ut a mile and a half south-east of Belmont station.[153]
These sketches were subsequently reproduced and distributed among the
officers of the column before the action of the 23rd. Later in the day
Lord Methuen himself studied the ground from the hills near Thomas'
farm, and then returned to Witteputs, followed by the mounted troops,
many of whom had covered forty miles during the day.

[Footnote 153: See map No. 10.]

[Sidenote: Approach to Belmont.]

In the grey of the morning of the 22nd of November, the mounted
infantry swooped from Witteputs upon Thomas' farm, occupied it, and
threw out a chain of posts facing the station of Belmont and the hills
to the east. Lord Methuen, with his staff, the brigadiers commanding
the infantry brigades, Lt.-Col. Hall, C.R.A., and Lt.-Col. Sharpe,
C.R.E., arrived shortly afterwards, and again reconnoitred the Boer
position from the high ground above Thomas' farm. When the General had
completed his reconnaissance, he dictated the orders for the attack
which he proposed to deliver on the morrow. Then, leaving the mounted
infantry to hold the ground they occupied, and to protect the
companies of Royal engineers who were on their way from Witteputs to
repair the railway, Lord Methuen returned with his staff to the
column, to prepare for a further advance that afternoon. During the
morning there was intermittent firing between the mounted infantry
outposts and parties of the enemy, who occasionally showed themselves
for a short time, and then disappeared without affording any clue as
to the strength of the force concealed among the kopjes. In the
afternoon the Boers brought two guns into action, chiefly directed
against the 7th Field company R.E., then employed in improving the
supply of water at the site selected for that night's bivouac near
Thomas' farm. To silence this artillery fire the 18th and 75th
batteries were hurriedly despatched from Witteputs, and in order to
save the troops at Belmont as quickly as possible from this annoyance,
the Officer Commanding trotted nearly the whole distance. The horses,
still weak from the effects of the long sea voyage, suffered severely
from the strain. Five indeed actually died of exhaustion, and all were
so weary that during the engagement of the 23rd, the artillery was
unable to move with any degree of rapidity.

[Sidenote: Division gathers before Belmont, Nov. 22nd.]

At 4.30 p.m. the remainder of the troops marched from Wittep