Three Years' War

ing Forces of

o give us the impression that they were able to attack us at any moment and so to keep us tied to our positions. In the meantime they were maki

sh. But General De la Rey had been so successful that he had prevented Lord Roberts, notwithstanding the enormous numbe

Yet had he attempted it, he would have fared as badly as Sir Redvers Buller did in Natal. Our positions at Colesberg, and t

een, that the English rene

eral French, issued from the camps at Modder River and Koedoesberg. This latter

od on the ridges of Magersfontein, I was able to look down upon the English camps, and I saw that it would be sheer madness to pit three hundred and fifty men against General French's larg

nearly completed a stone wall across the hill from east to west. Their camp was situated on the Riet River, which flows beside the southern slopes of the berg. The

le to remain in this situation, and I gave orders that my men should climb the mountain. We succeeded in reaching the summit, but were unable to get within seven hundred paces of the enemy, owi

the river, we had to ride about four

rushed from position to position, and at last were only three hundred paces from the enemy. And now I was forced to rest content with the gro

arrival. In a very short time a small party of burghers made their appearance. They had two field-pieces with th

they were forced to retreat some hundred paces. But we gained little by this, for the new positions of the English were quite as good as those from which we had driven them, an

seek protection behind the mountain. I despatched General Froneman to hold the river bank, and the sluit[17] which descended to the river from the north. While carrying out this order he was exposed to a heavy fir

affair would end. At this juncture I received a report from a burgher, whom I had placed on the eastern side of the mountain to watch the movements of the English at the Modder River. He told me that a mountain corps, eight hundred to a thousand men strong, was approaching

other burghers were in positions closer to the enemy, and I could not withdraw them without exposing them too seriously to the bu

enemy. When we arrived at the precipice which falls sheer from the mountai

s it was too low to give us cover. The English were scarcely more than four hundred paces from us. They dismounted and opened a heavy fire. For ten or fifteen minutes we successfully kept them back. Then the sun went down! and to my great relief the enemy moved away in the direction of their com

al's brother-joined us with two hundred

eral French had during the night retreated to headquarters. What losses he ha

ended, and so we ret

ordered me to take a force of four hundred and fifty men with a Krupp and a Maxim-Nordenfeldt, and to drive back the enemy. At my request, Commandant

r Blauwbank,[18] and, having arrived there, we took up our positions. Sho

denberg's Drift. It was thus clear that Lord Roberts had not sent his troops to Koffiefontein with the intention of proceeding by t

n number-I placed under Commandant Lubbe, giving him orders to proceed in a direction parallel to the advance of the English, who now were nearing Paardenberg's Drift, and to keep a keen

posing them in front, my duty was to ke

ter in the war was on every man's lips for his exploits in Cape Colony, but who then was only the head of our heliograph corps. I informed General Cronje in my message that the English, who had been stationed at

Scheepers returned he told me what reply General Cronje had made. It is from no lack of respect for the General, whom I hold in the highest honour

hen Scheepers had given my message. "Just you go

n actual fighting. These men, called by us "water draggers," correspond to the English "non-combatants." I ordered these burghers to withdraw to a spot two hours'

le commando entirely concealed,

ing in the wake of the British troops. I asked myself whether it was possible for me to capture it then and there, and came to the conclusion that it was out of the questi

convoy camping near Blauwbank, just to the west of the Riet River. I also obs

ot yet moved out of camp. The troops, as I learnt afterward

he three or four hundred troops who were guarding it offer

s we had taken up under cover of the mule waggons. As I knew that it would be a serious blow to Lord Roberts to lose the provisions he was expecting, I was firml

e had achieved. We had captured sixteen hundred oxen and forty prisoners; whilst General Fourie, wh

ll number of burghers I had at my disposal made

y. As to the enemy's camp, it was entirely deserted. Our booty was enormous, and consisted of two hundred heavily-laden waggons, and eleven or twelve water-carts and trollies. On some of the waggons we found klinkers,[19] jam, milk, sardines, salmon, cases of corned beef, and other such provisi

ght be expected at any moment. Had these arrived w

d be put in a grave difficulty if he lost all this food. I did not lose a moment's time, but at once ordered the burghers to load up the waggons as speedily as possible,

ctor and driver of waggons told in our favour. Consequently we did not find it beyond our power to get the waggons on the move. It was, however, very tedious work, for how could any of us be sure that we were not placing the after-oxen in front and the fore-oxen behi

at our ill-sorted teams found the work almost beyond their strength. Thus it happened that we took a very long time to cover the first few miles, as we had constantl

ties; the first, consisting of two hundred men with the Krupp gun, I ordered to proceed with the convoy; the second, consisting of a hund

red the convoy. We made our way towards them, and when we were at a distance of about three thousand yards, I sent a little note to t

d the English camp; and the officer in command was not l

l De Wet?" the

" repl

that we are well provided with food and ammunition, and that we hold a strong position in some houses and kraals. Every moment

; but when he had finished, I answered him in q

t, if he does not surrender at once, I shall shell him and storm his position. He wil

I pointed to the Maxim-Nordenfeldt, which stood a few

of the gun, "not to stir from your position till we have got ten miles

e with the utmost astonishment. I asked myself what sort of

you ten minutes from the moment you dismount on arriving

back to his camp, the stones

take us long to reach the camp, and there we found fifty-eight mount

single scouting party coming from the direction of Paardenberg's Drift. This proved to consist of the hundred burghers whom I had sent with Commandant Lubbe to General Cronje's assistance. I heard from Lubbe that General French had

th a reinforcement of one hundred and fifty men. This report convinced me that the convoy I had captured would reach Edenberg Station without mishap, and accordingly I went after it to fetch back the gun which would no longer be needed. I found the convoy encamped about six miles from Koffiefontei

n to up-saddle at midnight, and by half-past two we had joined Vice-Vechtgeneraal Philip Botha. I had sent him word to be ready to mo

ERG (CR

ETCH BY T