This Long Distant Hill
Was The Famous Rand, And Under Its Faded Grasses Lay Such Riches As
Solomon Never Took From Ophir.
It was the prize of victory; and yet
the prize is not to the victor, for the dust-grimed officers and
men looked with little personal interest at this treasure-house of
the world.
Not one penny the richer would they be for the fact that
their blood and their energy had brought justice and freedom to the
gold fields. They had opened up an industry for the world, men of
all nations would be the better for their labours, the miner and
the financier or the trader would equally profit by them, but the
men in khaki would tramp on, unrewarded and uncomplaining, to
India, to China, to any spot where the needs of their worldwide
empire called them.
The infantry, streaming up from the Vaal River to the famous ridge
of gold, had met with no resistance upon the way, but great mist
banks of cloud by day and huge twinkling areas of flame by night
showed the handiwork of the enemy. Hamilton and French, moving upon
the left flank, found Boers thick upon the hills, but cleared them
off in a well-managed skirmish which cost us a dozen casualties. On
May 29th, pushing swiftly along, French found the enemy posted very
strongly with several guns at Doornkop, a point west of Klip River
Berg. The cavalry leader had with him at this stage three horse
batteries, four pom-poms, and 3000 mounted men.
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