Before Considering This, However, A Few
Words Must Be Devoted To The Doings Of Methuen In The South-West.
This hard-working General, having garrisoned Zeerust and
Lichtenburg, had left his old district and journeyed with a force
which consisted largely of Bushmen and Yeomanry to the disturbed
parts of Bechuanaland which had been invaded by De Villiers.
Here
he cleared the country as far as Vryburg, which he had reached in
the middle of January, working round to Kuruman and thence to
Taungs. From Taungs his force crossed the Transvaal border and made
for Klerksdorp, working through an area which had never been
traversed and which contained the difficult Masakani hills. He left
Taungs upon February 2nd, fighting skirmishes at Uitval's Kop,
Paardefontein and Lilliefontein, in each of which the enemy was
brushed aside. Passing through Wolmaranstad, Methuen turned to the
north, where at Haartebeestefontein, on February 19th, he fought a
brisk engagement with a considerable force of Boers under De
Villiers and Liebenberg. On the day before the fight he
successfully outwitted the Boers, for, learning that they had left
their laager in order to take up a position for battle, he pounced
upon the laager and captured 10,000 head of cattle, forty-three
wagons, and forty prisoners. Stimulated by this success, he
attacked the Boers next day, and after five hours of hard fighting
forced the pass which they were holding against him. As Methuen had
but 1500 men, and was attacking a force which was as large as his
own in a formidable position, the success was a very creditable
one.
Enter page number
PreviousNext
Page 684 of 842
Words from 183078 to 183343
of 225456
