The rout was not without spasmodic touches of humour, even for these jaded men.  “One of the Staff plunged into the river and caught some geese, but someone else ate them; a pig ran the gauntlet through the camp—­amidst roars of laughter, even from the serious General—­of lances, bayonets, knives, sticks, boots, water-bottles, anything to hand, and at length was caught by a lucky trooper, who shared his feast that night with his friends.  A wagon of fresh fruit was taken, sufficient to make thirsty men’s mouths water, but some thought the grapes were sour."[12]

The next day was perforce spent in camp, resting the tired troops and awaiting the arrival of supplies.  The baggage was not on the scene until late in the afternoon, much to the discomfort of French’s men.  It was midnight before Lord Kitchener and his Staff were near the camp.  One of French’s aides-de-camp, Captain J. Laycock, rode out in solitary peril, and although continually sniped at by the Boers, was able to lead Lord Kitchener and his Staff safely into camp.  All day the Boers had been making the men’s lives a burden through unexpected sniping and feints.  French is said to have admitted that had any of their attacks been driven home, his plans might have been seriously disconcerted.  “Could the Boers learn to attack they would be a most formidable foe,” was his verdict on the situation.

[Page Heading:  THE ROAD BLOCKED]

At 9.30 on February 15 the column set out on the last stage of their journey.  French, with the idea of putting the enemy off the track, led his men towards Bloemfontein.  His idea was eventually to dash straight for Kimberley with his whole division, hemming the enemy’s rear and flank in at Magersfontein, where Methuen’s force could hold him in front.  Scarcely had the advance begun, however, when a murderous fire broke out from the river on the south-west, followed almost instantaneously by a cross fire from a line of kopjes on the north-west.  The road to Bloemfontein was blocked; and the road to Kimberley was exposed to a cross fire from the enemy’s two positions.  This was checkmate with a vengeance.  It was thought that some two thousand Boers held the kopjes ahead of French.  At once he ordered the guns into position and boldly replied to the enemy’s fire.  The column was now nearing a plain several miles in width, guarded on one side by a ridge running from north to south, and on the other by a hill.  The Boers held both hill and ridge in force.  So that whatever the guns might do, the position was difficult—­if not impossible.  By all military rules French was “hemmed in.”  To a lesser man retreat would have seemed inevitable, though disastrous.  Once again it was French v. The Impossible.  A member of his staff relates how, sweeping the horizon with his glass, while riderless horses from the guns galloped past, he muttered, squaring the pugnacious jaw, “They are over here to stop us from Bloemfontein and they are there to stop us from Kimberley—­we have got to break through.”  In an instant his decision was taken.  He would attempt the impossible—­a direct cavalry charge in the teeth of the enemy’s fire.