Misfortune had
solidified us where success might have caused a sentimental
opposition.
On the whole, the energetic mood of the nation was reflected by the
decided measures of the Government. Before the deep-sea cables had
told us the lists of our dead, steps had been taken to prove to the
world how great were our latent resources and how determined our
spirit. On December 18th, two days after Colenso, the following
provisions were made for carrying on the campaign.
1. That as General Buller's hands were full in Natal the
supervision and direction of the whole campaign should be placed in
the hands of Lord Roberts, with Lord Kitchener as his chief of
staff. Thus the famous old soldier and the famous young one were
called together to the assistance of the country.
2. That all the remaining army reserves should be called out.
3. That the 7th Division (10,000 men) should be despatched to
Africa, and that an 8th Division should be formed ready for
service.
4. That considerable artillery reinforcements, including a howitzer
brigade, should go out.
5. That eleven Militia battalions be sent abroad.
6. That a strong contingent of Volunteers be sent out.
7. That a Yeomanry mounted force be despatched.
8. That mounted corps be raised at the discretion of the
Commander-in-Chief in South Africa.
9. That the patriotic offers of further contingents from the
colonies be gratefully accepted.
By these measures it was calculated that from seventy to a hundred
thousand men would be added to our South African armies, the
numbers of which were already not short of a hundred thousand.
It is one thing, however, to draw up paper reinforcements, and it
is another, in a free country where no compulsion would be
tolerated, to turn these plans into actual regiments and squadrons.
But if there were any who doubted that this ancient nation still
glowed with the spirit of its youth his fears must soon have passed
away. For this far-distant war, a war of the unseen foe and of the
murderous ambuscade, there were so many volunteers that the
authorities were embarrassed by their numbers and their
pertinacity. It was a stimulating sight to see those long queues of
top-hatted, frock-coated young men who waited their turn for the
orderly room with as much desperate anxiety as if hard fare, a veld
bed, and Boer bullets were all that life had that was worth the
holding. Especially the Imperial Yeomanry, a corps of riders and
shots, appealed to the sporting instincts of our race. Many could
ride and not shoot, many could shoot and not ride, more candidates
were rejected than were accepted, and yet in a very short time
eight thousand men from every class were wearing the grey coats and
bandoliers.
