The
Seaforths And The Sussex Had Also Gripped The Positions In Front Of
Them, And Taken Some Punishment In Doing So.
The outworks of the
great mountain fortress were all taken, and on July 26th the
British columns were converging on Fouriesburg, while Naauwpoort on
the line of retreat was held by Macdonald.
It was only a matter of
time now with the Boers.
On the 28th Clements was still advancing, and contracting still
further the space which was occupied by our stubborn foe. He found
himself faced by the stiff position of Slaapkrantz, and a hot
little action was needed before the Boers could be dislodged. The
fighting fell upon Brabant's Horse, the Royal Irish, and the
Wiltshires. Three companies of the latter seized a farm upon the
enemy's left, but lost ten men in doing so, while their gallant
colonel, Carter, was severely wounded in two places. The
Wiltshires, who were excellently handled by Captain Bolton, held on
to the farm and were reinforced there by a handful of the Scots
Guards. In the night the position was abandoned by the Boers, and
the advance swept onwards. On all sides the pressure was becoming
unendurable. The burghers in the valley below could see all day the
twinkle of British heliographs from every hill, while at night the
constant flash of signals told of the sleepless vigilance which
hemmed them in. Upon July 29th, Prinsloo sent in a request for an
armistice, which was refused. Later in the day he despatched a
messenger with the white flag to Hunter, with an announcement of
his unconditional surrender.
On July 30th the motley army which had held the British off so long
emerged from among the mountains. But it soon became evident that
in speaking for all Prinsloo had gone beyond his powers. Discipline
was low and individualism high in the Boer army. Every man might
repudiate the decision of his commandant, as every man might
repudiate the white flag of his comrade. On the first day no more
than eleven hundred men of the Ficksburg and Ladybrand commandos,
with fifteen hundred horses and two guns, were surrendered. next
day seven hundred and fifty more men came in with eight hundred
horses, and by August 6th the total of the prisoners had mounted to
four thousand one hundred and fifty with three guns, two of which
were our own. But Olivier, with fifteen hundred men and several
guns, broke away from the captured force and escaped through the
hills. Of this incident General Hunter, an honourable soldier,
remarks in his official report: 'I regard it as a dishonourable
breach of faith upon the part of General Olivier, for which I hold
him personally responsible. He admitted that he knew that General
Prinsloo had included him in the unconditional surrender.' It is
strange that, on Olivier's capture shortly afterwards, he was not
court-martialled for this breach of the rules of war, but that
good-natured giant, the Empire, is quick - too quick, perhaps - to
let byegones be byegones. On August 4th Harrismith surrendered to
Macdonald, and thus was secured the opening of the Van Reenen's
Pass and the end of the Natal system of railways. This was of the
very first importance, as the utmost difficulty had been found in
supplying so large a body of troops so far from the Cape base. In a
day the base was shifted to Durban, and the distance shortened by
two-thirds, while the army came to be on the railway instead of a
hundred miles from it. This great success assured Lord Roberts's
communications from serious attack, and was of the utmost
importance in enabling him to consolidate his position at Pretoria.
CHAPTER 28.
THE HALT AT PRETORIA.
Lord Roberts had now been six weeks in the capital, and British
troops had overrun the greater part of the south and west of the
Transvaal, but in spite of this there was continued Boer
resistance, which flared suddenly up in places which had been
nominally pacified and disarmed. It was found, as has often been
shown in history, that it is easier to defeat a republican army
than to conquer it. From Klerksdorp, from Ventersdorp, from
Rustenburg, came news of risings against the newly imposed British
authority. The concealed Mauser and the bandolier were dug up once
more from the trampled corner of the cattle kraal, and the farmer
was a warrior once again. Vague news of the exploits of De Wet
stimulated the fighting burghers and shamed those who had
submitted. A letter was intercepted from the guerilla chief to
Cronje's son, who had surrendered near Rustenburg. De Wet stated
that he had gained two great victories and had fifteen hundred
captured rifles with which to replace those which the burghers had
given up. Not only were the outlying districts in a state of
revolt, but even round Pretoria the Boers were inclined to take the
offensive, while both that town and Johannesburg were filled with
malcontents who were ready to fly to their arms once more.
Already at the end of June there were signs that the Boers realised
how helpless Lord Roberts was until his remounts should arrive. The
mosquitoes buzzed round the crippled lion. On June 29th there was
an attack upon Springs near Johannesburg, which was easily beaten
off by the Canadians. Early in July some of the cavalry and mounted
infantry patrols were snapped up in the neighbourhood of the
capital. Lord Roberts gave orders accordingly that Hutton and Mahon
should sweep the Boers back upon his right, and push them as far as
Bronkhorst Spruit. This was done on July 6th and 7th, the British
advance meeting with considerable resistance from artillery as well
as rifles. By this movement the pressure upon the right was
relieved, which might have created a dangerous unrest in
Johannesburg, and it was done at the moderate cost of thirty-four
killed and wounded, half of whom belonged to the Imperial Light
Horse.
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