The most obvious route for French would be over Koodoesberg’s Drift towards the west.  Accordingly Macdonald’s Highland Brigade spent a strenuous day in threatening the Drift and returned to camp.

After a day’s rest Macdonald’s horses were again ready for the field.  On Sunday morning therefore, February 11, the long column filed silently out of camp.  At 10 o’clock the main body had covered 22 miles, reaching the farmhouse of Ramdam.  By that time Cronje’s outposts had probably realised that the camp which French had carefully left standing at the Modder River was simply a city of canvas from which the inhabitants had departed.

Next day the force was again on the march at 3.0 a.m.  It now took an easterly course in order to force a crossing on the Riet River.  Its goal was Waterval Drift.  But so intense was the darkness that after an hour of difficult movement the General ordered a halt, until dawn, when he ordered the division to make the feint on Waterval.  He was not certain whether the Drift was held in force by the enemy or not.  But very soon conviction came in a shell nicely aimed at the General in person.  It burst between French and his staff.  “There are too many of us riding together,” was his only comment, as he moved forward to reconnoitre the ground from the top of the nearest kopje.

Very soon the Horse Artillery had the gun silenced, and the whole division swerved to the right just as the Boers drew off down stream to wait for the English crossing.  Immediately the whole division was making for De Kiel’s Drift further up stream.  The banks proved to be steep and difficult, but a ford was discovered.  As the cavalry neared the bank a party of Boers saw the ruse, and a neck-to-neck race for the Drift began.  By a piece of daring horsemanship our cavalry got home first, and the Boers arrived too late to dispute their passage.  By mid-day the division was able to cross and bivouac on the right bank, pending the arrival of the baggage train, left far behind.

[Page Heading:  DELAYED TRANSPORT]

The Riet River is by no means a refreshing torrent; it winds its slow way in muddy melancholy to the cleanly water of the Vaal.  But at least it contained water in which both men and horses could forget the heat of the veldt.  All day the weary cavalrymen waited for the supplies, which did not come until they were attempting to snatch a few hours of sleep.  The transport horses stumbled and strained their way up the banks in the early hours of the morning.

There was pleasant excitement in camp, however, when both Roberts and Kitchener rode over to congratulate French on his progress, and wished him “good luck” for the rest of the journey.  But the delay in transport was annoying to French.  Neither the men nor their horses received any supplies until the morning was well advanced.  And the sun was already scorching the veldt before the division was ready to advance.  That delay was to be paid for