New-York tribune., 1900-04-27
TRAPS FOR THE BOERS.

Lord Roberts appears to be sticking to the
plans which he adopted at the beginning Of the
Tampaign When he got to South Africa he
found that the Beers had been setting traps for
the British, and that the British had been walk
ing into them with disastrous results. Almost
every battle had been fought on ground selected
by the Beers with eye single to their own
advantage Lord Roberts decided to change
all that He would have battles fought on
ground selected by himself. for his own advan-
tage. He would set traps for the Beers and get
them caught therein. Had he openly announced
such policy, he would have been derided for
his presumption in thinking he could entrap such
slim" antagonists. But without announcing
anything he went ahead and did it, with results
observable at Kimberley and Paardeberg 1t
will be remembered that before his traps there
were sprung there was a considerable period of
silence. Trappers do not usually station brass
bands around their traps. SO before this weeks
operations there was a similar time Of silence
And then came the sprngng of the trap.
The opinion was some time ago expressed in
these columns that the willy British commander
might stop at Bloemfontein long enough to set
another trap. 1t seemed reasonable TO suppose
that he would rather lure the BOer army down
from the northern hills and deal with it in the
open ground of the Free State than go up and
smash his battalions against its mountain fort
resses. Whether or not he succeeds in capturing
1T in the trap he has set. there can be no doubt
that he thus lured it into the trap Wepener was
the bait. The prospect Of capturing consider
able British force, while the main British army
lay helpless at BloemfOntein, was an enticing
one. How many Boer troops were poured into
that southeastern corner Of the Orange State is
not exactly known. Varying reports put the
number at from 5000 to 25,000. Having reached
Wepener, the Beers found the British garrison
quite able TO Withstand their assault. Then
large proportion Of the whole British army
swung out from Bloemfontein to capture them,
in country too open for the favorite Boer tac-
tics, and in which there had been no chance
TO construct Notifications. There was a menace
of a repetition of Paardeberg on a larger and
more disastrous scale
1t is not always easy to catch your prey.
however: not even after you have got him into
your trap. Between the springing of the trap
and its complete closure there is sometimes a
chance for the intended victim, if he be suffi-
ciently alert and agile, to make his escape Or
there may be cracks and crevices in the walls
Of the trap through which he can force his way
In the present ease something Of the sort ap-
pears to have happened. The Beers are as expert
in getting out of traps as they are in setting traps
for self-confident foes After swapping at the
bait and doing incalculable damage. they have
slipped out of the trap between the springing
and the fall and now in full flight toward
the northern hills. and the trappers have had TO
ABANDON the trap and give chaSe-a stern chase.
which is proverbiay a long one. The British
may YET overhaul the Beers. they did in the
race from Kimberley to Paardeberg If not the
trap-setting Will have been in vain and the
final settlement must come in the hills between
KrOonstad and Pretoria