uct being that an
officer who had served in the corps had himself been murdered by the
Boers. Such a reason, even if it were true, could of course offer no
justification for indiscriminate revenge. The crimes were committed in
July and August 1901, but it was not until January 1902 that five of
the officers were put upon their trial and were found to be guilty as
principals or accessories of twelve murders. The corps was disbanded,
and three of the accused officers, Handcock, Wilton, and Morant, were
sentenced to death, while another, Picton, was cashiered. Handcock and
Morant were actually executed. This stern measure shows more clearly
than volumes of argument could do how high was the standard of
discipline in the British Army, and how heavy was the punishment, and
how vain all excuses, where it had been infringed. In the face of this
actual outrage and its prompt punishment how absurd becomes that crusade
against imaginary outrages preached by an ignorant press abroad, and by
renegade Englishmen at home.

To the south of Johannesburg, half-way between that town and the
frontier, there is a range of hills called the Zuikerboschrand, which
extends across from one railway system to the other. A number of Boers
were known to have sought refuge in this country, so upon February 12th
a small British force left Klip River Post in order to clear them out.
There were 320 men in all, composing the 28th Mounted Infantry, drawn
from the Lancashire Fusiliers, Warwicks, and Derbys, most of whom had
just arrived from Malta, which one would certainly imagine to be the
last place where mounted infantry could be effectively trained. Major
Dowell was in command. An advance was made into the hilly country, but
it was found that the enemy was in much greater force than had been
imagined. The familiar Boer tactics were used with the customary
success. The British line was held by a sharp fire in front, while
strong flanking parties galloped round each of the wings. It was with
great difficulty that any of the British extricated themselves from
their perilous position, and the safety of a portion of the force was
only secured by the devotion of a handful of officers and men, who gave
their lives in order to gain time for their comrades to get away. Twelve
killed and fifty wounded were our losses in this unfortunate skirmish,
and about one hundred prisoners supplied the victors with a useful
addition to their rifles and ammunition. A stron