On The 24th He Was Moving North Again, And
Found Himself As He Approached The Hills In The Presence Of A Force
Of Boers With Cannon.
This was the redoubtable De la Rey, who
sometimes operated in Methuen's country to the north of the
Magaliesberg, and sometimes to the south.
He had now apparently
fixed upon Clements as his definite opponent. De la Rey was
numerically inferior, and Clements had no difficulty in this first
encounter in forcing him back with some loss. On November 26th
Clements was back at Krugersdorp again with cattle and prisoners.
In the early days of December he was moving northwards once more,
where a serious disaster awaited him. Before narrating the
circumstances connected with the Battle of Nooitgedacht there is
one incident which occurred in this same region which should be
recounted.
This consists of the determined attack made by a party of De la
Rey's men, upon December 3rd, on a convoy which was proceeding from
Pretoria to Rustenburg, and had got as far as Buffel's Hoek. The
convoy was a very large one, consisting of 150 wagons, which
covered about three miles upon the march. It was guarded by two
companies of the West Yorkshires, two guns of the 75th battery, and
a handful of the Victoria Mounted Rifles. The escort appears
entirely inadequate when it is remembered that these stores, which
were of great value, were being taken through a country which was
known to be infested by the enemy. What might have been foreseen
occurred.
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