What are those terms?  The northern side of the Tugela River at nearly every point commands the southern bank.  Ranges of high hills strewn with boulders and dotted with trees rise abruptly from the water, forming a mighty rampart for the enemy.  Before this the river, a broad torrent with few and narrow fords and often precipitous banks, flows rapidly—­a great moat.  And before the river again, on our side stretches a smooth, undulating, grassy country—­a regular glacis.  To defend the rampart and sweep the glacis are gathered, according to my information derived in Pretoria, twelve thousand, according to the Intelligence Branch fifteen thousand, of the best riflemen in the world armed with beautiful magazine rifles, supplied with an inexhaustible store of ammunition, and supported by fifteen or twenty excellent quick-firing guns, all artfully entrenched and concealed.  The drifts of the river across which our columns must force their way are all surrounded with trenches and rifle pits, from which a converging fire may be directed, and the actual bottom of the river is doubtless obstructed by entanglements of barbed wire and other devices.  But when all these difficulties have been overcome the task is by no means finished.  Nearly twenty miles of broken country, ridge rising beyond ridge, kopje above kopje, all probably already prepared for defence, intervene between the relieving army and the besieged garrison.

Such is the situation, and so serious are the dangers and difficulties that I have heard it said in the camp that on strict military grounds Ladysmith should be left to its fate; that a division should remain to hold this fine open country south of the Tugela and protect Natal; and that the rest should be hurried off to the true line of advance into the Free State from the south.  Though I recognise all this, and do not deny its force, I rejoice that what is perhaps a strategically unwise decision has been taken.  It is not possible to abandon a brave garrison without striking a blow to rescue them.  The attempt will cost several thousand lives; and may even fail; but it must be made on the grounds of honour, if not on those of policy.

We are going to try almost immediately, for there is no time to be lost.  ‘The sands,’ to quote Mr. Chamberlain on another subject, ’are running down in the glass.’  Ladysmith has stood two months’ siege and bombardment.  Food and ammunition stores are dwindling.  Disease is daily increasing.  The strain on the garrison has been, in spite of their pluck and stamina, a severe one.  How long can they hold out?  It is difficult to say precisely, because after the ordinary rations are exhausted determined men will eat horses and rats and beetles, and such like odds and ends, and so continue the defence.  But another month must be the limit of their endurance, and then if no help comes Sir George White will have to fire off all his ammunition, blow up his heavy guns, burn waggons and equipment, and