Another Chapter
Must Be Devoted To The Movement Towards The South Of The Boer
Forces And The Dispositions Which Lord Roberts Made To Meet It.
CHAPTER 23.
THE CLEARING OF THE SOUTH-EAST.
Lord Roberts never showed his self-command and fixed purpose more
clearly than during his six weeks' halt at Bloemfontein. De Wet,
the most enterprising and aggressive of the Boer commanders, was
attacking his eastern posts and menacing his line of
communications. A fussy or nervous general would have harassed his
men and worn out his horses by endeavouring to pursue a number of
will-of-the-wisp commandos. Roberts contented himself by building
up his strength at the capital, and by spreading nearly twenty
thousand men along his line of rail from Bloemfontein to Bethulie.
When the time came he would strike, but until then he rested. His
army was not only being rehorsed and reshod, but in some respects
was being reorganised. One powerful weapon which was forged during
those weeks was the collection of the mounted infantry of the
central army into one division, which was placed under the command
of Ian Hamilton, with Hutton and Ridley as brigadiers. Hutton's
brigade contained the Canadians, New South Wales men, West
Australians, Queenslanders, New Zealanders, Victorians, South
Australians, and Tasmanians, with four battalions of Imperial
Mounted Infantry, and several light batteries. Ridley's brigade
contained the South African irregular regiments of cavalry, with
some imperial troops. The strength of the whole division came to
over ten thousand rifles, and in its ranks there rode the hardiest
and best from every corner of the earth over which the old flag is
flying.
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