onged for a cavalry
brigade and horse artillery battery to let me reap the fruits of a
hard-fought action." "The loss in both these actions," Methuen says,
"was great, and convinces me that if an enemy has his heart in the
right place he ought to hold his own against vastly superior forces,
and it does our men great credit that nothing stops them."

Both actions, in short, illustrate the same lessons, the Boers'
particular advantages for defence, their readiness in retreat, and, it
must be added, the prompt facility with which they resorted to it.
When the most that can be said has been said for their methods--and
much can be said--it still remains that an eye ever to the rear, upon
escape, is militarily a demoralising attitude upon which no sound
system of warfare can be built up. The nervousness of the Boers at any
seeming threat to their line of retreat has been so obvious as to
elicit frequent comment. As a predominant motive it is ruinous.

The loss of the British at Graspan was 16 {p.152} killed, 169
wounded. Lord Methuen noted in his report that he had fought
distinctly different Boers on the two occasions. If he was not
mistaken, this helps to account for the greatly increased numbers
encountered three days later at Modder River. At Kimberley also it had
been observed that the number of the besiegers was now much
diminished, and a report, substantially correct, was received there
that Cronje was marching south with 3,000 men. These, with the two
bodies already fought, would bring the Boer force up to the 8,000
estimated by Methuen to be present at the next action, of November 28.
The Kimberley garrison did not fail to occupy the attention of their
besiegers by frequent sorties, one in considerable strength occurring
on the day of the Modder River fight; but such measures, however
commendable, cannot beyond a certain point impose upon a sagacious
commander with good information, and Cronje well knew that to stop
Methuen was his principal affair.

The British force rested two days after Graspan, and at 4 A.M. of
November 28 resumed {p.153} its northward march. Methuen's
information had led him to believe that the Modder was not held in
force, and that he would meet his next serious opposition at
Spytfontein, where the Boers would make their last stand; the country
between it and Kimberley, a dozen miles further on, being open and
unfavourable to their defensive tactics. Reckoning upon this, he first
intended,