At The Same Time It Is
Impossible Not To Feel Sorrow For This Idealist Of Twenty-Three Who
Died For A Cause Which Was Not His Own.
He was shot in the garden
of Pretoria Gaol upon August 24th.
A fresh and more stringent
proclamation from Lord Roberts showed that the British Commander
was losing his patience in the face of the wholesale return of
paroled men to the field, and announced that such perfidy would in
future be severely punished. It was notorious that the same men had
been taken and released more than once. One man killed in action
was found to have nine signed passes in his pocket. It was against
such abuses that the extra severity of the British was aimed.
CHAPTER 29.
THE ADVANCE TO KOMATIPOORT.
The time had now come for the great combined movement which was to
sweep the main Boer army off the line of the Delagoa railway, cut
its source of supplies, and follow it into that remote and
mountainous Lydenburg district which had always been proclaimed as
the last refuge of the burghers. Before entering upon this most
difficult of all his advances Lord Roberts waited until the cavalry
and mounted infantry were well mounted again. Then, when all was
ready, the first step in this last stage of the regular campaign
was taken by General Buller, who moved his army of Natal veterans
off the railway line and advanced to a position from which he could
threaten the flank and rear of Botha if he held his ground against
Lord Roberts.
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