At last the main army was ready for work again, and on May 1 the troops moved out of the fever-stricken town.  French and his cavalry were the last to leave, but they overtook Lord Roberts and the main body, and led the way to Kroonstad, once again the seat of the Free State Government.  Here by one of his famous turning movements, French cleverly forced the enemy to surrender and give up the keys of the town.  Keeping ahead of Lord Roberts and his forces, he crossed the Vaal River and was first at the gates of Johannesburg, which the British entered on May 31.

[Page Heading:  THE GUNS]

After two days in the mining city, Lord Roberts’ triumphant forces moved on their way to Pretoria.  French’s next task was to cut the railway communications to the north of Pretoria.  In carrying this out he made a wide detour to the west, where his cavalry found themselves in a treacherous country of kopjes, scrub and menacing gorges, a type of country most dangerous to mounted men.  Anxiously he pushed forward to reach open country before nightfall (of June 2).  But the Boers were before him.  A sudden hail of Mauser bullets and shells announced an ambush.  But French was undismayed.  “Quietly, in complete mastery of the situation, General French gave his orders.  ’Make room for the guns,’ passed down the line; and like a fire engine to the rescue, up dashed a section of horse artillery and a pom-pom."[14] Very quickly the enemy was beaten off, in spite of the fatigue of a thirty-two mile march.  No further resistance was met with as the men passed through the rich, orange-growing country round Pretoria.  On June 4, French had completed his enveloping movement, and taken up his position to the north of the town.  In the afternoon the cavalrymen learnt, with no little chagrin, that Lord Roberts had already entered Pretoria.

When the efforts to negotiate peace with Botha had failed, French was instructed by Lord Roberts to push the Boers east by a turning movement on their flank, which he would follow by the usual frontal attack on foot.  So energetic were the Boers in harassing Lord Roberts’ force, that drastic action had become necessary.  It proved to be one of the most difficult enterprises that the cavalry had undertaken.

As usually happened the Boers were securely ensconced on ridges, the chief of which was known as Diamond Hill, while our men were condemned to work round from a level plain open to the enemy’s fire.  In order not to become a series of conspicuous targets, the cavalrymen were forced to dismount and fight their way up to the ridges on foot.  For two days they fought gallantly against a steady fire, until the infantry’s attack on the enemy’s other flank gave French his chance to drive them out.  For a third time the plight of his horses finally forbade his taking full advantage of his success.  The Boers were driven back, but without being severely punished.  The ubiquitous De Wet, need one add, showed a clean pair of heels.