derable one, not fewer than
six hundred rifles, so that the action at Holspruit is one which adds
another name of honour to the battle-roll of the Bays. It is pleasing to
add that in this and the other actions which were fought at the end of
the war our wounded met with kindness and consideration from the enemy.

We may now descend to the Orange River Colony and trace the course of
those operations which were destined to break the power of De Wet's
commando. On these we may concentrate our attention, for the marchings
and gleanings and snipings of the numerous small columns in the other
portions of the colony, although they involved much arduous and useful
work, do not claim a particular account.

After the heavy blow which he dealt Firmin's Yeomanry, De Wet retired,
as has been told, into the Langberg, whence he afterwards retreated
towards Reitz. There he was energetically pushed by Elliot's columns,
which had attained such mobility that 150 miles were performed in three
days within a single week. Our rough schoolmasters had taught us our
lesson, and the soldiering which accomplished the marches of Bruce
Hamilton, Elliot, Rimington, and the other leaders of the end of the war
was very far removed from that which is associated with ox-wagons and
harmoniums.

Moving rapidly, and covering himself by a succession of rearguard
skirmishes, De Wet danced like a will-o'the-wisp in front of and round
the British columns. De Lisle, Fanshawe, Byng, Rimington, Dawkins, and
Rawlinson were all snatching at him and finding him just beyond their
finger-tips. The master-mind at Pretoria had, however, thought out a
scheme which was worthy of De Wet himself in its ingenuity. A glance
at the map will show that the little branch from Heilbron to Wolvehoek
forms an acute angle with the main line. Both these railways were
strongly blockhoused and barbed-wired, so that any force which was
driven into the angle, and held in it by a force behind it, would be in
a perilous position. To attempt to round De Wet's mobile burghers into
this obvious pen would have been to show one's hand too clearly. In vain
is the net laid in sight of the bird. The drive was therefore made away
from this point, with the confident expectation that the guerilla chief
would break back through the columns, and that they might then pivot
round upon him and hustle him so rapidly into the desired position that
he would not realise his danger until it was too late. Byng'