Enteric fever is always endemic in the country, and especially at Bloemfontein, but there can be no doubt that this severe outbreak had its origin in the Paardeberg water.  All through the campaign, while the machinery for curing disease was excellent, that for preventing it was elementary or absent.  If bad water can cost us more than all the bullets of the enemy, then surely it is worth our while to make the drinking of unboiled water a stringent military offence, and to attach to every company and squadron the most rapid and efficient means for boiling it—­for filtering alone is useless.  An incessant trouble it would be, but it would have saved a division for the army.  It is heartrending for the medical man who has emerged from a hospital full of water-born pestilence to see a regimental watercart being filled, without protest, at some polluted wayside pool.  With precautions and with inoculation all those lives might have been saved.  The fever died down with the advance of the troops and the coming of the colder weather.

To return to the military operations:  these, although they were stagnant so far as the main army was concerned, were exceedingly and inconveniently active in other quarters.  Three small actions, two of which were disastrous to our arms, and one successful defence marked the period of the pause at Bloemfontein.

To the north of the town, some twelve miles distant lies the ubiquitous Modder River, which is crossed by a railway bridge at a place named Glen.  The saving of the bridge was of considerable importance, and might by the universal testimony of the farmers of that district have been effected any time within the first few days of our occupation.  We appear, however, to have imperfectly appreciated how great was the demoralisation of the Boers.  In a week or so they took heart, returned, and blew up the bridge.  Roving parties of the enemy, composed mainly of the redoubtable Johannesburg police, reappeared even to the south of the river.  Young Lygon was killed, and Colonels Crabbe and Codrington with Captain Trotter, all of the Guards, were severely wounded by such a body, whom they gallantly but injudiciously attempted to arrest when armed only with revolvers.

These wandering patrols who kept the country unsettled, and harassed the farmers who had taken advantage of Lord Roberts’s proclamation, were found to have their centre at a point some six miles to the north of Glen, named Karee.  At Karee a formidable line of hills cut the British advance, and these had been occupied by a strong body of the enemy with guns.  Lord Roberts determined to drive them off, and on March 28th Tucker’s 7th Division, consisting of Chermside’s brigade (Lincolns, Norfolks, Hampshires, and Scottish Borderers), and Wavell’s brigade (Cheshires, East Lancashires, North Staffords, and South Wales Borderers), were assembled at Glen.  The artillery consisted of the veteran 18th, 62nd, and 75th R.F.A.  Three attenuated cavalry brigades with some mounted infantry completed the force.