The Great Boer War

Chapter 20

The surrender of Cronje had taken place on February 27th, obliterating

for ever the triumphant memories which the Boers had for twenty years

associated with that date. A halt was necessary to provide food for

the hungry troops, and above all to enable the cavalry horses to pick

up. The supply of forage had been most inadequate, and the beasts had

not yet learned to find a living from the dry withered herbage of the

veldt.[Footnote: A battery which turned out its horses to graze found

that the puzzled creatures simply galloped about the plain, and could

only be reassembled by blowing the call which they associated with

feeding, when they rushed back and waited in lines for their nosebags

to be put on.] In addition to this, they had been worked most

desperately during the fortnigh