So By Suicide Died The Last
Of That Iron Brood, The Four Sinister Brothers Who Had Wrought Much
Mischief In South Africa.
They and their lesson will live in the
history of modern artillery.
The sweeping of the Roos-Senekal district being over, Plumer left
his post upon the River of the Elephants, a name which, like
Rhenoster, Zeekoe, Kameelfontein, Leeuw Kop, Tigerfontein, Elands
River, and so many more, serves as a memorial to the great mammals
which once covered the land. On April 28th the force turned south,
and on May 4th they had reached the railroad at Eerstefabrieken
close to Pretoria. They had come in touch with a small Boer force
upon the way, and the indefatigable Vialls hounded them for eighty
miles, and tore away the tail of their convoy with thirty
prisoners. The main force had left Pretoria on horseback on March
28th, and found themselves back once again upon foot on May 5th.
They had something to show, however, for the loss of their horses,
since they had covered a circular march of 400 miles, had captured
some hundreds of the enemy, and had broken up their last organised
capital. From first to last it was a most useful and well-managed
expedition.
It is the more to be regretted that General Blood was recalled from
his northern trek before it had attained its full results, because
those operations to which he turned did not offer him any great
opportunities for success. Withdrawing from the north of the
railway with his columns, he at once started upon a sweep of that
portion of the country which forms an angle between the Delagoa
line and the Swazi frontier - the Barberton district.
Enter page number
PreviousNext
Page 704 of 842
Words from 188343 to 188627
of 225456
