The Dupuyer acantha. [volume] (Dupuyer, Mont.) 1894-1904, 1900-04-26
BRITON AND THE BOER
MOUNTAIN WALLS PROTECT
THE BURGHERS.
The Natural Defenses of the Transvaal
Would Test the Genius of the
Greatest Commander That Ever Drew
q SWo ord. q

No correct. understanding of the task
or position of the English army in
South Africa can be had without a
knowledge of the geography and to-
biography of the T%ransvaal and Orange
Free Subsequently, of the border
lines of these two republics. The fight
ing n tactics of the last two months
have been about Ladysmith, MAIZE
king, Kimberley, Modder river, Tugela
eiver, C~olesburg, Belmont and Storm
Derg.
The boundaries of the Transvaal and
he Orange Free State, which the Eng
ish must cross before they can con-
quer, are formed by the Mkusi, Umwo-
tosi and Tugela rivers, the Kathlamba
or Drakenberg mountains, and the
Modder and Orange rivers. At every
point on the southern, southeastern
and southwestern approaches to the
republic there is either a river to be
crossed, an open plateau to be marched
over or a plateau and mountain wall
to be scaled. The Mkusi, Umwotosi
and Tugela rivers sweep across the
southeastern border of the Transvaal,
the Tugela forming a barrier to the
approach to Ladysmith, Dundee and
Majuba hill. The mountain elevations
here range from 1900 feet above the
level of the sea to more than 1000
feet. This is in Natal land, where
British occupy the plain approaches
and the Beers the mountain heights.
The Tugela is deep, swift, has slippery
banks and is exposed to gun fire from
the hill and mountain crests. In this
neighborhood and also at Colenso, on
the Tugela, there are peaks like Mount
AUX Gources, II, 1853 feet in height;
Mount Melanie, 1900 feet in height;
Majuba, 1900 feet; Champagne Castle,
a0,357 feet, and Giants Castle, 1857
feet. The Beers are familiar with ev-
cry trail of the ranges, have excellent
artillery at the passes, and guns that
command fordable places in the
streams. geographically the English
are in the position of a man who must
fight uphill over $50 miles before he
passes Majuba and enters the Trans
vaa valleys. His opponent may al
- L do"h dpOA HILL uC III
enberg range forms part of the south
ern boundary of the Transvaal, and
nearly all of the eastern boundary of
the Orange Free State. At Buttha
Buthe, Ladybrand, Thlotsi, Ongeluks
Mex and Zastron the elevations run
from 1000 to 5000 feet, while the passes
are few, the streams usually swollen
with floods, and the trails obscure and
misleading. 1t is evident that the
English are without mountain guides
and cannot rely IN the loyalty of the
Natal Dutch to give them accurate in
formation. In the Colesberg district,
due south of the Orange Free State,
the Orange river forms a barrier of no
small size. The stream is one of the
noble South African waterways, often
impossible, and well guarded on the
Boer side by plateaus and small ranges
a second obstacle to the approach to
der river breaks away from the
Orange south of Kimberley and forms
a second obstacle to the approach to
the diamond fields. About the Modder
river and Kimberley the elevations
reach a height of 1000 feet and are
controlled by the Beers. The English
column of Gen. Butler is at Tugela
river; Methuen is at Modder river,
White is cooped up in Ladysmith, Cat
acre is at Sterkstroom, and Kimberley
is besieged. geographically Butler
has a climb before him averaging 5000
feet; Methuen's climb will average
$500 feet; White has Boer guns look
ing down on him from an elevation of
500 feet, and Kimberley is commanded
by guns from 600 to 700 feet above it's
plane.
If this outer prospect is not inviting
the inner Typographical formation of
the Transvaal is less So. The inner
rim is known as the Roggeveld, Nieu-
weveld and Quathalamba ranges. The
highest point is the Mauchberg, 8,725
feet. There are several ridges known
as Verzamelburg, Randberg, Slauga-
piesberg and Komatiberg. These fall
precipitously eastward toward the Lii
comba range, which maintains a mean
elevation of 1000 feet.