The Irish standard., 1901-01-26
DE::WETS GREAT RAID.
How the Famous Bosr Plays havoc Will
the British.

How the Famous Bosr Plays havoc with
the British.
Colonel Arthur Lynch, of the Boer
army, contributes an interesting article
to Golfers Weekly on the war in South
Africa, from which the following is
taken:
On Dec. 10, General Knox believed
that he had De Wet hard pressed in a
triangle Of which two sides are formed
by the swollen and impossible Orange
and Caledon rivers, and the third side
by the Gordon of his own troops,
strengthened by detachments from all
available quarters. On paper it GER
tainly seemed as if De Vets last day
had arrived; but after considering the
situation, and the subsequent events,
it is evident to me that De Wet was
not even there at all. He had left a
portion of his force under the COM
mand of HertZog, and he was once
more in his favorite hunting ground
round about Reddersburg. Lord Kit
chener, nevertheless, reports to Lon
don, which has been in a state of sus-
pense for a week, the glad tidings of
great success against the willy Boer
leader. Next day De Wet is reported
at three places some hundred miles dis
tant from each other, and Lord Kit
chener and General Knox offer the
public no denouement at all of the play
which has excited the interest of the
world and Of which the climax seemed
approaching.
The truth is, that Dc Wet had only
einted a movement to cross the Orange
river. as far as his own immediate
command was concerned, and that he
had quietly doubled back and occupied
a position where, nearly eight months
previously. he had distinguished him
self by capturing contingent of the
Irish Rifles. That was a practical
demonstration that during those eight
months British progress in pacifying
the Orange River Free State had been
nil.
De Wet is shortly afterward found
ut Thabanchu and General Knox has
him hemmed in once more; but De Wet
escapes at the critical moment, and
makes his way to Winburg and thence
to Scnekal. This is district where,
in June last. De Wet was holly pressed
by Generals Colville, Clements, Bra
bant Clery, Rumble and Hunter, and
where. in fact. he was invited to sur
render by General Clements. On that
occasion De Wet got through very
quietly; General Colville was recalled,
and shortly afterward General Hunter
suffered a humiliating defeat at the
hands Of the redoubtable Boer chief.
II is no more probable now than then
that De Wet will be disposed of by the
officers he has outwitted so frequently.
The accounts given by the English
press. founded as they are at present
entirely on the reports of the generals,
are confusing and misleading, not par
ticularly of malice prepense, but simp-
ply because these officers do not know,
half the time, where De Wet really is.
a study Of the movements of his COM
mando as telegraphed from day to day,
taken in consideration with the various
times and places where his appearance
has been notified, shows that De Wet
has devised his plans with several OBJ
iects in view; the first being to get his
troops out of corner too restricted for
the operation of big force, the second
to menace the lines Of communication
to Kimberley if not Kimberley itself.
and the third to throw several strong
commanders over the Orange river, all
the commanding points Of which are
held in the beginning Of December by
imposing English forces. The astute
l5oer leader not only succeeded in all
these objects. but he adorned his
IsAA>AAS W SSVS4 uA uuuuClOuS
such as the capture Of De Vets Dorp,
the complete replenishing of his stock
of guns, ammunition, commissariat
and horses; and the feat of gallopins
in broad day light. with the greater
part of the entire force under his hand
through the Gordon established by Gen.
| eral Knox Mt Thabanchu.
On that occasion he did what he has
often done on larger scale-he drew
Off the main force Of the British by q
feinting attack led by Haasbroek, and
then made sudden dash through an
open space, about four miles wide,
commanded" az the authorities no
doubt had it on paper, by forts on each
side with strong batteries Of artillery.
De Wet proved once more what l
have had frequent occasion to observe
in South Africa, that guns can never
stop troop of determined horsemen