Warned By Many A Tragic
Experience The British Still Lay Low In Spite Of The Flag.
'Come
out!
Come out!' they shouted. Eighty-two unwounded Boers filed out
of the enclosure, and the total number of prisoners came to 114,
while between twenty and thirty Boers were killed. Six guns, a
pom-pom, and 1000 head of cattle were the prizes of the victors.
This excellent little action showed that the British mounted
infantry had reached a point of efficiency at which they were quite
able to match the Boers at their own game. For hours they held them
with an inferior force, and finally, when the numbers became equal,
were able to drive them off and capture their guns. The credit is
largely due to Major Lean for his prompt initiative on discovering
their laager, and to Major Taylor for his handling of the force
during a very critical time. Above all, it was due to the dead
leader, Le Gallais, who had infected every man under him with his
own spirit of reckless daring. 'If I die, tell my mother that I die
happy, as we got the guns,' said he, with his failing breath. The
British total losses were twelve killed (four officers) and
thirty-three wounded (seven officers). Major Welch, a soldier of
great promise, much beloved by his men, was one of the slain.
Following closely after the repulse at Frederickstad this action
was a heavy blow to De Wet. At last, the British were beginning to
take something off the score which they owed the bold raider, but
there was to be many an item on either side before the long
reckoning should be closed. The Boers, with De Wet, fled south,
where it was not long before they showed that they were still a
military force with which we had to reckon.
In defiance of chronology it may perhaps make a clearer narrative
if I continue at once with the movements of De Wet from the time
that he lost his guns at Bothaville, and then come back to the
consideration of the campaign in the Transvaal, and to a short
account of those scattered and disconnected actions which break the
continuity of the story. Before following De Wet, however, it is
necessary to say something of the general state of the Orange River
Colony and of some military developments which had occurred there.
Under the wise and conciliatory rule of General Pretyman the
farmers in the south and west were settling down, and for the time
it looked as if a large district was finally pacified. The mild
taxation was cheerfully paid, schools were reopened, and a peace
party made itself apparent, with Fraser and Piet de Wet, the
brother of Christian, among its strongest advocates.
Apart from the operations of De Wet there appeared to be no large
force in the field in the Orange River Colony, but early in October
of 1900 a small but very mobile and efficient Boer force skirted
the eastern outposts of the British, struck the southern line of
communications, and then came up the western flank, attacking,
where an attack was possible, each of the isolated and weakly
garrisoned townlets to which it came, and recruiting its strength
from a district which had been hardly touched by the ravages of
war, and which by its prosperity alone might have proved the
amenity of British military rule. This force seems to have skirted
Wepener without attacking a place of such evil omen to their cause.
Their subsequent movements are readily traced by a sequence of
military events.
On October 1st Rouxville was threatened. On the 9th an outpost of
the Cheshire Militia was taken and the railway cut for a few hours
in the neighbourhood of Bethulie. A week later the Boer riders were
dotting the country round Phillipolis, Springfontein and
Jagersfontein, the latter town being occupied upon October 16th,
while the garrison held out upon the nearest kopje. The town was
retaken from the enemy by King Hall and his men, who were Seaforth
Highlanders and police. There was fierce fighting in the streets,
and from twenty to thirty of each side were killed or wounded.
Fauresmith was attacked on October 19th, but was also in the very
safe hands of the Seaforths, who held it against a severe assault.
Phillipolis was continually attacked between the 18th and the 24th,
but made a most notable defence, which was conducted by Gostling,
the resident magistrate, with forty civilians. For a week this band
of stalwarts held their own against 600 Boers, and were finally
relieved by a force from the railway. All the operations were not,
however, as successful as these three defences. On October 24th a
party of cavalry details belonging to many regiments were snapped
up in an ambuscade. On the next day Jacobsdal was attacked, with
considerable loss to the British. The place was entered in the
night, and the enemy occupied the houses which surrounded the
square. The garrison, consisting of about sixty men of the Capetown
Highlanders, had encamped in the square, and were helpless when
fire was opened upon them in the morning. There was practically no
resistance, and yet for hours a murderous fire was kept up upon the
tents in which they cowered, so that the affair seems not to have
been far removed from murder. Two-thirds of the little force were
killed or wounded. The number of the assailants does not appear to
have been great, and they vanished upon the appearance of a
relieving force from Modder River.
After the disaster at Jacobsdal the enemy appeared on November 1st
near Kimberley and captured a small convoy. The country round was
disturbed, and Settle was sent south with a column to pacify it. In
this way we can trace this small cyclone from its origin in the old
storm centre in the north-east of the Orange River Colony, sweeping
round the whole country, striking one post after another, and
finally blowing out at the corresponding point upon the other side
of the seat of war.
Enter page number
PreviousNext
Page 160 of 222
Words from 161827 to 162848
of 225456
