Five hundred Boers suddenly rode down upon the helpless
line of wagons and took possession of them.
The escort rallied,
however, upon a kopje, and, though attacked all day, succeeded in
holding their own until help arrived. They prevented the Boers from
destroying or carrying off as much of the convoy as was under their
guns, but the rest was looted and burned. The incident was a most
unfortunate one, as it supplied the enemy with a large quantity of
stores, of which they were badly in need. It was the more
irritating as it was freely rumoured that a Boer attack was
pending; and there is evidence that a remonstrance was addressed
from the convoy before it left Rietfontein to the General of the
district, pointing out the danger to which it was exposed. The
result was the loss of 120 wagons and of more than half the escort.
The severity of the little action and the hardihood of the defence
are indicated by the fact that the small body who held the kopje
lost fifteen killed and twenty-two wounded, the gunners losing nine
out of fifteen. A relieving force appeared at the close of the
action, but no vigorous pursuit was attempted, although the weather
was wet and the Boers had actually carried away sixty loaded
wagons, which could only go very slowly. It must be confessed that
from its feckless start to its spiritless finish the story of the
Buffel's Hoek convoy is not a pleasant one to tell.
Clements, having made his way once more to the Magaliesberg range,
had pitched his camp at a place called Nooitgedacht - not to be
confused with the post upon the Delagoa Railway at which the
British prisoners had been confined. Here, in the very shadow of
the mountain, he halted for five days, during which, with the usual
insouciance of British commanders, he does not seem to have
troubled himself with any entrenching. He knew, no doubt, that he
was too strong for his opponent De la Rey, but what he did not
know, but might have feared, was that a second Boer force might
appear suddenly upon the scene and join with De la Rey in order to
crush him. This second Boer force was that of Commandant Beyers
from Warm Baths. By a sudden and skilful movement the two united,
and fell like a thunderbolt upon the British column, which was
weakened by the absence of the Border Regiment. The result was such
a reverse as the British had not sustained since Sanna's Post - a
reverse which showed that, though no regular Boer army might exist,
still a sudden coalition of scattered bands could at any time
produce a force which would be dangerous to any British column
which might be taken at a disadvantage. We had thought that the
days of battles in this war were over, but an action which showed a
missing and casualty roll of 550 proved that in this, as in so many
other things, we were mistaken.
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