The Boer commando was still in existence, however, and it was reinforced and reinvigorated by De la Rey’s success at Uitval’s Nek.  On July 18th they began to close in upon Rustenburg again, and a small skirmish took place between them and the Australians.  Methuen’s division, which had been doing very arduous service in the north of the Free State during the last six weeks, now received orders to proceed into the Transvaal and to pass northwards through the disturbed districts en route for Rustenburg, which appeared to be the storm centre.  The division was transported by train from Kroonstad to Krugersdorp, and advanced on the evening of July 18th upon its mission, through a bare and fire-blackened country.  On the 19th Lord Methuen manoeuvred the Boers out of a strong position, with little loss to either side.  On the 21st he forced his way through Olifant’s Nek, in the Magaliesberg range, and so established communication with Baden-Powell, whose valiant bushmen, under Colonel Airey, had held their own in a severe conflict near Magato Pass, in which they lost six killed, nineteen wounded, and nearly two hundred horses.  The fortunate arrival of Captain FitzClarence with the Protectorate Regiment helped on this occasion to avert a disaster.  The force, only 300 strong, without guns, had walked into an ugly ambuscade, and only the tenacity and resource of the men enabled them ever to extricate themselves.

Although Methuen came within reach of Rustenburg, he did not actually join hands with Baden-Powell.  No doubt he saw and heard enough to convince him that that astute soldier was very well able to take care of himself.  Learning of the existence of a Boer force in his rear, Methuen turned, and on July 29th he was back at Frederickstad on the Potchefstroom to Krugersdorp railway.  The sudden change in his plans was caused doubtless by the desire to head off De Wet in case he should cross the Vaal River.  Lord Roberts was still anxious to clear the neighbourhood of Rustenburg entirely of the enemy; and he therefore, since Methuen was needed to complete the cordon round De Wet, recalled Hamilton’s force from the east and despatched it, as already described, to the west of Pretoria.

Before going into the details of the great De Wet hunt, in which Methuen’s force was to be engaged, I shall follow Hamilton’s division across, and give some account of their services.  On August 1st he set out from Pretoria for Rustenburg.  On that day and on the next he had brisk skirmishes which brought him successfully through the Magaliesberg range with a loss of forty wounded, mostly of the Berkshires.  On the 5th of August he had made his way to Rustenburg and drove off the investing force.  A smaller siege had been going on to westward, where at Elands River another Mafeking man, Colonel Hore, had been held up by the burghers.  For some days it was feared, and even officially announced, that the garrison had surrendered.  It was known that