French was now on the west of the town, Henry had cut the railway on the east, and Roberts was coming up from the south.  His infantry had covered 130 miles in seven days, but the thought that every step brought them nearer to Pretoria was as exhilarating as their fifes and drums.  On May 30th the victorious troops camped outside the city while Botha retired with his army, abandoning without a battle the treasure-house of his country.  Inside the town were chaos and confusion.  The richest mines in the world lay for a day or more at the mercy of a lawless rabble drawn from all nations.  The Boer officials were themselves divided in opinion, Krause standing for law and order while Judge Koch advocated violence.  A spark would have set the town blazing, and the worst was feared when a crowd of mercenaries assembled in front of the Robinson mine with threats of violence.  By the firmness and tact of Mr. Tucker, the manager, and by the strong attitude of Commissioner Krause, the situation was saved and the danger passed.  Upon May 31st, without violence to life or destruction to property, that great town which British hands have done so much to build found itself at last under the British flag.  May it wave there so long as it covers just laws, honest officials, and clean-handed administrators—­so long and no longer!

And now the last stage of the great journey had been reached.  Two days were spent at Johannesburg while supplies were brought up, and then a move was made upon Pretoria thirty miles to the north.  Here was the Boer capital, the seat of government, the home of Kruger, the centre of all that was anti-British, crouching amid its hills, with costly forts guarding every face of it.  Surely at last the place had been found where that great battle should be fought which should decide for all time whether it was with the Briton or with the Dutchman that the future of South Africa lay.

On the last day of May two hundred Lancers under the command of Major Hunter Weston, with Charles of the Sappers and Burnham the scout, a man who has played the part of a hero throughout the campaign, struck off from the main army and endeavoured to descend upon the Pretoria to Delagoa railway line with the intention of blowing up a bridge and cutting the Boer line of retreat.  It was a most dashing attempt; but the small party had the misfortune to come into contact with a strong Boer commando, who headed them off.  After a skirmish they were compelled to make their way back with a loss of five killed and fourteen wounded.

The cavalry under French had waited for the issue of this enterprise at a point nine miles north of Johannesburg.  On June 2nd it began its advance with orders to make a wide sweep round to the westward, and so skirt the capital, cutting the Pietersburg railway to the north of it.  The country in the direct line between Johannesburg and Pretoria consists of a series of rolling downs which are admirably adapted