The Energetic
Chief Of The Staff Was Always Sent By Lord Roberts To The Point
Where A Strong Man Was Needed, And It Was Seldom That He Failed To
Justify His Mission.
Lord Methuen, however, was the first to
arrive, and at once attacked De Wet, who moved swiftly away to the
eastward.
With a tendency to exaggeration, which has been too
common during the war, the affair was described as a victory. It
was really a strategic and almost bloodless move upon the part of
the Boers. It is not the business of guerillas to fight pitched
battles. Methuen pushed for the south, having been informed that
Kroonstad had been captured. Finding this to be untrue, he turned
again to the eastward in search of De Wet.
That wily and indefatigable man was not long out of our ken. On
June 14th he appeared once more at Rhenoster, where the
construction trains, under the famous Girouard, were working
furiously at the repair of the damage which he had already done.
This time the guard was sufficient to beat him off, and he vanished
again to the eastward. He succeeded, however, in doing some harm,
and very nearly captured Lord Kitchener himself. A permanent post
had been established at Rhenoster under the charge of Colonel Spens
of the Shropshires, with his own regiment and several guns.
Smith-Dorrien, one of the youngest and most energetic of the
divisional commanders, had at the same time undertaken the
supervision and patrolling of the line.
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