brigades to Natal and the other three towards the Orange River; half his
cavalry brigade going to Colesberg, and a mixed force of the
communication troops to Sterkstrom on the East London line.

This design gave no promise of effecting the dominant task, the crushing
of the Boer army, though it aimed at grappling in detail with several of
the subordinate tasks; but its execution proved as indecisive as its
conception. In Natal the main force under Sir Redvers Buller himself
completely failed in the attack on the Boer army at Colenso on December
15th; Lord Methuen's advance for the relief of Kimberley came to a
standstill at the Modder River, and met with a serious repulse at
Magersfontein; while the smaller parties of Gatacre and French have made
little headway against the Free State troops and the rebellious Cape
farmers.

The fifth division, the bulk of which was directed to Natal, has been
added to Sir Redvers Buller's force, without having enabled him as yet
to strike the decisive blow or even to prevent a determined assault upon
Ladysmith by the Boer army. That assault is believed to be now
impending, and its delivery will close the second chapter of the war. If
Sir Redvers Buller can win his battle in Natal while Sir George White is
still unconquered, the military power of the Boers will receive a great
shock, and the issue of the war will no longer be doubtful, though its
end may be distant. But if Sir Redvers Buller should again fail the
result must be to leave Sir George White's force in extreme peril, to
give the Boer forces the spirit of a veteran and victorious army, and to
encourage the Dutch element at the Cape to take an active part against
the British.

This is the situation which confronts Lord Roberts on his arrival at the
Cape. The problem bears a general resemblance to that which Sir Redvers
Buller had to solve at the beginning of November, but there are
important differences. Lord Roberts has in hand only a brigade, the
twelfth or first of the sixth division, which has just reached Cape
Town; he has to expect the rest of the sixth division, the seventh, a
possible eighth, and a considerable extra force of mounted troops and of
artillery; but the arrival of these forces will be gradual, and he will
have no mass of fresh troops until the beginning of next month. Even
then he may not have the means of feeding on the march the newly-arrived
divisions. Meantime a British victory in Natal would be more