With occasional small actions he moved about from Vrede to Reitz, and so to Bethlehem and Harrismith.

On him, as on all other commanders, the vicious system of placing small garrisons in the various towns imposed a constant responsibility lest they should be starved or overwhelmed.
The year and the century ended by a small reverse to the British arms in the Transvaal.

This consisted in the capture of a post at Helvetia defended by a detachment of the Liverpool Regiment and by a 4.7 gun.
Lydenburg, being seventy miles off the railway line, had a chain of posts connecting it with the junction at Machadodorp.

These posts were seven in number, ten miles apart, each defended by 250 men.

Of these Helvetia was the second.