But there was no rest for the conquerors. At 3.30 on the following
morning the cavalry was harrying the Boers to the north-east. At 5
o'clock they came upon a body of Boers on a well-fortified ridge, who
were covering the army's retreat. Unable to operate vigorously against
them owing to the condition of his forces, French forced them to draw
in their outposts. But it was impossible to do more. His horses were
half dead. And in the terrific heat "the tongues of men and horses
become black from thirst." Realising the hopelessness of the
situation, French returned to the town.

[Page Heading: A MAGNIFICENT RESPONSE]

Rest was not yet, however. Scarcely had he retired than news came that
Cronje had decided to evacuate Magersfontein. No confirmation
followed, however. The General, therefore, advised his Staff that at
last a night's rest was possible. A couple of hours later a telegram
arrived from Lord Kitchener, announcing that Cronje, with ten thousand
men, was in full retreat from Magersfontein, with "all his wagons and
equipment and four guns, along the north bank of the Modder River
towards Bloemfontein, that he had already fought a rearguard action
with him, and if French with all available horses and guns could head
him and prevent his crossing the river, the infantry from Klip Drift
would press on and annihilate or take the whole force prisoners."

General French responded magnificently to the call of this
opportunity. Another man might have pleaded that his troops and horses
were utterly unfit for work, but with French the greater the
obstacles, the stronger is his determination to win through! Of all
his five thousand men, only two thousand could be found whose horses
were fit to carry them in that wild dash to head off the Boer