When, After A
Delay Of An Hour, The Cavalry At Last Succeeded In Dislodging
Them - Or Possibly It May Be
Fairer to say when, having accomplished
their purpose, they retired - the guns and wagons were out of reach,
and, what
Is more important, the two Presidents, both Steyn and
Kruger, who had come to stiffen the resistance of the burghers, had
escaped.
Making every allowance for the weary state of the horses, it is
impossible to say that our cavalry were handled with energy or
judgment on this occasion. That such a force of men and guns should
be held off from an object of such importance by so small a
resistance reflects no credit upon us. It would have been better to
repeat the Kimberley tactics and to sweep the regiments in extended
order past the obstacle if we could not pass over it. At the other
side of that little ill-defended kopje lay a possible termination
of the war, and our crack cavalry regiments manoeuvred for hours
and let it pass out of their reach. However, as Lord Roberts
good-humouredly remarked at the end of the action, 'In war you
can't expect everything to come out right.' General French can
afford to shed one leaf from his laurel wreath. On the other hand,
no words can be too high for the gallant little band of Boers who
had the courage to face that overwhelming mass of horsemen, and to
bluff them into regarding this handful as a force fighting a
serious rearguard action.
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