NOTES ON THE WAR.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 11797, 28 July 1900, Page 7

NOTES ON THE WAR.

By Majob Kennedy.

The state of affairs, in South Africa indicates a determination on the part of the Boers to carry out a guerilla warfare, and to make this system of fighting all the more trying for the British, Kruger is moving towards Lydenburg, and his commandos are scattering in all directions, attacking isolated detachments, cutting railway and telegraph lines, and capturing and 'destroying such convoys as may be on the inarch from one British camp to another unless they are heavily guarded.

Fighting in the Free State continues, and, instead of the Free Staters being confined to a small district of hilly country near the Natal and Free State borders, the "Boers are spreading out in V.any directions. Vredefort, where .General De Wet was reported to have been last Sunday, is about 25 miles south-east of Potchcfstroom, on the south side of the Vaal River, and as he was said to be marching north-east it is presumed he. would pass through Parys, where Lord Roberts's army first crossed the Vaal when he made his famous march to Elandsfontein. De Wet seemed to be in no great hurry, a.s we are informed thatGeneral Broad wood, of Koorn. Spruit fame, arrived at Vredefort on Tuesday and found tlie enemy entrenched in the "hills on the south bank of the Vaal. The cables here are somewhat confused, as we are informed that General Broadwood attacked the Boers and captured 20 prisoners and seven waggons, and that the mounted infantry met with superior numbers of the enemy, and were forced to retire after suffering considerably. Then we are informed that General Broadwood was waiting for Colonel Little to join him before he advanced beyond Vredefort.

The news of the movements of De Wet to the-<west of the Free State railway does not indicate a very satisfactory state of things, as there was good reason to believe that the British force would be able to keep the Free Staters confined in the northeastern part of the State until they ran out of food and munitions, and finally drove them to capitulate. However, it turns out that the British fell into the trap which General Botha laid for them when he commenced to raid the flanks and'rear of Lord Roberta's army on the Transvaal side of the Vaal River. It was cabled at the time that Botha's object wag an attempt to draw off the pressure that was being put on De Wet in the Free State. It was hoped that in spite of the few successes of minor importance which Botha's forces might-ob-tain over ' small ' British outposts no troops would be withdrawn from the cordon around De Wet until he and his burghers were prisoners; but alas! Lord Methuen's division had to be sent to stop Botha from" raiding in the Krugersdprp district, and as that left a gap in the cordon De Wet marched through, and the work of weeks—nay, months—wa.s lost. And- nob only that, but we are told of another break in the railway and telegraph lines at Honing Spruit, and the loss'of 100 Highlanders as prisoners at the same place, while this bad news is followed by an account of the loss of a supply train and 200 of the' Royal Welsh Fusiliers (23rd Foot) ■at Roodeval, on the railway, where the main stream of the- Rhenoster crosses the

railway

It now seems as if. the position of Majorgeneral Baden-Powell at Rus'tenburg' was for sometime past rather critical, as he was besieged by the Boers at that place until relieved by the advance of General Methuen's troops. No doubt General Botha and Kruger would like to secure General Baden-Powell as a prisoner, but happily they failed.