CHAPTER XV 



LAST YEAR OF THE NINETEENTH CENTURY 



" ist Dec. — On board the Messageries ship Niger off Corsica on 

 my way to Egypt, having for the twentieth time shaken the dust of 

 Europe from my feet. The day I started, Tuesday morning, I lunched 

 with George Wyndham. He gave me the latest news of the war. They 

 hope at the War Office to relieve Ladysmith in the course of the next 

 eight days, but not without battles, one or two. They acknowledge 

 now that the Boers are immensely stronger than they thought, that 

 they are fighting according to the latest new scientific rules, and are 

 armed with the newest of new weapons — they are officered in a large 

 measure by Germans, and are holding their own determinedly. George 

 does not make too much of the latest victories, Belmont and Graspan. 

 But it seems to be part of the Boer tactics to invite attack on strong 

 positions, and to hold these as long as they can inflict loss on their en- 

 emies — then at the last moment to run, so that, although the position 

 is taken, the victor suffers most, and the Boers reassembling at a pre- 

 concerted rendezvous are not much the worse for their defeat. ' We 

 could not let our men act like this,' said George, ' for if they once began 

 to run there would be no stopping them.' So he by no means considers 

 the matter over, sanguine as he naturally is. Guy Wyndham is still 

 shut up with White at Ladysmith — and he showed me a most interest- 

 ing letter from him written a month ago, immediately after the defeat 

 of Nicholson's Nek, or whatever it is they call it. The letter described 

 excellently an attack in three columns delivered by White, all of which 

 failed in the presence of superior numbers, and it seemed to suggest of 

 superior generalship. Guy had been with a detachment of a few hun- 

 dred men pushed forward into an exposed situation from which it was 

 more by luck than skill that they managed to extricate themselves. 

 One of the officers had suddenly observed that the rest of the column 

 seemed to be in retreat, and after pooh-poohing him at first they ob- 

 served it too, and Guy volunteered to ride across the open hill under a 

 heavy fire to ascertain the truth. This he did and discovered that the 

 General in command had entirely forgotten the detachment, and sent 

 it no order of retreat with the rest. So Guy had to ride back over the 

 same rough ground with bullets and shells striking the earth all about 

 him. The detachment was not brought in without considerable loss. 



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