Their Retreat,
However, Was Not Due To Exhaustion, But To The Demonstration Which
Lyttelton Had Been Able To Make In Their Rear.
The gunners and the
infantry had all done well in a most trying action, but by common
consent it
Was with the men from New Zealand that the honours lay.
It was no empty compliment when Sir Alfred Milner telegraphed to
the Premier of New Zealand his congratulations upon the
distinguished behaviour of his fellow countrymen.
From this time onwards there was nothing of importance in this part
of the seat of war.
It is necessary now to turn from the north-east to the north-west
of Pretoria, where the presence of De la Rey and the cover afforded
by the Magaliesberg mountains had kept alive the Boer resistance.
Very rugged lines of hill, alternating with fertile valleys,
afforded a succession of forts and of granaries to the army which
held them. To General Clements' column had been committed the task
of clearing this difficult piece of country. His force fluctuated
in numbers, but does not appear at any time to have consisted of
more than three thousand men, which comprised the Border Regiment,
the Yorkshire Light Infantry, the second Northumberland Fusiliers,
mounted infantry, yeomanry, the 8th R.F.A., P battery R.H.A., and
one heavy gun. With this small army he moved about the district,
breaking up Boer bands, capturing supplies, and bringing in
refugees. On November 13th he was at Krugersdorp, the southern
extremity of his beat. On the 24th he was moving north again, and
found himself as he approached the hills in the presence of a force
of Boers with cannon. This was the redoubtable De la Rey, who
sometimes operated in Methuen's country to the north of the
Magaliesberg, and sometimes to the south. He had now apparently
fixed upon Clements as his definite opponent. De la Rey was
numerically inferior, and Clements had no difficulty in this first
encounter in forcing him back with some loss. On November 26th
Clements was back at Krugersdorp again with cattle and prisoners.
In the early days of December he was moving northwards once more,
where a serious disaster awaited him. Before narrating the
circumstances connected with the Battle of Nooitgedacht there is
one incident which occurred in this same region which should be
recounted.
This consists of the determined attack made by a party of De la
Rey's men, upon December 3rd, on a convoy which was proceeding from
Pretoria to Rustenburg, and had got as far as Buffel's Hoek. The
convoy was a very large one, consisting of 150 wagons, which
covered about three miles upon the march. It was guarded by two
companies of the West Yorkshires, two guns of the 75th battery, and
a handful of the Victoria Mounted Rifles. The escort appears
entirely inadequate when it is remembered that these stores, which
were of great value, were being taken through a country which was
known to be infested by the enemy.
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