The Boers come well out of this story. Their leaders
were evidently well informed ; they swarmed to Pretoria at the first signal, and they fought in the way they have always found successful. That is, like the Americans at Bunker's Hill, they avoided the open, posted themselves behind rocks and other natural breastworks, and availed themselves of their skill as marksmen. They lost, in consequence, very few men—only five, it is said—and were never fatigued. They treated their prisoners well, and though it is reported they demanded severe measures, they yielded to Mr. Kruger's orders, and at his bidding released them all. The whole story proves them to be excellent backwoodsmen, who, if allowed to ::hoose their position, could hold their own against twice their number of regular soldiers. Their only defects appear to be overweening confidence in themselves, and great impatience of a campaign of any duration. They press their President, It is reported, to demand impossible terms, and do not appear to understand that as yet Great Britain has never put out her strength against them. As fighters, they are very like Pathans ; and the best troops to attack them would be Goorkhas, who, if decently led, would never dream of ex- posing themselves unprotected to their terrible fire, but would carry their positions as the sangars" on the road to Chitral were carried, by hill-paths. They are fine men, by no means all Dutch, many, like their General J oubert, being descendants of French Huguenots.
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