At the same time his troops radiated round the former capital to drive off the little commandos that were still hovering about in the neighbourhood.
The Boer commandos grouped themselves in two principal centres, the Orange Free State and Natal.
In all ages belligerents have tried to conceal their losses, and this kind of juggling is, of course, much easier among incoherent groups like the commandos than in regular battalions.
Then we stayed a few days on Mr. Brown's farm, where a great many little commandos congregated that were camped on the banks of the river.
Although my knee was not yet cured, I went to Glencoe, whither our commandos had retreated.
Even in dry weather fuel was almost unattainable, for the treeless Hoogeveld had been almost exhausted by the many large commandos which had visited the 'uitspan' places.
Thinking that the commandoswould fall back upon the positions of Belfast, we went to Middelburg to an uncle of ours, the missionary Jan Maré, in order to give our horses a rest.
Such is Kimberley in the passing hour, and as I waited there to see whether the rumours would crystallise into actualities, the word was passed round that three commandos of the Boers were concentrating upon Mafeking.
The Commandant-General had but fifteen hundred men with him in Natal, while General Snyman mentions the numbers of the various commandos which he has summoned to his assistance, and by which he hopes to secure an additional eight hundred men.
Beyers, who had fled from Pietersburg on the approach of the British, was still at large, however, and in the Waterberg district was doing his best to intercept such commandos as were on the way to surrender.
In addition to these commandoswhich were trounced on the journey, report said that General Kemp with some 800 followers was flitting between the kopjes and crevices on the south-west of Olifant's Nek.
Colonel Haig, on the 12th, reached Rosmead and took command of all the columns operating in the midlands, and he soon began the hunting of Scheepers' and Malan's commandos with his flying columns.
Nearly all the commandos which had invaded the Colony were retracing their sorry steps after the failure of their expedition.
Various groups of columns under General Knox and Colonel Rochfort harassed and hunted the remnants of the commandos of Brand, Ackerman, and Loetzee, which still hung and clung to their ancient haunts.
On the 13th of November, owing to a squadron of Imperial Yeomanry of Colonel Hickie's force having been surrounded near Brakspruit, both officers moved by different routes to Klerksdorp to disperse the commandos threatening Colonel Hickie.
To the west of the railway, Colonel Rochfort spent January and February in tussling withcommandos under Nieuwhoudt and Pretorius.
I am not allowing facilities for meeting of commandos in Cape Colony, and none will be there.
The meeting of elected representatives from commandos is arranged to be held at Vereeniging on 13th or 15th May.
The main scene now was all the bodacious helicopters, Hueys, on the landing pad and all the Army commandos milling around.
Mostly commandos in their twenties and early thirties, Gigene operatives had to pass a grueling series of tests, including firing an H&K MP5 one-handed while swinging through a window in a quick entry called the pendulum technique.
The Transvaal commandos had mobilised upon September 27, and those of the Free State on October 2.
Boer commandos covered their tracks by putting to death every Kaffir who might give information.
These men were persuaded or terrorised by the fighting commandos into breaking their parole and abandoning those farms on which they had sworn to remain.
East, west, north, and south, there are strong commandos with guns, and there is only one way open for you.
In fact, every military precaution was taken on defensive principles, for the captured convoy was too valuable for any risks to be run by attacking one or other of the commandos trying to hem in the brigade.
The enemy was prowling about, and two commandos hovered north of the small detached post at the mills.
They had been kept stationary, and thus prevented from combining with the Tuli column, or invading Rhodesia, or joining forces with any of the aggressive commandos in the south.
We are already aware that the Boer commandosin this region were far too knowing, and the anxious fangs eventually snapped on nothing at all!
Such precautions adopted earlier would have averted many bloody tussles and much inconvenience and loss of time, for sans forage the raiding capabilities of the variouscommandos would have been sorely handicapped.
More Boer commandos were seen to be arriving from the east towards dusk, so there seemed to be every prospect of a warm time the next day, especially on the right flank.
This considerably hastened the enemy's movements, and the rear-guard commandos which had yet to pass near the hill thought better of it, and went round another way behind some high hills out of shot.
Footnote 343: The actual surrender of the arms in the possession of the burgher and rebel commandos was carried out with admirable promptitude.
It was in a district where, in the Boer Commandant's words, "the Afrikanders were rejoicing, and joining the commandos was universal.
The fact that our commandos have been spread over so large a tract of country has compelled the British, up to the present time, to divide their forces.
It is assumed that His Majesty's Opposition will save the Bond, and South Africa for the Bond, if only the commandos make the war expensive.
The commandoswere on their way to the Natal border before the reply to this British despatch of September 8th was delivered to the British Agent.
De Wet was chased out of the Colony by the British columns on February 28th, but smaller commandos under Kruitzinger, Fouché, Scheepers, and Malan remained behind.
On the previous day General Joubert had shut up Sir George White's force in Ladysmith; and there was, therefore, no longer any likelihood that these commandos would be required in Natal.
Had the scattered commandos been united into one body and directed by one able brain, they might with little or no difficulty have pushed south into the very heart of Cape Colony.
Stories went round the camp to the effect that the slaughter wrought by the lyddite shells and shrapnel had been awful, whole commandosbeing "wiped out.
During the day the loyal commandos located the rebels without much difficulty; they were routed in all directions, and some eighty were captured.
On the 21st our commandos occupied Salem, eight miles further up the Swakop River.
We arrived there at five o'clock the following morning, and started at once in pursuit of rebel commandoswhich were led by Kemp and Beyers.
Lord Roberts decided that there must be no breathing-time, that their cunning commandos must not be permitted to collect, and that mounted troops must be met by mounted troops.
He suggested in future fighting with small commandos without train, as he declared it impossible for the Boers to succeed in wielding big armies, because when the enemy attempted to surround or outflank them the Boers lost their heads.
We are keeping three commandos fully employed, and that is something.
The result was that in less than an hour the last two commandos retired in disorder and with heavy loss.
What would you do if you were in my place, with three strong commandos of the Boers forming a triangle with a kopje at each apex which they hold with guns?
After the bodies were removed our special commandos took off the rings and extracted the gold from the teeth of the corpses.
General Roux, on learning of Prinsloo's doings, at once dispatched a report to the different commandos notifying to them that Prinsloo had no right to negotiate with the enemy, to ask for or accept terms for a surrender.
Thus, as the Colonists rose in arms, the commandos began to multiply more and more, until it was impossible for the British forces to expel the invaders from the Cape Colony.
When the commandos arrived at Naauwpoort Pass they found their exit cut off there by the enemy.
Having accompanied the commandos that surrendered under him, we will relate the story of that most sad incident of the War.
It might do more--break through it altogether, when a sweep north against Pepworth would bid fair to drive together the Transvaal commandos in upon their centre, and roll up the whole.
These four commandos had an approximate strength of 2,500 burghers.
In Cape Colony the Boer forces close to the Orange river had been strengthened by reinforcements from the commandos originally assigned to watch the Basuto border.
To the west four commandos were stationed near Potgieters and Skiet's drifts, and detachments watched the intermediate crossings.
The action of Willow Grange brought home to Joubert the fact that his commandos were in a hazardous situation, and in that way, therefore, tended to clear south Natal of the enemy.
These reinforcements were, however, counterbalanced by the transfer of detachments of the Free State commandos to the western theatre of war.
As soon, therefore, as the British troops in Natal had been overwhelmed and Kimberley occupied, the Boer commandos in the western theatre of war were to move south across the Cape frontier to excite a rising in that colony.
Meyer still lacked two commandos (Krugersdorp and Bethel) and four guns, and as his transport animals were in a deplorable condition, it was with relief rather than with impatience that he watched the tardiness of his coadjutors.
While they were thus carrying out their movements, Botha was to assist them by creating a diversion, and invading Natal with all the commandos at his disposal.
Besides these bands, other roving commandos flitted about mosquito-wise, seeking to draw British blood.
On the 5th, General Babington drove back from Naauwpoort, a place north of Potchefstroom, the commandos of Delarey and Steenkamp, and captured a prisoner in the form of Commandant Duprez.
The return of Botha, however, infused some spirit into the hustled commandos of the high veld, and he gladly accepted a suggestion that Benson should be attacked.
From Natal, from the Basuto border, and from Kimberley, commandos were summoned to Spytfontein.
Its menace to the Boer centre near Glencoe, through which passed the railway to the north, attracted commandos away from the enemy's left flank at Helpmakaar and facilitated the turning movement.
On the previous evening the commandos detailed as covering parties on the left flank went into position on Rifleman's Ridge, and awaited the main attack.
Notes: [Footnote 39: At the Krijgsraad at Kroonstad Delarey maintained that the commandos were too large and must be subdivided.
Within the angle enclosed by these lines were commandos under Grobler of Vryheid, Emmett, and other leaders; but all of them wriggled out with insignificant losses.
Like the time the Commandosraided Marshall Rommel's Headquarters in Libya, only to find that the Desert Fox had flown to Germany the day before for a meeting with Hitler.
The figures were quoted from memory, but the general impression conveyed in this report, of the condition of the commandos at the time, is reliable and correct.
Suffice it to say that he reached the farm of a friend near Silkatsnek in safety, where, he had been informed, he would find Boer commandos in the neighbourhood.
After General Botha's visit to Pretoria the Boers concentrated their forces around the capital, strong commandos under General Botha, de la Rey, Beyers, and Viljoen.
They are all in khaki and scour the country, doing the enemy incalculable harm, but they would be of more service to the commandos if they had better horses.
Although he fully appreciated the obstacles in the way of procuring a time-table, he said he felt he could hardly go back to the commandos without it.
Had Naudé reached the commandosin safety or had he fallen into the hands of the enemy with the tell-tale waistcoat on?
With Commandos all is still about the same as when I was here in December.
This was the first news received of the Captain's safe return to the commandos after that eventful visit in July, and his friends were thankful to receive it.
He didn't wonder in which ones the advance contingent of Commandoswas riding, because he knew that.
He imagined, if he didn't see, the tough, painted-faced Commandos stepping out and going down by parachute.
I might smack a couple in five minutes, stop two of them from maybe cutting down through us and spraying those Para-Commandos going down to earth.
The nearest point where they would find Commandos was miles away, far over on the other side of the Seine River.
Every one of the ferry bombers had some of the Commandos aboard.
And the Commandos were spreading out to the north, south, and east like the unleashed waters of a flood tide.
It hid the various groups of Commandos going through attack preparations and practice.
The Ranger remained silent, listening to the commandos and enjoying the musical sounds of their speech.
Then the questioning started, hesitantly at first, not touching on anything too significant until Tarlac's quiet manner and responsive answers put the commandos at ease.
The commandos fell in around the Ranger, and at another extended-claw gesture from Hovan, the whole group moved toward the Hermnaen's control central.
The remains of those who'd run into Traiti suicide commandos were even more eloquent.
They say Boers very angry because the other commandosnot here, and Free State Boers not arrived.
I gathered that expected commandos had not come up.
Already we know that commandos have gone forward in great strength to the frontier, and I should not be surprised if the whole of South Africa rises; at any rate, the Boers are confident that it will be so.
This would lead him by a shorter road to his commandosthan if he went through the Free State.
Our commandos are so weak, our country so exhausted, that the loss of one great battle, the surrender of a single strong force, would spell ruin for us.
There were now with me Commandant Mentz, and portions of the commandos of Commandants Bester, Cilliers, and Mears.
These commandos also had been panic-stricken since General Cronje's surrender.
If the burghers in those parts could not hold out, it would be impossible for the other commandos to do so.
President Steyn and myself determined to despatch Judge Hertzog to the commandos which had escaped, giving him instructions to bring them back with him if possible.
It could not be denied that some of the commandos were no longer able to continue fighting.
All I could do was to summon Veldtcornet Vlok with some of the Parijs commandos and Veldtcornet Louwrens, and Matthijs De Beer, and the men.
The above list will hopefully give you a few useful examples demonstrating the appropriate usage of "commandos" in a variety of sentences. We hope that you will now be able to make sentences using this word.
