Of These We Shall
Only Describe Here The Exploits Of The Fine Force Of Cavalry Which,
After A Ride Of A Hundred Miles, Broke Out Of The Heart Of That
Reddish Dustcloud And Swept The Boer Besiegers Away From
Hard-Pressed Kimberley.
In order to strike unexpectedly, Lord Roberts had not only made a
strong demonstration at Koodoosdrift, at the other
End of the Boer
line, but he had withdrawn his main force some forty miles south,
taking them down by rail to Belmont and Enslin with such secrecy
that even commanding officers had no idea whither the troops were
going. The cavalry which had come from French's command at
Colesberg had already reached the rendezvous, travelling by road to
Naauwpoort, and thence by train. This force consisted of the
Carabineers, New South Wales Lancers, Inniskillings, composite
regiment of Household Cavalry, 10th Hussars, with some mounted
infantry and two batteries of Horse Artillery, making a force of
nearly three thousand sabres. To this were added the 9th and 12th
Lancers from Modder River, the 16th Lancers from India, the Scots
Greys, which had been patrolling Orange River from the beginning of
the war, Rimington's Scouts, and two brigades of mounted infantry
under Colonels Ridley and Hannay. The force under this latter
officer had a severe skirmish on its way to the rendezvous and lost
fifty or sixty in killed, wounded, and missing. Five other
batteries of Horse Artillery were added to the force, making seven
in all, with a pontoon section of Royal Engineers. The total number
of men was about five thousand. By the night of Sunday, February
11th, this formidable force had concentrated at Ramdam, twenty
miles north-east of Belmont, and was ready to advance. At two in
the morning of Monday, February 12th, the start was made, and the
long sinuous line of night-riders moved off over the shadowy veld,
the beat of twenty thousand hoofs, the clank of steel, and the
rumble of gunwheels and tumbrils swelling into a deep low roar like
the surge upon the shingle.
Two rivers, the Riet and the Modder, intervened between French and
Kimberley. By daylight on the 12th the head of his force had
reached Waterval Drift, which was found to be defended by a body of
Boers with a gun. Leaving a small detachment to hold them, French
passed his men over Dekiel's Drift, higher up the stream, and swept
the enemy out of his position. This considerable force of Boers had
come from Jacobsdal, and were just too late to get into position to
resist the crossing. Had we been ten minutes later, the matter
would have been much more serious. At the cost of a very small loss
he held both sides of the ford, but it was not until midnight that
the whole long column was brought across, and bivouacked upon the
northern bank. In the morning the strength of the force was
enormously increased by the arrival of one more horseman. It was
Roberts himself, who had ridden over to give the men a send-off,
and the sight of his wiry erect figure and mahogany face sent them
full of fire and confidence upon their way.
But the march of this second day (February 13th) was a military
operation of some difficulty. Thirty long waterless miles had to be
done before they could reach the Modder, and it was possible that
even then they might have to fight an action before winning the
drift. The weather was very hot, and through the long day the sun
beat down from an unclouded sky, while the soldiers were only
shaded by the dust-bank in which they rode. A broad arid plain,
swelling into stony hills, surrounded them on every side. Here and
there in the extreme distance, mounted figures moved over the vast
expanse - Boer scouts who marked in amazement the advance of this
great array. Once or twice these men gathered together, and a
sputter of rifle fire broke out upon our left flank, but the great
tide swept on and carried them with it. Often in this desolate land
the herds of mottled springbok and of grey rekbok could be seen
sweeping over the plain, or stopping with that curiosity upon which
the hunter trades, to stare at the unwonted spectacle.
So all day they rode, hussars, dragoons, and lancers, over the
withered veld, until men and horses drooped with the heat and the
exertion. A front of nearly two miles was kept, the regiments
moving two abreast in open order; and the sight of this magnificent
cloud of horsemen sweeping over the great barren plain was a
glorious one. The veld had caught fire upon the right, and a black
cloud of smoke with a lurid heart to it covered the flank. The beat
of the sun from above and the swelter of dust from below were
overpowering. Gun horses fell in the traces and died of pure
exhaustion. The men, parched and silent, but cheerful, strained
their eyes to pierce the continual mirage which played over the
horizon, and to catch the first glimpse of the Modder. At last, as
the sun began to slope down to the west, a thin line of green was
discerned, the bushes which skirt the banks of that ill-favoured
stream. With renewed heart the cavalry pushed on and made for the
drift, while Major Rimington, to whom the onerous duty of guiding
the force had been entrusted, gave a sigh of relief as he saw that
he had indeed struck the very point at which he had aimed.
The essential thing in the movements had been speed - to reach each
point before the enemy could concentrate to oppose them. Upon this
it depended whether they would find five hundred or five thousand
waiting on the further bank. It must have been with anxious eyes
that French watched his first regiment ride down to Klip Drift. If
the Boers should have had notice of his coming and have transferred
some of their 40-pounders, he might lose heavily before he forced
the stream.
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