Chapter 31 - Page 2

Boers falling into his hands
with little opposition. On September 30th Hart returned to
Krugersdorp, where, save for one skirmish upon the Gatsrand on
November 22nd, he appears to have had no actual fighting to do during
the remainder of the year.

After the clearing of the eastern border of the Transvaal by the
movement of Pole-Carew along the railway line, and of Buller aided by
Ian Hamilton in the mountainous country to the north of it, there were
no operations of importance in this district. A guard was kept upon
the frontier to prevent the return of refugees and the smuggling of
ammunition, while General Kitchener, the brother of the Sirdar, broke
up a few small Boer laagers in the neighbourhood of
Lydenburg. Smith-Dorrien guarded the line at Belfast, and on two
occasions, November 1st and November 6th, he made aggressive movements
against the enemy. The first, which was a surprise executed in
concert with Colonel Spens of the Shropshires, was frustrated by a
severe blizzard, which prevented the troops from pushing home their
success. The second was a two days' expedition, which met with a
spirited opposition, and demands a fuller notice.

This was made from Belfast, and the force, which consisted of about
fourteen hundred men, advanced south to the Komati River. The
infantry were Suffolks and Shropshires, the cavalry Canadians and 5th
Lancers, with two Canadian guns and four of the 84th battery. All day
the Boer snipers clung to the column, as they had done to French's
cavalry in the same district. Mere route marches without a very
definite and adequate objective appear to be rather exasperating than
overawing, for so long as the column is moving onwards the most timid
farmer may be tempted into long-range fire from the flanks or rear.
The river was reached and the Boers driven from a position which they
had taken up, but their signal fires brought mounted riflemen from
every farm, and the retreat of the troops was pressed as they returned
to Belfast. There was all the material for a South African Lexington.
The most difficult of military operations, the covering of a
detachment from a numerous and aggressive enemy, was admirably carried
out by the Canadian gunners and dragoons under the command of Colonel
Lessard. So severe was the pressure that sixteen of the latter were
for a time in the hands of the enemy, who attempted something in the
nature of a charge upon the steadfast rearguard. The movement was
repulsed, and the total Boer loss would appear to have been
considerable, since two of their leaders, Commandant Henry Prinsloo
and General Joachim Fourie, were killed, while General Johann Grobler
was wounded. If the rank and file suffered in proportion the losses
must have been