NEWS OF THE WEEK.
THE tops of the bayonets and sabres are just beginning to appear through "the fog of war" which for the last fortnight has been drifting in such wide wreaths and involving in its obscurity all the country within the fifty-mile radius east and north from Bloemfontein. On Thursday afternoon a despatch was published from Lord Roberts describing a "considerable success" met with by General Hamilton on Tuesday in shape of the capture of the enemy's positions at Hontnek—a place to the north-east of Thaban'chu—with the loss to them of twenty-six prisoners and a considerable number of killed and wounded. That was good news, but still better was the official news published in London on Friday afternoon,—namely, that Brandfort had been captured, the enemy being sur- prised and forced to retreat in hot haste. A glance at the map will show the importance of this sudden spring on the part of Lord Roberts, for Brandfort is on the railway almost due north of Bloemfontein. It is the first step in the great advance northwards, and also threatens the retreat of the Boers on Kroonstad. It now remains to be seen whether the Boers will be able to escape from the position which they still hold in the hills north of Thaban'ehn, or whether General Hamilton's success at Houtnek will enable us to cut off their retreat to the north and east. To the south and west their escape is already barred.
