of the movement. The object of Beatson's
column was to hold the drifts of the Crocodile River, while Benson's was
to seize the neighbouring hills called the Bothasberg. This it was
hoped would pin the Boers from the west, while Kitchener from Lydenburg
advanced from the east in three separate columns. Pulteney and Douglas
would move up from Belfast in the centre, with Dulstoom for their
objective. It was the familiar drag net of French, but facing north
instead of south.

On April 13th the southern columns were started, but already the British
preparations had alarmed the Boers, and Botha, with his main commandos,
had slipped south across the line into that very district from which he
had been so recently driven. Viljoen's commando still remained to the
north, and the British troops, pouring in from every side, converged
rapidly upon it. The success of the operations was considerable, though
not complete. The Tantesberg, which had been the rallying-point of the
Boers, was occupied, and Roos-Senekal, their latest capital, was
taken, with their State papers and treasure. Viljoen, with a number of
followers, slipped through between the columns, but the greater part
of the burghers, dashing furiously about like a shoal of fish when they
become conscious of the net, were taken by one or other of the columns.
A hundred of the Boksburg commando surrendered en masse, fifty more were
taken at Roos-Senekal; forty-one of the formidable Zarps with Schroeder,
their leader, were captured in the north by the gallantry and wit of a
young Australian officer named Reid; sixty more were hunted down by
the indefatigable Vialls, leader of the Bushmen. From all parts of the
district came the same story of captures and surrenders.

Knowing, however, that Botha and Viljoen had slipped through to the
south of the railway line, Lord Kitchener determined to rapidly transfer
the scene of the operations to that side. At the end of April, after a
fortnight's work, during which this large district was cropped, but
by no means shaved, the troops turned south again. The results of the
operation had been eleven hundred prisoners, almost the same number
as French had taken in the south-east, together with a broken Krupp, a
pom-pom, and the remains of the big naval gun taken from us at Helvetia.

It was determined that Plumer's advance upon Pietersburg should not be
a mere raid, but that steps should be taken to secure all that he had
gained, and to hol