The first day's march was a short one of nine miles to Fincham's Farm or Witteputts, half way between Orange River and Belmont. Yet, though short, it tried the men severely. As the sun rose the heat grew tropical, and water there was none till Fincham's Farm was reached. The line of route lay across the undulating, thirsty veldt, sand-floored, overgrown with brown scrub, along the foot of perpetual kopjes. Nothing was seen of the enemy, yet the Boer scouts dogged the column and noted its every movement. [Illustration: A NOTED SCOUT. Sergeant Cunningham, of Rimington's "Tigers." They are so called from the fact of their wearing a piece of tiger skin around the hat.] At Fincham's Farm the column halted for the night, and next day marched to Belmont. Here it was known that the enemy would be found and a battle fought. While the infantry marched into camp, Lord Methuen pushed forward with the two batteries of artillery and the naval guns, and carefully examined the Boer position. [Illustration: [_Photo by Gregory._ HIS MOTHER'S FAREWELL. A soldier of the Scots Guards ordered on active service.] [Sidenote: [NOV. 21-23, 1899.] Some miles to the east of the railway rose a line of kopjes running north-west and south-east--to the north known as Table Hill, in the centre as Gun Hill, and to the south afterwards called Fryer's Kopje. These were held by the Boers. Behind rose a second and loftier line of heights, broken in the centre by a deep "nek" or pass, in which was known to be the Boer laager. This line of heights was defended by stone breastworks, and was also held by the enemy. The key to it was Mont Blanc, to the south-east of the nek. Lord Methuen took every precaution to prevent the enemy from guessing the proximity of his 9,000 men. Only the artillery moved forward, and in a futile way shelled the foremost line of kopjes. Our guns were, as in every battle of the war, outranged by the enemy's artillery. A big weapon in the hands of the Boers made superb shooting, and had the projectiles and fuses been good, would have inflicted heavy loss. As things were, there were only two men wounded in the British force, whereas the enemy had six killed or wounded. The latter figure, however, must be entirely conjectural.