The age-herald., 1900-05-25
Nothing is Known of Their
 Whereabouts.
BRITISH TROOPS FORM CRESCENT
The Horns of Which Are Within Thirty Miles of the Vaal River While the Center is Forty
 Miles Off

London, May 25.-3:35 a. m.-Lord Roberts infantry advance is delayed at the Rhenos- ter river for a day or two by the depth of the stream, which is not fordable. The banks, which are precipitous, are forty feet high. A pontoon and temporary bridge con- structions are under way.
 The railway has not been damaged to any extent between Kroonstad and Rhenos- ter. The Transvaalers have offended the Free Staters by destroying their splendid bridges when retiring to Kroonstad. They refrained from doing this the retreat to Rhenoster, but now they are destroying the railroad and bridges almost completely north of the Rhenoster.
 The. British troops are in the form of a crescent, with it's points thirty miles of the Vaal, and General Ian Hamiltons mounted men the right, within thirty miles of the Vaal. The center of the crescent is about forty miles from the Vaal.
 Seventy or eighty miles to the left Lord Methuen is advancing up the Vaal
 Boer telegrams say that 5000 British with ten guns are near Vreedefort, which is close to the Vaal and close to Parys. One cor respondent refers to the advance as a promenade" Another describes it as a "Boer hunt"
 Boers Are Keeping Quiet
 What the Boers doing is an absolute mystery. The embargo news out of Pretoria for the last twenty-four hours has been complete. Such shreds of infor- nation as the correspondents at Lourenzo Marquez have picked up do not illuminate the Boer designs and dispositions further than that the movement toward Lyden- burg continues, and that referendum on the question of continuing the war is go- ing on among the Boer fighting men. It may be fortnight before the results of this singular vote are fully before the Transvaal government. If the English view of Boer Encouragement is one-half right the Boers will vote to quit.
 In Natal, General Dartnelrs volunteers occupied Mount Prospect Monday. Lord Dundonalds cavalry is at Firmstones, near Ingogo His infantry rests at Schoenshoogt. The names are all of fate- ful memory in this Boer war.
 The British are at Laings Nek, where the Boers through the range glasses of the British are occasionally visible.
 In the march across the Bggarsberg al the farms except one were found vacant. A temporary bridge has been finished at Waschbank. Trains now go to Dundee. General Butler said the best way to cele- brate the queens birthday was ta repair the railway to Newcastle, and every man was put to work.
 Eari de Ia Warr Escaped
 Earl de la Warr, who was supposed to have beeen captured at the time of the dis aster that befell the squadron of Methuens horse, contrived to escape. He lay all night with wounded leg behind an ant heap and reached the camp next day. An extraor- dinary issue of the Gazette at Durban an- nounces the death of an east Indian from the bubonic plague. The government has put into force the most stringent preven- tive measures, but fears are expressed that the pestilence may get among the troops.
 The Transvaal National bank has sus- pended gold payments under authorization from the government requiring the accept ance of bank notes. The institution has large assets, apparently in London.
 The Daily Express continues its alleged exposures of Dr. Leyds' use of the Trans vaal secret fund.-
 That papers Brussel correspondent as- serts that numerous continental neWspa- pers were bribed to the extent of from f2O f25 week.