being “very cheerful, very dry, mostly mounted Colonial troops, very hungry"! But the end under Colonel Mahon, 8th was near. Reports came, again Hussars, was formed at Kimfrom Pretoria, of the approach berley with great secrecy of of a relief column, of a clever purpose and direction. It was manoeuvre of the garrison, accompanied by four Royal when a hundred prisoners were

Horse Artillery guns,

two taken, among them Kruger's Maxims, and the lightest posgrandson, and many killed; and sible transport, its appearance excitement began to run high. so timed as to synchronise with

A hush of strained excite- Lord Roberts' march, which ment was over England : every would attract the enemy's atone was asking, “Is Mafeking tention elsewhere; and moved relieved ? we can't hear till by forced marches on the west Sunday.” Flags were pur- of the railway. chased, guns got ready, pro- No opposition was met till cessions arranged all men Vryburg was passed, when a waited. And when the morn- detour had to be made round ing of the 19th came, men woke Koodoosrand to avoid a Boer to see the town flying with laager, from which the Boers bunting, and a telegram in the attacked from an ambush in the morning paper that the siege dense bush, seven miles farther had been abandoned, and that on, and a fierce struggle ensued ; the relief column, with supplies, but the Light Horse, assisted by had entered Mafeking. Then the guns, after five hours' hard burst out the long-pent-up fighting dislodged the enemy, enthusiasm — the flags flew, who fled in confusion, leaving the church - bells pealed, guns about thirty dead on the field. boomed, processions marched On the 17th May, when the out, and sober England took column was nine miles from holiday. Spontaneously every Mafeking, it was again athouse was decorated, every one tacked by 1500 Boers; but wore the colours, children car- Colonel Plumer having joined ried toy flags, carts sported hands two days previously, more, ships sailing up channel together with a detachment of had heard the news from the Canadian artillery, which had pilot and were dressed from regained its place by forced “truck to taffrail,” the City marches on foot, they were was invaded, and the Lord again beaten off with heavy Mayor, from the steps of the loss, to leave the way clear for Mansion House, made a speech Colonel Mahon to enter the to the crowds that yelled them- town on the 18th May, having selves hoarse in hearty joy marched 120 miles in about and ecstasy for the victory of five days. In the meantime ritish pluck and valour. General Hunter was moving

The story of the relief is soon by the railway with the muchtold.

About the time that needed supplies. Lord Roberts began his march So the relief of Mafeking through the Free State a com- was accomplished by Colonial

site column of 2300 men, men, after it had held out for

seven months by the pluck and old game of attack across the resolute will of other Colonial open against Mausers behind men—many of them sons of boulders would continue. But the soil, whose birthright is General Buller had bought his South Africa,led to victory experience in that three months' by an English soldier whose hard fighting round Ladysmith, name to-day is on every tongue, and had learned to see through -a man England is proud of, tactics somewhat transparent. always with a smile to encour- The Boers now found themage or a word to inspire con- selves in the same funnel into fidence; and we recognise that which they had forced us on England need never fear for the outbreak of the war; the herself or her empire as long passes over the Drakensberg as out of those dim battalions on the west, Zululand on the of untried men that linger in east, were closed, leaving the the far beyond such men as only way out over Laing's Nek, Baden-Powell and those with which they must hurry up to him who held Mafeking can secure before that troublesome step out to guard and hold “Bobs," as the signalman on them.

Bulwana had sarcastically

called him in the days when The presence of a British fighting the “rooineks” was army on the move, northwards, only a series of picnics.

a through the heart of the Free Acting in conjunction with State, was soon known across Lord Roberts, General Buller, the Drakensberg, and the un- two days before the capture easiness of the Boers in their of Kroonstad, moved out in snug trenches on the Biggars- an easterly direction with berg was sufficient to pierce the 2nd infantry division, the screen they had drawn be the cavalry going round by tween themselves and General Pomeroy to the foot of the Buller on Sunday's river, where ridge on which Helpmakaar he had been resting and re- stands, where they came in covering for the last two contact with some 2000 Boers months. The result of the intrenched the summit, march on the Vaal, if per- holding them there till the severed in, would be to place infantry came up to turn them Lord Roberts between the out after a short resistance. Boers in Natal and their base Helpmakaar is but an uneven, at Pretoria, when General Bul- boulder-strewn ridge, overler might be tempted to close looking the Buffalo river, across in on their rear and push them which stands the historic rock before him into his hands. of Isandhlwana, Rorke's Drift So, again, there was nothing in the hollow between ; and, if for it but to relinquish those the Boers had had any heart left, thirty miles of excellent trench- was excellently suited to their work they had netted across tactics. Yet they fled in conthe mountains in face of the fusion, leaving behind a rearNatal column, buoyed up with guard 1000 strong, and setting the pleasant certainty that the fire to the grass, here tall and

on

.

dry just now, the smoke in the point in Boer resistance. The face of mounted men making roads were bad, mostly deep progress difficult. They rode sand, drifts almost impassable; through the burning veldt, heavy guns had to be dragged ; however, to find the Boers a large convoy followed; in front awaiting attack in a strong and flanks the rugged line of natural position; but the flank the Biggarsberg, scored with turned, they fled once more. trenches and prepared artillery Lord Dundonald in pursuit positions, commanded every had, during the day, to ride inch of advance. Yet a simple forty miles over a waterless move to a flank carried our country, most of the time army round, victoriously, and through the smoke.

sent the Boers scattering headOn the 15th inst. General long in confusion. The AmeriBuller occupied Dundee, to find can attaché's remark after Colthat 2500 Boers had just left enso, “Was there no way round?” by train for Laing's Nek, the was admirably illustrated. rest of the 7000 who had held From Newcastle Lord Dunthe Biggarsberg retreating dur- donald with the cavalry pushed ing the night, to fight small, on to Laing's Nek, where he delaying actions on the way. found the Boers disposed to Following in pursuit, he reached stand after their demoralised Glencoe, to find that the enemy, flight, the 2nd infantry division with eleven guns, had left by following as far as the Ingogo. train at dawn. So General General Buller with the reHildyard was spread along the mainder of the column remained railway, from Ēlandslaagte, to in Newcastle to await the arrirepair it; General Lyttelton in val of stores delayed by the rear at Sunday's river; while state of the line. So a short General Buller with the 2nd breathing-time was granted to division pushed on to Newcastle, the fugitives, and the army, which he entered unopposed on nothing loath, settled down for the evening of the 17th. Thus a short rest after the steady the Boer left was turned, and march of the last nine days the defenders all along the line through those grim mountains, driven out in five days with where two months ago death insignificant loss by following a and starvation stalked supreme, scheme suggested by common- to emerge into the sunlight of sense. Our left had remained the open country — in front, on Sunday's river south of Buller, calm and inscrutable, Elandslaagte; the right, as a those stern-faced men in khaki flying column, striking rapidly streaming after, content to folat the extreme eastern flank of low a leader whom

in spite the enemy's position, to hold of varying fortune—they know him there till the main body and honour, whose place has came up to Dundee, where it been with them where the threatened the most sensitive bullets flew thickest.

INDEX TO VOL. CLXVII.

et seq.

Aasvogels, presence of, with the army in Boer trenches, protection afforded by,
South Africa, 863.

575.
ADDRESS AND ITS LESSONS, THE, 445. BRITANNIA, FLOREAT, 857.
AFTER THE WAR-WHAT THEN : 321. British ascendancy in South Africa, the
Archer, William, as a dramatic critic, new policy of, 310 et seq.-enthusiasm
107.

aroused by the contest for, 312-neces-
Armstrong, Johnnie, of Gilnockie, the sity for the maintenance of, 322 et
hanging of, 608.

seq., 330 et seq.
Army Medical Department, the, reforms British Colonies, the, present unity of

in organisation of, 371 — responsibili- feeling amongst, 492, 584—Disraeli's
ties undertaken by, in the field, 372 utterances regarding, 492 et seq.
et seq.-assistance rendered by civilian BRITISH POLICY IN SOUTH AFRICA, 147.
surgeons to, 376— feelings of jealousy British railways, insufficiencies of, for
towards, 379—tribute to the services present requirements, 647 et seq.-
of, in the South African war, 389 congestion of goods traffic on, 649 et

seq. - the railway rates of, 652—rapid.
Army Nursing Service, duties of the, ity of travel on, 653-deficiencies of
378.

engines on, 655—parliamentary super-
Army Service Corps, value of duties vision of, 657.

undertaken by the, in South Africa, British soldiers, capture of, in South
578.

African war, preventible causes of,
Auckland, a visit to, 220 et seq.--the 297, 852 et seq.

OF

Button's coffee-house, the habitués of, EPISODE OF THE INDIAN MOTINY, AN,
112.

615.
Cables, SUBMARINE, 355.

Evans's Tavern, London, the company
Carlisle, fifth Earl of, letters from George at, 121.

Selwyn to, 74 et seq.-character of, 82. EVOLUTION LITERARY DECENCY,
Cavalry horses, difficulty of feeding, in

THE, 363.
South Africa, 573.

Expedition into the Benighted Lands,
Cavalry, importance of, in South African an, 383 et seq.

Faithful CITY, THE, 847.
Cavalry service, the, recent depreciation Fiction, changes in popular taste with