It was admirably planned and excellently carried out, certainly the most strategic movement, if there could be said to have been any strategic movement upon the British side, in the campaign up to that date.

On the 18th the infantry, the cavalry, and most of the guns were safely across without loss of life.

The Boers, however, still retained their formidable internal lines, and the only result of a change of position seemed to be to put them to the trouble of building a new series of those terrible entrenchments at which they had become such experts.

After all the combinations the British were, it is true, upon the right side of the river, but they were considerably further from Ladysmith than when they started.

There are times, however, when twenty miles are less than fourteen, and it was hoped that this might prove to be among them.