Colonel Otter,
their gallant leader, was one of the latter, while Marshall's
Horse, a colonial corps raised in Grahamstown, had no fewer than
seven of their officers and several men killed or wounded. Next
morning the town of Thabanchu was seized, and Hamilton found
himself upon the direct line of the Boer retreat. He seized the
pass which commands the road, and all next day he waited eagerly,
and the hearts of his men beat high when at last they saw a long
trail of dust winding up to them from the south. At last the wily
De Wet had been headed off! Deep and earnest were the curses when
out of the dust there emerged a khaki column of horsemen, and it
was realised that this was French's pursuing force, closely
followed by Rundle's infantry from Dewetsdorp. The Boers had
slipped round and were already to the north of us.
It is impossible to withhold our admiration for the way in which
the Boer force was manoeuvred throughout this portion of the
campaign. The mixture of circumspection and audacity, the way in
which French and Rundle were hindered until the Wepener force had
disengaged itself, the manner in which these covering forces were
then withdrawn, and finally the clever way in which they all
slipped past Hamilton, make a brilliant bit of strategy.
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