However, on the following morning Knox's, Stevenson's,[Pg 319] Smith-Dorrien's, and the Highland Brigades all advanced against the position. When within a thousand yards, a semicircle of fire flashed out from the waggons6, as it had done from the bushes on the Modder. The effect was terrible, and men went down by the score before the hail of bullets, and the troops were forced, as the Guards had been on the Modder, to throw themselves down before it. It would have been well if, as on that occasion, the impossibility of success had been recognized, and the troops had been ordered to remain in the same position throughout the day, contenting themselves with returning the Boer fire. But no such order was given, and companies got up and made short rushes, each regiment8 burning to be the first to enter the Boer camp. Some little relief was afforded by four batteries of artillery9, which kept up an incessant10 shell fire, distracting the Boers' attention, preventing their taking aim, and shaking their nerve.
At twelve o'clock one of French's horse-artillery batteries came up and joined the others at the work. Splendid were the efforts made by many of the regiments11 to get to close quarters. The Canadians and Cornwalls—Smith-Dorrien's Brigade—on the one side swept almost up to the river bank, and the Welsh, Yorkshire, and Essex regiments did as well on the opposite side of the semicircle, both forcing the Boers to contract their lines, and limiting the space occupied by them.
The Highlanders did magnificently, burning to retrieve12 their defeat at Magersfontein, and showed that they had entirely14 recovered from the effects of that disaster. Their conduct was all the more worthy15 of admiration16, inasmuch as they had marched over thirty miles, and only arrived on the scene just as the advance began. From the south side of the river a heavy rifle fire was maintained by the troops on that bank; and it is probable that some, at least, among the casualties on our side were inflicted17 by their bullets, which passed over the Boer camp. All day the fight con[Pg 320]tinued, and all that had been effected was to contract the Boer position along the river bank from three miles to barely two. When evening fell, our troops were still in the positions they had won during the day. But the cost was out of all proportion to the advantage gained. They had suffered eleven hundred casualties. The Seaforths headed the list with one hundred and twenty, the Black Watch came next with ninety-six; ninety Yorkshires, the same number of West Riding Regiment, eighty among the Canadians, seventy-six Argyle and Sutherlands, fifty-six of the Cornwalls, forty-six of the Shropshires, and thirty-one of the Oxfordshires, showed how every regiment had taken its share in the fighting.
On the following day Cronje asked for twenty-four hours' armistice18 to enable him to bury his dead. Lord Kitchener assented19, but as the morning wore on Lord Roberts arrived with Tucker's Division from Jacobsdal, and with three more field-batteries, and five naval20 guns. The Commander-in-Chief disapproved21 altogether of the armistice, which was evidently a mere22 pretext23 to gain time; and he accordingly sent word to Cronje that the armistice was at an end, but that any women and children in the laager might come out, and would receive good treatment. This offer was declined by Cronje. His refusal was the signal for the guns to open, and all day a hail of fire was poured into the Boer laager. Smith-Dorrien's Brigade was left on the ground that it had won, near the river-bank to the west; while one of Tucker's Brigades, commanded by Chermside, occupied the same position to the east. The remainder of the troops were drawn24 off and posted so as to prevent any portion of the beleaguered25 host from making their escape.
De Wet, with the force that had attacked and finally captured the train of waggons at Waterval Drift, had come round and surprised and captured a party of thirty men and four officers of Kitchener's Horse, who were posted on a kopje two miles away from the laager. The loss of this[Pg 321] position was serious, because it opened the road to any Boer force marching to relieve Cronje. That such a force was approaching was known. Cronje had, when he found the passage at Koodoosrand blocked, flashed signals asking for aid, and not only would the local forces answer the appeal, but these would be largely reinforced by Orange Free State commandos coming with all haste from Natal26 by rail. Accordingly, five regiments of cavalry27 with four batteries were sent against the kopje, the force being divided into two parties of equal strength, and passing one on each side of the hill. A force of Boers they encountered were easily defeated, while the artillery drove off the defenders28 of the kopje, of whom some fifty were killed and as many taken prisoners.
Two days later another party approached. They attacked a kopje held by the Yorkshires but failed to capture it, and then tried to carry another hill held by the Buffs and were again defeated. In all eighty were taken prisoners. Every night Boers crept out from their laager and gave themselves up as prisoners, and by the end of the week we had six hundred captives. All this time the guns had thundered almost without cessation. From a balloon overhead signals were made as to the point at which the fire should be directed. Nothing could withstand this hail of iron. Scores of waggons were smashed up, oxen and horses killed by the hundred, but few Boers were visible. Holes and tunnels had been driven into the side of the numerous dongas that intersected the laager. Here the women and children were sheltered, and here the men crouched29 in readiness to sally out and defend the laager if again attacked, and whenever our outposts were pushed forward, the fire from their trenches30 was as heavy as ever.
At the extremity31 of the base of the semicircle Smith-Dorrien and Chermside's men had been steadily32 pushing forward trenches. On the night of Monday, February 26th, it was determined33 that the former should make an advance.[Pg 322] The Canadians were to lead it, the Gordons to be in support, and the Shropshires to move to the left to protect the force from any attempt of the Boers to take them in flank. Two companies of the Canadians led the advance. The moon had not yet risen, and to keep their position each man grasped the sleeve of the man next to him. The rear rank carried spades and had their rifles slung34 behind them. The 7th Company of the Royal Engineers followed them carrying sacks full of earth. The distance to be traversed was eight hundred yards.
Never did men undertake more nervous work, for at any moment they might be swept by a storm of bullets such as had smitten35 the Highlanders at Magersfontein. Not a sound was heard until they were within fifty yards of the Boer trenches, and then the front rank struck against a wire on which empty meat-cans were stretched. A rifle-shot was fired as the clang rose, and the Canadians at once threw themselves on their faces. Scarcely had they done so when a roar of fire from a line six hundred yards long broke out. To move forward was impossible; the moon was on the point of rising, and its light would enable the Boers to pick them off unerringly. Accordingly the companies out on the plain were ordered to fall back in very open order, and this was effected with a comparatively small number of casualties.
cronje
CRONJE RIDES OUT TO SURRENDER.
The Canadians, however, now felt the benefit of the sacks of earth carried by the Engineers with them. These sacks were thrown down the instant the first shot was fired, and behind these the two companies of Canadians and the Engineers lay in comparative shelter. This protection was soon increased by the work of the men with shovels36, and before day broke they were firmly established, and from their position were able to open a flanking fire upon the greater portion of the Boer trenches on that side. The other companies of the Canadians had similarly entrenched37 themselves a short distance farther back, and all felt that the end of the ten days' investment was close at hand. The Boers also[Pg 323] saw that to continue the struggle would result in their entire destruction, and at six in the morning a white flag was raised and Cronje himself rode out. He was met by General Pretyman and conducted by him to the head-quarters camp, where he met Lord Roberts, who shook hands with him. Cronje then said that he had come in to surrender. The general replied that the surrender must be unconditional38. Cronje felt that in the desperate position in which he was placed he could not stand out for any conditions, but merely asked that his wife, grandson, secretary, and adjutant should, with his servants, be allowed to accompany him. This was granted, and he and those with him were the same afternoon sent down with the other prisoners, about four thousand in number, under a strong escort to the railway, by which they were taken down to Cape4 Town.
Only a hundred and fifty wounded were found in the camp, and, taking the usual proportion of killed and wounded, only some thirty or forty could have fallen victims to the tremendous bombardment to which they had been exposed for ten days, including those who fell during the attack on the 18th. The aspect of the prisoners was miserable39 to the last degree as, pallid40, unwashed, unkempt, and ragged41, they staggered up from the holes in which they had been lying, worn out by the terrible strain, sickened by the horrible odours that speedily drove back the soldiers who entered the camp, and must have been well-nigh insupportable even to nostrils42 accustomed to insanitary surroundings. Some were sullen44 and downcast, but among the majority the predominant feeling was evidently one of satisfaction at the end of their sufferings, and the fact that, as far as they were concerned, the fighting was over.
The scene in the camp was indeed terrible. Carcasses of dead animals lay everywhere, the greater part, owing to the heat of the sun, being in a state of decomposition45. Waggons overturned, and sometimes smashed to pieces by the explosion of our shells, showed the destruction modern artillery[Pg 324] can effect against material of all kinds, though it is comparatively harmless against troops when not in solid formation.
If the Boer prisoners had expected—as would assuredly have been the case had they been the victors—that the vanquished46 would be received with exultation47 and triumphant48 jeers49, they were agreeably surprised. They had been brought up in the belief that the British soldier was at once contemptible50 as a fighter and full of every evil quality. They had already learned that he could fight; now they learned that he was a generous enemy, and that his imagined hatred51 of the Boer had no existence whatever. The patient endurance with which the besieged52 had supported the tremendous fire to which they had been subjected, had filled the soldiers with admiration and pity for men forced by the iron will of their commander to maintain a resistance when there was no possibility of escape, and they crowded round the captives, offering them little kindnesses, helping53 the feeble, giving them tobacco and other little comforts from their own scanty54 stores, carrying the children, and assisting the women. There was no sign of exultation. They were justly proud of the success they had gained, but no show of this feeling was visible. As much honour was due to the British soldier for his bearing at the moment of victory as for the desperate courage and steadfast55 endurance he had displayed in trying to achieve it.
Yorke Harberton had been kept at work almost night and day from the time he reached Jacobsdal, carrying orders to the different columns and bringing back news of their position and progress. He would alternately ride his own horse and that which Mr. Chambers56 had given him, and when these required rest would use animals captured when Jacobsdal was taken. Although the excitement had kept him up, he was completely worn out when he arrived at head-quarters at Paardeberg. The other aides-de-camp were in a similar position, and Lord Roberts with his usual kindness told[Pg 325] them that they must for a day or two consider themselves relieved from further duty, and that their work would be carried on by officers drawn from the cavalry. In spite of the thunder of the guns Yorke slept for nearly eighteen hours without waking, then, after a hearty57 meal, he rode round the line of investment, in order to ascertain58 the exact position of the various regiments and brigades, in case he should have to carry orders to them. But although after two days' rest he returned to duty, there was little for him to do, as the position remained unchanged until the final advance of Smith-Dorrien's men.
The joy of the troops at the capture of Cronje and his host—who had left Magersfontein six thousand strong, and of whom only one thousand who had slunk away to their farms retained their liberty—was heightened by the fact that his surrender occurred on Majuba Day. This feeling was especially strong among the Colonial troops, who had hitherto been obliged to put up with the triumphant celebrations of that event by the Boers. This feeling was still further heightened by the receipt of the news that a day later Buller's army had relieved Ladysmith.
Not until March 6th, a week after the surrender, was there any movement. This pause had been absolutely necessary to rest the horses of the cavalry, which had been half starved as well as terribly overworked. Accustomed to be fed at regular hours, these were unable to eke60 out the scanty rations59 served to them by cropping the dried-up and scanty grass on the veldt, and even at the end of the week were still scarcely fit for service. Thus no effort could be made to disperse61 the large force consisting of local levies62, commandos from Colesberg and other places south of the Orange River, and those that had hurried up from Natal, now all commanded by De Wet.
But in the meantime reinforcements had arrived—the Guards from Klip Drift, the Australians and the Burmese Mounted Infantry63, a detachment of horse from Ceylon, the[Pg 326] Imperial Yeomanry, and the City Imperial Volunteers, who had distinguished64 themselves in the attack on Jacobsdal, and were for all purposes of such warfare65 the equals of any of the line regiments. Indeed, the South African troops, the contingents66 from our colonies, and the volunteer companies which came out attached to the various line regiments, shattered to atoms the long-cherished belief of military men that civilians67 would be of no real service in warfare. In point of bravery, readiness to submit to discipline, and of cheerful endurance of fatigue68 and hardship, they proved themselves equal to their comrades of the regular army, and showed that enemies of Britain must not, in making an estimate of her strength, omit from consideration the militia69 and volunteers, the mounted corps70 that would spring into existence, and the aid of her great colonies in case of need.
The position taken up by De Wet was a very strong one. In its centre was a farmhouse71 called Poplars Grove72. On both flanks rose hills connected by scattered73 kopjes. Guns were placed on all the hills, and along the front ran trenches, rifle-pits, and barbed wire; and a direct attack would probably have proved at least as costly74 as Magersfontein. But Lord Roberts possessed75 what Lord Methuen had not—three brigades of mounted men and a strong force of horse-artillery. He had a number of guns greatly superior in weight of metal to those of the enemy, and an army of over thirty thousand men. But even with such a force he was not a man to throw away a single life unnecessarily, and therefore determined to turn the Boers' position. The cavalry were sent off before morning broke on March 7th to make a wide sweep, and come down upon the Boer line of retreat. Tucker's Division were to follow and support them. Kelly-Kenny was to push straight along the southern bank of the river, but he was not intended to attack until the cavalry and Tucker were in their appointed places. The Highland Brigade were on the north side of the river with the Naval Brigade, and these were to make a turning movement.
[Pg 327]
Had the plan been carried out as intended, the whole of the Boer force would probably have been annihilated76 and captured, and the war might have come to an abrupt77 end, for both Kruger and Steyn were with De Wet, and with the capture of the two originators of the war, all further resistance might have ceased at once. But for once in his brilliant career French failed. Thus, instead of sweeping78 quite clear of the Boer line, he ran against the extreme left of their position. Daylight broke before the cavalry were perceived, and the instant the Boer leaders saw that they were in danger of being outflanked, and their retreat cut off, they abandoned the position they had so laboriously79 fortified80 and retired81 hastily. But there was still ample time for the cavalry to have overtaken the guns and waggons, even if they could not have caught the flying horsemen. They allowed themselves, however, to be held in check by a handful of skirmishers, some fifty in number, who first held a farmhouse, and when, driven from this, kept up a stinging fire from a low kopje, until, knowing that the guns and waggons were out of reach, and that the two presidents must have escaped, they retired.
Thus, for an hour this great body of cavalry and mounted men suffered themselves to be detained on their all-important journey by half a company of infantry. Such was not the method by which French had relieved Kimberley. Then he had disregarded the rifle and artillery fire of a vastly larger body of men, and had galloped82 straight on. His mission was to the full as important now, and yet he allowed himself to be detained for a precious hour, by which time the finest opportunity of the whole war was lost. General Roberts remarked when he heard of the utter failure of his plans, "In war you cannot expect everything to come out right. General French can afford to lose one leaf from his laurel wreath." Tucker's infantry had never fired a shot, and De Wet's little band had inflicted some fifty casualties among our cavalry.
[Pg 328]
Had a portion of the mounted infantry been sent forward on foot against them as soon as they opened fire, the matter would have been over in five minutes, and the loss would probably have been much smaller. The Boers, unmolested in their retreat, speedily rallied and took up a fresh position at Driefontein; and on the 9th, Lord Roberts again advanced. As before, De Wet had chosen his position well. It was some seven miles in length. The northern flank was protected by the river, the southern by a steep hill extending back for a long distance. The general's plan was the same as in the previous fight, namely, to outflank the enemy and cut off their retreat. For this purpose Tucker's Division, with a portion of the cavalry, were to make a wide circuit. The river prevented any flanking movement being attempted on that side.
General French was in command. The left wing was composed of Kelly-Kenny's Division, the 1st Cavalry Brigade, and a regiment of Mounted Infantry. He was to keep in touch with the centre, and not to push his attack home until Tucker had worked round to the rear of the position. But movements in the dark are always uncertain, and French, in endeavouring to keep touch with the centre, moved his men more and more to the right, unknowing in the darkness that he was already ahead of that body. Thus, when he approached the Boer position, he was absolutely between it and the main body. Morning was breaking now, and Kelly-Kenny learned from a Boer farmer, who had doubtless been ordered by De Wet to give false information, that the hill in front had been abandoned. Therefore, he advanced until a storm of fire showed that he had been deceived.
The Welsh, who were the leading regiment, were staggered by the rain of bullets, and the Buffs passed them. So heavy was the fire to which they were exposed that every officer was hit, and, throwing themselves down, the men joined the Welsh in returning the fire of their unseen assailants.[Pg 329] The men of the Essex regiment, who were next in order, pushed on, supported by the Yorkshires, and these with a cheer surged over the crest84 and fell upon its defenders, who were the Johannesburg Police, considered the best corps in the Boer army. It was composed of men of every nationality. They had been the terror and scourge85 of the town where they were supposed to keep order, and were, for the most part, unmitigated ruffians. They possessed, however, that fighting instinct that was absent among the Boers, a readiness to stand an attack, and they here suffered heavily for it.
The Essex men were among them with the bayonet, and drove them like chaff86 before the wind, leaving a hundred dead behind them. The moment the position was carried, the Boers quitted their whole line of defences and fled hastily. In point of the number of casualties the action was an insignificant87 one. Kelly-Kenny's Brigade had lost four hundred in killed and wounded, but they alone had been engaged. The turning movement had failed altogether, from some miscalculation in distance. The attack had begun long before Tucker and the cavalry had reached their appointed place, and, as before, the Boers were able to draw off their waggons and guns. Nevertheless, the consequences were of immense importance. The road to Bloemfontein was again open, and the Boers had learned that, however strong their position, they could not hope to oppose the British advance. From this time until the army marched into Pretoria they never again attempted to make an enduring stand, but abandoned one after the other, without an attempt to defend them, the positions they had prepared, or rather had forced the Kaffirs to prepare for them with immense labour.
There was no delay after this success; the army swept forward, and on the 12th they were within striking distance of Bloemfontein. The cavalry pushed forward to the railway south of the town and cut it, while Major Hunter-Weston, with a handful of Mounted Infantry, started to[Pg 330] cut the lines to the north of the town. The feat13 was a bold and difficult one. The night was extremely dark, but they succeeded in finding the railway and in blowing up a culvert, and returning in safety after having fought their way through a Boer force they encountered. This action was of immense service, as it prevented the escape of twenty-eight railway-engines, two hundred and fifty trucks, and a thousand tons of coal, which were all standing88 in readiness to start as soon as the British were seen advancing against the town. It is not too much to say, that had these trains escaped, Lord Roberts would have found it next to impossible to supply his army with provisions.
As the troops marched through Bloemfontein to the spot selected for their encampment, a mile or two outside the town, they were received with enthusiasm by the British portion of the population. union-jacks waved from the windows, caps were thrown up, and women sobbed89 in their joy at their release from the long strain of nearly six months of Boer insolence90 and oppression. The general was met by a deputation headed by the mayor, the landdrost, and Mr. Fraser—the last-named being a Scotchman who had long been settled there, and had adopted the nationality of the Orange Free State. He had won the esteem91 of the Dutch population as well as that of the British, and had been run against Steyn for the presidentship. Had he succeeded, the Free State would never have thrown in its lot with the Transvaal, and would have been spared enormous sacrifices and financial ruin. He was thoroughly92 loyal to the country of his birth, and was appointed by Lord Roberts chief magistrate93 of Bloemfontein, while General Pretyman was named as its governor.
It was evident to all that there must be a long pause before the army could renew its advance. The single line of railway, by which alone it must depend for getting up provisions and stores, was threatened along its whole length from the Orange River by the Boers, and indeed was at present[Pg 331] almost completely in their hands. The bridges by which it crossed the Orange River at Norval's Pont, on the branch to Port Elizabeth, and at Bethulie on the branch to East London, were known to have been blown up by De Wet when he was summoned to hasten to Cronje's assistance. Even when these had been repaired, and the Boers driven back from Springfontein and other points held by them, it was liable to be interrupted at any moment by small parties of the enemy, who would have the aid and shelter of farmhouses94 near the line.
The army was now cut off entirely from its base at De Aar, and it would be necessary not only to pass up supplies sufficient for its daily consumption, but to collect great magazines for its supply when it started on its march north. It was necessary, too, to fill up the gaps caused among the horses of the cavalry and the mules95 of the transport. No fewer than ten thousand had died or become utterly96 unfit for service during the month that had elapsed since the advance began from the Modder River, and even of those that remained, few would be able for some time to perform hard work. Considering the enormous difficulties in the way, it is wonderful that six weeks sufficed to complete the preparations for an advance.
Yorke's first step when the force arrived at Bloemfontein was to call upon Mr. von Rensburg. The latter expressed great satisfaction at seeing him again.
"I had every hope that you had got through safely, Mr. Harberton. For if you had not done so, we should certainly have heard of it here. Moreover, there came a story that three Boers had been strangely overpowered, and left tied up in a stable by two others, aided by a Kaffir. The two men had been recognized as spies by one of the party assaulted. The incident was considered as an extraordinary one, as taking place in the heart of a town occupied by the Boers, without any alarm being given. So far as was known their assailants had escaped. It was certain that the two spies[Pg 332] had ridden quietly out of the town, and had been accompanied by the Kaffir. A hundred men started in pursuit along all the roads leading west, but without success. I felt no doubt that you were the men engaged in the matter, and I heartily97 congratulate you."
"It was entirely due to you that we succeeded; your getting us that ride in the train down to Colesberg, and the permit were of the greatest service to us, and we could hardly have crossed the river without them. Even as it was, it was a close thing, and it was the greatest piece of good fortune that we were able to get out of the town after the affair you speak of."
He then related how Dirck Jansen and his companions had been overcome and silenced.
"You Englishmen are quicker of thought and action than our people," von Rensburg said. "I am not astonished that in a sudden struggle like that, when both parties were equally surprised, you had the advantage. I shall be glad, if your duties permit, if you will take up your quarters here. I have no doubt that the Dutch rule in this place is at an end, and I shall be running no risk whatever in showing that I for one am well content that it should be so. The behaviour of your men as they marched through the town to-day was beyond all praise. They must have had a terrible time of it, for they all looked worn and haggard, and had evidently been doing desperately98 hard work on the smallest amount of food."
"Yes, it has been hard work, and our loss in horses and baggage animals has been enormous; still, we are all well satisfied. In a month from starting we have relieved Kimberley, captured Cronje and some five thousand of his men, driven De Wet out of two strong positions, and now occupy this town."
"I do not think you will have much more hard fighting, Mr. Harberton. The men who came in here yesterday, after being driven from the last position, were completely dis[Pg 333]heartened. They said they had been told that the Rooineks were cowards, but that there was no stopping them, and that your soldiers marched through a storm of bullets as if these had merely been hailstones."
As the Government House, of which Lord Roberts had taken possession, was close to Mr. von Rensburg's, Yorke had no difficulty in obtaining permission to stay there. The time passed pleasantly for him; he had just enough work to do in riding out to the camps with orders, and in questioning farmers who had come in to take advantage of the proclamation, that all who gave up their arms and took the oath of neutrality would be permitted to return to their farms and remain there unmolested. He had his friends of the 9th Lancers, and was always welcomed in the camps of the cavalry brigades. He was introduced by Mr. von Rensburg to several of the leading Dutch families, and passed many pleasant evenings among them. As the shops were still fairly supplied, the head-quarter mess was now comparatively luxurious99, and altogether he was far less impatient than most of the other officers for the advance to commence.
Preparations for it had begun some time before, when Tucker's Division had captured Karee siding, some twenty miles north of the town; but not without considerable loss, for, as upon previous occasions, the infantry attacked before the cavalry had completed their turning movement. But on the 3rd of May all was ready for the advance. The troops were glad indeed, for while they were stationed at Bloemfontein, a terrible foe100 had made its appearance among them. Enteric fever had broken out, the hospitals were filled to overflowing101 with sick men, and the accommodation was altogether insufficient102 to meet the emergency. For this no one could be blamed. The medical staff that had accompanied the movement from the Modder River was sufficient to cope with and care for any amount of wounded that were likely to be thrown on to their hands; but it was not capable of meeting such an emergency, even with the assistance of the[Pg 334] hospitals that had been furnished and sent out by private subscription103 from home. All that could be done was done; but the first necessity was to provide for the wants of the fighting men, to accumulate the stores on which they would have to depend during their advance; and although many Red Cross trains came up, there was, for a considerable time, a grievous deficiency of hospital accommodation and hospital necessaries, doctors, and nurses.
In one hospital, where there were five hundred beds, there were seventeen hundred sick. Upwards104 of a thousand men died, but there were some seven thousand cases, and those who recovered were so debilitated105 by the effects of the disease that they were unfit for further service, and had to be sent down to the Cape or Port Elizabeth, and then to England. The seeds of this terrible scourge had been sown by the polluted waters drunk at Paardeberg. By some grievous oversight106 the War Office had neglected the advice of those who urged upon it the necessity of sending out a special corps to attend to sanitary43 points. Had this recommendation been attended to, the lives of some four thousand or five thousand men, and of over twenty thousand sent home incapacitated for work, would have been saved.
Gatacre's force were able after De Wet's departure to move up to the Orange River, repairing the railway as they advanced. On arriving at Bethulie Bridge, the general found that, although that magnificent railway viaduct had been destroyed, the road bridge was still intact. It was known, however, to be mined, and there was a strong Boer force on the other side ready to blow it up the instant the British ventured upon it. It was saved, however, by the daring action of Lieutenant107 Popham, of the Derbyshire Regiment, and of Captain Grant, of the Sappers. The former, with two men, crept along the bridge at night and removed the detonators, took away the dynamite108 from under the farther span, and carried it off under a heavy fire, opened by the Boers as soon as they found that the mines were[Pg 335] being tampered109 with. But there still remained heavy charges in the piers110, and although the Boers could not explode these in the ordinary way, as they were commanded by our rifle-fire, they might have effected it by directing a shell-fire against them. Captain Grant, therefore, completed Popham's work by going across, removing the charges, and dropping them into the river. As the reconstruction111 of the railway-bridge was a work that would occupy months rather than weeks, the preservation112 of the road-bridge was a matter of vital importance. Gatacre's force marched across it after the enemy had been shelled out from their position on the other side, and advanced along the line of railway. The cavalry pushed forward to Springfontein, and there met two battalions113 of Guards sent down by train from Bloemfontein—and thus the whole line of railway was in our possession.
Clements, advancing from Colesberg, had thrown a pontoon bridge across the river close to the ruined Norval's Pont, and thus, when a temporary deviation114 of the line had been effected, this branch of the railway was also available. Farther to the east, General Brabant, with a force of Colonial Volunteers, the Royal Scots, and three guns of field-artillery, advanced to Dordrecht, won a victory there, and pushed on so rapidly towards Aliwal, that he occupied the bridge there before it could be blown up, and then proceeded to stamp out the rebellion in that part of Cape Colony. To the east of the line of railway, from Bethulie to Bloemfontein, strong bodies of the enemy continued to wander about doing considerable damage. But Lord Roberts was not to be tempted83 to move any considerable forces to suppress them. His great object was to march to Pretoria, his great work to collect stores that would enable him to do so, and to do this he contented115 himself with holding fast to the line of railway. Rails were often removed and culverts blown up, but a few hours' work always sufficed to repair the damage.
Two serious reverses, however, happened. A cavalry force had been threatened by a strong Boer commando at the[Pg 336] water-works that supplied Bloemfontein. They were twenty-four miles from the town. The Boers opened fire with heavy guns from a hill that commanded the British position. Colonel Broadwood, who was in command, could not, with a force composed only of mounted men, attempt to storm the hill, and as the guns of the two batteries of horse-artillery with him were altogether inferior to those of the Boers, he decided116 to retire upon Bloemfontein. He knew that a messenger he had sent the night before to ask for reinforcements had arrived there, and he received a reply that Colvile's Division would be sent out before daybreak to meet him. Believing, therefore, that there was no danger in front, he remained at the rear of the column, which had been shelled by the enemy.
The waggons were at the head of the retiring column, which, as it crossed the plain, had to go through a deep donga. Here the Boers were in hiding. Each waggon7 as it descended117 was silently seized. A Boer took the place of the driver, and it ascended118 the opposite side without any alarm being given. So the whole convoy119 would have fallen into the hands of the hidden enemy had not one of the troopers with it drawn his pistol and fired. A volley of shots rang out, and the brave fellow paid for his courage with his life. The nine waggons which had not reached the donga halted. The two batteries were close behind them, and, knowing further concealment120 to be useless, the Boers sprang to their feet and opened a terrible fire on them. Men and horses went down in numbers. The confusion was terrible. The men struggled to get the fallen horses out of the traces, but were mown down by the continuous rain of bullets. The rearmost gun of the leading battery alone was able to get off, and galloped furiously back. Two guns of the second battery were overturned by the struggling horses and had to be abandoned. As soon as the others reached a distance of seven or eight hundred yards from the edge of the donga, they turned and opened fire.
[Pg 337]
Roberts's Horse had been abreast121 of the guns and suffered heavily also; but they, the New Zealanders, and the Burmese Horse dismounted when they had retired a sufficient distance, and, throwing themselves down, returned the fire of the Boers. Parties of cavalry were sent off to discover some other point at which the donga could be crossed, and one was found two miles to the south by an officer of Rimington's Scouts122, and towards this the force moved off. The artillery nobly covered the retreat. But they had suffered terribly. Two of the guns had but two men left to work them, and another was loaded and fired by an officer single-handed; and when at last the order came to fall back, but ten men remained on their legs, and several of these were wounded. The Colonial corps covered the withdrawal123 by turns, and in two hours the rear of the column had crossed the donga. Some thirty officers and three hundred men were killed, wounded, or missing. A hundred waggons, with seven guns, were lost. Only one officer and the sergeant-major of the leading battery escaped.
The other disaster, which was equally serious, occurred four days later, when a detachment of five companies of infantry posted at Reddersburg were surrounded on their march from an advanced position, and took post on a kopje. For twenty-four hours they defended themselves gallantly124. But they were without water, the hoped-for relief did not arrive, and they surrendered the next morning.
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1
lair
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| n.野兽的巢穴；躲藏处 | |
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muskets
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| n.火枪，（尤指）滑膛枪( musket的名词复数 ) | |
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3
obsolete
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| adj.已废弃的，过时的 | |
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4
cape
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| n.海角，岬；披肩，短披风 | |
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5
highland
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| n.(pl.)高地，山地 | |
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waggons
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| 四轮的运货马车( waggon的名词复数 )； 铁路货车； 小手推车 | |
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waggon
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| n.运货马车，运货车；敞篷车箱 | |
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regiment
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| n.团，多数，管理；v.组织，编成团，统制 | |
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artillery
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| n.(军)火炮，大炮；炮兵(部队) | |
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10
incessant
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| adj.不停的，连续的 | |
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regiments
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| （军队的）团( regiment的名词复数 )； 大量的人或物 | |
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12
retrieve
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| vt.重新得到，收回；挽回，补救；检索 | |
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feat
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| n.功绩；武艺，技艺；adj.灵巧的，漂亮的，合适的 | |
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entirely
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| ad.全部地，完整地；完全地，彻底地 | |
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15
worthy
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| adj.(of)值得的，配得上的；有价值的 | |
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16
admiration
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| n.钦佩，赞美，羡慕 | |
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17
inflicted
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| 把…强加给，使承受，遭受( inflict的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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18
armistice
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| n.休战，停战协定 | |
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19
assented
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| 同意，赞成( assent的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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20
naval
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| adj.海军的，军舰的，船的 | |
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21
disapproved
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| v.不赞成( disapprove的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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22
mere
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| adj.纯粹的；仅仅，只不过 | |
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pretext
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| n.借口，托词 | |
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24
drawn
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| v.拖，拉，拔出；adj.憔悴的，紧张的 | |
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25
beleaguered
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| adj.受到围困[围攻]的；包围的v.围攻( beleaguer的过去式和过去分词)；困扰；骚扰 | |
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26
natal
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| adj.出生的，先天的 | |
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27
cavalry
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| n.骑兵；轻装甲部队 | |
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28
defenders
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| n.防御者( defender的名词复数 )；守卫者；保护者；辩护者 | |
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29
crouched
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| v.屈膝，蹲伏( crouch的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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trenches
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| 深沟，地沟( trench的名词复数 )； 战壕 | |
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extremity
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| n.末端，尽头；尽力；终极；极度 | |
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32
steadily
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| adv.稳定地；不变地；持续地 | |
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determined
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| adj.坚定的；有决心的 | |
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34
slung
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| 抛( sling的过去式和过去分词 )； 吊挂； 遣送； 押往 | |
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35
smitten
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| 猛打，重击，打击( smite的过去分词 ) | |
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36
shovels
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| n.铲子( shovel的名词复数 )；锹；推土机、挖土机等的)铲；铲形部份v.铲子( shovel的第三人称单数 )；锹；推土机、挖土机等的)铲；铲形部份 | |
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37
entrenched
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| adj.确立的，不容易改的(风俗习惯) | |
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38
unconditional
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| adj.无条件的，无限制的，绝对的 | |
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39
miserable
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| adj.悲惨的，痛苦的；可怜的，糟糕的 | |
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40
pallid
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| adj.苍白的，呆板的 | |
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41
ragged
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| adj.衣衫褴褛的，粗糙的，刺耳的 | |
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42
nostrils
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| 鼻孔( nostril的名词复数 ) | |
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43
sanitary
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| adj.卫生方面的，卫生的，清洁的，卫生的 | |
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44
sullen
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| adj.愠怒的，闷闷不乐的，(天气等)阴沉的 | |
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45
decomposition
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| n. 分解, 腐烂, 崩溃 | |
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46
vanquished
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| v.征服( vanquish的过去式和过去分词 )；战胜；克服；抑制 | |
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47
exultation
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| n.狂喜，得意 | |
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48
triumphant
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| adj.胜利的，成功的；狂欢的，喜悦的 | |
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49
jeers
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| n.操纵帆桁下部（使其上下的）索具；嘲讽( jeer的名词复数 )v.嘲笑( jeer的第三人称单数 ) | |
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50
contemptible
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| adj.可鄙的，可轻视的，卑劣的 | |
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51
hatred
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| n.憎恶，憎恨，仇恨 | |
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52
besieged
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| 包围，围困，围攻( besiege的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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53
helping
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| n.食物的一份&adj.帮助人的，辅助的 | |
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54
scanty
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| adj.缺乏的，仅有的，节省的，狭小的，不够的 | |
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55
steadfast
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| adj.固定的，不变的，不动摇的；忠实的；坚贞不移的 | |
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56
chambers
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| n.房间( chamber的名词复数 )；（议会的）议院；卧室；会议厅 | |
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57
hearty
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| adj.热情友好的；衷心的；尽情的，纵情的 | |
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58
ascertain
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| vt.发现，确定，查明，弄清 | |
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59
rations
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| 定量( ration的名词复数 )； 配给量； 正常量； 合理的量 | |
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60
eke
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| v.勉强度日，节约使用 | |
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61
disperse
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| vi.使分散；使消失；vt.分散；驱散 | |
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62
levies
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| （部队）征兵( levy的名词复数 )； 募捐； 被征募的军队 | |
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63
infantry
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| n.[总称]步兵(部队) | |
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64
distinguished
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| adj.卓越的，杰出的，著名的 | |
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65
warfare
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| n.战争(状态)；斗争；冲突 | |
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66
contingents
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| （志趣相投、尤指来自同一地方的）一组与会者( contingent的名词复数 )； 代表团； （军队的）分遣队； 小分队 | |
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67
civilians
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| 平民，百姓( civilian的名词复数 )； 老百姓 | |
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68
fatigue
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| n.疲劳，劳累 | |
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69
militia
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| n.民兵，民兵组织 | |
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70
corps
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| n.(通信等兵种的)部队；(同类作的)一组 | |
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71
farmhouse
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| n.农场住宅（尤指主要住房） | |
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72
grove
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| n.林子，小树林，园林 | |
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73
scattered
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| adj.分散的，稀疏的；散步的；疏疏落落的 | |
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74
costly
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| adj.昂贵的，价值高的，豪华的 | |
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75
possessed
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| adj.疯狂的；拥有的，占有的 | |
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76
annihilated
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| v.（彻底）消灭( annihilate的过去式和过去分词 )；使无效；废止；彻底击溃 | |
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77
abrupt
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| adj.突然的，意外的；唐突的，鲁莽的 | |
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78
sweeping
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| adj.范围广大的，一扫无遗的 | |
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79
laboriously
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| adv.艰苦地；费力地；辛勤地；（文体等）佶屈聱牙地 | |
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80
fortified
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| adj. 加强的 | |
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81
retired
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| adj.隐退的，退休的，退役的 | |
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82
galloped
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| （使马）飞奔，奔驰( gallop的过去式和过去分词 )； 快速做[说]某事 | |
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83
tempted
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| v.怂恿（某人）干不正当的事；冒…的险（tempt的过去分词） | |
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84
crest
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| n.顶点；饰章；羽冠；vt.达到顶点；vi.形成浪尖 | |
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85
scourge
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| n.灾难，祸害；v.蹂躏 | |
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86
chaff
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| v.取笑，嘲笑；n.谷壳 | |
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87
insignificant
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| adj.无关紧要的，可忽略的，无意义的 | |
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88
standing
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| n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的 | |
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89
sobbed
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| 哭泣，啜泣( sob的过去式和过去分词 )； 哭诉，呜咽地说 | |
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insolence
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| n.傲慢；无礼；厚颜；傲慢的态度 | |
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esteem
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| n.尊敬，尊重；vt.尊重，敬重；把…看作 | |
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92
thoroughly
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| adv.完全地，彻底地，十足地 | |
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93
magistrate
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| n.地方行政官，地方法官，治安官 | |
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94
farmhouses
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| n.农舍，农场的主要住房( farmhouse的名词复数 ) | |
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95
mules
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| 骡( mule的名词复数 )； 拖鞋； 顽固的人； 越境运毒者 | |
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96
utterly
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| adv.完全地，绝对地 | |
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heartily
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| adv.衷心地，诚恳地，十分，很 | |
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98
desperately
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| adv.极度渴望地，绝望地，孤注一掷地 | |
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luxurious
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| adj.精美而昂贵的；豪华的 | |
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100
foe
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| n.敌人，仇敌 | |
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101
overflowing
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| n. 溢出物,溢流 adj. 充沛的，充满的 动词overflow的现在分词形式 | |
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102
insufficient
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| adj.(for，of)不足的，不够的 | |
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103
subscription
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| n.预订，预订费，亲笔签名，调配法，下标（处方） | |
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104
upwards
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| adv.向上，在更高处...以上 | |
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105
debilitated
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| adj.疲惫不堪的，操劳过度的v.使（人或人的身体）非常虚弱( debilitate的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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106
oversight
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| n.勘漏，失察，疏忽 | |
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107
lieutenant
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| n.陆军中尉，海军上尉；代理官员，副职官员 | |
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108
dynamite
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| n./vt.(用)炸药(爆破) | |
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109
tampered
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| v.窜改( tamper的过去式 )；篡改；（用不正当手段）影响；瞎摆弄 | |
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110
piers
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| n.水上平台( pier的名词复数 )；（常设有娱乐场所的）突堤；柱子；墙墩 | |
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111
reconstruction
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| n.重建，再现，复原 | |
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112
preservation
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| n.保护，维护，保存，保留，保持 | |
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113
battalions
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| n.（陆军的）一营（大约有一千兵士）( battalion的名词复数 )；协同作战的部队；军队；（组织在一起工作的）队伍 | |
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114
deviation
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| n.背离，偏离；偏差，偏向；离题 | |
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115
contented
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| adj.满意的，安心的，知足的 | |
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116
decided
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| adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的 | |
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117
descended
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| a.为...后裔的，出身于...的 | |
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ascended
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| v.上升，攀登( ascend的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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119
convoy
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| vt.护送，护卫，护航；n.护送；护送队 | |
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120
concealment
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| n.隐藏, 掩盖，隐瞒 | |
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121
abreast
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| adv.并排地；跟上(时代)的步伐，与…并进地 | |
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122
scouts
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| 侦察员[机，舰]( scout的名词复数 )； 童子军； 搜索； 童子军成员 | |
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123
withdrawal
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| n.取回，提款；撤退，撤军；收回，撤销 | |
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124
gallantly
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| adv. 漂亮地，勇敢地，献殷勤地 | |
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