The
British had now accomplished half their journey to Pretoria, and it
was obvious that on the south side of the Vaal no serious
resistance awaited them. Burghers were freely surrendering
themselves with their arms, and returning to their farms. In the
south-east Rundle and Brabant were slowly advancing, while the
Boers who faced them fell back towards Lindley. On the west, Hunter
had crossed the Vaal at Windsorton, and Barton's Fusilier Brigade
had fought a sharp action at Rooidam, while Mahon's Mafeking relief
column had slipped past their flank, escaping the observation of
the British public, but certainly not that of the Boers. The
casualties in the Rooidam action were nine killed and thirty
wounded, but the advance of the Fusiliers was irresistible, and for
once the Boer loss, as they were hustled from kopje to kopje,
appears to have been greater than that of the British. The Yeomanry
had an opportunity of showing once more that there are few more
high-mettled troops in South Africa than these good sportsmen of
the shires, who only showed a trace of their origin in their
irresistible inclination to burst into a 'tally-ho!' when ordered
to attack.
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