be
with accuracy the defences which they had thrown up before that date.
On the right and centre these appear to have consisted of narrow
trenches, dug about 150 yards in front of the hills. They were three
or four feet in depth, and owing to the peculiar nature of the soil it
was possible to make them with perpendicular sides--mere narrow slits
in the ground which afforded complete protection from shrapnel fire.
These trenches were not in one continuous line, but were dug along the
waving foot-line of the hills, and so arranged that they flanked one
another. The parapets, slightly raised above the ground, were well
concealed by bushes and stones. On the Boers' left but little work had
been done, and the men who held this section were largely dependent on
natural cover. Cronje's dispositions were as follows: When the action
of the 11th December began, the right was held by part of the
Potchefstroom commando, who were soon afterwards ordered to reinforce
the left wing. The works in the right centre were manned by another
detachment of the Potchefstroom and part of the Fauresmith commandos;
while further to the south-east the Ladybrand, Hoopstad, Kroonstad,
Bloemhof, and Boshof commandos defended Magersfontein Hill. The
Scandinavian corps, about sixty strong, connected the centre with the
left wing, which was posted on the low ridge running southward to the
river. The remainder of the Fauresmith and the Wolmaranstad commandos
held the northern end of this low ridge, the centre of which was
occupied by those of the Potchefstroomers who were transferred from
the right wing. The south end was defended by the men of Lichtenburg,
while across the Modder river near Brown's Drift was posted a
detachment of 200 Jacobsdalers with a gun, under Albrecht. On the
right the supervision was entrusted to A. Cronje, on the left to De la
Rey, while the supreme command was vested in Piet Cronje. As regards
the Boer numbers there is the usual conflict of evidence. A Boer
general says that there were from 5,000 to 6,000 burghers present; an
ambulance officer reckons them in all at 7,000; while two commandants
estimate them at 4,000. The Boers had five field guns, distributed
along their line; two pom-poms were posted on Magersfontein Hill;
while three more pom-poms were allotted to the defence of the low
ridge.

[Sidenote: Lord Methuen's reinforcements and detachments.]

By the 10th December all the reinforcements expected by Lord Methuen