More useful work, which had a direct bearing on the events of the future, took place during Colonel Pilcher's three weeks' stay at Belmont. Soon after the Douglas expedition another excursion was devised. More Canadians were to be employed. The Queenslanders were to send such men as they could mount, their animals being, many of them, still _hors de combat_ from the sea trip, and the guns and infantry were to go as a matter of course. A dive into the enemy's country was projected--one of the first deliberate incursions upon the Southern Dutch Republic. These incursions were of immense value, and served in reality as pilotage for the gigantic military engine that was shortly to sweep the way from the Cape to Bloemfontein. At six o'clock in the morning of Tuesday, January 9, the column started. It was composed as follows:-- Royal Horse Artillery--Two guns, 45 men, 51 horses. Queensland Mounted Infantry--Two Maxims, 116 men, 106 horses. Royal Munster Fusiliers Mounted Infantry--15 men, 15 horses. Royal Canadian Regiment--Two Maxims, 293 men, 2 horses. New South Wales Army Medical Corps--Two ambulances, 18 men, 14 horses. Total--487 men, 188 horses. The officers who were engaged in the flying column were:-- Staff--Lieut.-Col. T. D. Pilcher, P.S.C., in command; Major M. Dobell, R.C.R.I., Staff Officer; Major S. J. A. Denison, R.C.R.I., Quartermaster; Major Brown, Q.M.I., Transport Officer; Lieut. Lafferty, R.C.R.I., Transport Officer; Lieut. J. H. C. Ogilvy, in charge of R.C.R.I. machine gun section; Capt. Pelham, Q.M.I., in charge of Queensland machine gun section; Lieut. A. C. Caldwell, R.C.R.I., attached; Lieut. C. W. M'Lean, R.C.R.I., attached; Rev. J. M. Almond, chaplain. Royal Horse Artillery--Major de Rougemont and Lieut. Atkinson. Queensland Mounted Infantry--Lieut.-Col. Ricardo, Capt. Chauvel, Capt. Pinnock, Lieut. Bailey, Lieut. Glascow. R.M.F. Mounted Infantry--Capt. Bowen, Lieut. Tyrrell. Royal Canadian Regiment--Lieut.-Col. Pelletier. A Company--Capt. Arnold, Lieut. Hodgins, Lieut. Blanchard. B Company--Lieut. Ross, Lieut. J. C. Mason, Lieut. S. P. Layborn. H Company (half-company)--Lieut. Burstall, Lieut. Willis. New South Wales Army Medical Corps--Capt. Roth, Lieut. Martin; Capt. Dods, Queensland, attached. (Lieut.-Col. Patterson of Queensland also went with the force as a spectator.)