The original plan of campaign had been as follows:--The three British divisions under Generals Lord Methuen, Clery, and Gatacre were to land respectively at Capetown, Port Elizabeth, and East London. From each of these seaports a railway line leads inland: from Capetown to Kimberley and Buluwayo on the line which will one day run throughout the length of Africa "from the Cape to Cairo"; from Port Elizabeth to Bloemfontein; and from East London to Springfontein on the Port Elizabeth and Bloemfontein railway. On nearing the Orange River these three lines converge on a front of about 100 miles, the Capetown and Kimberley line at Orange River station, a distance of some 570 miles, that from Port Elizabeth at Norvals Pont, 328 miles by the railway, and that from East London at Bethulie, a distance of 290 miles. The use of three lines of railway, which in any case would have been very much to our advantage, was the more desirable from the fact of the South African lines being single tracks, with but scanty accommodation for the returning trains, and few facilities for the transport of huge quantities of stores and war material. It was probably intended to effect the concentration a little south of the Orange River, or perhaps ultimately upon Orange River station, where the Capetown and Kimberley line crosses the river. The three divisions would then have advanced on Bloemfontein. Meantime the original idea was that Sir George White would be able to keep the enemy at bay in Natal. This was a lamentable miscalculation, and the fact that after twenty days of war he was enveloped, defeated, and shut up in Ladysmith with 12,000 men profoundly affected the whole conduct of the campaign. [Illustration: OUDEMOLEN CAMP. 12th Lancers parading one hour after receiving orders to proceed to the front.] [Illustration: ARRIVAL OF NEW SOUTH WALES LANCERS IN CAPE TOWN. Passing the General Post Office in Adderley Street.]