The More Urgent Message
From The Yeomen At Lindley, However, Took Him On A Fruitless
Journey To That Town On June 1st.
So vigorous was the pursuit of
the Yeomanry that the leading squadrons, consisting of South Notts
Hussars and Sherwood Rangers, actually cut into the Boer convoy and
might have rescued the prisoners had they been supported.
As it was
they were recalled, and had to fight their way back to Lindley with
some loss, including Colonel Rolleston, the commander, who was
badly wounded. A garrison was left under Paget, and the rest of the
force pursued its original mission to Heilbron, arriving there on
June 7th, when the Highlanders had been reduced to quarter rations.
'The Salvation Army' was the nickname by which they expressed their
gratitude to the relieving force.
A previous convoy sent to the same destination had less good
fortune. On June 1st fifty-five wagons started from the railway
line to reach Heilbron. The escort consisted of one hundred and
sixty details belonging to Highland regiments without any guns,
Captain Corballis in command. But the gentleman with the tinted
glasses was waiting on the way. 'I have twelve hundred men and five
guns. Surrender at once!' Such was the message which reached the
escort, and in their defenceless condition there was nothing for it
but to comply. Thus one disaster leads to another, for, had the
Yeomanry held out at Lindley, De Wet would not on June 4th have
laid hands upon our wagons; and had he not recruited his supplies
from our wagons it is doubtful if he could have made his attack
upon Roodeval. This was the next point upon which he turned his
attention.
Two miles beyond Roodeval station there is a well-marked kopje by
the railway line, with other hills some distance to the right and
the left. A militia regiment, the 4th Derbyshire, had been sent up
to occupy this post. There were rumours of Boers on the line, and
Major Haig, who with one thousand details of various regiments
commanded at railhead, had been attacked on June 6th but had beaten
off his assailants. De Wet, acting sometimes in company with, and
sometimes independently of, his lieutenant Nel, passed down the
line looking fur some easier prey, and on the night of June 7th
came upon the militia regiment, which was encamped in a position
which could be completely commanded by artillery. It is not true
that they had neglected to occupy the kopje under which they lay,
for two companies had been posted upon it. But there seems to have
been no thought of imminent danger, and the regiment had pitched
its tents and gone very comfortably to sleep without a thought of
the gentleman in the tinted glasses. In the middle of the night he
was upon them with a hissing sleet of bullets. At the first dawn
the guns opened and the shells began to burst among them. It was a
horrible ordeal for raw troops.
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