aggressive movement of the Boers.
There was a long lull after the unsuccessful attack upon Kekewich's camp
at Moedwill, but close observers of the war distrusted this ominous calm
and expected a storm to follow.

The new year found the British connecting Ventersdorp with Tafelkop by
a blockhouse line. The latter place had been a centre of Boer activity.
Colonel Hickie's column covered this operation. Meanwhile Methuen
had struck across through Wolmaranstad as far as Vryburg. In these
operations, which resulted in constant small captures, he was assisted
by a column under Major Paris working from Kimberley. From Vryburg Lord
Methuen made his way in the middle of January to Lichtenburg, meeting
with a small rebuff in the neighbourhood of that town, for a detachment
of Yeomanry was overwhelmed by General Celliers, who killed eight,
wounded fifteen, and captured forty. From Lichtenburg Lord Methuen
continued his enormous trek, and arrived on February 1st at Klerksdorp
once more. Little rest was given to his hard-worked troops, and they
were sent off again within the week under the command of Von Donop,
with the result that on February 8th, near Wolmaranstad, they captured
Potgieter's laager with forty Boer prisoners. Von Donop remained at
Wolmaranstad until late in February; On the 23rd he despatched an
empty convoy back to Klerksdorp, the fate of which will be afterwards
narrated.

Kekewich and Hickie had combined their forces at the beginning of
February. On February 4th an attempt was made by them to surprise
General De la Rey. The mounted troops who were despatched under Major
Leader failed in this enterprise, but they found and overwhelmed the
laager of Sarel Alberts, capturing 132 prisoners. By stampeding the
horses the Boer retreat was cut off, and the attack was so furiously
driven home, especially by the admirable Scottish Horse, that few of
the enemy got away. Alberts himself with all his officers were among the
prisoners. From this time until the end of February this column was not
seriously engaged.

It has been stated above that on February 23rd Von Donop sent in an
empty convoy from Wolmaranstad to Klerksdorp, a distance of about fifty
miles. Nothing had been heard for some time of De la Rey, but he had
called together his men and was waiting to bring off some coup. The
convoy gave him the very opportunity for which he sought.

The escort of the convoy consisted of the 5th Imperial Yeomanry, sixty
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