ost, would very likely rise, believing us to be
afraid, and the evil might very likely spread to the Dutch in
Cape Colony; and the effect on our natives, of whom there were
750,000 in Natal and Zululand, might be disastrous. They as yet
believe in our power--they look to us--but if we withdraw from
Glencoe they will look on it in the light of a defeat, and I
could not answer for what they, or at all events a large
proportion of them, might do."

[Sidenote: Sir G. White yields and retains Glencoe.]

Influenced by these strong representations and especially by the
suggestion that the evacuation of Glencoe might lead to a general
rising of the natives--a very grave consideration in the eyes of an
officer with long Indian experience--the British commander decided to
acquiesce for the moment in the separation of his troops which had
been arranged by Major-General Symons. Sir George conceived, however,
from the Intelligence reports before him that the bulk of the Boer
commandos were assembling behind the screen of the Drakensberg, and
that the northern portion of Natal would be their primary and
principal object. He retained his own belief that the safety of the
colony could only be fully secured by decisive strokes at the enemy's
columns as they emerged from the mountain passes and, in pursuance of
this policy, General White impressed on his staff the necessity for
making such preparations as would set free the maximum number of
troops for active operations in the field. Under these circumstances
Sir W. Penn Symons started for Dundee on October 10th and on October
11th Sir George White went by train from Maritzburg to Ladysmith. The
distribution of the forces in Natal on the outbreak of war will be
found in Appendix 3.

[Sidenote: Boer plans.]

The exertions of ten special service officers despatched to South
Africa three months earlier had ensured the acquisition of accurate
information as to the enemy's mobilisation, strength, and points of
concentration. Sir George White's appreciation of the situation was,
therefore, in conformity with the actual facts. The main strength of
the enemy had been concentrated for an invasion of Natal. The
President hoped that it would sweep that colony clear of British
troops down to the sea, and would hoist the Vierkleur over the port of
Durban. Small detachments had been told off to guard the Colesberg,
Bethulie, and Aliwal North bridges and to watch