The Colonel has a very cool judgment in
these matters; and though no one, when he does go for them, goes
straighter and faster than he, no one, on the other hand, calculates
more coolly the probable effect and consequence of the move.
In all scouting operations in our frequent long patrols he shows the
same mixture of prudence and daring. He goes long distances from his
supports and penetrates far into the enemy's country, and yet in none of
these expeditions has he ever got trapped or cut off. Of course with men
like the Guides, who have experience of the country and the enemy, and
ways of picking up information not open to strangers, this is easier
than it would be with men who had no such experience; but at the same
time the chief credit and responsibility in these affairs must rest with
the commanding officer. For one thing Rimington has an extraordinary
good eye for a country. Perhaps at first you will scarcely realise the
value of this gift. The features of this country and the way the long,
undulating slopes of the veldt merge into each other are extremely
perplexing, and as an engagement may be carried on over many miles of
ground and your own movements may be extensive and involved, it becomes
very difficult, in fact to most people absolutely impossible, to
remember the lie of the land and how the various hills and slopes are
related to each other.
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