Daily inter mountain. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1881-1901, 1900-05-08
ENGLAND S TURN
BOERS RETIRING BEFORE HER
tQMAJESTY's TROOPS EVERY
PLACE
BUT MAFEKING AND NATAL.
Everything Indicates That They are
Determined Not to Fight Until
They Reach Kroonstadt.

london, May S.4:2O q. m.-The BoerS
are everywhere retiring before the Brit
ish except on the Natal frontier and at
M%afeking, to the inner circle OF their de-
lenses. They appear determined not to
fight until the Kroonstad hills are
reached.
Lord Roberts is expected to do an
other 40 or so miles and then wait for a
time in order to bring up supplies and
to repair the railway. There are one or
two hints in the dispatches from the
front that he may rest for a few days
at Smaldeel.
General French's $1,000 cavalry have
not been mentioned in the official or I'M
official dispatches for four days. 1t is
by no means likely that he is idle and
the conjecture is that he is either de-
touring towards kroonstad or raiding
the Ladybrand district.
Fifteen thousand British are now OPP
Grating on the western frontier of the
Free State. AS the deadlock at Warren
ton has been broken and the Beers are
retreating. there is nothing formidable
except distance between Warrenton and
Mafeking. The most hopeful advices
from Mafeking of April % were that the
garrison would be barely able to hold
out for a month. At that time the fever
was spreading.
According to advices from Maseru,
Basutoland, several thousand Free
Staters are north of L~adybrand. where
they have collected great herds. The dis
trict is rich in food for men and horses
and the Beers seem resolved not to move
northward. but to be prepared to resist
whara thav are IF thew are LET alone
they will menace the line Of communica-
tons after the main British army has
passed into the Transvaal.
Lord Roberts and Lord Kitchener per-
sonally directed the artillery in the Vet
river engagement.
Queen Victoria will send a signed pho
tograph to Colonel Kekewich, the hero of
Kimberley.
Six thousand, four hunded and fifty
eight troops are now at sea on the way
to South Africa. No others are under
orders to go, except as recruits to fill up
the losses of regiments at the front.
Smaldeel. Sunday, May 6.-The move-
ment that eliminated in the capture
of Windberg and Smaldeel was part of
a great general movement extending
from General Hunter on the west to
General Rumble on the east. General
Roberts admirable strategy resulted in
placing everywhere five British to one
Boer. Out of what appeared to be mex
tricable confusion of divisions and
brigades order was quickly evolved and
the Beers We're compelled to meet Lord
Roberts under favorable conditions.
What is more important is that the
British are now able to wait. Their front
and strong positions are safe in their
knowledge that their thanking columns
will advance and outtlank the Beers.
Yesterday the Beers held a really
strong position, from which earlier in
the campaign they could only have been
forced by hard fighting. General Ham
ilton's arrival at Windburg. although
not directly outfianking the Beers, made
their position extremely uncomfortable.
General ButtOn'S movement on the left
was even more successful than at first
imagined. Forty Beers were killed. The
march today was short, but General
Pole-Carew's division marched So miles
in four days.
General fuckers division is marching
on our left today and General Maxwelrs
brigade will be able to cross the river
before night.
Lord Roberts has been very strict in
his examination of the farms, with the
result of disclosing the fact that nearly
every house is a miniature arsenal, Mar
tinis, Mausers and abundant mmun
ton being found. If these had not been
discovered, the army would be leaving.