Henderson,
the most capable head of Intelligence, and Richardson, who under
all difficulties fed the army, may each claim his share in the
success.
CHAPTER 20.
ROBERTS'S ADVANCE ON BLOEMFONTEIN.
The surrender of Cronje had taken place on February 27th,
obliterating for ever the triumphant memories which the Boers had
for twenty years associated with that date. A halt was necessary to
provide food for the hungry troops, and above all to enable the
cavalry horses to pick up. The supply of forage had been most
inadequate, and the beasts had not yet learned to find a living
from the dry withered herbage of the veld. [Footnote: A battery
which turned out its horses to graze found that the puzzled
creatures simply galloped about the plain, and could only be
reassembled by blowing the call which they associated with feeding,
when they rushed back and waited in lines for their nosebags to be
put on.] In addition to this, they had been worked most desperately
during the fortnight which had elapsed. Lord Roberts waited
therefore at Osfontein, which is a farmhouse close to Paardeberg,
until his cavalry were fit for an advance. On March 6th he began
his march for Bloemfontein.
The force which had been hovering to the south and east of him
during the Paardeberg operations had meanwhile been reinforced from
Colesberg and from Ladysmith until it had attained considerable
proportions.
