s at last. It comes by heliograph, telling us
that Lord Roberts has entered the Free State with a large force, mainly
of mounted troops and artillery, wherewith he hoped to relieve the
pressure round Ladysmith in a few days.

This afternoon I paid a visit to Brigadier-General Hamilton in his tent
beside the Manchesters on Caesar's Camp. Through all the glorious history
of their services in Flanders, the Peninsula, the Crimea, or
Afghanistan, men of the gallant 63rd have never done harder work than on
breezy Bester's Ridge, where they have furnished outposts and fatigue
parties every day for four weary months. Is it any wonder that they are
the raggedest, most weather-stained, and most unkempt crowd who ever
played the part of soldiers? There is not a whole shoe or a sound
garment among them. They are ill-fed and overworked, yet they go to an
extra duty cheerfully, knowing that their General has faith in their
watchfulness and grit. All honour to them! Like "the dirty half-hundred"
of Peninsular fame, they have been too busy to have time for washing and
mending.

Kaffirs report that the Free State Boers are all trekking towards Van
Reenan's.

This native report, true or false, marked the beginnings of a
renewed hope that was not again to suffer defeat, but was now
quickly to grow into the substantial expectation and the certainty
of relief. Lord Roberts was already across the borders of the Free
State, and simultaneously Sir Redvers Buller was preparing for his
last attempt to roll back the burghers from the Tugela, and to
break down the barrier so long maintained between his army and
Ladysmith. His operations during the week following were watched
with intense anxiety, but with growing confidence. On 20th February
Mr. Pearse wrote the following:--

For a whole week daily we have heard the roar of artillery southward and
westward along the Tugela, seen Lyddite shells bursting on Boer
positions, and watched the signs of battle, from which we gather hope
that slowly but surely Buller's army is drawing nearer to us, though by
a different and harder road from the one it tried last. We know that for
a whole week on end those troops have been fighting their way against
entrenched positions that might baulk the bravest soldiers, and still
the roar of battle rolls our way, until between the muffled boom of
heavy guns we can hear faintly the pulse-like throb of rifle volleys.