ord Roberts on Tuesday
reported that after examination of the enemy's position by
reconnaissance in force, he decided to avoid the heavy loss involved in
an assault, but to bombard the enemy and to turn his attention to the
approaching reinforcements. The result was that the reinforcements were
driven off and dispersed with heavy loss to them and trifling loss to
the British. This seems to have been effected on Tuesday. Boer prisoners
reported that they have come from Ladysmith, and the commander of the
reinforcements is said to have been Commandant Botha, who was last heard
of at Spion Kop. On Tuesday also the shelling of Cronje's position is
said to have induced him to ask for an armistice, which must be assumed
to be the prelude to a surrender; at any rate the request would hardly
be granted except to settle the terms of a capitulation or to enable the
Boer general to be told that unconditional surrender was the only
alternative to a continuance of the bombardment.

The advance into the Free State implied that Lord Roberts meant to take
the benefit of acting on "interior lines," that is, in plain English,
of getting in between his enemies and striking them in turn before they
can unite or combine. This plan required him with his main body to
attack the enemy's reinforcements in detail as they came up. In that way
he secured time for the completion of the action against Cronje, and
upon its favourable issue he will be master of the situation.

In Natal the situation has been changed by the action of Lord Roberts.
The two Boer Republics are well aware that they must stand or fall
together. Either the Boer Commander-in-Chief has decided to strike at
Lord Roberts, in which case he must move the bulk of his force into the
Free State, or he hopes to be in time to resist Lord Roberts after
making an end of Sir George White. In the former case he must raise the
siege of Ladysmith, for he cannot carry it on without a strong covering
force to resist Sir Redvers Buller. Then there will be forty thousand
British troops in Natal, whose advance will be almost as dangerous as
that of Lord Roberts. In the latter case there can be little chance of a
successful resistance to Lord Roberts, whose advance northwards from
Bloemfontein would in due time compromise the safety of the Boer army.
The reports do not enable us to feel sure which decision has been taken.
Sir Redvers Buller's telegram of Wednesday to the effect that one of his
di