BUTCHERS WITH GENERAL FRENCH'S FLYING COLUMN.
Halt at the Modder.
As General French's cavalry bivouacked for the night on the banks of the Modder, a tremendous dust storm swept over the country, hiding every feature from sight. Under cover of it the Boers must have moved down, for when night fell their pickets were in touch with ours on the north bank of the river. As it was vital to economise supplies, the cavalrymen were rationed from the cattle captured in the Boer laagers. It was decided to rest all the 14th for two reasons—because the horses were exhausted, and because it was considered necessary that the infantry should arrive and hold the drift before the cavalry left for Kimberley. Meantime the soldiers rioted on the hot bread, poultry, and fruit captured in the Boer camps, bathed in the river, and examined the strong position at the drift, which the Boers had so unaccountably abandoned. A good deal of skirmishing went on all day; the Boers brought up guns and shelled one of the British camps on the north of the stream, but were driven off by the Horse Artillery. It was clear that they were becoming uneasy as to their communications; but Cronje delayed and hesitated, and that day's indecision destroyed him.
PART OF THE IRISH SQUADRON OF ROBERTS' HORSE.
Feb. 15, 1900.] Drawing near Kimberley.
Messages had been sent back by General French begging that the infantry might hurry forward, and very late in the night of the 14th-15th the advance brigade of the Sixth Division, with Lord Kitchener, General Kelly-Kenny, and three field batteries, marched in. They were guided in by Captain Laycock, who rode out alone to find Lord Kitchener, and who was sniped at everywhere in the darkness. With early morning the rest of the Sixth Division arrived, hot and weary. Of the other divisions, the 15th Brigade of the Seventh Division was moving on Jacobsdal, the 14th of the same division on Wegdraai, and the Ninth Division just beginning its northward march from De Kiel's Drift. The First Division still observed Magersfontein. All along the line of march small parties of Boers were in touch with the British troops, and great caution had to be observed. That afternoon people in Kimberley watched with curious interest what looked like great columns of smoke on the plains near Jacobsdal. It was the dust raised by the British army on its march to their relief.
H. M. Paget.] [From a sketch by G. D. Giles.
BRITISH BLUEJACKETS CARRYING THEIR GUN.