t open a portion of the road from
Colesberg, where it goes through a narrow pass known as Plessis Poort.
Immediately French planned its capture. One detachment was sent to
occupy Bastard's Nek, another defile to the west of Plessis Poort.
Covered by a cross-fire from the artillery, the infantry were to move
forward and seize the road. In order to divert the Boers' attention
from these matters, a demonstration was ordered along the whole
British line. Advancing carefully the infantry met with little
opposition, a fact which made French suspicious. As the silence
continued he abruptly ordered the "Retire." The moment that his men
obeyed, a fierce fire broke out from the enemy, who were present in
force. French's caution was justified.

[Page Heading: MASTERS OF TACTICS]

During all this time the rival fronts had been gradually stretching
out, in the constant effort to parry outflanking movements, until they
reached the extraordinary length of fifty miles. Yet at the utmost
neither general could throw more than ten thousand men into the field!
During the last days of French's command, the fighting had become more
a matter of outpost skirmishes than anything else. The Boer generals,
who now included De Wet and Delarey, were entirely taken up with the
effort to out-manoeuvre the irrepressible French.

It was here that French first mastered the new problem of modern
warfare--the extended front. The ability of the rival generals
gradually gave the campaign the resemblance of a Mukden or a Mons in
miniature. That the British force was not entirely out-manoeuvred by
such masters of tactics as Delarey and De Wet says something for
French's extraordinary mastery of a new method of warfare in something
like six weeks' time.

Herein lies French's peculiar genius. Although he knows all the
methods of all the schoolmen, he is capable as one soldier expressed
it, "of making his own tactics brand new on the spot." To that fact
one may attribute his consistent superiority to the Boer. Where even
Kitchener and Roberts doubted, French invariably did the right thing.
During the following fortnight he had more brilliant opportunities of
demonstrating his unique abilities.

FOOTNOTES:

[11] To those interested enough to pursue the subject further, I
commend _With French and his Cavalry in South Africa_, by C.S.
Goldman. (Macmillan & Co.)

CHAPTER VII

THE DASH TO KIMBERLEY

French's Pledge--The Task--The First Shell--"H