August brought a renewal of activities. Major Gough, with four companies of Mounted Infantry, two pom-poms, and four field-pieces, accomplished a clever piece of work after the smartest Boer pattern. Moving from Standerton by night, he came before dawn on a Boer laager, opened a heavy shell fire by way of reveillé, broke up the camp, sent some 300 Dutchmen scampering into space, captured 150 of Delange's cattle, burnt his house, and returned to camp, having effectually cleared the air on the right flank! And all this without a single casualty. Through the defeat of Prinsloo in the Orange Colony, Sir Redvers Buller was now freed from the task of dividing the southern from the northern Boer forces, and was able to plan a move from Paardekop which should cut due north over the open veldt towards the Delagoa Bay railway, and enable him to assist the movement already begun by Lord Roberts, but at that time somewhat checked in consequence of lack of horses and supplies. On the 7th the General began the cross-country march in the direction of Ermelo, squeezing back his adversaries towards Machadodorp as he went. Before him he drove from one frowning and well-entrenched kopje to another, some 2000 Dutchmen under Christian Botha, with six pieces of cannon and four pom-poms, reaching and occupying Amersfoort on the same night. As usual, General Dundonald's brilliant warrior, Gough, had been to the fore, both he and Steward having scoured and scouted in advance with such dash and enterprise that the Infantry--1st King's Royal Rifles, Liverpools, Gordons, and their gallant Volunteer Company--were enabled to push their way, climbing hill after hill to find it deserted, and covering eighteen miles in the course of the day. The advance was made on a front as wide as twenty miles, on account of the extent of hidden country to be scoured. During the day's actions, Captain L. B. Cumberland and Second Lieutenant F. L. Pardoe, 1st King's Royal Rifle Corps, were wounded. Sir Redvers Buller continued his march northward, and reached Rietspruit, eight miles north of Amersfoort, crossing the Vaal at Beginderlyn. The force marched into Ermelo on the 11th, having met with little opposition, and on the following day Dr. Everett, who was in charge of the ambulance, handed over the keys of the public offices. One bag of mails was secured. On the safes, according to Reuter's correspondent, a Boer official had chalked, "No blooming oof"--a truthful and terse statement which was, however, characteristic of the blossoming Briton.