he Boer casualties have not been ascertained, but
twenty-four of their dead were actually picked up within the British
lines. The British lost sixty killed and wounded, while about as many
were taken prisoners. Altogether the action was a brisk and a gallant
one, of which neither side has cause to be ashamed. The simultaneous
attacks upon six other stations were none of them pressed home, and were
demonstrations rather than assaults.

The attempts upon Kaalfontein and on Zuurfontein were both made in the
early morning of January 12th. These two places are small stations upon
the line between Johannesburg and Pretoria. It is clear that the Boers
were very certain of their own superior mobility before they ventured
to intrude into the very heart of the British position, and the result
showed that they were right in supposing that even if their attempt were
repulsed, they would still be able to make good their escape. Better
horsed, better riders, with better intelligence and a better knowledge
of the country, their ventures were always attended by a limited
liability.

The attacks seem to have been delivered by a strong commando, said to
have been under the command of Beyers, upon its way to join the Boer
concentration in the Eastern Transvaal. They had not the satisfaction,
however, of carrying the garrison of a British post with them, for
at each point they were met by a stout resistance and beaten
off. Kaalfontein was garrisoned by 120 men of Cheshire under
Williams-Freeman, Zuurfontein by as many Norfolks and a small body of
Lincolns under Cordeaux and Atkinson. For six hours the pressure was
considerable, the assailants of Kaalfontein keeping up a brisk shell and
rifle fire, while those of Zuurfontein were without artillery. At the
end of that time two armoured trains came up with reinforcements and the
enemy continued his trek to the eastward. Knox 's 2nd cavalry brigade
followed them up, but without any very marked result.

Zeerust and Lichtenburg had each been garrisoned and provisioned by Lord
Methuen before he carried his column away to the south-west, where much
rough and useful work awaited him. The two towns were at once invested
by the enemy, who made an attack upon each of them. That upon Zeerust,
on January 7th, was a small matter and easily repulsed. A more
formidable one was made on Lichtenburg, on March 3rd. The attack was
delivered by De la Rey, Smuts, and Celliers, with 1500 men, who galloped
up to