General Hunter's reduced force now consisted of the Dublin Fusiliers, part of the Somersetshire Light Infantry, and a small number of the Yeomanry. By the 25th he had taken over the command of General Hamilton's column and at once proceeded to engage himself with the work that that officer was intending to accomplish. General Hart before this time had been at Frederickstad, some fifteen miles north of Potchefstroom on the rail and best road to Johannesburg, but speedily moved on to assist. The plan was to arrange for the permanent garrisoning of Frankfort in the Orange River Colony, Heilbron, Lindley, and Senekal, the taking of Bethlehem, and, if possible, the cornering of De Wet. General Hunter marched from Heidelberg towards Frankfort with a view to finding out the haunts of the malcontents, but encountered no opposition, and reached his destination on the 1st of July. Two days later he was joined by the troops from Heilbron under General Macdonald. General Hart, with a battalion and a half of infantry, remained in Heidelberg and engaged in the repair of the railway bridge, which had been wrecked by the Boers. Here for the nonce we must leave them while the operations in other parts of the disturbed Colonies are investigated. General Buller had accomplished his work of clearing Natal, and had joined hands with Lord Roberts's force, and thus interposed a strong British barrier between Botha at Middelburg and De Wet in Orange River Colony. These two adventurous spirits had now to be tackled separately, and the cornering of De Wet came first in Lord Roberts's programme. The commando of the astute Free Stater was to be pushed eastward towards Bethlehem and surrounded, and for this purpose General Hunter was to co-operate with Generals Rundle, Clements, and Paget, while Lord Methuen in the neighbourhood of Paardekraal (ten miles south-west of Heilbron on the Kroonstad Road), was to mount guard over the rail between Kroonstad and the Vaal River and prevent De Wet from breaking out westward. FOOTNOTES: [5] See Map at front. [6] See vol. iii. p. 146. CHAPTER III IN ORANGE RIVER COLONY, EAST. JUNE General Rundle's activities had never relaxed. In June he was vigilantly guarding the Senekal-Ficksburg region, posting strong forces at intervals along the road, and fixing his headquarters at Scheepers Nek. Here he was strengthened by the arrival of General Campbell's Brigade (16th), while General Brabant's Force moved along the line in order to keep a wary eye on the guerilla bands that were intent on ravage and destruction. In a day or two he returned to Hammonia, however, as swarms of the enemy were circling about sniping, forcing Boers who had retired to their farms to rejoin the rebels, destroying telegraph wires, attempting to cut off parties of troops and to press their way towards the south, and, in fact, making themselves generally offensive.