Powell was
+informed of the impending danger, and at night a counter-sap extending
+100 yards was thrown out, from which point it would be possible for the
+besieged to fire on the new work. The tension of the situation was
+extreme. Eighty yards only separated the combatants, and the enemy
+continued to burrow, approaching little by little, while the British
+continued to harass them in their labours by an active fusillade
+whenever a chance presented itself. But the operations continued, and
+every hour brought the Boers nearer. At last a night came when the enemy
+had almost reached his goal, and, moreover, had moved the Creusot gun to
+a position on the south-eastern heights so as to command the entire
+area. With due precaution the defenders tried to occupy the advanced
+posts, but the Boer firing was so correct and persistent that the
+position was rendered untenable. Sergeant-Major Taylor, a splendid
+fellow--who more than once had ventured eavesdropping to the edge of the
+Boer trenches--and four others were mown down in their gallant efforts
+to save the situation. The enemy, satisfied with his exertions in this
+direction, now began to turn his attention to the forts in the rear--a
+bad move, for while the Dutchmen hammered in that region the British
+rapidly seized the occasion to construct a traverse across the mouth of
+the sap. This, of course, was not carried forward without attracting the
+attention of the enemy, who fired fast and furiously. But the task was
+accomplished, after which the Boers and the British, worn out, rested
+from their hostilities. For a day and a night the Boers were in
+occupation of the advanced hole and the sap that had been carried from
+it, but it was soon recaptured, and the connection made with the Boer
+trenches blown up with dynamite.
+
+On the 20th the Protectorate Regiment gave a dinner, which turned out to
+be quite a luxurious repast. Invitations were supplemented by the
+request to bring their own bread! Some of the officers shot a few
+locust-birds, small as quail, which, when carved judiciously, went round
+among the guests. Added to this there was a sucking pig, obtained none
+knew whence, but nevertheless most welcome.
+
+On the 22nd, Sergeant-Major Looney of the Commissariat was sentenced to
+five years penal servitude for the misappropriation of comestibles and
+stores, which had been going on for some time. The Commissariat was
+reorganised by Captain Ryan (Army Service Corps) with untiring energy
+and economy. To the soup-kitchen went everything, scraps of meat, or
+hoof, meal, unsifted oats, bran, all were turned to account, and food of
+a sustaining, if not luxurious kind, was provided for every one. At this
+time the Boers were growing despondent, and began to doubt their chance
+of forcing the town to surrender. From a conversation overheard by some
+wary ones who had crept close to the enemy's trenches, it appeared that
+President Steyn had urged Commandant Snyman to carry the town by storm,
+and afterwards to come to the rescue of the Free Staters with his force,
+but the Burghers had expressed their opinion that it was now too late to
+take Mafeking--they should have done so the first week.
+
+The inhabitants were very pleased with their own ingenuity, and in their
+ordnance workshops the manufacture of shot and shell went on apace. The
+mechanics of the railway works, by a system which seemed to act on the
+lines of a conjuring trick, turned out from the shell-factory about
+fifty rounds a day. No waste was allowed. Even the fragments of the
+enemy's shells were utilised. These and scraps of cast iron were
+purchased at twopence a pound for smelting, and twopence, it must be
+remembered, was now a magnificent disbursement, as money was growing
+more and more scarce. Curiously enough, the present foreman, Conolly,
+was at one time manager of the shell department of the ordnance factory
+at Pretoria, where he personally supervised the manufacture of the
+larger shells. He now necessarily took a parental interest in the shells
+flung into Mafeking by the Boers' Creusot gun, and also in those new
+ones that were flung out of Mafeking as a result of his own and others'
+inventive genius! A good deal of shelling took place, and that on the
+23rd was said to be a salute in honour of Independence Day in the Orange
+Free State. The inhabitants of Mafeking would not have grudged their
+enemies the, to them, distressing attempt at festivity had they then
+known that four days later the death-blow of that independence would be
+struck, and the salute was destined to be the last in the history of the
+Republics!
+
+Fare was growing more and more meagre. Horse-flesh was diversified by
+bread made from horse forage; water, to say the least of it, was
+becoming interesting only to bacteriologists. The native population for
+the most part starved; they now and then indulged in a raid and brought
+back fat fare, which for a day or two had a visible effect upon their
+ebon skeletons, but they brought it at the risk of their lives.
+
+Uninterrupted deluges of rain made existence a perpetual misery, the
+trenches and also the bomb-proof shelters were flooded, and the hapless
+inhabitants, saturated, fled into the open, uncertain whether death by
+fire was not preferable to death by water. The first, at all events,
+promised to be expeditious, while the second offered prospects of
+prolonged sousing and exquisite tortures of enduring rheumatism. Daily
+the state of affairs became less tolerable. Typhoid and malaria stalked
+abroad, and in the children's and women's laager diphtheria had set in.
+
+On the 25th a message was received from the Queen. Its effect was
+electrical. It was vastly heartening to feel and to know that the great
+Sovereign herself knew and sympathised with the history of the struggles
+and privations, the loyalty and pluck of this little hamlet in a remote
+corner of Her Majesty's possessions. It seemed more possible now to
+starve patriotically, and, with every mouthful of nauseating mule or
+horse, to put aside personal discomfort and to remember the gracious
+fact that each individual was a symbol, a sorry and dilapidated one
+perhaps, but nevertheless a symbol of the majesty and might of Greater
+Britain. In addition to the royal message there came two days later the
+stimulating intelligence that Kimberley had been relieved, and that Lord
+Roberts was advancing on Bloemfontein!
+
+On Majuba Day, all made sure that some sort of attack might be expected,
+and they prepared to welcome it with a salute from the new howitzer gun
+which had engaged the genius of the siege arsenal. The Boers, however,
+were quiet. A good deal of psalm-singing took place in the Boer camp,
+while the besieged put the big gun through his paces.
+
+Ash Wednesday was observed without sackcloth and ashes. Mafeking had
+been enjoying Lenten abstinence for months past, and therefore when, at
+the service on the following Sabbath, the parson reminded them that it
+was the fast season, every one in the church enjoyed the joke so hugely
+that smiles were with difficulty suppressed. As one of the congregation
+afterwards suggested, they had had so much "Extra Special" fasting that
+they ought to be let off Lenten obligations for five years.
+
+[Illustration: SOUTH AFRICAN LIGHT HORSE (Trooper).
+
+BRABANT'S HORSE (Trooper).
+
+DUKE OF EDINBURGH'S VOLUNTEER RIFLES (Dispatch Rider).
+
+Photos by J. E. Bruton, Cape Town.]
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER V
+
+AT CHIEVELEY AGAIN
+
+
+On the 8th of February General Buller again retired across the Tugela.
+He realised that his whole flanking movement had been a failure, and
+though the ill-success has been attributed to many causes, we may safely
+say that the main cause of the fiasco was the insufficient rapidity with
+which the scheme was conducted. Napoleon declared that flank marches
+should be as short, and executed in as brief a time, as possible.
+Celerity and concealment in these cases must go hand in hand, and when
+celerity is overlooked concealment becomes impossible. Delay had given
+the Boers the opportunity to shift their positions and produce a new
+front even more powerful than that at Colenso. The General's idea had
+been, after taking Vaal Krantz, to entrench it as the pivot of further
+operations, but the experience of two days' hard fighting taught him
+that, owing to the nature of the ground, and the despatch of the
+Dutchmen, the plan was far from practicable. The position was found to
+be dominated in every direction by the enemy, and unless Vaal Krantz
+could be held securely during the advance to Ladysmith, it was thought
+advisable not to hold it at all. For this reason the Natal Field Force
+returned to Chieveley, the original scene of operations, where the "Red
+Bull," as the Boers called him, with indomitable energy, planned out a
+fourth scheme of attack. It was now to be directed against the Boer
+left. The battle of the 15th of December was mainly directed against the
+Boer right, as there were reasons to believe the right to be the weaker
+of the two flanks. That attack had failed for reasons we know.
+Circumstances having changed, and more guns and men being now at his
+disposal, the General determined to direct his energies to the Boer
+left. The task was a complicated one. Both river and hills twist
+themselves mysteriously, and seemingly in conspiracy with Boer notions
+of defence. For instance, the river after leaving Colenso (which may be
+looked upon as the Boer centre) twists invisibly into the shelter of the
+impregnable kopjes, and takes a direct turn towards the north, thereby
+passing in front of the Boer right and in rear of the Boer left. By
+taking to themselves possession of Hlangwane the enemy had made their
+position almost unassailable. This formidable left ran in a series of
+trenches, sangars, and rifle-pits from Colenso past the thorn-bushes by
+the river, and on to the powerfully fortified hill of Hlangwane. From
+thence it was extended over the ridge called Green Hill, and farther to
+the companion eminences of Cingolo and Monte Cristo, and the nek that
+united them. The first thing, therefore, to be done in a plan for
+turning this formidable position was to take possession of Hussar Hill,
+which was accomplished on the 14th of February, from which day and on
+till the 27th fighting without cessation took place. Some one called it
+the fighting march, for it was a series of ferociously contested moves
+from Chieveley to Hussar Hill, and thence _via_ Cingolo Nek and Monte
+Cristo Ridge till the Boer line had been turned and the British forces
+had placed themselves diagonally across the left of the Boer position.
+Having worked round in a species of hoop, which crumpled the Boer left
+before it, and having deposited men and guns to mark as milestones the
+victorious advance, a frontal advance was soon made on Green Hill, the
+adjacent slope some three miles from Hlangwane, which mountain became,
+as a natural consequence of the foregoing proceedings, a somewhat easy
+prize. The victory at Monte Cristo, which enabled us to acquire Green
+Hill, may be looked upon as the turning of the tide. From the hour that
+commanding point was occupied the future of the relieving army was
+practically secure, for the river was gained, and the Boers once on the
+run, there needed only the fine fighting quality of our troops--the A1
+quality of the world--to bring things to a satisfactory conclusion. But
+now to try to follow this complicated and well-considered march.
+
+On the 12th of February a force of mounted infantry, with a battalion of
+infantry, a field-battery, and a Colt battery, reconnoitred Hussar Hill
+(so called because it was the scene of the surprise to a picket of the
+13th Hussars), a long ridge situated at the south of Hlangwane, where
+General Buller subsequently established his headquarters. The South
+African Light Horse and another Colt battery were treated to some fierce
+volleys by the enemy, with the result that Lieutenant J. Churchill and
+another officer were wounded. Four men were injured and one was missing.
+The fight was a brisk one, though of but half-an-hour's duration, for
+the hill was not strongly held. The troops then moved forwards, winding
+through a series of wooded ridges to the right, till they reached an
+entrenched ridge connecting Hlangwane with higher hills on the east. As
+there were continual increases and changes in regard to the troops, it
+will be found advisable, before going further, to refer to a table of
+the distribution of the forces as far as they were then known:--
+
+ SIR REDVERS BULLER'S FORCE
+
+ SECOND DIVISION.--(Major-General Lyttelton).--2nd (Hildyard's)
+ Brigade--2nd East Surrey; 2nd West Yorks; 2nd Devons; 2nd West
+ Surrey. 4th (Norcott's Brigade)--1st Rifle Brigade; 1st Durham
+ Light Infantry; 3rd King's Royal Rifles; 2nd Scottish Rifles
+ (Cameronians); Squadron 13th Hussars; 7th, 14th, and 66th Field
+ Batteries.
+
+ THIRD DIVISION.--5th (Hart's) Brigade--1st Royal Inniskilling
+ Fusiliers; 1st Connaught Rangers; 2nd Royal Dublin Fusiliers;
+ 1st Border. 6th (Barton's) Brigade--2nd Royal Fusiliers; 2nd
+ Royal Scots Fusiliers; 1st Royal Welsh Fusiliers; 2nd Royal
+ Irish Fusiliers; Squadron 13th Hussars; 63rd, 64th, and 73rd
+ Field Batteries.
+
+ FIFTH DIVISION.--(Lieutenant-General Sir Charles Warren).--10th
+ (Coke's) Brigade--2nd Dorset; 2nd Middlesex; 2nd Somerset Light
+ Infantry. 11th (Wynne's) Brigade--2nd Royal Lancaster; 2nd
+ Lancashire Fusiliers; 1st South Lancashire; 1st York and
+ Lancaster; Squadron 13th Hussars; 19th, 20th, and 28th Field
+ Batteries. Corps Troops--1st Royal Dublin Fusiliers; Imperial
+ Light Infantry; Thorneycroft's Mounted Infantry; 61st Field
+ Battery (Howitzers); 78th Field Battery; Natal Battery,
+ 9-pounders; twelve Naval 12-pounder quick-firers; 4th Mountain
+ Battery; two 4.7 Naval guns, 1st Cavalry Brigade
+ (Burn-Murdoch)--1st Royal Dragoons; 14th Hussars; Gough's
+ Composite Regiment. 2nd Cavalry Brigade (Dundonald)--Natal
+ Carabineers (squadron); South African Light Horse (four
+ squadrons); Imperial Light Horse (squadron); Natal Police
+ (squadron).
+
+General Lyttelton succeeded General Clery (disabled by blood-poisoning)
+in command of the Second Division, while Colonel Norcott (Rifle Brigade)
+temporarily took command of the Fourth Brigade.
+
+On the 14th the army moved to occupy the new position on Hussar Hill. As
+we know, the irregular cavalry, the South African Horse, had secured the
+position, and some disappointed Boers who had thought to be beforehand
+with them had disappeared with much haste and not a little chagrin.
+After a short time Generals Wynne Coke, and Barton with their respective
+brigades joined Sir Charles Warren's division, and bivouacked on the new
+ground. There was some trouble about water, as Hussar Hill was arid and
+the nearest river was some miles away. However, necessity is the mother
+of invention, and necessity brought to light a system of water-waggons
+by which a small but appreciable amount of water was carried to the
+troops. While this was going on above, General Lyttelton was moving to
+the east of Chieveley round the eastern spur of Hussar Hill.
+
+Here during the afternoon a number of Boers hiding among the boulders
+and dense scrub made themselves obstreperous; but their fire was
+overcome by our artillery, and before long they were dislodged.
+
+Little happened for two days save some artillery duelling, then an
+appreciable advance was made. A wooded hill called Cingolo, part of the
+range east of Hlangwane, was the next to be seized by an adroit flanking
+movement of the infantry. They gained and kept the top of the hill with
+but few casualties owing to the dense cover.
+
+At dawn on the 17th a general advance was ordered. Consequently soon
+after midnight the business of movement began. At daybreak the cavalry
+under Lord Dundonald marched to discover the enemy's left flank through
+the tangled and rugged country to the east--country so broken and wooded
+that on occasions it was impossible to ride, and all that could be done
+was to lead the horses through thicket, and thorns, and over boulders by
+the light of intelligence rather than military regime. And while this
+was going on the artillery was performing a boisterous symphony on
+seventy instruments, an _aubade_ to awaken such Boers as might still be
+dozing in rock, ravine, or ridge in the regions of Hlangwane.
+
+At last the troopers had wormed and torn and scrambled their way up the
+ridge, where, on arriving, the Boers accosted them with the music of
+musketry in tolerably fast time. Bullets whizzed and commenced to send
+the now well-known cataracts over the advancing troops, and for the
+moment it seemed to be a toss up as to whether the toil of gaining the
+position would be in vain. However, the Boers were in small number, and
+very soon they fell back, leaving the top of the hill before the advance
+of the Imperial Light Horse and the Natal Carabineers, who slew or
+captured some Burghers and horses. In their attack they were supported
+by the Queen's, the right battalion of Hildyard's attack, who had taken
+a short cut and came up in the nick of time, so that the Boers promptly
+scurried off and left the troops in undisturbed possession of Cingolo
+Hill.
+
+[Illustration: THE SCENE OF THE FIGHTING AT MONTE CRISTO HILL ON
+FEBRUARY 19. (From sketches taken during the action by Captain P. U.
+Vigors, 2nd Devon Regiment.)]
+
+Further important movements took place on the 18th. Through the
+operations of the day before, the Boers had been hunted along towards
+Monte Cristo, and from thence at daylight they commenced to pour Creusot
+shells on the British troops. The Queen's, who had bivouacked on the
+northern slope of Cingolo, and came in for a good deal of fire,
+valiantly crossed the nek, and, supported by the rest of the 2nd Brigade
+under General Hildyard, assaulted and finally took the southern end of
+Monte Cristo. The 4th Brigade occupied the left or western slope.
+Operations were begun very early, and the long precipitous climb in a
+baking sun occupied till midday. The advance over country that is
+trellised with spruits, dongas, thorn-bush, and scrub at times was
+painfully slow, and the scrambling and stumbling, sometimes on all
+fours, to the roll and rattle of musketry and the banging of unseen and
+unlocatable guns occupied some hours. The words of the Scripture, "Eyes
+have they and see not," might have been applied to this nerve-trying
+assault against hidden men with smokeless weapons. No sooner had the
+troops reached the top of Monte Cristo than they were assailed by a
+well-directed artillery fire from the direction of the invisible foe,
+shrapnel, Maxim, and Nordenfeldt guns pouring over the men as they
+advanced. But they steadily pushed on and up till at last they entirely
+routed the Boers. These, finding themselves in a desperate situation,
+took to their heels, leaving tents, food, biltong, lard, potatoes,
+onions, clothing, bridles, blankets, and Bibles behind them in disarray.
+In their retreat they were fired on by the cavalry, but they made small
+reply. Quantities of ammunition were captured, and, unfortunately for
+those who still maintained their respect for the enemy, several forms of
+expanding bullets. The Royal Welsh Fusiliers, supported by the rest of
+the 6th Brigade, assailed the eastern flank of the enemy's position. The
+2nd Brigade of Cavalry on the extreme right watched the eastern slopes
+of Monte Cristo, and drove back those of the enemy who scurried there to
+escape the artillery fire. They had been completely taken by surprise;
+they had expected the British to begin a frontal attack on Green Hill, a
+smooth grassy eminence sliced with the gashes of Boer entrenchments,
+some of these six feet in depth, others blasted in the solid rock.
+Assaulted now by big guns in front and flank, attacked in flank and
+rear, the enemy, without offering much resistance, evacuated their
+strong positions and fled across the Tugela. That their flight was
+precipitate was testified by the fact that they even left letters
+behind. One of these was from General Joubert in answer to a request for
+supports, in which he said these could not be sent; the position was
+sufficiently garrisoned with the men they had.
+
+The crest of Monte Cristo gained, all at once took heart. This hill was
+the hinge on which all the subsequent movements turned. By means of it
+Green Hill and the frowning eminence of Hlangwane could become ours.
+From Hlangwane the whole western section of the great Colenso position
+could be rendered untenable by the enemy. This the Boers well knew, and
+this was the reason for their tough resistance on the dreadful 15th of
+December. Now, seeing us masters of Monte Cristo, they wisely decided to
+make themselves scarce. The British guns once mounted on Monte Cristo
+made a complete difference in the situation. It was now possible to
+enfilade many of the choice positions which for two months had been the
+snug hiding-places of the enemy. Now, in the distance, was visible--the
+subject of many dreams, many nightmares--Ladysmith. Around it, here and
+there, were dotted the enemy's camps and hospitals--only eight miles
+away--a comfortable walking distance--eight miles ahead of our advanced
+lines! Ladysmith--an austere queen to be wooed, a fainting beauty to be
+won--so she had seemed, with lives risked and sacrificed like mere
+handfuls of sand for the sake of her, for a few yards of approach near
+to that cestus which engirdled all the grand British blood that had
+palpitated for our coming, so long, so very long. It was glorious merely
+to know that Ladysmith was now in sight of the British picquets: there
+was a sense of exhilaration in the thought of real progress after the
+ghastly six days at Spion Kop, the fluctuating four at Vaal Krantz, the
+fourteen in and out and round about the precincts of fatal Colenso.
+Success was now almost within a stone's throw, and all hearts throbbed
+with expectation and confidence. All were in some way longing for the
+handclasp of those beleaguered men. There, in that cup of the hills were
+kindred; if not kindred, friends; if not friends, comrades in
+arms--comrades who had belonged to the same old regiments or "ground"
+with the same "crammers" at the same schools. And even for complete
+strangers there was a thrill of excitement, almost of exultation, at the
+prospect of coming in touch with these men, of grasping hands with
+renowned warriors, every one of whom had helped to illuminate one of the
+most sumptuous pages of the history of the nineteenth century.
+
+The intense heat, the terrific toil, the unparalleled hardships were
+forgotten. The energy and dash of the troops, hitherto unfailing, were
+now redoubled. They had now taken possession of the most important ridge
+which pointed towards the frowning guardian eminence of the beleaguered
+concave--Bulwana Hill--and hopes were high and spirits exuberant. There
+remained but Pieter's Hill between them and the imprisoned multitude.
+They now saw that the turn of the tide had arrived, and already they
+looked towards the distressed town, veiled in the haze of distance, and
+pictured the hour when their long spell of strain and turmoil should
+meet its reward. In this day's fight, the Queens, the Scots Fusiliers,
+the Rifle Brigade, and the irregular cavalry had especially
+distinguished themselves. It was the distinction of endurance rather
+than of display. The dogged perseverance with which they launched
+themselves at the positions to be taken, toiling through scrub and
+thorn, "potting away" at an invisible foe, was more to be applauded than
+more demonstrative feats of heroism. Colenso and Spion Kop had been
+showy in their tragedy, but the "fighting march," as it was called, was
+a feat of superb endurance, of obdurate pluck. A perpetual stumbling and
+tearing, an eternal pushing up and on against opposition the more
+terrifying because unseen; the sound of booming, smokeless murderous
+guns; the sight of maimed or mutilated human beings dropping suddenly
+under the serene and smiling sky were experiences to test the grit of
+the toughest and most stoical. A bolt from the blue! That was all. Yet
+presently there were dead men littered about, and far away, unconscious
+of their woe, were widows and orphans.
+
+On the 19th, Hlangwane Hill--the impregnable Gibraltar, as it has been
+called--was taken by the Fusilier Brigade. As this hill, which commanded
+Colenso, had been evacuated by the enemy--who had left three camps and
+all their paraphernalia, thousands of rounds of ammunition, and 2000
+Maxim automatic shells behind them--we were now free to cross the
+Tugela. Whether the enemy would continue to fight inch by inch was
+uncertain, but still there was one subject of rejoicing--the river was
+ours. The following officers were killed and wounded during this day's
+operations:--2nd Royal Fusiliers--Killed, Captain W. L. Thurburn;
+wounded, 2nd Lieutenant E. C. Packe. 2nd Scottish Rifles--Wounded, 2nd
+Lieutenant J. M. Colchester-Wemyss.
+
+On the 20th General Hart, after a slight resistance by a weak rearguard,
+occupied the village, and now the line of the Tugela on the south side
+from Colenso to Eagle's Nest was in British hands.
+
+Colenso was found to be a desolate ruin. The enemy had evidently tried
+to make matchwood of the place. Windows and doors told the tale of
+wanton destruction. They were wrecked past remedy. Houses everywhere
+were redolent of the Boer, the walls bore traces of his illiterate
+caligraphy, and his offensive remarks in many tongues amused without
+disturbing those who read them. They could afford to smile now. And
+while they went on their tour of investigation the hidden Boers could
+not resist some sniping shots from their trenches in Port Wylie, which
+were only silenced by the forcible arguments of the Naval gunners on
+Hussar Hill. On this day another trooper of the South African Light
+Horse (Walters) distinguished himself by swimming across the Tugela and
+bringing over the pontoon, thus repeating the gallant deed of his
+comrades at Potgieter's Drift. Thorneycroft's Mounted Infantry, though
+peppered by Boers who were ensconced on the kopjes on the opposite side,
+succeeded in fording the river, and proceeded to reconnoitre the kopjes
+on the other side. All the guns were gone, and the kopjes themselves
+seemed to be weakly held. In the distance small clusters of Boers were
+seen in the act of digging trenches, but it was generally believed that
+the enemy's tactics were now those of a rearguard action.
+
+[Illustration: THE RELIEF OF LADYSMITH--THE LAST RUSH AT HLANGWANE HILL.
+
+From a Sketch by René Bull, War Artist.]
+
+Terrible reminiscences of the battle of Colenso greeted them wherever
+they turned. Fort Wylie was seamed with bombardment. The railway bridge
+remained a lamentable picture of upheaval. Outside the village, lying as
+they had dropped, were the rotted carcases of horses which had fallen
+victims to the enemy's volleys--fallen in tangled masses, all harnessed
+together, while making a futile effort to save the guns of the 14th
+and 66th Batteries. The trenches, beginning on the very brink of the
+river, with their protective layers of sandbags and their ingeniously
+arranged earthworks, told how comfortably and with what immunity from
+danger the Boers had set about their fell work on the fatal 15th of
+December. The labour in making Colenso and its surroundings impregnable
+must have been as immense as it was skilful.
+
+General Hart's advanced guard now proceeded to cross the Tugela, the
+Boers having vacated all their positions south of the river, and on the
+21st he was followed by the 5th Division, who drove back the enemy's
+rearguard. The enemy had moved north and turned into a strongly
+fortified line of kopjes midway between the river and Grobler's Kloof,
+and from thence there was some doubt whether he could ever be displaced.
+At the approach of the British, he, however, retired precipitately
+towards Grobler's Kloof.
+
+The crossing, on both days, of the magnificent infantry was apiece with
+all that had gone before. First came one shell, then another, but the
+troops steadily pursued their warlike course while the missiles hurtling
+over their heads exploded in the plain behind them. The great question
+had been as to where the river should be crossed. Now that the British
+were in possession of the whole area of Hlangwane and its connecting
+hills, it was possible to cross either where the river ran north and
+south, or where it ran east and west. The idea was to cross and get
+along the line of railroad, and follow a straight course up to
+Ladysmith. The enemy were believed to be in retreat, and therefore it
+seemed perfectly feasible to advance in the way attempted.
+
+On the 21st the gunners continued persistently at work, determining that
+the Dutchmen should have no spare time for the building of further
+entrenchments. The foe managed, however, to render themselves aggressive
+by firing on an ambulance train that was steaming out of Colenso
+station. Meanwhile the army was moving westward from Hlangwane plateau,
+with a view to marching up beyond the stream, and getting out of the
+valley of the river and beyond the kopjes that frowned over it.
+
+
+LADYSMITH
+
+The story of famine is an insidious story, a creeping horror that,
+scarcely visible, yet slowly and very gradually saps first the spirits,
+then the energies, then the blood, and finally all the little sparks of
+being that serve to divide us from the dead. The seal of hunger was set
+on every action, though there was no complaint. The cramped-up Tommy in
+his sangar was scarcely as conscious of his risk of danger from shot and
+shell as of the aching void that assured him how much nature abhorred a
+vacuum. When he marched, he marched now with the step of one who
+husbands his resources; when he whistled as of old, he ceased abrupt,
+the lung power being scant and short-lived. His eyes, plucky and
+Britishly dogged, grew large and wistful, as though looking for
+something that never came. Dysentery and fever caught him and left him,
+but left him still in charge of famine, which held him in
+leading-strings, allowing him his freedom to crawl so far and no
+farther. Yet daily routine went on as of yore. The shadow of the man
+went on picket or fatigue duty and met his fellow-shadows as often as
+not with a jest. In ordinary life you don't look upon cheek-bones as the
+features of a face. You take stock of eyes, nose, mouth, possibly ears.
+In Ladysmith a man's character betrayed itself in his cheek-bones and in
+the anæmic tone of the tanned parchment that was stretched across them.
+You could read of patience and heroism in the hard, distinct outlines,
+and comprehend the magnificent endurance of one who, expecting to fight
+like a devil, was condemned to feed like an anchorite.
+
+The men were very near the barbaric brink of starvation. On one occasion
+a shell plumped into the mule lines and killed a mule. There was a
+general rush. Shells followed on the first, crashing all around, but the
+famished racing throng heeded them not; their one desire was to get at
+the slain beast, to capture the wherewithal to stay their grievous
+cravings. Quickly with their clasp-knives they possessed themselves of
+great chunks of the flesh, and then, with death hurtling around them and
+over their heads, they proceeded to carry their prize to safer quarters.
+Here they determined to have a good "tuck-in." Fires were kindled, and
+the flesh was toasted and swallowed with lightning rapidity.
+
+For some weeks the inhabitants had been reduced to an essence of horse
+politely termed Chevril, which was declared to be both palatable and
+nourishing. The horses, with their ribs shining in painful high lights
+along their skins, dropped day after day from sheer famine, and were
+boiled down to meet the pressing demand. Their bones were gelatinous,
+however wizened their poor flesh.
+
+The horses that were used for food, like those that yet crawled, were
+mere skeletons. When the General, in view of making another sortie,
+inquired how many there were in camp that could still carry their rider
+for six miles, he was informed that there were only twelve equal to the
+task.
+
+The lack of fat and milk and vegetables was irremediable, but dainties,
+so called, were provided in curious ways. Blancmange was manufactured
+from ladies' violet-powder which had been "commandeered" for service in
+the kitchen, and biscuits were fried by the men in the axle-grease
+provided for the carts, in hope to make the task of biting them less
+like crunching ashes.
+
+The place itself appeared to be becoming the Abomination of Desolation.
+Many of the dwellings were unoccupied; the low bungalow-shaped villas
+were closed and barricaded; here and there were buildings cracked and
+seamed by shot and shell, with great gaps in their faces, reminding one
+of human beings without eyes and teeth. Melancholy and depression
+reigned everywhere--on the tangled, desolated gardens, as on the silent,
+listless men, who had almost ceased to converse, for there was nothing
+left to converse about. Buller's coming had been discussed threadbare;
+the prospect of the food holding out had been examined in all its
+hideous emptiness. Lassitude and weariness was the universal expression
+on the visages of the hollow-eyed spectres that were the remains of the
+dashing heroes of Glencoe and Elandslaagte. The land and riverbeds
+presented the appearance of a series of grottoes, shelters of wood,
+stone, and wire, the dens of wild animals, the caves of primitive man.
+Between the burrows and caves were sentry-paths and paths to the
+water-tanks, worn with the incessant traffic of weary feet.
+
+Though affairs were arriving at a sorry pass, there were still some
+wonderful recoveries. For instance, Captain Paley (Rifle Brigade), who
+was wounded in both hips, was getting on amazingly. Though the leg was
+badly shattered near the joint of the hip, there was every reason to
+hope that it might be saved. Captain Mills, too, was mending. To have a
+bullet pass through the lung and pierce the spinal column is not a
+common experience, and one that few recover from; yet the doctors gave
+hopeful reports. They had scarcely thought that Major Hoare would
+outlive a fractured skull--completely riddled they said it was--yet the
+Major was expected to be himself again shortly. These were marvellous
+cases, and probably the wounded owed their curious recovery to the
+nature of the weapon of offence. Missiles have peculiar characteristics,
+and differ in their capacity for deadliness. For instance, bullets of
+the most harmless kind are those having a high velocity, those that hit
+apex-first and do not "keyhole," and those possessing a hard, smooth
+sheath with a smooth, rounded surface. After these come missiles of more
+death-dealing or mutilating nature--the Dum-Dum bullets, with the nickel
+sheaths around the apex removed in order to expose the lead nucleus,
+Remington lead or brass bullets, shrapnel bullets, and fragments of
+shell. Each and all of these things had been endured by one or other of
+our gallant men during the course of the campaign, and the surgeons were
+able to make a profound study of causes and effects. One of the heroes
+of Ladysmith who went near to testing the efficacy of that most deadly
+thing, the shell, was Archdeacon Barker. With the utmost presence of
+mind, he picked up a shell in the act of exploding and plumped it into a
+tub of water, thus saving many lives. Numbers of officers who had been
+hit by Mausers or Lee-Metfords were now pronounced out of danger, among
+them Colonel C. E. Beckett (Staff), Major F. Hammersley (Staff), Captain
+W. B. Silver, Captain M. J. W. Pike, Major H. Mullaly, Lieutenants
+Crichton, S. C. Maitland, W. W. MacGregor (of the Gordons), and A. A. G.
+Bond. Captain Lowndes, who was wounded dangerously on Surprise Hill, was
+picking up wonderfully. Lieutenant Campbell, of the Imperial Light
+Horse, whose case at first seemed serious, was rapidly gaining ground.
+
+Very capricious sometimes was the action of bullets. Some of the injured
+would have as many as four or five wounds, all "outers," to use their
+musketry phrase, while others would suffer strange and wonderful things
+in consequence of the vagaries of a single shot. A strange chapter of
+accidents befell one officer. He was hit under the left eye, the bullet
+passing out of his cheek into his left shoulder, and then into his upper
+arm, which it broke. Not content with doing this damage, the shock of
+the blow knocked him down, and in falling the unfortunate man broke the
+other arm! On the other hand, there were some, reported doing well, and
+expecting to be fit for duty shortly, who were veritably perforated with
+bullets--"a perfect sieve" one man called himself, with a touch of
+excusable pride.
+
+The bravery of these men! The bravery of these women! Outside we knew
+only of the husk of their suffering; but the kernel of it, the bitter
+sickening taste of it, the taste that lived with them, that was there
+when they woke, and remained after they had closed their eyes in
+sleep--that, none but themselves could ever know. Boredom and flies,
+they jestingly said it was! Rather was it a slow petrifaction of the
+soul. Death to them had lost its sting, as life had lost its fire.
+Ladysmith was the grave of corpses that were not dead, forms in the
+cerements of burial now too weak to knock themselves against the
+coffin-lid and cry, "Save us! our last breath is not yet spent; we are
+living, loving men!" Yes, they were too weak. They made no sound, no
+cry. They who had so long resisted could resist no longer; they, who
+with their last effort on that fatal 6th of January had been a terror to
+their enemies, were now only a terror to themselves. Could they bear it
+longer? Was it possible? Might they not in some fit of madness, some
+palpitating moment of lust for dear life, begin to spell the letters of
+the unframable word, begin just to think how it might be
+spelt?--S--u--r--r-- No! They could not get to the end of it! It choked
+them. They could stand the fetid water, the foul air with its loathsome
+whispers, its hideous suggestions, which at eventide grew strong as
+phantoms from the nether world; they could face the sight of virulent
+disease and gaunt famine stalking up and down as the hyena slinks round
+and about his prey; they could gasp under the fierce heat; they could
+tune their ears to the racking, rending tortuous explosions of death
+dealing shells--they could do all this, but they could not get beyond.
+The first syllable of the crushing word could never pass their lips!
+
+ * * * * *
+
+Food now was only interesting because of its mystery; it was beginning
+to have merely an ornamental value in the programme. Various
+"confections" made of violet-powder that had been impounded, strange
+brawns of mule-heel and suspicious "savouries" were the subject of
+speculation and awe. People pretended to be pleased and to put a good
+face on matters, and indeed they had every reason to be thankful; for,
+owing to the ingenuity of Lieutenant M'Nalty, A.S.C., under whose
+auspices potted meats, jellies, soups, were manufactured, the
+imagination if not the appetite was appeased with what, when not too
+closely investigated, appeared to be quite delectable fare.
+
+The following prices were realised at an auction on February
+21:--Fourteen lbs. of oatmeal, £2, 19s. 6d.; a tin of condensed milk,
+10s.; 1 lb. of fat beef, 11s.; a 1-lb. tin of coffee, 17s.; a 2-lb. tin
+of tongue, £1, 6s.; a sucking-pig, £1, 17s.; eggs, £2, 8s. per dozen; a
+fowl, 18s.; four small cucumbers, 15s.; green mealies, 3s. 8d. each; a
+small quantity of grapes, £1, 5s.; a plate of tomatoes, 18s.; one
+marrow, £1, 8s.; a plate of potatoes, 19s.; two small bunches of
+carrots, 9s.; a glass of jelly, 18s.; a 1-lb. bottle of jam, £1, 11s.; a
+1-lb. tin of marmalade, £1, 1s.; a dozen matches, 13s. 6d.; a packet of
+cigarettes, £1, 5s.; 50 cigars, £9, 5s.; a ¼-lb. cake of tobacco, £2,
+5s.; ½ lb. of tobacco, £3, 5s.
+
+A doctor, writing home about this time, said:--
+
+"Things are getting very trying here now. For two or three weeks we have
+had only half a pound of horseflesh and a quarter a pound of very bad
+mealie-meal bread, with one ounce of sugar. Sometimes a little mealie
+porridge is added or a little more bread. This is precious low fare, I
+can tell you, especially as the bread is so bad we can hardly eat it,
+and it makes us ill. Of course, drinks gave out after the first month,
+and tobacco followed suit some time ago, but, fortunately, they
+discovered a little Kaffir tobacco recently, which, vile as it is, we
+smoke eagerly. Alas! mine won't last long now. It is impossible to get
+proper food for patients, and not much of improper. Consequently men are
+beginning to die fast of scurvy, enteric, and dysentery. We have reduced
+the number of sick from two thousand to seventeen hundred here, of which
+I have about a hundred severe cases, and am allowed about two to three
+wineglasses of stimulants a day for the lot; so you can imagine what a
+farce that is. Drugs, too, are almost finished, and firewood for
+cooking is an endless difficulty; so you can imagine I am pretty tired
+of the daily duty in these terrible fever-tents. About half of our
+doctors and half the nurses are sick, and there were always few enough.
+One doctor has already died and a nurse."
+
+Among the severe cases alluded to was one especially to be deplored.
+Colonel Royston, whose name is intimately connected with Volunteering in
+Natal, was hopelessly ill. In spite of his iron constitution, he
+succumbed to the ravages of enteric fever, and was in reality marked by
+the finger of death at the very time when the relief force was pressing
+to deliver the town from the awful doom that hung like a miasma over the
+whole place. The gallant Colonel had done splendid service, and for two
+decades had worked energetically to promote the welfare of the Colony
+and stimulate interest in the Volunteer movement. As trumpeter in the
+Carabineers in 1872, the youth was found engaging in operations against
+Langalibalele, including the flying column in the Double Mountains and
+the capture of the chief; and in 1879, in command of a troop of
+Carabineers, he distinguished himself in the Zulu campaign. Later he
+accompanied Sir Bartle Frere to the Transvaal in command of the High
+Commissioner's escort. From 1881 to 1889 he commanded the regiment, and
+was appointed Commandant of Volunteers in 1898. When the call to arms
+came, the brave Volunteers of Natal were ready to a man, fully equipped
+to go to the front--a practical proof of the splendid ability and
+foresight of their chief. All agreed in deploring his illness, and
+declared that an officer more fitted to lead the gallant regiment, more
+trusted and more beloved, it would be hard to find.
+
+
+THE BATTLE OF PIETERS
+
+On Wednesday the 21st, as we know, our troops were back at Colenso. The
+day was mainly devoted to "sniping," to bringing up heavy guns, and to
+getting the troops across the Tugela. But the 12-pounder Naval guns on
+Hlangwane, and the 61st Howitzer Battery in the open, indulged in a
+stupendous concert addressed to the enemy's position, in which they were
+assisted from below Monte Cristo on the right by more Naval guns. The
+enemy was not inactive. No sooner had a pontoon been thrown across the
+river below Hlangwane than they began to drop shells in the
+neighbourhood of the troops who were attempting to cross. These,
+however, accomplished their intention without sustaining much loss.
+Meanwhile, Corporal Adams, of the Telegraph Brigade, distinguished
+himself by swimming across the Tugela, wire in mouth. The troops now
+advanced--General Coke's Brigade, followed by two battalions of General
+Wynne's and a field-battery. The Somersets, Dorsets, Middlesex, covered
+by shell-fire from two field-batteries and the heavy guns, moved across
+the plain to the foot of the hill, with the object of reconnoitring
+Grobler's Kloof. At first no signs of the enemy were visible, the
+Dutchmen, though not entrenched, being cunningly hidden in the dongas
+and thorn-bushes, which crowded the vicinity. But no sooner had the
+Somersets, who had been the first across the pontoon, approached the
+base of the hill, than a cataract from the rifles of the enemy suddenly
+burst over them. The Boers had withheld their fire till the troops were
+within point-blank range, and then rent the weird mystery of the dusk
+with jets of flame. Nearly a hundred of the gallant fellows dropped and
+three officers were killed. Some said that they were fighting the
+enemy's rearguard, but in reality a large portion of the whole Boer army
+was engaged. Though it was the first time the regiment had been under
+fire, the admirable behaviour of the men in the face of overwhelming
+hostile numbers was remarkable. Nevertheless, the unpleasant discovery
+of the enemy's strength at last involved the retreat of the troops, and
+decided the General that an advance in force must be made on the
+following day.
+
+[Illustration: BALLOON MAP ILLUSTRATING THE BATTLE OF PIETERS AND RELIEF
+OF LADYSMITH.]
+
+The following officers were killed and wounded in the operations of 20th
+and 21st February:--
+
+ 1st Rifle Brigade--Wounded, Lieutenant W. R. Wingfield-Digby.
+ 2nd Somersetshire Light Infantry--Killed, Captain S. L. V.
+ Crealock, Lieutenant V. F. A. Keith-Falconer, Second Lieutenant
+ J. C. Parr; wounded, Captain E. G. Elger. 2nd Dorsetshire
+ Regiment--Wounded, Second Lieutenant F. Middleton. 2nd Royal
+ Irish Fusiliers--Wounded, Colonel J. Reeves. Staff--Wounded,
+ Captain H. G. C. Phillips. Royal Army Medical Corps--Died of
+ wounds, Captain R. E. Holt.
+
+On Thursday the 22nd, part of General Wynne's Brigade began to advance.
+They were supported by Hildyard's Brigade from the region of Fort Wylie.
+(General Barton's Brigade and part of General Hart's were left on the
+south side of the river.) Progress was slow and painful. The country--a
+strip some two miles broad and stretching out between high hills and the
+river--was richly veined with irritating dongas and covered with bushes
+and scrub. The position was commanded by the wooded slopes of Grobler's
+Kloof, and enabled the Boers to worry the men in their advance with an
+enfilading fire. All around were steep kopjes such as the Boer soul
+delights in, and thorny tangles which afforded comfortable shelter for
+the enemy's guns. The movement, therefore, was costly, as it was
+difficult to locate the guns, and the sharpshooters of the enemy, well
+hidden in their rocky fastnesses, maintained a continuous fire on front
+and flanks of the advancing force. With their usual wiliness, the
+Dutchmen had evidently suspended their contemplated retreat, and had
+gathered together, crept up, and taken up a strong position on the left
+flank, whence they were enabled to hamper the troops considerably.
+Nevertheless the Royal Lancasters leading, the South Lancashire
+following, valiantly advanced towards their objective so resolutely that
+the Boers, who almost to the last stood their ground, pelted off to
+the sheltering nooks and dongas in the shadow of Grobler's Kloof. Only
+one remained to face the bayonet. But the losses consequent on this
+smart day's work were many. Brigadier-General Wynne while conducting
+operations was slightly wounded, and about a hundred and fifty more were
+put out of action.
+
+[Illustration: MAJOR-GENERAL A. FITZROY HART, C.B.
+
+Photo by Elliott & Fry, London.]
+
+The troops were now moving on a route along the line of river and rail
+to Ladysmith, half-way between Colenso and Pieters Hill, and with kopjes
+to be stormed at intervals during the onward course. They had performed
+a species of zigzag movement, pointing from Chieveley north-east to
+Cingolo and Monte Cristo, and coming back in an acute line north-west to
+the river. Now the forward march involved the capture of all the strong
+positions, beginning with the twin kopjes, Terrace and Railway Hill, and
+ending with the whole Pieters position, and possibly Bulwana.
+
+On the three hills--Terrace Hill, Railway Hill, and Pieters Hill--rested
+the Boers' second line of defence. The first hill, called Terrace Hill,
+lay about a mile and a half to north-east of the right flank. Farther
+east, divided by a valley, was Railway Hill, so called because on its
+east came the railway line, on the other side of which was Pieters Hill.
+Sir Redvers Buller's plan was to advance the infantry beyond the angle
+of the river, and then stretch round the enemy's left from Railway Hill,
+and so go straight to Ladysmith. The idea seemed a good one, as the
+Dutchmen were believed to be moving off; but it was afterwards
+discovered that they, seeing the assault was not to be made at once upon
+the weak, the left edge of their position, had gathered courage and
+returned, reinforced by commandos from Ladysmith, to their well-known
+hunting-ground on Grobler's Kloof and elsewhere, preparing to give
+battle so long as there was safety for their extreme left. Most of the
+night of the 22nd was spent in fighting of desperate character, the
+Howitzer Battery keeping up an incessant roar, explosion following
+explosion in the sombre blackness of midnight. The Boers, meanwhile,
+were attacking with rifle fire all along the line, and so persistent
+were the Dutchmen in their effort to get rid of the troops, that some
+even were only repulsed by the bayonet.
+
+Details of that dreadful night's work are scarce, but a faint, yet
+tragic, outline was given by an officer of the 60th Rifles, who was one
+of the survivors of the fatal fray. This regiment had moved on the left
+of Hildyard's Brigade, and were swinging along a boulder-strewn
+hillside, which, surmounted by a series of uneven and indefinite
+crest-lines, gave on to a plateau where they intended to take up a line
+of outposts for the night. It so happened that the Boers had ensconced
+themselves at the rear edge of the position which the troops, in the
+belief that it was evacuated, were so incautiously approaching.
+Accordingly, in the gathering gloom a collision of amazing violence
+occurred--amazing to both Britons and Burghers, for the former
+surprisedly plumped upon the Dutchmen, who as surprisedly gave way
+before them. In an instant the gallant 60th were after the fugitives,
+charging and cheering, but assailed now by fierce volleys from
+undreamed-of trenches. This sudden and furious attack forced them,
+unsupported as they were, to seek cover till reinforcements could
+arrive. But no help appeared. The plight of the unfortunate band, whose
+peril had been hidden in the grim density of the night, was entirely
+unsuspected by the companion forces that fringed the crests in the
+vicinity, and therefore the unhappy fellows lay all night clinging to
+the cover of the boulders, and rained on by showers of bullets that
+traced a tale of agony along the ground. At dawn on the 23rd, no
+supports having arrived, and under the same fervid fusillade, they began
+to retire. In twos and threes they commenced to go back, finally covered
+in their retreat by the East Surreys, who had grandly gone forward to
+the rescue. But the cost of splendid succour was dearly and almost
+instantaneously paid. Men fell thick and fast over the hilltop--the
+Colonel, second in command, and four officers of the East Surrey
+Regiment dropping one after another, some wounded in many places.
+Captain the Hon. R. Cathcart, "the rearmost of his command, as he had
+been foremost of the night before," dropped dead, and round him within a
+few moments fifty other noble fellows had passed to the Unknown!
+
+General Buller's orders on the 23rd were brief. Push for Ladysmith
+to-day, horse, foot, and artillery; both cavalry brigades to cross the
+river at once. The advance, which had hitherto been slow, was now
+hurried on. At midday it was in full swing, the cavalry having crossed
+the Tugela and massed at Fort Wylie. Meanwhile the Boers had taken up a
+formidable position on the right--on the well-entrenched height called
+by the gunners Three Knoll Hill, to describe the three hills, Terrace,
+Railway, and Pieters, that formed the entire position--while on the left
+they plied their activities from Grobler's Kloof. The artillery in front
+of Railway Hill concentrated a brisk fire upon the Boers therein
+entrenched, who returned some animated replies, assisted by other
+Dutchmen from a hidden vantage-point on the north-east of that eminence.
+General Hart's Brigade, to whose valiant Irishmen the difficult task of
+capturing the position was entrusted, was ordered to advance. This
+advance from Onderbrook Spruit to the base of Terrace Hill, the
+companion of Railway Hill, was a feat of cool courage that has seldom
+been equalled. The hill, triangular and standing some three hundred feet
+above the Tugela, was approached by a wide open space, which was
+commanded by the Boers, whose complicated position on Railway Hill and
+its component ridges gave them every advantage. The correspondent of the
+_Standard_ furnished a description of these precipitous steeps. "Railway
+Hill rises from the Tugela a mile from Platelayers' House. It is,
+perhaps, best described as triangular in shape, with one angle pointing
+towards the river. It rises from the latter in a series of jagged,
+boulder-strewn kopjes, until three hundred feet or so above the Tugela.
+A kloof, through which the railway passes upwards on its way to Pieters
+Station, separates the last jagged ledge from the hill proper. From the
+last kopje or ledge, and immediately on the other side of the line, the
+main part of the hill rises abruptly, almost precipitously, with a sharp
+edge running back in a north-westerly direction for several hundred
+yards. The base of this north-westerly line of hill makes up a kloof
+thick with thorn trees, and this kloof recedes round the left end of the
+hill to the rear, where the enemy's force, under Commandant Dupreez, had
+its quarters, while a little farther to the rear is still another kloof,
+in which the enemy's Creusots were mounted. Along the beginning of the
+sharp edge referred to a long trench was cut out, and right ahead, as
+the hill ran still upwards on an incline for three hundred yards or so,
+were other trenches, until the hill terminated in a crest crowded with
+commanding fortifications." To assail this formidable stronghold the
+troops moved off in the following order--the Inniskilling Fusiliers
+leading, followed by the Connaught Rangers, the Dublin Fusiliers, and
+the Imperial Light Infantry. Steadily marched the kharki-clad throng,
+advancing along the railroad in single file with rifles at the slope. At
+that time there was comparative silence save for the muffled drumming of
+artillery in the surrounding kopjes. These apparently frowned free of
+human influence, the dark, dull frown that portends many evil things to
+the eye of the advancing soldier. But nevertheless the troops moved
+nearer and nearer to the hill over the open ground by the railway bridge
+with a steady step and that air of consolidated distinction that marks
+acutely the difference between Briton and Boer armies. They had no
+sooner showed themselves in the open than the air grew alive, the
+trenches on the frowning hill vomited furiously. A casual observer
+remarked that it reminded him of the pantomimes of his youth, of Ali
+Baba's cave, when, at a given signal, its jars opened and the forty
+thieves suddenly--simultaneously--popped up their heads. Only now there
+were not forty but thousands of brigandish forms--forms that hastened to
+deal death from their Mausers on the advancing men. These were now
+coming on at a rush, a rush through the hailstorm whose every shower
+meant disaster. But Hart the valiant had said, "That hill must be taken
+at all costs"--and that was enough! The hill was about to be seized and
+the payments had already begun. One, two, three, four, six--more and
+yet more down, one after another. So the men began to fall. The ironwork
+of the bridge had now its fringe of fainting forms. Still the splendid
+fellows pushed on. Still the air reverberated with the puissant
+pom-poming of the Boers' automatic gun. This they had turned on to the
+position they knew must be passed by the advancing warriors. Meanwhile
+the British artillery was saluting the hill, throwing up to heaven dust
+and splinter spouts that filled the whole atmosphere with blinding,
+choking debris, and causing the purple boulders far and wide to give
+forth rumbling echoes of the infernal rampage.
+
+Gradually, in face of the deluge of shot and shell, the Inniskilling
+Fusiliers, the Connaught Rangers, and one company each of the Dublin
+Fusiliers, had wound their way towards the eastern spurs of Railway
+Hill, and in the late afternoon were ready for the attack. General Hart
+gave the word. Then, up the rugged stone-strewn heights the troops
+laboriously began to climb. Soon they reached a point, some hundred
+yards above, whence the Boers could pepper them with ease. At the same
+time from the adjacent hill more bullets whizzed upon them. Yet, with
+this horrible fire on their flanks and the deadly fusillade from the
+front, they persevered, dropping one after another like ripe fruit in a
+gust of wind. Volley after volley poured down on them, but up they went,
+cutting through wire, leaping boulders, and hurling themselves forward,
+and in such grand style, that the Boers, seeing the determined glitter
+of the bayonet, thought it wiser to retreat. They receded some two
+hundred yards up the hill, while the troops occupied the first position.
+Then, in the growing dusk, the Dutchmen were seen taking a commanding
+place on a somewhat higher or parent peak of the hill. From this point
+the Inniskillings, flushed with their first triumph, deemed it necessary
+to rout them. Fire streamed and spouted, the dim gloom of twilight came
+on; still the Irishmen, through the mist of evening and flashings
+furious from every side, advanced along the hill--a glorious, a tragic
+advance. One after another bit the dust. Men in mute or groaning agony
+lay prone in the gathering dusk. First went a major, afterwards another,
+and then two captains of this gallant band. The Boers had known their
+business. Some of their kopjes are of the nature of spider-webs; the
+outer fringe involves entanglement; and this especial eminence was of
+that particular nature that the second Boer position commanded the
+first. The Dutchmen, even as they receded, were able to mow down the men
+as they advanced, by a converging fire, against which it was impossible
+to stand. It was now an almost hand-to-hand struggle between doughty
+Dutchman and dashing Briton. The Inniskillings were close, but every
+inch was gained with appalling loss to their numbers--indeed, the
+charging companies might almost have been described as individual men!
+
+Finally, some one gave the order to retire. But how? Most of the
+valorous band were stricken down, or had perished. The wounded could not
+be removed. Yet those that remained were too few to hold the ground in
+the darkness. All that could be done was to retire below the crest and
+wait till morning. A retirement was attempted, under the personal
+direction of the Colonel (Colonel Sitwell),[4] but in the course of the
+movement he was hit, never to rise again. The troops at last got to the
+cover of the hill, where they built schanzes and bivouacked. But from
+this point throughout the night firing continued, while the Boers above,
+between the intervals of dozing, peppered the bivouacs with bullets.
+
+At 7 A.M., while cannonading had elsewhere assumed dangerous
+proportions, the Irish regiments were again assailed in their schanzes
+by the persistent Dutchmen. These had crept round the base of the hill
+and attacked the trenches from the western side. Volleys poured from all
+directions on a scene that was already deplorable. Only four officers of
+the Inniskillings remained. Of the Connaught Rangers five officers were
+wounded. The Dublin Fusiliers had lost their gallant Colonel (Colonel
+Sitwell), and also Captain Maitland of the Gordon Highlanders
+(attached). The picture at dawn and on throughout the day was truly
+appalling. The trenches of the Boers and those of the attacking force
+were now only some three or four hundred yards apart, and between them
+was spread an arena of carnage heart-breaking as irremediable. It was
+impossible for any one to show a nose and live. Wounded lay here, there,
+and everywhere, heaped as they had fallen, drenched in their own gore
+and helpless, yet struggling pathetically to edge themselves with hands
+or knees or heels nearer some place of safety. Dead, too, were entangled
+with the sinking, huddled together in grievous ghastly comradeship....
+
+For thirty-six hours some of these heroes lay in wretchedness, hanging
+between life and death. Mercifully the Boers brought them water, but all
+their acts were not equally generous. Unfortunately, some
+misinterpretation regarding the Red Cross flag accentuated the
+misfortunes of the day.
+
+The Boers, it appeared, had begun by producing one. This signal should
+have been responded to by our troops, who, however, were not prepared to
+show another Red Cross flag, which display would have been the signal
+for truce. This being the case, the Boers, after carrying off their
+wounded and giving certain of the British wounded some water, removed
+their rifles. Further, they rifled their pockets and despoiled dead and
+wounded of boots and other property. Naturally, those who saw them were
+so infuriated at this wanton behaviour that they began to fire. From
+this time hostilities recommenced, and the innate cruelty of the Boers
+was evidenced in several cases. It was stated on the authority of an
+officer that many of the wounded in act of crawling away were
+deliberately shot. Let us hope that the aggravation at the
+non-appearance of the British Red Cross flag was the cause of the ugly
+display of character on the part of the enemy.
+
+During the late afternoon the worn-out troops in their trenches at the
+base of the hill were fiercely attacked by the enemy's guns from all
+quarters. No such effective shell fire had been experienced since Spion
+Kop. Indeed, with the assistance of Krupps, and Creusots, and Maxims,
+and other diabolical instruments, the Boers managed to make a fitting
+concert for Beelzebub. Many of our positions on the lower slopes of the
+kopjes were enfiladed, and thus many gallant fellows in Hildyard's and
+Kitchener's brigades were killed. Several officers among those who were
+fighting on the left also fell, among them Colonel Thorold, Royal Welsh
+Fusiliers.
+
+ * * * * *
+
+At this juncture, finding that the original passage of the river was
+commanded by entrenchments on every side, and that further advance would
+be costly in the extreme, the General decided that he must reconnoitre
+for another passage across the Tugela. This was forthwith discovered.
+Meanwhile, the day being Sunday, there was an armistice for the
+interment of the dead on both sides. Grievous were the sensations of
+those whose duty brought them to the awesome scene of death, who spent
+the long hours surrounded by sights hideous and forms uncouth, the
+remains of heroes, discoloured from days of exposure to the sun's
+scorching rays, to the damps and dews of night--lying limply rigid and
+rigidly limp in the unmistakable and undescribable abandonment of
+untenanted clay; or succouring still more pitiable wrecks, wrecks joined
+perhaps by an invisible handclasp with comrades in the other world, but
+still here, making a last struggle for the dignity of manhood, or
+fainting slowly, peaceably, beyond all knowledge of pain as of the
+splendid heroism that had placed them where they were!
+
+One who was present contributed to _Blackwood's Magazine_ a curious
+account of that armistice--that was not entirely an armistice--of
+Colonel Hamilton's approach with the flag of fraternity (so often
+misused and abused by the Dutchmen), and of the strange apparitions that
+came forth suspiciously one by one from the depths of the hostile
+trenches. He said: "Seldom have I set eyes on a more magnificent
+specimen of male humanity than the Commandant of the trenchful of Boers,
+Pristorius by name, a son of Anak by descent, and a gallant,
+golden-bearded fighting-man by present occupation; for in far-away
+Middleburg those mighty limbs--he told it us without any of that stupid
+deprecation which would probably have characterised a similar confession
+on the part of an Englishman--were wont to stretch themselves beneath a
+lawyer's desk. Close on his heels came what a person who had never seen
+Boers before would have thought the strangest band of warriors in the
+world--old men with flowing, tobacco-stained, white beards; middle-aged
+men with beards burnt black with the sun and sweat of their forty years;
+young men, mostly clean shaven, exhibiting strongly the heavy Dutch
+moulding of the broad nose and chin; big boys in small suits, suits of
+all kinds and colours, tweed, velveteen, homespun, and 'shoddy,' all
+untidy in the extreme, but mostly as serviceable as their wearers."
+These strange beings formed a strong contrast to the men who joined
+them, particularly in their attitude when confronted with the ghastly
+foreground of death which made the prominent feature of the amicable
+picture. The eye-witness before quoted declared that "it was much more
+difficult for them to conceal the natural discomposure which all men
+feel in the presence of the silent dead than for their more artificial
+opponents. From the airy and easy demeanour of the uniformed British
+officers, that dreadful plateau might have been the lobby of a London
+club. A Briton is at all times prone to conceal his emotions, and
+certainly in this instance the idiosyncrasy gave him a great social
+advantage over the superstitious Burghers, with their sidelong glances
+and uneasy shiftings." By-and-by, however, both parties grew even
+friendly, and the writer went on to describe an animated dialogue
+between himself and "a deep-chested old oak-tree of a man, whose swarthy
+countenance was rendered more gipsy-like by the addition of ear-rings.
+The opening of the conversation had its humours. 'Good-morning!' quoth
+I. 'Gumorghen,' rumbled the oak-tree sourly. 'Surely we can be friends
+for five minutes,' I ventured, after a pause. The rugged countenance was
+suddenly, not to say startlingly, illumined with a beaming smile. '_Why_
+not, indeed! _why_ not, officer! Have you any tobacco?' Out came my
+pouch, luckily filled to bursting that very morning, and the oak-tree
+proceeded to stuff a huge pipe to the very brim, gloating over the
+fragrance of the 'best gold flake' as he did so. The rumour of tobacco
+had the effect of dispelling the chill that still lingered on the
+outskirts of that little crowd, and many a grimy set of fingers claimed
+their share as the price of the friendship of the owners, the Commandant
+himself not disdaining to accept a fill with a graceful word of thanks.
+They were out of tobacco in that trench, it appeared, and suffering
+acutely from the deprivation of what to a Boer is more necessary than
+food."
+
+Near to the place where they were stricken the Irish heroes were buried.
+Their last bed was made in a picturesque spot within the whisper of the
+spray of the river, and sheltered by the low-spreading thorn-bushes. The
+rest of the day was unusually peaceful, but in the evening the crackle
+of musketry from left to right of the position taken up by the Durhams
+again showed that the enemy was on the alert, and it was believed he was
+preparing for offensive operations during the night. It was discovered,
+however, that a gallant deed had put any effort to rush the British
+lines out of his power. Captain Phillips with eight Bluejackets had
+effectually rendered their searchlight useless, and had, moreover, got
+safely away after the venturesome act had been perpetrated and
+discovered.
+
+The new passage was found by Colonel Sandbach (Royal Engineers) at a
+point below the waterfall on the east, and again guns, baggage, &c.,
+were ordered to be removed to the south side of the Tugela. It may be
+advisable to note that the armistice mentioned was an informal one,
+which did not interfere with military movements. Owing to the desperate
+straits of the wounded on Inniskilling Hill (as the position, baptized
+in the blood of our heroes, had now been christened), the General had
+sent in a flag asking for an armistice. The Boers had refused. On
+condition that we should not fire on their positions during the day,
+they only consented to allow the bearer companies to remove the wounded
+and bury the dead. The Boers meanwhile improved their entrenchments, and
+the British troops, as stated, prepared for the operation of removal
+across the river. This they at first did with some misgivings, for they
+had tacked about so many times, but, on the whole, they bore the strain
+admirably. What with the hammering of Maxims, Nordenfeldts, and the
+fluting of Mausers, the men had for twelve days past run through the
+gamut of discomfort. They had been fed up with war. They were in the
+daytime fried, grilled, and toasted. At night the cold with its contrast
+had bitten and numbed them. They had bivouacked now in keen chilly
+blasts, now in intermittent downpours of rain, which had drenched them
+and made existence a prolonged wretchedness. And nothing had been
+achieved. Lives only had been lost. But they still munched their bully
+beef and biscuit with an heroic cheerfulness and resignation that served
+to astonish and inspirit all who beheld it. There was no doubt about it
+that the pluck and perseverance of the British Tommy had become subjects
+for wonder and veneration!
+
+[Illustration: MAJOR-GENERAL H. J. T. HILDYARD, C.B.
+
+Photo by C. Knight, Aldershot.]
+
+During the night the pontoon bridge was removed from its original
+position and relaid at the point indicated by Colonel Sandbach. The
+Boers, watching the commencement of the move, were under the impression
+that a repetition of the retirements from Spion Kop and Vaal Krantz was
+to be enacted. They therefore deemed that the movement might be carried
+out with more expedition did they start a magazine fire at long range at
+such troops as happened to be between Colenso and the angle of the
+river. When they discovered, however, that only a portion of the troops
+had departed, they subsided and reserved their ammunition till morning,
+when a brisk artillery duel commenced operations--a duel in which the
+British in quantity and the Dutch in quality of practice distinguished
+themselves.
+
+General Buller's revised plan was now to avoid the enemy's front, and
+work back again to the Hlangwane plateau, whence he would start again,
+having, as it were, made a redistribution of his troops, so that Hart's
+brigade in its expensively acquired position would now, instead of being
+his extreme right, become his extreme left. To this end guns and cavalry
+were removed, Naval batteries being posted on the Hlangwane and Monte
+Cristo positions, while Hart's brigade was left holding to the skirts,
+so to speak, of the enemy at Inniskilling Hill, and preventing him from
+congratulating himself on freedom.
+
+The anniversary of Majuba began in clouds. Guns very early broke into an
+_aubade_, but awakened few. For there had been little sleep that night.
+All had dozed in their boots, ready for the worst. The cavalry proceeded
+to range itself at the northern point of the Hlangwane position, in
+order that by their guns and long-range rifle fire they might assist the
+advance of Barton's Brigade. This brigade was the first to start in the
+attack on the three hills on which the Boer left still rested. The
+disposition of the forces was as follows:--General Barton's Fusilier
+Brigade on the extreme right, with Colonel Kitchener's Lancashire
+Brigade--Colonel Kitchener having taken over General Wynne's Brigade
+while that officer was wounded--on his left, this latter being on the
+right of Colonel Northcott's Brigade. Colonel Stuart, working with a
+composite regiment on the south bank of the Tugela, protected the
+crossing.
+
+General Barton, with two battalions of the 6th Brigade and the Royal
+Dublin Fusiliers, crept one and a half miles down the banks of the
+river, the Scots Fusiliers leading. Here the Tugela flowed between high
+shelving banks, while above them frowned the three spurs of the great
+Pieters position. As usual, these eminences were well ribbed with
+shelter trenches, and embedded everywhere were Boer sharpshooters, ready
+to pit cunning against courage, and sniggle at the victory of one over
+the other. A hot fire commenced on the river-banks while Barton's
+Brigade advanced gallantly towards its destination. The top of the hill
+was being raked noisily by the gunners. "Hell was dancing hornpipes
+aloft," some one said. However, in the afternoon British bayonets
+glittered against the skyline, and the thing was done. This, the most
+wonderful infantry in the world, had ascended precipitous cliffs 500
+feet high, assaulted Pieter's Hill, gained the crest, and turned the
+enemy's left.
+
+[Illustration: SIGNAL APPARATUS OF H.M.S. _FORTE_, MOUNTED ON TRUCK AND
+USED NIGHTLY TO COMMUNICATE WITH LADYSMITH.]
+
+This storming of the main position, which was accomplished by the Royal
+Scots Fusiliers and the Royal Irish Fusiliers, was a remarkable
+achievement, though the enemy, conscious of their weakness at this
+point, and knowing how completely they were dominated by the Monte
+Cristo ridge, made no very prolonged opposition. No sooner had the
+brigade occupied the hill than the disheartened Boers removed in
+considerable strength to some dongas on the east, whence they continued
+to be aggressive, and poured a heavy rifle fire on the Fusiliers, whose
+losses were considerable. They failed, however, to dislodge them. At
+this time a simultaneous attack was taking place in the region of the
+two other hills which composed the Pieter's position. These the 4th
+Brigade under Colonel Northcott and the 11th Brigade under Colonel
+Kitchener were now assailing with magnificent courage. For two hours
+every spot on the kopjes had been searched, painted with the noxious
+hues of lyddite, and seamed with shrapnel, and few Dutchmen there were
+who cared to remain to welcome the bayonets of Kitchener's braves. Their
+preliminary advance was scarcely recognisable, kharki and kopje so
+smoothly blending themselves in one. Then on a sudden, as in the
+transformation scene when jars become forty thieves or shell-fish become
+fairies, the boulders took to themselves human shape and human tongue,
+and up flew a surging, yelling mass of fierce warriors, rushing the hill
+in the red light of the setting sun. The crest was carried magnificently
+by the Royal Lancasters, men who had been in the thick of everything for
+a month past, and who yet maintained their unconquerable British
+qualities without a flaw; and the Boers, recognising that the game was
+up, were seen skimming the distance like swallows in flight. Some
+magnificent service was done by the gunners of the Royal Navy and the
+Natal Naval Volunteers, service that was especially eulogised by the
+General, who declared that the losses consequent on the taking of the
+position might have been far greater but for the efficient manner in
+which the artillery was served. Be this as it may, an officer said what
+many echoed, namely, that however deadly our shell fire was, and however
+instrumental in winning the battle, "No infantry in the world but ours
+would have crowned such a victory with so much glory." For the Boers at
+first fought doggedly, relinquishing their hold of trench after trench
+only when artillery followed by the bayonets of the infantry made their
+positions untenable. In turn three hills were stormed; in turn cheer on
+cheer rent the air and travelled along the funnel-like banks of the
+river, and floated up to the rejoiced ears of those on Hlangwane and
+Monte Cristo, who had assisted to bring about the devoutly wished for
+consummation. The song of victory seemed to be taken up by the elements,
+earth and air and water, and the last flare of the guns of the enemy
+repeated it. All now knew that the way to Ladysmith was won; that the
+toil and tribulation, the perplexity and suspense, that had harassed
+them since the fatal day of Colenso had come to an end! There, right and
+left, were little black figures scudding away like ants disturbed; here
+streams of prisoners who had thrown up hands at glint of bayonet; on all
+sides kopjes, kopjes, kopjes--ours, unchallengeably ours!
+
+Some idea of the situation may be gathered from the description of a
+sergeant in the 2nd Royal Irish Fusiliers:--
+
+"On the 27th we put the damper on them.... You have read, no doubt, of
+Barton's Brigade deploying to the right early in the day. That
+deployment was made by crossing the pontoon bridge put up during the
+night by the Engineers. Instead of climbing up the banks on the opposite
+side, we crept down the water's edge over huge rocks for about a couple
+of miles. In the meantime our Naval guns, artillery, Maxims, were all
+blazing away overhead, and a terrible rifle fire was raging on the left.
+As we struggled up the steep banks the beggars spotted us, and things
+began to get lively. We got under a little cover, and blazed away for
+all we were worth.
+
+"The whole brigade gradually pushed forward from one bit of cover to
+another, but still the Boers held their ground. About five o'clock in
+the afternoon the staff passed the word round to charge them out of it.
+We left our cover, and advanced by half-companies at the double. The
+company officers were given a point to make for, and as soon as we got
+in the open it was a case of every man for himself. It was a good 800
+yards of open ground where my company had to cross, and, of course, they
+fired at us for all they were worth. A good many dropped, including
+A---- and the two subalterns. What with shells bursting and a front and
+cross fire, it was like a full-dress rehearsal for the lower regions. We
+got on the hill, and made short work of our Brothers. Needless to say,
+they didn't all stand for the steel. They kept up a heavy fire on us
+until long after dark. Orders were passed to hold our own until
+daylight. As many of the wounded were without water, a terrible night
+was put in. The shouts for water, mingled with the groans of the dying,
+the sparks from the Mauser bullets as they struck the rocks, the
+blackness of the night, &c., fairly made me say my prayers.... The
+stretcher-bearers searching for the wounded carry lamps, and these lamps
+made a nice target for Brother Boer to snipe at. Daylight came at last,
+the night mist began to clear away, dead Tommies grinning at dead Boers,
+wounded men of all sorts, everybody stiff, sore, dirty, and tired. The
+Boers scooted."
+
+And the next day came the serene happiness of viewing the Boers in full
+retreat behind Bulwana and in the direction of Acton Homes, the winding
+string of waggons trekking away from the scene of past triumphs. The
+misery, the lives, the pains, the doubts, the disappointments were well
+repaid by that vision of the departing foe, the foe moving off for ever
+from the strongholds of Natal. All had been accomplished by a blend of
+pluck, obduracy, and perseverance that can scarcely find its match in
+the records of British prowess. They had suffered at Colenso, they had
+tested the deadly summit of Spion Kop. They had backed out from that
+cruel region with their lives in their hands, and repeated the same
+process in the equally terrific area of Vaal Krantz. They had come forth
+smiling, stalwart, staunch as ever, believing and trusting and
+determining to hew their way through the rocky wilderness sown with
+destruction and save the 8000 odd of their fellows whose lives verily
+hung by a thread. And now for fourteen days, each hour fraught with
+blood and broiling, they had moved on from one dangerous position to a
+second more dangerous position, till at last, after protracted torment
+and suspense, they had driven before them the whole horde of adventurous
+Dutchmen--foes allowed to be the bravest of the brave, if the shiftiest
+of the shifty. Now they had their reward. The Boers were scrambling to
+be off--that much they could see of them. It was only in those fleeing
+moments they saw them at all. At other times, when battle raged warmest,
+all that was known of the Brother Boer was the shape and number of his
+bullet!
+
+The following officers were killed and wounded on the 22nd, 23rd, and
+24th of February:--
+
+ Staff--Wounded, Major-General A. S. Wynne, C.B. 3rd King's
+ Royal Rifle Corps--Killed, Lieutenant Hon. R. Cathcart;
+ wounded, Lieutenant D. H. Blundell-Hollinshead-Blundell and
+ Lieutenant A. F. MacLachlan. 2nd Royal Lancaster
+ Regiment--Killed, Lieutenant R. H. Coë and Second Lieutenant N.
+ J. Parker; wounded, Major E. W. Yeatherd, Lieutenant A. R. S.
+ Martin, Lieutenant F. C. Davidson (since dead), and Lieutenant
+ R. G. D. Parker. 2nd East Surrey Regiment--Wounded,
+ Lieutenant-Colonel R. H. W. H. Harris, Major H. L. Smith, Major
+ H. P. Treeby, Captain F. L. A. Packman, Lieutenant C. H.
+ Hinton, Second Lieutenant J. P. Benson. 1st South Lancashire
+ Regiment--Wounded, Captain B. R. Goren, Lieutenant H. R. Kane,
+ Captain S. Upperton, Second Lieutenant C. H. Marsh. 2nd
+ Devonshire Regiment--Wounded, Lieutenant E. J. F. Vaughan. 2nd
+ Royal West Surrey Regiment--Wounded, Lieutenants B. H. Hastie,
+ H. C. Winfield, and A. E. M'Namara. 1st Rifle Brigade--Wounded,
+ Captain and Quarter-Master F. Stone and Second Lieutenant C.
+ D'A. Baker-Carr. 2nd King's Royal Rifle Corps--Wounded,
+ Lieutenant W. Wyndham and Second Lieutenant G. C. Kelly. 2nd
+ Rifle Brigade--Wounded, Second Lieutenant H. C. Dumaresq. 1st
+ Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers--Killed, Lieutenant-Colonel T. M.
+ G. Thackeray,[5] Major F. A. Sanders, Lieutenant W. O. Stuart;
+ wounded, Major C. J. L. Davidson, Captain R. M. Foot,
+ Lieutenant J. Evans, Lieutenant J. N. Crawford, Second
+ Lieutenant C. Ridings, Second Lieutenant H. P. Pott, Second
+ Lieutenant J. G. Devenish; missing, Second Lieutenant T. A. D.
+ Best. 2nd Royal Dublin Fusiliers--Killed, Brevet
+ Lieutenant-Colonel C. G. H. Sitwell, D.S.O.; wounded,
+ Lieutenant A. V. Hill, Second Lieutenant A. Broadhurst-Hill,
+ Second Lieutenant F. B. Lane, Second Lieutenant J. T. Dennis.
+ 2nd Gordon Highlanders--Killed, Captain S. C. Maitland.
+ Imperial Light Infantry--Wounded, Major Hay. 1st Connaught
+ Rangers--Wounded, Lieutenant J. L. T. Conroy, Lieutenant R. W.
+ Harling, Lieutenant H. Moore Hutchinson, Lieutenant A. Wise,
+ Second Lieutenant A. T. Lambert, Second Lieutenant J. M. B.
+ Wratislaw, Captain E. M. Woulfe Flanagan (5th Battalion,
+ attached). Royal Welsh Fusiliers--Killed, Lieutenant-Colonel C.
+ C. H. Thorold,[6] Lieutenant F. A. Stebbing; wounded, Second
+ Lieutenant C. C. Norman and Second Lieutenant H. V. V. Kyrke.
+ 2nd Royal Fusiliers--Wounded, Lieutenant R. H. Torkington.
+
+The following casualties occurred on the 27th of February:--
+
+ _Killed._--1st South Lancashire Regiment--Lieutenant-Colonel W.
+ M'Carthy O'Leary.[7] 2nd Royal Scots Fusiliers--Brevet-Major V.
+ Lewis, Captain H. S. Sykes, Second Lieutenant F. J. T. U.
+ Simpson. 1st Royal Warwickshire Regiment--Lieutenant H. L.
+ Mourilyan. Second Royal Irish Fusiliers--Second Lieutenant C.
+ J. Daly.
+
+ _Wounded._--Major-General Barton. 2nd Scots
+ Fusiliers--Lieutenant-Colonel E. E. Carr, Captain C. P. A.
+ Hull, Captain E. E. Blaine, Lieutenant C. H. I. Jackson, Second
+ Lieutenant H. C. Fraser. 2nd Royal Irish Fusiliers--Major F. F.
+ Hill, Lieutenant A. G. Knocker, Second Lieutenant A. Hamilton,
+ Second Lieutenant V. H. Kavanagh. 1st South Lancashire
+ Regiment--Major T. Lamb. 2nd West Yorkshire Regiment--Captain
+ C. Mansel Jones, Captain C. C. B. Tew, Lieutenant L. H. Spry,
+ Lieutenant A. M. Boyall. 2nd Derbyshire Regiment--Lieutenant H.
+ S. Pennell, V.C. 2nd Royal Lancaster Regiment--Captain G. L.
+ Palmes, Second Lieutenant C. W. Grover, Lieutenant E. A. P.
+ Vaughan. 1st Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers--Second Lieutenant G.
+ R. V. Steward. 1st Rifle Brigade--Captain and Adjutant S. C.
+ Long, Second Lieutenant J. L. Buxton. 2nd Royal
+ Fusiliers--Lieutenant H. B. G. Macartney. 2nd Royal Dublin
+ Fusiliers--Lieutenant J. M'D. Hastard, Second Lieutenant De B.
+ Bradford.
+
+
+
+EXPECTATION
+
+[Illustration: KING'S POST, THE ENTRENCHED POSITION OF 2ND BATT. RIFLE
+BRIGADE AT LADYSMITH. (Reduced facsimile of sketch by Melton Prior.)]
+
+"Gloom, gloom, gloom, unending gloom!" So said one on the 26th of
+February, one who was fast sinking in the slough of despondency into
+which so many had slipped lower and lower, till they were sucked down
+and ended their troubles with fever and the grave. Some few days before
+all hearts had leapt with joy at reading of hopeful signals, listening
+to booming guns, which all thought to be bursting the gates of their
+imprisonment. So certain were they that the joyful hour of freedom was
+at hand that the force was placed on full rations. "We can afford to
+have a blow-out now," some one had said, and began to arrange what menu
+he should chose when he at last came face to face with civilisation.
+Then had come gloom--gloom blacker than Erebus--for it was gloom without
+and within. The guns--the welcome guns--not the obstreperous ones of
+Bulwana and the companion hills--had ceased their clamour. Hope was
+gone, and even the "helio" refused its communications. The sky was
+overcast, and rumours, that had always been prolific as flies, now began
+to breed apace. The air of Ladysmith was thick with them. No word from
+Buller's column. Kaffirs hinted that for the fourth time the relief
+column had retired at the back of the Tugela. Doubt, anxiety, suspense
+set in with renewed terrors. Quarter rations--the more trying because
+temporarily dropped--again became the order of the course. This in spite
+of the fact that Buller had now signalled "Everything progressing
+favourably." It seemed that they had heard that message before, those
+poor, half-hopeful, half-sceptical sufferers.
+
+Some said that on Tuesday, Majuba Day, the spirits of the community
+arrived at their nadir. When the barometer of fate registers its lowest,
+it is bound to rise. It rose in skips and jumps. There came the grand
+news that Cronje had surrendered to Lord Roberts. It was evident that
+the Boers too had heard, understood, and decided that they must scuttle
+the next morning. Signs of disturbance were evident. Long serpentine
+lines of trekking waggons were throwing up dust columns in the roads
+leading to Modder Spruit and Pepworth; droves of oxen were hurried along
+as fast as hoofs would carry them. Guns--the terrible guns which for 118
+days had bayed and barked and rumbled and thundered--were in course of
+being dismantled. What did it all mean? Time was when the "braves" in
+Ladysmith would have sallied forth with their inherent dash and turned
+the retreat into a rout. But things were changed. Men and horses were
+now almost too weak to enter into sustained conflict with a mosquito,
+had a mosquito deigned to look at them. But most of them were past even
+the attentions of mosquitos. All they could do was to send a salvo at
+the heels of their tormentors, and hope that one or two shells at least
+might serve to "speed the parting guest." This was all they could
+attempt. They also flashed to Monte Cristo a message--a deplorable
+message--full of their despair and despondency. It said, "Garrison
+bitterly disappointed at delay of relieving force." This was at twelve
+o'clock. Then, as though Fate, with a full appreciation of the
+picturesque, had placed her highest light against her deepest
+dark--then, within the hour, came back glorious news!
+
+[Illustration: IN BELEAGUERED LADYSMITH--WATCHING FOR BULLER FROM
+OBSERVATION HILL.
+
+From a Sketch by Melton Prior.]
+
+"Have thoroughly beaten the enemy. Believe them to be in full retreat.
+Have sent my cavalry to ascertain which way they have gone." Surprise,
+rapture, prolonged jubilation! Cheer on cheer rose on the clear midday
+air and rang for miles, till the sick in Intombi camp lifted pallid
+heads and strained their ears and wondered. Then came the rolling
+National Anthem and "Rule Britannia," and Sir George White and those
+around him who had grown old within the spell of those awful 118 days,
+began to grow young again. And soon the Jack Tars set to work and the
+Naval guns pounded away with a reckless disregard for ammunition and a
+zest that did them credit. "One more go at him!--only one more!--only
+one more!" and "Long Tom," which was in act of being dismantled, was the
+subject of boisterous farewells.
+
+
+THE RELIEF OF LADYSMITH
+
+At six o'clock on the evening of the 28th of February all the suffering,
+suspense, and tension came to an end. The obstinate resistance, the
+heroic combats, the semi-starvation, the appalling melancholy of
+enforced exile, all were over.
+
+In the late afternoon those viewing the departure of the Boers from a
+vantage-point at Cæsar's Camp espied along the hazy blue of the valley
+horsemen recklessly approaching, riding at full gallop across the open.
+Conjectures wild were attempted. Hearts began to flutter, to stand
+still, to beat again with sharp quick thuds. Boers? Or Buller's cavalry?
+Yes--no--yes! Hurrah! Hurrah! They were coming--the squadron was
+distinctly visible--they were making direct for Ladysmith. A roar went
+up from a multitude of throats. The Manchesters on Cæsar's Camp, the
+Gordons at Fly Kraal, and presently the troops in the town, broke into
+shouts of exultation. Soon it was known everywhere they were
+coming--coming--coming--at last--at last! It was quite true. There was
+Lord Dundonald with Major Mackenzie (Light Horse) and Major Gough (16th
+Lancers), accompanied by the little column of Colonials, grand gallant
+fellows of the Light Horse, Natal Carabineers, and Border Mounted
+Police, some three hundred of them, pounding across the open country as
+fast as horses would carry them.
+
+In the twilight the troops sped along over boulder and rock, down donga
+and ravine, reckless of every obstacle, and at last the melancholy
+perimeter was reached. Then from out the gloom came a challenge. A
+British voice called "Halt! Who goes there?" A British voice gave
+answer--the almost unbelievable answer--"The Ladysmith Relieving Army."
+Four words, just four words! Paradise seemed to be opened. From all
+quarters came crowding and cheering--cheering faintly with wizened
+voices of the famished--men battered and almost bootless--happy, yet for
+all that deplorably sad in their happiness. Tears even glistened on some
+cheeks and in some eyes--the "unconquerable British blue eyes" of the
+Ladysmith "invincibles." With a due sense of decorum, and in the
+determination to give none the precedence, the procession had arranged
+itself in special order. The Natal Carabineers and Imperial Light Horse
+riding two and two abreast, with Major Gough at the head of the column,
+now marched in triumph into the town.
+
+At the English church they were met by General White, the defender of
+Ladysmith, fevered and thin and grey-haired, yet erect with the carriage
+of one who, without the strength, has the inextinguishable pride of his
+race, and the will to bear his country's burden to the last. With him
+were General Hunter and Colonel Ian Hamilton, heroes of the defence.
+Each instant the scene gained in colour, in vehemence, in pathos.
+Cheers and tears were commingled. Women wept unreservedly. Men, to
+dispose of a lump in their throats, shouted with all the scanty vigour
+that a limited diet of horse-sausage and mule would allow. But new life
+coursed through their veins. There was no glow of health on their
+cheeks, but the gleam of joy in their eyes rendered them young, almost
+hale. The Kaffirs and coolies gave expression to their rapture by dances
+and shouts that relieved the almost solemn ecstasy of the moment. Then
+General White, surrounded on one side by his pallid, worn, and wounded
+heroes, on the other by the bronzed warriors of the relieving force,
+made a brief address to the crowd: "People of Ladysmith," he said, in a
+voice that wavered with the emotion it was needless to conceal--"People
+of Ladysmith, I thank you one and all for the patient manner you have
+assisted me during the siege. From the bottom of my heart I thank you.
+It hurt me terribly when I was compelled to cut down rations, but, thank
+God, we have kept our flag flying!" Cheers broke out afresh, and then
+the battered multitude with one voice rent the grey gloom of the
+evening, and the strains of "God save the Queen" rang forth, till the
+banks, hollows, and rocks of the surrounding country gave back the
+glorious refrain. That night Sir George White, with his valorous
+colleagues around him, gave a dinner to the newly arrived, and these sat
+down with a feeling of exaltation, almost of awe, to find themselves
+thus in the familiar company of heroes. And all were conscious of a
+strange sense of unreality which pervaded the scene. It was almost
+impossible to realise that the drama was played, that they were about to
+ring down the curtain on the last act. It was scarce possible to believe
+that for three months the Natal Field Force had kept at bay a force
+double its number, had fortified and held a perimeter of fourteen miles
+against the most fiendish inventions of modern artillery, had made
+brilliant sorties and repulsed assaults innumerable--two of them being
+ferocious, almost hand-to-hand combats--had fought and watched and
+sickened and starved.... And now, all was changed. Those dire
+experiences were over for ever!
+
+Yet the effect of them remained. As a consequence of the close
+confinement of some 20,000 persons, disease was stalking abroad, even
+attacking those who but an hour ago had neared the place. Away at
+Intombi camp, too, where drugs were scarce, many of the
+patients--convalescent patients--were sinking for want of the sustaining
+food which was necessary to recovery. There was regret, poignant and
+newly awakened, in this moment of relief, regret standing dry-eyed, yet
+with a grievous ache at the heart--regret that before had learnt to bear
+and be still. It was impossible to see the glad side without also
+remembering the deeply pathetic one. The pestiferous atmosphere
+breathed of fever and disease, and those coming into it realised only
+too well what havoc such an atmosphere must have played on the sickly
+and the starved. Besides this there were gaps--woeful gaps. Names that
+dared not be mentioned, spots that could scarce be looked upon with dry
+eyes. The bronzed warriors, who day after day had shown tough fronts to
+the enemy, and whose ceaseless struggles should have hardened them to
+emotion, now turned aside to conceal the agony of bleeding hearts.
+
+Outside the town, in a sheltered hollow below Waggon Hill, was a
+pathetic garden of sleep. Here, under the shadow of cypress trees, lay
+the honoured remains of brave fellows who had given themselves to save
+the town, and with the town the prestige of their motherland. The earth
+barely covered them, but for all that their peace was perfect. They had
+struggled to save Natal, and Natal through them and the survivors was
+saved. If there is a loophole whence those who have passed on to the
+Invisible can peer down and observe the issues of mortal deeds, surely
+in that great hour, those splendid, those self-abnegating ones, who had
+given their heart's blood for the glory of the Empire, must then have
+gazed their fill, and in the general rejoicing have reaped their
+beatific reward.
+
+ * * * * *
+
+The effect in England of the news of the relief was truly surprising.
+The spectacle was unique in the annals of Victoria's reign. On Thursday
+the 1st of March the whole City of London by one consent burst into
+jubilation. Every human being, however hard-worked, wore a smile; every
+heart, however sore, throbbed with a sense of reflected triumph; for
+all, if they had not been at the front in the flesh, had been there in
+the spirit these many, many days. Never was such a spontaneous outburst
+of rejoicing! A nation of shopkeepers indeed! Why, shopkeeping and work
+of all kinds were forgotten, and in front of the Mansion House crowded
+the delighted multitudes, oblivious of everything save the glorious fact
+that British bull-dog tenacity had withstood the most fiendish warfare,
+and wiles, and wickedness that vengeful Dutchmen could invent.
+
+From north, south, east, and west the people flocked, springing as it
+were from the very earth. The news came in at 10 A.M. By eleven the City
+was alive with drama. Hats were being waved or flung into the air,
+regardless of the effect upon the nap; flags from here, there, and
+everywhere fluttered--in default of these, other brandishable things
+were seized. Sometimes handkerchiefs did duty, newspapers, and even
+parcels and commercial bags; and from tongues innumerable came cheers
+and shouts and snatches of patriotic song, till an ignorant spectator,
+if one such there could have been, might have imagined Bedlam to have
+broken loose. "Rule Britannia," "God save the Queen," "Tommy Atkins,"
+"The Absent-Minded Beggar"--all tunes poured forth to an accompaniment
+of cheers. The Lord Mayor was called out, and appeared on his balcony.
+He was forthwith invited to speak. The great man opened and shut his
+mouth--he was much moved with the general emotion--but no sound
+penetrated the uproar. Cheers loud and vehement tore the air, and the
+walls of the civic domain literally shook with the inspiriting fracas.
+Then for a moment or two there was a lull, and taking advantage of the
+opportunity, in a short sincere speech the Lord Mayor expressed himself.
+
+"Fellow-citizens, this news of the relief of Ladysmith makes our hearts
+leap with joy. We are now satisfied that at last our sacrifices of blood
+and treasure are not in vain!"
+
+Upon that the crowd roared itself hoarse, sung "For he's a jolly good
+fellow," and never with better cause, for Sir A. J. Newton had put the
+best of himself into the launching of the glorious C.I.V.'s. By-and-by
+came, with banners and much ceremony, a deputation from the Stock
+Exchange, and after them waves on waves of shouting enthusiasts--a
+spectacle so un-English, so genuine, so unrestrained, that the gloomy
+decorous regions of the City seemed suddenly to have become things
+apart, card-houses to fill in the background to a soul-stirring scene.
+Everywhere, in the alleys of "'Arriet," in the haunts of the "wild, wild
+West," at the Bank, in Leadenhall Market, and along the Thames, went up
+the jubilant echo--"Ladysmith is relieved!" Whereupon windows and
+balconies were dressed, flags, red, white, and blue, and the green of
+Erin with its romantic harp in the corner, fluttered wings of ecstasy
+from every British nest, and from every British household there rose
+unanimously a rapturous cry that was almost a sob, a cry of thanksgiving
+that the end had come, and that Ladysmith and the honour of the old
+country were saved!
+
+
+THE FORMAL ENTRY
+
+It seemed but artistic that Lord Dundonald and his brave irregulars
+should have met the keen edge of joyous welcome, that the burst of
+enthusiasm which greeted them should have been the heartiest of which
+Ladysmith, after a siege of 118 days, was capable. It was right, almost
+beautiful, that the staunch Colonials, who so well had fought for the
+Empire, should be the ones to throw open the doors of the dolorous
+prison, and deliver those who had been not only victims to the devilish
+machinations of the Boer, but had suffered from the active ache of
+suspense and the passive one of starvation, from their hellish
+bondage. Their informal coming was part and parcel of the unrehearsed
+and the splendid that appeared at every corner in this absolutely
+incomprehensible war.
+
+[Illustration: BRIGADIER-GENERAL THE EARL OF DUNDONALD, C.B.
+
+Photo by R. Faulkner & Co.]
+
+The next day things were more decorously done--more English in their
+reserve. Etiquette and custom resumed their sway, and General Sir
+Archibald Hunter straightened out the limp backbone of the army, and
+made soldierly preparations to welcome the relief column. There were
+cleansings and polishings, washings and brushings up, of a ramshackle
+kind, it is true, but they savoured of the old parade days returned.
+Poor skeletons of horses were groomed down, Sunday best was smoothed
+out, everything was done that the slender resources of the melancholy
+perimeter would allow. Shortly after noon on the 3rd of March Sir
+Redvers Buller made his formal entry. His arrival was somewhat
+unexpected, and there was little effervescent demonstration. Sir George
+White and Sir Redvers Buller meeting with a handclasp, said at first
+little more than the familiar "D'ye do?" of saunterers in Piccadilly.
+What else could be done? There was much to say, so much that must remain
+ever unsaid, and throats to-day were too tightly compressed in
+strangling the large and unspeakable emotion to give vent to the
+infinitesimal resource of speech. Meanwhile the forlorn streets had
+begun to fill. They were margined by the garrison, and with them were
+collected such of the sorry civilians as were able to stand exposed to
+the tropical glare of the sun in its zenith. They came out wondering,
+almost diffident. Was it possible that the morning message of melenite
+was no longer to be heard? that the hoarse cadence of hostile artillery
+was silent for good? Was the open distance really innocuous--clear and
+peaceful as a Swiss landscape? They scarcely recognised themselves or
+their surroundings, and looked dazedly to right and left as on a changed
+world. Sir George White, with his staff, now took up a position in front
+of the Town Hall, where, backgrounded by the ruined tower--it had been
+battered, as it were, by the whole armoury of Satan--the broken blue tin
+houses and the parched trees, the group made an appropriate picture of
+noble wreck--of aristocratical exhaustion. The relievers, though
+physically hale, were externally scarcely more presentable than the
+relieved. The outsiders, it is true, were begrimed and tattered, though
+robust and swarthy; while the Invincibles, rigged up in honour of their
+deliverers in Sunday best, and washed and scrubbed to a nicety,
+seemed--soap-like--to have dissolved in the very process of ablution. No
+joy of the moment could alter the tale of shrinkage that was printed on
+man and beast. But jubilation expressed itself in the best way it could.
+From windows and balconies soon hung strips of colour, national emblems,
+gathered from hither and thither to mark a rapture that it was
+impossible for human tongue to describe. From hotels and habitations
+the citizens began to pour forth and to congregate. And then, when all
+were collected, the curtain drew up on the most wondrous scene that the
+nineteenth century has witnessed--the march past of the Ladysmith
+Relieving Column! Sir Redvers Buller, imperturbable of visage as usual,
+accompanied by his staff, rode at the head of his magnificent warriors,
+and leading, in the place of honour, were the valorous Dublin Fusiliers,
+the poor but glorious remnant, consisting now of 400 of the original
+battalion who had so grandly acquitted themselves in many battlefields.
+Next came Sir Charles Warren and the Fifth Division, and afterwards
+General Barton and General Lyttelton's Brigades--goodly fellows all, who
+had proved themselves deliberately brave and doughtily undefeatable.
+Meanwhile the pipes and drums of the Gordon Highlanders, with such
+vigour as was left them, made exhilarating music, to which was united
+the clanking and clamping of the Artillery Howitzer Battery and Naval
+Brigade as they filed past with uproarious martial rampage. Each section
+was greeted with admiring cheers. The regiments moved along in review
+order, a superb throng, bronzed, and battered, and brawny, a curious
+contrast to the pallid and emaciated comrades-in-arms--morally superb
+too, but physically degenerate--who welcomed them. The spectacle was
+unique in soul-stirring grandeur as in unspoken pathos.
+
+"A march of lions," said Mr. Churchill, who had played his part with
+Lord Dundonald's force, and was now looked on as a critic. "A procession
+of giants," said some one else, who watched the lines and lines of
+heroes greeting each other with wild huzzas! Friends, kindred,
+comrades-in-arms--from either side the yawning gulf of destruction, from
+even the voracious maw of death--they came together again, all jubilant,
+all generously appreciative, all self-respecting, and glowing with
+honest and honourable emotion. The Gordon Highlanders cheered the
+Dublins, the Dublins, with little sprigs of green in their caps,
+responded right royally to the greeting of the Scotsmen. One battalion
+of the Devons met its twin battalion: the men of doughty deeds,
+large-hearted and large-lunged, accosted with zest the men of equally
+doughty deeds but dwindled frames, whose deep bass notes cracked with
+the strain of rollicking intention and futile realisation.
+
+While all this was going forward, from the balcony of the gaol a
+wondering crowd of Boer prisoners looked on agape. They could barely
+believe the evidence of their eyes: the town was free. Had their
+compatriots at last turned tail and bolted? They stared down on the vast
+interminable avenue of men and guns winding through what only the day
+before yesterday was a fiery concave--watched a continuous moving
+multitude, tattered and begrimed, saddle-brown and burly--and little by
+little began to fathom the meaning to themselves of this mighty display.
+The despised rooineks had, after all, not even been thrust into the sea:
+in fact, it appeared that the sea had cultivated a trick of casting up
+rooineks by the thousand, to be killed in scores only to come up in
+swarms!
+
+By-and-by, when the military parade was over, the Mayor of the town, Mr.
+Farquhar, presented Sir George White with an address, in which the
+corporation and inhabitants expressed their appreciation of all that he
+had done for them in those dark days of durance. Flattering reference
+was also made to the services of General Hunter and Colonel Ward
+(A.A.G.). To these officers the General, in reply, alluded gratefully,
+eulogising the work done by the former, and describing the latter as the
+"best supply officer since Moses." He then called attention to the
+stubborn patience of the civilians of Ladysmith, "who had borne
+themselves like good and true soldiers throughout a very trying time."
+These remarks were followed by three hearty cheers for the civilians of
+Ladysmith. The Mayor expressed his pride in the manner the civilian
+population had comported itself, and the excellent feeling that had
+existed between both civil and military authorities. He then presented
+an illuminated address to Sir Redvers Buller, of which the following is
+the text:--
+
+ "We, the Mayor and members of the Town Council of the borough
+ of Ladysmith, Natal, and as such representing the inhabitants
+ of the said borough, beg most respectfully to welcome with
+ great joy the arrival of yourself and your gallant soldiers at
+ our township, and to express to you our most sincere and
+ heartfelt appreciation of your noble and courageous efforts in
+ the relief of this long-beleaguered borough. As members of the
+ great British Empire, as loyal subjects of Her Most Gracious
+ Majesty the Queen, and as colonists of Natal, we beg
+ respectfully to tender you our most hearty thanks, realising as
+ we do the magnitude and difficulty of the work you have
+ accomplished. At the same time our sympathies are great for the
+ heavy losses among your gallant troops that have occurred in
+ your successful efforts to relieve us."
+
+The following telegrams were sent to Sir Redvers Buller and Sir George
+White by the Queen.
+
+To Sir Redvers Buller:--
+
+ "Thank God for news you have telegraphed to me. Congratulate
+ you and all under you with all my heart.
+
+ "V.R.I."
+
+To Sir George White:--
+
+ "Thank God that you and all those with you are safe after your
+ long and trying siege, borne with such heroism. I congratulate
+ you and all under you from the bottom of my heart. Trust you
+ are all not very much exhausted.
+
+ "V.R.I."
+
+Reply from Sir George White to the Queen:--
+
+ "Your Majesty's most gracious message has been received by me
+ with deepest gratitude and with enthusiasm by the troops.
+
+ "Any hardships and privations are a hundred times compensated
+ for by the sympathy and appreciation of our Queen, and your
+ Majesty's message will do more to restore both officers and men
+ than anything else.
+
+ "GENERAL SIR GEORGE WHITE, Ladysmith."
+
+The following telegram was received by the Queen from Sir Redvers
+Buller:--
+
+ "Troops much appreciate your Majesty's kind telegram.
+
+ "Your Majesty cannot know how much your sympathy has helped to
+ inspire them.
+
+ "GENERAL BULLER."
+
+An additional telegram was sent by the Queen to Sir Redvers Buller on
+the 2nd inst.:--
+
+ "Pray express to the Naval Brigade my deep appreciation of the
+ valuable services they have rendered with their guns.
+
+ "V.R.I."
+
+Later on a special Army Order was issued as follows:--
+
+ GALLANTRY OF IRISH REGIMENTS IN SOUTH AFRICA--DISTINCTION TO BE
+ WORN ON ST. PATRICK'S DAY.
+
+ Her Majesty the Queen is pleased to order that in future, upon
+ St. Patrick's Day, all ranks in her Majesty's Irish regiments
+ shall wear, as a distinction, a sprig of shamrock in their
+ headdress, to commemorate the gallantry of her Irish soldiers
+ during the recent battles in South Africa.
+
+ * * * * *
+
+Soon after this came the transformation scene. Seventy-three
+waggon-loads of supplies, eleven of which contained hospital comforts,
+began to wind into the town. Major Morgan and Colonel Stanley, like
+fairy godmothers in the story-book, waved the wand of office, and
+promptly the machinery began to revolve, and manna in the form of
+nourishing food-stuffs poured into the famished regions. The Boers, too,
+in the precipitate retreat had left welcome loads of grass, herds, and
+ammunition--the ammunition of the besieged was well-nigh
+exhausted--besides individual necessaries which came in handy. But of
+course, the machinery of relief, well as it worked, could scarcely work
+fast enough to make an appreciable result, and save invalids who were
+sinking from the protracted trial. It was amazing how the sick-list
+swelled. Many who had come into the town jocund and jaunty, found
+themselves in a few hours clutched by the fell fever. It was enough but
+to breathe the tainted atmosphere to fall sick, and those who were
+seized at once discovered all the horror of helplessness in an area
+where provision for the comfort of the suffering was well-nigh
+exhausted. Looking back on the past from the new standpoint, the gaps
+became more than ever remarkable; for, despite incessant fighting, shot
+and shell were responsible for less lives than famine and fever.
+
+[Illustration: LIEUT.-GENERAL HON. N. G. LYTTELTON, C.B.
+
+Photo by Elliott & Fry, London.]
+
+Ladysmith at the commencement of the siege held some 13,496 fighting men
+and over 2000 civilians. Owing to sickness and hard fighting, the number
+had diminished to 10,164 men. There were about 2000 in hospital, but the
+death-rate practically increased only when, after January, food,
+nourishment of all kinds, and medical appliances grew scarce. At that
+time sickness of whatever kind assumed an ominous aspect; there was no
+chance of relief. It was impossible for languishing men to apply
+themselves to the soup made of old horse and mule, which was gladly
+devoured by those who had still the appetite without the means of
+appeasing it. From the 15th of January death stalked abroad uncombated;
+later he held carnival. Many died from wounds, very slight wounds,
+received on the 6th of January, from which they had not stamina to
+recover; the fevered and weakly dropped off from sheer starvation and
+famine; the gaunt talons needed scarcely to touch them, for they were
+exhausted, and some of them were glad to go. The deaths as a result of
+fighting were 24 officers and 235 men, while those attributed to
+sickness numbered six officers and 520 men, exclusive of white
+civilians.
+
+The following special Army Order was issued:--
+
+ "The relief of Ladysmith unites two forces which have striven
+ with conspicuous gallantry and splendid determination to
+ maintain the honour of their Queen and country. The garrison of
+ Ladysmith for four months held the position against every
+ attack with complete success, and endured its privations with
+ admirable fortitude. The relieving force had to make its way
+ through unknown country, across unfordable rivers, and over
+ almost inaccessible heights, in the face of a fully-prepared,
+ well-armed, tenacious enemy. By the exhibition of the truest
+ courage, which burns steadily besides flashing brilliantly, it
+ accomplished its object and added a glorious page to our
+ history. Sailors, soldiers, Colonials, and the home-bred have
+ done this, united by one desire and inspired by one patriotism.
+
+ "The General Commanding congratulates both forces on their
+ martial qualities, and thanks them for their determined
+ efforts. He desires to offer his sincere sympathy to the
+ relatives and friends of the good soldiers and gallant comrades
+ who have fallen in the fight. BULLER."
+
+Less formally and with more warmth the Chief addressed himself to his
+friends in England. He said:--
+
+ "We began fighting on the 14th February, and literally fought
+ every day and nearly every night till the 27th. I am filled
+ with admiration for the British soldiers; really, the manner in
+ which they have worked, fought, and endured during the last
+ fortnight has been something more than human. Broiled in a
+ burning sun by day, drenched in rain by night, lying but 300
+ yards off an enemy who shoots you if you show as much as a
+ finger; they could hardly eat or drink by day, and as they
+ were usually attacked at night they got but little sleep; and
+ through it all they were as cheery and willing as could be."
+
+Telegraphic wires and cables wore themselves out in repeating
+congratulation on the relief of Ladysmith. Veritably all the winds of
+heaven seemed to repeat them. From north, south, east, and west came the
+chorus of acclamation, a chorus most reviving to the magnificent
+multitude both inside and outside the place, who had been ready to offer
+up their heart's blood on the altar of patriotism. Though the haunted
+and worn look could not die out of the faces of the sufferers in a
+moment, they had already begun to mend; though the shrunken and
+emaciated forms could not at once be relieved from the starvation and
+disease which had wasted them, there was over all a soothing glow of
+hope that acted magically, beatifically, as the mists of sunrise over a
+squalid landscape.
+
+On the 9th of March Sir George White, looking much worn, he having
+suffered from Indian fever brought on by the malarious surroundings,
+left with his staff. The General addressed the Gordon Highlanders who
+formed the guard of honour, and in few and affecting words bade them
+farewell.
+
+FOOTNOTES:
+
+[4] Brevet Lieutenant-Colonel Claude George Henry Sitwell, D.S.O., 2nd
+Battalion Royal Dublin Fusiliers, was born in 1858, and entered the army
+through the militia in 1878. His first ten years of service were with
+the Shropshire Light Infantry, from which he exchanged, in 1889, into
+the Manchester Regiment. He was subsequently promoted to a majority in
+the 2nd Royal Dublin Fusiliers in October 1898. Colonel Sitwell had seen
+a considerable amount of active service, his first campaign being the
+Afghan war of 1879-80, in which he served with the Koorum Division, and
+took part in the Zaimust expedition. He accompanied the 1st Battalion
+Shropshire Light Infantry in the Egyptian war of 1882, and was present
+at the occupation of Kafr Dowar and the surrender of Damietta. From 1892
+to 1895 he was employed with the Egyptian army, and from 1895 to 1898 in
+the Uganda Protectorate. In 1895, as a captain, he commanded the
+expeditions against the Kitosh, Kabras, and Kikelwa tribes in East
+Africa, and was present with the Nandi expedition in 1895-96. Finally,
+he commanded the operations against Mwanga in 1897-98, including the
+engagement near Katonga River, and several minor affairs. For his
+important services in Uganda Major Sitwell was given a brevet
+lieutenant-colonelcy, and decorated with the Distinguished Service
+Order.
+
+[5] Lieutenant-Colonel Thomas Martin Gerard Thackeray, commanding the
+1st Battalion Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers, was born in 1849, and was
+appointed to the 16th Foot in 1868. In 1876 he exchanged into the 1st
+West India Regiment, subsequently obtaining his captaincy in the Royal
+Inniskilling Fusiliers in 1881. During 1880 and part of 1881 he served
+as Fort Adjutant at Sierra Leone. He was promoted to the command of the
+1st Battalion Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers in February 1897.
+
+[6] Lieutenant-Colonel Thorold, of the Royal Welsh Fusiliers, who was
+killed on February 24, became lieutenant on June 13, 1874, a captain on
+October 25, 1882, a major on July 10, 1890, and was promoted to be
+lieutenant-colonel on March 4, 1896.
+
+[7] Lieutenant-Colonel William M'Carthy O'Leary, commanding the 1st
+Battalion of the South Lancashire Regiment, was born on January 6, 1849,
+and entered the 82nd Foot (now the 2nd Battalion of the South Lancashire
+Regiment) as an ensign in the old purchase days on April 17, 1869. He
+obtained his lieutenancy, also by purchase, on February 15, 1871. He was
+instructor of musketry to the regiment from July 19, 1874, to March 19,
+1878, when he became captain, received his major's commission on August
+13, 1883, and from the January preceding until January 1888, was an
+adjutant of Auxiliary forces. He had been lieutenant-colonel of the
+battalion since November 1896. He was a Justice of the Peace for the
+County of Cork and one of the Under Sheriffs of the city.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER VI
+
+CHANGES IN CAPE COLONY
+
+
+We must now return to Colesberg after the departure of General French.
+The Boers, doubtless much relieved to get quit of him, still occupied a
+semicircular set of camps from east to west round the north of the town,
+while the British, in the same manner, occupied the opposite half of the
+circle, and so continued, by dint of much fighting and skirmishing, to
+keep them in check. On the 9th February the Dutchmen threatened the
+right flank of the British, and shot one of Rimington's Guides. During
+the morning Captain Cameron, commanding the Tasmanian Contingent, with
+Captain Salmon and fifty Australians and Tasmanians, started out from
+Rensburg on a reconnaissance. He was supported by a detachment of the
+Inniskilling Dragoons under Captain Stevenson-Hamilton. The enemy was
+soon encountered, and promptly gave the Australians a warm time as they
+advanced across the plain. These cleverly took shelter and returned an
+active fusillade, but the Boers seemed to be everywhere in overwhelming
+numbers. The Australians with great gallantry took possession of a
+kopje, and maintained their grip of the position for a good hour and a
+half; but the crowds opposing them were too great, and when the Dutchmen
+worked round to the rear and fired on their horses, they thought it high
+time to come down, mount, and retire, amid a hurricane of lead from the
+foe. The same action was repeated, the holding of another kopje, and the
+evacuation of it in consequence of the arrival, in the rear, of the
+Boers; and finally a retirement had to be effected across the open plain
+exposed to fierce volleys from the pursuing enemy. Strange to say, very
+few of the Colonials were injured, though they held their ground
+throughout the day with wondrous pluck, and tackled the Boers with
+dexterity equal to their own. Indeed, the coolness and courage of
+Captain Cameron were reflected by his men, and Captain Salmon, whose
+baptism of fire it was, made a remarkable display of talent in the
+field. Of grit and gallantry there was no end. Specially noticeable was
+the pluck of Corporal Whiteley of the Tasmanians, who hurried to the
+rescue of a dismounted comrade, and through a storm of bullets brought
+him to a place of safety.
+
+More of the Australians on the same day came in for a good share of
+work. A reconnaissance was made from Slingersfontein by the
+Inniskillings and some Australians under Captain Moor. The Australians
+discovered the enemy in the act of preparing to shell the British camp
+from the south-east. They therefore took up a position on a hill some
+9000 yards from camp, but here were assailed by a party of Dutchmen who
+endeavoured to force them to surrender. So close had the Boers
+approached, that their shouts calling them to give up their arms could
+be heard by the Colonials. For answer, however, the Australians only
+fixed bayonets and yelled defiance! Their position was most critical;
+nevertheless they held their ground with such fierce tenacity that the
+Burghers were cautious of approach. Meanwhile, through the maze of fiery
+elements and in the teeth of the enemy, a sergeant and two troopers had
+galloped off to inform the commanding officer of the safety of the
+little band, and of their intention to make a good fight of it until,
+under cover of the shades of night, they could effect an escape. This
+they eventually did. Three of their number were wounded and one was
+killed in the act of succouring a wounded comrade.
+
+On the 11th of February, at Rensburg, a picket of five Victorian Rifles
+had a nasty experience. After pluckily holding a post for several hours,
+during which they were fired on by the Boers from an adjacent kopje,
+they were forced to retire. Three of the party were slightly wounded,
+and one gallant fellow, who had helped the others to mount and escape,
+was missing. A patrol from Jasfontein, consisting of eight Tasmanians
+and eight of French's Guides, also came to grief. Only two Tasmanians
+and three Guides returned to camp, the rest being captured by the enemy.
+In course of the day's work Trooper Bosch distinguished himself. On his
+way with two comrades to join the main body at Slingersfontein he came
+on a large party of Boers on a hill. Though fired on, the party made off
+in hot haste, when Trooper Bosch, who was ahead, came suddenly on a
+solitary horseman. The two riders, each believing the other to be a
+friend, approached, then discovering their mistake, they raised rifles.
+But Trooper Bosch being the quicker, promptly disarmed his antagonist
+and made him prisoner. With the Dutchman in charge, Bosch and his
+companions proceeded. Presently they came on seven Boer riders. On these
+the scouts opened fire, with the result that the enemy hurriedly made
+off, leaving behind them one wounded, who was taken prisoner. So the
+three scouts returned to camp very proud of their "bag."
+
+The correspondent of the _Melbourne Herald_, accompanied by Mr. Cameron,
+the Australian correspondent, bearing a flag of truce, went to the Boer
+line west of Rensburg to make inquiries from Commandant Delarey
+regarding Mr. Lambie and Mr. Hales, the missing Australian
+correspondents. They were blindfolded before being taken to the Boer
+camp, where they were informed that Mr. Lambie had been killed, and
+were handed the portrait of his wife, which had been found in his
+pocket. Mr. Hales, owing to a fall from his horse, had been taken
+prisoner. The correspondents were informed that some 120,000 men were
+fighting with the Federals, which was probably a piece of Boer bravado.
+
+[Illustration: MAP ILLUSTRATING THE OPERATIONS ON THE ORANGE RIVER.]
+
+It was now found necessary to retire from Coles Kop and the outposts
+round it, as the Boers had placed a 40-pounder off Bastard Nek, and thus
+commanded the vicinity. The Wiltshire Regiment retired from Pink Hill,
+and the Australians and Bedfordshire Regiment moved from Windmill Hill.
+The Berkshire Regiment had also to move from their post--indeed, a
+wholesale withdrawal became imperative owing to the activity of the Boer
+pieces. There was now no camp west of Rensburg, and presently the camp
+at Slingersfontein had to withdraw on Rensburg, the eastern flank being
+threatened. There were Boers on all sides busily shelling the hills, and
+the overwhelming number of the enemy made retreat to Rensburg
+inevitable. In the course of the fighting Colonel Coningham was mortally
+wounded.[8]
+
+On the 13th the British "strategically" evacuated Rensburg, and General
+Clements fell back on Arundel. The guns from Coles Kop were safely
+removed, and a Maxim was destroyed to save it from the clutches of the
+enemy.
+
+The retirement was quite orderly. On the previous day the stores and
+baggage-waggons were removed. After the evacuation the Boers held a
+prayer-meeting, and offered up thanks for their success. They then
+marched off in small parties to their various outposts, chanting in
+nasal tones their favourite hymns.
+
+The gallantry displayed by the members of General Clements' force during
+the retirement was amazing. It is found impossible to note all the acts
+of pluck and heroism which took place, and elicited the profound
+admiration of those who witnessed them, but especially noticeable was
+the devotion of some score of the Mounted Victorian Rifles. These were
+surrounded by the enemy--caught in a veritable trap--but they refused to
+surrender, and declared they would "die game." They fought like heroes,
+not one of them being left to tell the tale.
+
+Near Dordrecht, too, which had been occupied by General Brabant, the
+Colonial forces were performing prodigious feats of pluck. They forced
+the rebels to abandon the country between Dordrecht and Penhoek. During
+the attack on a Boer laager on the 16th, Trooper Drysdale bravely rushed
+to the succour of Sergeant Weinecke under a close and heavy fire and
+carried him off to a place of safety. The young Colonial was promoted to
+the rank of lieutenant in recognition of the valorous deed.
+Unfortunately two gallant officers--Captain Crallah and Lieutenant
+Chandler--were killed.
+
+Curiously enough, when the Boers and British became acquainted with each
+other they grew friendly with great rapidity. When Captain Longhurst,
+R.A.M.C., from Arundel, was attending wounded Australians, he remarked
+on the exceeding kindness of the enemy to the wounded. He also
+fraternised with the Boer commander, and discovered they had mutual
+friends in London. The "Tommies" chatted most amicably with the Boers,
+notwithstanding the fact that their bandoliers were filled with
+soft-nosed bullets. To account for their having them, the Boers said,
+"We must use whatever we can get." It was suggested that their
+ammunition--since they were of the northern district--had been obtained
+for the purpose of hunting big game at the Limpopo. This excuse the
+"Tommies" accepted, and one wounded in the thigh said good-humouredly,
+"Well, I wish you'd been kind enough to hit me lower down." Another
+informed a Boer that the British had specially come to deliver them out
+of the House of Bondage. The Boer was sceptical, whereon "Tommy"
+enlightened him. "Africander bondage," he explained, with a wink of the
+eye.
+
+The moral effect of the relief of Kimberley soon became obvious. Barkly
+West was occupied by troops on the 21st of February, and there was
+evidence that the country west of Cape Colony and Kimberley was
+gradually settling down.
+
+On the same day, General Brabant occupied Jamestown, some twenty miles
+north of Dordrecht, and seized quantities of horses belonging to the
+enemy, who in their retreat modestly had recourse to "Shank's pony."
+
+During a reconnaissance of the Boer position at Stormberg, a party of
+scouts under Captain Montmorency, V.C., got within some fifty yards of
+the enemy, and a fierce and fatal combat ensued, which resulted in the
+sad loss of one of the most brilliant officers of the day.
+
+The object of the reconnaissance was to ascertain the strength of the
+Boers at Stormberg. Accordingly, with four companies of Mounted Infantry
+drawn from the Royal Scots, the Northumberland Fusiliers, the Derbyshire
+Regiment, and the Royal Berkshire Regiment, with the 77th and four guns
+of the 74th Batteries Royal Field Artillery, the Derbyshire Regiment
+(Sherwood Foresters), a portion of De Montmorency's Scouts, and some
+Cape Police, supported by the armoured train under the charge of
+Lieutenant F. J. Gosset, 2nd Royal Berkshire Regiment, Sir William
+Gatacre occupied Molteno early on Friday morning the 23rd. Preceded by
+thirty Scouts, Captain de Montmorency, Lieutenant Hockley, and Colonel
+Hoskier, the force marched in the same direction that was to have been
+taken on the night of the fatal affair in December. Unfortunately the
+Scouts, on nearing their destination, came on a party of dismounted
+Boers, and these, as the British rushed up a kopje, executed the same
+feat on the other side of the hill. Though both instantly took cover,
+the scouts got the worst of it, each one as he raised a head being laid
+low by the fatal bullets of the completely hidden foe. Among the first
+to fall was Captain de Montmorency,[9] who, gallant fellow, was
+creeping round to a flank to surprise the enemy. Not long after Colonel
+Hoskier[10] received his second wound, a mortal one, and two comrades,
+Collett and Vice, adventurous and dashing Colonials, were shot through
+the head. Lieutenant Hockley, rendered almost blind and senseless by a
+wound between the eyes, was taken prisoner. A gallant attempt to rescue
+the Scouts was made in the midst of a tremendous storm. All were
+drenched to the skin. The thunder and lightning rendered artillery fire
+almost impossible, and very few of the daring party got away from the
+scene of the fight. On the kopje by Shoeman's Farm were left seven
+killed and five wounded.
+
+On the following day the bodies were recovered by the military
+chaplains. Deeply to their regret, they discovered that the dead had
+been robbed, and it is asserted that a Boer was seen in the feathered
+hat of the heroic leader of the Scouts, while even the clothes of the
+others had been filched by some despicable Dutchmen. Mr. Duncombe-Jewell
+in the _Morning Post_ gave a pathetic account of the affair:--"The
+chaplains to the forces, Father Ryan and Rev. R. Armitage, proceeded
+under a flag of truce on the following morning to recover the bodies.
+This they were permitted to do, but they found that the Boers had
+stripped and robbed the slain, one of them riding about in triumph with
+poor De Montmorency's hat, with its black riband ornamented with the
+white skull and cross-bones and the black ostrich feather at the side,
+hanging at his saddle-bow. So far did they carry these ravages, that on
+the tunic, which they hastily replaced as the chaplains approached,
+there remained only one button. The rest of the unfortunate men were as
+shamefully treated, the three buried by the Boers before the arrival of
+the flag of truce being interred without either clothing or ceremony of
+any sort."
+
+A sad funeral took place on the Sunday following, when the remains were
+buried. The band played a dirge as the procession--in which was the
+younger officer's gallant servant and comrade, Byrne, V.C., of
+Omdurman fame, and his favourite grey Arab pony--wound its way through
+the town to the Molteno Cemetery. Wreaths were placed on the
+newly-turned earth by the General and his staff--ephemeral symbols, but
+in this case emblems of lasting lament for heroes sacrificed on the
+altar of duty.
+
+[Illustration: HINDOO REFUGEES FROM THE TRANSVAAL IN CAMP AT CAPE TOWN
+
+Photo by Alf. S. Hosking, Cape Town.]
+
+In a Divisional Order General Gatacre recorded with deep regret the news
+of the death of Captain Montmorency, V.C., commanding Montmorency's
+Scouts, and of Lieutenant-Colonel Hoskier, 3rd Middlesex Volunteer
+Artillery, who were killed at Schoeman's Farm. "By their deaths," the
+order concluded, "the division has lost two very valuable officers."
+
+While this affair was taking place at Molteno the West Riding Regiment
+was distinguishing itself at Arundel. The troops were preparing to clear
+some kopjes held by the enemy when some Boers suddenly advanced on them.
+The West Ridings stood their ground grandly, waited with fixed bayonets
+the arrival of the Dutch horde, and then promptly advanced and scattered
+them. Unfortunately Captain Wallis was shot dead. Lieutenant Wilson was
+wounded, but rescued in the midst of a leaden blizzard by a gallant
+sergeant (Frith), who rushed to his assistance and carried him off on
+his back to a place of shelter. Scarcely had he done so than he was
+wounded in the face--in the left eye and nose. Lieutenant Wilson and
+Sergeant Frith were placed in an ambulance, but owing to the tremendous
+storm which prevailed at the time, their waggon lost its bearings and
+wandered aimlessly throughout the night. The sufferers reached hospital
+on the following day. On the 26th Colesberg and Colesberg Junction were
+held by our troops, and on the 27th Rensburg was reoccupied.
+
+On the 5th of March Captain M'Neill, who after the death of Captain de
+Montmorency was appointed to the command of Montmorency's Scouts,
+discovered that the Boers had evacuated Stormberg. The Scouts now
+pursued the enemy, determining to keep him on the run. This they did
+over rugged country and at great personal risk, eventually chasing the
+Dutchmen to and beyond Burghersdorp.
+
+On the 7th of March General Gatacre occupied Burghersdorp, and the
+railway arrangements towards Stormberg and Steynsburg were being hurried
+on in view of the coming operations. The enthusiasm of the loyal
+inhabitants of the district was great and their relief intense. The
+greetings from one and all were most effusive, the National Anthem was
+sung, and the British flag hoisted with jubilation so great that many
+wept at the relaxation of the long strain.
+
+General Gatacre issued a proclamation requesting rebels to surrender and
+give up arms, when they would receive a pass to their farms, and where
+they were to remain till called to account later. Some few rebels
+appeared to the summons, but many were still shy and were waiting, as
+the phrase says, "to see which way the cat jumped."
+
+The oath administered to rebels was as follows:--
+
+ "I, a British subject, do hereby and hereon swear and declare
+ that I was forced by the Queen's enemies to take up arms
+ against Her Majesty's troops, and that the rifle and ammunition
+ were issued to me by Commandant ----, that I joined the
+ commando on or about ----, and left it on or about ----. I now
+ hand in my horse, rifle, and ammunition, and, if permitted,
+ will proceed direct to my own farm, to remain there as a loyal
+ British subject until Her Majesty's pleasure be made further
+ known. I further promise to hold no further communication,
+ either directly or indirectly, with Her Majesty's enemies, or
+ to aid or abet them in any way whatever, under penalty of
+ death."
+
+General Clements now took up his quarters at Norval's Pont, on the south
+bank of Orange River. The north bank was still being strongly held by
+the enemy, who had succeeded in blowing up the bridge two days
+previously.
+
+Aliwal North was next occupied, but the occupation was attended with
+severe fighting across the river. But the British took up tenable
+positions, while the Boers, after a wholesome experience of British
+fire, removed their laager from the hills. The inhabitants of the town,
+despite the fact that our entry was accompanied by shells, were full of
+enthusiasm. Colonel Page Henderson and his advance party seized the
+heights beyond Lundean's Nek. The enemy shelled the bridge with Krupp
+guns with great vigour, and twenty men were wounded. The British from
+their entrenched positions silenced these barkings, but were then
+attacked by the Boer riflemen, who were finally driven off by the Border
+Horse and a Maxim gun. A waggon of ammunition was captured and several
+Boers. There were general complaints as to the treatment experienced by
+British people in the place, and there was some satisfaction when Mayor
+Smuts was subsequently arrested on a charge of treason.
+
+Railway and telegraphic communication were now carried to Burghersdorp.
+Everywhere the commencement of a new system was evident. In the
+north-eastern districts of the Free State the rebels, on the withdrawal
+of the commandos, slowly returned to their senses. Both English and
+Dutch loyalists were beginning to breathe freely; they had both equally
+suffered from Boer oppression. Europeans and natives were jubilant at
+the now continual laying down of arms by rebels and Boer refugees along
+the whole of the Colonial borders. The Boer refugees, some of whom were
+in a pitiable plight, many of them having subsisted for weeks mainly on
+bread and water and a species of coffee made from rye, were anxious for
+protection. They stood in fear of their lives, as Commandant Olivier had
+threatened to shoot those who should surrender. Major Hook of the Cape
+Police, with his smart men, occupied Barkly East, and at Lady Grey
+British rule, after three and a half months of oppression, was
+re-established. It is pleasing to record that the heroic postmistress
+returned to her post there with an increased salary. The total collapse
+of the rebels was impending, and there were now only animated arguments
+among loyalists and others as to the treatment which should be given to
+those who had engaged in and fostered the lamentable revolt. All voted
+for the speedy appointment of a Judicial Commission. Though a policy of
+revenge was to be deprecated, it was urged that the ringleaders should
+be punished with exemplary severity, as a deterrent for the future, and
+for the purpose of demonstrating to those who had suffered annoyances,
+loss, and anxiety, that there was some advantage in the maintenance of
+loyalty in trying circumstances.
+
+
+AT BETHULIE
+
+Sir William Gatacre, owing to the species of general post that had been
+set on foot by Lord Roberts' successful advance, suddenly found himself
+released from the shackles that had bound him. As we know, the enemy had
+retreated from Stormberg, and from Burghersdorp. Towards the Orange
+River they had betaken themselves in hot haste, and it was now time to
+fly after the retreating foe, to catch them, if possible, at the river.
+At Bethulie there was still the railway bridge. But even as it was
+neared it ceased to exist. Fragments filled the air. The Boers had blown
+it up behind them, and wrecked iron was all that displayed itself to the
+British troops. The road bridge, however, remained; a structure valued
+by the Colony at £100,000. Of course that would go directly, and the
+great question was whether the British troops, by putting the spur on
+their already jaded energies, would be able to reach the place in time
+to defend it. Captain M'Neill and thirty Scouts made a rush for it; and
+only just reached the scene of action in time! The Derby was never more
+hotly contested. The Scouts, like hunted fiends, had sped over obstacle
+and acre to gain the goal before the fell work of the Boers could begin.
+They won by a neck. The Boers were already buzzing along the bridge,
+manipulating with wire and explosive, putting the finishing touches on
+their design! At sight of the British there was a stampede to north of
+the river. Here the enemy had supports. (The Scouts carefully hid the
+fact they had none.) Here the enemy ensconced himself and prepared to do
+his worst. The Scouts took up their position in the kraal of a farm from
+which they could sweep the northern approach to the already laid mines,
+and sent back word urgently praying for reinforcements. Others took
+their well-deserved rest. Meanwhile with ferocious tenacity some eleven
+of them held on to the bridge, hawk-eyed, watching, firing, hiding,
+dodging, anything that should gain time till the reinforcements could
+appear. On the other side, only a question of yards off was the
+foe--numberless, it seemed to them, sniping, potting, and banging with
+every missile at their command, and determining to hang round the
+precious bone of contention, the valuable road bridge. The British
+maintained the same determination. Perhaps a touch, an unseen movement,
+would set the whole string of dynamite mines in motion; perhaps in this
+moment or the next, with a roar and a rumble, the clear atmosphere would
+be decked to blindness with little bits--bits of the bridge that stood
+before them--bits, too, of the men that were! Still they hung on. It was
+a grievous subject for contemplation, a sorry possibility to roll in the
+wrappings of meditation. But fear they scorned. The Boers in vast
+numbers thronged on the opposite side, bullets from Mausers and
+Martini-Henrys spurted and flicked up their little wisps of dust till
+sand became thick as a veil between Boer and Briton. But still the hardy
+Scouts clung to their post. Moments, every one long as days, sped on;
+hours passed, night waned, day broke. Still the tiny British band of
+braves behind bush and boulder stayed with rifles cocked and pointed at
+the bridge. They dared not approach, but they defied the enemy to
+venture. Then, with morn, the eternity of anxiety was ended--they were
+reinforced by the Cape Police! Later the artillery came up. Oh, the sigh
+of relief! The bridge was saved! Oh, the rejoicing to hear the grand
+bark of British guns, and see the great earth mushrooms opening up to
+the sky on the opposite side! Then, at eventide came the supreme deed,
+among deeds no less worthy. Shot and shell were now falling on all sides
+of the mined bridge. The Boers were firmly ensconced across the front;
+hidden and sniping, and now and then appearing and firing boldly. The
+gloaming was otherwise peaceful, the purple shades of evening blending
+with the gentle, rippling golden grey of the river. Then from his
+fellows advanced one Lieutenant Popham of the Derbyshire Regiment.
+Straight to the threatened bridge, already peppered with the storms of
+the enemy, he went, crossed to the other side, and quick as thought
+deftly cut the connecting wires for firing the mines! By a miracle no
+Boers observed the act, an act that rendered abortive all their
+ingenious efforts and made the British masters of the situation. Then
+followed more plucky feats. Young Popham, on advancing through the
+trenches, had come across large, suspicious-looking boxes. He returned
+to the British lines. He gathered together some of the goodly men of his
+regiment, and with them again made his way to the threatened bridge. The
+sight of the party was the signal for a volley from the Dutchmen, but
+still they pursued their way to the boxes. "Dynamite, by Jove!" said
+one; "Kingdom come!" said another. But up they took them, and there
+and then, under a storm of bullets that now meant more even than death,
+the splendid fellows marched back again. The astonishing feat cast
+dismay over the Federals on the other side of the water, as it filled
+with admiration and pride all in the British camp who were privileged to
+view a sight seldom seen in a lifetime. And then, later on, as though
+the quality of heroism were inexhaustible as the widow's cruse of oil,
+another splendid act followed on the heels of the foregoing ones. In the
+dead of night Captain Grant of the Royal Engineers groped his way to the
+bridge. The Boers were on the alert, but he groped cautiously. The
+soldier's martial step gave way to the catlike burglarious tread! It was
+ticklish work that had to be done--work that needed time and nicety of
+touch. But he meant to do it, and one hint, one rumour of activity would
+have roused the whole Dutch horde and ruined his plan. The bridge, as we
+know, was mined. Lieutenant Popham had cut the wires. But the charges of
+dynamite were somewhere. These Captain Grant found, removed, and
+dexterously dropped, buried for ever in the purling river! Then with
+infinite care he detached the other connecting wires, and the bridge was
+safe! This was the beginning of the end. A few more passages at arms,
+and then the British on the 15th of March crossed the Orange River.
+
+[Illustration: CONVEYING WOUNDED TO WYNBERG HOSPITAL CAMP.
+
+Photo by Alf. S. Hosking, Cape Town.]
+
+Yet another brilliant act was performed soon after the arrival of the
+troops at Bethulie. Captain Hannessy of the Cape Police, an officer on
+General Gatacre's staff, was detailed to capture the railway station,
+which was situated some distance from the town. This he did. He examined
+the telegraph room, found the instrument intact, and learnt by
+communication with Springfontein that there were Boers still in that
+direction. Without hesitation he at once set off, in company with
+another adventurous spirit (Captain Turner of the Scouts), on his way to
+Springfontein. They commandeered a trolley and moved up the line. On
+nearing the station they saw two trains with steam up, ready for
+departure. Within the building were Boers--not slim Boers this time--but
+snoring ones, with bandoliers awry and rifles lollopping. It was a
+moment to be grasped. The rifles and the bandoliers were gently removed.
+Then the sleepers were awakened. They rubbed their eyes, and found, not
+rifles or bandoliers, but that they were prisoners of war! They were
+without arms, resistance was useless. They were escorted to the railway
+trucks; an engine-driver was found, and presently the two officers with
+their "bag" (two trains and eight prisoners) returned in triumph to
+Bethulie. Here their big-game hunting was vastly appreciated, as at this
+time, their engines having been left on the other side of the river, the
+capture of rolling stock was of tremendous importance. Soon after this,
+troops from Bloemfontein were sent off to occupy Springfontein.
+
+FOOTNOTES:
+
+[8] Lieutenant-Colonel Charles Coningham, 2nd Battalion Worcestershire
+Regiment, was born in 1851, and joined the army in 1872. His first
+appointment was to the 103rd Foot, afterwards the 2nd Battalion Royal
+Dublin Fusiliers, with which he served until 1891, when he was
+transferred as major to the Worcestershire Regiment. Colonel Coningham
+was an adjutant of Militia from 1889 to 1894. He also served in the
+Soudan with the Frontier Field Force in 1885-86.
+
+[9] Captain the Hon. Raymond Harvey Lodge Joseph de Montmorency, 21st
+Empress of India's Lancers, and commanding De Montmorency's Scouts in
+South Africa, was the eldest son of Viscount Frankfort de Montmorency,
+K.C.B. He was born on February 5, 1867, joined the army on September 14,
+1887, as second lieutenant in the Lincolnshire Regiment, and was
+promoted to a lieutenancy in the 21st Lancers, November 6, 1889. In this
+rank he served in the campaign in the Soudan in 1898, and was present at
+the battle of Khartoum, and was awarded the Victoria Cross for the
+following service:--"At the battle of Khartoum on September 2, 1898,
+Lieutenant de Montmorency, after the charge of the 21st Lancers,
+returned to assist Second Lieutenant R. G. Grenfell, who was lying
+surrounded by a large body of Dervishes. Lieutenant de Montmorency drove
+the Dervishes off, and finding Lieutenant Grenfell dead, put the body on
+his horse, which then broke away. Captain Kenna and Corporal Swarbrich
+then came to his assistance, and enabled him to rejoin the regiment,
+which had begun to open a heavy fire on the enemy." Lieutenant de
+Montmorency, in addition to being mentioned in despatches and receiving
+the V.C., had also the British medal and Khedive's medal with clasp. He
+was promoted to captain August 2, 1899, having in the previous October
+been despatched on special service to South Africa, when he raised and
+commanded the special body of scouts whose gallant services have under
+him been so frequently referred to in connection with the operations in
+the neighbourhood of Stormberg and Dordrecht.
+
+[10] Lieutenant-Colonel Commandant F. H. Hoskier was a well-known
+Volunteer officer, who had brought the force which he commanded to a
+high state of military efficiency. He held a certificate for proficiency
+in several subjects, and had obtained special mention in examinations in
+tactics, besides having qualified as an interpreter.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER VII
+
+BLOEMFONTEIN UNDER BRITISH RULE
+
+
+The pastoral little town of brick and tin in the vast expanse of toasted
+grass had now become a centre of civilisation, one may almost say a
+fashionable rendezvous. There regiments multitudinous were congregated,
+and these helped to convert the sleepy, dozing capital into a miniature
+sphere of many dialects born of a common tongue. Human beings, the
+conquered and the conquerors, brushed shoulders in friendliness, bought
+and sold, listened to the bands playing the well-worn British airs in
+the market-place, and discoursed, under the ægis of the Union Jack,
+which fluttered from pinnacle and spire, of trade and prospects as
+though such things as big guns had never acted in place of handshakes,
+and such men as Steyn had never staked their all on the possibilities of
+a mirage.
+
+That potentate had betaken himself to Kroonstad, which, in new
+conditions, had also assumed a new aspect. It was now the capital of the
+Free Staters, and the seat of the polyglot army that was gathered
+together to consider the new face of affairs. A Norwegian attaché, who
+was with the strange horde, gave a description of the quaint dust-bound
+town and its still quainter inhabitants:--
+
+ "KROONSTAD, _March 16_.
+
+ "Here prevails the most extraordinary life it has ever been my
+ lot to witness. All hotels and private houses are filled to
+ overflowing, whilst little laagers are spread everywhere in and
+ outside the town. A wild stream of loose horses, mules,
+ donkeys, and oxen, and little bodies of troops and solitary
+ riders pour through the streets, broken by heavy ox-waggons and
+ mule-carts driven by whips and shouts. All nationalities and
+ all colours are present, and the most Babylonian babble of
+ tongues resounds on all sides. Here are foreign military
+ attachés, surgeons, nurses, regular and irregular Boer troops,
+ volunteers of all arms, officers as well as privates, and
+ besides a goodly lot which I can only stamp as 'freebooters,'
+ for they do not belong to any fixed commando, but look upon the
+ fighting as sport or chase. Frequently, however, among them I
+ come across men of high culture and of first-class families,
+ often fine handsome men with martial bearing, side by side with
+ the worst scum of the earth. Many pass from one war to another.
+ I have spoken with some who have gone through the Greek, Cuban,
+ and Philippine wars. And what uniforms do these mercenaries
+ wear? None at all, or, more correctly speaking, each one has
+ invented his own! The only common badge is the bandolier across
+ the shoulder and the slouch hat. Otherwise every one wears
+ whatever clothes he may possess, only so that it is nothing
+ new. Many of them who are well off have donned a fantastic
+ costume--slouch hat, with waving ostrich feathers and gold
+ lace, jacket edged with yellow, orange, and green bands,
+ epaulettes with great gold tassels, white or gilt buttons,
+ stripes on the trousers, top-boots with spurs, cockades in the
+ hat and on the breast, and revolvers in the belt. At present
+ the Boer troops are spread all over the place, mostly without
+ any order or discipline. Most of them, particularly the Orange
+ Boers, are sick of the war, and long to go home to their
+ families and farms. Others have simply gone home after the
+ Bloemfontein _débâcle_. In these circumstances Steyn considered
+ it best to allow his men to go home for a few days, and call
+ them together again when the great council of war at the end of
+ the week had decided whether the war should be continued. Many
+ thousands have thus gone home, with or without leave. Will they
+ return? It seems a dangerous experiment."
+
+The fact was that gradually, very gradually, the eyes of the Boers were
+being opened, though they still tried to persuade themselves that Lord
+Roberts' presence in the capital of the Free State had no decisive
+effect on the game of war. They began to look anxiously towards the
+Continental Powers, who, they had been led to believe, were in sympathy
+with them, and to wonder when some intervention would save them from the
+doom they had brought on themselves. In one respect they were beginning
+to see clearly and to understand, that the great ideal of sweeping the
+British into the sea was a chimera, and that they must limit their aim
+to retaining their own freedom, the sole one that could be indulged in
+and clung to with any shadow of success.
+
+The Dutchmen still hoped against hope for victory, but their scorn for
+the British was fast dying a natural death. Our repeated fights, had
+they served no other purpose, succeeded in educating those who had dared
+to flout us, and after the capture of Cronje the effect of the somewhat
+brusque lesson was very conspicuous. Before the battle of Elandslaagte,
+a resident of Cape Town indulged in argument with an obstinate Boer in
+terms somewhat similar to these:--
+
+"We are going to send 50,000 or 60,000 troops into the field."
+
+"They will be all shot!" he bragged.
+
+"We shall send another 50,000 or 60,000."
+
+"They, too, will all be shot!" he repeated.
+
+"We shall send more."
+
+"Almighty! am I to keep on shooting the Englishman all my life!" sighed
+the Dutchman, with his best air of braggadocio.
+
+Such bumptiousness was not confined to himself. All his compatriots
+started on the campaign with identical bombast, for they took their cue
+from the attitude of those Continental nations with which they had
+lately become associated. Our neighbours across the Channel had found it
+convenient to persuade themselves we were a decadent race, that the Old
+Country was played out and her children effete. As with the empires of
+Xerxes, Alexander, Augustus, so with that of Victoria, they said to
+themselves; and since the wish is father to the thought, the idea was
+rapidly propagated that Great Britain was fast becoming a second-rate
+Power.
+
+Almost the whole of Europe had indulged in objectionable comment on the
+subject of the campaign, and treated us to naked truths that, though
+unpalatable, were useful as an excellent opportunity to see ourselves as
+others see us, and correct a somewhat overweening passion for resting on
+British-grown laurels. But however good as a tonic the cosmopolitan
+criticism may have been, it was distinctly ill-timed and decidedly
+ungrateful. Our sneering foes should have patted us on the back, have
+applauded us. They might even have subscribed to help us to do the hard
+work of Europe, for, as the Norwegian showed, we were not fighting the
+Boer alone, but were attacking thousands of his mercenaries--the scum of
+Europe. We were scouring a veritable Augean stable. Ne'er-do-weels of
+every nationality were congregated under the Transvaal flag--vagabonds,
+for the most part, who had made their own country too hot to hold them,
+and who hoped by promoting a general upheaval to come down on their feet
+safely--somehow, somewhere!
+
+Fortunately Lord Roberts' masterly combinations had rapidly brought
+about a general disillusionment, and served to prove to our critical
+neighbours that our martial race--from officers to the most raw and
+fledgling "Tommies"--was the same race as of yore, "game for anything,"
+even when the thing might range between and include shot and shell,
+sickness and starvation! The object-lesson was a grand one, and could
+not pass unrecognised. For us the sad part of it was that the flower of
+our country, the valiant sons of brave men and the noble descendants of
+kings, should have had to risk their lives against such a mob of
+adventurers and filibusters, creatures who were actuated by none of the
+finer and natural impulses of the Boers to secure their independence,
+but flung themselves into the fight merely because the spirit of
+ruffianism which had driven them from their native soils was too rampant
+to be appeased by any other exercise. But there is no achievement
+without sadness--no success without pain. Lives must ever be sacrificed
+to maintain any great nation's prestige, and now how much more noble
+seemed the sacrifice when it secured the prestige of a Power that had
+propagated equality and civilisation over the whole face of the world!
+
+[Illustration: THE BRITISH OCCUPATION OF BLOEMFONTEIN--AN EVENING
+CONCERT IN MARKET SQUARE BY THE PIPERS OF THE HIGHLAND BRIGADE.
+
+Drawing by A. Forestier.]
+
+The British once having put their hand to the plough, had stuck manfully
+to their work, not in hope of reward, but in the belief in the ministry
+of their great race. Beyond the minor considerations of franchise and
+political advantage, there had been greater and higher ends to be
+attained, and as the flag was fluttering over the capital of the Free
+State these great ends served to inspire and refresh those who almost
+fainted by the way. Where the British flag waved there was freedom,
+enlightenment, progress, evolution--there was emancipation from sin,
+injustice, and degradation; therefore at the cost of precious lives, and
+for no personal gain, the great end for which they toiled and suffered
+and died had to be achieved.
+
+Every ideal, whether merely human or bordering on the divine, demands
+enormous sacrifices from those who desire to realise it, and the spread
+of civilisation calls for its ministers and martyrs, and will continue
+to call for them so long as there are men of heroic mould who,
+regardless of personal cost, are ready to prize and protect a great and
+national cause. Only this reflection could serve to hearten and brace
+our warriors at the front, for, at this time, Lord Roberts' glorious
+position was far from a happy one. It was impossible to ignore the cost
+at which the prestige of his country and his splendid success was being
+secured. He found himself at Bloemfontein with the wreck of an army on
+his hands, with men dropping thick as flies from disease resulting from
+the terrible exhaustion of the march and from the insanitary conditions
+of the camp at Paardeberg. There the only water available for drinking
+purposes had flowed down from the Boer camp a mile and a half up the
+river, and was polluted by rotting carcases in various stages of
+decomposition, and, as a natural consequence of these conditions,
+Bloemfontein was suddenly filled with an appalling number of sick, some
+2000 patients suffering from typhoid and enteric, in addition to a very
+considerable number of wounded at the fight at Driefontein. How to help
+the abnormal number of sufferers was a problem that taxed the medical
+authorities to the utmost, for it was impossible to meet the huge demand
+under the existing conditions. To improvise mere accommodation for so
+large an influx of sick within the narrow confines of Bloemfontein was a
+hard task in itself, and even the field-hospitals were inadequate, for
+owing to the rapidity of the march from the Modder no tents were carried
+with the force, and none were available until railway communication with
+Cape Colony could be restored. The Commander-in-Chief of this immense
+army in this dilemma had but a single narrow-gauge line of railway
+between himself and his base some 700 miles distant, and this line of
+rails was not yet available. The first duty was to utilise it for the
+bringing up of supplies sufficient to sustain the bare life of the
+healthy force, and prevent those who were sound from joining those who
+were already exhausted. Tents for the sick, nurses, doctors, hospitals
+were ordered up, but these could only arrive in their turn, and
+meanwhile the patients were distributed in all the public buildings,
+schools, &c. The town being small, this accommodation was meagre in the
+extreme, and quantities of the sick in the field hospitals had to place
+their blankets and waterproof sheets on the ground, and lie there
+huddled together in a condition that was grievous in the extreme. The
+mortality was tremendous, and the sufferings of those who were
+recovering were pitiable, but these things it was impossible to avert;
+they have belonged in all ages to the horror of war, and in other times
+were the natural and ordinary, and not, as in the present case, an
+abnormal consequence of an exceptional situation.
+
+ * * * * *
+
+The relief of Ladysmith and Kimberley accomplished, Lord Roberts was
+able to adhere to the cherished Napoleonic maxim--an army should have
+but one line of operation, which should be carefully preserved, and
+abandoned only as the result of weightier considerations. This army was
+now being reorganised as one great whole, a task which involved gigantic
+labour and called for rare discrimination. But the marvellous tact, one
+might say magnetism, of Lord Roberts smoothed every difficulty, and the
+enthusiasm with which those who were brought into contact with the
+Commander-in-Chief alluded to him, was remarkable. An army chaplain,
+writing home, voiced the popular feelings for the one and only
+"Bobs":--"We are serving under the best and noblest man who ever led an
+army. You can have no conception of the passionate and devoted affection
+which Lord Roberts inspires in all ranks. It is not artifice, or
+adroitness, or dramatic power, but a simple overflowing of the milk of
+human kindness. Every one notices it; all remark it. The roughest and
+most cynical of the brave men out here cannot escape the fascination of
+his delightfully quiet and natural manner, his transparent
+unselfishness; and one sees in him the value in a born leader of men of
+a clear and musical voice, and eyes bright and piercing, yet full of
+kindness and benevolent sympathy. He is entirely without affectation,
+and takes care that the troops are fed, and not stinted of recreation
+whenever it can be found. Nothing pleases him more than to mix with the
+men when at play. And he is an example to all in his regular attendance
+at public worship and in resting on the Lord's Day. His staff take their
+'tone' from him, and this is good for all who come into contact with
+that staff. I never met so active a man. At daybreak he is in the
+saddle, riding round the camp before he makes an informal inspection,
+without notice, of some portion of the lines. He shows no sign of
+failing strength or of impaired energy, and fatigue is a word not to be
+found in his vocabulary. I am told that the secret is frugal living and
+early to rest which keeps him in such excellent health. It is a
+privilege which all value very highly that they have had the good
+fortune to serve under our Field-Marshal."
+
+No such raptures were expended on the silent man of Egyptian fame who
+had made himself into the machinery of the tremendous movement, but how
+much his wonderful work was appreciated the following extract from the
+_Times_ serves to show:--"When Lord Roberts and his Chief of the Staff
+reached Cape Town, we had troops of all arms in South Africa, but we had
+no field-army, and until we had a field-army the enemy were to a great
+extent masters of the position. It is not easy to realise the abilities
+and the unwearying energy needed to convert all the scattered raw
+material we possessed in South Africa and the reinforcements daily
+arriving from all parts of the Empire into the coherent and mobile
+fighting machine now directed by the Commander-in-Chief. To Lord
+Kitchener under him belongs the credit of that remarkable achievement.
+He has not only marshalled the fragmentary units of the paper army corps
+into a workmanlike fighting force, but in a country without roads in a
+European sense, and with few and light railways, he has seen that they
+were fed and clothed and supplied with all the innumerable articles
+indispensable to their efficiency. If Lord Roberts has won the battles,
+Lord Kitchener has been the 'organiser of victory.'"
+
+The result of the combined methods of these two great soldiers was
+little short of marvellous, and when we look back to the days of
+Wellington, and compare the army of his day with the army at
+Bloemfontein, we can but wonder and admire and congratulate ourselves.
+
+For instance, the army at Bloemfontein, the victorious army, which had
+suffered exceedingly from the many annoyances of the Boers, comported
+themselves in their day of triumph with admirable reserve. Brave as the
+British warriors of old, they showed themselves men of finer stamp and
+higher discipline than the men who followed Wellington. We have the
+words of that great commander, to assure us that his force was almost
+incorrigible. He declared that his own troops at the beginning of the
+Peninsular war were "a rabble, who cannot bear success any more than Sir
+John Moore's army could bear failure." He also confessed, "I am
+endeavouring to tame them, but if I should not succeed, I must make an
+official complaint of them, and send one or two corps home in disgrace.
+They plunder in all directions."
+
+Things in Bloemfontein were very different. The victorious army under
+Lord Roberts walked in like the heroes they were, stopped their
+predatory instincts at a word, and paid their way and conducted
+themselves like gentlemen. Indeed the Free Staters lined their pockets
+almost too satisfactorily at the expense of their conquerors!
+
+Meanwhile the enemy conspired and plotted. On the 17th of March, at
+Kroonstad, a great council of war was held by the two Presidents, which
+was attended by a strange and mongrel community. Among the motley crew
+were some forty Boer leaders, De Wet, De Larey, Botha, and De
+Villebois-Mareuil (who was killed at Boshop later on). They were not
+goodly to look on, as uniform was non-existent, and clean shirts were
+luxuries that long since had been dispensed with. The action of the
+Boers, their strength and weakness, came under discussion, and all
+decided that they must fight to the bitter end. President Kruger offered
+up prayer, and petitioned the Almighty to give ear to the just claims of
+his people, while President Steyn, when his turn came, stuck to
+practical matters, discussed the situation, and declared that if the
+English thought that because they had captured the Free State capital
+they had won the battle they were self-deluded. He went on to say: "How
+should we now continue the war? Should we, as before, defend ourselves
+in fortified positions, or should we try a new method? I am no soldier,"
+he continued, "but, according to my conviction, we ought no longer to
+occupy fortified positions, as the English have learned to manoeuvre us
+out of them without fighting, for which they invariably have plenty of
+men. Therefore, we ought only, as much as possible, to hamper the
+enemy's forward march, and, whilst threatening his rear and flank,
+attack him everywhere where there is a chance with small commandos
+without train. We must by this method proceed more offensively than
+hitherto, and before all turn upon his lines of communication."
+
+The President's scheme was much applauded and approved, after which De
+Larey began to complain of the state of the Boer army, the size and
+irregularity of the commandos, and the huge waggon laagers behind their
+positions, stating that owing to these being threatened by a manoeuvre
+of the British, the men were forced hurriedly to leave the ranks to look
+after the safety of the waggons. He attributed the Boers' flight at
+Poplar Grove entirely to anxiety regarding these waggons. He suggested
+in future fighting with small commandos without train, as he declared it
+impossible for the Boers to succeed in wielding big armies, because when
+the enemy attempted to surround or outflank them the Boers lost their
+heads.
+
+General Joubert proposed "that the so-called 'veldcornetschappen,' which
+are too large bodies to be led by one man, should be reduced to sections
+of twenty-five, with a corporal at the head. In the Transvaal this had
+already been initiated with very satisfactory results." This proposal
+was also adopted, with the proviso that "'veldcornets' who did not at
+once adopt it should be fined £10." The position of such a corporal is
+similar to that of a sergeant in Europe.
+
+Discussion later turned to the coalfields in Dundee, and to prevent them
+becoming of use to the British it was decided that they must be
+destroyed. General Botha, however, objected to this destruction, on the
+principle that the fields were not contraband of war, but private
+property. Thereupon President Steyn argued: "I am not of a destructive
+disposition, but this is necessary, and in accord with the law of
+nations. Does any one think that the English would let a vessel with
+coal for the Transvaal go by? If I had to blow up half the Orange Free
+State in order to secure the independence of my people I would do so."
+The great council then closed with the following appeal by President
+Steyn:----"I close the council in the hope that every officer realises
+the seriousness of the situation. It is a question of life or death to
+us, whether we shall remain an independent nation or become slaves. I do
+all that is in my power, and so does also my elder brother (Kruger). I
+am no soldier, but you officers are, and to you much is entrusted--the
+future of our country. Your reward will depend on your actions. Your
+task is a very difficult one. May God aid you! We are all mortal, but is
+there a more glorious death than to fall for your country and people at
+the head of your fellow-Burghers. May God help us! The position is
+indeed full of trouble, but when night is darkest dawn is nearest."
+
+These impassioned periods were highly effective, and the Burghers who
+were present forgot to ask themselves why the speaker had carefully
+insured himself against so glorious an exit from life by carefully
+taking to his heels whenever he was confronted by the British!
+
+Some Burghers evidently thinking that an ounce of example was worth a
+ton of precept, decided not to die gloriously, but to live at peace with
+all men inside their homes, and consequently turned their backs on their
+party and returned to their farms.
+
+A proclamation had been issued requiring Burghers residing within ten
+miles of the military headquarters and the town to deliver up all arms
+and ammunition by noon on the 18th, under penalty of being punished and
+having their goods confiscated, and by degrees, as a consequence of the
+proclamation, rifles in considerable quantities were handed in. On the
+other hand, a great many more modern weapons were surreptitiously
+disposed of, many of them being buried in order to be dug up as occasion
+might require, and obsolete firearms surrendered in their place.
+
+The work of pacification was going on apace at Springfontein, where the
+1st Scots Guards, the 3rd Grenadier Guards, four Royal Artillery guns,
+and forty Mounted Infantry were now stationed, and at Bethulie, which
+place also had decided not to show fight.
+
+Sir Godfrey Lagden from Maseru now telegraphed to Lord Roberts stating
+that the residents of Wepener (a town at the extreme east of the Free
+State on the Basutoland border) wished to receive copies of the
+proclamation and had decided to lay down their arms, and it was stated
+that many more towns on the eastern fringe desired to follow suit.
+
+With marvellous celerity things began to shape themselves. The law
+courts resumed work. Mr. Papenfus, whose services as Landrost had been
+dispensed with, was replaced by Mr. Collins. A train service was
+speedily established between Bloemfontein and Cape Town, and the Bank of
+Africa and the National Bank of the Free State were permitted (subject
+to restriction) to continue business. Transactions with towns in the
+Transvaal and Free State still occupied by the enemy were not allowed.
+
+[Illustration: SIGNAL STATION AT BLOEMFONTEIN.
+
+On the left of the picture is the heliograph, and on the right a Begbie
+signal lamp, for use when there is no sun. (Photo by Reinhold Thiele.)]
+
+Naturally some of the best type of farmers in the vicinity who had
+surrendered were anxious for protection against attacks by Boers still
+in the field, and Lord Roberts, bearing this in mind, sent out columns
+to register names and take over arms, and give assurance that the
+necessary protection was forthcoming. During the end of March, General
+French, on this mission intent, was sent to Thabanchu (forty miles east
+of Bloemfontein), while a detachment from General Gatacre's headquarters
+had gone to Smithfield (some forty miles north of Aliwal North). General
+Clements operated in the same pacific way round the south-west skirts of
+Bloemfontein, while General Brabant "tackled" the only still aggressive
+force of the Boers in the southern part of the Free State. Commandant
+Olivier with a force of some 5000 men and sixteen guns was there, being
+pushed back inch by inch, it was hoped into the arms of General French,
+who was waiting with such horses as he could still muster at Thabanchu
+to pounce on him. Still, though slowly, the country was settling down,
+and the inhabitants were beginning to realise the advantage of bringing
+in supplies for sale. They, however, were "slim" at the core, and their
+slimness was responsible for some lamentable occurrences with which we
+shall have to deal anon.
+
+The telegraph was now restored as far as Reddersberg Railway,
+communication had been restored with Bethulie, and the railway at
+Norval's Pont had been completed. In south and west peace reigned. There
+were even signs that the Transvaalers were thinking of abandoning the
+defence of the Free State. Friction between the Federals was reported on
+all sides. Even Mr. Steyn and Mr. Kruger were scarcely at one. Mr.
+Steyn's last remark to the grand old man of Pretoria when they parted at
+Bloemfontein was, "Mind the British don't catch you, or you will get
+better quarters in St. Helena than I." Both Presidents were aware that
+the Commander-in-Chief was a person to be reckoned with, and that, if
+they wished to make a last wild effort, they must put their shoulder to
+the wheel. So on the 21st of March President Steyn and General Joubert
+went on a tour of inspection for the purpose of encouraging the troops.
+With them was a foreigner who described their movements. "The troops who
+are in laager at Venterburg, Roodstation, Zand River Bridge, and
+Smaldeel (Winburgroodstation), number only some 700 men, with a battery
+and six machine guns, all Transvaal Boers. The feeling was everywhere
+buoyant, and all were determined to hold out. To-day the Orange Boers
+begin to return after their leave. It looks as if they are recovering
+their breath after the Bloemfontein _débâcle_, and if the English wait
+much before they advance, the men will have time to reorganise
+themselves. Colonel De Villebois-Mareuil is now occupied with the scheme
+of organising a flying column of foreigners, to be called the 'European
+Corps,' of 600 men, two guns, and a waggon with dynamite and tools, with
+which he intends to operate on the English lines of communication, if
+possible in conjunction with Major Stenekamp, who has collected some
+2000 men to the west, who are furnished with ammunition, stores, and
+money by General du Toit at Fourteen Streams. The English have indeed
+lost much valuable time; the next few weeks should show if the Boers
+have understood to take advantage of it. But there seems to be too
+little plan and too little organisation among them."
+
+The loss of time was deplored on all hands, but Lord Roberts, rather
+than do things imperfectly, was content to wait. There was no use in
+attempting to hammer at the demoralised Boers till, rail, horses, and
+constitutions being in working order, his tools should be equal to the
+task required of them.
+
+But the Chief, though stationary, was not allowing the grass to grow
+under his feet. It must be remembered that prior to his entry into
+Bloemfontein he had been marching and fighting for a month away from the
+railway, and that his primary duties had been, first, to capture and
+secure the railroad; second, to repair it and get it, together with
+bridges, &c., in working order; and thirdly, to shift his base from Cape
+Town to Port Elizabeth, a distance of 750 miles, by a single line of
+rails with a rise of 4500 feet. Much time had also been spent in
+defeating detached forces of the enemy which threatened his
+communications with Cape Town and Port Elizabeth, and blocked them from
+East London.
+
+The question of horses, too, was a most important one, one which could
+not be settled without much delay, because, do what it might, the
+Government could scarcely send them off with sufficient haste to meet
+the demand. During the first four months of the new year there had been
+shipped, as remounts, in addition to those sent with the troops, 27,041
+horses and 17,143 mules. A further supply was expected in May,
+consisting of 7500 horses and 4500 mules, and after that date another
+batch of 7500 horses and 20,000 mules was to be forwarded. The total of
+remounts bought since the opening of 1900 was about 42,000 horses and
+23,000 mules! But, until the steady flow of these into the country
+commenced, the great final move could not be more than planned out.
+
+[Illustration: STRATHCONA'S HORSE.
+
+Photo by Pittaway, Ottawa.]
+
+The art of battle had resolved itself into a question of pace. The Boers
+had taught us that to be successful we must be slim, swift, and sudden.
+Lord Roberts decided that there must be no breathing-time, that their
+cunning commandos must not be permitted to collect, and that mounted
+troops must be met by mounted troops. It began to be evident that the
+army of the future would need to gallop--machine guns with the Horse
+Artillery, Royal Engineers with the cavalry, while guns of position and
+traction engines would have to follow a corresponding process of
+activity! With flying cavalry and mounted infantry must also go flying
+engineers, ready to take their share in schemes of scientific
+demolition, effective destruction of lines and culverts and bridges,
+which cannot be remedied under the loss of days--days which will mean
+the success or the failure of the enterprise in hand. In fact, hereafter
+a vast and wonderful military dictionary will be comprised in the word
+"mobility."
+
+To the ordinary mind the question of mobility resolves itself into a
+mere matter of mounted men. It is almost impossible to follow the
+extraordinary ramifications strategically and tactically connected with
+the term. To increase the mobility of the army--the problem which had to
+be faced by Lord Roberts on his arrival at the Cape and again at
+Bloemfontein--it was, above all things, imperative to have quicker
+moving transport; strategically, a leader would be hand-tied without it.
+After this it was necessary to provide for perpetual relays of mounts
+for the cavalry with far less weight on the saddle, and to feed up the
+infantry, and thus restore to the men their mental and muscular
+elasticity. Tactical mobility was dependent on these considerations, and
+they had to be faced equally with the great difficulty of how to deal
+with the daily increasing number of sick. The Boers had been given too
+much breathing-time at first, and the delay had to be made up for by the
+hurried and costly swoop on Cronje, which turned the tide of British
+fortune. It was now important that another rush should be made--a rush
+without the "intervals for refreshments" which had served the Boers so
+conveniently, and enabled their recuperative courage to assert
+itself--and to organise this a somewhat long halt was obligatory.
+
+The Chief now intended to make the capital the advanced base for the
+invasion of the Transvaal, and decided to attempt no further move till
+sixty days' supplies should have arrived from the Cape. The
+heterogeneous units of Imperial and Colonial troops now called for
+redistribution. Gaps had to be filled in and "inefficients" weeded out.
+General Warren was put into civil charge of Griqualand West; General
+Nicholson was given charge of the transport--a thankless and onerous
+post; General Chermside took over the Third Division from General
+Gatacre; General Hunter was drawn with Barton's Brigade from Natal to
+the Free State side; Generals Pole-Carew and Rundle got Divisions; and
+General Ian Hamilton was appointed to the command of a Division of
+Mounted Infantry, 11,000 men in all, composed of two Brigades, each of
+four corps, with batteries of artillery attached. The remounting of the
+cavalry and Mounted Infantry was an undertaking needing time and help
+from all parts of the British world. Activities were not all serious,
+however.
+
+Bloemfontein boasted a newspaper. It was styled the _Friend of the Free
+State_. Before many days were over it had changed hands, and had become
+the perquisite of the war correspondents. It was now run on Imperial
+lines, and formed the organ of official communications during the
+military occupation of the capital. But for that reason it did not lose
+the sense of humour with which the freelances of the press--Rudyard
+Kipling among them--were bubbling. A specimen of the jocosity of our
+exuberant scribes serves as a memento of a wonderful period.
+
+
+"STINKOSSMULEFONTEIN"
+
+THE DESCRIPTIVE ART
+
+ We have often felt that the gallant members of Lord Roberts'
+ force, although themselves daily engaged in doing deeds which
+ will live in history, yet have to exercise a vast amount of
+ patience before they can read for themselves the brilliant,
+ graphic, and wonderful accounts of their doings sent home by
+ the war correspondents attached to the force. England is three
+ weeks away, and it is a long time for the gallant soldier to
+ wait to see his name in all the glory of leaded type. With the
+ usual enterprise of the _Friend_, we have--we will not say
+ how--managed to see and copy the telegrams sent home by the
+ leading correspondents describing the action at
+ Stinkossmulefontein Kopje. It was not, it is true, a very big
+ engagement, for two companies of Mounted Infantry were sent to
+ see if there were any Boers in the said kopje. They found them
+ there--in the usual manner--one man wounded and six horses--and
+ then retired to report the fact. That is the bare solid truth
+ of the whole thing; now for the correspondents' accounts:--
+
+ _Times_ (London):--Human element in what commonly supposed be
+ machine, namely, two companies Mounted Infantry to-day severely
+ tried. To put to-day's action form algebraic equation situation
+ briefly this Boers keen-eyed, rugged held kopje (forget name
+ kopje but know stink and fontein in it but see Reuter) sitting
+ behind boulders, while other portion equation represented two
+ companies Mounted Infantry (don't know commander or regiment
+ see Reuter) is possible work whole thing algebraically Boer on
+ kopje equal ten Mounted Infantry advancing along level plain
+ therefore fifty boers on kopje more than match for two hundred
+ Mounted Infantry advancing across plain whole thing followed
+ mathematical sequence Mounted Infantry returned from kopje
+ having tried solve impossible equation.
+
+ _Daily Telegraph_ (London):--Early morning while camp asleep
+ rose prepared my coffee saddled horse left camp each side lay
+ poor wearied soldiers fast asleep dreaming doubtless home
+ mothers wives sweethearts some tossed uneasily hard veldt moon
+ shone pouring paling with silver light features [please insert
+ here one my night-before-battle scenes No. 4] but I could not
+ help feeling Army doing wrong sleep knew enemy front determined
+ myself go forward find out position enemy passed outlying
+ picket told officer keep good look out as knew enemy front
+ officer answer and actually wished prevent me passing picket
+ but when told him my name allowed pass sun now rising glorious
+ [insert sunrise scene No. 2] moved cautiously forward saw near
+ distance kopje approached near suddenly whole kopje burst forth
+ into flame of flashes bullets whizzed past but I remained still
+ counting carefully each flash till I found out exactly number
+ Boers then putting spurs galloped back full speed flying past
+ picket sentries horse lines arrived myself and horse breathless
+ Field Marshal's cart dismounted saluted told him I had
+ discovered fifty enemy in position four miles on. Field marshal
+ drinking coffee said thank you continued eating breakfast I
+ then developed to him my plan campaign drew statement correct
+ map. Field marshal continued breakfast again said thank you I
+ left him field marshal following my plan ordered two companies
+ Mounted Infantry reconnoitre position which did with loss one
+ man six horses wounded [insert famous "Vulture Scene"].
+
+ _Daily News_ (London):--Again British arms successfully came
+ contact enemy locating position number with great exactness
+ early morning two companies mounted infantry under Major Jones
+ pushed just as sun tinging kopjes with ruby light saw kopje
+ front which from indications appeared be held enemy opening
+ into skirmishing order small force advanced till within rifle
+ range when enemy opened heavy fire Major Jones having found
+ what he wanted immediately ordered retirement of force without
+ replying to enemys fire our loss man wounded six horses enemys
+ loss unknown but must be enormous value of horses wounded about
+ £150.
+
+ _Cape Times_ (Capetown):--Morning opened with soft breezes from
+ north just sufficient to shake mimosa bushes into sweet
+ rustling music when I rose rode forward fully sure that I
+ should see something and I did for before we rode forward two
+ gallant companies of Mounted Infantry having, it is true, none
+ of the shining pomp war for every button, every shining bit of
+ steel or metal covered with kharki still little force looked
+ gallant enough reminded me one James Grant's novels. Veldt was
+ green with recent rains there was a freshness in the air
+ everything was peaceful around me but in front was war and
+ wounds and death. I stood on rising ground and saw before me a
+ panorama unfolded the little band of British soldiers
+ approaching the grim kopje where lay the watchful Boer. Closer
+ and closer rode our men and now I could see them open out and
+ work like a perfect machine round the bases of the kopje and
+ then across the still morning air came the ominous crack! which
+ told me that the grim game had commenced crack! crack! crack!
+ followed in quick succession the Boers were firing on our men
+ whose orders were simply to feel for the enemy, but they not
+ only felt for him, but also felt him for as we retired one man
+ was wounded in the fleshy part of the arm, and through six
+ horses Boer bullets passed though without fatal effects. And
+ then I rode back with the little force who in spite of the
+ shower of lead which had passed through their ranks laughed and
+ chaffed and thought only of their coming breakfast.
+
+ _Cape Argus_ (Capetown):--Early this morning two companies
+ Mounted Infantry under Major Jones proceeded west came into
+ touch with enemy at Stinkossmulefontein Kopje which lies on
+ farm belonging old Pete Bumbleknuckel who well known Rand
+ circles his daughter married Jacobus Pimplewinkel who lost an
+ eye fighting in the Langberg Campaign his cousin maternal side
+ is Jack Jackson who is one of General Brabant's most active
+ Scouts. But to return to the skirmish the mounted infantry
+ succeeded in locating the enemy retired having effected their
+ object with the loss of one man and six horses wounded on way
+ back I met native who told me commander Boer force Lucus
+ Prussic old personal friend mine who curious to relate still
+ owes me five pounds which borrowed just before I left
+ Johannesburg.
+
+ _Daily Mail_ (London):--Shakespeare said better lie bed than go
+ fighting early morning. I agree but Plutarch said man who lies
+ abed when work abroad moral coward am not moral coward but all
+ same wish people fight decent hours fancy going out fighting
+ cold raw morning nothing in stomach but one miserable cup cocoa
+ however went being late lost my way instead witnessing fight
+ British side found myself next Boer who not perceive me firing
+ over our men by happy interposition Providence managed reach
+ our men leaving behind enemy's hand one horse Cape cart pipe
+ lucky get off with life insensibly reminded celebrated lines
+ Heine "wo ist mein pferd und mein kaap-tart?" no breakfast when
+ arrived camp kept thinking how Boers enjoying my sausages
+ drinking my whisky Boers must be destroyed now, with spirit old
+ Roman I now say "delendi sunt Boeri" though I have greater
+ reason for saying so since Hannibal's soldiers never stole
+ sausages and whisky from Roman correspondents.
+
+ _Morning Post_ (London):--Stinkossmulefontein mounted Jones
+ reconnoitred kopje half dismounted half rear enemy fired
+ returned front. Experience say half gone left flank greater
+ success turning movement only against Boers see Page 431
+ Napoleonic Legends also Life Moltke Page 239 Battle
+ Schweitzerkässe. Had Jones read more Schweitzerkässe--no
+ Moltke--would capture whole army waggons. Paper should impress
+ importance this all arms.
+
+ _Reuter_ (London):--Stinkossmulefontein Thursday via
+ Disselboomlaagte per despatch riders--Yesterday two companies
+ Mounted Infantry Major Jones under orders General Flanker
+ proceeded reconnoitre kopje was present what some may call
+ unimportant rearguard action can say was most important event
+ entire expedition at distance 2033.4216 yards enemy opened
+ fire. Jones dismounted A company, B company sent E.N.E. by E.
+ direction rear enemy. At 6.3½ a.m. front rank left section A
+ after returned fire 6.4¼ a.m. Trooper Metford, fourth man rear
+ rank right section A received wound four inches below left
+ elbow. Having ascertained strength enemy force returned camp
+ object reconnaissance accomplished six horses missing five
+ receiving wounds sixth left behind with staggers not shot as
+ some declare.
+
+Every one exerted himself to make the newspaper a success, and, as may
+be imagined, the journal became a source of merriment and delight. Nor
+was it without pathos. Mr. Rudyard Kipling, whose patriotic feeling had
+dragged him to the scene of action to view the British flag as erected
+there by Mr. Thomas Atkins, contributed his quota. On the death of Mr.
+G. W. Steevens, the brilliant young war correspondent, who died in
+Ladysmith, he wrote the following lines:--
+
+ "Through war and pestilence, red siege and fire,
+ Silent and self-contained, he drew his breath.
+ Brave not for show of courage, his desire:
+ Truth as he saw it, even to the death."
+
+The Naval Brigade was now busy furbishing itself up, and veritably began
+to look as "fresh as paint." The guns received new coats, and the
+Bluejackets and marines made themselves spick and span. It is not often
+that Tommy waxes enthusiastic over Jack, but over the conduct of the
+Naval Brigade he was even eloquent. One writing home said:--"It was a
+good job the Boers did not make a stand at Bloemfontein, for it would
+have been a great pity to have had to destroy so fine a town. It would
+not have taken us long to have made the town a heap of stones, as in
+addition to our ordinary batteries, we had with us 'Joe Chamberlain' and
+five of his 'chums' belonging to the Naval Brigade. I hope when the war
+is over you at home will not forget the splendid service of the Naval
+men. I for one shall never forget the way in which they dragged their
+heavy guns across a most difficult country, or the manner in which they
+handled them in the face of the enemy." On the 21st the Brigade, under
+Captain Bearcroft, was inspected by Lord Roberts, who made one of the
+charming and appropriate speeches which have always rendered him so
+popular. He thanked the Brigade for the excellent work done in the
+campaign, and wished good luck to those about to rejoin their ship. The
+Chief also eulogised the splendid service of Captain Lambton and his men
+in saving the situation at Ladysmith.
+
+Meanwhile on the east and south of the Free State things were not
+entirely comfortable. Commandant Olivier and his hordes, with their
+usual cunning, assisted by their remarkable mobility, were flitting
+about, now withdrawing before General Brabant, now evading the equally
+cunning and active French, now laying in wait for unprotected
+detachments, or hanging about railway lines in order to wreck them, but
+making themselves scarce with lightning velocity when a hint of British
+reinforcements was given by the appearance of a dust-cloud on the
+horizon. Fortunately our officers on the principal line of
+communications were so vigilant and cautious that the rail, running
+through some hundred miles of hostile ground, was safely protected.
+
+On the 23rd of March an unlucky incident took place in the neighbourhood
+of Karee Siding. Some officers of the Guards Brigade rode off from Glen
+Camp in the early morning to make arrangements with the local farmers
+for ensuring forage and supplies. Glen Siding is a station on the Orange
+Free State Railway some fourteen miles north of Bloemfontein. Near here
+the Brigade of Guards and a force of Mounted Infantry had been stationed
+owing to the destruction by the Boers of a bridge on the Modder. Other
+troops were posted at intervals along the line of rail in order to watch
+over the enemy and prevent any further efforts at dynamite wrecking. On
+this day the party consisted of Colonel Crabbe, 3rd Grenadiers (who
+greatly distinguished himself in the battle of Belmont, and was
+wounded); Colonel Codrington, Coldstreams; Adjutant Hon. E. Lygon, who
+was also wounded at Belmont; Captain Trotter, and an orderly, Private
+Turner of the 1st Cape Volunteers. Why, when officers of high rank were
+so extremely valuable, these two Colonels should have thus recklessly
+exposed themselves has never been satisfactorily explained. The day was
+spent in making a tour of the farms, and everything went well until the
+middle of the afternoon. While riding along close to a homestead called
+Maas Farm, the Guards party discovered that four mounted men were making
+for a kopje as though to head them off. Whereupon the party instantly
+advanced to meet the enemy. These promptly hid themselves behind the
+friendly boulders, where they were joined by three other Dutchmen, who
+assisted them in pouring a smart shower of lead upon the approaching
+officers. These, with only four Lee-Metfords between them, made an
+effort to get at the unseen enemy, but in a very few moments all the
+members of the British band had dropped. Colonel Crabbe had a bullet
+through arm and leg, and his horse was killed. Colonel Codrington was
+injured in the thigh. Lieutenant Lygon was shot through the heart and
+died instantaneously, while Captain Trotter and Private Turner were also
+wounded. The situation was a lamentable one. The veldt was strewn with
+helpless men, while from the kopje the Dutchmen continued to fire, the
+flute-like song of the Mauser falling ominously on the ears of the
+gallant men who were unable to move a limb in defence. Then between the
+prostrate Colonels a debate took place. Now that resistance was useless,
+each invited the other to display a white handkerchief. One refused
+because he declared he couldn't--his handkerchief was a crimson one. The
+other refused because he vowed he wouldn't--his handkerchief was a
+British one, and never manufactured for waving at Boers. But, finally,
+he was brought to reason, and immediately on the display of the magic
+square the Boers ceased fire. They now emerged from their boulders,
+tended the wounded, spoke apologetically of their good marksmanship, and
+finally carried off their prizes to the neighbouring farm. Here the
+prisoners were fed and carefully looked after till evening. A messenger
+was sent to the Guards' Camp at Glen requesting surgeons and an
+ambulance to remove the wounded to their headquarters, and on the
+arrival of the medical party the officers were given up by their captors
+and allowed to return to camp in their charge. They were relieved of
+their warlike belongings, firearms, and glasses, &c., but their private
+effects remained in their pockets undisturbed.
+
+The body of the Hon. E. Lygon was also removed, but the next day, in
+accordance with the wishes of his family, it was interred in the wild
+and lonely spot where he met his death.
+
+On the 27th of March Sir Alfred Milner arrived at Bloemfontein on a
+private visit, and was met by Lord Roberts and his Staff. General French
+returned from Thabanchu after having occupied the town and captured the
+flour-mills.
+
+Lord Kitchener also reappeared. His operations had been short and to the
+point. He came on the same day from Prieska, having received the
+submission of some 200 rebels, and put to flight such of them as had no
+taste for an encounter with "the man of ice and iron" as the Italians
+called the hero of Omdurman.
+
+Towards Ladybrand news was less satisfactory. The British loyalists,
+owing to their sympathy with their fellow-countrymen, were subjected to
+annoyance and cruelty. Many of them were captured, imprisoned, and some
+were sent to Kroonstad, which had been declared to be the capital of the
+Free State. Daily, English farmers were commandeered, robbed,
+threatened. The smart activities of Olivier had produced a lamentable
+effect on the state of affairs, as it was now impossible to afford full
+protection to the farmers in the south-east and east who had surrendered
+their rifles, and who were subjected to the vengeful barbarity of the
+Boers. The mistaken policy of leniency to the Free Staters was now being
+demonstrated, the "live and let live" principle having helped Olivier to
+gather together under his banner such of the enemy as had met us with a
+Janus-faced surrender. Those who fight and run away, live to fight
+another day; and on this cautious code the Free Staters had modelled
+their manners, so as to reserve themselves for further truculent
+exploits. Again British magnanimity was mistaken for weakness, and the
+temporary success of their manoeuvres in the east was causing the Boers
+to indulge in reprisals of abominable kind on British born people, whose
+action in surrendering was the only possible one in the circumstances. A
+rumour existed that the late President Steyn had issued orders that all
+British burghers refusing to fight with the Boer army would be shot.
+
+On the 27th of March a formidable figure was removed from the drama in
+South Africa. General Joubert, who had long been in somewhat delicate
+health (so much so that in his campaigns he was accompanied by his wife,
+who cooked for him), now suddenly succumbed to an acute attack of
+inflammation of the kidneys. General Joubert was much esteemed by all
+who knew him. In him the Boers lost not only a remarkable commander, but
+an enlightened and level-headed politician. It was declared that had the
+General succeeded to the Presidency in 1895, the whole Uitlander
+agitation would have ceased to exist. The deceased Dutchman had
+moderately progressive views, and he announced his belief that the
+demand for a five years' franchise was a reasonable one. He also
+discountenanced the idea of war, and in many ways used the influence he
+had with his countrymen in the cause of reason and liberality of
+outlook. At times he seemed to desire friendly co-operation with Great
+Britain. For this cause he was accused by his more narrow countrymen of
+being half-hearted in the Africander cause, and was intrigued against by
+Mr. Kruger and such of the subsidised sympathisers as the President
+could gather around him. Still his attitude may be gauged by his famous
+speech in 1878:--
+
+"I have been to England, and have with my own eyes seen the might of
+that mighty nation. And let me tell you that England is a very mighty
+nation--in my opinion the mightiest in the world. But, thank God, it is
+not almighty." And his motto, which he invented for himself, was, "Trust
+in God, and fight England."
+
+On hearing the news of General Joubert's death, Lord Roberts sent the
+following to President Kruger:--
+
+ "I have just received the news of General Joubert's death, and
+ desire at once to offer my sincere condolence to your Honour
+ and the burghers of the South African Republic on the sad
+ event.
+
+ "I would ask you to convey to General Joubert's family the
+ expression of my most respectful sympathy in their sad
+ bereavement, and to assure them also from me that all ranks of
+ her Majesty's forces serving in South Africa share my feeling
+ of deep regret at the sudden and untimely end of so
+ distinguished a general, who devoted his life to the service of
+ his country, and whose personal gallantry was only surpassed by
+ his humane conduct and chivalrous bearing under all
+ circumstances."
+
+On the afternoon of the 29th the funeral took place, and many wreaths
+were sent by the British officers in the Pretoria prison.
+
+
+THE BATTLE OF KARREE
+
+Karree Station is situated some seventy miles north of Bloemfontein, and
+here the Dutchmen were distributed on kopjes commanding the railway west
+and north. As they promised to be an impediment to further progress,
+Lord Roberts decided that they must be removed. Generals Tucker, Wavell,
+and Chermside, with infantry and artillery, were already in the
+vicinity. To join them General French started from Bloemfontein with
+reinforcements on the 28th of March. These consisted of a Cavalry
+Brigade composed of 12th Lancers, the Carabineers, the Greys, the
+Australian Horse, a Mounted Infantry Brigade, Kitchener's Horse, and
+three Vickers-Maxim guns under Colonel Le Gallais.
+
+[Illustration: Mr M. T. STEYN.
+
+LATE PRESIDENT ORANGE FREE STATE.
+
+From "South Africa" by permission of the Publishers.]
+
+The artillery planted their shells with admirable exactness on the
+kopjes west of Karree where the enemy had ensconced himself. Meanwhile,
+in a wonderful and almost invisible manner, an enveloping movement was
+organised, Colonel Le Gallais, the Mounted Infantry, and Kitchener's
+Horse operating on the right wing, while General French with 1st and 3rd
+Cavalry Brigades were on the left. General Chermside's Brigade was on
+the right centre, and General Wavell's on the left centre. About midday
+the enemy was discovered near a farmhouse some two miles east of Karree.
+The Dutchmen then began to fire from some small kopjes, on the infantry.
+From this point they were routed by the smart action of the Norfolks,
+but they continually reappeared, there being some five thousand of them,
+under Grobler, occupying four different positions, with a frontage some
+three miles long. Both ends of the position were strengthened by
+trenches and guns. The right flank consisted of a thickly wooded hill
+connected with the main position by a ridge also covered with scrub.
+The left was protected by an incrustation of minor kopjes, and round
+these fastnesses the Boers clung tenaciously.
+
+The finest performance of the day was that of the East Lancashires, who,
+with comparatively small loss, eventually succeeded in moving the enemy
+from his main stronghold. The City Imperial Volunteers also
+distinguished themselves, the men advancing the first time under fire
+with the utmost coolness.
+
+While the enemy were retreating from the assault of the Lancashires
+General French's guns opened on them, and with such good result that the
+fight was practically at an end, for the Boers having begun to beat a
+retreat were forced finally to scuttle off as fast as legs would carry
+them. Till sunset the artillery continued to direct deadly attentions to
+the various kopjes, thus deciding the Dutchmen that their efforts to run
+and return would be of no avail. Dusk was setting in, and consequently
+the cavalry failed to pursue them, and they succeeded once more in
+getting away clear. Owing to the rapidity with which the night came on,
+most of the troops, who had experienced some very trying hours of
+fighting, bivouacked where they were.
+
+The battery on the right centre was unable to come into action owing to
+the nature of the ground, which was sliced with ravines and blotched
+with irregularities, but nevertheless the upshot of the day's work was
+satisfactory, as the country as far as the little town of
+Brandfort--important to us in our future operations--was swept clear of
+the enemy, and henceforth the British outposts covered the ground gained
+and preserved it from further incursions of the nimble Dutchmen.
+
+The casualties were numerous:--
+
+ King's Own Scottish Borderers.--_Killed._--Capt. A. C. Going.
+ _Wounded._--Lieut. E. M. Young, dangerously (since dead);
+ Second Lieut. B. J. Coulson; Capt. W. D. Sellar. Norfolk
+ Regiment.--Capt. E. Peebles; Capt. A. H. Luard. Lincolnshire
+ Regiment.--Capt. L. Edwards. South Wales Borderers.--Lieut. W.
+ C. Curgenven. Hampshire Regiment.--Lieut. C. N. French. 1st
+ Dragoon Guards.--Capt. W. M. Marter (Brigade Major).
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER VIII
+
+MAFEKING IN MARCH
+
+
+Five months of beleaguerment and no nearer the end! Ruefully the caged
+crowd began to draw pictures of themselves as weird Rip Van Winkles,
+curious fossilised things that would some day be unearthed by the
+inquiring historian. They wondered whether Ginevra in her sealed oaken
+chest felt more lost to the world, more forgotten, more impossible of
+rescue! "We," said some one who shall be nameless, "we are all modern
+Ginevras--only no one seems to look for us, and, by-and-by, perhaps no
+one will even mourn. It is five months, you see! Ginevra was probably
+asphyxiated in five hours, whereas we--we do the thing more
+sluggishly--more painfully--we starve mentally and physically by slow
+degrees. If we get air, it is air that is best not respired."
+Nevertheless, these people sent forth to the world radiant accounts of
+their doings, and sported the mask of Punchinello over the visage of
+Melpomene. It was very British, this jocose unreserve that was a still
+more tragic reserve, this festivity on the lips with famine gnawing at
+the vitals.
+
+Fever, the fever of heat, ennui, and mental and bodily depression, had
+begun to assail the unfortunate besieged. The climate of Mafeking--in
+ordinary circumstances most inspiriting--was becoming tainted, and the
+feeling of creeping malaria swept over all who were forced to remain
+cooped within the sorry regions. But the chief on whose wits the whole
+community depended defied the malign influence of his surroundings.
+During the day, with reserved, adamantine calm, he busied himself
+inventing the thousand and one projects by which might be defeated any
+possible move of the enemy, in reviving the spirits of his followers,
+and providing for their appetites, in fighting against the encroachments
+of disease and retaining the perfect discipline, which was no easy
+matter in so small a radius with so many conflicting emotions to be
+dealt with. At night, stealthy as a cat, he would creep forth to make
+the necessary investigations and acquaint himself with the state of the
+force opposing him, and if possible discover the Boer machinations of
+the future. Creeping along the veldt all eyes and ears, he gathered
+inspiration from a glimmer, the sound of a hoof, the flutter of bird and
+rustle of bush. Even the colour of the darkness in east and west gave
+him unspoken hints of designs nefarious--secrets or prophetic warnings
+of movements to be. And then he would return from his mysterious
+peregrinations primed with notions ingenious and plans elaborate, and
+remain for the day under the roof of the verandah of the headquarters
+office concocting some of the multitudinous schemes which confounded the
+Boers and frustrated their best efforts at assault.
+
+On the 3rd of March a little peace was secured owing to the
+disappearance of the Teuton who worked the huge gun. He had been what
+was described as "providentially potted." On the other hand a more
+valuable life than that of the German mercenary had been sacrificed, for
+Sergeant-Major Taylor of the Cape Boys, who had been doing splendid work
+for his country, fell early in the morning mortally wounded. The Boers
+fired something under forty shells before breakfast, and might have
+pursued their activities the whole day had the loss of their chief
+gunner not damped their ardour and forced them to postpone their
+activities to a more convenient period. They nevertheless "sniped" at
+intervals throughout the following Sunday, doubtless with the righteous
+desire to avenge their artillery-man.
+
+New brooms sweep clean. As a fresh gunner had come upon the scene, there
+now began some more active bombardment. But the activity was no longer
+what it had been, and but for the meagreness of the fare, and the fear
+that the rations might diminish till they became invisible, the besieged
+would have got on fairly well. On the 7th there died an adventurous
+Scotsman whose history would have delighted the heart of the late Robert
+Louis Stevenson. Major Baillie in his sparkling account of the siege
+gave a brief outline of his romantic career. "Trooper M'Donald joined
+the Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders in 1847, served in the Crimea
+(French and Sardinian medals and two clasps) and in the Indian Mutiny,
+was kidnapped when embarking home by Americans, fought for the North
+against the South, deserted the North and fought for the South,
+afterwards went to Australia, thence to New Zealand, and served in the
+Maori War, in which he was taken prisoner. Later he came to South
+Africa, served in the Basuto War with Sir Charles Warren's expedition,
+Carrington's Horse, the Bechuanaland Border Police, and transferred to
+the Cape Police, in which corps he has died of hardships and old age,
+fighting the Boers." The Major went on to say: "He is not the only
+Crimean veteran we have here. Both the Navy and Army are represented.
+Mr. Ellis joined the Royal Navy in 1854, served in the Baltic and the
+Black Sea, came to Africa and served in the Galika War. Mr. Brasier
+served in the Crimea and the Mutiny, and there are others of whose
+records of service I am not so certain. The contrast between them and
+the cadet corps, utilised for orderly work, &c., is remarkable, and if
+the Boers have their greybeards and boys fighting, why so have we." The
+cadet corps was composed of youths ranging from the ages of ten to
+fifteen years, game little fellows who did their duty splendidly.
+
+The great news of the capture of Cronje and his horde now served to
+raise the drooping spirits of the community. It was also reported that
+Snyman was on the move, and that Malan, who was opposing Colonel Plumer,
+had come into the neighbourhood of Mafeking. Sounds of rejoicing came
+from the Boer camp, and on the following day Boers with their field kit
+were seen to be clearing off. The information that the force was
+marching to Bloemfontein, that Cape Colony was being swept of rebels,
+that Ladysmith was relieved, now poured in, and caused the whole place
+to become simply inebriated with joy.
+
+On the 9th of March, to commemorate the victory at Paardeberg, a special
+siege slip was published at the newspaper office. The news was announced
+in the form of a poster, and concluded with the effectively printed
+information: "Cronje a prisoner. Snyman to be hanged." Copies were
+afterwards liberally pelted into the Boer quarter, who digested the news
+with their morning biltong.
+
+On the 11th (Sunday) a truce was observed. The Colonel, writing at that
+date, said:--
+
+ "Our men, sitting upon the parapets, held a friendly
+ conversation with a detachment of the enemy, and an
+ enterprising photographer endeavoured to get them into line
+ while he photographed them, but they were evidently suspicious,
+ and feared the temptation to turn a Maxim upon them instead of
+ a camera would prove too great. Small parties appeared
+ throughout the day, and amicable relations were maintained
+ until dark."
+
+The Boers outside were a hardy and stalwart lot, brawny and uncouth and
+unkempt, though from a distance not unpicturesque. In their
+rough-and-tumble attire no two were alike. Some were slouching in
+velveteen coats and soft felt hats, others in black jackets with
+"billycocks," and all with the inevitable well-worn neckerchief that
+some one suggested might "come in handy for turtle soup." Their
+bandoliers and their Martini and Mauser rifles gave them a certain
+uniformity of aspect, but otherwise they seemed the most motley gang
+that the hands of fate could have shuffled together. Some of the Boers
+did not approve of the camera, and were inclined to suspect the British
+of attempting dodges equal to their own, but others took a pride in
+being portrayed.
+
+A remarkable, almost a pathetic, feature of Mafeking fighting was the
+strange ability of both sides to fraternise when hostilities were
+suspended. The fact was that the combatants were linked together by ties
+of relationship so mysteriously interwoven that the fights partook of
+the nature of civil war--brothers and cousins-in-law, and, in one case,
+two brothers, contending on either side of the battlefield. Naturally,
+when the bloody business of their lives was ended, they were inclined to
+foregather, to compare losses and make kindly inquiries strangely
+inconsistent with the trend of their antagonistic pursuits. The Colonel
+further reported:--
+
+ "Sergeant Currie has been promoted to the rank of a
+ commissioned officer. He has thus risen by gallantry and hard
+ work from a third-class private to be a lieutenant within five
+ months. Early on Monday morning (12th) the enemy recommenced
+ the bombardment with their six-inch gun, which had been
+ comparatively silent the previous week, now firing shrapnel.
+ Used against troops in the open the fire of these projectiles
+ is ineffectual as long as cover can be obtained, but they are
+ more dangerous to persons passing to the front from the streets
+ of the town. A detachment of Colonial native troops, under
+ Lieutenant Mackenzie, made an advance on Jackal Tree Fort, the
+ position originally occupied by the siege gun on the
+ south-western heights. The Boers got wind of the movement, and
+ evacuated the position before it could be carried through. To
+ cover the advance on Jackal Tree Fort, a detachment of Baralong
+ natives were despatched to make a feint attack on Fort Snyman,
+ a new work recently erected by the Boers, and threatening the
+ most advanced western position. They succeeded in creeping to
+ within thirty yards of the enemy, many of whom were sleeping
+ outside, and when near the fort poured in two or three rapid
+ volleys. Trooper Webb got sufficiently close to the fort to
+ blow out the brains of one of the enemy. The natives then beat
+ a rapid retreat, in accordance with instructions previously
+ given to them, having inflicted some losses upon the enemy. In
+ the brickfields the Cape Boys were reinforced by a detachment
+ of Protectorate troops under Captain Fitzclarence."
+
+All were much perturbed at the sad news of the death of the genial young
+trooper, Webb of the Cape Police, who was shot through the head while on
+guard in the brickfields. This gallant fellow had been previously
+wounded in October, and had been carried off under fire by Trooper
+Stevens, and had only just returned to duty when he lost his
+life--possibly in revenge for the act described above.
+
+According to Colonel Baden-Powell's despatch of this date, a raiding
+party of Baralongs, who had gone out on their own initiative,
+encountered a patrol of the enemy, and opened fire upon them, killing
+one man, whose rifle and bandolier they secured. The enemy retired for
+reinforcements, but the Baralongs ambushed these reinforcements from a
+convenient ditch at Madibi Siding, and the enemy fell back in confusion,
+losing six men. The Baralongs, being unable to cope with long-range
+fire, then commenced to retire on Mafeking, having captured two horses
+with saddles and bridles. Finding the Boers were in pursuit, and fearing
+the arrival of reinforcements from the investing forces, however, they
+returned to a kopje in the vicinity of Madibi. Here they maintained
+their position until dark, and then made good their retreat into the
+stadt, having lost one killed and bringing in a few wounded. Three of
+the party were missing.
+
+It was impossible to prevent the Baralongs from retaliating by raids of
+this description upon those whom they called the murderers of their
+women and children. Mr. C. G. Bell, however, rendered invaluable service
+in dealing with the natives, and a board was appointed by the Colonel
+commanding to go thoroughly into the native question.
+
+The Colonel described the effects of the bombardment on the following
+day:--
+
+ "On Tuesday a shrapnel shell, bursting just about my
+ bomb-proof, sprinkled the wall of the fire brigade office with
+ bullets, which entered the bedrooms of Dixon's Hotel. These
+ were unoccupied, but afterwards a steel-plated shell passed
+ through the wall of the office, and when spent fell beneath the
+ table, and was scrambled for by the staff of clerks. In the
+ afternoon a shell, bursting in the court-house, killed two
+ natives and wounded four, slightly injuring another. All these
+ belonged to an unfortunate working party who happened to be
+ passing at the moment. A woman was also slightly wounded."
+
+The conduct of the Boers towards the natives varied according to the
+policy of the commandant engaged in subduing Mafeking. A Scottish farmer
+who remained some ten miles south of the heroic hamlet, said that in the
+beginning of the war the Boers were not so severe on the natives as they
+were later on. About Christmas-time natives began to come out of
+Mafeking and loot cattle to take back into the town. Then the Boers were
+ordered to give no quarter to natives. If this order had had reference
+to those found looting cattle, it would only have been according to the
+rules of warfare, but the Boers were told to shoot down any strange
+native found in the veldt without a pass from their people; and this was
+done in a very large number of cases, their bodies being left to rot on
+the veldt as if they were dogs. In some cases they had come out of
+Mafeking, which need hardly be wondered at, in view of the scarcity of
+food amongst the natives there. Considering the risk run, it was
+wonderful how natives could be found willing to creep through the Boer
+lines with despatches; but the natives are certainly anything but
+cowards.
+
+Towards the middle of March the attitude of the Boers towards the
+natives improved, and they began to allow fugitives to escape through
+their lines. The reason for this change of front was attributed to a
+desire to conciliate the Baralongs in the event of Boer defeat, and to
+keep them from raiding into Boer territory when their time for reprisals
+might come.
+
+Native spies brought in all manner of rumours, to the effect that
+Colonel Plumer's armoured train had reached Pitsani Pothlugo, notable as
+Jameson's starting-point on his famous raid, and that the enemy was
+concentrating at Ramathlabama to prevent the advance of the relieving
+force. But news certainly lost nothing by passing through the medium of
+native channels, and the inhabitants of Mafeking were not over
+credulous. The great ideal of the Bechuanas was Dr. Jameson, and he, it
+was averred, was coming down from Buluwayo with an army to relieve
+Mafeking. One rumour had it that the famous raider had totally
+annihilated a Boer laager with a bomb from a balloon! Over an extensive
+area, west and south of Mafeking, all the natives had been compelled to
+leave their homes, and were placed near the Transvaal border with a
+view--it was thought--to prevent despatches passing through to Mafeking.
+Whatever the object, such a proceeding, especially in the wet season,
+was very cruel. The poor people were robbed of their herds and household
+goods, and driven away, and deposited like cattle wherever the Boers
+thought fit to place them.
+
+[Illustration: NATIVE CHURCH, MAFEKING.]
+
+On the 18th the Boers were found in occupation of the new trench which
+had just been triumphantly constructed by the besieged. It was, as Mr.
+Neilly said, "like the soldier crab who gets into the shell of a winkle
+when the winkle has gone out for a walk. As a rule the soldier crab
+keeps what he has gained, but in this case the winkle came back and
+recovered his shell." He did so very promptly. Lieutenant Feltham and a
+small party advanced and threw bombs at the intruders, which caused them
+quickly to evacuate their trenches. Then some of the Bechuanaland
+Volunteers "speeded the parting guest" with a smart fusillade from the
+flank, and the prized trench was recovered.
+
+On the 20th the Boers appeared to be breaking up their western laager,
+and on the 23rd it was discovered that the enemy had evacuated his
+positions in the brickfields. These were promptly annexed and dismantled
+by the Mafeking men. Major Panzera had what some one called "a real
+sporting day." From morn till night he plied his Hotchkiss and kept the
+Boers active till dusk. After dark the acetyline searchlight built by
+the railwaymen was erected at the main work, but no demonstration from
+the direction of the enemy took place. Then started off Lieutenant
+Murray and trooper Mallalen (Cape Police) to reconnoitre. On reaching
+the enemy's sap they crawled round cautiously on hands and knees to
+investigate. It was a ticklish moment, but they were rewarded. They
+peered in and made the discovery that the Boers had vanished. They crept
+still farther along the connecting trench to the rear of the main work
+and made assurance doubly sure. The Dutchmen were flown. So rapid had
+been their flight that biltong, biscuits, and journals were left behind.
+Quick as thought the trench was dismantled. Then Sergeant Page
+(Protectorate Regiment) burrowed about for the mine which he and Mr.
+Kiddy had laid in the direction of this trench in the early days of the
+siege. The Boers had "slimly" unearthed the dynamite, and presently it
+was discovered that the evacuated trench was connected by a copper wire
+with the enemy's line. This was carefully cut. Then its direction was
+traced, and a neat little plot of the Boers exposed itself to view. They
+had arranged some 250 pounds of war gelatine and dynamite in the trench,
+which, at a given moment, a touch from the wily Dutchman on the look-out
+was meant to explode and blow some of the garrison into the air.
+
+This failure served to depress the Boers, and for a time their siege gun
+ceased fire, something having gone wrong with its works. Colonel
+Baden-Powell was very proud of the brickfield's success and those who
+contributed to it. Colonel Vyvyan, Inspector Marsh (Cape Police), Majors
+Panzera and Fitzclarence, Inspector Browne, Lieutenant Currie (Cape
+Police), Sergeant Page, and trooper Thompson (Cape Police), were all
+eulogised in general orders.
+
+[Illustration: (Captain). (Sergeant).
+
+THE CAPE TOWN HIGHLANDERS.
+
+Photo by J. E. Bruton, Cape Town.]
+
+The captured newspapers afforded great satisfaction to the beleaguered
+company, for they recounted the entry of Lord Roberts to Bloemfontein,
+the surrender of Cronje, and the relief of Ladysmith. The intelligence
+was intensely heartening, and the garrison seemed to gain in
+backbone--not that it had ever been deficient in that quality. But now
+its obstinate resistance of the Boers was resumed with renewed zest.
+
+It must be noted that besides the Baralongs, who defended their own
+stadt, were four other black contingents--the Fingoes, under Webster;
+the Cape Boys, under Lieutenant Currie, B.S.C.P., who succeeded Captain
+Goodyear when that officer was wounded; a detachment of Baralongs, under
+Sergeant Abrams; and a Zulu crowd, called the "Black Watch," under
+Mackenzie. All these contingents "put their backs into it," and rejoiced
+in making things as hot and uncomfortable for the enemy as they could.
+
+In default of other amusement some of the inhabitants interested
+themselves in the Dutch snipers, and began to grow so familiar with them
+that they resorted to the primeval mode of christening, that of
+designating each individual by his personal attributes. One would be
+called "Bow-legs," another "Bluebeard," or "Draggle Beard," and so on.
+One Rip Van Winkle was particularly admired. Despite his years and his
+probable "rheumatics," he would take up his post from dawn till dusk,
+and snipe with persistence worthy a better cause. His patience and
+perseverance somewhat endeared him to the garrison, and there was felt
+to be something missing in the excitement of life when it was found that
+he, like many of his compatriots, had been "curried," otherwise
+"dished," by Lieutenant Currie, B.S.C.P., and his ever-active
+contingent. These cheery fellows in off moments were ready enough to
+exchange jocosities with the foe, almost treating him, despite his
+barbarism, as one of themselves.
+
+The correspondent of the _Pall Mall Gazette_ quoted a sample scene to
+describe the style of friendly intercourse that took place.
+
+"Cape 'boy' to Boer: 'Could you hit a bottle?' 'Yes, I think so. Put one
+up.' (A hand rises cautiously to the top of the British trench, and a
+black bottle is deposited there.)
+
+"Boer: 'I can't see it. Put it higher.' (The Cape 'boy' balances a hat
+on the head of the bottle and says, 'There you are; you can see that.')
+The Boer fires, and the bullet flies wide.
+
+"Cape 'boy': 'Wide to the left.' (Boer fires again and asks, 'Is that
+nearer?')
+
+"Cape 'boy': 'Rather high.' Boer fires a third shot that comes through
+the loophole.
+
+"The Cape soldier announces the result, and the Boer, fearing that he
+will lose his good reputation for marksmanship, and angered by his bad
+display, sings out--
+
+"'Look here, you rooinek, we were sent here not to shoot bottles, but
+men.'"
+
+Curiously enough many of the Boers were hopelessly ignorant and
+unsophisticated. They hardly knew what they were fighting for, and one
+raw individual was heard to declare that he didn't believe the Queen had
+caused this war, but the foreman of the English Raad. They retained
+their bumptiousness in all circumstances. After a victory they would
+brag of the number of British killed, about 80,000 as a rule, their news
+being gleaned from the imaginative columns of the _Standard and Diggers'
+News_. On the subject of defeat they were reticent, but fairly confident
+that the Dutch flag in a month or two was bound to be floating over
+South Africa.
+
+On Sunday the 25th, a great Siege Exhibition took place--an exhibition
+notable for its originality. Among the articles on view were bonnets
+which had been trimmed with "siege" materials by ladies of the town.
+These were never tired of showing their usefulness and versatility, but,
+as Lady Sarah Wilson--a host in herself--declared in the _Daily Mail_,
+"even the dogs played a prominent part in the siege. One belonging to
+the base commandant was wounded no less than three times; another, a
+rough Irish terrier, accompanied the Protectorate Regiment in all its
+engagements; a third amused itself by running after the small Maxim
+shells, barking loudly and trying hard to retrieve pieces; while the
+Resident Commissioner's dog, a prudent animal, whenever she heard the
+alarm-bell tore into the bomb-proof attached to her master's redoubt,
+and remained there till the explosion was over. The sagacious creatures
+rendered themselves most valuable, for no sooner had the warning bell
+announced the firing of a shell than the town dogs began to bark loudly
+in all quarters, thus enabling persons who, owing to the direction of
+the wind or other circumstances, had failed to note the signal, to
+escape to their shelters." The natives were much more apathetic, and
+Reuter's correspondent gave curious instances of their stupidity and
+_laisser faire_. "They would gather in great crowds round the
+soup-kitchens in the town, and when bells were rung warning them that
+the enemy's 6-inch gun had been fired they were too lazy to take cover
+in the lee of the surrounding buildings, and had to be driven to do so
+by means of sticks and sjamboks. Many would rather die than work, and
+were too lazy to attempt the now comparatively safe journey to Kanya."
+
+It was annoying to hear perpetual rumours of relief and to find relief
+as far off as ever. Runners continually brought in telegrams of
+congratulation, which added not a little to the bitterness of
+incarceration. At one moment Plumer seemed to be coming; he was said to
+be only eleven miles off, and the town was in ecstasies; at another
+bombardment began briskly as ever, and spirits descended to zero. One of
+the besieged, writing home on March 22, said:--
+
+ "Things are going on as usual. Every one is heartily sick and
+ tired of the siege. Colonel Plumer, with 1500 men, is only
+ about thirty-five miles away, with provisions for us.... Every
+ one here feels the want of more, better, and varied food. A
+ friend of ours was very ill for ten days, and the only
+ comforts the doctor could order were two tins of milk and some
+ lunch biscuits! There is no margarine left in the town, and the
+ Commissariat Department is calling in all the starch. The
+ hospital is very full; and there is a good deal of malarial and
+ typhoid fever.... Sometimes the bread is awful, black, and made
+ from locally-crushed oats, with all the husks on, simply split
+ in long pieces. We are all downright hungry, and cannot buy a
+ bit of food, except on some special occasion. Last Sunday
+ Weil's store was allowed to sell certain articles of food,
+ _e.g._ pea flour and margarine; former, 2s. 6d. a tin; latter,
+ 3s. per lb. The crush outside the store was so great that women
+ fainted, and some were waiting for hours, and then unable to
+ get in.... The railings of the park and tennis-courts are used
+ for firing, and we are authorised to use our fences for the
+ same purpose. Our meat is good, but poor and tough. We almost
+ entirely depend upon the natives looting enemy's cattle, and
+ sometimes we have horse-flesh, but that I cannot manage, so on
+ those days I am hungrier than ever.... My husband is
+ quarter-master-sergeant in charge of the rations--not a very
+ enviable billet. The whole town is on rations. We are all under
+ martial law, and Colonel Baden-Powell looks after us all, and
+ we may be very thankful that the defence of Mafeking has been
+ entrusted to such a capable man."
+
+The menu was not variegated. You took your choice between a species of
+porridge (made from the husks of oats fermented for some hours prior to
+boiling) and a noxious brown biscuit, or, as the Indians called it,
+"chupattie." But it had none of the savouriness of the chupattie, and
+was described as a cross between a ship's biscuit and a baked brick. It
+was certainly filling at the price, so filling, in fact, that those who
+devoured it suffered from what was styled "hippopotamus on the chest"
+for some hours afterwards.
+
+March 27th was described as the hottest day in the siege, the mud walls
+of Mafeking being liberally dosed to the tune of 200 shells by Creusots
+and quick-firing Krupps. As many as 250 shells were said to have been
+fired into the town, while the 100-pounder was responsible for 70.
+Sergeant Abrams, of the Cape Police, an officer who had been in the
+thick of the whole siege, was caught by a high-velocity shell and had
+the misfortune to lose his foot. Some of the shells penetrated the
+bomb-proofs, and one or two persons were more or less injured. It was
+calculated that during the sixty-four days of the siege as many as 1300
+shells from the 100-pound Creusot, independently of minor missiles, had
+descended in the midst of the valorous community. Some of the shells
+were sold as curios and fetched as much as five guineas apiece; rarer
+ones sold for ten or twelve. The losses of the garrison up to this date
+were: Killed and missing: 7 officers and 93 men, besides 53 native and
+other non-combatants. Wounded: 11 officers and 38 men, besides 114
+native and other non-combatants.
+
+The congratulations of the Lord Mayor of London on the relief now
+arrived, and all began to hope that "coming events cast their shadows
+before." But cruel disappointment followed.
+
+Heavy firing was reported from the north on the 31st, and there was
+tremendous excitement. One and all agreed that it was Colonel Plumer
+coming to the rescue. They hoped, they prayed, and when at last the
+sounds died away hope died with them. The next morning explained it.
+General Snyman sent in a letter under a flag of truce requesting Colonel
+Baden-Powell to send an ambulance for Colonel Plumer's dead! A horrible
+description of the battlefield "strewn with corpses" followed, and
+caused deep concern to those who were the cause of the gallant
+enterprise which had cost so many lives. Fortunately only three bodies
+were found, but these had rifled pockets, while the boots of one had
+been removed. The action of removing boots from the dead savours of the
+barbaric, but it must be remembered that the Boers, and indeed some of
+our own men, were almost soleless. War brings about strange conditions
+and strange ethics. A trooper, one of the remnant of the Light Brigade,
+told a strange story of how on that "great occasion" he came on the
+corpse of a Russian officer magnificently booted, while he himself could
+barely hobble in his tatters. He could not resist the prize, and
+possessed himself of the much-needed apparel. He was in the act of going
+off in triumph when his conscience smote him; he returned, and taking
+off his own boots reverentially clothed the feet of the dead man! He
+appeased his qualms by arguing that exchange was not robbery!
+
+
+COLONEL PLUMER'S OPERATIONS
+
+Colonel Plumer lived in the hope of joining hands with Colonel
+Baden-Powell at Mafeking, and messages were successfully interchanged
+between the two officers. Life in the north was occupied mainly with
+skirmishes and the repairs of railway lines and culverts, which were
+needed along almost every mile of route. Between Gaberones and Crocodile
+Pools the engineers worked arduously, under the protection of an
+armoured train and a strong body of dismounted men. Very useful
+information was received of the Boers' whereabouts from papers contained
+in a Boer mail-bag captured between Sequani and Sauerpoord. The Boers
+were found to be in force at Crocodile Pools, and to have in their
+possession two cannon and two machine-guns, and here it was evident they
+meant to harass any progressive movement of the British.
+
+[Illustration: MAP SHOWING THE ADVANCE FROM THE NORTH AND THE SOUTH FOR
+THE RELIEF OF MAFEKING.
+
+The above sketch-plan of Mafeking shows the Boer trenches and the
+British lines of defence round the town, with the localities and dates
+of the principal fights which have taken place between the besiegers and
+besieged. Above and below the plan (though not, of course, upon the same
+scale) there is a map of the country between Kimberley and Tuli. The
+margin is divided into spaces of twenty-five miles, measuring from
+Mafeking north and south, and the advance of Plumer from the north and
+of Methuen from the south is shown step by step.]
+
+On the 11th of January Colonel Plumer, with a portion of his forces,
+arrived near Mochudi. The Boers--about 200--were reported to have
+gathered some thirty miles to the south-east, while others were
+entrenched on the kopjes by the railway at Crocodile Pools. With them
+were said to be guns in charge of German officers--an objectionable
+discovery for the British, who were almost gunless! There was reason
+to suppose that discontent reigned among the Boers owing to scarcity of
+provisions, and that they were longing to throw up the sponge and return
+to their farms. They found life in the trenches and kopjes not what is
+vulgarly described as "all beer and skittles," and began to think of the
+coming seasons which would find them empty as the fabled grasshopper in
+winter.
+
+Some of the troops also proceeded to Gaberones, where three armoured
+trains were kept active. On the 12th a Boer patrol made an effort to
+burn a bridge a mile north of the station, but was frustrated by the
+promptness with which Lieutenant Wallis brought No. 3 armoured train on
+the scene. When the enemy fell back on the station they were welcomed by
+No. 1 armoured train under Colonel Llewellyn, and the welcome was so
+unexpected and so hearty that the enemy bolted. Owing to the darkness
+they got off in safety. Reconnaissances were made, and it was discovered
+that the Boers were located one mile south of Crocodile Pools.
+
+Major Bird made a reconnaissance on the 23rd of January--with four
+squadrons of the Rhodesian Regiment--in the direction of a Boer laager.
+In consequence of a storm of rain operations could not be carried as far
+as intended, but some of the enemy were dislodged from a hill, and two
+horses and two Transvaal flags were captured.
+
+On the 31st an animated artillery duel took place between Colonel Plumer
+and Commandant Eloff, and on the following day it was some satisfaction
+to see the Boers busily engaged in repairing the havoc wrought by the
+British 12½-pounder on their fort. On the 2nd of February more
+activities took place. Major Bird, with 150 mounted infantry and one
+7-pounder, made a demonstration on the right flank of the Boer position.
+This occupied a ridge running for a mile and a half from south-west to
+north-east. In the centre of the ridge was a nek, which was protected on
+either side by a fringe of Boer sharpshooters. This nek became the
+object of British attention, and Lieutenants Harland and Blunt with
+their men poured on it some forty volleys, to which the Boers replied,
+but without serious effect. While the rattling of musketry was kept up
+by the mounted infantry, a 7-pounder, manned by the British South
+African Police, escorted by troopers under Captain Maclaren, shelled the
+nek. Whereupon the Boers brought into play a 12½-pounder, which forced
+the British 7-pounder to retire. The weapon, however, was met by one of
+its own calibre, which was posted near Basuto kopje, and a spirited
+contest ensued. On the 4th of February the hostile guns were silenced by
+well-directed shells adroitly dropped by Lieutenant Montmorency in the
+middle of the Boer fortress.
+
+Colonel Plumer, though still too weak to make a decisive move on, was
+bent on energetically annoying the Boers, but night escapades for some
+time were stopped by infamous weather. On the first opportunity Major
+Bird devised a midnight attack, which, unfortunately, was more costly
+than successful. In dense darkness, on the night of the 11th of
+February, the troops deployed at the base of a thorny and rocky ridge at
+Crocodile Pools Bridge, where the enemy was entrenched. No sooner had
+the men neared the summit than they came on wire entanglements and
+thorny scrub, and in surmounting wire and bush they necessarily made
+some noise. This set the Boer dogs barking and the Boer pickets blazing
+with their rifles. Thereupon Major Bird ordered a bayonet charge. He had
+forbidden rifle fire lest it should betray the position of the storming
+party. Before the men could get to close quarters, however, the Dutchmen
+exploded dynamite mines and followed the fracas with volleys of
+musketry. The result was disastrous to the British, and Major Bird
+ordered a retreat. Captain French (Royal Irish Regiment) was among the
+killed. Seven of the party were more or less severely injured. At first
+the Boers refused to give up the dead and wounded. When Archdeacon
+Upcher and Father Hartmann, under cover of the white flag, made the
+demand, they declared that they could not respect the symbol, as General
+Buller had stated that the British would no longer respect it. They
+eventually gave up five of the dead, but refused for some time to part
+with the wounded. Among these were Major Straker and Colonel Hon. H.
+White (British South African Police).
+
+On the 26th of February Colonel Plumer, after many strenuous efforts and
+continued fighting, occupied the enemy's position at Crocodile Pools,
+the Boers having taken themselves off and gone south to Lobatsi. Trains
+were now moving from the Pools to Ramoutsa. A cairn was erected over the
+spot where the valiant officer, Captain French, met his fate. The wounds
+received by Major Straker in the disastrous night attack were mending
+slowly, and great hopes were entertained of his ultimate recovery.
+
+Colonel Plumer and his little force, numbering some 700 in all,
+continued to suffer many harassments, to fight and to struggle manfully
+for the assistance of Mafeking, whose relief they believed could not be
+long delayed. To help in this relief was their perpetual aim, and to
+this end Colonel Plumer accumulated a vast quantity of stores at Kanya,
+some sixty miles to the west of Crocodile Pools, so that when
+opportunity should offer the starving braves might not have to wait for
+provisions. For some weeks the troops had been fixed on a string of
+kopjes to the north of the Metsima Suma Bridge, while the Boers' laager,
+strongly fortified, occupied another ridge in the vicinity. Both Britons
+and Boers from their elevated posts could command the river above named,
+and the Notwani River for some miles. On the 26th of February, for some
+unaccountable reason, the Boers suddenly made themselves scarce, and
+suspicion grew that events elsewhere were demanding their prompt
+attention. The disappearance caused some sensation, as it was
+reported--erroneously as it afterwards proved--that not a Boer was
+visible between the British and Mafeking. Thereupon Colonel Plumer
+decided to be up and doing, and an advance on Lobatsi (situated some
+forty-five miles from Colonel Baden-Powell's kingdom) was organised.
+First of all telegraph lines and rails were repaired, an armoured train
+being sent forward to Pitsani Pothlugo to protect the operations. This
+work accomplished, rations for thirty days, the base hospital, &c., were
+transferred to Lobatsi.
+
+There on the morning of the 6th of March Colonel Plumer's force arrived.
+The efforts of the relieving party were now directed to the
+reconstruction of the railway and bridges which had been wrecked by the
+Boers in October. These were slowly got into working order.
+Reconnaissances were pushed south with a view to farther advance, and
+provision was made for the protection of the railway behind him as
+Colonel Plumer advanced.
+
+[Illustration: COLONEL PLUMER'S GALLANT ATTEMPT TO RELIEVE MAFEKING FROM
+THE NORTH.
+
+Drawing by Frank Dudd, R.I., from a Sketch by F. J. Mackenzie.]
+
+At daybreak on the 13th of March a column of some 300 men with three
+guns marched towards Kanya on the west, while Colonel Bodle (B.S.A.P.)
+with 150 men and a Maxim proceeded towards Pitsani. When the former
+party had succeeded in reaching a place some twenty miles beyond Lobatsi
+camp they were suddenly ordered to return. Captain Maclaren with his
+party, though fairly worn out after a long day's tramp, at once obeyed
+orders, marched throughout the night, and by dawn on the 15th had
+retraced his steps. The reason for the recall was this. Colonel Bodle's
+advanced scouts had come upon swarms of the enemy to the north of
+Pitsani, and the colonel with his small force had been compelled to
+retire in hot haste. His position was a ticklish one, for all round, in
+every available kopje, the Boers had ensconced themselves, and only by
+great nerve and splendid presence of mind was it possible to execute
+anything like an orderly retreat. But these qualities were possessed by
+Colonel Bodle, who promptly retired his ambulance and waggons, covering
+their move by forming his troops in Zulu fashion in crescent shape.
+Unluckily the right horn of the crescent, under Lieutenant Chapman, was
+pounced upon by some hidden Boers, who succeeded in making three or four
+of the party prisoners, and capturing a box or two of ammunition. Owing
+to an accident to his horse Lieutenant Chapman was thrown and captured.
+Corporal Galt nearly shared the same fate, but while he was engaged in a
+smart tussle for freedom, Colonel Bodle came to the rescue and put the
+Boers to flight. The Dutchmen then commenced to follow at the heels of
+the column, approaching to within some 2500 yards of the camp, doing
+some damage among cattle with their smokeless guns, which with
+difficulty could be located. Their fire was eventually returned, but not
+before Lieutenant Tyler (West Riding Regiment) had fallen a victim to a
+shell, which caught him in his tent and killed him instantaneously. The
+next day (the 16th) the Boers pursued their aggravations, and the
+British, as usual, gave a very good account of themselves, though their
+gunners had neither range-finder nor range-table. An animated artillery
+duel lasted for some hours, and was only terminated at sunset by the
+successful landing of a shell in the midst of the Boer guns. This served
+to silence them for the rest of the day. That done, the troops retired,
+most of the force moving from Lobatsi back to Crocodile Pools (whither
+stores, &c., had been removed by rail during the whole of the previous
+night), while Colonel Plumer and the mounted men took the direction of
+Kanya. On the 17th of March the armoured train voyaged towards Lobatsi,
+where it was saluted by the Boers, who had returned in hordes with
+marvellous celerity, and were hovering round that place.
+
+The enemy had now placed a 1-pound Maxim and a 12½-pounder on the east
+side of the line 4000 yards to the south of the main camp, but
+fortunately the right flank was protected by the Chief Bathoen, who
+defied the Boers to enter his territory. The left flank, however,
+engaged Colonel Plumer's attention, and there was every fear that the
+enemy, repulsed on the western border, might fall in force upon the
+Rhodesians. The Dutchmen were now busy in wrecking the rail south of
+Lobatsi, and preparing to meet any further advance made by Colonel
+Plumer with stout resistance. On the 18th, somewhat exhausted with
+fruitless toil and endless marching and fighting, the troops were once
+more at their starting-point on the ridges overlooking the Metsima Suma
+and Notwani Rivers, Colonel Plumer's force now occupying the position
+there formerly held by the Boers.
+
+On the 21st Commandant Snyman entertained himself with a little journey
+to Lobatsi and gaily bombarded it, in ignorance that it had been
+evacuated by Colonel Plumer's force, and explosions on all sides
+announced that he also was engaged in the destruction of the railway.
+While the Boers were away, the Baralongs made hay--they utilised the
+shining hour by looting some of the Boer cattle and driving them in
+triumph into Mafeking. There, the result of Snyman's attack on Plumer
+was in its way approved; the town enjoyed temporary repose. The
+bombardment lessened for a day or two, and the besieged were buoyed up
+by the hope that Colonel Plumer was pursuing his advance.
+
+To intercept the same the enemy had taken up positions at Maritzuni and
+Ramathlabama, but they at the same time had to engage themselves with a
+native chief in the south. This personage, who had hitherto been
+friendly to them, working on the good old principle of "kick a man when
+he's down," had heard of the Boer reverses in the Free State, and
+promptly seized his opportunity.
+
+On the 25th Colonel Plumer left his base camp with a force of infantry
+and as little impedimenta as possible, and invaded the Transvaal, making
+two rapid night marches for the purpose of threatening the Boer lines of
+communication. In this way, though he found himself too weak in men and
+guns for really aggressive operations, he determined to make himself a
+thorn in the side of the persecutors of Mafeking, and keep the Boer
+hordes too busily engaged to allow of their attempting serious
+operations on their own part.
+
+Early on the morning of the 31st Colonel Plumer, with 270 mounted men,
+some infantry, and a Maxim reached Ramathlabama, where the Boers were
+said to have made their headquarters. The advance guard under Colonel
+White proceeding within six miles of Mafeking, encountered a Boer
+commando, whereupon Captain Kensman on the left and Major Bordan on the
+right simultaneously became engaged. Desperate fighting ensued, the
+Boers almost doubling the British. The Dutchmen formed a semicircle,
+vainly endeavouring to outflank the party east and west, while Colonel
+Plumer's small force, fighting "tooth and nail," retired slowly, the
+squadrons covering the retreat of the unmounted men for a good ten miles
+till the force reached its base. Owing to the close proximity of the
+Boer laagers, reinforcements of Dutchmen and guns were constantly at
+hand, while Colonel Plumer was entirely at a disadvantage. Little cover
+was available, and the railway embankment, which was his only
+protection, was barely two feet high. Captain Crewe, a most popular
+officer, was mortally wounded while covering the retreat of the rest, as
+was also Lieutenant Milligan while gallantly defending his position.
+
+Some interesting particulars of the fighting outside Mafeking came in a
+letter from a trooper.
+
+ "On our latest patrol we had a real exciting time. We went to
+ have a look at Mafeking, and actually saw the promised land,
+ but we had to pay dearly for the sight. We marched from here
+ (halfway between Kanya and Mafeking) on March 30th, and arrived
+ at Ramathlabama on the 31st at 9 A.M. Between 300 and 350 men
+ went, with one Maxim, all under Colonel Plumer himself. We were
+ all mounted except thirty men of E Squadron. We formed a camp
+ at Ramathlabama, and at 11 A.M. all the mounted men moved off
+ towards Mafeking, our unmounted men and the Maxim remaining in
+ camp. Our troop and Crewe's scouts formed the advance guard
+ under our skipper, Colonel White. We rode on about eight miles,
+ and then we got our first glimpse of Mafeking. We raised a bit
+ of a cheer on spotting the place. Very soon we saw a large body
+ of Boers coming up in front at a fast pace, while others were
+ working round our flanks. We started firing at 1000 yards,
+ with hardly anything to see to fire at. Their fire was high at
+ first, but some of them soon got the range. We had to retreat,
+ as we were far outnumbered, and the Boers were working away at
+ our flanks. Moreover, they had an unlimited supply of
+ ammunition, their base being a mile or two away, while we had
+ to go slow with ours. So we retired by alternate squadrons.
+
+ "We were nearly caught once. The Boers were coming round on our
+ flank, and were making for some Kaffir kraals whence they would
+ have had us fairly on toast. Our skipper, however, spotted the
+ move in time, and we raced them for the first place and won.
+ Crewe's men, who were sent to the second kraal, also got there
+ first. We made them turn tail and bolt, and they were never
+ afterwards quite so keen in getting round our flank. Our
+ skipper worked splendidly. It was a running fight for about
+ eight miles, lasting from 1 P.M. till 6 P.M. When we reached
+ the camp we found that Colonel Plumer had decided to abandon
+ it, and had already sent the waggons off an hour before. We had
+ to cover the retreat of the unmounted men, who had been in turn
+ covering the retreat of the Maxim. There was a very warm time
+ over that business. The unmounted men nearly got caught. Our
+ casualties were pretty heavy--52 in all--12 killed, 26 wounded,
+ and 14 missing. Altogether 75 horses were killed, wounded, and
+ missing. Don't get the idea that we were disgracefully licked.
+ We retreated certainly and were chased by the Boers, but we
+ retreated in perfect order without any confusion. Moreover, in
+ retreating we were doing as we were intended to do. Colonel
+ Baden-Powell had some move he wished to make at Mafeking, and
+ we were to draw away as many Boers as possible, and we
+ certainly were successful in that. There must have been at
+ least 600 or 700 against us."
+
+In the fight at Ramathlabama the following were taken
+prisoners:--Captain K. Maclaren, Captain F. Crewe, Captain Duncan
+Robertson, all badly wounded; the two last mentioned since dead.
+Staff-Officers Cecil and Granville and nine soldiers, of whom six were
+more or less severely wounded, were also captured.
+
+Owing to the absence of war correspondents with Colonel Plumer's force
+this officer's unceasing efforts to match the Boers and rescue Colonel
+Baden-Powell received none of the publicity they deserved. It has been
+possible only from private sources to gauge the terrible tension of the
+situation, and the truly noble activity that was maintained in the face
+of a most alarming outlook. Of the heroism of the commander little has
+been said, but from a few lines written by a trooper we may understand
+how his gallant conduct stimulated his men. He said: "It was a good
+fight, and our men behaved very well. Plumer was slightly wounded, but
+behaved splendidly. He sent his horse away and walked behind the
+dismounted men, encouraging them when they were retreating."
+
+Colonel Bodle and Captain Rolt (adjutant) were also slightly wounded.
+
+Some splendid service was rendered by Sergeant-Major Manning (5th
+Dragoon Guards), on whom the whole work of staff officer afterwards
+devolved.
+
+Another writer shows the trying circumstances in which Colonel Plumer's
+campaign was conducted, circumstances which, when the historian of the
+future sets to work, cannot be disregarded:--
+
+ "On the 31st ult. we got as far as six miles from Mafeking, but
+ had to retire after four hours' heavy fighting, losing 48
+ killed, wounded, and missing. We have had a very rough time
+ indeed, always fighting against much superior odds armed with
+ splendid artillery, living on short rations, without tents or
+ any other shelter, wet through with the rain, and scorched with
+ the sun, and yet the people at home never give us a thought. We
+ have been so hard up for tobacco that men have been smoking tea
+ leaves. We have not had a thing from home, not even the Queen's
+ chocolate, and yet we have done as much in our small way as the
+ troops down south. Of course, we have had no big battles, as we
+ have not the men or guns, but we have had constant patrols and
+ skirmishes, nearly always losing men killed or wounded, or
+ both. We have also suffered very heavily with fever and
+ dysentery, and all our hospitals are full."
+
+These lines in their bald simplicity are quoted because they, like the
+work they describe, were originated with no view to effect nor applause,
+and serve exactly to describe the modest deeds of perpetual valour which
+were perpetrated by our countrymen, and which by force of circumstance
+were left to waste their smartness "on the desert air."
+
+[Illustration: LOBATSI RAILWAY STATION]
+
+
+
+
+LIST OF STAFF
+
+
+The following is a list of appointments to the Staff of the Eighth
+Division, which left England in February:--
+
+EIGHTH DIVISION
+
+Lieutenant-General on the Staff--Major-General (temporary
+Lieutenant-General) Sir H. M. L. Rundle, K.C.B., C.M.G., D.S.O., R.A.
+
+Aides-de-Camp (2).
+
+Assistant Adjutant-General--Colonel G. E. Harley, C.B.
+
+Deputy-Assistant Adjutant-Generals--Major A. E. J. Cavendish, _p.s.c._,
+Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders; Captain G. I. Walsh, Leicestershire
+Regt.
+
+Assistant Provost-Marshal[11]--Lieut.-Colonel R. H. Morrison.
+
+Principal Medical Officer--Lieut.-Colonel W. A. May, Royal Army Medical
+Corps.
+
+Medical Officer--Major J. W. Jerome, Royal Army Medical Corps.
+
+Chaplains--Rev. C. F. O'Reilly; Rev. F. J. P. Jellicoe.
+
+Divisional Signalling Officer--Captain C. H. Bennett, Worcestershire
+Regt.
+
+16th BRIGADE
+
+Major-General on the Staff--Major-General B. B. D. Campbell, M.V.O.
+
+Aide-de-Camp.
+
+Brigade-Major--Captain E. F. O. Gascoigne, D.S.O., Grenadier Guards.
+
+17th BRIGADE
+
+Major-General on the Staff--Major-General J. E. Boyes.
+
+Aide-de-Camp.
+
+Brigade-Major--Captain C. B. FitzHenry, 7th Hussars.
+
+At the same time a Ninth Division was formed under the command of
+Lieut.-General Sir Henry Colvile, consisting of the 3rd (Highland
+Brigade), Colonel (Major-General) H. A. Macdonald, C.B., and 19th
+Brigade, Colonel (Major-General) H. L. Smith-Dorrien. For particulars,
+see Vol. V.
+
+FOOTNOTES:
+
+[11] Graded as a Deputy-Assistant Adjutant-General.
+
+
+
+
+APPENDIX
+
+
+KURUMAN[12]
+
+At time of the surrender of Kuruman it was impossible to obtain complete
+details regarding the gallant defence of the place. The following short
+story published by the _Cape Argus_ serves to throw light on deeds too
+brave to be overlooked:--
+
+"On the 15th October 1899, the Cape Police, Vryburg, 96 miles north-east
+of Kuruman, evacuated their station without giving battle to the Boers;
+the detachment with one Maxim and 110 men retiring on Kimberley. The
+commanding officer, Major Scott, Cape Police, committed suicide _en
+route_. Refugees came into Kuruman on the 16th and following days.
+
+"On the 23rd October communication was cut off from Kuruman except by
+wire to Koopmansfontein, and on the 5th November all wires were cut.
+Information reached Kuruman that the South African Republic and Orange
+Free State Boers, assisted by rebels from that and surrounding
+districts, intended to march on Kuruman and hoist the 'Vierkleur.'
+
+"The defence of Kuruman was commenced by Captain Bates,[13] C.P.
+(formerly captain B.B.P. under Sir Frederick Carrington), assisted by
+Sergeant Hemsworth, C.P., and Captain Dennison, Intelligence Department.
+On the 19th October, Colonel Kekewich, officer commanding forces
+Griqualand West and Bechuanaland, instructed the force to endeavour to
+prevent Kuruman falling into the hands of the enemy. The officer
+commanding, Captain Bates, had orders to defend the place, and the
+Kuruman defence force was raised, consisting of, approximately, 54 Cape
+Police and Special Police (whites), 62 Bastards and natives--total, 116.
+
+"Redoubts were built on the north, south, east, and west sides of the
+main camp, which was fortified with trenches and stone walls loopholed
+and raised with sandbags.
+
+"On the 12th November 1899, a letter was received from Commandant Visser
+(signed Fighting General), demanding the surrender of Kuruman
+voluntarily in the name of the Z.A.R. and O.F.S. Governments, saying
+that he was at Pakani, six miles off, with his commando, and failing
+compliance with his demand he would attack and take Kuruman by main
+force at 7 A.M. the following day. A reply was sent that should he
+attack he would have to take the consequences of his illegal act, as no
+instructions had been issued by the Colonial Government to evacuate the
+town.
+
+"At 9 A.M. on the 13th November a commando of about 400 men came at full
+gallop towards the Soeden Mission Station, three miles from Kuruman.
+Coming within range (1500 yards) the redoubt on the eastern side opened
+fire on them with their rifles. The enemy halted, and then at once
+retired out of range. After about ten minutes, one portion, 250 strong,
+advanced towards the Mission Station, the other, 150 strong, moving to
+the ridge above the Court House. At 10 A.M. the commando from Soeden
+attacked the western redoubt held by Corporal Childs, C.P., with six
+whites and seven natives. Heavy firing took place. At about 5 P.M. the
+enemy, who had during the day occupied a ridge about 400 yards from the
+redoubt, retired, and in so doing lost heavily--they were seen falling
+from their horses. Our men behaved splendidly. The estimated Boer loss
+was six killed and fourteen wounded; ours, one native killed. Captain
+Bates rode up during the day to encourage the men, and both going and
+returning was received with heavy volleys from the Boers, but both he
+and his horse returned unhurt. While the fighting was going on Corporal
+Barnes, C.P., and nine men volunteered to take an extra supply of
+ammunition to this redoubt, about 1000 yards in the open, under heavy
+fire, and remained there to the end of the attack without any further
+casualty. Firing from all the enemy's schanzes was kept up during the
+night.
+
+"At dawn next day it was discovered that the enemy had built schanzes
+(stone entrenchments) all round our redoubts at distances varying from
+1200 to 900 yards, and commenced firing volleys into our positions. We
+replied, and our losses this day were one native slightly wounded and
+five horses badly wounded. The enemy stuck to their schanzes and
+continued firing heavily on us daily until the 19th November, when to
+our surprise they withdrew to Pakani.
+
+"On the 20th November our scouts, who were sent to find out the enemy's
+movements, returned, stating that they were retiring towards Vryburg.
+
+"On the 26th November it was reported by our scouts that the Boers had
+formed three laagers, one at Mooifontein, 30 miles away; one at
+Magagapirie, 20 miles off; and one at Botitilotse, about 18 miles off;
+the total commando numbering about 1100 to 1200 men, and a large number
+of waggons.
+
+"On the 1st December a headman, Seloa, reported that the Boers were
+waiting for a cannon from Pretoria, and were coming again to attack us
+or starve us out. Captain Bates strengthened the forts as much as
+possible to resist shell fire.
+
+"On the 5th December the enemy arrived with from 1100 to 1200 men under
+Visser, of the Transvaal, now Commandant, and Field-Cornet Wessels, of
+the Free State, but without any cannon. They commenced by attacking
+Captain Dennison's (Intelligence Officer to Commanding Officer,
+Kimberley, Colonel Kekewich) redoubt on the east, but were repulsed. The
+enemy made five night attacks on this redoubt and a smaller one held by
+Private Brown, Special Police, about 300 yards on the S.E. Their mode of
+attack was as follows:--They built schanzes within 500 yards of these
+redoubts, surrounding them, and threw up small schanzes of stone and
+bags within thirty or forty yards of the redoubts early in the night and
+attacked about two or three o'clock in the morning, retiring from time
+to time to these small schanzes. They thus succeeded in pushing off the
+sandbags from our redoubts on the S.E. side, but were driven back,
+losing about four killed and ten or twelve wounded. This redoubt was
+held by Private Brown, three white men, and two natives, the enemy
+numbering from sixty to seventy men. Our casualties were one white man
+wounded. During these attacks a bullet (presumably an explosive one)
+struck inside the east fort or redoubt, badly wounding two whites and
+two others slightly. Firing was kept up night and day for these five
+days. The enemy ceased their attacks and went in for volley firing and
+sniping, coming nearer our redoubts by building schanzes during the
+night. These two redoubts had to be abandoned, as the loopholes of
+sandbags were shot away, and there was no means of building them up
+agin. The enemy occupied them after being abandoned for two nights, and
+also took possession of a store in a hollow about 800 yards from the
+main camp, between it and the Court House. This left only one of our
+redoubts occupied by our defence force, and which commanded the water.
+Corporal Gash, C.P., was in charge. Our horses had to be watered at
+night.
+
+"The Boers made several attempts to cut us off from the water, but were
+prevented by our pickets, who were placed in entrenched positions to
+cover our cattle and horses while watered. The Boers must have fired
+away an enormous quantity of ammunition, and they had five waggon-loads
+of it. A unique armistice was arranged on Christmas Day. F. C. Wessels,
+of the Free State, wrote to the Commanding Officer saying that if we
+would not fire on them this day, the Boers would not fire on us. This
+was agreed to, and word was sent round to all the schanzes and redoubts
+notifying this. The men came out, but to our surprise, as one of us was
+going to bathe, a volley from the Transvaal Boer schanzes on the east
+was sent after him. Wessels went to inquire the reason, and was told
+that the Transvaal commando would not agree to this armistice, whereupon
+Wessels arranged with us that the Free State men, who were on the south
+and south-east side, would not fire on us, and our men, running the
+gauntlet of the Transvaal fire for about 20 yards, went under cover of
+the Free State schanzes, and British and Boer bathed together at the
+bathing-place. This circumstance caused a split in the Boer camp, and
+Wessels with 150 men of the Free State burghers left for the south,
+presumably towards Kimberley. The Boers continued firing and sniping
+daily. Up to this we had one white (Private Ward, C.P.) and two natives
+killed, seven whites and seven natives wounded. Of the animals 23 horses
+were killed and wounded and three oxen killed. We were holding out and
+were confident of doing so for another two months, when on the 1st
+January 1900, a New Year's gift arrived in the Boer camp in the shape of
+a 9-pounder. They started shelling at dawn, with common shell, the
+redoubt on the north side; then came to a ridge on the south and shelled
+the main camp, four shells falling in the camp without doing any serious
+damage. They then fired on the western redoubt without hitting it. On
+going to their schanzes about 2000 yards on the eastern side, they
+shelled the only remaining redoubt on that side, held by Corporal Gash,
+C.P., and 15 men. The 90th shell breached the redoubt, the 91st and 92nd
+striking it, and the 93rd falling inside. The men in the redoubt got
+into the trenches, which, owing to the stony nature of the ground, could
+not be dug deep, and were subjected to such a heavy fire from three of
+the enemy's schanzes, that they were compelled to surrender.
+
+"Captain Bates then saw that as the key of the position had fallen, and
+that reinforcements could not possibly arrive for weeks or months, it
+was hopeless to continue to hold out.
+
+"Thus Kuruman was surrendered after seven weeks, and its defence was
+principally due to Captain Bates. Captain Dennison and Sergeant
+Hemsworth and Captain Bates were sent to the Pretoria gaol (as they were
+supposed to know too much, whatever that meant), and the Magistrate was
+sent to the State Model School with the other officers."
+
+FOOTNOTES:
+
+[12] See Vol. iii. p. 25.
+
+[13] This officer's name was originally given as Baker in telegrams
+home.
+
+
+
+
+TRANSCRIBERS' NOTES
+
+
+Page vi: Christo standardised to Cristo after "Scene of Fighting at Monte"
+
+Page vii: Reit standardised to Riet after "on north bank of the"
+
+Page vii: Majesfontein standardised to Majersfontein (two instances)
+
+Page vii: Koodoesrand standardised to Koodoosrand after "Spyfontein,
+retreating to"
+
+Page viii: landdrost standardised to landrost after "and arrested the"
+
+Page 9: " added after "180,600 of all arms."
+
+Page 13: no corrected to not after "now engaged stronger," cf. Hansard
+
+Page 22: "Homes were destroyed mothers and children stricken" as in the
+original, without punctuation
+
+Page 30: Kimberly standardised to Kimberley before "man stared at the
+three objects"
+
+Page 33: Accent on détour not standardised as part of a quotation
+
+Pages 34, 152: Variable spelling of mosquitoes/mosquitos as in the
+original
+
+Page 36: horseflesh standardised to horse-flesh after "Cronje had to be
+paid for in"
+
+Page 39: Duplicate the removed from "for the the team of mules"
+
+Page 40: duplicate an removed in "having detected an an unusual haze of
+dust"
+
+Pages 40, 54: Inconsistent hyphenation of rear-guard as in the original.
+Retained as part of a quotation
+
+Page 56: . added after "for the rest of the day"
+
+Page 60: Infanty corrected to Infantry in "Duke of Cornwall's Light
+Infantry"
+
+Page 62: mid-day standardised to midday before "came the rumour that
+French"
+
+Page 65: reveille standardised to reveillé after "a volley by way of"
+
+Page 69: insistance as in the original
+
+Page 71: silhoutte corrected to silhouette before "which gradually grew
+clearer"
+
+Page 88 [Illustration]: ( added before Colour-Sergeant)
+
+Page 93: Accent on débris not standardised as part of a quotation
+
+Page 101: depot standardised to depôt after "converted into the advanced"
+
+Page 115: shortlived standardised to short-lived after "Rest was"
+
+Page 116: Mr. Shcreiner corrected to Mr. Schreiner
+
+Page 120: Horseflesh standardised to Horse-flesh before "was diversified
+by bread"
+
+Page 122: head-quarters standardised to headquarters after "subsequently
+established his"
+
+Page 123: Lyttleton corrected to Lyttelton after "While this was going on
+above, General"
+
+Page 128: caligraphy as in the original
+
+Page 132: Lee-Mitfords corrected to Lee-Metfords after "been hit by
+Mausers or"
+
+Page 133: Inconsistent hyphenation of horseflesh as in the original.
+Retained as part of a quotation
+
+Page 148: unchallengably corrected to unchallengeably after "kopjes,
+kopjes, kopjes--ours,"
+
+Page 148: . added after "rifle fire was raging on the left"
+
+Page 150: Lieutenan corrected to Lieutenant before "C. H. I. Jackson"
+
+Page 177: martrys corrected to martyrs after "calls for its ministers and"
+
+Page 182: Llandrost corrected to Landrost after "Mr. Papenfus, whose
+services as"
+
+Page 189: fourteeen corrected to fourteen after "on the Orange Free State
+Railway some"
+
+Page 190: markmanship corrected to marksmanship after "spoke
+apologetically of their good"
+
+Page 192: ensconed corrected to ensconced after "where the enemy had"
+
+Page 200: lookout standardised to look-out after "the wily Dutchman on
+the"
+
+Page 210: Inconsistent hyphenation of halfway as in the original. Retained
+as part of a quotation
+
+Page 216: agin as in the original
+
+
+
+
+
+End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of South Africa and the Transvaal War,
+Vol. IV (of 6), by Louis Creswicke
+
+*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK SOUTH AFRICA, TRANSVAAL WAR, VOL IV ***
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