dead, while sixteen officers were wounded. The net result of the action
was that the British rear-guard had been annihilated, but that the
main body and the convoy, which was the chief object of the attack,
was saved. The Boer loss was considerable, being about one hundred
and fifty. In spite of the Boer success nothing could suit the British
better than hard fighting of the sort, since whatever the immediate
result of it might be, it must necessarily cause a wastage among the
enemy which could never be replaced. The gallantry of the Boer charge
was only equalled by that of the resistance offered round the guns,
and it is an action to which both sides can look back without shame or
regret. It was feared that the captured guns would soon be used to break
the blockhouse line, but nothing of the kind was attempted, and within a
few weeks they were both recovered by British columns.

In order to make a consecutive and intelligible narrative, I will
continue with an account of the operations in this south-eastern portion
of the Transvaal from the action of Brakenlaagte down to the end of the
year 1901. These were placed in the early part of November, under the
supreme command of General Bruce Hamilton, and that energetic commander
set in motion a number of small columns, which effected numerous
captures. He was much helped in his work by the new lines of
blockhouses, one of which extended from Standerton to Ermelo, while
another connected Brugspruit with Greylingstad. The huge country was
thus cut into manageable districts, and the fruits were soon seen by the
large returns of prisoners which came from this part of the seat of war.

Upon December 3rd Bruce Hamilton, who had the valuable assistance of
Wools-Sampson to direct his intelligence, struck swiftly out from Ermelo
and fell upon a Boer laager in the early morning, capturing ninety-six
prisoners. On the 10th he overwhelmed the Bethel commando by a similar
march, killing seven and capturing 131. Williams and Wing commanded
separate columns in this operation, and their energy may be judged from
the fact that they covered fifty-one miles during the twenty-four hours.
On the 12th Hamilton's columns were on the war-path once more, and
another commando was wiped out. Sixteen killed and seventy prisoners
were the fruits of this expedition. For the second time in a week the
columns had done their fifty miles a day, and it was no surprise to
hear from their commander that they