on Bloemfontein.

REDVERS BULLER, General.

Four days later, the Commander-in-Chief in South Africa addressed the
following letter to General Methuen:--

[Sidenote: Personal advice from Sir Redvers, Nov. 14th.]

Cape Town,
November 14th, 1899.
LORD METHUEN,--

I do not want to tie your hands in any way, but I send this
letter for such use as you choose to make of it.

1. I think that you will find that the Guards and the 9th Brigade
and two batteries Royal Field Artillery will be as large a
portion of your force as you can take with advantage.

2. As to mounted men, you will of course take what you require. I
think it will be advisable to leave one-half of Rimington's
Guides, the party at Hanover Road, and sufficient others to scout
20 to 25 miles on all sides of the line held by General Wauchope.

3. On your departure General Wauchope will have, including the
two half-battalions of Berkshire and Munster, four battalions;
and if you leave him one battery, six guns Royal Field Artillery,
with them he should be able to hold the line to Belmont with
perfect safety. Orange River bridge must of course be held at all
costs. I hope you will not remain a day longer at Kimberley than
you can help.

5. I have already told you that I am sending with you a Naval
brigade with four 12-pr. 12-cwt. guns; these guns range 6,000
yards. You will not start without them, will leave them at
Kimberley, and such reinforcements not exceeding one-and-a-half
battalions as the commandant may require.

6. I have said in my instructions that you will proceed to Modder
river. If you can from there get a clear road to Kimberley, so
much the better, but you will act according to circumstances. The
main object is to save time.[146]

[Footnote 146: The remainder of the letter contains
suggestions on tactics and so forth, which are not directly
relevant to the subject of this chapter, and are therefore
omitted.]

* * * * *

R. BULLER.

[Sidenote: Information gathered before the march, up to Nov. 21st.]

Before Lord Methuen's arrival at Orange River station, the mounted
troops had been engaged in