etrated as far as
Nottingham Road, but a day's ride from Maritzburg. The Boers were,
therefore, well in rear of the British advanced posts, and
Lieut.-General Clery felt some doubt whether a temporary retirement
from Estcourt might not prove necessary. The chief difficulty was the
lack of mounted troops to bring the enemy to action and put a stop to
his pillaging the outlying farms of the Natal colonists.

[Sidenote: Sir Redvers, 22nd Nov./99, starts for Natal.]

Such were throughout South Africa the facts known to him when Sir
Redvers Buller, having issued instructions for the guidance of the
senior officer in Cape Colony, Sir F. Forestier-Walker, and for the
three commanders in the field, Lieut.-Generals Lord Methuen, French,
and Sir W. Gatacre, embarked at 7 p.m., the 22nd November, in the S.S.
_Mohawk_ for Natal. His military secretary, Col. the Hon. F. Stopford,
and aides-de-camp accompanied him. The rest of the Headquarter staff
remained at Cape Town.

[Sidenote: His views at that time.]

The appreciation of the situation written by the General
commanding-in-chief forty-eight hours earlier will place the reader in
possession of his views on the eve of his embarkation for Durban. The
memorandum ran as follows:--

Cape Town,
_November 20th, 1899_.
GENERAL WALKER,

Before starting for Natal I think I should leave you my
appreciation of the situation.

1. Ever since I have been here we have been like the man, who,
with a long day's work before him, overslept himself and so was
late for everything all day.

2. In disposing the troops which arrived from England I have
considered that it was of the first importance to keep Cape
Colony from rebellion, even if by so doing I temporarily lost
Maritzburg.

3. I consequently have formed a strong column under Lord Methuen
which is in a position to take the field and I am forming a force
of mounted men and horse artillery under General French, which
will, I hope, be able to meet any commandos which may invade the
Colony. I have also done all I can to safeguard the western and
eastern lines of railway.

4. The state of Kimberley necessitated the first employment of
Lord Methuen's force in that direction. He starts to-day. General
French is at Naauwpoort, organising a column to attack Colesberg