THE BOER MILITARY SYSTEM The disparity between the British and Boer armies seemed to be so great at the time the war was begun that the patriotic Englishman could hardly be blamed for asserting that the struggle would be of only a month's duration.

On the one side was an army every branch of which was highly developed and specialised and kept in constant practice by many wars waged under widely different conditions.

Back of it was a great nation, with millions of men and unlimited resources to draw upon.

At the head of the army were men who had the theory and practice of warfare as few leaders of other armies had had the opportunities of securing them.

Opposed to this army was practically an aggregation of farmers, hastily summoned together and utterly without discipline or training.