The age-herald., 1900-06-15
THE BOER FORGE
 STILL FORMIDABLE
Botha Stood Before Lord Roberts
 Two Days
WITHOUT LOSING ONE GUN
The Pacifcation of the Whole of the Transvaal Will Require Months Instead of Weeks, as
 Was Supposed

London, June 15-(S.3 a. m.)-That Com mandant General Louis Botha should have been able to stand for two days against Lord Roberts and then to retreat without losing any guns or having any of his men captured, is taken to mean that he has force which the British still reckon as formidable when acting defensively.
 The pacincation of the whole of the Transvaal especially the wide spaces far from the railways, is looked upon as business requiring months rather than weeks
 Meanwhile everything goes we'll for the British arms Boer bulletin issued June B at Machadorp said:
 Both wings of the federal forces touched the advancing enemy at 10 a. m. yesterday east of Pretoria. Fighting con- tinued until dark The enemy, though in overwhelming numbers, were checked along a line of thrty-six mles and the burghers succeeded in driving back their right wing five miles.
 Two burghers were killed and ten wounded"
 Another Machadorp announcement is that the first regiment of General Buffers force to attack Almondsnek was 'annihilated," but as the British were in overwhelming force the burghers were compelled to aban- don the nek.
 A dispatch from Lourenzo Marques, dated yesterday says:
 President Kruger is holding on to his gold and issuing paper notes from press in his executive cars. The Boer govern ments coin stock is exhausted and the offi- cials are now paying out plain gold discs unstamped. Some who have declined to ac- cept notes have taken their salaries in gold bars. The Boer government is still paying out much gold in that way
 Tons of Supplies
 Two steamers arrived at Lourenzo Mar ques yesterday, bringing several thousand tons of supplies, consigned to Portuguese merchants but destined for the Boers. One hundred Americans Frenchmen, German and Hollanders have arrived there by vari- ous steamers en route for the TranSvaal. MT. Grove, the British Consul General, has large stocks of clothing for the British prisoners, but he will not forward these until he gets assurances that the Boers will not take them for their own use. Gen eral Butler will be unable to advance fur ther until he gets supplies He will prob ably wait until the tunnel has been cleared. Nearly every farm house his troops passed flew white flag.
 The British took nothing without paving for it, and a brisk business was done in milk, eggs, bread and chickens by thrifty housewives who were pleased to get so much English money. One woman, whose husband and two sons have been fighting, said:
 You British are unlike our people They took my horses in exchange for sheep and mealies and made me make butter, which they never paid for I am sending to have my men come home at once.-
 Usually the first question a Boer woman puts is:
 Will my husband be shot if he is cap- tured?"
 bed, and he went down on his knees beg ging the British patrol not to shoot him.
 General Rundle had a sharpe skrmish at Ficksburg on June 12. The Boers had been aggressive along the whole Picks burg-Senekal line, and menaced Ficksburg influence. The British outposts retired to the town. General Bundle held the atten- tion of the Boers in front with two guns, while yeomanry were sent around to their rear and drove them off with a loss to the British of three wounded. Two patrols were also wounded.
 President Steyn is at Uitkop. His pres- ence there is supposed to account for the Boer activity.
 The war office has made public a dis patch from General Butler accepting the congratulations of the Secretary of State for War, Lord LansdoWne, in which he says:
 ''The Dorsets, who have been unlucky, had a chance at Almonds Nek and showed themselves to be as good as any others.
 About 15O yards at each end of Laings Nek the tunnel is blown in and it will re- quire several days to move the debris. The line otherwise is not injured and open to the reversing stations, and also to Sandsrpuit