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+The Project Gutenberg EBook of With Steyn and De Wet, by Philip Pienaar
+
+This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with
+almost no restrictions whatsoever.  You may copy it, give it away or
+re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included
+with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org
+
+
+Title: With Steyn and De Wet
+
+Author: Philip Pienaar
+
+Release Date: March 1, 2005 [EBook #15224]
+
+Language: English
+
+Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1
+
+*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK WITH STEYN AND DE WET ***
+
+
+
+
+Produced by Jonathan Ingram, Garrett Alley, and the Online Distributed
+Proofreading Team.
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+WITH STEYN AND DE WET
+
+BY
+
+PHILIP PIENAAR
+
+OF THE TRANSVAAL TELEGRAPH SERVICE
+
+
+METHUEN & CO.
+36 ESSEX STREET W.C.
+LONDON
+1902
+
+
+
+
+CONTENTS
+
+                                    PAGE
+
+THOMAR                                1
+
+THE ELEVENTH OF OCTOBER               3
+
+FIRST IMPRESSIONS                     8
+
+COLENSO                              17
+
+PLATRAND                             25
+
+SPION KOP                            32
+
+GLORIOUS WAR                         42
+
+PIETERS' HEIGHTS                     47
+
+GLENCOE                              53
+
+THE FREE STATE                       60
+
+LINDLEY TO HEILBRON                  68
+
+VELD INCIDENTS                       76
+
+TAPPING THE WIRES                    87
+
+I MEET DE WET                        93
+
+ROODEWAL                            103
+
+OFF TO THE TRANSVAAL                111
+
+ARRESTED AS SPIES                   121
+
+IN THE MOUNTAINS                    131
+
+THROUGH THE CORDON                  139
+
+SKIRMISHES                          148
+
+WE ENTER POTCHEFSTROOM              156
+
+DE WET ONCE MORE                    161
+
+END OF THE REGULAR WAR              168
+
+
+
+
+WITH STEYN AND DE WET
+
+
+
+
+THOMAR
+
+
+Here in the quiet old convent of Thomar, the Convento de Christo, the
+strife of the past months seems like a dream. Wandering through the long
+corridors, with their bare, empty apartments, gazing by the hour on
+paintings faded and torn, the work of long dead and forgotten masters,
+dwelling on marvels of ancient architecture, resting the eyes on
+peaceful landscapes and hearing the sweet murmur of falling waters, the
+scenes of war seem distant and remote.
+
+The heart but so lately harrowed by the devouring emotions of anger,
+hate, and the lust of blood, now soothed by the sympathy of the kindly
+Portuguese, is lulled into harmony with the surrounding scenes of peace
+and beauty. Only the thought of our ravaged country, struggling still
+for dear life, though forced upon her knees, brings back the claims of
+duty and the yearning to be up and doing, to enter once more the ranks
+of the foemen and strike another blow for liberty.
+
+Hopeless! Yet where is the Boer--prisoner, exile, or renegade--even
+he!--who does not dream by nights he feels once more the free veld air
+upon his brow, lives again the wild night rides beneath twinkling stars?
+He feels once more his noble steed bound beneath him, grips again his
+comrade's welcoming hand, and wakens with a bitter sigh.
+
+Some consolation, then, to recall blows already struck, and duty fairly
+done.
+
+
+
+
+THE ELEVENTH OF OCTOBER
+
+
+When war appeared inevitable the spirit of the Boers rose to support
+them in their hour of trial, and only sentiments of patriotism and
+defiance were felt and expressed. Joy at the opportunity of proving once
+and for ever their ability to defend themselves and consequent right to
+independence, regret for friendships about to be severed--these were the
+chief emotions of the younger generation. The elder thought of past
+wrongs, long cherished, and silently took down the rifle from behind the
+door.
+
+The women, ever strong in national spirit, lent the aid of their
+encouragements and prayers. Sons wept that they were too young to
+accompany their fathers on commando.
+
+Yet there came a moment when for the space of a minute a mighty shadow
+seemed to brood over the land, and the cold chill of coming evil struck
+the nation as if from the clouds. A message had been despatched from
+Pretoria to every corner of the country. One word only: War!
+
+The blow had fallen. Nothing could avert a sanguinary struggle. Well the
+burghers knew the overwhelming strength of the foe, but they went
+blithely forth to meet their fate, strong in a sincere confidence in
+Providence. If the worst came to the worst, well, "'twere better to have
+fought and lost, than never to have fought at all!"
+
+Of all the branches of the Transvaal Civil Service there was not one
+that stood higher in the public estimation at that moment, nor one that
+distinguished itself more during the war, than that to which I had the
+honour to belong--the Department of Telegraphs. Equipped with the most
+up-to-date instruments, composed almost equally of picked men from
+England and Holland and of well-trained young Colonials and
+Transvaalers, under an energetic chief, our department proved itself,
+both before and during the war, second to none, and, the Afrikander
+portion at least, worthy of the confidence of the Government.
+
+I had just been transferred from Johannesburg to Pilgrimsrest, a quaint
+little one-street village near the Portuguese frontier, one of the
+oldest alluvial diggings of the early days, and now the centre of an
+important mining district. Here we heard that our commandoes had
+invaded the enemy's territory in every direction, and news of the
+preliminary engagements was awaited with breathless interest. The male
+inhabitants of the village often spent entire nights under the verandah
+of the telegraph office, and the importance of the telegraphist suddenly
+grew almost too great to bear with becoming modesty.
+
+One Sunday morning, however, the office wore a deserted look. The Dutch
+inhabitants were engaged in courteously escorting those of British birth
+or sympathies over the border, and I was alone. After a long interval of
+silence the instrument began ticking off a message--
+
+"Elandslaagte--flight--lancers!"
+
+Then came the list of the fallen. Name after name of well-known men fell
+like lead upon the ear. Finally my colleague at the other end gently
+signalled that of my uncle, followed by the sympathetic remark: "Sorry,
+old man."
+
+I could write no more. What, my uncle dead! General Kock, Major Hall,
+Advocate Coster--all dead! It seemed impossible. We could not understand
+it, this first initiation of ours into war's horrible reality.
+
+Within a week reinforcements were despatched from our district. I
+obtained a few weeks' leave of absence and accompanied them.
+
+We were an interesting band. Two hundred strong, we counted among our
+number farmers, clerks, schoolmasters, students, and a publican. My mess
+consisted of a Colonial, an Irishman, a Hollander, a German, a Boer, and
+a Jew. It must not be imagined, however, that we were a cosmopolitan
+crowd, for the remaining hundred and ninety-four were nearly all true
+Boers, mostly of the backwoods type, extremely conservative, and
+inclined to be rather condescending in their attitude towards the
+clean-shaven town-dwellers. The almost universal respect inspired by a
+beard or a paunch is a poor tribute to human discernment.
+
+Every mess possessed one or two ox-waggons, loaded with a tent,
+portmanteaux, trunks, foodstuffs, and ammunition. We made about twenty
+miles daily, passing through Lydenburg, Machadodorp, Carolina, and
+Ermelo, and reached Volksrust on the fourteenth day. During the march we
+learnt that heavy fighting had taken place in Natal, Dundee being taken
+and Ladysmith invested, and a strong commando had actually made a
+reconnaissance as far down as Estcourt.
+
+General Joubert, who had bruised himself in the saddle during the latter
+expedition, was now recruiting his health here in Volksrust. I went to
+see him, and found him installed in a railway carriage, and looking very
+old and worn. I showed him a telegram instructing me to apply to him
+for a special passport enabling me to return when my leave expired.
+
+He said, "Others want leave to go home; you ask for leave to come to the
+front. But your time is so short, it is hardly worth while. Still, I am
+glad to see such a spirit among you young people."
+
+Turning to his secretary, he ordered the passport to be made out. This
+was done in pencil on the back of my telegram. The general signed,
+handed me the document, and shook my hand. I thanked him, and left,
+highly gratified.
+
+We entrained that afternoon, slept in the carriages at Newcastle,
+reached Ladysmith, or rather our station nearest Ladysmith, the
+following day, disentrained, rode into camp, reported ourselves for
+duty, and went on outpost the same night.
+
+
+
+
+FIRST IMPRESSIONS
+
+
+Our chief concern was whether we, as novices, would bear ourselves well
+in our first engagement. Speaking to an old campaigner on the subject,
+he said--
+
+"Tell me candidly, how do you feel?"
+
+"Well, rather nervous."
+
+"Ah! Now, I can tell you a man who feels nervous before a fight is all
+right, because he has some idea of what he is going to meet. It is the
+reckless recruit that often proves a coward. He fancies it a mere
+bagatelle, and finds out his mistake too late."
+
+This rather encouraged us, for, to tell the truth, we felt anything but
+reckless.
+
+One evening about twenty of us were sent off to keep watch in a Kafir
+kraal near the town. In one of the huts we found a Kafir lying sick, and
+too weak to rise. He told us the former outpost had always brought him
+something to eat, but now they had not come for some days, and he had
+begun to think himself doomed to die of starvation, or, worse still, of
+thirst. We soon made up a collection of biscuits and cold tea, and I am
+happy to say that henceforth the poor creature's wants were daily
+supplied.
+
+A rather peculiar adventure befell us here a few days later. The sun had
+already set when we reached the spot where we were to stand guard during
+the night. We dismounted, and two men went forward on foot to
+reconnoitre. After a while they returned with the startling news that
+the enemy was approaching in force. They were sent forward again to make
+sure, and again returned, saying there could be no doubt about the
+matter.
+
+"We heard the rumble of an approaching train, the march of cavalry, and
+saw the glint of arms between the trees!"
+
+This was definite enough. A man was instantly despatched to alarm the
+main laager, while the rest of us followed leisurely. We were about
+half-way back when the messenger returned with an additional twenty-five
+men and an order that we were instantly to return to our post; if in
+possession of the enemy, to retake and hold it until relieved.
+
+A very tall order, and more than one man uttered the belief that
+discretion was the better part of valour, and that there was no humour
+in attacking numberless Britons with fifty men. We braced up our
+nerves, however, retraced our steps, and presently reached the vicinity
+of the kraal. Two men crept up close and came back to say the place was
+full of English. Leaving the horses in charge of a few men, we crept
+forward and surrounded the kraal. Each sought a suitable shelter and
+laid himself down to await the dawn. It was now about midnight. The next
+four hours passed very slowly, lying there in the cold and with the
+expectation of a desperate struggle in the morning. We thought how brave
+we were, and how sorry our general would be when he heard how we had all
+been shot down to a man, and how in after years this night attack of
+ours would rank with the charge of the Light Brigade. We hoped
+Chamberlain would die soon after us, so that we could meet his soul in
+the great Beyond and drag it through a sieve.
+
+What was our surprise to find when it grew light that there had never
+been an Englishman near! The whole thing from beginning to end was only
+another false alarm, and all our valour had been wasted.
+
+This kind of alarm was rather frequent at the time. A burgher woke up
+one night to find himself being roughly shaken and someone shouting in
+his ear--
+
+"What are you doing? Get up, quick! Don't you hear the alarm?"
+
+"Yes, another false one, I daresay," turning over for another nap.
+Happening to open his eyes, he became aware for the first time that he
+was speaking to no one less than General Joubert himself!
+
+The poor fellow did not argue the point any further, but forthwith fled
+into the night, glad to get off at that price.
+
+One morning two of us were returning from our usual swim when suddenly
+we saw the whole camp a beehive of commotion, burghers running to and
+fro, saddling their horses, shouting at each other, and generally
+behaving with a great lack of decorum--like madmen, in fact, or members
+of the Stock Exchange. Hastening on, we heard that the enemy were coming
+out to attack us. We hastily seized our nags, and in five minutes were
+on top of the nearest hill between ourselves and the enemy, who could be
+seen approaching three thousand yards away. We formed ourselves into
+groups, and each group packed itself a low wall of the loose stones
+lying about.
+
+One German, armed with a Martini-Henry, found himself shunned by all his
+comrades on account of his cartridges not containing smokeless powder,
+and was obliged to entrench himself on his own at some distance from
+the rest. The poor fellow was the butt of all the primitive humourists
+from the backwoods, and was assured with much solemnity that his rifle
+would draw all the British fire in his direction, and that he was as
+good as dead already. Thorny is the path of glory!
+
+The British guns in Ladysmith opened fire as their cavalry advanced, the
+shells falling a few hundred yards to our right, on a hill whence our
+cannon had lately been removed.
+
+When within two thousand yards the enemy suddenly wheeled to the left
+and were quickly out of sight between the hills. They found the Pretoria
+men there, and came back helter-skelter to the accompaniment of rapid
+rifle firing. First one saddle and then another was emptied as they
+raced across from right to left, making for a low scrub-covered kopje.
+
+In this kopje a party of our men were concealed. With keen interest we
+watched the scene, waiting to see the enemy caught in the trap. Then a
+volley burst from the brush. Like a flash the horsemen wheeled and raced
+back into Ladysmith. The volley had been fired too soon.
+
+A few mornings later we heard that during the night something very
+serious had taken place on Lombard's Kop. Being a sort of free lance, I
+immediately saddled my pony and rode in that direction. Presently I met
+two Boers on horseback.
+
+"Morning, cousins." (Cousin is a title of courtesy used in addressing
+one's equal in age. Elder men are called "uncle.")
+
+"Morning, cousin. Of what people may cousin be?"
+
+"Of the telegraph service. And cousins?"
+
+"Of the artillery."
+
+"Something happened up there last night?"
+
+"Yes. The English came and blew up our Long Tom!"
+
+"How was that possible?"
+
+"We can think what we like. Why was the burgher guard absent? It is
+shameful!"
+
+We returned to camp together. The news had now been made public, and
+formed the one theme of discussion. Much credit was given the enemy for
+their audacity, but there was a strong suspicion that treachery had been
+at work. The ensuing court-martial resulted in two officers being
+suspended from duty only, although there were many trees about.
+
+A few days later I went to see my brother, who was stationed on Pepworth
+Hill, some six miles to our right. He belonged to the Artillery Cadets,
+who at the beginning of the war had been distributed amongst the various
+guns in order to give them practical experience. Of the four that were
+attached to this gun two had already been wounded. It was glorious to
+see these lads of fifteen and sixteen daily withstanding the onslaught
+of the mighty naval guns. The rocks around their howitzer were torn by
+lyddite, and the ground strewn with shrapnel bullets.
+
+"The British say we are trained German gunners. Quite a compliment to
+Germany!" said one youngster laughingly.
+
+"And I," said another, inflating his chest, "am a French or Russian
+expert! Dear me, how we must have surprised them!"
+
+They showed me how they crushed their coffee by beating it on a flat
+stone. Their staple food was bully beef and hard biscuits.
+
+"If only we had some cigarettes," they said, "how gay we should be! Last
+week we got some sugar, enough for two days; we are so sick of black,
+bitter coffee!"
+
+A severe thunderstorm now broke overhead, and as I had to go on duty
+that night I took leave of my friends. They had no tents, and had to
+find the best shelter they could under tarpaulins stretched between the
+rocks.
+
+Riding along, I soon found my raincoat soaked through. The water began
+to rush along the path, and the loud, incessant pealing of the thunder
+and the rapidly succeeding and fearfully vivid lightning flashes so
+terrified my horse that it refused to move a step. Dismounting, I led
+the animal through the blinding rain for upwards of an hour, when I
+reached camp, to find the outpost already gone. I took off my streaming
+garments, and turned into my warm bed. At midnight the flap of the tent
+was opened, and I was ordered to turn out and stand guard. Our effects
+were still at Volksrust. Drawing on a soaking wet pair of heavy corduroy
+breeches in the middle of the night is one of the least delicious
+experiences possible, as I found to my cost, to say nothing of sitting
+in them on an antheap for a couple of hours with a chilly rain falling.
+
+In the morning came the news that the enemy had again surprised and
+blown up one of our guns--none other than the howitzer visited by me the
+previous evening. Presently the young cadets themselves came riding into
+camp, bringing with them pieces of guncotton, and showing by the state
+of their ragged uniforms the hand-to-hand nature of the struggle that
+had taken place.
+
+One of them said in answer to my inquiries--
+
+"We heard someone climbing the hill in the night, and challenged. It was
+the British. They shouted 'Rule Britannia!' and rushed up to the top. We
+fired into them. We were too few. By sheer weight of numbers they
+forced us aside. One of the artillerymen was dragged by the leg from his
+sleeping-place. He shook himself free, and bolted. The soldiers formed a
+square round the gun, charged it with guncotton, shouted 'Stand back!'
+and the next moment our gun was crashing through the sky. It all
+happened in a moment. Then the enemy retired, followed by some burghers,
+who had by this time arrived from the laager at the back of the hill.
+The Pretoria commando was also waiting for them, and intercepting their
+retreat, made them pay dearly enough for their exploit."
+
+
+
+
+COLENSO
+
+
+One day our scouts made a splendid haul, bringing into camp that
+celebrated, devil-may-care animal, the war-correspondent. His story was
+that he had wandered out of Ladysmith with a packet of
+newspapers--"merely to exchange notes and to challenge you for a cricket
+match!"
+
+Squatted on the ground, crowds of bearded Boers gazing at him with
+fierce interest, he looked anything but comfortable, and no wonder, for
+the word _spion_ was often uttered. His colour was a pale green, while
+his teeth chattered audibly. He was subsequently sent to Pretoria, and
+thence exiled to civilisation, _viā_ Delagoa Bay.
+
+On the same day we captured three natives bearing British despatches. As
+these runners were giving considerable trouble, it was decided to
+execute one and send the other two to spread the news among their
+friends--black and white.
+
+The grave was already dug, when General Joubert, always against harsh
+measures, decided to spare the Kafir's life. The contrast between the
+bearing of this savage and that of the war-correspondent was most
+striking.
+
+Sometimes the merits of the different commandoes would be discussed. The
+palm was generally awarded to the Irish Brigade and the Johannesburg
+Police, two splendid corps, always ready for anything, and possessing
+what we others painfully lacked--discipline.
+
+The burghers used to relate with much relish a story of how one day the
+British shells came so fast that even our artillerymen did not dare
+leave their shelter to bring up ammunition for the gun; how two of those
+devils of Irishmen sprang to the task, and showed how death should be
+faced and danger conquered. Erin for ever!
+
+Buller now began to press his advance on the Tugela, and his searchlight
+could nightly be seen communicating with the besieged; long official
+messages in cipher, and now and then a pathetic little message, "All
+well, Edith sends love," would flash against the clouds, causing us to
+think of other scenes than those before us.
+
+On the tenth of December a heavy bombardment was heard from the Tugela.
+On happening to pass the telegraph office at two o'clock, a colleague
+called to me--
+
+"Buller has tried to cross the river; he is being driven back. Ten of
+his guns are in danger, and as soon as the sun sets our men are going
+over to take them!"
+
+This was news indeed.
+
+"Which is the road to Colenso?"
+
+"Round those hills, then straight on."
+
+"Thanks, good-bye," and off I went, determined to see those guns taken.
+
+About four hours' hard riding, then a tent by the wayside, the red cross
+floating above. An ambulance waggon has just arrived, bringing a few
+wounded. I must be close to the battlefield now, but I hear no firing.
+What can have happened?
+
+Half an hour further. I see the fires of a small camp twinkling in a
+gully to my left, and make my way thither. It is pitch dark. As I
+approach the camp I hear voices. It is Dutch they are speaking. Then
+several dim shapes loom up before me in the darkness.
+
+"Hello! What commando is this?"
+
+"Hello, is that you? By Jove, so it is! I thought I knew the voice," and
+dashing Chris Botha shakes my hand.
+
+"It is you, commandant! Where are those ten guns?"
+
+"Oh, that's what you're after. Sorry, but we took them early in the
+afternoon. Never mind, come along into camp. You'll see enough in the
+morning."
+
+In the camp they had six Connaught Rangers--a captain, lieutenant, and
+four men, about four of the lot wounded. They alone of all their
+regiment had managed to reach the bank of the Tugela--Bridle Drift,
+about two hundred yards from the trenches of the Swaziland commando.
+Finding no shelter in the river bank, exhausted, wounded almost to a
+man, they ceased firing, whereupon our men left them in peace until the
+end of the fight, when they were brought over and complimented upon
+their pluck.
+
+"I'm tired out after to-day's work," Botha said, "but there's no help
+for it. I must sleep in the trenches again to-night. Walk down with me,
+your friends down there will be glad to see you."
+
+After an hour's walk--it seemed more like a week--we reached the
+trenches, where the young heroes of the Swaziland commando made me
+welcome. I asked them about the day's fighting, but they said--
+
+"Too tired to talk to-night, old man. Turn in; to-morrow will do."
+
+We turned in, and slumbered undisturbed by any thought of the blood shed
+that day.
+
+Early the next morning we waded through the river, wearing only a hat
+and shirt, and carrying our topboots over the shoulder. Dozens of Boers
+were splashing about in the water, enjoying themselves like so many
+schoolboys. Lying strewn about on the other side were scores of dead
+bodies; by the side of each fallen soldier lay a little pile of empty
+cartridge cases, showing how long he had battled before meeting his
+doom. Some lay with faces serenely upturned to the smiling sky, others
+doubled up in the agony of a mortal wound, with gnashing teeth fixed in
+a horrid grin, foam-flecked lips, and widely staring eyes.
+
+Horrible, in truth, but most awful of all was the soul-sickening stench
+of human blood that infected the air. We soon turned back, unable to
+bear it any longer.
+
+"Did your commando lose many men?" I asked my companion.
+
+"Only two, strange to say. Wonderful; can't explain it."
+
+"How did you feel during the fight?"
+
+"When we saw the vast number of soldiers steadily approaching, and
+heard the thunderous explosion of hundreds of shells, we knew we were in
+for a hot time. Our small commando could never have retreated over the
+four miles of open country behind us. There was only one thing to be
+done--fight. And we fought--fought till our gun-barrels burnt our hands
+and our throats were parched with thirst--the excitement of it all!"
+
+"Could you see when your bullet went home?"
+
+"You noticed that soldier lying behind the antheap, a hole in his
+forehead? That man worried us a good deal. _He_ could shoot, the beggar!
+Well, two of us fixed our rifles on the spot and waited till he raised
+his head; then we fired. You know the result."
+
+Boys talking, mere boys, who should have been thinking of flowers,
+music, and love, instead of thus taking a grim delight in the stern
+lessons of war.
+
+Saying au revoir to my friends, I now rode over to the telegraph office
+a few miles lower down. The operators were transmitting piles of
+messages to and from anxious relatives, and were not sorry to see
+someone who could lend them a hand. The chief of the department happened
+to be there at the time. He immediately placed me in harness. I wired
+to my field-cornet at Ladysmith saying I was unavoidably detained, as
+the phrase goes, and the next few weeks passed quietly by, long hours
+and hard work, it is true, but on the other hand pleasant companions and
+a splendid river, with boating and swimming galore.
+
+One morning a score of Theron's scouts passed by, their famous captain
+at their head. One of them--an old friend--reined in long enough to tell
+me they were off to lie in wait for a small British patrol, which, a
+native had told them, daily passed a certain spot suitable for an
+ambuscade.
+
+In the afternoon the same band returned, several on foot, and carrying
+someone in a blanket. What was my surprise to find that this was no
+other than poor Harry C----!
+
+The native had misled them, and the surprise had been the other way
+about. My friend had received a bullet through the stomach, a wound
+which appeared necessarily fatal. He was laid down in a tent. Theron
+bent over him, his eyes filling with compassionate tears. "How now,
+Harry?"
+
+"Awful pain, captain."
+
+To break the news gently we wired home that he was only slightly
+wounded. This turned out to have been wiser than we knew, for, to our
+joy, Harry lingered on, rallied, and finally recovered, a triumph of
+medical skill.
+
+
+
+
+PLATRAND
+
+
+In Natal itself the situation was satisfactory, but the course of events
+elsewhere made the speedy capture of Ladysmith imperative. It was
+accordingly decided to make an attack on Platrand, or Waggon Hill, as
+the British call it. If we could gain this hill the town would be at our
+mercy.
+
+The plan of attack was simple in the extreme. The Free Staters would
+climb one side, the Transvaalers the other, and Louis Botha himself ride
+over from Colenso with a reserve of three hundred men.
+
+Our chief determined to view this fight, and agreed to take me along. It
+had been arranged that the attack should take place on the 6th of
+January. In the afternoon of the 5th we took the road to Ladysmith,
+travelling in a light mule-waggon, our horses tied alongside.
+
+Near Nelthorpe a small commando passed us. Knowing very well what errand
+they were bound upon, we yet thought fit to ask them where they were
+off to. "Oh, nowhere particular," was the answer. "Out for exercise,
+that's all." This discretion was most commendable, for in our mixed
+forces spying must have been easy and frequent.
+
+We pitched tent for the night, and at three the next morning saddled our
+horses and followed the spoor of the commando. Presently, encountering a
+Kafir holding half a dozen horses, we asked him where the owners were.
+He pointed to a hill near by, where we found the gallant Villebois, the
+kindly Oberst von Braun, and ill-fated von Brusewitz. Little did we
+think at the time that the latter would meet his death a few weeks later
+on Spion Kop and the former shortly fall at Boshof!
+
+It was growing light, and we could see, lying on our right, the neutral
+camp; further away, on Bulwana, our biggest gun, where we knew General
+Joubert was standing, his wife by his side.
+
+Straight before us lay the key to Ladysmith--Platrand, whence now and
+again came the sharp rat-tat of the Metford, followed by the Mauser's
+significant cough.
+
+Through our glasses we espied six helmeted men slowly retreating up the
+mountain, pausing at every dozen yards to fire a volley at some
+invisible enemy. Three of them reached the top. The sentries were being
+driven in.
+
+General Botha now arrived with the reserve force. All dismounted.
+
+"Put your horses out of sight," were his first words to his men, "they
+will draw the enemy's fire."
+
+Scarcely had he spoken when a shrapnel shell burst overhead, and three
+horses were lying on their backs, snorting and kicking. Then came
+another and another. Both went wide. The animals were quickly led behind
+the hill, and the three wounded put out of their pain.
+
+Taking the best shelter possible, we gazed upon the drama being unfolded
+before us.
+
+The attack was now in full swing. The grating British volleys, the
+ceaseless mill of independent firing, the sharp flash of the British
+guns, the fierce whirr of our French shells, the deep boom of Long Tom
+resounding through the valleys. Who can describe it all?
+
+Yet hardly a single combatant could be discerned. Attacked and attackers
+alike were invisible. One soldier only stood in plain view on the crest
+of the hill, signalling with a flag. Our men reached the crest, and the
+soldier disappeared. Whether in response to his signals or not,
+reinforcements presently reached the hill.
+
+In long, thin lines of yellow they ran across the plateau to the crest,
+hoping to drive the Boers back the way they had come. As it approached
+the line grew thinner and thinner, until there was nothing of it left.
+And so on, for hour after hour, the yellow lines of gallant men flung
+themselves into the open, only to fall beneath the raging fire poured
+upon them from the sternly held mountain crest.
+
+Down the hill our wounded dribbled, thirsty men, pale men, men covered
+with blood and weeping with rage. How grim must be the fire they have
+just passed through! One man is brought down lying across a horse. His
+face hangs in strips, shattered by a dum-dum bullet. Thank goodness,
+some of ours are using buckshot to-day!
+
+A Boer mounts on a waggon.
+
+"Who will take in ammunition?"
+
+No response.
+
+I turn to my chief. "Do you advise me to try?"
+
+"I cannot; you must decide for yourself."
+
+Throwing a sack of cartridges over my horse's back, I set off. No sooner
+in the open, than whizz, whizz, went the bullets past my ear. The pony
+stopped, confused. I struck the spurs into his flanks, and on we flew,
+the rapid motion, the novelty of the affair, and the continual whistle
+of the bullets producing in me a peculiar feeling of exaltation.
+
+Then the sack tumbled off. I sprang down, hooked the bridle to a tree,
+rushed back for the bag, and started forward again. The firing now
+became so severe that I raced for a clump of trees, hoping to find
+temporary shelter there. Some of our men were here, lying behind the
+slender tree-trunks and taking a shot at the enemy now and then.
+
+"Absolutely impossible to live in the open," they said. "Better wait
+awhile and see how things go."
+
+I laid myself down under the trees and listened to the bullets as they
+sang through the branches.
+
+The very heavens vibrated as the roar of artillery grew ever fiercer,
+and the loud echoes rolled along from hill to hill and died away in an
+awful whisper that shook the grass-tops like an autumn wind.
+
+What were those lines of Bret Harte's about the humming of the battle
+bees?... I could not remember.
+
+My eyelids grew heavy and presently I was fast asleep.
+
+"Wake up! They're coming round to cut us off. We must clear!" And away
+went my friend.
+
+Knowing their horses would soon out-distance my heavily laden pony, and
+trusting to get away unobserved, I took his bridle and led him away. For
+about twenty yards all went well. Then suddenly there broke loose over
+us the thickest storm of lead I ever wish to experience. Whether it was
+a Maxim or not I could not say, but it seemed to me as if the whole
+British army was bent on my destruction. Like raindrops on a dusty road
+the bullets struck around me. The pony snorted, shivered, and sometimes
+stood stock still. I jerked the bridle savagely and struggled on,
+without the slightest hope of escaping, and thinking what a cruel shame
+it was that I should be shot at like a deer. Finally the shelter of a
+dry watercourse was reached. Following this for some distance, I
+encountered another party of our men, to whom I handed my charge, too
+shaken to repeat the experiment. The firing now slackened off, and I
+returned to my chief, full of mortification over my failure.
+
+It was evident the hill would not be taken that afternoon, so we
+returned to our tent, intending to come back the next morning. Late that
+evening, however, Colonel Villebois passed and told us our forces had
+been withdrawn, General Botha being ordered to Colenso, where Buller had
+made a feint attack to help Ladysmith.
+
+Our struggle was therefore a failure, but it had not been made in vain,
+since it proved once again that we also could storm a fortified hill,
+and fight a losing fight--the hardest fight of all.
+
+
+
+
+SPION KOP
+
+
+Something peculiar began to be observed about the British camp at
+Chieveley. The naval guns still flashed by day, the searchlight still
+signalled to Ladysmith of nights, the tents still glistened in the sun,
+but the soldiers, where were they?
+
+Marching somewhere up the river. Buller meant to try his luck once more.
+More than one of our present leaders had in former days fought by
+Buller's side against the Zulus. They knew him tenacious, able; no mere
+theorist. It was here in Natal, under their eyes, that he had gained his
+Victoria Cross--the same priceless bit of bronze that young Roberts had
+just died to win; and they felt that to ward off his second blow would
+ask all our energy and cost many useful lives.
+
+The commandoes on our side of the river were extended to keep pace with
+the enemy's movements on the other. The distance between the different
+laagers lengthened considerably, and a speedy and certain method of
+communication soon became a necessity. To obtain this use was made of
+the vibrator, an instrument so sensitive that the most faulty line will
+carry sufficient electricity to work it. Having received orders to
+accompany the construction party, I said good-bye to my comfortable
+quarters, and found myself in the veld once again.
+
+While the two waggons loaded with wire, etc., went on by road we struck
+across country, myself on horseback, a vibrator strapped to the saddle,
+the others on foot. Half a dozen Kafirs accompanied us, carrying rolls
+of "cable," wire about the thickness of the lead in a pencil and covered
+with gutta percha. A wooden "saddle" holding one roll of wire was
+strapped on the back of one of the natives, one end of the wire joined
+up to the instrument in the office; the native marched forward, the wire
+unrolling as he went, and the other boys placing stones upon it here and
+there in order to prevent its being dragged about by cattle. In this
+manner we went forward, establishing an office at every laager on the
+way, with the result that every commando was always fully informed as to
+the situation of all the others, and the enemy's every movement
+immediately known to the entire forces, enabling reinforcements to be
+sent anywhere at any time.
+
+This system was an easy one to learn, and it has been said that some of
+our generals became so fond of it that the slightest movement of the
+enemy was the signal for a request for reinforcements. This is, no
+doubt, a frivolous exaggeration.
+
+The first day of laying the cable we had gone about fifteen miles, when
+communication with the office suddenly ceased. Telling the others to go
+on, I turned back and carefully tested the line, eventually finding the
+fault at sundown. Reporting my whereabouts to the office, I was ordered
+to follow the working party as rapidly as possible, the chief adding
+that it was especially desired to have communication the same night with
+the Standerton laager, where the others would have arrived by this time.
+I therefore pushed on, following the wire. It was pretty dark when I
+reached the foot of a mountain. Right across the cable led me--rather a
+difficult matter tracing it in the dark--but at last an open plain on
+the other side was reached; a few miles further I found one of our men
+stretched out in the grass by the side of the cable.
+
+"Where's the Standerton laager?"
+
+"This is where it was. Shifted yesterday; don't know where to. Others
+gone to find out. Got a blanket?"
+
+I had not. We had no idea where the waggons were. We lay down to
+shiver, not to sleep, for the intense cold made the latter impossible
+and the former obligatory. In the middle of the night we moved round to
+the other side of the antheap, thinking it _must_ be warmer there. But
+it wasn't.
+
+At sunrise the others returned, saying that the Standerton laager had
+moved much higher up, and that the Johannesburg laager was the next on
+the list. They accordingly marched in that direction, laying the cable
+as they went, past precipices and over mountain gorges. I followed on,
+testing and repairing, very tedious work in the burning sun. Fortunately
+I was able to buy a little fresh milk from a native, which refreshed me
+immensely. The waggons were still missing, so we had very little food.
+
+At midnight the cable led me up a high hill, so steep that the pony
+almost fell over backwards as I led him up the face of it. Right on the
+top lived an old native, who, hearing the barking of his dogs, rushed
+out armed with an assegai, ready to defend his eyrie against all comers.
+I persuaded him to take me straight to the Johannesburg laager, where a
+good night's rest made all right again.
+
+The next morning communication was established with headquarters, and I
+had the pleasure of eating a decent breakfast with Ben Viljoen, then
+commandant, now general, whose acquaintance I had made during the
+Swaziland expedition.
+
+A fiery politician and a reckless writer, his pet aversions were
+Hollanders and Englishmen, and it was hard to say which he detested the
+most. Brave and straightforward, he was most popular amongst his men,
+but the official, non-fighting, salary-pocketing element bore him no
+love. General in charge of these positions was kind-hearted, energetic
+Tobias Smuts, of Ermelo.
+
+During the night Louis Botha arrived here, accompanied only by his aide
+and his secretary. He, Smuts, their staffs, all slept in one small tent
+on the hard ground, and with hardly room enough to turn round in. Truly
+our chiefs were anything but carpet knights!
+
+For a couple of days my office was under a waggon, then my tent arrived,
+and soon everything was in full swing. One afternoon I was honoured by a
+visit from a Hollander Jew and Transvaal journalist, whose articles had
+more power to sting the Uitlanders than almost anything one could
+mention on the spur of the moment.
+
+We drank tea together and discussed the probability of our camp being
+bombarded, standing, as it did, in full view of the hill whereon the
+British cannon had been dragged a few days before. He had just raised
+the cup to his lips when a well-known sound was heard--the shriek of an
+approaching shell. Nearer and louder it came, till finally--bang!--the
+shell burst not a hundred yards away. A young lineman, who had been
+listening with all his soul and ever wider stretching eyes, now gave an
+unearthly yell and almost sprang through the top of the tent, knocking
+over the unhappy journalist and sending the hot tea streaming down his
+neck. The youth's exit was somewhat unceremonious.
+
+The office was hastily removed to the high bank of the adjacent stream.
+Whilst this operation was going on the instrument buzzed out a message
+ordering me to leave immediately for the Spion Kop office. I at once
+said au revoir, handing over to my assistant the charge of the office,
+river bank and all, as well as the task of dodging the shells, which
+continued to fall around.
+
+Riding along the steep bank for about two hundred yards, I found a
+footpath leading down one side and up the other. No sooner had I started
+down this than I heard a loud explosion. It did not sound quite so near,
+but on gaining the opposite bank I saw floating over the spot just
+quitted by me a small cloud of smoke, showing that a shell had been
+fired at me with marvellous accuracy. Then a couple burst near the
+general's tent, and the laager was immediately shifted behind the hill.
+
+I reached Spion Kop, took charge of the office, and was kept so busy
+that for a week there was no time to have a decent wash.
+
+The hill next ours was daily bombarded with the utmost enthusiasm,
+shells falling there at the rate of fully sixty a minute, while we
+escaped with only an occasional bomb. Looking down upon the plain before
+us, we could see the British regiments drilling on the bank of the
+river, about two thousand yards away, probably to draw our fire, but in
+vain was the net spread.
+
+The ground of operations was somewhat extensive. For some days the
+enemy's infantry had been harassing our right wing, attacking every day,
+and drawing a little nearer every night. Louis Botha was almost
+continually present at this point, only coming into camp now and then
+for a few hours' sleep.
+
+One evening his secretary said to me, with genuine emotion, "It has all
+been in vain! Our men are worn out. They can do no more!"
+
+He was a Hollander, and also a gentleman; that is to say, he was not one
+of those Hollanders who lived on the fat of the land, and then turned
+against us in our adversity; rather was he of the rarer stamp of Coster,
+who glorified his mother country by nobly dying for that of his
+adoption.
+
+"Cheer up!" I replied. "There are other hills."
+
+"To-morrow will tell," he said, as he bade me good-night.
+
+And the morrow did. In the grey dawn two hatless and bootless young men
+came stumbling down into the laager.
+
+"The British have taken the hill!"
+
+Startled, we gazed at Spion Kop's top--only five hundred yards away, but
+invisible, covered by the thick mist as with a veil. The enemy were
+there, we knew it; they could not see us as yet, but the mist would soon
+clear away, and then....
+
+Our guns were rapidly trained on the spot, our men placed in position,
+and we waited.
+
+I ran into the tent to telegraph the news to Colenso. No reply to my
+hasty call. The wire is cut!
+
+"Go at once," said the chief, "and repair the line."
+
+As I rode off the mist cleared, and a few minutes later the fight had
+begun. The cable ran about a thousand yards behind our firing line, and
+as I went along, my eyes fixed on the wire, the noise of the battle
+sounded in my ears like the roar of a prairie fire. Jagged pieces of
+shell came whizzing past, shrieking like vampires in their hunt for
+human flesh.
+
+Searching carefully for the fault, my progress was slow, and it was
+afternoon when the Johannesburg laager was reached. Here I found a
+despatch-rider, who said that reinforcements had arrived at Spion Kop
+early in the morning, that our men had immediately climbed the hill, and
+that, the issue being very, uncertain, we might have to retreat during
+the night.
+
+The line was still interrupted, although I had repaired several faults.
+I accordingly rode back to Spion Kop early the next morning. When I
+entered the laager it was to find that all the waggons had already
+retreated, and the tents standing deserted. Not quite deserted, for in
+one of them half a dozen bodies were lying. The enemy had unexpectedly
+retired during the night, and the entire commando was now on the hill,
+gazing at the plentiful harvest reaped by our Nordenfeldts. Thither I
+also went.
+
+British ambulance men were busy collecting corpses. It was a mournful
+sight; it seemed to me as if war really meant nothing else than
+butchering men like sheep, quietly, methodically, and without any pomp
+or circumstance.
+
+"A sad sight!" I remarked to the British chaplain.
+
+"They only did their duty," was his unfeeling reply. Duty! Is it any
+man's duty to kill and be killed without knowing why? For what did these
+poor Lancashire lads know or care about the merits of the war?
+
+"What do you think the confounded English have had the cheek to do?"
+asked a friend. "You know they always keep our wounded as prisoners when
+they get the chance. Well, this morning their ambulance came here and
+coolly carted away all their wounded! Louis Botha says they might have
+asked permission first. I should have turned a Maxim on them!"
+
+We went down to the laager, found the line in order, and wired the news
+of the victory to Pretoria. I had not been able to get into
+communication the day before because the chief had taken a hand in the
+fighting instead of attending to the instrument.
+
+Believing that Warren would make another attempt, this time more to our
+right, we shifted the office a few miles in that direction and pitched
+our tent next to a farmhouse, which was being utilised as a hospital.
+
+
+
+
+GLORIOUS WAR
+
+
+Late that evening I heard someone outside the tent asking where the
+hospital was. It was my father. We had no idea of meeting each other
+here, as I had parted from him in Johannesburg before the war began,
+when he had no intention of going to Natal. He himself had been under
+the impression that I was still at Ladysmith.
+
+He told me he had come to see my young cousin, Johannes, who had been
+wounded on Spion Kop the day before. We walked over to the hospital. The
+wounded lad, a frail boy of fifteen, looked terribly exhausted lying
+there on the floor, his left arm completely shattered.
+
+"We were two together," he said, "myself and another boy. We crept
+closer and closer to one of the small sangars, firing into it as we
+crept, until there was only one Englishman left alive in it. He called
+out 'Water!' and I ran to give him my flask. When I got close to him he
+pointed his gun at me and fired. I sprang aside, and the bullet
+ploughed up my arm. My chum then shot him dead. Our doctor was too busy
+with the English officers to attend to me, so I fear I shall lose my
+arm."
+
+Poor child! his fear was only too well founded. His arm was amputated,
+after which he went to his uncle's farm to recuperate. When the British
+arrived there he would not surrender, but took his gun and went on
+commando. Three days later he was brought in, shot through the lungs.
+That is the last I have been able to hear of him.
+
+A few days after the battle of Spion Kop we moved forward and opened
+another office on our right wing. The British soon after retired from
+the vicinity, and this wing was withdrawn. The office remained, however,
+being utilised by scouts and patrols for the transmission of urgent
+reports.
+
+One day Oberst von Braun called, accompanied by two Boers. I asked him
+what had become of his lieutenant.
+
+"Ah, poor von B----!" he said. "The fighting on Spion Kop was almost
+over, and he had just risen and walked forward a few steps, when a
+chance bullet crashed into his forehead, and he fell a corpse."
+
+This was the same lieutenant who had caused a great sensation in Germany
+a few years before by killing an unarmed civilian in a moment of
+provocation. It may seem a just retribution that he should have met
+with such a tragic fate, but those who knew him in Natal felt nothing
+but regret for his loss. Oberst von Braun was taken prisoner a few days
+after, and the British reported that his mind was unhinged. This did not
+appear improbable to us, for we knew how much he had been affected by
+the loss of his companion.
+
+I stayed here for three weeks, without much occupation except wasting
+ammunition on turtle doves and hoping that the next patrol would not be
+a British instead of a Boer one.
+
+The deserted houses in the neighbourhood had all been visited in turn by
+both British and Boer patrols, and between the two enormous damage had
+been wrought. It must be pointed out, however, that the mischief done by
+our men was in no way authorised--was, in fact, against express orders,
+whereas the British now burn our houses to the joyful fiddling of the
+London _Times_, and with a righteous unction eminently national.
+
+A small but remarkably severe engagement took place about this time, in
+which a portion of Viljoen's men suffered heavily.
+
+This detachment, about forty in number, was guarding a Nordenfeldt
+stationed in an advanced position on an isolated hill. One afternoon a
+large body of the enemy suddenly attacked the hill. Ben Viljoen, who,
+as usual, was on the spot, is not what may be called an excessively
+pious man, but he rose to the occasion and inspired his little band by
+asking them if they did not fear God more than the British. Thus
+encouraged to stand firm, they bravely held the hill till fully half
+their number were killed. There was no hoisting of the white flag,
+however, our men at that time generally preferring almost certain death
+to surrender. This instance was no exception. Every man got out as best
+he could, Commandant Viljoen himself racing out with the gun.
+
+Our cannon now shelled the hill furiously. The British ambulance tried
+to reach our wounded, but the fire was too hot. This bombardment kept on
+for two days, when the enemy retired, whereupon we again took possession
+of the hill. Two or three of our wounded were found to be still alive,
+but with their wounds in a terrible state of putrefaction. Imagine their
+sufferings during those two awful days of heat, thirst, and exposure, to
+say nothing of the shells continually exploding around them. They were
+brought into camp and ultimately recovered. For all I know, they may be
+fighting still. This little affair is known to the British as the battle
+of Vaalkrantz.
+
+When they heard that their son had gone safely through the battle of
+Spion Kop an old Free State farmer and his wife came down to pay him a
+visit The son then accompanied his mother home, the old man taking his
+place for a few days. One day some artillerists were engaged in their
+favourite pastime of burning out unexploded lyddite shells, when one of
+the shells burst, killing three men. As fate would have it, the old
+father in question was one of the three.
+
+Another peculiar accident happened on Spion Kop, whilst the rifles of
+the killed and wounded soldiers were being collected. One of the rifles
+lay under a corpse. Seizing the weapon by the muzzle, a young Boer
+attempted to draw it toward him. The charge went off and lodged in his
+stomach, inflicting a fatal wound. The soldier had been killed in the
+act of taking aim, and his finger had stiffened round the trigger. The
+young fellow thus killed by a dead man was the only son of his widowed
+mother.
+
+
+
+
+PIETERS' HEIGHTS
+
+
+When the British retreated from Spion Kop it was to move down to Colenso
+once more. Taking the Boschrand, after a feeble defence, they were
+enabled to command our positions on the other side, and succeeded in
+crossing the Tugela unhindered.
+
+Why we surrendered the river so easily and then defended Pieters'
+Heights so obstinately is explained by the fact that, owing to the
+British advance on Kimberley, the idea had become general that we should
+have to give up Ladysmith in any case, and therefore our men were drawn
+back from the river preparatory to a general retirement. Pieters'
+Heights were held till everything was ready, and then the retirement was
+effected without even an attempt at pursuit by the enemy.
+
+When the Pieters' Heights fighting began I was ordered thither. Going
+through the Klip River, our heavily laden waggon stuck fast. We quickly
+obtained the loan of another span of mules and hitched them on in
+front, but the double team only succeeded in breaking the trek-chain.
+There was nothing for it but to outspan and carry the heavy loads up the
+steep bank. At this we toiled till midnight. Too tired to catch the
+mules and haul the waggon out, we went to sleep, leaving that operation
+for the morning.
+
+Before we woke, however, another waggon came along. Finding the road
+blocked by ours, the driver roared at us to clear the way immediately.
+We were not going to rise so early just to please him, so we answered
+him that if he was in a hurry he could pull the waggon out himself. This
+he was obliged to do, in order to get past. We then thanked him, and
+gently told him that if he had addressed us in a decent manner in the
+beginning he would have spared himself all his trouble. We meekly added
+the hope that this little lesson would not be lost upon his wayward
+mind. His remarks cannot be reproduced here, but it was plain that he
+felt very much as little States do sometimes when taken in hand by one
+of the great Powers and subjected to a little kind cruelty.
+
+After reloading the waggon we went on, and reached Pieters in due
+course. The first thing that drew my attention was the sight of one of
+my young colleagues standing under the verandah of the telegraph
+office, his face a picture of grief. His father had been killed that
+morning.
+
+Going a few miles further, I took charge of the telegraph office in
+Lukas Meyer's laager. Meyer, a grand-looking man, formerly possessed
+much influence, being at one time President of the New Republic, a State
+founded by himself in a tract of country granted him and his followers
+by a Kafir chief for assistance rendered during an intertribal war. This
+small republic, soon incorporated with the Transvaal, was thenceforth
+represented in the First Volksraad by its former president, Louis Botha
+becoming its member for the Second Chamber. At the battle of Dundee
+Botha distinguished himself. Meyer did not. Then the former gained fresh
+laurels at Colenso, and this finally gave him the precedence over Meyer,
+General Joubert himself, on his death-bed, expressly asking that Botha
+should be appointed his successor. Meyer, then, was in charge of this
+laager, Botha had command of the whole line, and Commandant General
+Joubert was at headquarters near Ladysmith.
+
+Daily the British regiments stormed, and daily they melted away before
+the fire of our men. The stench arising from the unburied corpses soon
+made the whole hill reek. The British asked for an armistice to bury
+their dead, and this was granted by the commandant to whom the request
+was made. When Botha heard of this he at once informed the enemy that
+the matter had been arranged without his knowledge, and that he could
+grant no armistice. I think this is the only case on record where an
+armistice has ever been refused by us, although armistices were asked
+for many times by the British.
+
+The combatants, who during the interval had been chatting together most
+amicably, were quickly recalled to their respective positions, and the
+slaughter recommenced, continuing until one fine afternoon the enemy
+took the Krugersdorp commando's position, thus rendering our whole line
+untenable. A council of war was immediately called, to take place that
+evening, as it was impossible for our officers to leave the shelter of
+their trenches during daylight.
+
+Soon after sunset the various officers began to arrive. First came
+riding into camp, alone and unnoticed in the darkness, that
+incomprehensible man, Schalk Burger, now Acting President. He entered
+the tent moodily, nodded to us, and squatted down in the corner,
+absorbed in thought. My colleague and I were just making a meal of
+coffee and biscuit. We expressed our regret that we had no chair to
+offer him, asking him to accept a cup of coffee instead. This he did,
+in silence. Silence was his strong point.
+
+Masterful Lukas Meyer next entered, and after him came the pride of the
+army, Louis Botha, soldier and gentleman, followed by several officers.
+A general council of war was now held, General Joubert being consulted
+by telegraph throughout the discussion. There was no sleep that night
+for the telegraphists who had to transmit the queries and replies to and
+from headquarters.
+
+When the discussion was at its height, information was received that the
+Johannesburg laager was surrounded by the enemy. This laager now
+constituted our right wing. This intelligence was soon contradicted, but
+not before it had exercised a considerable influence upon the decision
+arrived at, which was to abandon Ladysmith. The minutes of this council
+of war, could they be published, would probably make most interesting
+reading, and be of great value to the impartial historian.
+
+At two in the morning we inspanned; at sunrise we were over Klipriver
+and trekking past Ladysmith.
+
+The road was one long string of waggons, each straggling on at the
+pleasure of its owner. Horses, thanks to the criminal neglect of those
+responsible, were already becoming scarce, and groups of men, many of
+them wounded, sadly stumbled along, carrying their unwieldy bundles of
+blankets, their little kettles, their knapsack, rifle and bandolier.
+Some trudged along with a saddle slung over the back, hoping to loot a
+mount by the wayside.
+
+We did not travel far that day, but the next the march became more
+rapid, every vehicle putting its best wheel foremost. A heavy rain fell
+as Elandslaagte was reached, adding to the general depression. Whilst
+the majority kept to the road, those who had no other means of
+conveyance entrained here for Glencoe. The commissariat stores were
+being hastily cleared out, what could not be loaded being set alight.
+The last train that left that evening carried the dynamiters, who
+destroyed the bridges after passing over them.
+
+After a weary ride in the open trucks, seated on sacks of bread, a
+drizzling rain soaking down upon us, we reached Glencoe. The platform
+and station buildings were crowded with the sleeping forms of the weary
+burghers, who, as yet unused to retreating, were somewhat mixed in more
+senses than one. Louis Botha was still near Ladysmith with the
+rearguard, most of the other chiefs were coming by road, and there was
+no one on the spot to back up General Joubert in his attempts to
+reorganise the confused and ever-growing mass of undisciplined men. The
+retreat, in fact, threatened to degenerate into a reckless flight.
+
+
+
+
+GLENCOE
+
+
+President Kruger had been informed A of the chaotic state of affairs,
+and arrived at Glencoe early the next morning. The burghers were called
+together, and the President, leaning out of the window of his railway
+carriage, asked them to join him in singing a psalm. He then offered up
+a fervent prayer for guidance, after which he addressed the burghers,
+reproaching them for their want of confidence in an all-powerful
+Providence, and exhorting them to take courage afresh and continue the
+struggle for the sake of their posterity, which one day would judge
+their acts.
+
+"Whither would you flee?" he asked us. "The enemy will pursue you, and
+tear you from the arms of your wives. The man who surrenders takes the
+first step into exile. Brothers! Stand firm, and you will not be
+forsaken!"
+
+As the father of his people spoke, the doubts and fears that had filled
+the breasts of the multitude disappeared. Forgotten were the days and
+weeks of hunger, heat, and thirst; forgotten the ghastly shrapnel
+showers, the soul-crushing crash of the awful lyddite shell, the
+unnerving possibility of sudden death that for months had darkly loomed
+across their lives, and every man felt the glorious fires of patriotism
+rekindle in his bosom.
+
+Then General Joubert spoke.
+
+"If I be the stumbling-block in the way of our success, then I pray God
+to remove me," was the humble prayer of the warrior grown grey in wars,
+who now found himself too feeble to direct the forces with his wonted
+vigour. He then reminded us of brave deeds done in the past, and
+expressed his confidence in the future, provided we did not lose heart.
+
+When the General had finished, he sent officers round to marshal the men
+into some sort of order. It was wonderful to see the change in the
+spirit of the burghers. Where but a moment before had been disheartened
+mutterings and sulky looks were now smiling faces and cheerful
+conversation. With alacrity the men came forward, gave their names, and
+that of their respective commandoes, and took in the positions assigned
+them. The danger was past. Even the news of Cronjé's surrender, which
+was soon after made public, did not have more than a transient effect.
+The anxiety as to his fate had been so keen that even to know the worst
+was a relief.
+
+For two disquieting days, however, nothing was heard of the rearguard.
+To our relief it turned up on the third day. Several weeks of quiet
+followed, the British resting after their giant efforts, whilst we
+prepared to stem their further advance when it should take place. During
+this period of inaction on the part of the enemy I was sent down into
+Zululand, and stationed at a small spot named Nqutu, near Isandhlwana,
+Rorke's Drift, Blood River, and other scenes of stirring battles fought
+in former days. At Rorke's Drift could be seen, in good repair, the
+graves of the gallant men who fell in defending the passage through the
+river against the Zulus after the British disaster at Isandhlwana.
+
+While at Nqutu we received news of the fall of Bloemfontein and the
+death of General Joubert, as well as of De Wet's victory at Sanna's
+Post, the latter the only bright gleam that relieved the daily darkening
+horizon of our future.
+
+I now obtained a few days' leave of absence. My substitute left Glencoe
+early in the morning, accompanied by a mule waggon. The trolley duly
+arrived at sundown, but the substitute was absent. It appeared he had
+taken a short cut, as he thought, and had not been seen since. Bethune's
+mounted infantry was hanging about the neighbourhood, and we feared he
+might have been raked in. At midnight, however, he made his appearance,
+wet to the skin, after wandering to and fro in the chilly mist for
+hours. I immediately handed the books and cash over to him, and went to
+bed till four o'clock, when I saddled my horse and started for Glencoe,
+on leave and on my way home. Carefully nursing my mount, I reached
+Dundee at noon. After a short rest we went on, and reached Glencoe at
+one o'clock, none the worse for the morning's ride of almost fifty
+miles.
+
+Here I learnt that a plan was afoot to attack the British camp at
+Elandslaagte, which lay quite open and unprotected, as if it were part
+of an Earl's Court exhibition. When I left by train next morning our
+guns were already in action.
+
+Not being pushed home, however, the attack did not amount to much,
+except for its moral effect upon our men. It also gave the enemy the
+idea of finding a decent position for his camp.
+
+Travelling with me in the train were several men on their way to the
+Free State, where our forces were being hard pressed. Before leaving I
+had also sent in a request asking to be transferred thither, as Natal
+was becoming really too dull.
+
+At first sight Johannesburg did not seem much altered, but on driving
+through the deserted streets, all the shops barricaded, and tramway
+idle, the difference between the bustling city of old and this silent
+shadow of its former self was only too evident.
+
+Another difference that thrust itself upon the observation was the
+alteration which had lately taken place in the sentiments of the
+remaining Uitlander inhabitants. These, upon their lavish protestations
+of friendship and fidelity, had been allowed to remain during the war.
+In our triumphs their sympathy was ever with us, but when Cronjé was
+captured, Ladysmith relieved, and Bloemfontein abandoned, their
+long-latent loyalty to the British Empire became too fervent to be
+restrained within the bounds of decency. "Remnants" of red, white and
+blue were ostentatiously sewn into a distant resemblance of the British
+flag; the parlour piano once more did its often unsatisfactory best with
+the British anthem; mamma's darling received strict injunctions not to
+play with that horrid little Dutch boy next door; and papa, jingling the
+sovereigns he had received in his latest deal with the Government,
+prepared to pat Lord Roberts on the back when he should enter the town.
+
+But what can one say of those "oprechte[A] Afrikaners" who followed the
+same procedure? The Smits who became Smith, the Louw that suddenly
+shrank into Lowe (could he sink lower?), the Jansen transformed into
+Johnson, and the Volschenk merged into Foolskunk? What did John Bull
+think of all these precious acquisitions to his family?
+
+In striking contrast was the bearing of some of the numerous
+British-born officials, British-born and with British sympathies, who
+nevertheless faithfully performed their arduous duties until their
+services were no longer needed, and then entered the new régime with
+conscience clear and not without some degree of regret for the old.
+Loyal to the old, they could be loyal to the new. That several of the
+British-born officials had played the despicable part of spy is
+undoubted, but their villainy served but as a foil to show more clearly
+the merits of those who remained honest men.
+
+Before my leave had expired I returned to Natal, weary of miserable
+Johannesburg, and little thinking that I should not see my home again
+for years. Upon reaching Glencoe I found a telegram had just arrived,
+granting my request to be sent to the Free State. An hour later I was on
+my way, and the following evening the train landed me at Winburg, where
+a construction party was awaiting my arrival.
+
+FOOTNOTES:
+
+[Footnote A: _Oprechte_ = thorough.]
+
+
+
+
+THE FREE STATE
+
+
+Menschvretersberg (Cannibal Mountain), near Thabanchu, was at this time
+the site of the Boer headquarters, and it was our duty to establish
+telegraphic communication between this point and Winburg, a distance of
+about forty miles.
+
+After consideration, the inspector decided that it would take too long
+to lay a cable.
+
+Wire fences had already been utilised in America for short-distance
+telephonic communication, and this system had already been tried at Van
+Reenenspas by ingenious young Bland, of the Free State telegraphs,
+employing, however, the vibrator instead of the telephone. We determined
+to follow his example.
+
+According to the law of the land, every Free State farm has to be
+fenced. Blocks of sandstone, about four feet high and twelve inches
+square, are generally used for fencing uprights. Here, then, were lines
+ready made, and covering the country in every direction like network.
+
+The only thing necessary to isolate the wire was to walk along the
+fence, cut the cross-bindings connecting the upper wire with the lower
+ones, lay a cable under the gates, and there you were. This did not take
+long, and soon messages were gaily buzzing to and fro over the fence.
+There was naturally a great loss of electricity, but not enough to
+prevent the working of the sensitive little vibrator.
+
+As with the cable in Natal, however, there were frequent interruptions.
+A herd of cattle would knock a few poles over, a burgher hurrying across
+country would simply cut a passage through the fence, or a farmer in
+passing through a gate would notice the cable, dig it up, and take it
+along, swearing it must be dynamite, and that the English were trying to
+explode the Free State with it.
+
+All this necessitated constant repairing, but on the whole the system
+proved fairly satisfactory, allowing the Government in Kroonstad to keep
+in constant touch with the fighting line.
+
+In Natal everything was very quiet; here, on the contrary, the British
+were pushing forward vigorously. General Louis Botha came down from
+Glencoe to aid De Wet, leaving his brother Christian to oppose bulldog
+Buller, or "Red Bull," as we called him.
+
+In spite of Louis' presence the enemy continued to gain ground, and it
+was not long before Brandfort had to be given up. The enemy next took
+Thabanchu, and it became clear that our positions at Menschvretersberg
+could not be held much longer. President Steyn himself visited the
+positions, cheering and encouraging the men, but the strain of
+attempting to stem the British advance could no longer be sustained.
+Within a few days we received orders to retire to Lindley.
+
+Retire! But how? We were three, our horses two, our luggage heavy. By a
+stroke of luck we managed to hire a cart and two. Hitching our horses on
+in front, we had a team of four, and the difficulty was solved.
+
+When driving away from the spot where, in the midst of war's alarms, I
+had yet spent some of the happiest hours of my life, I could not help
+looking back long and earnestly at the beautiful homestead, and
+wondering what fate held in store for it and its kind-hearted owner,
+who, always against the war, and weary of sacrifices he deemed useless,
+had determined to remain behind and surrender to the enemy. Like many of
+our best and most progressive men, he had become disgusted with the want
+of discipline in the ranks, and the painful lack of unanimity amongst
+the leaders. Sincere in his convictions, I do not think he could be
+blamed for acting up to them. Those who have rightly earned the
+contempt and hatred of every true Afrikander are those Boers who, not
+content with deserting, have gone yet further, and attempted to assist
+the enemy that they were fighting against only the day before. Even
+their new masters must surely despise such willing slaves!
+
+Absorbed in these reflections, I yet had time to notice the approach,
+from the opposite direction, of a Cape cart drawn by six bays.
+
+As the two carts passed each other the team of bays was stopped by a
+vigorous hand, and President Steyn addressed us, force and determination
+stamping every word and gesture.
+
+"Good morning! Why are you leaving already? I want communication with
+Kroonstad!"
+
+"Good morning, President. We had orders to leave at once, but there is
+an operator in the office still; he will remain till the last moment."
+
+"Very well; good-bye!" And off he went, the dust clinging to his long
+brown beard.
+
+We drove on, our four horses trotting merrily along. We were five in the
+vehicle, however, including the driver and his little boy, and presently
+the weight began to tell. After the first halt one of the leaders
+failed.
+
+"He won't make it much further," said the inspector. "Better turn him
+loose and see what can be done with three."
+
+"I have a better plan," said our other companion. Stopping the cart, he
+unharnessed the animal, passed the rope through its mouth, vaulted on
+its back, and rode to a farmhouse some distance away. Presently he
+returned, bringing another horse, which he had obtained in exchange for
+our exhausted animal.
+
+Thus reinforced, we pushed on, arriving at Senekal at ten that night.
+The only hotel was crowded; we were glad to sleep on the parlour floor.
+After breakfast the next morning we continued our journey, passing group
+after group of burghers on their way home.
+
+It was truly painful to see these poor fellows struggling along, their
+horses scarce able to walk and themselves in a condition not much
+better. At noon we outspanned at some water-pools, where several of
+these groups were also resting. We entered into conversation with them,
+and they told us that they had retired earlier than the others on
+account of the weakness of their animals; that one of their number had
+been taken ill, and could ride no further, even if his horse could carry
+him, which was doubtful.
+
+We spoke to the sick man, who was lying in the shade of a tree. He was
+quite a youth, and evidently of a better stamp than his companions.
+
+"If only I could reach a certain farm about five miles further on," he
+sighed, "I think I should manage."
+
+"Take my seat," said I, "and I'll ride your nag."
+
+"I must tell you," he objected, "that the poor beast is quite exhausted.
+It would take hours to get him there."
+
+"Never mind, I'll start now, and you can follow on with the cart when
+our horses have had a feed."
+
+Our business admitted of no retard, so I meant to get a good start in
+order not to delay my companions.
+
+I mounted the nag and shouted "Get up!"
+
+He stumbled forward a few steps and stood stock still. I pricked him
+with the spurs, he moved on a little further and halted again. By dint
+of spurring, striking, and shouting, he at last broke into a slow trot,
+wearily dragging his hoofs, but before long he stopped once more.
+
+I dismounted and tried to lead him, but he would not budge. Then I tried
+driving him on ahead, but as soon as I got behind him he turned out of
+the road, first to the right, then to the left. Of all heart-breaking
+experiences this was the worst. I could not leave the animal to die by
+the wayside; the farm was only a few miles further on, where he would
+find water, food, and rest. I mounted again, shouted, cracked my
+sjambok--blows he could no longer feel--flourished my arms, jerked my
+body up and down in the saddle, and finally got him into a walk--but
+such a walk! slow, mechanical, every step an effort.
+
+When we finally reached the farmhouse I sprang down and quickly threw
+the saddle off. No sooner did the faithful animal feel itself released
+from its service than it sank to the ground, utterly exhausted. I myself
+was not much better off, after my exertions in the blazing sun. If you
+are fond of horses, never try to repeat my experiment. Straining the
+last ounce out of your mount is too much like mule-driving, and that is
+the most soul-killing occupation on earth, as any Afrikander can
+testify.
+
+The cart was waiting for me here. We bade adieu to the sick man, and
+drove on. Towards sunset we overtook a man struggling along on foot,
+carrying a heavy saddle on his head. He signalled to us to stop, and
+came panting up to the side of the cart.
+
+"My horse died this morning," he said, "and I've been carrying this
+saddle all day. Can't you load it up for me as far as Lindley?"
+
+The man looked so thoroughly done up that I felt sorry for him.
+Besides, I wanted to stretch my legs a bit, so I said that he could take
+my seat, and I started off on foot while they were strapping fast the
+saddle. The exercise was so agreeable in the fresh evening air that I
+continued it, and kept ahead of the cart until we reached Lindley. We
+went to the hotel, had a good dinner, and then to bed.
+
+
+
+
+LINDLEY TO HEILBRON
+
+
+Lindley and Heilbron were each in telegraphic communication with all the
+other towns still in our possession, and consequently also with each
+other; but no telegraph line ran between the two. A message from one to
+the other had to travel _viā_ Johannesburg and Kroonstad, involving a
+delay of several hours. It was our task to make good this missing link.
+Haste was required, for the British were already marching on Kroonstad,
+whence the Government was preparing to retire, ostensibly to Lindley,
+but in reality to Heilbron.
+
+Unfortunately the material wherewith the new line was to be built had
+not yet arrived from the Transvaal. The inspector decided not to wait,
+but to build the line without it.
+
+"Build a line without material? Impossible," you say. Not at all. You
+forget the fences; we did not.
+
+Our first care was to obtain a list of those farms along the road whose
+fences joined. This did not take many hours. Being joined here by a
+lineman, who had charge of half a dozen natives and a waggon, we loaded
+our luggage on the latter, as well as a sack or two of meal--the only
+foodstuff we could obtain, and began work, each armed with a spanner and
+a couple of iron tent-pegs.
+
+The fences were in bad repair, many of the stone poles having fallen
+down and the wires being broken and tangled every few hundred yards.
+Lifting the heavy stones and repairing and untangling the barbed wire
+was unaccustomed work, and soon our hands were covered with cuts and
+bruises. The distance by road between the two points is only about forty
+miles, but owing to the fences running at all angles to each other we
+had about seventy miles to cover. This it took us a week to do, rising
+early, working all through the day, and continuing in the moonlight at
+night. By buying a couple of sheep to supplement the bags of meal, and
+drinking a gall-like imitation coffee brewed from barley, we managed to
+fare well enough, and better than thousands of others are faring to-day.
+
+Our communication with the starting-point continued fairly good until we
+came within six miles of Heilbron, when it suddenly failed. I went back
+along the line, and eventually found the fault. After having repaired it
+and given my pony an hour's rest, I took a short cut for Heilbron, and
+arrived there at ten that night, only to find that during the time
+occupied by my return ride the wire had again stopped working. Having
+been in the saddle since six in the morning, I could do no more that
+night, although the Government, now installed here, was anxiously
+awaiting the resumption of communication. Early the next morning I
+started back. I considered it best to start testing from the middle of
+the line, and therefore went by road instead of following the fence. A
+few miles out of town I met De Wet's force, which was just retreating
+from Ventersburg. The men and animals were weary and dusty, but there
+was no depression noticeable; hope seemed to spring up afresh after
+every defeat, and those who thought of the result at all were confident
+that, as the song of the camp had it, "No Englishman shall ever cross
+the Vaal."
+
+And now I shall try and draw you a picture of what I saw next. It was a
+scene painfully humiliating for a Boer; what it was for an Englishman I
+leave you to judge.
+
+Coming along in the dusty road was a little drove of cattle and horses,
+about twenty in all, shaggy animals, and of all sizes, evidently the
+entire stock of some small farmer. Mounted astride on ponies, driving
+the sorry herd, their faces sunburnt, their hair all in a tangle, and
+their air the most dejected possible, were two young girls of about
+fifteen and seventeen years. Following them was a rickety old waggon.
+Under the hood sat an aged man and his wife, the parents of the two
+girls. Not a soul to help these poor creatures in their wild flight.
+They did not even know whither they were fleeing--anywhere to keep out
+of the hands of the enemy. Slowly the little caravan passed out of
+sight. Who can tell what regrets for the past were felt by the aged
+couple?--what hopes for the future by the helpless lasses?
+
+When I reached the intermediate station I found that the fault lay on
+the Lindley side. Towards Lindley I rode, testing the line frequently,
+but the sun went down and I was still testing. It grew too dark to see
+the wire distinctly, so I made for a farmhouse near by to seek shelter
+for the night. I knocked at the door, whereupon the light within was
+immediately extinguished. A minute or so after a native servant came
+round from the back. I gave him my horse to take to the stable, and
+waited for the door to be opened. Presently the Kafir returned and asked
+me to follow him to a side door, which he opened for me. I stepped
+inside, and found myself in the presence of about a dozen Boers, all
+armed, and all gazing at me as if they had paid for the privilege.
+There was something tense in the situation.
+
+I broke the ice by asking them if they took me for a ghost. As soon as
+they heard me speak in Dutch the fixed stare gave way to a general grin.
+Then they explained, with a sigh of relief, that the zealous servant had
+told them with bated breath that I was a bold, bad Englishman, whereupon
+they had made the above preparations for receiving me. I did not fail to
+curse the native's stupidity, after which we sat down to a plentiful
+dinner. When this was over the mistress of the house made us a large bed
+on the floor, and soon my strange bedfellows and myself were slumbering
+like a lot of little cherubs.
+
+Leaving early the next morning, I followed the line without any success
+until within four miles of Lindley. Then I noticed a long column of
+vehicles and cavalry trekking over the hill to my right and towards the
+town. Presently an old Boer came driving by.
+
+"Do you know what that is?" he asked, pointing to the column.
+
+"No."
+
+"English."
+
+I observed the column attentively. Yes, he was right. The mystery was
+explained. Naturally enough we could not get into communication with
+the town when it was already occupied by the enemy. The British had
+heard that the Government was in Lindley, and had therefore made this
+sudden march, whilst we believed them to be still in Kroonstad. It was
+most important that the President should know the news immediately. I at
+once attached the vibrator to the line and called up Heilbron.
+
+"Here Heilbron."
+
+"Here P. The English are in Lindley."
+
+"What!"
+
+"The English are in Lindley."
+
+"Impossible."
+
+"Please tell the President what I say."
+
+Silence. Presently the reply came--
+
+"Here Postmaster-General. The President says impossible. Enemy still in
+Kroonstad."
+
+"Not much! Here they are, before my eyes. Please believe that there is
+no mistake."
+
+"Wait a bit." Then, "Where is Piet De Wet?"
+
+"Probably cut off, and on the other side of the town."
+
+"Can you remain there for a while?"
+
+"Yes."
+
+After a while, "You may return now."
+
+"Had I not better remain and watch their movements?"
+
+"Yes, do so."
+
+I remained in the neighbourhood that night and the next morning, but the
+enemy lay quiet in Lindley, so I returned to Heilbron.
+
+When I reported myself to the Postmaster-General, he said--
+
+"The President wants to see you."
+
+I thought I was going to get into a scrape for not having been able to
+report anything further. However, I followed the Chief to a small
+building a few doors lower down the street.
+
+Entering, we found ourselves in a fairly roomy office, where two or
+three gentlemen were engaged in an earnest discussion. After being
+introduced to them I was taken into an inner office. Seated at a table,
+writing, was President Steyn.
+
+Although attired in plain black, like any other lawyer, there was a
+dignity in his bearing, and a force of character in his manner, that
+could not fail to make an impression on my mind, young as I was.
+
+"Well," he said, calling me by name, "where do you come from?"
+
+My embarrassment was so great, in spite of the friendly smile that
+accompanied these words, that I could only stammer--
+
+"From Winburg, President," alluding to the last time I had seen him.
+
+"No, no! I mean to-day."
+
+"Oh, from Lindley. But I could not find out much more. Some think their
+next move will be towards Bethlehem, others think they are coming on
+here."
+
+"Ah! Well, I know now that your information was correct, and I am
+satisfied with your work. I hope you will continue to be so successful.
+Now, go out there again, see what they are doing, and report to me."
+
+"Thank you, President," was all I could say, as he shook my hand, and I
+retired, highly gratified, as you may imagine.
+
+
+
+
+VELD INCIDENTS
+
+
+My first thought was that my pony would have to be shod before I could
+expect him to carry me any further. I found Judge Hertzog, then Chief of
+Commissariat, in the street, a young man still, of medium height, whose
+clear brow and incisive speech marked him out from amongst the crowd of
+farmers, policemen, and idlers that constantly surrounded him with
+requests for this, that, or the other lacking article or animal.
+
+He gave me an order to have my pony shod before all the others, a very
+important stipulation, for the ambulance horses had been waiting to be
+shod for a week. He added that he would supply us with other horses, but
+there were none to be bought. I told him I knew of a farmer who had a
+horse for sale at eighty pounds.
+
+"Yes, he asks us eighty, and presently the enemy will come along and
+take it for nothing," replied Hertzog.
+
+I went to the blacksmith and handed him the order.
+
+"Yes, everybody wants to be first," said that worthy; "but first come
+first served, says I."
+
+"But this is for special service."
+
+"Can't help that."
+
+"Do you mean to disobey the orders of the Government?"
+
+"Oh, no, not I! But I have no nails; may have some in a day or two."
+
+"Whose are those you are using now?"
+
+"They belong to the despatch riders' corps."
+
+I at once sought out the captain of the corps and persuaded him to count
+me out thirty nails. I then returned to the smith and held a candle for
+him whilst he shoed my horse. When I led the animal away I found that it
+was lame.
+
+"That's nothing," said the smith. "It will soon pass."
+
+"Oh, no. Just pull that shoe off and put it on again."
+
+This he did, and then the lameness disappeared. I took the animal to the
+stable, filled the crib with fodder, overhauled the vibrator, packed my
+saddle-bags, and went to bed.
+
+Early the next morning I started, making straight for the intermediate
+station.
+
+After three hours' riding I met a mounted policeman riding at full
+speed, or the best imitation of it that his mount could produce. "The
+English are coming!" was all he uttered as he passed by. When I reached
+the farmhouse I heard shots falling just beyond the hill. The womenfolk
+on the farm were in a pitiful state of distress. They had ornamented the
+roof of the house with a white flag, following the custom then
+prevailing in those parts threatened by the enemy.
+
+"They've been fighting all the morning," they said, wiping their eyes,
+"and now our men are retreating. Whatever will become of us?"
+
+I stabled my horse, walked to the fence, attached the vibrator, and
+called up Heilbron. No reply. The line was down again!
+
+This discovery put me into a pretty bad temper. Presently about a dozen
+Boers came galloping along from the fighting line. On seeing me, the
+leader reined in and shouted--
+
+"What the devil is this? What are you doing here?" He took me for an
+Englishman, and thought this a good opportunity to gain distinction.
+Thoroughly roused by his bullying tone, I retorted--
+
+"And who the devil are you? And where the devil are you running away to
+in such a hurry?"
+
+Taken aback, he faltered--
+
+"Oh, I have orders from my commandant, which I must keep secret."
+
+"Yes, I know your kind of orders. Get away, and don't interfere with
+men who are doing their duty." The band thereupon cleared off. Then a
+despatch rider came dashing up, his splendid black entire specked with
+foam.
+
+"I have an urgent despatch for the Government," he said, after we had
+made ourselves known to each other, "but my mount is about done up after
+all the riding about I have done away on our left."
+
+"Give it me," I said; "I'll repair the line and send it through."
+
+He handed me the message, and we walked over to the farmhouse. Whilst we
+were drinking a cup of coffee crowds of burghers rode past in retreat.
+Nearly every one stopped and asked for a glass of milk, a loaf of bread,
+or a few eggs. Their wants were supplied as far as possible. In every
+case money was offered, and in every case it was refused.
+
+With the despatch in my pocket I could not delay, so I took my nag and
+rode back along the fence. The very first test I made I found the line
+in order again. I transmitted the despatch, adding that there was
+nothing to stop the enemy from taking Heilbron that night. This news
+caused some consternation, as may be imagined, and the Government left
+Heilbron immediately.
+
+When I had finished I saw coming towards me a young Free Stater, who had
+been sent out from Heilbron to remove the fault, which he had succeeded
+in doing.
+
+"Let's go back to the farmhouse after sunset," I said, "and see if the
+British are there already."
+
+"Right!"
+
+We waited till dark, and then carefully rode to the farm, making as
+little noise as possible. When near the house we dismounted, cautiously
+approached, and peered through a window. Everything was quiet. We
+knocked. The housewife opened the door, pale and agitated.
+
+"They have not been here yet?" I asked.
+
+"No, but we expect them every minute."
+
+We brought our horses into the yard, so as to be at hand, and entered
+the house.
+
+"Your husband is not back yet?"
+
+"No, but they say he is safe."
+
+The door opened noiselessly, and the man himself stood before us. He had
+also taken a look through the window before entering. He placed his gun
+in a corner, kissed his wife and children, and shook hands with us.
+
+"We've had a hard day;" he said, "let's go in to supper."
+
+After the meal, even more silent than is habitual amongst us, where
+talking at table is almost as bad form as making a joke with a minister
+would be in Sloper's Scotland, our host told us that the English had
+camped on the spot where they had fought, and that he did not think they
+would march till daylight. It was best for us to sleep there that night,
+and leave with him before dawn.
+
+We agreed.
+
+"Father, can I go too?" asked his son, aged thirteen.
+
+"No, my boy, you must stay and help mother to manage the farm. It will
+be a long while ere father returns."
+
+"Oh, father! I'm too old to stay in the house, like an old woman.
+Besides, I'm afraid they will make me prisoner."
+
+"Do you think they catch children like him?" his mother asked anxiously.
+
+"No, I don't think they are so cruel," I replied; "but one can never
+tell."
+
+"Well, they won't get the chance," said the plucky little fellow. "As
+soon as I see them coming, I shall take my mare and go and hide in the
+hills."
+
+The mother did not say anything. She bore up bravely, as our women ever
+do, Heaven bless them! Was it not but some ten miles from this very spot
+that years before a handful of our pioneers had gained the victory at
+Vecht Kop, when the women loaded the guns and handed them to the men as
+the latter unflinchingly beat back the tremendous horde of maddened
+blacks that flung themselves against the hastily drawn circle of
+waggons. Does not one old lady still bear the scars of the nineteen
+stabs she received on that day? Our women are women indeed, and worthy
+mothers of the race that yet shall people all Africa and rule itself.
+
+Do not think I am flying too high. The average Boer family numbers ten
+children. Boys are in the majority. If at present we have thirty
+thousand warriors (I am not counting the wasters), it follows that in
+two generations we shall have three hundred thousand. Taking the
+proportion then, as now, of ten to one, Britain will have to employ
+against us in 1940 no less than three million men! And when that time
+comes, the children of to-day will have the recollection of the
+concentration camps and of a few other little trifles to strengthen
+their backbone.
+
+The concentration camps! Fit subject for Dante, who in the _Divina
+Comedia_ portrays as no other can the maddened heart of a father doomed
+to see his children waste away before his very eyes. There are many
+relentless Ugolins among the Boers to-day.
+
+I firmly believe that a steady process of infanticide was never intended
+to be the _raison d'źtre_ of these camps; no civilised nation could
+deliberately sanction a system cemented with the bones and blood of
+innocent babes. And the British are a civilised nation.
+
+No, the fault does not lie in the system itself, but in its application.
+It is a humane idea carried out inhumanely, so inhumanely that when the
+Black Hole of Calcutta is forgotten Englishmen will still hang their
+heads for shame at the mention of concentration.
+
+What the Levite concubine's outraged flesh was to Israel the infant
+mortality is to the Afrikanders of the Cape and Natal, who, a hundred
+thousand strong, may at any moment lose their self-control and throw in
+their lot with their brethren. Then Britain will tear the bandage from
+her eyes, but it will be too late.
+
+Let me remind Canon Knox-Little, and those other divines who can
+complacently view the children's Golgotha, of the words of their Master:
+"_But whoso shall offend one of these little ones, it were better that a
+millstone were hanged about his neck, and he were drowned in the depth
+of the sea._"
+
+But to return. After the usual reading of the Gospel, we retired for the
+night. Our sleep, however, was none too secure. At about two o'clock the
+dogs set up a terrible howling. My heart beat loudly. We were in for it
+now! But no, it was only the farmer's son, who came to tell us to get
+ready.
+
+We rose at once. Our host said a long good-bye to his wife and children,
+and we rode away in the misty night, a keen wind cutting through flesh
+and bone.
+
+After a very long hour we reached the house of our guide's brother.
+
+We got in without awakening the inmates, and entered a small bedroom,
+where two young men were lying asleep. They woke on hearing us move
+about, and struck a match.
+
+"Good morning," I said; "rather early, isn't it?"
+
+"Yes," they replied, waiting for me to explain. I kept quiet, however,
+and watched the expression on their faces gradually change from surprise
+to uneasiness, and from uneasiness to alarm. Then I briefly explained
+the situation to the young men, after which we went to sleep in our
+chairs till daybreak, when the servant entered with the morning coffee.
+
+Our guide took us into the parlour and introduced us to his
+sister-in-law. He then left to rejoin his commando.
+
+We stayed to breakfast, and then also left, making for Heilbron, but not
+feeling quite sure as to whether we should reach it before the enemy.
+After travelling a couple of hours we observed half a dozen horsemen
+appear against the skyline on our left. From the way they were spread
+out we judged them to be English. To make sure we rode a little nearer.
+On coming round one of the numerous undulating _bulten_, we saw three
+horsemen making for us at full speed. We at once wheeled round and took
+up a position behind some rocks. When the horsemen came closer we found
+that they were Boers. They told us, however, that the men first observed
+by us were really British, which accounted for their haste, and that the
+whole column was following just behind.
+
+Now that we had located the enemy we felt more at ease. The scouts were
+riding near the road along which the wire ran, about seven miles from
+the town. Cutting across in plain sight of the enemy, we fixed the
+vibrator to the fence, and called up Heilbron. We heard the instruments
+working in the office, but got no reply to our hurried call. The scouts
+were about fifteen hundred yards away. We continued calling; they
+continued approaching, carefully inspecting every foot of ground before
+them. It seemed strange to us that the scouts of a column on the march
+should search for the enemy within five hundred yards only of the main
+body. But perhaps that is what they teach at Sandhurst. Presently the
+head of the column came in sight from behind the rise. The scouts were
+now within eight hundred yards. We quietly mounted our horses and rode
+away. They gave no sign of having observed our movements. When some
+distance away, we looked back and saw that the whole column had halted,
+about seven thousand men.
+
+We reached Heilbron to find the place practically deserted. Wishing to
+see the enemy enter the town, we delayed our departure. Some hours
+passed, and nothing happened to denote the proximity of the British. We
+feared that they might be surrounding the town before entering it, so we
+left for Frankfort, following the road taken by the President the night
+before.
+
+
+
+
+TAPPING THE WIRES
+
+
+We had gone about a mile, when suddenly a score of horsemen made their
+appearance on top of the rise before us. Not knowing whether they were
+friends or foes, we swerved away to the left, regaining the road by a
+detour. After sunset we saw a small bonfire blaze forth about three
+miles away in the direction we were going. We hardly knew what to make
+of such an unusual sight. The night was a fairly dark one, but we pushed
+on rapidly. In the middle of a hard canter my horse suddenly struck his
+forefeet against some obstacle, and came crashing down upon his head. It
+was an anxious moment for me. When we had disentangled ourselves I
+hastened to feel the pony's knees, and found to my joy that they were
+but little damaged. Whilst still laughing over this mishap, we heard
+voices to our right. We listened for a moment. First came the question
+_in English_--
+
+"Where are they?"
+
+Then the reply--
+
+"Don't know where they are now."
+
+This was enough for us, and we sped forth as silently and as fast as
+possible.
+
+On approaching the bonfire we heard more voices--Dutch this time. We
+rode up to the group standing round the fire. Several friends came
+forward to greet us, and we became aware that this was the President's
+party--about thirty men in all.
+
+"Where are your sentries?" I asked.
+
+"Just going out now."
+
+"Who is in charge?"
+
+"The President's secretary."
+
+Calling the latter aside, I said--
+
+"I don't wish to cause an alarm, but on coming along about a mile from
+here we heard men calling to each other in English. At one o'clock the
+British were only fifteen miles from here; your bonfire may have drawn a
+patrol hither."
+
+"What is it? Who has arrived?" asked Steyn, coming out of his tent. We
+gave him all the information we had gained. He immediately ordered all
+lights to be extinguished, and sent the guard to find out what the
+voices meant. All were relieved when it turned out to have been merely a
+couple of the President's bodyguard searching for their horses.
+
+Early the next morning a couple of deserters were brought in. They had
+been caught trying to slip past in the night. One said he had a sick son
+at home, and was only going to see him, perhaps for the last time. The
+other was going home to fetch better horses, and so forth. They were so
+unfortunate as to call upon the Deity to testify to the truth of their
+assertions. This roused Steyn's ire.
+
+"How dare you be guilty of such sacrilege?" he cried. "It is this cursed
+habit of yours of using God's name upon every trivial occasion that
+makes our enemies think us a nation of hypocrites! Back to your
+commandoes at once!"
+
+The men slunk away. We enjoyed their discomfiture in a measure, for,
+with all reverence for true religion, it must be confessed that many of
+these gentry thought psalm-singing all that was required of them, and
+did not hesitate to leave their less "elect" brethren to bear the brunt
+of the fighting.
+
+After breakfast I walked down to the telegraph line connecting Heilbron
+and Frankfort, which ran past this point. Taking about ten yards of
+"cable" wire, I cleaned about a foot of it in the middle, tied one end
+to my spanner, and threw the latter over the line. The swing carried it
+over a second time, the two ends hanging just above the ground.
+Attaching one end to the instrument, I heard the English telegraphist
+in Heilbron calling up Kroonstadt, and the Boer telegraphist in
+Frankfort working to Reitz.
+
+I immediately climbed the pole and cut the Frankfort side of the line.
+Then I took another piece of cable, and connected the earth terminal of
+the vibrator with the telegraph pole. The British signals now came
+through beautifully clear. The first message that passed was one from
+General Hamilton to Lord Roberts, announcing his arrival at Heilbron,
+the details of the two engagements fought during the march, the number
+of killed and wounded, and the state of his force--"often hungry, but
+cheerful." Then followed some others of lesser importance. The
+President's party were just driving away. I left my assistant with the
+vibrator, ran across to the road, and handed His Honour the messages. He
+smiled as he read the report and appeared highly gratified. After a few
+words of encouragement to me he drove on, and I returned to the line.
+The signals were now so weak, however, that nothing could be
+distinguished.
+
+We saddled our horses and rode towards Heilbron, intending to try again
+closer to the town. We had not gone far before the captain of the
+despatch riders and one of his men overtook us. They had been ordered by
+the President to place themselves at my disposition. Four men would
+have attracted too much attention, however, and I persuaded them to
+return. We two rode on until almost on top of the hill overlooking
+Heilbron, when we dismounted. Drawing the horses behind a low stone
+wall, we attached the instrument to the line. I listened. There were no
+fewer than five different vibrators calling each other, some strong and
+clear, others sounding weak and far, like "horns of Elfland faintly
+blowing." Presently the disputing signals died away, and one musical
+note alone took up the strain.
+
+Never was lover more absorbed in the thrilling sound of his divinity's
+voice than I in the notes of that vibrator, seemingly wailing up from
+the bowels of the earth.
+
+Nor was my attention unrewarded.
+
+"From Chief of Staff, Honingspruit," came the words, "to General
+Hamilton, Heilbron." Then followed orders. How Hamilton was to march
+from Heilbron; how Broadwood was to move from Ventersburg, the entire
+plan of campaign for the next few weeks! A mass of information to
+gladden the heart of our steadfast chief. "Hurrah!" we whispered to each
+other, as I carefully put the precious message in a safe place.
+
+Then some harsh, grating sounds were heard in the microphone. The wires
+were evidently being overhauled in Heilbron. Complete silence followed.
+Hearing a couple of shots fired on our left, we removed all traces of
+our work and rode back to our starting-point, well satisfied with the
+valuable information we had so fortunately obtained. I at once sent my
+assistant after the President with the despatch. Fearing that the enemy
+might send a patrol here during the night, I left for Frankfort, and
+arrived there at midnight. Before leaving, however, I had instructed my
+assistant to join up the line where I had cut it, if upon his return the
+next morning he should find the place still free from the enemy.
+
+
+
+
+I MEET DE WET
+
+
+The little village of Frankfort was wrapped in slumbering darkness when
+I entered it. Cold and hungry after the five hours' journey, I did not
+scruple to knock up the Postmaster. With an instinct of good-fellowship
+that did him credit, he at once made me welcome; breaking up a couple of
+empty boxes, we made a rattling fire, and soon big gulps of cocoa were
+chasing the last few shivers from my wearied frame.
+
+My last thought as I wrapped my blanket round me and stretched myself
+out on the floor was of the despatch I had sent after the President.
+Suppose my messenger lost the document or was captured! But I would soon
+know, for if I found the line joined through at eight o'clock, according
+to my orders, it would be a proof that he had returned and found the
+coast clear.
+
+The little office was crowded with busy clerks when I opened my eyes the
+next morning. Casting a rapid glance at the clock, I saw it was almost
+eight. There was no time to lose. I grasped the useful little vibrator
+with one hand, flung the blanket into a corner with the other, and set
+off, calling to the native servant to follow with a ladder. It was not
+advisable to operate under the eyes of the townspeople, so I marched
+across the bridge and into the veld, until a suitable spot was reached.
+No sooner had I thrown my wire over the line than I again heard British
+and Dutch signals intermingled. Good! My message was safe.
+
+The Kafir shinned up the pole and cut the wire, permitting the British
+signals only to come through. I listened intently to the various more or
+less interesting messages being exchanged by the enemy. Presently a new
+and stronger note broke in--
+
+"Hello! Here, Sergeant-Major Devons. Who are you?"
+
+Devons? Those are the fellows that we fought at Ladysmith. But what--how
+comes he here? Listen----
+
+"Here, Heilbron. We're just waiting to leave. Crowds of Boers on the
+hills."
+
+"Ah! I say, I've pushed on, quite by myself, for fully twelve miles,"
+said the hoarse note of the non-com.'s vibrator. "When I reached
+Roberts' Horse the chief said I was d----d lucky to get through!"
+
+"Good on you!" replied his admiring hearer. "This is a bit different
+from old Tyneside, ain't it?"
+
+"Cheer up; we shall soon be in Pretoria."
+
+"Confound you!" said I, dashing my fist on the key, "you're not there
+yet!"
+
+To prevent myself from interrupting them, advertently or otherwise, I
+had taken the precaution to disconnect the battery, so my little
+outbreak did no harm.
+
+Then the sergeant-major sent a long message to his chief, Captain
+Faustnett, duly informing the latter of the distance he had come, all by
+himself, and of what the officer commanding Roberts' Horse had said,
+after which the Heilbron man remarked--
+
+"Good-bye, we're off." Silence followed.
+
+The net result of the morning's work was the knowledge that Hamilton was
+leaving Heilbron at that very moment, and leaving it ungarrisoned. This
+information I hastened to communicate to my chief, with the result that
+within a very short space of time we were again in telegraphic
+communication with that town and in possession of several hundred sick
+and wounded that the British had kindly left to our care. At Spion Kop
+we wanted their wounded, but did not get them; here we did not want them
+in the least, but we got them all the same.
+
+My next task was the maintenance of the fence line between Frankfort and
+Reitz. A testing station had been established half-way between the two
+villages, consequently the communication was fairly good and there was
+not much for me to do. One day a message arrived from my chief in
+Pretoria, asking me to go thither, and accompany him northwards when the
+capital should be abandoned. The Postmaster-General of the Free State,
+however, insisted upon my remaining a few days longer.
+
+A little while after De Wet's commando entered the village about a
+thousand strong. The rumour went that De Wet was going to rest for a
+week and then strike a heavy blow. No sooner had the column halted on
+the bank of the river than De Wet himself rode over to our office,
+accompanied by his secretary. They wrote out a few telegrams, and then
+De Wet entered into conversation with the Postmaster-General. His tone
+and manner lacked the slightest cordiality. He asked the
+Postmaster-General whether he was sure, quite sure, that the British
+side of our telegraph lines was always cut, so that the enemy could not
+tap our messages. Yes, the chief was quite sure. But De Wet thought it
+best that instructions to that effect should be re-issued, so as to
+leave no excuse for any possible negligence. This suggestion was carried
+out on the spot.
+
+The chief then introduced me to De Wet. Compared with Louis Botha, or
+almost any other of our generals, De Wet presented but a sorry sight.
+His manners are uncouth, and his dress careless to a degree. His
+tactlessness, abrupt speech, and his habit of thrusting his tongue
+against his palate at every syllable, do not lessen his undeniable
+unattractiveness. But De Wet, if he lacks culture, certainly has an
+abundance of shrewdness, and is not without some dignity at times. And I
+must confess that it is chiefly owing to De Wet and Steyn that the war
+did not end with the fall of Pretoria. What is the secret of his
+success? This, he has one idea, one only--the independence of his
+country. Say to him--
+
+"If the English win----" and he breaks in--
+
+"If the heavens fall----"
+
+Choosing his lieutenants by results only, he is assured of good service.
+An incorrect report, and the unlucky scout is tried by court-martial.
+
+Whilst giving this modern Cincinnatus due credit for his undoubted
+smartness, it must be borne in mind that the movements of the Free State
+forces were generally determined by the _Oorlogscommissie_, a body made
+up of President Steyn, Judge Hertzog, Advocate De Villiers, and two or
+three other prominent men, whose trained intellects concerted the plan
+of campaign, De Wet being entrusted with its execution. He had power to
+alter details according as circumstances might dictate, but that was
+all.
+
+And he had men to aid him like General Philip Botha (third of three
+brothers, generals), Commandant Olivier (now captured), Captain Theron
+(killed near Krugersdorp), besides others whose names have never been
+heard of, but who, if De Wet were captured to-morrow, would be both
+willing and able to take his place.
+
+One peculiar feature of the Afrikander character is the complete absence
+of anything approaching hero-worship. Perhaps this is due to the habit
+of ascribing success to the favour of Providence. However this may be,
+it is certain that General Joubert's death hardly excited even a
+momentary thrill of regret, in spite of his years of service as
+Commandant-General. As for erecting a monument to the memory of any of
+our great men, why, we are all equal, they say, and anyone could have
+done as much.
+
+Notwithstanding this characteristic of the people, De Wet, secure in the
+favour of the Government, knows how to make himself obeyed and
+respected. I have seen burghers retreat who, upon being stopped and
+threatened with death by their officer, have torn open their coats and
+shouted, "Shoot! Shoot me, if you dare! I shall not turn back!"
+
+I cannot imagine anyone venturing to take up this attitude towards De
+Wet. He would certainly not hesitate to carry out a threat through any
+fear of the consequences. And yet it was my fortune to incur his
+displeasure. It came about in this way. The chief sent for me one day
+and said--
+
+"You have asked to be allowed to return to the Transvaal. But there is a
+chance for you to do some very important work just now. Do you mind
+remaining three or four days longer?"
+
+"Not at all."
+
+"Very well. De Wet leaves to-morrow. You will accompany him. He wants
+you to tap the British lines near Kroonstad. You may attach yourself to
+Scheepers' corps, but you will be in no way subordinate to him, and you
+will use your own discretion in the execution of your duty. He will give
+you every aid and assistance. Try and get a horse from him, as we are
+short."
+
+The chief then showed me a map whereon was marked out our line of route.
+It was evidently going to be an exciting adventure, and I thanked him
+warmly for having selected me to take part in the expedition. I then
+went and hunted up Scheepers, whom I found in his tent. This is the same
+Scheepers who later operated in Cape Colony, and whom Chamberlain has
+taken such a dislike to. I can assure the Secretary for the Colonies
+that Scheepers is an amiable and harmless young man, who would probably
+now be teaching a Sunday-school class had Joseph not been such a
+dreamer.
+
+"Well, Scheepers," I said, "so I am to accompany you to-morrow. Can you
+supply me with a horse?"
+
+"That will be difficult," he replied, "but if money can buy one you
+shall have it."
+
+This seemed good enough. Early the next morning the commando was on the
+march. Scheepers had kept his word and sent me a horse. It was not an
+attractive animal outwardly, being of an indefinite shade between white
+and grey, and with an unnecessary profusion of projections adorning its
+attenuated frame. However, there was no time to lose, and I mounted the
+steed, trusting it might possess moral qualities which would atone for
+its physical defects.
+
+The animal went very well as long as I did not interfere with the bent
+of its wayward desire, which was to proceed in any direction but the
+right one. Have you ever steered an extremely willing young thing
+through her first waltz? If so you will know what my feelings were after
+the first hour. And now just imagine that the waltz lasted for four
+hours, and you will have some idea of my sufferings, for that is the
+length of time I was compelled to spend on the back of my new
+acquisition.
+
+Scheepers had sent a couple of men on ahead a few days before in order
+to see if the coast was clear. One of his heliographists and myself now
+rode ahead of the column, planted a heliograph on a suitable spot, and
+called up towards a high hill beyond Heilbron, where it had been
+arranged that the two scouts should be about this hour. Scarcely had our
+heliograph glittered for a moment in the sun when back from the hill
+came a long flash of light.
+
+"What news?" we asked.
+
+"All quiet," came the reply.
+
+We returned to the column, which was marching wonderfully slowly, and
+informed Scheepers, who was pleased to find his men so punctual. As we
+rode along he asked me a few particulars about the vibrator, wire
+tapping, and so on. I told him how at Spion Kop the wire failed at the
+very moment it was needed most.
+
+"Yes," he remarked thoughtfully, "trifles often make all the difference.
+I had an experience of that myself one night not so long ago. We had
+laid a nice little trap near Kroonstad, put a charge of dynamite on the
+rails, placed the men in position, and waited for a train to come along.
+After a few hours of suspense the latter appeared, and just as it was
+going over the charge I pressed the button. What do you think happened?"
+
+"The unexpected, I suppose?"
+
+"Precisely. To our disgust the dynamite did not do the rest, and the
+train puffed tranquilly past. One of my battery wires had become
+disconnected in the dark, and through that one little detail the whole
+thing was spoilt."
+
+"At least from your point of view," I said jestingly. "But think what a
+narrow escape you had yourselves. The train might have stopped, a
+searchlight might have thrown its piercing gleam over your waiting band,
+and a volley from a battery of maxims might have strewn the shuddering
+veld with your palpitating bodies!"
+
+"Oh, no danger of that!" replied Scheepers lightly; "we knew there were
+no _Graphic_ artists on board!"
+
+Towards sunset the head of the column halted, nine miles from Heilbron,
+having done only twenty miles during the whole day's march. I say the
+head of the column, because the body of it was still straggling
+somewhere along the road, to say nothing of the tail. We went to bed
+hungry, the men with the waggon being too lazy to make a fire. I
+consoled myself with the prospect of a good breakfast in Heilbron the
+next morning, and slept as well as the cold would let me.
+
+
+
+
+ROODEWAL
+
+
+We were awakened the next morning while it was still dark. I roamed
+about in the gloom searching for my errant Rosinante. After describing
+half a dozen circles I returned to the waggon, to find the missing steed
+no longer astray, but peacefully grazing away about six feet from the
+aforesaid vehicle. It was a demon of a horse, no doubt about that. We
+upsaddled and stood shivering in the cold, our ears and noses fast
+becoming frostbitten, and waited for the body of the column to catch up
+to us, for it now appeared that everyone had gone to sleep where he
+pleased the night before. De Wet was in a furious rage.
+
+"I told them we were to be in Heilbron at sunrise!" he shouted. "I wish
+the British would catch and castrate every one of them, so that they may
+be old women in reality."
+
+His railing did not accelerate the approach of the loiterers, and it was
+long after sunrise when we finally made a start for Heilbron--nine miles
+distant. When we neared the town Scheepers, myself, and another went
+forward to reconnoitre. What was our surprise to find that the whole
+place was full of English! They had suddenly entered the town the night
+before. I at once went back and informed De Wet, who ordered the column
+to halt and outspan. Testing the telegraph line, I found that whereas
+there were no British signals audible, our own signals from Frankfort
+could be heard very plainly. The Frankfort telegraphist was busy calling
+Heilbron, not knowing that the town had again changed masters. As his
+was an ordinary Morse instrument I could not communicate with him, but I
+did the next best thing by cutting the wire. The presence of the enemy
+in Heilbron was a check for us. We did not expect Colville to come
+forward so rapidly. It was necessary to modify our plan of campaign, and
+De Wet and several of the commandants rode to a farm some six miles away
+to consult with the President, who had pitched his tent at that spot.
+Scheepers was still away scouting. His men made no effort to prepare any
+food, and as I was beginning to suffer from hunger the situation was
+anything but pleasant for me. It is hard to realise the amount of
+selfishness which generally prevails in a laager or commando. It is a
+case of everyone for himself. There is no regular distribution of
+rations every day, as in other armies. The commando is divided into
+messes of about ten men each. To this mess is given every now and then a
+live ox and a bag of meal. The ox is killed and cut into biltong, and
+the meal baked into stormjagers, a kind of dumpling fried in dripping.
+Now Scheepers' little corps, which consisted of half a dozen men, was
+probably not very well off itself in the matter of provisions--in any
+case, they offered me none. The commissariat consisted of nothing but
+oxen and meal, cold comfort for me. I rode back a couple of miles to a
+spot where a field telegraph office had been opened. Standing in the
+open veld under the telegraph line was a Cape cart, under the cart a
+telegraph instrument. This was the office.
+
+"Can you give me anything to eat?" I asked the telegraphist, one of our
+most capable men.
+
+"Very sorry," he answered; "I've been here for a week, and no one has
+troubled to send me any food. I've managed to get a loaf of bread from
+that farm yonder now and then, but their supply is exhausted, and I
+don't know what to do next."
+
+"Why don't you ask the President's party for food? We all know they fare
+well enough."
+
+"I've sent them message after message, but can get no satisfaction. All
+they think about is the amount of work they can get out of me. Little
+they care what my troubles are!"
+
+This was really a shameful state of affairs, and I began to grow
+disgusted with the whole business. Not satisfied with refusing to supply
+him with food, a passing commando had stolen his cart-horses, so that he
+had no means of leaving the spot.
+
+It was a clear case of selfish and brutal neglect. I condoled with the
+poor fellow, and rode back to the laager. De Wet was still absent. It
+appeared that we were going to lie there for days, instead of the whole
+expedition being over in a day or two. After thinking the matter over, I
+decided to return to Frankfort and carry out my intention of going back
+to the Transvaal. Upon reaching Frankfort I explained the matter to the
+Postmaster-General, adding that the expedition would probably take a
+couple of weeks, by which time the Free State would already be cut off
+from the Transvaal, and my return rendered impossible. He urged upon me,
+however, to postpone my departure. During the day a telegram arrived
+from De Wet, saying he had now decided to move forward, and asking that
+I should accompany him. So convinced was I that his attempt would end in
+a fiasco, in spite of his knowledge of the enemy's movements, that I
+persuaded the chief to send another in my place. De Wet was extremely
+annoyed, but I was foolish enough to insist. Judge of my regret when, a
+week or so later, we heard of the magnificent blow delivered at
+Roodewal. After this sudden swoop De Wet returned to the vicinity of
+Heilbron. The chief and I drove out to his camp. It was interesting to
+see his entire band clad in complete khaki, with only the flapping,
+loose-hanging felt hats to show their nationality. Wristlets, watches,
+spy-glasses, chocolate, cigarettes, were now as common as in ordinary
+times they were rare. Heliographic and telegraphic instruments by the
+cartload. No doubt about it, Roodewal came at an opportune moment.
+Roberts was pressing Botha hard in front, and this stunning blow at his
+lines of communication compelled him to pause. Think of his forces
+fighting through that rigorous winter, wearing only their summer
+uniforms! No wonder their ardour grew cool!
+
+Theron's corps now came through from the Transvaal and joined De Wet.
+Theron, dissatisfied with his treatment by the Transvaal Government, was
+here received with open arms. His hundred and fifty young fellows were
+as keen as ever; it did one's eyes good to see one corps at least where
+discipline was not despised. Theron was a slightly built young lawyer,
+with an expression of the deepest sadness, due to the premature decease
+of his _fiancée_. He took care of his men, fed and horsed them well, led
+them into hot corners and saw them safely out again. Terrible indeed
+must be the engagement when one of Theron's men is abandoned by his
+comrades. "No cowards need apply" was the motto of the band, held
+together by an _esprit de corps_ without equal; and no cowards did. When
+the corps passed Frankfort Theron commandeered a horse from an alleged
+British subject. The latter threatened to appeal to the Government, and
+came into town for the purpose, vowing vengeance on Theron's devoted
+head.
+
+"I enjoy myself," said Theron to me, "when they threaten me. It is when
+they come to me with soft words that I cannot resist."
+
+As a matter of fact, the Government sustained Theron's action, and the
+owner of the animal was obliged to ask Theron to take two others for it.
+This he agreed to do, and thus ended the only instance of which I know
+in which the Free State Government allowed anything to be commandeered
+from a British subject.
+
+The capture of the Yeomanry took place about this time. There have been
+several attempts to explain this affair. It was said in our laagers at
+the time that Colonel Sprague, immediately after his surrender, remarked
+to our commandant that he would shoot the Lindley telegraphist if he
+could get hold of him, because the latter had tampered with his message
+asking for reinforcements. This was quite possible, for at this time
+_most of the British telegrams passed through our hands before reaching
+their destination_. If I might venture to express an opinion, formed at
+the time, I should say that General Colville was absolutely free from
+any blame in connection with the capture of the Yeomanry--an incident to
+which we attached very little importance, being interested merely in the
+military qualities of our opponents, and in their social rank not at
+all.
+
+When Rundle's force was at Senekal and Brabant's Horse at Harmonia every
+one of their telegrams was read by a telegraphist attached to one of the
+commandoes lying in the vicinity. Several of these messages were in
+cipher, it is true, but many of them were not. It was largely owing to
+information thus obtained that the British sustained a rather severe
+check when they advanced against our positions near Senekal. One would
+think the enemy would have taken strict precautions against their plans
+leaking out in this manner, but I presume we were considered rather too
+dense for that kind of thing.
+
+The affair of Roodewal decided Roberts to send back a strong column to
+keep us off his flanks. It was only infantry, and we got quite tired of
+waiting for it to reach us. It reached Villiersdorp eventually, and we
+fell back from Frankfort towards Bethlehem--the new headquarters. It was
+with heavy hearts that we said good-bye to our kind friends in
+Frankfort, for well we knew by this time what the passage of a British
+column meant for the defenceless non-combatants--houses broken down and
+burnt, children and greybeards torn from their families, and all the
+other useless and unnecessary cruelties that have broken so many lives,
+converted so many joyous homesteads into tombstones of black despair,
+and imprinted into the very souls of many Afrikanders an ineradicable
+loathing and hatred of everything British. As Boadicea felt towards the
+Roman, so feels many a Boer matron to-day against the Briton, and when
+Britons shall have followed Romans into the history of the past, the
+Afrikander race shall write an epitaph upon their cenotaph. Ambition! By
+that sin fell the angels, and by that sin fall the Angles. But oh, the
+pity of it! For of all the nations that in turn have risen and waxed
+great upon the surface of the globe, there are none for whose ideals the
+Boers feel more sympathy than for those of the British. It is the
+paralysing difference between the ideal and the real that is creating
+the gulf which threatens our eternal separation.
+
+
+
+
+OFF TO THE TRANSVAAL
+
+
+When we reached Reitz, on our way to Bethlehem, another young
+Transvaaler and myself obtained permission to try and reach the
+Transvaal. The enemy's columns were traversing the intervening country
+in all directions, but we determined that the attempt was worth making.
+Bidding good-bye to our Free State colleagues, we left the little
+village that was later to become famous as the scene of the capture of
+the Free State Government, and retraced our way to Frankfort. The
+send-off given us took the form of a little reunion in the parlour of
+the modest hotel. Here there were gathered together some dozen young
+Free Staters, and an impromptu smoking concert was held. Everyone
+present was compelled to give a song or recite something. The first on
+the programme was Byron's "When we two parted," which was sung with fine
+effect by a blushing young burgher. Next came the old camp favourite,
+"The Spanish Cavalier." The sentimental recollections induced by these
+two songs were speedily dissipated by a rattling comic song in Dutch,
+"_Op haar hot oog zit'n fratje_" A few recitations followed. One of the
+reciters had just enunciated the lines--
+
+    "Within the circle of your incantation
+       No blight nor mildew falls,
+     No fierce unrest, nor lust, nor lost ambition,
+       Passes those airy walls"--
+
+when a mocking voice came floating in at the window--
+
+"Are you referring to Downing Street?" It was a captured British
+officer, who, roaming about the village, had been attracted by our
+revelry. He was evidently no follower of the expand-or-burst policy of
+the British Cabinet.
+
+This appropriate interpellation put an end to the proceedings. We set
+off, unarmed, as we had sent our Mausers back to the Transvaal some time
+before, and mounted on a pair of nags that were plainly unfit to make
+the journey. Long before we reached Frankfort, in fact, my companion's
+horse gave in. We rode to a farmer's house near the road to try and find
+another mount. A boy of thirteen was the only male person on the farm.
+Yes, he had a pony. Would he exchange it for ours, and take something to
+boot? No fear, what he wanted was cash. How much? Thirteen pounds. But
+thirteen is an unlucky number; better take twelve. In that case, he
+would prefer to take fourteen. The pony was worth the price, the cash
+changed hands, and we continued our journey. Some miles from Frankfort
+we met two Boers, who told us that they had also meant to return to the
+Transvaal, but had heard that the enemy were so close to Frankfort that
+they had decided to turn back. We determined to continue, however, and
+shortly after dark we cautiously entered the village. The enemy had not
+yet arrived, but were expected early the next morning. We consulted one
+of our friends in the village, who advised us to try and cross the
+railway near Standerton. We decided to follow his advice, and left early
+the next morning. A few miles out of town we observed several horsemen
+to our left. Fearing these were British, we swerved to the right,
+cutting across country. Keeping a good look-out, we continued our way
+till evening, when we were overtaken by a farmer driving a cart. He was
+lame and had never been on commando, but on the approach of the British
+columns had left his home to their mercy. He conducted us to the modest
+cottage of his brother-in-law, where we found a bed for ourselves and
+stabling for our horses. Before sunrise the next morning we were again
+on our way. Through the thick mist we saw several horsemen approach a
+house standing solitary in the veld. They dismounted and entered the
+dwelling. Anxious to know whether these were friends or foes, we rode
+thither. Making as little noise as possible, we managed to gain the spot
+unobserved, and found that they were Boers. They gave us each a cup of
+steaming coffee, black and bitter, but none the less acceptable,
+directed us on our way, and wished us good luck. Towards noon we reached
+a hamlet named Cornelia, where we introduced ourselves to the leading
+inhabitant, with whom we lunched. Here my horse refused to feed, showing
+strong symptoms of _papies_. There was no help for it, however; he had
+to carry me, sick or well. Some miles further we reached the house of an
+English farmer. He had the consideration to conceal his satisfaction at
+the approach of his countrymen and the kindness to doctor my horse for
+me. The poor animal was in such a pitiable state that it could hardly
+stand. After swallowing a dose of strychnine, however, it improved
+wonderfully, and we were enabled to continue, but naturally at a very
+slow pace. That evening we slept at a farmer's house near the Vaal
+River. Here we heard that there was a Boer commando lying near
+Greylingstad, and thither we directed our way. As we rode through the
+Vaal the next morning we felt a genuine thrill of joy at setting our
+feet once more upon our own soil. That afternoon Greylingstad came in
+sight, but what a bitter disappointment! Instead of finding our own
+commandoes here, we found the place occupied by a large British force.
+We reined in on the veld, gazed at the British camp, and then at each
+other. To our left lay Heidelberg, to our right Standerton, both held by
+the enemy, and in front of us stood the tents of a British column at
+least five thousand strong!
+
+Whilst we were still discussing the situation a Bushman mounted on a
+scraggy pony and seated on a sheepskin saddle came riding along. We
+hailed him and asked him where he was off to. He told us he belonged to
+a party of half a dozen Boers, who, hidden just over the hill, had sent
+him to see what we were. We ordered him to lead us thither. When we
+approached the spot it was to find the men all on their feet, rifles
+loaded and cocked, ready to lay us low should we prove to be Englishmen.
+We lost no time in dissipating their fears. They explained that they
+belonged to the commando which had been lying here, and which only the
+day before had retired on the approach of the enemy. They themselves,
+having been on a visit to their farms near by, had got left behind. I
+at once suspected that they meant to lay down their arms, but it would
+never have done to say so, so I contented myself with demanding their
+advice as to the best way of rejoining the aforesaid commando. They were
+not very anxious to rejoin it themselves, and consequently represented
+the matter as being extremely difficult. At length they showed us a farm
+near the British camp, and recommended our going thither, as the people
+there would be able to give us all possible help. We reached the farm
+just after sunset to the accompaniment of barking dogs and hissing
+geese. The door was opened by a feeble old man, who, with his equally
+aged wife, were apparently the only occupants of the place. As soon as
+it was evident that we were friends, however, two strapping sons made
+their appearance from a kopje behind the house, where the clatter of our
+horses' hoofs had caused them to take refuge. They informed us that they
+had followed the enemy's movements throughout the day, and that the line
+was so well guarded that our getting through was extremely unlikely. But
+we could sleep there that night, and the next morning we could see what
+was to be done.
+
+During the evening the old father recounted, with much humour, his
+experience of Theron's merry band. How they had come there in the
+middle of the night, knocked him up, stabled their horses in his yard,
+asked for bread, _brod_, _brood_; eggs, _eiers_, _ejers_, in all the
+dialects under the sun, how they had actually plucked the oranges from
+his trees, until he was forced to ask Theron to station a guard in the
+orchard! But the next morning they had paid for everything, and ridden
+away, singing and shouting.
+
+Nothing in the old gentleman's manner to show that the enemy were camped
+only four miles away, although he knew very well that they would visit
+him the next day, and probably deprive him sooner or later of all he
+possessed. Only down the face of his white-haired wife rolled silent
+tears as she gazed at the bearded faces of her stalwart sons and thought
+of the long farewell that they would bid her on the morrow!
+
+When we rose the next morning we lost no time in making for the high,
+boulder-strewn kopje behind the house. Here we found the farmer's sons,
+armed, their horses at hand, gazing through a large telescope at the
+British camp, which could be plainly distinguished with the naked eye.
+
+Presently a small party of scouts left the camp and came in our
+direction, riding slowly, and eyeing every little rise or depression in
+the ground with the utmost distrust. They reached a farmhouse lying
+between their camp and ourselves, and after a while we saw a cart leave
+the farm and drive towards the camp. Another Boer laying down his arms,
+beguiled by Buller's blarney! Then the scouts came nearer and nearer.
+When within a thousand yards or so they encountered a troop of mares
+grazing on the veld. Round and round these they rode, plainly intending
+to annex any that might suit them. My friends were strongly tempted to
+fire on these cattle thieves. Only the thought of their aged parents
+restrained them, for they well knew the result would be the burning down
+of their home.
+
+It was plain that the scouts were making for this farm. We hurried down
+to the house, saddled our horses--mine still suffering and hardly able
+to go at a trot, and went to say good-bye to our hosts.
+
+"Yes, my children," said the old lady, "it is better to go, for should
+the British find you here they would only treat us the worse for it. And
+we have sorrow enough, God knows. Come and see my son, my sick and
+suffering son, who perhaps will never rise from his bed again!"
+
+She conducted us into a bed-chamber, where, pallid and worn, his wife
+seated by his side, lay the wreck of a once splendid specimen of
+manhood, now, alas! in the last stage of some wasting disease--the
+result of privations endured on commando. All that we could do was to
+speak a few weak but well-meant words of comfort to the afflicted
+family, and then leave them to their fate.
+
+The sons promised to follow us later, as they wished to remain in the
+neighbourhood to see what became of their home. My friend and myself
+rode to another farm in the neighbourhood, undecided as yet whether to
+make the attempt to get through the enemy's lines or to turn back;
+crossing Roberts' lines of communication in the Free State was easy
+enough, but here we had Buller to deal with. Upon reaching this farm we
+found the occupants greatly excited. A Hottentot had just arrived from a
+farm already visited by the enemy, bearing Buller's proclamation,
+printed in Dutch and English, and promising protection, compensation,
+and I know not what all, to those who came in and surrendered. The
+entire household and several armed Boers from the vicinity gathered
+round the farmer. No one dared to read the proclamation aloud. It was
+handed from one to the other, shamefacedly, as if there were something
+vile in the very touch of the document.
+
+I anxiously watched the varying expression of their features, as
+interest struggled with patriotism. Wearied of strife and fearful of
+losing the result of years of hard work, the assembled men felt a strong
+inclination to accept the enemy's offer. But no one dared give utterance
+to his feelings. Eye met eye, and glanced away. It was easy to see what
+the result would be. It was plainly my duty to protest, but what could I
+do, a stranger, a mere youth? What could I say to these men, who had
+already given proof of their devotion on many a bloody field, and who
+only recoiled now when brought face to face with the supreme test--the
+sacrifice of their hearths and homes? I ventured to point out, however,
+that those who had already surrendered now bitterly regretted it, and
+added that the very nature of the case made it impossible for the
+British to carry out their promises. They listened in silence. My words
+may have had some slight effect; in any case, the Hottentot was sent
+back without a definite reply. It was useless to expect any aid from
+these men. Leaving them to decide their own fate, we started back for
+the Free State.
+
+
+
+
+ARRESTED AS SPIES
+
+
+A couple of hours' riding, then the farm of an old field-cornet, where
+we off-saddled and bought a few bundles of forage for our horses. The
+field-cornet entered into conversation with us whilst our animals were
+feeding, but omitted to ask us into the house, and kept eyeing us in a
+puzzled manner, as though we had dropped from Mars. I know not what my
+companion thought of it, or if he thought at all, but I myself put the
+old man's strange manner down to a sort of speechless admiration, and
+accepted it as such. But I was mistaken.
+
+When our friend shook hands with us he did so very limply, and as far as
+we went he could be seen gazing after us.
+
+"What ails him?" I asked my comrade.
+
+"Oh, he doesn't see men like ourselves every day," was the careless
+answer. How could I argue?
+
+We kept on our way, and towards sundown reached a farm on the bank of
+the Vaal, simultaneously with another young fellow coming from the
+direction of the railway line.
+
+It turned out that this farm belonged to his father. He himself had left
+home that morning with the intention of crossing the railway, but had
+found the line so well patrolled that he had given up the attempt. We
+stabled our horses and entered the small but comfortably furnished
+cottage, where we were presented to the other members of the family.
+After supper came the usual evening service. This was hardly over when
+we heard a loud knocking at the front door. The door was opened, and the
+strange-mannered old field-cornet entered.
+
+He greeted us solemnly and sat down. Next came a thundering rap at the
+back door, and another Boer entered, a tall, powerful fellow, who was
+foaming at the mouth with suppressed excitement, and bristling with
+cartridge belts.
+
+"My nephews," said the first-comer to us, "you must not take it amiss,
+but it is my duty to arrest you!"
+
+"What for, uncle?"
+
+"For being suspected of spying. You must either accompany me back to my
+farm, or let me take your horses there, so as to prevent your leaving
+here during the night."
+
+"All right, uncle, take the horses, but don't forget to feed them well.
+But perhaps it would spare you trouble if you read our papers."
+
+"It is easy to forge papers," said the old man. His companion now boiled
+over and broke in--
+
+"No, no! We've got you right enough! What else can you be but cursed
+spies, riding about the country like this?"
+
+"I don't wish to argue with you," I replied, angered by his brutal
+manner. "I'm as true a burgher as you are, to say the least, and I warn
+you that I shall hold you responsible for what you do or say."
+
+"Oh! oh! Responsible? We are our own Government now. And where are your
+arms? Spies!"
+
+"I see you have a gun, but perhaps that is only because you've had no
+chance to lay it down."
+
+"What! Yes, I've got a gun, and I'll prove it to you!" he shouted,
+pointing the weapon at me.
+
+"Just like a cowardly bully to threaten an unarmed man! But," I added
+gently, "you'll feel differently to-morrow."
+
+"Will I? Why?" he asked, curiosity getting the better of his rage.
+
+"You'll be sober then." This only incensed him the more, but he saw that
+he had gone too far, and contented himself with uttering a few
+half-intelligible threats. We then went out to the stable, gave them our
+horses, and went to bed.
+
+I woke just as dawn was breaking. Before the door stood the son of the
+house, his gun in his hand.
+
+"Hello, you are up early," I said. He looked rather confused.
+
+"To tell the truth, I have been guarding you all night. But all the
+same, I don't believe that you are spies. Come and have some coffee."
+
+We had just finished our coffee when we heard horses' hoofs coming along
+the road, and presently one of our friends from the farm near
+Greylingstad entered the room.
+
+"I've brought your horses," he said, smiling merrily. "I passed the old
+field-cornet's this morning and told him I could certify that you are no
+spies."
+
+Whilst we were saddling up the field-cornet and his companion of the
+night before arrived. The latter was now sober. They were profuse in
+apologies.
+
+"You were angry last night because we had no rifles; you had more reason
+to be glad," I remarked to the field-cornet's assistant.
+
+"Why?"
+
+"Because if I had been armed I might have been imprudent enough to blow
+your brains out when you pointed your gun at me. And how awful that
+would have been!"
+
+"Man," he said, "it's the cursed drink."
+
+"Well," said I, "it's all over now. Good-bye!" Off we went--my comrade,
+myself, and the man who had brought our horses, Delange. The latter had
+an _achter ryder_ and two spare horses. Towards noon we reached the farm
+of one of Delange's friends. My mount was now thoroughly done up, having
+eaten almost nothing for three days. I asked the farmer if he had a
+horse for sale.
+
+"There are several in the stable," he replied, "but they belong to my
+son, and he is on commando; so I am sorry, but I can't sell you one."
+
+"I tell you what we'll do," said Delange. "I'll give you one of mine for
+yours, which can then remain here till it gets well. Should you come
+round here again one day we can then change back again."
+
+"But suppose the animal dies?"
+
+"Oh, I'll risk that. What is one horse more or less?"
+
+I gratefully accepted this generous offer, and soon had my new
+acquisition saddled. It was a lively little nag, and all my weariness
+passed away as I felt it bound between my knees. Delange remained here,
+and my comrade and I continued our journey alone, making for Vrede.
+
+"There's a Jew a few miles from here," said the farmer as he bade us
+good luck, "whom we suspect of treason. You should try and trap him and
+take him with you to Vrede."
+
+Towards dusk we reached the Jew's store. We rode up to the building and
+he came to the door, an intelligent-looking man.
+
+"Good evening," I said in English, "are there any Boers about?" We were
+both dressed after the English style.
+
+When the man's wife heard English spoken she also came to the door and
+stood by her husband's side.
+
+"Well, can't you answer?" The fellow's face was a study. He and his wife
+looked at each other, evidently feeling that some danger was threatening
+them.
+
+"Sir," he said at last, speaking with an effort, "I have seen no Boers."
+
+"Is this the road to Vrede?"
+
+"Yes," he faltered.
+
+"Thanks. Good-night," and we rode away. It might be easy to shoot a
+traitor in cold blood, but to try and trap a man into uttering his own
+condemnation seemed too cruel.
+
+The next place we came to was a miserable-looking hovel standing by the
+wayside. The door was opened by an old man.
+
+"Good evening, uncle. Can you sell us a few bundles of forage?"
+
+"Good evening. Yes, certainly. Come inside. It's a poor dwelling, but
+you are welcome. Johnny, take the horses and put them in the stable.
+Won't you join us at supper?"
+
+Our appetites needed no stimulating, and we at once joined the family,
+who had just been sitting down to table when we arrived. After the meal
+our horses were saddled and brought to the door.
+
+"What do we owe you for the forage?" we asked. It would be an insult
+under any circumstance to offer to pay a Boer for a meal, "paying
+guests" being still unknown to our benighted nation.
+
+"No, my friends," he said. "I am poor, but I can't take your money. We
+are all working for our country, and must help each other."
+
+"That's true, but you must really allow us to pay."
+
+"No, no! A few shillings will make me no richer or poorer." It was only
+with the greatest difficulty that we managed to leave a few shillings on
+the table. And this in spite of the fact that he was in the direst
+poverty. But this is nothing unusual in South Africa, where hospitality
+is considered a duty and a pleasure.
+
+We pushed on until late that night, when we reached Vrede. Here we
+learnt that the column which Lord Roberts had sent back from
+Johannesburg had just entered Reitz. The next day we turned our horses'
+heads towards Bethlehem, seeing a fair amount of game during the day's
+ride. Darkness found us still travelling onward. A few miles to our
+right a crimson glare lit up the heavens--a grass fire started by the
+British column, and an unmistakable danger-signal for us.
+
+We were now very close to the enemy, and might expect to meet a patrol
+at any moment. Whilst riding along in the dense gloom we heard loud
+voices a few hundred yards ahead of us. Turning out of the road, we rode
+on the grass so as to make no noise, and carefully approached. Upon
+getting nearer we found it was some natives driving cattle into a kraal.
+Near by was a farmhouse, and thither we went. Only the womenfolk were at
+home. We quickly reassured them--for every stranger was taken for an
+Englishman--and were asked to stay for the night. Presently the farmer
+himself arrived--he had been out watching the enemy.
+
+"They will pass here to-morrow," he said, "then I shall go on that hill
+yonder and knock over a few of them. I had a fine chance to shoot
+to-day, but did not want to put them on their guard."
+
+"But don't you think it would be better to join a commando and help in
+making an organised resistance? You may kill a few of the enemy by
+hanging about in twos and threes, but what difference will that make in
+the end?"
+
+"You mean us to act like the dervishes at Omdurman? I'm afraid you don't
+understand the affair, my son. We do belong to a commando, as a matter
+of fact, but we are scouts entrusted with the duty of keeping in
+constant touch with the enemy. If in the execution of this duty we see
+an opportunity to shoot a few of the enemy, are we to hold our hand
+because we happen to be only two or three?"
+
+"I should think not. But the enemy call it sniping, and I have heard
+them say that snipers get no quarter. And if you fire on a column near
+here they will come and burn this house down."
+
+"It is not for me," he replied, "to consider my own interests. I have my
+orders and must carry them out. What! Are we, who have lost sons,
+brothers, friends--are we, I say, to think of our property now? No! Let
+everything go, strip us to the bone, but leave us our liberty! It is not
+for ourselves that we battle and suffer, but for posterity. It is for
+the birthright of our children--freedom. We are no servile Hindoos to
+meekly bow beneath the foreign yoke! They have put their hands to the
+plough, but they will find it stubborn land, land that they will grow
+weary of manuring with the bodies of their sons! And all for what? To
+raise a crop of thistles and thorns, for that is all they'll ever get
+out of us!"
+
+"And it strikes me the end of the furrow is still out of sight."
+
+"My boy," he said earnestly, "_this furrow has no end!_"
+
+
+
+
+IN THE MOUNTAINS
+
+
+"I wish you a pleasant journey," said our host the next morning, as we
+prepared to mount. "Have you money enough? Yes? Well, in any case, take
+this biltong along in your saddle-bags; it's my own make, you'll find it
+good. Keep a good look-out. Good-bye!"
+
+After thanking him warmly for his kindness, we rode off. Halting but
+once to feed and water our horses, we reached a farm near Bethlehem
+towards evening, where we spent the night. We were awakened by the sound
+of a heavy bombardment in the direction of Bethlehem, which informed us
+that the British were attacking the town. With an optimism that now
+seems marvellous, we never for a moment doubted that the enemy would be
+driven back, and that we would at last be able to take a little repose,
+for twelve hours daily in the saddle was beginning to tell on us. Quite
+cheerfully we rode down to the village, listening to the music of the
+bursting shells and the lively rattle of the small-arms. Suddenly a
+cloud of Boers issued from a kopje to our right, and slowly retreated
+across our front. We rode up to them and learnt that they had just
+received orders to retire, as the place could no longer be defended. It
+appeared that the British general had informed De Wet that if he did not
+surrender the town it would be bombarded. Most of the property belonged
+to British subjects, so De Wet ordered all loyal inhabitants to leave
+the town, and then told the general to bombard as much as he liked,
+which the latter forthwith proceeded to do. De Wet had placed a couple
+of guns on the mountain overlooking the town, and this, together with
+Theron's hundred and fifty men--the only commando seriously engaged that
+day--sufficed to keep the British back for three hours. De Wet's own men
+were kept in reserve to meet the usual outflanking movement. The latter
+did not take place, however, the enemy coming straight on. Finally
+something went wrong with one of our two guns, and Theron being hard
+pressed, with the reserve too far away to render immediate help, the
+order was given to retire. The artillerists profited by the occasion to
+tumble the damaged gun down a precipice, saying that they had had enough
+of repairing it. Here it was found by the enemy the next day. A rush was
+made for the mountain passes, as it was feared the enemy might occupy
+them and cut off our retreat, but this was not even attempted, and we
+were allowed to gain our rocky fastnesses in peace. The following day
+was spent in climbing up and down the steep footpaths over the
+mountains, and that afternoon we arrived at the end of our journey,
+Fouriesburg, having spent something like a hundred hours on horseback
+during the last ten days. Our first move was towards the river, for we
+had not had a bath for several days. After repeated splashes in the
+chilly torrent we bought a few clean things, put them on, and then
+gravitated towards the telegraph office. Needless to say, our colleagues
+were surprised to see us, being under the impression that we had long
+since reached the Transvaal. Whilst still busy giving explanations we
+heard someone on the instrument calling Winburg. Now Winburg was in
+British hands; it could be no other than a British station calling.
+Wishing to gain a little information, we responded.
+
+"Here, Winburg."
+
+"Here, Bethlehem. Are you Winburg?"
+
+"Yes."
+
+"Then give the name of the officer commanding."
+
+There was no time for hesitation, and in our haste we gave the wrong
+name.
+
+"Go away," came the answer; "you're a way out. Trying to fool us, are
+you?"
+
+After a while we called him up again.
+
+"Bethlehem! Bethlehem!"
+
+"Here, Lieutenant Sherrard, R.E. What's up?"
+
+"Here, Winburg. What's the news?"
+
+"That you are a lot of fools for keeping on fighting and murdering your
+men!" came the sharp reply.
+
+"Oh, kindly allow us to know our own business best. You'll find some
+method in our folly."
+
+"Maybe. How did you like the little bits o' lyddite yesterday?"
+
+"I believe it slightly killed one mule. How did you like the hell fire
+from the Nordenfeldt?"
+
+"Never saw it. But honestly, why don't you come in and surrender?"
+
+"But honestly, what is your real opinion of those who desert their
+country in her hour of need?" He preferred not to say, but disconnected
+the wire, and we heard no more of our friend the Royal Engineer.
+
+"Pity they were too sharp for us this time," I said to the Postmaster.
+
+"Oh, it doesn't matter," he replied, "we caught up their report of the
+engagement just after they entered the town. It seems they had a pretty
+severe loss. Ours was slight, but one lyddite shell burst over a group
+of horses and killed twenty."
+
+"And what is the situation now?"
+
+"Well, all our forces are here in the mountains now, and we can hold out
+for years. There are only two passes; they are strongly held, and the
+enemy will never get through them. We tried to get our prisoners to take
+parole, but they refused, so we have driven them over the Drakensberg
+into Natal. Last, but not least, the traitor Vilonel is here, waiting
+for his appeal to be heard."
+
+This Vilonel, a young man of prepossessing appearance, had been one of
+the most promising officers, and had early been promoted to commandant.
+Whether through overweening ambition on his part or not I cannot say,
+but Vilonel, accused of insubordination, was thenceforth given the
+distasteful and inglorious task of commandeering. He wearied of this,
+and applied for active service, but in vain. Then, smarting under a
+sense of injustice, he took the fatal step--deserted. Not content with
+this, he wrote a letter out of the British camp to one of our
+field-cornets, urging upon the latter to surrender. The letter fell into
+the hands of one of our Intelligence officers, who forthwith replied in
+the field-cornet's name, asking Vilonel to meet him at a certain
+secluded spot. Vilonel kept the appointment, accompanied by a British
+major, and both were made prisoners, the major protesting energetically
+against what he was pleased to consider as a breach of the rules of
+warfare, but his captors begged to differ, reminding him that all's fair
+in love and war, especially in dealing with traitors and their
+associates.
+
+Vilonel was tried at Reitz, and sentenced to five years, the judge
+remarking that he was lucky to get off with his life. The prisoner did
+not think so, and applied for leave to appeal. This was granted, but
+owing to the nature of the subsequent military operations the Court had
+not found time to sit, hardly time to pause, in fact.
+
+When the day finally arrived for the appeal to be heard the little
+court-room was crowded with interested spectators. Judge Hertzog
+presided, assisted by two young advocates, Messrs. Hugo and Cronjé, and
+Advocate De Villiers represented the State. The prisoner, who conducted
+his own defence, asked for a postponement. This was refused. He then
+made an able statement, asserting his innocence of any evil intentions,
+pleading that he had acted as his conscience dictated, and eloquently
+praying the Court to reconsider his sentence. It was a painful moment
+when the presiding judge, after a whispered consultation with the
+assessors, turned to the prisoner and confirmed the sentence, adding,
+in his clear, incisive voice, that the name of Vilonel would remain an
+eternal stigma upon the fame of the Afrikander race. One could not help
+feeling a thrill of compassion at the tragic end of such a promising
+career. To-day a noble patriot, to-morrow a black traitor, despised by
+the lowest of his countrymen!
+
+President Steyn's wife and family were installed in a house in this
+village, but the President himself preferred to camp in the veld and
+share the lot of his burghers.
+
+With him were nearly all the members of the Government, if we except
+those who had chosen to remain behind in Bethlehem, and who, from what
+their delighted friends heard, had been compelled by the British to foot
+it all the way to Reitz. We went out to the camp, and reported
+ourselves. It was now bitterly cold, the snow-topped Drakensberg keeping
+the temperature at an uncomfortable proximity to zero. But the men were
+nearly all well provided with warm khaki uniforms reaped at Roodewal,
+the mountains were full of cattle and corn, and we felt that we could
+easily hold these almost inaccessible heights against the British cordon
+formed outside.
+
+But it was fated otherwise. A despatch rider arrived from the
+Transvaal; the situation there urgently demanded the encouragement of
+Steyn's presence. To leave this impregnable stronghold and venture
+across the open plains below needed all the boldness of De Wet, all the
+steadfast courage of Steyn. These leaders had never been known to
+falter; they did not falter now. Everything was arranged in the utmost
+secrecy. For a few days there was a hurrying to and fro of commandoes,
+and then one morning De Wet's laager was seen to have disappeared.
+
+Prinsloo was left behind over four thousand men, with orders to stand
+his own.
+
+
+
+
+THROUGH THE CORDON
+
+
+IT was no easy matter to pass through the British forces that lay massed
+around the mountain-chain. We were two thousand horsemen, and our
+vehicles, carts, ox-and mule-waggons formed a procession fully six miles
+long. When we trekked out of the nek strict orders were given that there
+was to be no loud talking and no matches struck. This latter was
+especially hard on such a crowd of inveterate smokers. I remember whilst
+we were riding mutely along, listening to the creaking and jolting of
+the waggons, and wondering whether we were going to get through, or what
+the alternative would be if we did not, we suddenly saw someone
+deliberately strike a match and light his pipe.
+
+"Who struck that match?" came from the front. Then the delinquent
+himself spoke up--
+
+"It's this confounded Kafir of mine. Was it you, Jantje?"
+
+"Yes, baas," responded the dutiful black, bobbing up and down on his
+master's spare horse.
+
+"Give him twenty with the sjambok."
+
+"Right!" Jantje and his master turned out of the road, and soon the
+unmistakable thwack! thwack! of the sjambok could be heard, mingled with
+subdued ejaculations in Kafir and Dutch. But judging by the expression
+on Jantje's features by the camp fire that night, as he blew long
+fragrant clouds into the gaping nostrils of his envious friends, I have
+my doubts about that thrashing.
+
+We halted frequently to allow the straggling ox-waggons to close up.
+Then we would dismount, stamp our chilly feet, draw our overcoats or
+blankets closer, and discuss trivialities. During one of these halts a
+horseman came dashing up from the rear--
+
+"General, there's a doctor behind who has just come through the enemy's
+lines. He asks you to wait for him."
+
+"Tell him to hurry!"
+
+We sat down and waited. In about half an hour's time another horseman
+came hurrying along. Here at last! No. Only another messenger. Another
+long wait, and finally the doctor arrived. He squatted down next to De
+Wet, and in a low voice related how he had been unjustly captured by the
+British some weeks ago, how they had sent him to Johannesburg and kept
+him in prison until now, only liberating him after repeated requests
+for a hearing. His tale was listened to in silence and with deep
+attention. When it was told the order was given to mount, and on we
+trekked again past the sleeping British camp. Presently the moon rose,
+and by its light we passed a lonely farmhouse. Beware its slumbering
+inmates when the British come along to-morrow, for are not they
+responsible for the telegraph line which runs across the farm, and which
+we have cut in half a dozen places! No doubt the house will be burnt,
+and all the stock confiscated. But never mind, the owner has surrendered
+and is living under British protection--protection whereof he is going
+to get a taste now, so why should we pity him? On we go until long past
+midnight, when we halt in a secluded little valley. Our horses greedily
+swallow the icy water, and then eagerly crop the tasteless dry grass,
+for our waggons are too far behind, we can give them no mealies
+to-night.
+
+The next morning a cloud of dust in our rear showed that we were being
+pursued. Whilst we were hastily inspanning and upsaddling, Theron came
+in from the right, bringing with him a captured Hussar. One old Boer,
+who had his little boy with him, brought the youngster up to the soldier
+and said--
+
+"Now, sonny, you've never seen an Englishman. Here is one. Look at him
+well; you must shoot lots of them yet."
+
+"Go away," said one of the Boers, "what do you mean by staring at the
+man like that? Don't you know any better than to insult a helpless
+prisoner?"
+
+"I'm sorry," said the old man, turning away, "I don't want to hurt his
+feelings; I only wanted to show my son the game he must track one day."
+
+The little boy cried when they led him away, saying--
+
+"I 'ants my 'ickle khaki, I 'ants my tame Englishman!"
+
+"Don't cry," said the old man, "father will catch you some to-morrow."
+
+The little fellow's eyes brightened with anticipation, and his tears
+gave way to smiles. Sure enough his father came into camp a few days
+later driving before him two diminutive steeds bending beneath the
+weight of two corpulent khakis. He called his son and said--
+
+"Now, sonny, here are the soldiers I promised you."
+
+The little fellow looked them over carefully. Then his lower lip began
+to pout, and tears rolled down his cheeks.
+
+"What's the matter, my son," asked the astonished father, "doesn't he
+like his khakis?"
+
+"No, daddy," replied the little chap, striving with his tears.
+
+"Why not, my lad?"
+
+Then the child's restraint gave way, and he burst out--
+
+"Oh, daddy, they're not--_sob_--real--_sob_--soldiers at all!"
+
+They were two of the C.I.V.
+
+But to return. As soon as the waggons were ready they were sent on along
+the winding valley, whilst the horsemen and artillery took up a position
+on a neighbouring hill and awaited the British attack. This took the
+form of continuous shelling until sundown. As soon as darkness fell the
+horsemen took a short cut and rejoined the waggons, which in the
+meantime had gained a considerable start. President Steyn and his
+secretary accompanied De Wet during the day and had a taste of the
+enemy's shell-fire. When we asked the secretary that evening how he had
+liked the ordeal he said he could hardly describe his feelings whilst it
+lasted, but when the shelling ceased it was the heavenliest sensation of
+his life. So if you want a heavenly sensation you know now how to get
+it.
+
+We had an ambulance staff with us, but were sometimes obliged to leave
+our wounded behind, because we knew very well the enemy would be only
+too glad to get hold of our doctors and deprive us of all medical help.
+
+On crossing the railway near Honingspruit we captured a train. From the
+newspapers taken out of the mail-bags we learnt that we were being
+closely pressed, and that hopes were entertained of our speedy capture.
+We did not grudge the papers the pleasures of hope; what we objected to
+was their crocodile tears over us poor misguided, ignorant burghers, who
+were too stupid to see the beauty of becoming exultant British subjects,
+like the Irish. We also learnt that Steyn was ill, that he was hiding on
+a farm near Heilbron, that he was a prisoner in De Wet's camp, that his
+mind had given way, that he wouldn't let De Wet surrender, that De Wet
+wouldn't let the burghers surrender, that the burghers wouldn't let
+Steyn surrender, _ad fin. ad nauseam_.
+
+As we had a distinct object in view, _i.e._ to bring Steyn to Kruger, we
+generally preferred to avoid unnecessary engagements. But we could show
+our teeth when we liked. We were laagered near Vredefort one day when
+the pursuers made a sudden dash forward, coming within a mile or so
+before they were observed. On this occasion there was no hasty flight.
+The cattle continued peacefully grazing around the waggons, whilst the
+horsemen went to meet the enemy. There was a brief exchange of shells,
+and then our men charged with such good effect that the British were
+forced to retire. They followed us at a more respectful distance after
+that.
+
+De Wet kept his plans so secret that very few knew for certain whither
+we were bound. The President called me into his tent one morning and
+asked me a few questions about the roads near Balmoral, where the
+Transvaal Government was at that time. I happened to have a map with me,
+and so was able to supply the desired information. He then told me to
+take a couple of heliographists and try to get into communication with
+one of the Transvaal commandoes near Potchefstroom.
+
+We climbed one of the numerous hills lying around and called up towards
+Potchefstroom, but got no reply. As we sat chatting, keeping our eyes
+fixed on the dark ridges in the distance, one of my companions
+remarked--
+
+"This reminds me of a fine trick I played on the English a few months
+ago. We were trekking along quietly one day when I observed a heliograph
+glitter on a hill about ten miles away. I at once fixed my instrument,
+and soon learnt that it was a British helio post. I sent him a heliogram
+saying that we were a small party of British in danger of capture, and
+asking that an escort should be sent to bring us in. The next day the
+escort walked into our arms! We took the rifles and let the prisoners
+go--about a hundred men. The next day the British heliographist called
+me up again and reproached me for telling him such a deliberate lie!"
+
+"And what did you reply?"
+
+"Oh, I said, 'g.t.l.'; you know what that means!"
+
+Espying a pretty little cottage in the valley below, I rode thither to
+try and buy a loaf of bread, leaving the others to continue calling. On
+the way down I noticed a telegraph wire running in the direction of
+Potchefstroom. In the farmhouse were only two young girls, the elder a
+charming golden-haired fairy with tender eyes of cornflower blue. And
+her smile!--it was enough to make one say all kinds of silly things just
+for the pleasure of seeing her ripe lips part, revealing her wholesome,
+even little teeth! No wonder I delayed my departure! I left at last,
+however--not without the loaf of bread--and made for the camp. I had not
+gone far before I met one of the burghers, who told me Steyn and De Wet
+had gone up to the helio post a little while before. What would they say
+when they found me absent from my post! I approached the camp in
+anything but an enviable mood, and was just off-saddling when the two
+leaders returned. Like a flash the thought came to me of the telegraph
+line I had seen.
+
+"President," I said eagerly, before he could speak, "there's a telegraph
+line near here. Shan't I go and try to tap it?"
+
+He looked at me very seriously for a moment, and then replied, a smile
+breaking through the frown, "Yes, go on, you should have been there
+already." Saved again! I went, but needless to say, if I heard any
+secrets that evening it was not through the medium of a telegraph wire!
+
+
+
+
+SKIRMISHES
+
+
+A band of about thirty Transvaalers, mostly from Potchefstroom, who had
+been attached to De Wet for some time, now decided to go on ahead and
+join Liebenberg's commando, near their native town. As De Wet had no
+intention of moving forward just yet, I joined my brother Transvaalers.
+Bidding adieu to our Free State comrades, we crossed the Vaal. Just
+beyond the river we were joined by two or three others, who had with
+them as prisoner a British sergeant. This fellow had been in charge of a
+band of native police, whose insolence had terrorised the women and
+children for miles around, until a body of Boers came along and routed
+them out of the district, capturing their leader. What became of the
+blacks I do not know, but it must be remembered that the Transvaal
+natives are Boer subjects, and liable to be shot if caught aiding the
+British. The feeling against the sergeant was very bitter.
+
+"Oh, you're the Kafir chief, are you?" said one of our men to him.
+
+"Ho, yuss, h' I'm the Kefir ginnyril," responded the flattered cockney,
+with an irritating grin.
+
+"I'd like to Kafir general you through the head," said the disgusted
+Boer promptly. The sickly grin faded, and the threat was not carried
+out.
+
+Towards afternoon a heavy rain began to fall. There was no shelter for
+us, and we pushed along, wet and cold. Then night came, and the road,
+now transformed into a rushing torrent, was only shown us by the lurid
+lightning flashes that continually rent the heavens. And we had a sick
+man on the trolley, for whom this exposure was a serious matter. But
+finally we reached a farmhouse, occupied by an old woman. Her eyes
+filled with tears when she saw us, and she thanked the Lord that He had
+spared her to behold once more the defenders of her country. Near by was
+an empty building. We outspanned and off-saddled, turning our animals
+loose, as we knew they would not stray far in such a blinding storm. The
+sick man was hastily carried in and laid upon some dry blankets.
+
+Then we made half a dozen roaring fires with some mealie cobs that we
+found lying in the house, stripped ourselves, and held our boots and
+clothing over the fire till they were fairly dry. By this time the water
+boiled; we drank some coffee, then made up beds on the floor and slept
+till morning. It was a bit of a struggle to get into our damp things
+when we awoke, but as we rode along our clothes dried and our spirits
+rose. Then Potchefstroom came in sight, but, alas! it was held by the
+enemy.
+
+"What would my poor mother say," said one young fellow, "if she knew I
+was so near!"
+
+"Oh, my wife and children!" sighed another.
+
+"Cheer up, boys!" interrupted the commandant. "Our country first, you
+know."
+
+That afternoon we joined a small commando lying near the railway between
+Potchefstroom and Frederikstad. It numbered barely a hundred men, but
+they had with them a bomb-Maxim and a Krupp. At midnight we got orders
+to march for the hills near Frederikstad, where we arrived at dawn. Here
+we were reinforced by a score of burghers, and we continued our way,
+keeping in a parallel with the railway, but behind some intervening
+hills. Presently a scout came in and reported the enemy in sight.
+
+"Forward!" ordered the commandant, and forward we raced along through
+the veld, keeping a look-out for holes. One youngster's horse went
+down, the rider turning a beautiful somersault. Shouts of laughter
+greeted his exploit, but he quickly remounted, and was one of the first
+to reach the hill for which we were making, and which dominated the
+railway. Keeping the Nordenfeldt in reserve, we opened fire with Krupp
+and small-arms on the advance guard of the enemy.
+
+We did not know at the time that we were tackling Lord Methuen and five
+thousand men, but such was the case. Of course we made a very poor show;
+what can you expect? But anyhow, we engaged them for about two hours.
+Then their cavalry came on with a rush, and we were compelled to give
+way. It was only with the greatest difficulty that we saved the guns,
+and we only succeeded in doing so, I presume, because the enemy were not
+aware of our real numbers. Our waggons fled to one side of the line
+whilst we remained on the other, with absolutely nothing to eat. By
+buying a few eggs and other small produce from the natives we managed to
+subsist until the third day, when we crossed the railway, marched all
+night, and rejoined our waggons at dawn. To slaughter sheep and cook
+porridge did not take long; hearty is the only word to describe the meal
+we made. Then we moved round and joined Liebenberg, who, with six
+hundred men, had just retaken Klerksdorp without firing a shot. But
+then, the place was garrisoned by only forty English, and resistance
+would have been of no avail.
+
+We hung about the neighbourhood of Potchefstroom for about two weeks,
+anxiously waiting for the word to be given to attack the town, but
+Liebenberg confined his tactics to making an appearance in sight of the
+town and retreating as soon as the enemy came out to give battle. This
+kept the enemy on the _qui vive_, it is true, but it also tired out our
+horses, and we soon grew weary of it. We had several lively little
+skirmishes, however. One day about forty of us were detached to go and
+bombard a British gun which stood on the other side of the town, whilst
+the rest of our commando approached the town on this side. We were
+sitting down quite comfortably under a tree below our gun, eating bread
+and dripping, listening to the duel and smiling at the high aim of the
+British gunners, when the look-out shouted--"Here's the enemy behind
+us!"
+
+The gun was rapidly limbered up and we rode to the top of the hill.
+Across the valley about a hundred horsemen were stealthily stealing up
+Vaal Kop, evidently with the intention of taking us in the rear. We
+halted and gave them a couple of shells, to which they very promptly
+replied.
+
+"Commandant," said one of my comrades, "let's charge them. They're not
+too many for us."
+
+"No," was the reply; "it's best to be prudent."
+
+"Well, I'm going to have a smack at them, anyway! Coming along?" he
+shouted to me, and without waiting for a reply, started down the valley.
+I followed him, and we cut across over the loose stones at a breakneck
+pace, not making straight for the enemy, but for a rocky ridge whence
+our fire could reach them. As we climbed the ridge we were joined by two
+others. When we got to the top we saw about forty horsemen in the valley
+beyond.
+
+"Fifteen hundred yards!" shouted Frank, and we let them have it. Round
+and round they turned in a confused circle, like a flock of worried
+sheep. Then they rode away to the right, straight into a morass, back
+again, and finally retreated in amongst the bushes on the slope of the
+hill, whence they favoured us with a few well-aimed shots in reply. The
+whole thing had lasted barely five minutes, but we had each emptied
+about fifty cartridges, so we felt quite happy. As we left the shelter
+of the hill and rode back across the valley, their companions on top of
+the hill turned a Maxim on us, but the bullets all went high, singing
+overhead like a flight of canaries. Going up on the other side, I took a
+piece of bread out of my pocket, and was just trying to persuade myself
+to offer our two companions some, when crack! crack! came a couple of
+Nordenfeldt shells right behind us. It didn't take us long to get over
+the hill, the vicious little one-pounders crackling and fizzling round
+us all the while.
+
+On the other side a comical sight met our eyes. The whole veld was full
+of scattered Boers retiring in all directions, with a shell bursting in
+between them every now and then, luckily without any effect. A few
+hundred yards away stood the cart of our clergyman, who was frantically
+trying to unharness his mules and inspan horses in their place. He was
+so nervous that his fingers refused to undo the straps, so we dismounted
+and effected the exchange for him. As soon as the last strap was buckled
+he lashed up and drove away, too excited even to say thank you.
+
+We were so accustomed to retreating by this time that it seemed
+extraordinary to see a man lose his head so easily. The British shells
+pursued us till we were out of sight, but the only casualty was when a
+shell passed so close to Van der Merwe, the mining commissioner of
+Johannesburg, that the concussion knocked him off his horse.
+
+That evening Jonas came into camp. Jonas is quite a character in his
+way. When the British entered Potchefstroom he, with four followers,
+took up a position on a kopje about six miles out of town, and a
+thousand yards from the Johannesburg road. Whenever a convoy or a body
+of British came along Jonas and his merry band would open a furious
+fusillade, causing the unhappy enemy no end of inconvenience. It is a
+fact that he carried on this game for months, unhindered.
+
+After his day's work Jonas would lay aside rifle and bandolier, don his
+overcoat, and stroll into town to see his family.
+
+He was challenged by a sentry on one occasion, but Jonas reproved him so
+severely and bluffed him so completely, that the poor fellow broke into
+an abject apology, whereupon Jonas very condescendingly promised to say
+no more about the matter.
+
+
+
+
+WE ENTER POTCHEFSTROOM
+
+
+"On Sunday we shall hold service in Potchefstroom," announced the
+commandant. Ah! Something definite at last! The men's hearts grow light
+as they polish their rifles, for are not they going to behold their dear
+ones soon? No one thinks of doubting the commandant's word; he is our
+leader, what he says must be true. How we shall get in none know, but
+get in we shall, all are sure of that. One morning my two comrades are
+sent to spy the town. My horse's unshod hoofs are tender as my lady's
+hands; I have searched the plains for a dead horse wearing shoes. Of all
+the carcasses I find the hoofs are gone, cut off by sharper comrades. I
+must remain behind. At night the order is given, "March!" Cheerfully the
+column trots out of camp; we who have no horses follow it with wistful
+eyes. There are girls in the town too, ah! such girls! Complexions a
+dream of purity, mystic, melting eyes, and hair a silken web to weave
+sweet fancies through.
+
+At midnight my two friends return. What, the others gone already? And
+you still here! No, mount, saddle, hurry, sick or well, go we must, and
+come must you! And perhaps, after all, if we ride steadily, who knows?
+If my horse fails, why, we will loot another on the road.
+
+We do not take the _spoor_, we slip across the veld; my mount treads
+gingerly, but what odds? After to-day he shall rest for a week!
+
+We near the town. Everything is deathly quiet. Where is our commando?
+Cautiously we enter the streets, riding far apart, rifles ready. Halt!
+here comes a horseman. Don't fire, he is unarmed. Why, 'tis but a boy!
+Where's the enemy? Where's the foe, quick? What! Deserted the town? We
+look around and see a long string of Boers come speeding along about a
+mile behind. Hurrah, we are first in! We race into the market square,
+crowds of people, and halt at the Government Buildings. Up with the
+_Vierkleur!_ Ah, the proud exultation of seeing our own flag once more
+float over the ancient capital! Women press around, young and old,
+beautiful alike in pure emotion of patriotic joy, eager to greet their
+war-worn men.
+
+My sons, do they live? God be praised, they are here. The father fell at
+Belmont, but He has spared the sons!
+
+And mine, I say, and mine; three they are, boys yet--what, no more? All
+I have--all I had gone for ever! Oh, Lord, uphold us! Welcome home, my
+boy. Your brother, is he well? Speak! Ah me! I loved him best; it is my
+punishment At last! my love, my husband! Happy day! Hush ... a hymn
+peals forth and wafts our thoughts to One above, a harmony of mingled
+joy and sadness. The last solemn notes die away, and we separate--joyous
+couples to make mirth together, sad widows to weep alone.
+
+How strange to sit at a table once more, to hear again the melody of
+girlish voices! "Sweet are looks that ladies bend on whom their favours
+fall." Let us bask in the warmth of your smiles to-night; to-morrow the
+cheerless veld again!
+
+Tales to boil the blood are told, barbarous brutality. Our commandant's
+daughter dragged before the provost-marshal. The gun found buried in
+your yard; your father's work? No, my own. You lie! Out you go--property
+confiscated, furniture sold; go seek the commandoes and ask them for
+shelter!
+
+A widow, husband killed. Clear out, furniture confiscated! Why? Your
+sons are fighting; you are a rebel! I'll teach you to remember Major
+C------.
+
+But in a skirmish Major C------ is killed; joy of the widowed and
+fatherless. Homage to our noble women, patient under persecution,
+steadfast in adversity, cheerfully sending forth their nearest and
+dearest to battle to the end!
+
+On the morrow a sharp alarm note is sounded. An officer gallops from
+house to house. Quick! saddle and ride; meet at Frederikstad! Myself and
+a comrade are quickly speeding thither, our brief Valhalla over. On the
+road we overtake and pass parties of twos and threes, all on the same
+errand. At last we approach the rendezvous. Up the hill rides a dense
+body of cavalry; down near the station horsemen dash in and out, to and
+fro, like busy ants. On the hill a few footmen leisurely stroll about,
+rifle in hand. What means all this commotion? We pass a Kafir hut.
+
+"Are those Boers or English, outa?"
+
+"Boers, baas."
+
+"Sure?"
+
+"Yes, baas, it's our own people."
+
+"Yes, look, that's the commandant ahead on his roan. Come along!" We
+near the horsemen. The last man dismounts as we approach; his companions
+are disappearing over the rise; he shifts his saddle forward, staring at
+us intently. A tall, well-built fellow, red hair, chin scrubby,
+dust-covered features. A bayonet at his side--by heavens! an Englishman!
+
+"Frank, it's a khaki," I whisper, "keep straight on."
+
+The soldier looks me in the face as we slowly pass him. I feel my
+cheeks burn and turn my head away. His gun stands in the bucket; we can
+shoot him, but then, the others? We wear top-boots and riding-breeches,
+hats pinned up at the side; he is in doubt--perhaps we are scouts just
+come in. He mounts his horse and rides after his comrades.
+
+Now turn and away, over boulders and bushes for dear life! Suddenly a
+dozen scouts file down the hill, two hundred yards off. I wave my hat
+and beckon them to follow. They halt, perplexed. Then a few bullets
+whistle by, and we see the scouts come dashing after us. But the bushes
+are high and the boulders loose; we are down the hill now, over the
+flats and away! Down to the river--the bridge is destroyed! Never mind,
+through we go, and then turn round to smile at our pursuers.
+
+
+
+
+DE WET ONCE MORE
+
+
+The reason for all this hurry-scurry became plain when we learnt that De
+Wet, tired of playing at hide-and-seek with the enemy on the other side
+of the Vaal, had crossed over and passed by Potchefstroom the night
+before. It was into the pursuing force that we had ridden.
+
+Reaching the laager, we found the majority of our comrades there. Of the
+fate of those who had delayed to leave the town we were ignorant. The
+laager inspanned and followed De Wet, who had just passed here, and
+after a few hours' rapid trekking caught up to him. A halt was called
+for breakfast, but before the water boiled for coffee the enemy came in
+sight behind us. The cattle were rapidly driven together, oxen yoked and
+horses saddled, and in about three minutes' time we were on the move
+once more. De Wet's force and our own combined comprised nearly three
+thousand men, with six hundred waggons and carts, forming a train that
+made a splendid target for the British gunners.
+
+There was not much difficulty in keeping the enemy back, but still they
+hung on persistently, worrying us day after day, until our horses, and
+even the tougher mules, began to drop in the road, and our men to grow
+weary of the saddle.
+
+The oxen bore up best of all; we now made the discovery that they could
+trot just as well as mules, and with less effort. But even they felt the
+strain.
+
+As far as we went the road we left behind us was littered with abandoned
+animals. It was pitiful to see these dumb creatures try to drag
+themselves after us, as if they too feared the pursuing foe. But still
+the weary march went on, night and day, until a numbed indifference
+settled over us.
+
+Shells fell to the right and left unnoticed; was the apathy, not of
+despair, for our faith would never let us feel that, but of sheer and
+utter exhaustion.
+
+Haggard men, sunk in slumber, beat a mechanical tattoo on their horses'
+ribs as the gaunt animals dazedly staggered forward. And now came the
+stunning news that Prinsloo, Prinsloo with 4,000 men, had surrendered!
+Only one hope sustained us--the Magaliesberg. There we would find
+shelter and rest.
+
+But Clements was lying in wait for us there, waiting for us to walk
+blindly into the trap he had set. Well was it for our straggling train
+that Delarey came dashing down on Clements in the night, slaying and
+capturing right and left, till the British general was glad to take
+refuge in entrenched Pretoria! Else we were surely taken and the war
+ended. When at last we struggled over Olifant's Nek, it was to find the
+pass held by friends, not foes, many signs of the enemy's occupation,
+from plundered farm-houses to hundreds of biscuit tins, strewing the
+ground.
+
+Our waggons were drawn up in a line behind the mountain, and we manned
+the passes, confident in our ability to hold them. But we were too
+wearied, and the enemy too persistent. On the third day they forced the
+weaker of the passes, and we were forced to fly once more. Had the
+British continued their stern chase our capture were almost certain;
+strange to say, with success within their grasp, they held their hand,
+halted, and followed us no further. In the retreat the Free State and
+the Transvaal commandoes took different directions, myself remaining
+with the latter. We marched all night, past frowning kopjes, and camped
+in a thick mimosa forest at dawn.
+
+Here the commando decided to remain for a while. I obtained a pass from
+Liebenberg and set off alone to make my way through the dense bush to
+Middelburg.
+
+The first day I discovered De Wet's "meagre commando," about a thousand
+men, who had been ordered to conceal themselves here and feed up their
+animals, whilst De Wet himself, with the other half of his force,
+scoured the country to within ten miles of Johannesburg.
+
+In the evening I arrived at a mission station, where the only whites
+were the missionary's young daughter and her youthful brother. Their
+father had left for a visit shortly before the war broke out, and had
+not been able to return. They themselves had done the mission work,
+unaided, through all these anxious months. And remember that at this
+time the bushveld Kafirs were waging war amongst themselves!
+
+The next day I encountered a couple of waggons laden with ammunition for
+Delarey. The escort told me they had left Middelburg eighteen days
+before. Making circuits to avoid the enemy and taking wrong roads had
+delayed them.
+
+Then--it is wonderful how news travels amongst the Kafirs--I heard that
+Steyn was also somewhere in the bush, on the way to join the Transvaal
+Government. Fortunately for me, I rode right into his party that
+evening, just as they were starting off again. I had only off-saddled
+once since sunrise, but the chance was too good to be missed, and I
+joined them. The party consisted of barely fifty men--not an extravagant
+escort, but sufficient, under the circumstances.
+
+We travelled till midnight, halted for an hour, and then forward again
+till sunrise, when we crossed the Pienaar's River. Here we found a
+fair-sized commando under a general whose name I forget, as that was the
+only time I ever heard it. He was expecting an attack, the waggons were
+already retreating. We halted long enough to prepare breakfast, during
+which time the President shot a few bush doves. Hardly had we finished
+the meal when the rat-tat, rat-tat of small-arms showed that the British
+were approaching. Then a Maxim rattled forth amongst the rocks, and
+warned us that the action had begun in earnest.
+
+The commando kept the enemy back just long enough to give us a decent
+start, and then retired. We afterwards learnt that this British
+force--under Barnum-Powell, of Tarascon--had been sent out from Pretoria
+expressly to intercept us. It was a close thing--had the enemy been a
+little smarter they might have had us. As it was, we doubled away under
+cover of the bush, and were soon out of reach.
+
+Now followed a week of rapid trekking, varied with a little shooting now
+and then at the partridges and bright-plumaged birds that abound in the
+bushveld, and once relieved by the sight of a magnificent bush fire, a
+sea of roaring flame. I must not forget our banjoist, who of nights
+beguiled our careworn chief with cheery marches, quicksteps, and comic
+songs. Finally we emerge upon the _hoogeveld_ of Middelburg, to find the
+town in the enemy's hands. We make for Roossenekal. Again the British
+are before us. We turn away towards Machadodorp. As we near the village
+Schalk Burger comes out to meet us. He and Steyn speak earnestly
+together. Burger is more silent, more taciturn than ever. We push on,
+and reach Machadodorp, where a train is in waiting. The station is
+crowded with Transvaalers, all eager to shake their gallant Free State
+brethren by the hand. The President and party enter the carriage, the
+engine whistles, and the train speeds down to Waterval Onder, where Paul
+Kruger and his advisers are impatiently awaiting its arrival.
+
+
+
+
+END OF THE REGULAR WAR
+
+
+The battle of Machadodorp was expected to A take place at any moment,
+and the general feeling was that this fight should decide the campaign,
+the more so as the issue was confidently awaited by us. On the second
+day after Steyn's arrival at Waterval Onder the British attacked. Never
+before in the history of the war had such a furious bombardment been
+known. Only those who have witnessed the fierce storms of the tropics
+can form an idea of the awful unending roar of the lyddite guns as they
+belched forth one continuous shrieking mass of projectiles into the
+defenders' trenches. At Waterval Onder the two Governments listened in
+silent suspense as the sonorous reverberations rolled through the
+mountains, louder and fiercer yet, till the firm earth shook beneath the
+shock.
+
+At last came the appalling message that the British were victorious, and
+our men in full retreat! High hopes had been built on this combat; no
+wonder if for a while we felt disheartened. The end of regular warfare
+had been reached; it was imperative that an entire change of tactics be
+adopted. Steyn was for beginning the guerilla system immediately, in
+which he was supported by Gravett, Pienaar, and Kemp; Kruger, however,
+determined to defend the railway to the last. The British lost no time
+in following up their success. It had been said that they would never
+venture down these precipitous heights, but, like all other prophecies
+about this surprising war--except Kruger's, that he would stagger
+humanity--it turned out false, for down into the infernal mountain pits
+the enemy thronged after us, with a courage that made us marvel.
+
+The Governments retreated by train to Nelspruit, and thence to
+Hectorspruit, the commandoes following by rail and road.
+
+Here the forces were divided, those without horses being sent to
+entrench Komatipoort, while the rest made ready to slip past the
+approaching enemy's outstretched arms. It was decided that President
+Kruger should leave for Holland, Schalk Burger acting in his place. Most
+of the burghers still fighting are Progressives, and therefore
+politically opposed to Paul Kruger, but there were few who did not feel
+a sincere sympathy for the venerable President in this, well-nigh the
+bitterest hour of his stormy life. I say nearly every man still
+fighting is as fervent a Progressive as the world could wish, and as
+much opposed to Paul Kruger's policy as the British themselves! Then
+what are they fighting for? you ask. For independence! Let us gain that,
+and in one year's time you will see the Transvaal merged into the model
+Free State, the Switzerland of South Africa!
+
+After Kruger's departure Steyn took leave of the Transvaal Government.
+His last interview with Botha took place in the open air, in full sight
+of the burghers. The two conversed in low, earnest tones. Botha looked
+ill and haggard, he had aged since he had gained his spurs at Colenso;
+the weight of his responsibility lay heavy upon him.
+
+Louis Botha is idolised by his men--perhaps he has not an enemy in the
+world--but it is to Steyn, and Steyn alone, that the honour belongs of
+the resistance still being offered by the Boers. Let not this detract
+from the merits of those other and equally gallant spirits, leaders or
+men, who have nobly breasted the waves of adversity; who shall blame
+them if at times they felt the current overwhelming?
+
+Steyn utters a last cheering word, then shakes Botha's hand, mounts, and
+rides away at the head of his little escort.
+
+The scene around the station resembles nothing so much as a cattle
+fair. Near the line stands a policeman, his gaze fixed upon a large box
+lying at his feet. The box is filled with gold. Ben Viljoen, standing on
+a waggon, addresses the men, explaining to them what guerilla warfare
+means. On the other side hats, shirts, and what not are being dealt out
+with a lavish hand. Some burghers wander off into the bush in search of
+game, others lie lazily stretched out beneath the trees. Trains crammed
+with men arrive from the rear, discharge their freights of assorted
+humanity, and are immediately boarded by the dismounted men destined for
+Komatipoort. The line is blocked with traffic, trains run anyhow, and it
+will be some days before everything is ready for our trek to begin.
+
+There being no longer any need for officials, my colleagues volunteered
+to form themselves into a fighting corps, and did me the honour of
+selecting me as their leader. The corps, however, lacked accoutrements.
+I went down to Delagoa Bay. Upon returning, with two other officers, we
+were arrested at the Portuguese station Moveni.
+
+Although armed with passports signed by the District Governor, we were
+informed that we would under no circumstances be allowed to recross the
+frontier. Nor could we obtain permission to return to Lourengo Marques
+by train. The young Portuguese commandant, a mirror of courtesy,
+explained that we had either to await further orders there or walk back
+to the Bay, a distance of fifty miles.
+
+After waiting for several hours we quietly boarded a train coming from
+Komatipoort, and managed to reach Lourengo Marques unobserved. We still
+believed that we would contrive to get back somehow sooner or later, but
+were soon cruelly undeceived. President Kruger, who was the guest of the
+District Governor, wrote to General Coetser at Komatipoort, asking him
+not to destroy the bridge and advising him to take refuge in Portuguese
+territory. Coetser himself, with the few of his men who had fairly
+decent horses, preferred to follow Botha, who by this time had begun his
+trek from Hectorspruit, and left General Pienaar in charge of
+Komatipoort.
+
+Influenced by the arguments of the Portuguese--one of which was that,
+should the British cross the Portuguese frontier and take the Boers in
+the rear, Portugal would not be able to prevent it--and by the fact that
+the positions first chosen for the entrenchments lay within a mile of
+the frontier and therefore could not be occupied, a _Kr’gsraad_ resolved
+to follow the President's advice. The bridge had already been mined, the
+guns placed in position, and everything made ready to give Pole-Carew
+and the Guards a worthy reception; but fate decided otherwise, and
+General Pienaar, with some two thousand men, crossed the
+frontier,--needless to say with what deep regret--thus reducing by
+one-fifth our forces in the field, a loss which would have been avoided
+had Steyn's advice been taken and guerilla warfare begun after
+Machadodorp.
+
+There was thenceforth nothing for us poor ship-wrecked wretches to do
+than to gaze impotently on our heroic brethren still struggling against
+the storm. The waves run high, but it is their duty to continue.
+
+And they will continue. Not because they are sure of success, but
+because it is their duty.
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of With Steyn and De Wet, by Philip Pienaar
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+
+The Project Gutenberg EBook of With Steyn and De Wet, by Philip Pienaar
+
+This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with
+almost no restrictions whatsoever.  You may copy it, give it away or
+re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included
+with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org
+
+
+Title: With Steyn and De Wet
+
+Author: Philip Pienaar
+
+Release Date: March 1, 2005 [EBook #15224]
+
+Language: English
+
+Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1
+
+*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK WITH STEYN AND DE WET ***
+
+
+
+
+Produced by Jonathan Ingram, Garrett Alley, and the Online Distributed
+Proofreading Team.
+
+
+
+
+
+
+</pre>
+
+
+
+<h1>WITH STEYN AND DE WET</h1>
+
+<h3>BY</h3>
+
+<h2>PHILIP PIENAAR</h2>
+
+<h4>OF THE TRANSVAAL TELEGRAPH SERVICE</h4>
+
+
+<p class="center"><br /><br />METHUEN &amp; CO.</p>
+
+<p class="center">36 ESSEX STREET W.C.</p>
+
+<p class="center">LONDON</p>
+
+<p class="center">1902</p>
+<hr style="width: 65%;" />
+
+
+
+<h2>CONTENTS</h2>
+
+<!-- Autogenerated TOC. Modify or delete as required. -->
+<p>
+ <a href="#THOMAR"><b>THOMAR</b></a><br />
+ <a href="#THE_ELEVENTH_OF_OCTOBER"><b>THE ELEVENTH OF OCTOBER</b></a><br />
+ <a href="#FIRST_IMPRESSIONS"><b>FIRST IMPRESSIONS</b></a><br />
+ <a href="#COLENSO"><b>COLENSO</b></a><br />
+ <a href="#PLATRAND"><b>PLATRAND</b></a><br />
+ <a href="#SPION_KOP"><b>SPION KOP</b></a><br />
+ <a href="#GLORIOUS_WAR"><b>GLORIOUS WAR</b></a><br />
+ <a href="#PIETERS_HEIGHTS"><b>PIETERS' HEIGHTS</b></a><br />
+ <a href="#GLENCOE"><b>GLENCOE</b></a><br />
+ <a href="#THE_FREE_STATE"><b>THE FREE STATE</b></a><br />
+ <a href="#LINDLEY_TO_HEILBRON"><b>LINDLEY TO HEILBRON</b></a><br />
+ <a href="#VELD_INCIDENTS"><b>VELD INCIDENTS</b></a><br />
+ <a href="#TAPPING_THE_WIRES"><b>TAPPING THE WIRES</b></a><br />
+ <a href="#I_MEET_DE_WET"><b>I MEET DE WET</b></a><br />
+ <a href="#ROODEWAL"><b>ROODEWAL</b></a><br />
+ <a href="#OFF_TO_THE_TRANSVAAL"><b>OFF TO THE TRANSVAAL</b></a><br />
+ <a href="#ARRESTED_AS_SPIES"><b>ARRESTED AS SPIES</b></a><br />
+ <a href="#IN_THE_MOUNTAINS"><b>IN THE MOUNTAINS</b></a><br />
+ <a href="#THROUGH_THE_CORDON"><b>THROUGH THE CORDON</b></a><br />
+ <a href="#SKIRMISHES"><b>SKIRMISHES</b></a><br />
+ <a href="#WE_ENTER_POTCHEFSTROOM"><b>WE ENTER POTCHEFSTROOM</b></a><br />
+ <a href="#DE_WET_ONCE_MORE"><b>DE WET ONCE MORE</b></a><br />
+ <a href="#END_OF_THE_REGULAR_WAR"><b>END OF THE REGULAR WAR</b></a><br />
+ </p>
+<!-- End Autogenerated TOC. -->
+
+
+
+<hr style="width: 65%;" />
+<h2><a name="WITH_STEYN_AND_DE_WET" id="WITH_STEYN_AND_DE_WET" /><a name="Page_0" id="Page_0" /><a name="Page_1" id="Page_1" />WITH STEYN AND DE WET</h2>
+
+
+
+<hr style="width: 65%;" />
+<h2><a name="THOMAR" id="THOMAR" />THOMAR</h2>
+
+
+<p>Here in the quiet old convent of Thomar, the Convento de Christo, the
+strife of the past months seems like a dream. Wandering through the long
+corridors, with their bare, empty apartments, gazing by the hour on
+paintings faded and torn, the work of long dead and forgotten masters,
+dwelling on marvels of ancient architecture, resting the eyes on
+peaceful landscapes and hearing the sweet murmur of falling waters, the
+scenes of war seem distant and remote.</p>
+
+<p>The heart but so lately harrowed by the devouring emotions of anger,
+hate, and the lust of blood, now soothed by the sympathy of the kindly
+Portuguese, is lulled into harmony with the surrounding scenes of peace
+and beauty. Only the thought of our ravaged country, struggling still
+for dear life, though forced upon her <a name="Page_2" id="Page_2" />knees, brings back the claims of
+duty and the yearning to be up and doing, to enter once more the ranks
+of the foemen and strike another blow for liberty.</p>
+
+<p>Hopeless! Yet where is the Boer&mdash;prisoner, exile, or renegade&mdash;even
+he!&mdash;who does not dream by nights he feels once more the free veld air
+upon his brow, lives again the wild night rides beneath twinkling stars?
+He feels once more his noble steed bound beneath him, grips again his
+comrade's welcoming hand, and wakens with a bitter sigh.</p>
+
+<p>Some consolation, then, to recall blows already struck, and duty fairly
+done.</p>
+
+
+
+<hr style="width: 65%;" />
+<h2><a name="THE_ELEVENTH_OF_OCTOBER" id="THE_ELEVENTH_OF_OCTOBER" /><a name="Page_3" id="Page_3" />THE ELEVENTH OF OCTOBER</h2>
+
+
+<p>When war appeared inevitable the spirit of the Boers rose to support
+them in their hour of trial, and only sentiments of patriotism and
+defiance were felt and expressed. Joy at the opportunity of proving once
+and for ever their ability to defend themselves and consequent right to
+independence, regret for friendships about to be severed&mdash;these were the
+chief emotions of the younger generation. The elder thought of past
+wrongs, long cherished, and silently took down the rifle from behind the
+door.</p>
+
+<p>The women, ever strong in national spirit, lent the aid of their
+encouragements and prayers. Sons wept that they were too young to
+accompany their fathers on commando.</p>
+
+<p>Yet there came a moment when for the space of a minute a mighty shadow
+seemed to brood over the land, and the cold chill of coming evil struck
+the nation as if from the clouds. A message had been despatched from
+Pretoria to <a name="Page_4" id="Page_4" />every corner of the country. One word only: War!</p>
+
+<p>The blow had fallen. Nothing could avert a sanguinary struggle. Well the
+burghers knew the overwhelming strength of the foe, but they went
+blithely forth to meet their fate, strong in a sincere confidence in
+Providence. If the worst came to the worst, well, &quot;'twere better to have
+fought and lost, than never to have fought at all!&quot;</p>
+
+<p>Of all the branches of the Transvaal Civil Service there was not one
+that stood higher in the public estimation at that moment, nor one that
+distinguished itself more during the war, than that to which I had the
+honour to belong&mdash;the Department of Telegraphs. Equipped with the most
+up-to-date instruments, composed almost equally of picked men from
+England and Holland and of well-trained young Colonials and
+Transvaalers, under an energetic chief, our department proved itself,
+both before and during the war, second to none, and, the Afrikander
+portion at least, worthy of the confidence of the Government.</p>
+
+<p>I had just been transferred from Johannesburg to Pilgrimsrest, a quaint
+little one-street village near the Portuguese frontier, one of the
+oldest alluvial diggings of the early days, and now the centre of an
+important mining district. Here we <a name="Page_5" id="Page_5" />heard that our commandoes had
+invaded the enemy's territory in every direction, and news of the
+preliminary engagements was awaited with breathless interest. The male
+inhabitants of the village often spent entire nights under the verandah
+of the telegraph office, and the importance of the telegraphist suddenly
+grew almost too great to bear with becoming modesty.</p>
+
+<p>One Sunday morning, however, the office wore a deserted look. The Dutch
+inhabitants were engaged in courteously escorting those of British birth
+or sympathies over the border, and I was alone. After a long interval of
+silence the instrument began ticking off a message&mdash;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Elandslaagte&mdash;flight&mdash;lancers!&quot;</p>
+
+<p>Then came the list of the fallen. Name after name of well-known men fell
+like lead upon the ear. Finally my colleague at the other end gently
+signalled that of my uncle, followed by the sympathetic remark: &quot;Sorry,
+old man.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>I could write no more. What, my uncle dead! General Kock, Major Hall,
+Advocate Coster&mdash;all dead! It seemed impossible. We could not understand
+it, this first initiation of ours into war's horrible reality.</p>
+
+<p>Within a week reinforcements were despatched from our district. I
+obtained a few weeks' leave of absence and accompanied them.</p>
+
+<p><a name="Page_6" id="Page_6" />We were an interesting band. Two hundred strong, we counted among our
+number farmers, clerks, schoolmasters, students, and a publican. My mess
+consisted of a Colonial, an Irishman, a Hollander, a German, a Boer, and
+a Jew. It must not be imagined, however, that we were a cosmopolitan
+crowd, for the remaining hundred and ninety-four were nearly all true
+Boers, mostly of the backwoods type, extremely conservative, and
+inclined to be rather condescending in their attitude towards the
+clean-shaven town-dwellers. The almost universal respect inspired by a
+beard or a paunch is a poor tribute to human discernment.</p>
+
+<p>Every mess possessed one or two ox-waggons, loaded with a tent,
+portmanteaux, trunks, foodstuffs, and ammunition. We made about twenty
+miles daily, passing through Lydenburg, Machadodorp, Carolina, and
+Ermelo, and reached Volksrust on the fourteenth day. During the march we
+learnt that heavy fighting had taken place in Natal, Dundee being taken
+and Ladysmith invested, and a strong commando had actually made a
+reconnaissance as far down as Estcourt.</p>
+
+<p>General Joubert, who had bruised himself in the saddle during the latter
+expedition, was now recruiting his health here in Volksrust. I went to
+see him, and found him installed in a railway carriage, and looking very
+old and worn. I showed <a name="Page_7" id="Page_7" />him a telegram instructing me to apply to him
+for a special passport enabling me to return when my leave expired.</p>
+
+<p>He said, &quot;Others want leave to go home; you ask for leave to come to the
+front. But your time is so short, it is hardly worth while. Still, I am
+glad to see such a spirit among you young people.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>Turning to his secretary, he ordered the passport to be made out. This
+was done in pencil on the back of my telegram. The general signed,
+handed me the document, and shook my hand. I thanked him, and left,
+highly gratified.</p>
+
+<p>We entrained that afternoon, slept in the carriages at Newcastle,
+reached Ladysmith, or rather our station nearest Ladysmith, the
+following day, disentrained, rode into camp, reported ourselves for
+duty, and went on outpost the same night.</p>
+
+
+
+<hr style="width: 65%;" />
+<h2><a name="FIRST_IMPRESSIONS" id="FIRST_IMPRESSIONS" /><a name="Page_8" id="Page_8" />FIRST IMPRESSIONS</h2>
+
+
+<p>Our chief concern was whether we, as novices, would bear ourselves well
+in our first engagement. Speaking to an old campaigner on the subject,
+he said&mdash;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Tell me candidly, how do you feel?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Well, rather nervous.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Ah! Now, I can tell you a man who feels nervous before a fight is all
+right, because he has some idea of what he is going to meet. It is the
+reckless recruit that often proves a coward. He fancies it a mere
+bagatelle, and finds out his mistake too late.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>This rather encouraged us, for, to tell the truth, we felt anything but
+reckless.</p>
+
+<p>One evening about twenty of us were sent off to keep watch in a Kafir
+kraal near the town. In one of the huts we found a Kafir lying sick, and
+too weak to rise. He told us the former outpost had always brought him
+something to eat, but now they had not come for some days, and he had
+begun to think himself doomed to die of starva<a name="Page_9" id="Page_9" />tion, or, worse still, of
+thirst. We soon made up a collection of biscuits and cold tea, and I am
+happy to say that henceforth the poor creature's wants were daily
+supplied.</p>
+
+<p>A rather peculiar adventure befell us here a few days later. The sun had
+already set when we reached the spot where we were to stand guard during
+the night. We dismounted, and two men went forward on foot to
+reconnoitre. After a while they returned with the startling news that
+the enemy was approaching in force. They were sent forward again to make
+sure, and again returned, saying there could be no doubt about the
+matter.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;We heard the rumble of an approaching train, the march of cavalry, and
+saw the glint of arms between the trees!&quot;</p>
+
+<p>This was definite enough. A man was instantly despatched to alarm the
+main laager, while the rest of us followed leisurely. We were about
+half-way back when the messenger returned with an additional twenty-five
+men and an order that we were instantly to return to our post; if in
+possession of the enemy, to retake and hold it until relieved.</p>
+
+<p>A very tall order, and more than one man uttered the belief that
+discretion was the better part of valour, and that there was no humour
+in <a name="Page_10" id="Page_10" />attacking numberless Britons with fifty men. We braced up our
+nerves, however, retraced our steps, and presently reached the vicinity
+of the kraal. Two men crept up close and came back to say the place was
+full of English. Leaving the horses in charge of a few men, we crept
+forward and surrounded the kraal. Each sought a suitable shelter and
+laid himself down to await the dawn. It was now about midnight. The next
+four hours passed very slowly, lying there in the cold and with the
+expectation of a desperate struggle in the morning. We thought how brave
+we were, and how sorry our general would be when he heard how we had all
+been shot down to a man, and how in after years this night attack of
+ours would rank with the charge of the Light Brigade. We hoped
+Chamberlain would die soon after us, so that we could meet his soul in
+the great Beyond and drag it through a sieve.</p>
+
+<p>What was our surprise to find when it grew light that there had never
+been an Englishman near! The whole thing from beginning to end was only
+another false alarm, and all our valour had been wasted.</p>
+
+<p>This kind of alarm was rather frequent at the time. A burgher woke up
+one night to find himself being roughly shaken and someone shouting in
+his ear&mdash;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;<a name="Page_11" id="Page_11" />What are you doing? Get up, quick! Don't you hear the alarm?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Yes, another false one, I daresay,&quot; turning over for another nap.
+Happening to open his eyes, he became aware for the first time that he
+was speaking to no one less than General Joubert himself!</p>
+
+<p>The poor fellow did not argue the point any further, but forthwith fled
+into the night, glad to get off at that price.</p>
+
+<p>One morning two of us were returning from our usual swim when suddenly
+we saw the whole camp a beehive of commotion, burghers running to and
+fro, saddling their horses, shouting at each other, and generally
+behaving with a great lack of decorum&mdash;like madmen, in fact, or members
+of the Stock Exchange. Hastening on, we heard that the enemy were coming
+out to attack us. We hastily seized our nags, and in five minutes were
+on top of the nearest hill between ourselves and the enemy, who could be
+seen approaching three thousand yards away. We formed ourselves into
+groups, and each group packed itself a low wall of the loose stones
+lying about.</p>
+
+<p>One German, armed with a Martini-Henry, found himself shunned by all his
+comrades on account of his cartridges not containing smokeless powder,
+and was obliged to entrench himself on <a name="Page_12" id="Page_12" />his own at some distance from
+the rest. The poor fellow was the butt of all the primitive humourists
+from the backwoods, and was assured with much solemnity that his rifle
+would draw all the British fire in his direction, and that he was as
+good as dead already. Thorny is the path of glory!</p>
+
+<p>The British guns in Ladysmith opened fire as their cavalry advanced, the
+shells falling a few hundred yards to our right, on a hill whence our
+cannon had lately been removed.</p>
+
+<p>When within two thousand yards the enemy suddenly wheeled to the left
+and were quickly out of sight between the hills. They found the Pretoria
+men there, and came back helter-skelter to the accompaniment of rapid
+rifle firing. First one saddle and then another was emptied as they
+raced across from right to left, making for a low scrub-covered kopje.</p>
+
+<p>In this kopje a party of our men were concealed. With keen interest we
+watched the scene, waiting to see the enemy caught in the trap. Then a
+volley burst from the brush. Like a flash the horsemen wheeled and raced
+back into Ladysmith. The volley had been fired too soon.</p>
+
+<p>A few mornings later we heard that during the night something very
+serious had taken place on Lombard's Kop. Being a sort of free lance, I
+immediately saddled my pony and rode in that <a name="Page_13" id="Page_13" />direction. Presently I met
+two Boers on horseback.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Morning, cousins.&quot; (Cousin is a title of courtesy used in addressing
+one's equal in age. Elder men are called &quot;uncle.&quot;)</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Morning, cousin. Of what people may cousin be?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Of the telegraph service. And cousins?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Of the artillery.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Something happened up there last night?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Yes. The English came and blew up our Long Tom!&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;How was that possible?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;We can think what we like. Why was the burgher guard absent? It is
+shameful!&quot;</p>
+
+<p>We returned to camp together. The news had now been made public, and
+formed the one theme of discussion. Much credit was given the enemy for
+their audacity, but there was a strong suspicion that treachery had been
+at work. The ensuing court-martial resulted in two officers being
+suspended from duty only, although there were many trees about.</p>
+
+<p>A few days later I went to see my brother, who was stationed on Pepworth
+Hill, some six miles to our right. He belonged to the Artillery Cadets,
+who at the beginning of the war had been distributed amongst the various
+guns in order to <a name="Page_14" id="Page_14" />give them practical experience. Of the four that were
+attached to this gun two had already been wounded. It was glorious to
+see these lads of fifteen and sixteen daily withstanding the onslaught
+of the mighty naval guns. The rocks around their howitzer were torn by
+lyddite, and the ground strewn with shrapnel bullets.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;The British say we are trained German gunners. Quite a compliment to
+Germany!&quot; said one youngster laughingly.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;And I,&quot; said another, inflating his chest, &quot;am a French or Russian
+expert! Dear me, how we must have surprised them!&quot;</p>
+
+<p>They showed me how they crushed their coffee by beating it on a flat
+stone. Their staple food was bully beef and hard biscuits.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;If only we had some cigarettes,&quot; they said, &quot;how gay we should be! Last
+week we got some sugar, enough for two days; we are so sick of black,
+bitter coffee!&quot;</p>
+
+<p>A severe thunderstorm now broke overhead, and as I had to go on duty
+that night I took leave of my friends. They had no tents, and had to
+find the best shelter they could under tarpaulins stretched between the
+rocks.</p>
+
+<p>Riding along, I soon found my raincoat soaked through. The water began
+to rush along the path, and the loud, incessant pealing of the thunder
+and <a name="Page_15" id="Page_15" />the rapidly succeeding and fearfully vivid lightning flashes so
+terrified my horse that it refused to move a step. Dismounting, I led
+the animal through the blinding rain for upwards of an hour, when I
+reached camp, to find the outpost already gone. I took off my streaming
+garments, and turned into my warm bed. At midnight the flap of the tent
+was opened, and I was ordered to turn out and stand guard. Our effects
+were still at Volksrust. Drawing on a soaking wet pair of heavy corduroy
+breeches in the middle of the night is one of the least delicious
+experiences possible, as I found to my cost, to say nothing of sitting
+in them on an antheap for a couple of hours with a chilly rain falling.</p>
+
+<p>In the morning came the news that the enemy had again surprised and
+blown up one of our guns&mdash;none other than the howitzer visited by me the
+previous evening. Presently the young cadets themselves came riding into
+camp, bringing with them pieces of guncotton, and showing by the state
+of their ragged uniforms the hand-to-hand nature of the struggle that
+had taken place.</p>
+
+<p>One of them said in answer to my inquiries&mdash;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;We heard someone climbing the hill in the night, and challenged. It was
+the British. They shouted 'Rule Britannia!' and rushed up to the top. We
+fired into them. We were too few. <a name="Page_16" id="Page_16" />By sheer weight of numbers they
+forced us aside. One of the artillerymen was dragged by the leg from his
+sleeping-place. He shook himself free, and bolted. The soldiers formed a
+square round the gun, charged it with guncotton, shouted 'Stand back!'
+and the next moment our gun was crashing through the sky. It all
+happened in a moment. Then the enemy retired, followed by some burghers,
+who had by this time arrived from the laager at the back of the hill.
+The Pretoria commando was also waiting for them, and intercepting their
+retreat, made them pay dearly enough for their exploit.&quot;</p>
+
+
+
+<hr style="width: 65%;" />
+<h2><a name="COLENSO" id="COLENSO" /><a name="Page_17" id="Page_17" />COLENSO</h2>
+
+
+<p>One day our scouts made a splendid haul, bringing into camp that
+celebrated, devil-may-care animal, the war-correspondent. His story was
+that he had wandered out of Ladysmith with a packet of
+newspapers&mdash;&quot;merely to exchange notes and to challenge you for a cricket
+match!&quot;</p>
+
+<p>Squatted on the ground, crowds of bearded Boers gazing at him with
+fierce interest, he looked anything but comfortable, and no wonder, for
+the word <i>spion</i> was often uttered. His colour was a pale green, while
+his teeth chattered audibly. He was subsequently sent to Pretoria, and
+thence exiled to civilisation, <i>vi&acirc;</i> Delagoa Bay.</p>
+
+<p>On the same day we captured three natives bearing British despatches. As
+these runners were giving considerable trouble, it was decided to
+execute one and send the other two to spread the news among their
+friends&mdash;black and white.</p>
+
+<p><a name="Page_18" id="Page_18" />The grave was already dug, when General Joubert, always against harsh
+measures, decided to spare the Kafir's life. The contrast between the
+bearing of this savage and that of the war-correspondent was most
+striking.</p>
+
+<p>Sometimes the merits of the different commandoes would be discussed. The
+palm was generally awarded to the Irish Brigade and the Johannesburg
+Police, two splendid corps, always ready for anything, and possessing
+what we others painfully lacked&mdash;discipline.</p>
+
+<p>The burghers used to relate with much relish a story of how one day the
+British shells came so fast that even our artillerymen did not dare
+leave their shelter to bring up ammunition for the gun; how two of those
+devils of Irishmen sprang to the task, and showed how death should be
+faced and danger conquered. Erin for ever!</p>
+
+<p>Buller now began to press his advance on the Tugela, and his searchlight
+could nightly be seen communicating with the besieged; long official
+messages in cipher, and now and then a pathetic little message, &quot;All
+well, Edith sends love,&quot; would flash against the clouds, causing us to
+think of other scenes than those before us.</p>
+
+<p>On the tenth of December a heavy bombardment was heard from the Tugela.
+On happening <a name="Page_19" id="Page_19" />to pass the telegraph office at two o'clock, a colleague
+called to me&mdash;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Buller has tried to cross the river; he is being driven back. Ten of
+his guns are in danger, and as soon as the sun sets our men are going
+over to take them!&quot;</p>
+
+<p>This was news indeed.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Which is the road to Colenso?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Round those hills, then straight on.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Thanks, good-bye,&quot; and off I went, determined to see those guns taken.</p>
+
+<p>About four hours' hard riding, then a tent by the wayside, the red cross
+floating above. An ambulance waggon has just arrived, bringing a few
+wounded. I must be close to the battlefield now, but I hear no firing.
+What can have happened?</p>
+
+<p>Half an hour further. I see the fires of a small camp twinkling in a
+gully to my left, and make my way thither. It is pitch dark. As I
+approach the camp I hear voices. It is Dutch they are speaking. Then
+several dim shapes loom up before me in the darkness.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Hello! What commando is this?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Hello, is that you? By Jove, so it is! I thought I knew the voice,&quot; and
+dashing Chris Botha shakes my hand.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;<a name="Page_20" id="Page_20" />It is you, commandant! Where are those ten guns?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Oh, that's what you're after. Sorry, but we took them early in the
+afternoon. Never mind, come along into camp. You'll see enough in the
+morning.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>In the camp they had six Connaught Rangers&mdash;a captain, lieutenant, and
+four men, about four of the lot wounded. They alone of all their
+regiment had managed to reach the bank of the Tugela&mdash;Bridle Drift,
+about two hundred yards from the trenches of the Swaziland commando.
+Finding no shelter in the river bank, exhausted, wounded almost to a
+man, they ceased firing, whereupon our men left them in peace until the
+end of the fight, when they were brought over and complimented upon
+their pluck.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;I'm tired out after to-day's work,&quot; Botha said, &quot;but there's no help
+for it. I must sleep in the trenches again to-night. Walk down with me,
+your friends down there will be glad to see you.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>After an hour's walk&mdash;it seemed more like a week&mdash;we reached the
+trenches, where the young heroes of the Swaziland commando made me
+welcome. I asked them about the day's fighting, but they said&mdash;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;<a name="Page_21" id="Page_21" />Too tired to talk to-night, old man. Turn in; to-morrow will do.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>We turned in, and slumbered undisturbed by any thought of the blood shed
+that day.</p>
+
+<p>Early the next morning we waded through the river, wearing only a hat
+and shirt, and carrying our topboots over the shoulder. Dozens of Boers
+were splashing about in the water, enjoying themselves like so many
+schoolboys. Lying strewn about on the other side were scores of dead
+bodies; by the side of each fallen soldier lay a little pile of empty
+cartridge cases, showing how long he had battled before meeting his
+doom. Some lay with faces serenely upturned to the smiling sky, others
+doubled up in the agony of a mortal wound, with gnashing teeth fixed in
+a horrid grin, foam-flecked lips, and widely staring eyes.</p>
+
+<p>Horrible, in truth, but most awful of all was the soul-sickening stench
+of human blood that infected the air. We soon turned back, unable to
+bear it any longer.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Did your commando lose many men?&quot; I asked my companion.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Only two, strange to say. Wonderful; can't explain it.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;How did you feel during the fight?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;When we saw the vast number of soldiers <a name="Page_22" id="Page_22" />steadily approaching, and
+heard the thunderous explosion of hundreds of shells, we knew we were in
+for a hot time. Our small commando could never have retreated over the
+four miles of open country behind us. There was only one thing to be
+done&mdash;fight. And we fought&mdash;fought till our gun-barrels burnt our hands
+and our throats were parched with thirst&mdash;the excitement of it all!&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Could you see when your bullet went home?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;You noticed that soldier lying behind the antheap, a hole in his
+forehead? That man worried us a good deal. <i>He</i> could shoot, the beggar!
+Well, two of us fixed our rifles on the spot and waited till he raised
+his head; then we fired. You know the result.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>Boys talking, mere boys, who should have been thinking of flowers,
+music, and love, instead of thus taking a grim delight in the stern
+lessons of war.</p>
+
+<p>Saying au revoir to my friends, I now rode over to the telegraph office
+a few miles lower down. The operators were transmitting piles of
+messages to and from anxious relatives, and were not sorry to see
+someone who could lend them a hand. The chief of the department happened
+to be there at the time. He immediately placed me <a name="Page_23" id="Page_23" />in harness. I wired
+to my field-cornet at Ladysmith saying I was unavoidably detained, as
+the phrase goes, and the next few weeks passed quietly by, long hours
+and hard work, it is true, but on the other hand pleasant companions and
+a splendid river, with boating and swimming galore.</p>
+
+<p>One morning a score of Theron's scouts passed by, their famous captain
+at their head. One of them&mdash;an old friend&mdash;reined in long enough to tell
+me they were off to lie in wait for a small British patrol, which, a
+native had told them, daily passed a certain spot suitable for an
+ambuscade.</p>
+
+<p>In the afternoon the same band returned, several on foot, and carrying
+someone in a blanket. What was my surprise to find that this was no
+other than poor Harry C&mdash;&mdash;!</p>
+
+<p>The native had misled them, and the surprise had been the other way
+about. My friend had received a bullet through the stomach, a wound
+which appeared necessarily fatal. He was laid down in a tent. Theron
+bent over him, his eyes filling with compassionate tears. &quot;How now,
+Harry?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Awful pain, captain.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>To break the news gently we wired home that <a name="Page_24" id="Page_24" />he was only slightly
+wounded. This turned out to have been wiser than we knew, for, to our
+joy, Harry lingered on, rallied, and finally recovered, a triumph of
+medical skill.</p>
+
+
+
+<hr style="width: 65%;" />
+<h2><a name="PLATRAND" id="PLATRAND" /><a name="Page_25" id="Page_25" />PLATRAND</h2>
+
+
+<p>In Natal itself the situation was satisfactory, but the course of events
+elsewhere made the speedy capture of Ladysmith imperative. It was
+accordingly decided to make an attack on Platrand, or Waggon Hill, as
+the British call it. If we could gain this hill the town would be at our
+mercy.</p>
+
+<p>The plan of attack was simple in the extreme. The Free Staters would
+climb one side, the Transvaalers the other, and Louis Botha himself ride
+over from Colenso with a reserve of three hundred men.</p>
+
+<p>Our chief determined to view this fight, and agreed to take me along. It
+had been arranged that the attack should take place on the 6th of
+January. In the afternoon of the 5th we took the road to Ladysmith,
+travelling in a light mule-waggon, our horses tied alongside.</p>
+
+<p>Near Nelthorpe a small commando passed us. Knowing very well what errand
+they were bound upon, we yet thought fit to ask them where they <a name="Page_26" id="Page_26" />were
+off to. &quot;Oh, nowhere particular,&quot; was the answer. &quot;Out for exercise,
+that's all.&quot; This discretion was most commendable, for in our mixed
+forces spying must have been easy and frequent.</p>
+
+<p>We pitched tent for the night, and at three the next morning saddled our
+horses and followed the spoor of the commando. Presently, encountering a
+Kafir holding half a dozen horses, we asked him where the owners were.
+He pointed to a hill near by, where we found the gallant Villebois, the
+kindly Oberst von Braun, and ill-fated von Brusewitz. Little did we
+think at the time that the latter would meet his death a few weeks later
+on Spion Kop and the former shortly fall at Boshof!</p>
+
+<p>It was growing light, and we could see, lying on our right, the neutral
+camp; further away, on Bulwana, our biggest gun, where we knew General
+Joubert was standing, his wife by his side.</p>
+
+<p>Straight before us lay the key to Ladysmith&mdash;Platrand, whence now and
+again came the sharp rat-tat of the Metford, followed by the Mauser's
+significant cough.</p>
+
+<p>Through our glasses we espied six helmeted men slowly retreating up the
+mountain, pausing at every dozen yards to fire a volley at some
+invisible enemy. Three of them reached the top. The sentries were being
+driven in.</p>
+
+<p><a name="Page_27" id="Page_27" />General Botha now arrived with the reserve force. All dismounted.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Put your horses out of sight,&quot; were his first words to his men, &quot;they
+will draw the enemy's fire.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>Scarcely had he spoken when a shrapnel shell burst overhead, and three
+horses were lying on their backs, snorting and kicking. Then came
+another and another. Both went wide. The animals were quickly led behind
+the hill, and the three wounded put out of their pain.</p>
+
+<p>Taking the best shelter possible, we gazed upon the drama being unfolded
+before us.</p>
+
+<p>The attack was now in full swing. The grating British volleys, the
+ceaseless mill of independent firing, the sharp flash of the British
+guns, the fierce whirr of our French shells, the deep boom of Long Tom
+resounding through the valleys. Who can describe it all?</p>
+
+<p>Yet hardly a single combatant could be discerned. Attacked and attackers
+alike were invisible. One soldier only stood in plain view on the crest
+of the hill, signalling with a flag. Our men reached the crest, and the
+soldier disappeared. Whether in response to his signals or not,
+reinforcements presently reached the hill.</p>
+
+<p>In long, thin lines of yellow they ran across the <a name="Page_28" id="Page_28" />plateau to the crest,
+hoping to drive the Boers back the way they had come. As it approached
+the line grew thinner and thinner, until there was nothing of it left.
+And so on, for hour after hour, the yellow lines of gallant men flung
+themselves into the open, only to fall beneath the raging fire poured
+upon them from the sternly held mountain crest.</p>
+
+<p>Down the hill our wounded dribbled, thirsty men, pale men, men covered
+with blood and weeping with rage. How grim must be the fire they have
+just passed through! One man is brought down lying across a horse. His
+face hangs in strips, shattered by a dum-dum bullet. Thank goodness,
+some of ours are using buckshot to-day!</p>
+
+<p>A Boer mounts on a waggon.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Who will take in ammunition?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>No response.</p>
+
+<p>I turn to my chief. &quot;Do you advise me to try?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;I cannot; you must decide for yourself.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>Throwing a sack of cartridges over my horse's back, I set off. No sooner
+in the open, than whizz, whizz, went the bullets past my ear. The pony
+stopped, confused. I struck the spurs into his flanks, and on we flew,
+the rapid motion, the novelty of the affair, and the continual whistle
+of <a name="Page_29" id="Page_29" />the bullets producing in me a peculiar feeling of exaltation.</p>
+
+<p>Then the sack tumbled off. I sprang down, hooked the bridle to a tree,
+rushed back for the bag, and started forward again. The firing now
+became so severe that I raced for a clump of trees, hoping to find
+temporary shelter there. Some of our men were here, lying behind the
+slender tree-trunks and taking a shot at the enemy now and then.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Absolutely impossible to live in the open,&quot; they said. &quot;Better wait
+awhile and see how things go.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>I laid myself down under the trees and listened to the bullets as they
+sang through the branches.</p>
+
+<p>The very heavens vibrated as the roar of artillery grew ever fiercer,
+and the loud echoes rolled along from hill to hill and died away in an
+awful whisper that shook the grass-tops like an autumn wind.</p>
+
+<p>What were those lines of Bret Harte's about the humming of the battle
+bees?... I could not remember.</p>
+
+<p>My eyelids grew heavy and presently I was fast asleep.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Wake up! They're coming round to cut us off. We must clear!&quot; And away
+went my friend.</p>
+
+<p><a name="Page_30" id="Page_30" />Knowing their horses would soon out-distance my heavily laden pony, and
+trusting to get away unobserved, I took his bridle and led him away. For
+about twenty yards all went well. Then suddenly there broke loose over
+us the thickest storm of lead I ever wish to experience. Whether it was
+a Maxim or not I could not say, but it seemed to me as if the whole
+British army was bent on my destruction. Like raindrops on a dusty road
+the bullets struck around me. The pony snorted, shivered, and sometimes
+stood stock still. I jerked the bridle savagely and struggled on,
+without the slightest hope of escaping, and thinking what a cruel shame
+it was that I should be shot at like a deer. Finally the shelter of a
+dry watercourse was reached. Following this for some distance, I
+encountered another party of our men, to whom I handed my charge, too
+shaken to repeat the experiment. The firing now slackened off, and I
+returned to my chief, full of mortification over my failure.</p>
+
+<p>It was evident the hill would not be taken that afternoon, so we
+returned to our tent, intending to come back the next morning. Late that
+evening, however, Colonel Villebois passed and told us our forces had
+been withdrawn, General Botha being ordered to Colenso, where Buller had
+made a feint attack to help Ladysmith.</p>
+
+<p><a name="Page_31" id="Page_31" />Our struggle was therefore a failure, but it had not been made in vain,
+since it proved once again that we also could storm a fortified hill,
+and fight a losing fight&mdash;the hardest fight of all.</p>
+
+
+
+<hr style="width: 65%;" />
+<h2><a name="SPION_KOP" id="SPION_KOP" /><a name="Page_32" id="Page_32" />SPION KOP</h2>
+
+
+<p>Something peculiar began to be observed about the British camp at
+Chieveley. The naval guns still flashed by day, the searchlight still
+signalled to Ladysmith of nights, the tents still glistened in the sun,
+but the soldiers, where were they?</p>
+
+<p>Marching somewhere up the river. Buller meant to try his luck once more.
+More than one of our present leaders had in former days fought by
+Buller's side against the Zulus. They knew him tenacious, able; no mere
+theorist. It was here in Natal, under their eyes, that he had gained his
+Victoria Cross&mdash;the same priceless bit of bronze that young Roberts had
+just died to win; and they felt that to ward off his second blow would
+ask all our energy and cost many useful lives.</p>
+
+<p>The commandoes on our side of the river were extended to keep pace with
+the enemy's movements on the other. The distance between the different
+laagers lengthened considerably, and a <a name="Page_33" id="Page_33" />speedy and certain method of
+communication soon became a necessity. To obtain this use was made of
+the vibrator, an instrument so sensitive that the most faulty line will
+carry sufficient electricity to work it. Having received orders to
+accompany the construction party, I said good-bye to my comfortable
+quarters, and found myself in the veld once again.</p>
+
+<p>While the two waggons loaded with wire, etc., went on by road we struck
+across country, myself on horseback, a vibrator strapped to the saddle,
+the others on foot. Half a dozen Kafirs accompanied us, carrying rolls
+of &quot;cable,&quot; wire about the thickness of the lead in a pencil and covered
+with gutta percha. A wooden &quot;saddle&quot; holding one roll of wire was
+strapped on the back of one of the natives, one end of the wire joined
+up to the instrument in the office; the native marched forward, the wire
+unrolling as he went, and the other boys placing stones upon it here and
+there in order to prevent its being dragged about by cattle. In this
+manner we went forward, establishing an office at every laager on the
+way, with the result that every commando was always fully informed as to
+the situation of all the others, and the enemy's every movement
+immediately known to the entire forces, enabling reinforcements to be
+sent anywhere at any time.</p>
+
+<p><a name="Page_34" id="Page_34" />This system was an easy one to learn, and it has been said that some of
+our generals became so fond of it that the slightest movement of the
+enemy was the signal for a request for reinforcements. This is, no
+doubt, a frivolous exaggeration.</p>
+
+<p>The first day of laying the cable we had gone about fifteen miles, when
+communication with the office suddenly ceased. Telling the others to go
+on, I turned back and carefully tested the line, eventually finding the
+fault at sundown. Reporting my whereabouts to the office, I was ordered
+to follow the working party as rapidly as possible, the chief adding
+that it was especially desired to have communication the same night with
+the Standerton laager, where the others would have arrived by this time.
+I therefore pushed on, following the wire. It was pretty dark when I
+reached the foot of a mountain. Right across the cable led me&mdash;rather a
+difficult matter tracing it in the dark&mdash;but at last an open plain on
+the other side was reached; a few miles further I found one of our men
+stretched out in the grass by the side of the cable.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Where's the Standerton laager?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;This is where it was. Shifted yesterday; don't know where to. Others
+gone to find out. Got a blanket?&quot;</p>
+
+<p><a name="Page_35" id="Page_35" />I had not. We had no idea where the waggons were. We lay down to
+shiver, not to sleep, for the intense cold made the latter impossible
+and the former obligatory. In the middle of the night we moved round to
+the other side of the antheap, thinking it <i>must</i> be warmer there. But
+it wasn't.</p>
+
+<p>At sunrise the others returned, saying that the Standerton laager had
+moved much higher up, and that the Johannesburg laager was the next on
+the list. They accordingly marched in that direction, laying the cable
+as they went, past precipices and over mountain gorges. I followed on,
+testing and repairing, very tedious work in the burning sun. Fortunately
+I was able to buy a little fresh milk from a native, which refreshed me
+immensely. The waggons were still missing, so we had very little food.</p>
+
+<p>At midnight the cable led me up a high hill, so steep that the pony
+almost fell over backwards as I led him up the face of it. Right on the
+top lived an old native, who, hearing the barking of his dogs, rushed
+out armed with an assegai, ready to defend his eyrie against all comers.
+I persuaded him to take me straight to the Johannesburg laager, where a
+good night's rest made all right again.</p>
+
+<p>The next morning communication was estab<a name="Page_36" id="Page_36" />lished with headquarters, and I
+had the pleasure of eating a decent breakfast with Ben Viljoen, then
+commandant, now general, whose acquaintance I had made during the
+Swaziland expedition.</p>
+
+<p>A fiery politician and a reckless writer, his pet aversions were
+Hollanders and Englishmen, and it was hard to say which he detested the
+most. Brave and straightforward, he was most popular amongst his men,
+but the official, non-fighting, salary-pocketing element bore him no
+love. General in charge of these positions was kind-hearted, energetic
+Tobias Smuts, of Ermelo.</p>
+
+<p>During the night Louis Botha arrived here, accompanied only by his aide
+and his secretary. He, Smuts, their staffs, all slept in one small tent
+on the hard ground, and with hardly room enough to turn round in. Truly
+our chiefs were anything but carpet knights!</p>
+
+<p>For a couple of days my office was under a waggon, then my tent arrived,
+and soon everything was in full swing. One afternoon I was honoured by a
+visit from a Hollander Jew and Transvaal journalist, whose articles had
+more power to sting the Uitlanders than almost anything one could
+mention on the spur of the moment.</p>
+
+<p>We drank tea together and discussed the <a name="Page_37" id="Page_37" />probability of our camp being
+bombarded, standing, as it did, in full view of the hill whereon the
+British cannon had been dragged a few days before. He had just raised
+the cup to his lips when a well-known sound was heard&mdash;the shriek of an
+approaching shell. Nearer and louder it came, till finally&mdash;bang!&mdash;the
+shell burst not a hundred yards away. A young lineman, who had been
+listening with all his soul and ever wider stretching eyes, now gave an
+unearthly yell and almost sprang through the top of the tent, knocking
+over the unhappy journalist and sending the hot tea streaming down his
+neck. The youth's exit was somewhat unceremonious.</p>
+
+<p>The office was hastily removed to the high bank of the adjacent stream.
+Whilst this operation was going on the instrument buzzed out a message
+ordering me to leave immediately for the Spion Kop office. I at once
+said au revoir, handing over to my assistant the charge of the office,
+river bank and all, as well as the task of dodging the shells, which
+continued to fall around.</p>
+
+<p>Riding along the steep bank for about two hundred yards, I found a
+footpath leading down one side and up the other. No sooner had I started
+down this than I heard a loud explosion. It did not sound quite so near,
+but on gaining the opposite bank I saw floating over the spot <a name="Page_38" id="Page_38" />just
+quitted by me a small cloud of smoke, showing that a shell had been
+fired at me with marvellous accuracy. Then a couple burst near the
+general's tent, and the laager was immediately shifted behind the hill.</p>
+
+<p>I reached Spion Kop, took charge of the office, and was kept so busy
+that for a week there was no time to have a decent wash.</p>
+
+<p>The hill next ours was daily bombarded with the utmost enthusiasm,
+shells falling there at the rate of fully sixty a minute, while we
+escaped with only an occasional bomb. Looking down upon the plain before
+us, we could see the British regiments drilling on the bank of the
+river, about two thousand yards away, probably to draw our fire, but in
+vain was the net spread.</p>
+
+<p>The ground of operations was somewhat extensive. For some days the
+enemy's infantry had been harassing our right wing, attacking every day,
+and drawing a little nearer every night. Louis Botha was almost
+continually present at this point, only coming into camp now and then
+for a few hours' sleep.</p>
+
+<p>One evening his secretary said to me, with genuine emotion, &quot;It has all
+been in vain! Our men are worn out. They can do no more!&quot;</p>
+
+<p>He was a Hollander, and also a gentleman; that is to say, he was not one
+of those Hollanders <a name="Page_39" id="Page_39" />who lived on the fat of the land, and then turned
+against us in our adversity; rather was he of the rarer stamp of Coster,
+who glorified his mother country by nobly dying for that of his
+adoption.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Cheer up!&quot; I replied. &quot;There are other hills.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;To-morrow will tell,&quot; he said, as he bade me good-night.</p>
+
+<p>And the morrow did. In the grey dawn two hatless and bootless young men
+came stumbling down into the laager.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;The British have taken the hill!&quot;</p>
+
+<p>Startled, we gazed at Spion Kop's top&mdash;only five hundred yards away, but
+invisible, covered by the thick mist as with a veil. The enemy were
+there, we knew it; they could not see us as yet, but the mist would soon
+clear away, and then....</p>
+
+<p>Our guns were rapidly trained on the spot, our men placed in position,
+and we waited.</p>
+
+<p>I ran into the tent to telegraph the news to Colenso. No reply to my
+hasty call. The wire is cut!</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Go at once,&quot; said the chief, &quot;and repair the line.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>As I rode off the mist cleared, and a few minutes later the fight had
+begun. The cable ran about a thousand yards behind our firing line, and
+as I went along, my eyes fixed on the <a name="Page_40" id="Page_40" />wire, the noise of the battle
+sounded in my ears like the roar of a prairie fire. Jagged pieces of
+shell came whizzing past, shrieking like vampires in their hunt for
+human flesh.</p>
+
+<p>Searching carefully for the fault, my progress was slow, and it was
+afternoon when the Johannesburg laager was reached. Here I found a
+despatch-rider, who said that reinforcements had arrived at Spion Kop
+early in the morning, that our men had immediately climbed the hill, and
+that, the issue being very, uncertain, we might have to retreat during
+the night.</p>
+
+<p>The line was still interrupted, although I had repaired several faults.
+I accordingly rode back to Spion Kop early the next morning. When I
+entered the laager it was to find that all the waggons had already
+retreated, and the tents standing deserted. Not quite deserted, for in
+one of them half a dozen bodies were lying. The enemy had unexpectedly
+retired during the night, and the entire commando was now on the hill,
+gazing at the plentiful harvest reaped by our Nordenfeldts. Thither I
+also went.</p>
+
+<p>British ambulance men were busy collecting corpses. It was a mournful
+sight; it seemed to me as if war really meant nothing else than
+butchering men like sheep, quietly, methodically, and without any pomp
+or circumstance.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;<a name="Page_41" id="Page_41" />A sad sight!&quot; I remarked to the British chaplain.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;They only did their duty,&quot; was his unfeeling reply. Duty! Is it any
+man's duty to kill and be killed without knowing why? For what did these
+poor Lancashire lads know or care about the merits of the war?</p>
+
+<p>&quot;What do you think the confounded English have had the cheek to do?&quot;
+asked a friend. &quot;You know they always keep our wounded as prisoners when
+they get the chance. Well, this morning their ambulance came here and
+coolly carted away all their wounded! Louis Botha says they might have
+asked permission first. I should have turned a Maxim on them!&quot;</p>
+
+<p>We went down to the laager, found the line in order, and wired the news
+of the victory to Pretoria. I had not been able to get into
+communication the day before because the chief had taken a hand in the
+fighting instead of attending to the instrument.</p>
+
+<p>Believing that Warren would make another attempt, this time more to our
+right, we shifted the office a few miles in that direction and pitched
+our tent next to a farmhouse, which was being utilised as a hospital.</p>
+
+
+
+<hr style="width: 65%;" />
+<h2><a name="GLORIOUS_WAR" id="GLORIOUS_WAR" /><a name="Page_42" id="Page_42" />GLORIOUS WAR</h2>
+
+
+<p>Late that evening I heard someone outside the tent asking where the
+hospital was. It was my father. We had no idea of meeting each other
+here, as I had parted from him in Johannesburg before the war began,
+when he had no intention of going to Natal. He himself had been under
+the impression that I was still at Ladysmith.</p>
+
+<p>He told me he had come to see my young cousin, Johannes, who had been
+wounded on Spion Kop the day before. We walked over to the hospital. The
+wounded lad, a frail boy of fifteen, looked terribly exhausted lying
+there on the floor, his left arm completely shattered.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;We were two together,&quot; he said, &quot;myself and another boy. We crept
+closer and closer to one of the small sangars, firing into it as we
+crept, until there was only one Englishman left alive in it. He called
+out 'Water!' and I ran to give him my flask. When I got close to him he
+pointed his gun at me and fired. I sprang aside, and the <a name="Page_43" id="Page_43" />bullet
+ploughed up my arm. My chum then shot him dead. Our doctor was too busy
+with the English officers to attend to me, so I fear I shall lose my
+arm.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>Poor child! his fear was only too well founded. His arm was amputated,
+after which he went to his uncle's farm to recuperate. When the British
+arrived there he would not surrender, but took his gun and went on
+commando. Three days later he was brought in, shot through the lungs.
+That is the last I have been able to hear of him.</p>
+
+<p>A few days after the battle of Spion Kop we moved forward and opened
+another office on our right wing. The British soon after retired from
+the vicinity, and this wing was withdrawn. The office remained, however,
+being utilised by scouts and patrols for the transmission of urgent
+reports.</p>
+
+<p>One day Oberst von Braun called, accompanied by two Boers. I asked him
+what had become of his lieutenant.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Ah, poor von B&mdash;&mdash;!&quot; he said. &quot;The fighting on Spion Kop was almost
+over, and he had just risen and walked forward a few steps, when a
+chance bullet crashed into his forehead, and he fell a corpse.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>This was the same lieutenant who had caused a great sensation in Germany
+a few years before by killing an unarmed civilian in a moment of
+pro<a name="Page_44" id="Page_44" />vocation. It may seem a just retribution that he should have met
+with such a tragic fate, but those who knew him in Natal felt nothing
+but regret for his loss. Oberst von Braun was taken prisoner a few days
+after, and the British reported that his mind was unhinged. This did not
+appear improbable to us, for we knew how much he had been affected by
+the loss of his companion.</p>
+
+<p>I stayed here for three weeks, without much occupation except wasting
+ammunition on turtle doves and hoping that the next patrol would not be
+a British instead of a Boer one.</p>
+
+<p>The deserted houses in the neighbourhood had all been visited in turn by
+both British and Boer patrols, and between the two enormous damage had
+been wrought. It must be pointed out, however, that the mischief done by
+our men was in no way authorised&mdash;was, in fact, against express orders,
+whereas the British now burn our houses to the joyful fiddling of the
+London <i>Times</i>, and with a righteous unction eminently national.</p>
+
+<p>A small but remarkably severe engagement took place about this time, in
+which a portion of Viljoen's men suffered heavily.</p>
+
+<p>This detachment, about forty in number, was guarding a Nordenfeldt
+stationed in an advanced position on an isolated hill. One afternoon a
+large body of the enemy suddenly attacked the hill. <a name="Page_45" id="Page_45" />Ben Viljoen, who,
+as usual, was on the spot, is not what may be called an excessively
+pious man, but he rose to the occasion and inspired his little band by
+asking them if they did not fear God more than the British. Thus
+encouraged to stand firm, they bravely held the hill till fully half
+their number were killed. There was no hoisting of the white flag,
+however, our men at that time generally preferring almost certain death
+to surrender. This instance was no exception. Every man got out as best
+he could, Commandant Viljoen himself racing out with the gun.</p>
+
+<p>Our cannon now shelled the hill furiously. The British ambulance tried
+to reach our wounded, but the fire was too hot. This bombardment kept on
+for two days, when the enemy retired, whereupon we again took possession
+of the hill. Two or three of our wounded were found to be still alive,
+but with their wounds in a terrible state of putrefaction. Imagine their
+sufferings during those two awful days of heat, thirst, and exposure, to
+say nothing of the shells continually exploding around them. They were
+brought into camp and ultimately recovered. For all I know, they may be
+fighting still. This little affair is known to the British as the battle
+of Vaalkrantz.</p>
+
+<p>When they heard that their son had gone safely through the battle of
+Spion Kop an old Free <a name="Page_46" id="Page_46" />State farmer and his wife came down to pay him a
+visit The son then accompanied his mother home, the old man taking his
+place for a few days. One day some artillerists were engaged in their
+favourite pastime of burning out unexploded lyddite shells, when one of
+the shells burst, killing three men. As fate would have it, the old
+father in question was one of the three.</p>
+
+<p>Another peculiar accident happened on Spion Kop, whilst the rifles of
+the killed and wounded soldiers were being collected. One of the rifles
+lay under a corpse. Seizing the weapon by the muzzle, a young Boer
+attempted to draw it toward him. The charge went off and lodged in his
+stomach, inflicting a fatal wound. The soldier had been killed in the
+act of taking aim, and his finger had stiffened round the trigger. The
+young fellow thus killed by a dead man was the only son of his widowed
+mother.</p>
+
+
+
+<hr style="width: 65%;" />
+<h2><a name="PIETERS_HEIGHTS" id="PIETERS_HEIGHTS" /><a name="Page_47" id="Page_47" />PIETERS' HEIGHTS</h2>
+
+
+<p>When the British retreated from Spion Kop it was to move down to Colenso
+once more. Taking the Boschrand, after a feeble defence, they were
+enabled to command our positions on the other side, and succeeded in
+crossing the Tugela unhindered.</p>
+
+<p>Why we surrendered the river so easily and then defended Pieters'
+Heights so obstinately is explained by the fact that, owing to the
+British advance on Kimberley, the idea had become general that we should
+have to give up Ladysmith in any case, and therefore our men were drawn
+back from the river preparatory to a general retirement. Pieters'
+Heights were held till everything was ready, and then the retirement was
+effected without even an attempt at pursuit by the enemy.</p>
+
+<p>When the Pieters' Heights fighting began I was ordered thither. Going
+through the Klip River, our heavily laden waggon stuck fast. We quickly
+obtained the loan of another span of <a name="Page_48" id="Page_48" />mules and hitched them on in
+front, but the double team only succeeded in breaking the trek-chain.
+There was nothing for it but to outspan and carry the heavy loads up the
+steep bank. At this we toiled till midnight. Too tired to catch the
+mules and haul the waggon out, we went to sleep, leaving that operation
+for the morning.</p>
+
+<p>Before we woke, however, another waggon came along. Finding the road
+blocked by ours, the driver roared at us to clear the way immediately.
+We were not going to rise so early just to please him, so we answered
+him that if he was in a hurry he could pull the waggon out himself. This
+he was obliged to do, in order to get past. We then thanked him, and
+gently told him that if he had addressed us in a decent manner in the
+beginning he would have spared himself all his trouble. We meekly added
+the hope that this little lesson would not be lost upon his wayward
+mind. His remarks cannot be reproduced here, but it was plain that he
+felt very much as little States do sometimes when taken in hand by one
+of the great Powers and subjected to a little kind cruelty.</p>
+
+<p>After reloading the waggon we went on, and reached Pieters in due
+course. The first thing that drew my attention was the sight of one of
+my young colleagues standing under the verandah of <a name="Page_49" id="Page_49" />the telegraph
+office, his face a picture of grief. His father had been killed that
+morning.</p>
+
+<p>Going a few miles further, I took charge of the telegraph office in
+Lukas Meyer's laager. Meyer, a grand-looking man, formerly possessed
+much influence, being at one time President of the New Republic, a State
+founded by himself in a tract of country granted him and his followers
+by a Kafir chief for assistance rendered during an intertribal war. This
+small republic, soon incorporated with the Transvaal, was thenceforth
+represented in the First Volksraad by its former president, Louis Botha
+becoming its member for the Second Chamber. At the battle of Dundee
+Botha distinguished himself. Meyer did not. Then the former gained fresh
+laurels at Colenso, and this finally gave him the precedence over Meyer,
+General Joubert himself, on his death-bed, expressly asking that Botha
+should be appointed his successor. Meyer, then, was in charge of this
+laager, Botha had command of the whole line, and Commandant General
+Joubert was at headquarters near Ladysmith.</p>
+
+<p>Daily the British regiments stormed, and daily they melted away before
+the fire of our men. The stench arising from the unburied corpses soon
+made the whole hill reek. The British asked for an armistice to bury
+their dead, and <a name="Page_50" id="Page_50" />this was granted by the commandant to whom the request
+was made. When Botha heard of this he at once informed the enemy that
+the matter had been arranged without his knowledge, and that he could
+grant no armistice. I think this is the only case on record where an
+armistice has ever been refused by us, although armistices were asked
+for many times by the British.</p>
+
+<p>The combatants, who during the interval had been chatting together most
+amicably, were quickly recalled to their respective positions, and the
+slaughter recommenced, continuing until one fine afternoon the enemy
+took the Krugersdorp commando's position, thus rendering our whole line
+untenable. A council of war was immediately called, to take place that
+evening, as it was impossible for our officers to leave the shelter of
+their trenches during daylight.</p>
+
+<p>Soon after sunset the various officers began to arrive. First came
+riding into camp, alone and unnoticed in the darkness, that
+incomprehensible man, Schalk Burger, now Acting President. He entered
+the tent moodily, nodded to us, and squatted down in the corner,
+absorbed in thought. My colleague and I were just making a meal of
+coffee and biscuit. We expressed our regret that we had no chair to
+offer him, asking him <a name="Page_51" id="Page_51" />to accept a cup of coffee instead. This he did,
+in silence. Silence was his strong point.</p>
+
+<p>Masterful Lukas Meyer next entered, and after him came the pride of the
+army, Louis Botha, soldier and gentleman, followed by several officers.
+A general council of war was now held, General Joubert being consulted
+by telegraph throughout the discussion. There was no sleep that night
+for the telegraphists who had to transmit the queries and replies to and
+from headquarters.</p>
+
+<p>When the discussion was at its height, information was received that the
+Johannesburg laager was surrounded by the enemy. This laager now
+constituted our right wing. This intelligence was soon contradicted, but
+not before it had exercised a considerable influence upon the decision
+arrived at, which was to abandon Ladysmith. The minutes of this council
+of war, could they be published, would probably make most interesting
+reading, and be of great value to the impartial historian.</p>
+
+<p>At two in the morning we inspanned; at sunrise we were over Klipriver
+and trekking past Ladysmith.</p>
+
+<p>The road was one long string of waggons, each straggling on at the
+pleasure of its owner. Horses, thanks to the criminal neglect of those
+responsible, were already becoming scarce, and groups of men, many of
+them wounded, sadly stumbled along, <a name="Page_52" id="Page_52" />carrying their unwieldy bundles of
+blankets, their little kettles, their knapsack, rifle and bandolier.
+Some trudged along with a saddle slung over the back, hoping to loot a
+mount by the wayside.</p>
+
+<p>We did not travel far that day, but the next the march became more
+rapid, every vehicle putting its best wheel foremost. A heavy rain fell
+as Elandslaagte was reached, adding to the general depression. Whilst
+the majority kept to the road, those who had no other means of
+conveyance entrained here for Glencoe. The commissariat stores were
+being hastily cleared out, what could not be loaded being set alight.
+The last train that left that evening carried the dynamiters, who
+destroyed the bridges after passing over them.</p>
+
+<p>After a weary ride in the open trucks, seated on sacks of bread, a
+drizzling rain soaking down upon us, we reached Glencoe. The platform
+and station buildings were crowded with the sleeping forms of the weary
+burghers, who, as yet unused to retreating, were somewhat mixed in more
+senses than one. Louis Botha was still near Ladysmith with the
+rearguard, most of the other chiefs were coming by road, and there was
+no one on the spot to back up General Joubert in his attempts to
+reorganise the confused and ever-growing mass of undisciplined men. The
+retreat, in fact, threatened to degenerate into a reckless flight.</p>
+
+
+
+<hr style="width: 65%;" />
+<h2><a name="GLENCOE" id="GLENCOE" /><a name="Page_53" id="Page_53" />GLENCOE</h2>
+
+
+<p>President Kruger had been informed A of the chaotic state of affairs,
+and arrived at Glencoe early the next morning. The burghers were called
+together, and the President, leaning out of the window of his railway
+carriage, asked them to join him in singing a psalm. He then offered up
+a fervent prayer for guidance, after which he addressed the burghers,
+reproaching them for their want of confidence in an all-powerful
+Providence, and exhorting them to take courage afresh and continue the
+struggle for the sake of their posterity, which one day would judge
+their acts.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Whither would you flee?&quot; he asked us. &quot;The enemy will pursue you, and
+tear you from the arms of your wives. The man who surrenders takes the
+first step into exile. Brothers! Stand firm, and you will not be
+forsaken!&quot;</p>
+
+<p>As the father of his people spoke, the doubts and fears that had filled
+the breasts of the multitude disappeared. Forgotten were the days and
+weeks of hunger, heat, and thirst; forgotten the ghastly shrapnel
+showers, the soul-crushing crash <a name="Page_54" id="Page_54" />of the awful lyddite shell, the
+unnerving possibility of sudden death that for months had darkly loomed
+across their lives, and every man felt the glorious fires of patriotism
+rekindle in his bosom.</p>
+
+<p>Then General Joubert spoke.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;If I be the stumbling-block in the way of our success, then I pray God
+to remove me,&quot; was the humble prayer of the warrior grown grey in wars,
+who now found himself too feeble to direct the forces with his wonted
+vigour. He then reminded us of brave deeds done in the past, and
+expressed his confidence in the future, provided we did not lose heart.</p>
+
+<p>When the General had finished, he sent officers round to marshal the men
+into some sort of order. It was wonderful to see the change in the
+spirit of the burghers. Where but a moment before had been disheartened
+mutterings and sulky looks were now smiling faces and cheerful
+conversation. With alacrity the men came forward, gave their names, and
+that of their respective commandoes, and took in the positions assigned
+them. The danger was past. Even the news of Cronj&eacute;'s surrender, which
+was soon after made public, did not have more than a transient effect.
+The anxiety as to his fate had been so keen that even to know the worst
+was a relief.</p>
+
+<p><a name="Page_55" id="Page_55" />For two disquieting days, however, nothing was heard of the rearguard.
+To our relief it turned up on the third day. Several weeks of quiet
+followed, the British resting after their giant efforts, whilst we
+prepared to stem their further advance when it should take place. During
+this period of inaction on the part of the enemy I was sent down into
+Zululand, and stationed at a small spot named Nqutu, near Isandhlwana,
+Rorke's Drift, Blood River, and other scenes of stirring battles fought
+in former days. At Rorke's Drift could be seen, in good repair, the
+graves of the gallant men who fell in defending the passage through the
+river against the Zulus after the British disaster at Isandhlwana.</p>
+
+<p>While at Nqutu we received news of the fall of Bloemfontein and the
+death of General Joubert, as well as of De Wet's victory at Sanna's
+Post, the latter the only bright gleam that relieved the daily darkening
+horizon of our future.</p>
+
+<p>I now obtained a few days' leave of absence. My substitute left Glencoe
+early in the morning, accompanied by a mule waggon. The trolley duly
+arrived at sundown, but the substitute was absent. It appeared he had
+taken a short cut, as he thought, and had not been seen since. Bethune's
+mounted infantry was hanging about the neighbourhood, and we feared he
+might have been <a name="Page_56" id="Page_56" />raked in. At midnight, however, he made his appearance,
+wet to the skin, after wandering to and fro in the chilly mist for
+hours. I immediately handed the books and cash over to him, and went to
+bed till four o'clock, when I saddled my horse and started for Glencoe,
+on leave and on my way home. Carefully nursing my mount, I reached
+Dundee at noon. After a short rest we went on, and reached Glencoe at
+one o'clock, none the worse for the morning's ride of almost fifty
+miles.</p>
+
+<p>Here I learnt that a plan was afoot to attack the British camp at
+Elandslaagte, which lay quite open and unprotected, as if it were part
+of an Earl's Court exhibition. When I left by train next morning our
+guns were already in action.</p>
+
+<p>Not being pushed home, however, the attack did not amount to much,
+except for its moral effect upon our men. It also gave the enemy the
+idea of finding a decent position for his camp.</p>
+
+<p>Travelling with me in the train were several men on their way to the
+Free State, where our forces were being hard pressed. Before leaving I
+had also sent in a request asking to be transferred thither, as Natal
+was becoming really too dull.</p>
+
+<p><a name="Page_57" id="Page_57" />At first sight Johannesburg did not seem much altered, but on driving
+through the deserted streets, all the shops barricaded, and tramway
+idle, the difference between the bustling city of old and this silent
+shadow of its former self was only too evident.</p>
+
+<p>Another difference that thrust itself upon the observation was the
+alteration which had lately taken place in the sentiments of the
+remaining Uitlander inhabitants. These, upon their lavish protestations
+of friendship and fidelity, had been allowed to remain during the war.
+In our triumphs their sympathy was ever with us, but when Cronj&eacute; was
+captured, Ladysmith relieved, and Bloemfontein abandoned, their
+long-latent loyalty to the British Empire became too fervent to be
+restrained within the bounds of decency. &quot;Remnants&quot; of red, white and
+blue were ostentatiously sewn into a distant resemblance of the British
+flag; the parlour piano once more did its often unsatisfactory best with
+the British anthem; mamma's darling received strict injunctions not to
+play with that horrid little Dutch boy next door; and papa, jingling the
+sovereigns he had received in his latest deal with the Government,
+prepared to pat Lord Roberts on the back when he should enter the town.</p>
+
+<p><a name="Page_58" id="Page_58" />But what can one say of those &quot;oprechte<a name="FNanchor_A_1" id="FNanchor_A_1" /><a href="#Footnote_A_1" class="fnanchor">[A]</a> Afrikaners&quot; who followed the
+same procedure? The Smits who became Smith, the Louw that suddenly
+shrank into Lowe (could he sink lower?), the Jansen transformed into
+Johnson, and the Volschenk merged into Foolskunk? What did John Bull
+think of all these precious acquisitions to his family?</p>
+
+<p>In striking contrast was the bearing of some of the numerous
+British-born officials, British-born and with British sympathies, who
+nevertheless faithfully performed their arduous duties until their
+services were no longer needed, and then entered the new r&eacute;gime with
+conscience clear and not without some degree of regret for the old.
+Loyal to the old, they could be loyal to the new. That several of the
+British-born officials had played the despicable part of spy is
+undoubted, but their villainy served but as a foil to show more clearly
+the merits of those who remained honest men.</p>
+
+<p>Before my leave had expired I returned to Natal, weary of miserable
+Johannesburg, and little thinking that I should not see my home again
+for years. Upon reaching Glencoe I found <a name="Page_59" id="Page_59" />a telegram had just arrived,
+granting my request to be sent to the Free State. An hour later I was on
+my way, and the following evening the train landed me at Winburg, where
+a construction party was awaiting my arrival.</p>
+
+<div class="footnotes"><h3>FOOTNOTES:</h3>
+
+<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_A_1" id="Footnote_A_1" /><a href="#FNanchor_A_1"><span class="label">[A]</span></a> <i>Oprechte</i> = thorough.</p></div>
+</div>
+
+
+<hr style="width: 65%;" />
+<h2><a name="THE_FREE_STATE" id="THE_FREE_STATE" /><a name="Page_60" id="Page_60" />THE FREE STATE</h2>
+
+
+<p>Menschvretersberg (Cannibal Mountain), near Thabanchu, was at this time
+the site of the Boer headquarters, and it was our duty to establish
+telegraphic communication between this point and Winburg, a distance of
+about forty miles.</p>
+
+<p>After consideration, the inspector decided that it would take too long
+to lay a cable.</p>
+
+<p>Wire fences had already been utilised in America for short-distance
+telephonic communication, and this system had already been tried at Van
+Reenenspas by ingenious young Bland, of the Free State telegraphs,
+employing, however, the vibrator instead of the telephone. We determined
+to follow his example.</p>
+
+<p>According to the law of the land, every Free State farm has to be
+fenced. Blocks of sandstone, about four feet high and twelve inches
+square, are generally used for fencing uprights. Here, then, were lines
+ready made, and covering the country in every direction like network.</p>
+
+<p><a name="Page_61" id="Page_61" />The only thing necessary to isolate the wire was to walk along the
+fence, cut the cross-bindings connecting the upper wire with the lower
+ones, lay a cable under the gates, and there you were. This did not take
+long, and soon messages were gaily buzzing to and fro over the fence.
+There was naturally a great loss of electricity, but not enough to
+prevent the working of the sensitive little vibrator.</p>
+
+<p>As with the cable in Natal, however, there were frequent interruptions.
+A herd of cattle would knock a few poles over, a burgher hurrying across
+country would simply cut a passage through the fence, or a farmer in
+passing through a gate would notice the cable, dig it up, and take it
+along, swearing it must be dynamite, and that the English were trying to
+explode the Free State with it.</p>
+
+<p>All this necessitated constant repairing, but on the whole the system
+proved fairly satisfactory, allowing the Government in Kroonstad to keep
+in constant touch with the fighting line.</p>
+
+<p>In Natal everything was very quiet; here, on the contrary, the British
+were pushing forward vigorously. General Louis Botha came down from
+Glencoe to aid De Wet, leaving his brother Christian to oppose bulldog
+Buller, or &quot;Red Bull,&quot; as we called him.</p>
+
+<p><a name="Page_62" id="Page_62" />In spite of Louis' presence the enemy continued to gain ground, and it
+was not long before Brandfort had to be given up. The enemy next took
+Thabanchu, and it became clear that our positions at Menschvretersberg
+could not be held much longer. President Steyn himself visited the
+positions, cheering and encouraging the men, but the strain of
+attempting to stem the British advance could no longer be sustained.
+Within a few days we received orders to retire to Lindley.</p>
+
+<p>Retire! But how? We were three, our horses two, our luggage heavy. By a
+stroke of luck we managed to hire a cart and two. Hitching our horses on
+in front, we had a team of four, and the difficulty was solved.</p>
+
+<p>When driving away from the spot where, in the midst of war's alarms, I
+had yet spent some of the happiest hours of my life, I could not help
+looking back long and earnestly at the beautiful homestead, and
+wondering what fate held in store for it and its kind-hearted owner,
+who, always against the war, and weary of sacrifices he deemed useless,
+had determined to remain behind and surrender to the enemy. Like many of
+our best and most progressive men, he had become disgusted with the want
+of discipline in the ranks, and the painful lack of unanimity amongst
+the leaders. Sincere in his convictions, I do not think he could be
+<a name="Page_63" id="Page_63" />blamed for acting up to them. Those who have rightly earned the
+contempt and hatred of every true Afrikander are those Boers who, not
+content with deserting, have gone yet further, and attempted to assist
+the enemy that they were fighting against only the day before. Even
+their new masters must surely despise such willing slaves!</p>
+
+<p>Absorbed in these reflections, I yet had time to notice the approach,
+from the opposite direction, of a Cape cart drawn by six bays.</p>
+
+<p>As the two carts passed each other the team of bays was stopped by a
+vigorous hand, and President Steyn addressed us, force and determination
+stamping every word and gesture.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Good morning! Why are you leaving already? I want communication with
+Kroonstad!&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Good morning, President. We had orders to leave at once, but there is
+an operator in the office still; he will remain till the last moment.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Very well; good-bye!&quot; And off he went, the dust clinging to his long
+brown beard.</p>
+
+<p>We drove on, our four horses trotting merrily along. We were five in the
+vehicle, however, including the driver and his little boy, and presently
+the weight began to tell. After the first halt one of the leaders
+failed.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;He won't make it much further,&quot; said the <a name="Page_64" id="Page_64" />inspector. &quot;Better turn him
+loose and see what can be done with three.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;I have a better plan,&quot; said our other companion. Stopping the cart, he
+unharnessed the animal, passed the rope through its mouth, vaulted on
+its back, and rode to a farmhouse some distance away. Presently he
+returned, bringing another horse, which he had obtained in exchange for
+our exhausted animal.</p>
+
+<p>Thus reinforced, we pushed on, arriving at Senekal at ten that night.
+The only hotel was crowded; we were glad to sleep on the parlour floor.
+After breakfast the next morning we continued our journey, passing group
+after group of burghers on their way home.</p>
+
+<p>It was truly painful to see these poor fellows struggling along, their
+horses scarce able to walk and themselves in a condition not much
+better. At noon we outspanned at some water-pools, where several of
+these groups were also resting. We entered into conversation with them,
+and they told us that they had retired earlier than the others on
+account of the weakness of their animals; that one of their number had
+been taken ill, and could ride no further, even if his horse could carry
+him, which was doubtful.</p>
+
+<p>We spoke to the sick man, who was lying in the shade of a tree. He was
+quite a youth, <a name="Page_65" id="Page_65" />and evidently of a better stamp than his companions.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;If only I could reach a certain farm about five miles further on,&quot; he
+sighed, &quot;I think I should manage.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Take my seat,&quot; said I, &quot;and I'll ride your nag.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;I must tell you,&quot; he objected, &quot;that the poor beast is quite exhausted.
+It would take hours to get him there.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Never mind, I'll start now, and you can follow on with the cart when
+our horses have had a feed.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>Our business admitted of no retard, so I meant to get a good start in
+order not to delay my companions.</p>
+
+<p>I mounted the nag and shouted &quot;Get up!&quot;</p>
+
+<p>He stumbled forward a few steps and stood stock still. I pricked him
+with the spurs, he moved on a little further and halted again. By dint
+of spurring, striking, and shouting, he at last broke into a slow trot,
+wearily dragging his hoofs, but before long he stopped once more.</p>
+
+<p>I dismounted and tried to lead him, but he would not budge. Then I tried
+driving him on ahead, but as soon as I got behind him he turned out of
+the road, first to the right, then to the left. Of all heart-breaking
+experiences this was the <a name="Page_66" id="Page_66" />worst. I could not leave the animal to die by
+the wayside; the farm was only a few miles further on, where he would
+find water, food, and rest. I mounted again, shouted, cracked my
+sjambok&mdash;blows he could no longer feel&mdash;flourished my arms, jerked my
+body up and down in the saddle, and finally got him into a walk&mdash;but
+such a walk! slow, mechanical, every step an effort.</p>
+
+<p>When we finally reached the farmhouse I sprang down and quickly threw
+the saddle off. No sooner did the faithful animal feel itself released
+from its service than it sank to the ground, utterly exhausted. I myself
+was not much better off, after my exertions in the blazing sun. If you
+are fond of horses, never try to repeat my experiment. Straining the
+last ounce out of your mount is too much like mule-driving, and that is
+the most soul-killing occupation on earth, as any Afrikander can
+testify.</p>
+
+<p>The cart was waiting for me here. We bade adieu to the sick man, and
+drove on. Towards sunset we overtook a man struggling along on foot,
+carrying a heavy saddle on his head. He signalled to us to stop, and
+came panting up to the side of the cart.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;My horse died this morning,&quot; he said, &quot;and I've been carrying this
+saddle all day. Can't you load it up for me as far as Lindley?&quot;</p>
+
+<p><a name="Page_67" id="Page_67" />The man looked so thoroughly done up that I felt sorry for him.
+Besides, I wanted to stretch my legs a bit, so I said that he could take
+my seat, and I started off on foot while they were strapping fast the
+saddle. The exercise was so agreeable in the fresh evening air that I
+continued it, and kept ahead of the cart until we reached Lindley. We
+went to the hotel, had a good dinner, and then to bed.</p>
+
+
+
+<hr style="width: 65%;" />
+<h2><a name="LINDLEY_TO_HEILBRON" id="LINDLEY_TO_HEILBRON" /><a name="Page_68" id="Page_68" />LINDLEY TO HEILBRON</h2>
+
+
+<p>Lindley and Heilbron were each in telegraphic communication with all the
+other towns still in our possession, and consequently also with each
+other; but no telegraph line ran between the two. A message from one to
+the other had to travel <i>vi&acirc;</i> Johannesburg and Kroonstad, involving a
+delay of several hours. It was our task to make good this missing link.
+Haste was required, for the British were already marching on Kroonstad,
+whence the Government was preparing to retire, ostensibly to Lindley,
+but in reality to Heilbron.</p>
+
+<p>Unfortunately the material wherewith the new line was to be built had
+not yet arrived from the Transvaal. The inspector decided not to wait,
+but to build the line without it.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Build a line without material? Impossible,&quot; you say. Not at all. You
+forget the fences; we did not.</p>
+
+<p>Our first care was to obtain a list of those farms along the road whose
+fences joined. This did not take many hours. Being joined here by a
+line<a name="Page_69" id="Page_69" />man, who had charge of half a dozen natives and a waggon, we loaded
+our luggage on the latter, as well as a sack or two of meal&mdash;the only
+foodstuff we could obtain, and began work, each armed with a spanner and
+a couple of iron tent-pegs.</p>
+
+<p>The fences were in bad repair, many of the stone poles having fallen
+down and the wires being broken and tangled every few hundred yards.
+Lifting the heavy stones and repairing and untangling the barbed wire
+was unaccustomed work, and soon our hands were covered with cuts and
+bruises. The distance by road between the two points is only about forty
+miles, but owing to the fences running at all angles to each other we
+had about seventy miles to cover. This it took us a week to do, rising
+early, working all through the day, and continuing in the moonlight at
+night. By buying a couple of sheep to supplement the bags of meal, and
+drinking a gall-like imitation coffee brewed from barley, we managed to
+fare well enough, and better than thousands of others are faring to-day.</p>
+
+<p>Our communication with the starting-point continued fairly good until we
+came within six miles of Heilbron, when it suddenly failed. I went back
+along the line, and eventually found the fault. After having repaired it
+and given my pony an hour's rest, I took a short cut for <a name="Page_70" id="Page_70" />Heilbron, and
+arrived there at ten that night, only to find that during the time
+occupied by my return ride the wire had again stopped working. Having
+been in the saddle since six in the morning, I could do no more that
+night, although the Government, now installed here, was anxiously
+awaiting the resumption of communication. Early the next morning I
+started back. I considered it best to start testing from the middle of
+the line, and therefore went by road instead of following the fence. A
+few miles out of town I met De Wet's force, which was just retreating
+from Ventersburg. The men and animals were weary and dusty, but there
+was no depression noticeable; hope seemed to spring up afresh after
+every defeat, and those who thought of the result at all were confident
+that, as the song of the camp had it, &quot;No Englishman shall ever cross
+the Vaal.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>And now I shall try and draw you a picture of what I saw next. It was a
+scene painfully humiliating for a Boer; what it was for an Englishman I
+leave you to judge.</p>
+
+<p>Coming along in the dusty road was a little drove of cattle and horses,
+about twenty in all, shaggy animals, and of all sizes, evidently the
+entire stock of some small farmer. Mounted astride on ponies, driving
+the sorry herd, their <a name="Page_71" id="Page_71" />faces sunburnt, their hair all in a tangle, and
+their air the most dejected possible, were two young girls of about
+fifteen and seventeen years. Following them was a rickety old waggon.
+Under the hood sat an aged man and his wife, the parents of the two
+girls. Not a soul to help these poor creatures in their wild flight.
+They did not even know whither they were fleeing&mdash;anywhere to keep out
+of the hands of the enemy. Slowly the little caravan passed out of
+sight. Who can tell what regrets for the past were felt by the aged
+couple?&mdash;what hopes for the future by the helpless lasses?</p>
+
+<p>When I reached the intermediate station I found that the fault lay on
+the Lindley side. Towards Lindley I rode, testing the line frequently,
+but the sun went down and I was still testing. It grew too dark to see
+the wire distinctly, so I made for a farmhouse near by to seek shelter
+for the night. I knocked at the door, whereupon the light within was
+immediately extinguished. A minute or so after a native servant came
+round from the back. I gave him my horse to take to the stable, and
+waited for the door to be opened. Presently the Kafir returned and asked
+me to follow him to a side door, which he opened for me. I stepped
+inside, and found myself in the presence of about a dozen Boers, all
+armed, <a name="Page_72" id="Page_72" />and all gazing at me as if they had paid for the privilege.
+There was something tense in the situation.</p>
+
+<p>I broke the ice by asking them if they took me for a ghost. As soon as
+they heard me speak in Dutch the fixed stare gave way to a general grin.
+Then they explained, with a sigh of relief, that the zealous servant had
+told them with bated breath that I was a bold, bad Englishman, whereupon
+they had made the above preparations for receiving me. I did not fail to
+curse the native's stupidity, after which we sat down to a plentiful
+dinner. When this was over the mistress of the house made us a large bed
+on the floor, and soon my strange bedfellows and myself were slumbering
+like a lot of little cherubs.</p>
+
+<p>Leaving early the next morning, I followed the line without any success
+until within four miles of Lindley. Then I noticed a long column of
+vehicles and cavalry trekking over the hill to my right and towards the
+town. Presently an old Boer came driving by.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Do you know what that is?&quot; he asked, pointing to the column.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;No.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;English.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>I observed the column attentively. Yes, he was right. The mystery was
+explained. Naturally <a name="Page_73" id="Page_73" />enough we could not get into communication with
+the town when it was already occupied by the enemy. The British had
+heard that the Government was in Lindley, and had therefore made this
+sudden march, whilst we believed them to be still in Kroonstad. It was
+most important that the President should know the news immediately. I at
+once attached the vibrator to the line and called up Heilbron.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Here Heilbron.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Here P. The English are in Lindley.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;What!&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;The English are in Lindley.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Impossible.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Please tell the President what I say.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>Silence. Presently the reply came&mdash;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Here Postmaster-General. The President says impossible. Enemy still in
+Kroonstad.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Not much! Here they are, before my eyes. Please believe that there is
+no mistake.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Wait a bit.&quot; Then, &quot;Where is Piet De Wet?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Probably cut off, and on the other side of the town.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Can you remain there for a while?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Yes.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>After a while, &quot;You may return now.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Had I not better remain and watch their movements?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;<a name="Page_74" id="Page_74" />Yes, do so.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>I remained in the neighbourhood that night and the next morning, but the
+enemy lay quiet in Lindley, so I returned to Heilbron.</p>
+
+<p>When I reported myself to the Postmaster-General, he said&mdash;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;The President wants to see you.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>I thought I was going to get into a scrape for not having been able to
+report anything further. However, I followed the Chief to a small
+building a few doors lower down the street.</p>
+
+<p>Entering, we found ourselves in a fairly roomy office, where two or
+three gentlemen were engaged in an earnest discussion. After being
+introduced to them I was taken into an inner office. Seated at a table,
+writing, was President Steyn.</p>
+
+<p>Although attired in plain black, like any other lawyer, there was a
+dignity in his bearing, and a force of character in his manner, that
+could not fail to make an impression on my mind, young as I was.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Well,&quot; he said, calling me by name, &quot;where do you come from?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>My embarrassment was so great, in spite of the friendly smile that
+accompanied these words, that I could only stammer&mdash;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;From Winburg, President,&quot; alluding to the last time I had seen him.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;<a name="Page_75" id="Page_75" />No, no! I mean to-day.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Oh, from Lindley. But I could not find out much more. Some think their
+next move will be towards Bethlehem, others think they are coming on
+here.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Ah! Well, I know now that your information was correct, and I am
+satisfied with your work. I hope you will continue to be so successful.
+Now, go out there again, see what they are doing, and report to me.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Thank you, President,&quot; was all I could say, as he shook my hand, and I
+retired, highly gratified, as you may imagine.</p>
+
+
+
+<hr style="width: 65%;" />
+<h2><a name="VELD_INCIDENTS" id="VELD_INCIDENTS" /><a name="Page_76" id="Page_76" />VELD INCIDENTS</h2>
+
+
+<p>My first thought was that my pony would have to be shod before I could
+expect him to carry me any further. I found Judge Hertzog, then Chief of
+Commissariat, in the street, a young man still, of medium height, whose
+clear brow and incisive speech marked him out from amongst the crowd of
+farmers, policemen, and idlers that constantly surrounded him with
+requests for this, that, or the other lacking article or animal.</p>
+
+<p>He gave me an order to have my pony shod before all the others, a very
+important stipulation, for the ambulance horses had been waiting to be
+shod for a week. He added that he would supply us with other horses, but
+there were none to be bought. I told him I knew of a farmer who had a
+horse for sale at eighty pounds.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Yes, he asks us eighty, and presently the enemy will come along and
+take it for nothing,&quot; replied Hertzog.</p>
+
+<p>I went to the blacksmith and handed him the order.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;<a name="Page_77" id="Page_77" />Yes, everybody wants to be first,&quot; said that worthy; &quot;but first come
+first served, says I.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;But this is for special service.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Can't help that.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Do you mean to disobey the orders of the Government?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Oh, no, not I! But I have no nails; may have some in a day or two.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Whose are those you are using now?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;They belong to the despatch riders' corps.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>I at once sought out the captain of the corps and persuaded him to count
+me out thirty nails. I then returned to the smith and held a candle for
+him whilst he shoed my horse. When I led the animal away I found that it
+was lame.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;That's nothing,&quot; said the smith. &quot;It will soon pass.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Oh, no. Just pull that shoe off and put it on again.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>This he did, and then the lameness disappeared. I took the animal to the
+stable, filled the crib with fodder, overhauled the vibrator, packed my
+saddle-bags, and went to bed.</p>
+
+<p>Early the next morning I started, making straight for the intermediate
+station.</p>
+
+<p>After three hours' riding I met a mounted policeman riding at full
+speed, or the best imitation of it that his mount could produce. &quot;The
+English are <a name="Page_78" id="Page_78" />coming!&quot; was all he uttered as he passed by. When I reached
+the farmhouse I heard shots falling just beyond the hill. The womenfolk
+on the farm were in a pitiful state of distress. They had ornamented the
+roof of the house with a white flag, following the custom then
+prevailing in those parts threatened by the enemy.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;They've been fighting all the morning,&quot; they said, wiping their eyes,
+&quot;and now our men are retreating. Whatever will become of us?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>I stabled my horse, walked to the fence, attached the vibrator, and
+called up Heilbron. No reply. The line was down again!</p>
+
+<p>This discovery put me into a pretty bad temper. Presently about a dozen
+Boers came galloping along from the fighting line. On seeing me, the
+leader reined in and shouted&mdash;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;What the devil is this? What are you doing here?&quot; He took me for an
+Englishman, and thought this a good opportunity to gain distinction.
+Thoroughly roused by his bullying tone, I retorted&mdash;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;And who the devil are you? And where the devil are you running away to
+in such a hurry?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>Taken aback, he faltered&mdash;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Oh, I have orders from my commandant, which I must keep secret.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Yes, I know your kind of orders. Get away, <a name="Page_79" id="Page_79" />and don't interfere with
+men who are doing their duty.&quot; The band thereupon cleared off. Then a
+despatch rider came dashing up, his splendid black entire specked with
+foam.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;I have an urgent despatch for the Government,&quot; he said, after we had
+made ourselves known to each other, &quot;but my mount is about done up after
+all the riding about I have done away on our left.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Give it me,&quot; I said; &quot;I'll repair the line and send it through.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>He handed me the message, and we walked over to the farmhouse. Whilst we
+were drinking a cup of coffee crowds of burghers rode past in retreat.
+Nearly every one stopped and asked for a glass of milk, a loaf of bread,
+or a few eggs. Their wants were supplied as far as possible. In every
+case money was offered, and in every case it was refused.</p>
+
+<p>With the despatch in my pocket I could not delay, so I took my nag and
+rode back along the fence. The very first test I made I found the line
+in order again. I transmitted the despatch, adding that there was
+nothing to stop the enemy from taking Heilbron that night. This news
+caused some consternation, as may be imagined, and the Government left
+Heilbron immediately.</p>
+
+<p>When I had finished I saw coming towards me a young Free Stater, who had
+been sent out from <a name="Page_80" id="Page_80" />Heilbron to remove the fault, which he had succeeded
+in doing.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Let's go back to the farmhouse after sunset,&quot; I said, &quot;and see if the
+British are there already.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Right!&quot;</p>
+
+<p>We waited till dark, and then carefully rode to the farm, making as
+little noise as possible. When near the house we dismounted, cautiously
+approached, and peered through a window. Everything was quiet. We
+knocked. The housewife opened the door, pale and agitated.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;They have not been here yet?&quot; I asked.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;No, but we expect them every minute.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>We brought our horses into the yard, so as to be at hand, and entered
+the house.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Your husband is not back yet?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;No, but they say he is safe.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>The door opened noiselessly, and the man himself stood before us. He had
+also taken a look through the window before entering. He placed his gun
+in a corner, kissed his wife and children, and shook hands with us.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;We've had a hard day;&quot; he said, &quot;let's go in to supper.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>After the meal, even more silent than is habitual amongst us, where
+talking at table is almost as bad form as making a joke with a minister
+would be in Sloper's Scotland, our <a name="Page_81" id="Page_81" />host told us that the English had
+camped on the spot where they had fought, and that he did not think they
+would march till daylight. It was best for us to sleep there that night,
+and leave with him before dawn.</p>
+
+<p>We agreed.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Father, can I go too?&quot; asked his son, aged thirteen.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;No, my boy, you must stay and help mother to manage the farm. It will
+be a long while ere father returns.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Oh, father! I'm too old to stay in the house, like an old woman.
+Besides, I'm afraid they will make me prisoner.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Do you think they catch children like him?&quot; his mother asked anxiously.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;No, I don't think they are so cruel,&quot; I replied; &quot;but one can never
+tell.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Well, they won't get the chance,&quot; said the plucky little fellow. &quot;As
+soon as I see them coming, I shall take my mare and go and hide in the
+hills.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>The mother did not say anything. She bore up bravely, as our women ever
+do, Heaven bless them! Was it not but some ten miles from this very spot
+that years before a handful of our pioneers had gained the victory at
+Vecht Kop, when the women loaded the guns and <a name="Page_82" id="Page_82" />handed them to the men as
+the latter unflinchingly beat back the tremendous horde of maddened
+blacks that flung themselves against the hastily drawn circle of
+waggons. Does not one old lady still bear the scars of the nineteen
+stabs she received on that day? Our women are women indeed, and worthy
+mothers of the race that yet shall people all Africa and rule itself.</p>
+
+<p>Do not think I am flying too high. The average Boer family numbers ten
+children. Boys are in the majority. If at present we have thirty
+thousand warriors (I am not counting the wasters), it follows that in
+two generations we shall have three hundred thousand. Taking the
+proportion then, as now, of ten to one, Britain will have to employ
+against us in 1940 no less than three million men! And when that time
+comes, the children of to-day will have the recollection of the
+concentration camps and of a few other little trifles to strengthen
+their backbone.</p>
+
+<p>The concentration camps! Fit subject for Dante, who in the <i>Divina
+Comedia</i> portrays as no other can the maddened heart of a father doomed
+to see his children waste away before his very eyes. There are many
+relentless Ugolins among the Boers to-day.</p>
+
+<p>I firmly believe that a steady process of infanticide was never intended
+to be the <i>raison d'&ecirc;tre</i> of <a name="Page_83" id="Page_83" />these camps; no civilised nation could
+deliberately sanction a system cemented with the bones and blood of
+innocent babes. And the British are a civilised nation.</p>
+
+<p>No, the fault does not lie in the system itself, but in its application.
+It is a humane idea carried out inhumanely, so inhumanely that when the
+Black Hole of Calcutta is forgotten Englishmen will still hang their
+heads for shame at the mention of concentration.</p>
+
+<p>What the Levite concubine's outraged flesh was to Israel the infant
+mortality is to the Afrikanders of the Cape and Natal, who, a hundred
+thousand strong, may at any moment lose their self-control and throw in
+their lot with their brethren. Then Britain will tear the bandage from
+her eyes, but it will be too late.</p>
+
+<p>Let me remind Canon Knox-Little, and those other divines who can
+complacently view the children's Golgotha, of the words of their Master:
+&quot;<i>But whoso shall offend one of these little ones, it were better that a
+millstone were hanged about his neck, and he were drowned in the depth
+of the sea.</i>&quot;</p>
+
+<p>But to return. After the usual reading of the Gospel, we retired for the
+night. Our sleep, however, was none too secure. At about two o'clock the
+dogs set up a terrible howling. My heart beat loudly. We were in for it
+now! But <a name="Page_84" id="Page_84" />no, it was only the farmer's son, who came to tell us to get
+ready.</p>
+
+<p>We rose at once. Our host said a long good-bye to his wife and children,
+and we rode away in the misty night, a keen wind cutting through flesh
+and bone.</p>
+
+<p>After a very long hour we reached the house of our guide's brother.</p>
+
+<p>We got in without awakening the inmates, and entered a small bedroom,
+where two young men were lying asleep. They woke on hearing us move
+about, and struck a match.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Good morning,&quot; I said; &quot;rather early, isn't it?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Yes,&quot; they replied, waiting for me to explain. I kept quiet, however,
+and watched the expression on their faces gradually change from surprise
+to uneasiness, and from uneasiness to alarm. Then I briefly explained
+the situation to the young men, after which we went to sleep in our
+chairs till daybreak, when the servant entered with the morning coffee.</p>
+
+<p>Our guide took us into the parlour and introduced us to his
+sister-in-law. He then left to rejoin his commando.</p>
+
+<p>We stayed to breakfast, and then also left, making for Heilbron, but not
+feeling quite sure as to whether we should reach it before the enemy.
+After travelling a couple of hours we <a name="Page_85" id="Page_85" />observed half a dozen horsemen
+appear against the skyline on our left. From the way they were spread
+out we judged them to be English. To make sure we rode a little nearer.
+On coming round one of the numerous undulating <i>bulten</i>, we saw three
+horsemen making for us at full speed. We at once wheeled round and took
+up a position behind some rocks. When the horsemen came closer we found
+that they were Boers. They told us, however, that the men first observed
+by us were really British, which accounted for their haste, and that the
+whole column was following just behind.</p>
+
+<p>Now that we had located the enemy we felt more at ease. The scouts were
+riding near the road along which the wire ran, about seven miles from
+the town. Cutting across in plain sight of the enemy, we fixed the
+vibrator to the fence, and called up Heilbron. We heard the instruments
+working in the office, but got no reply to our hurried call. The scouts
+were about fifteen hundred yards away. We continued calling; they
+continued approaching, carefully inspecting every foot of ground before
+them. It seemed strange to us that the scouts of a column on the march
+should search for the enemy within five hundred yards only of the main
+body. But perhaps that is what they teach at Sandhurst. Presently the
+<a name="Page_86" id="Page_86" />head of the column came in sight from behind the rise. The scouts were
+now within eight hundred yards. We quietly mounted our horses and rode
+away. They gave no sign of having observed our movements. When some
+distance away, we looked back and saw that the whole column had halted,
+about seven thousand men.</p>
+
+<p>We reached Heilbron to find the place practically deserted. Wishing to
+see the enemy enter the town, we delayed our departure. Some hours
+passed, and nothing happened to denote the proximity of the British. We
+feared that they might be surrounding the town before entering it, so we
+left for Frankfort, following the road taken by the President the night
+before.</p>
+
+
+
+<hr style="width: 65%;" />
+<h2><a name="TAPPING_THE_WIRES" id="TAPPING_THE_WIRES" /><a name="Page_87" id="Page_87" />TAPPING THE WIRES</h2>
+
+
+<p>We had gone about a mile, when suddenly a score of horsemen made their
+appearance on top of the rise before us. Not knowing whether they were
+friends or foes, we swerved away to the left, regaining the road by a
+detour. After sunset we saw a small bonfire blaze forth about three
+miles away in the direction we were going. We hardly knew what to make
+of such an unusual sight. The night was a fairly dark one, but we pushed
+on rapidly. In the middle of a hard canter my horse suddenly struck his
+forefeet against some obstacle, and came crashing down upon his head. It
+was an anxious moment for me. When we had disentangled ourselves I
+hastened to feel the pony's knees, and found to my joy that they were
+but little damaged. Whilst still laughing over this mishap, we heard
+voices to our right. We listened for a moment. First came the question
+<i>in English</i>&mdash;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Where are they?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>Then the reply&mdash;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;<a name="Page_88" id="Page_88" />Don't know where they are now.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>This was enough for us, and we sped forth as silently and as fast as
+possible.</p>
+
+<p>On approaching the bonfire we heard more voices&mdash;Dutch this time. We
+rode up to the group standing round the fire. Several friends came
+forward to greet us, and we became aware that this was the President's
+party&mdash;about thirty men in all.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Where are your sentries?&quot; I asked.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Just going out now.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Who is in charge?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;The President's secretary.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>Calling the latter aside, I said&mdash;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;I don't wish to cause an alarm, but on coming along about a mile from
+here we heard men calling to each other in English. At one o'clock the
+British were only fifteen miles from here; your bonfire may have drawn a
+patrol hither.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;What is it? Who has arrived?&quot; asked Steyn, coming out of his tent. We
+gave him all the information we had gained. He immediately ordered all
+lights to be extinguished, and sent the guard to find out what the
+voices meant. All were relieved when it turned out to have been merely a
+couple of the President's bodyguard searching for their horses.</p>
+
+<p>Early the next morning a couple of deserters <a name="Page_89" id="Page_89" />were brought in. They had
+been caught trying to slip past in the night. One said he had a sick son
+at home, and was only going to see him, perhaps for the last time. The
+other was going home to fetch better horses, and so forth. They were so
+unfortunate as to call upon the Deity to testify to the truth of their
+assertions. This roused Steyn's ire.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;How dare you be guilty of such sacrilege?&quot; he cried. &quot;It is this cursed
+habit of yours of using God's name upon every trivial occasion that
+makes our enemies think us a nation of hypocrites! Back to your
+commandoes at once!&quot;</p>
+
+<p>The men slunk away. We enjoyed their discomfiture in a measure, for,
+with all reverence for true religion, it must be confessed that many of
+these gentry thought psalm-singing all that was required of them, and
+did not hesitate to leave their less &quot;elect&quot; brethren to bear the brunt
+of the fighting.</p>
+
+<p>After breakfast I walked down to the telegraph line connecting Heilbron
+and Frankfort, which ran past this point. Taking about ten yards of
+&quot;cable&quot; wire, I cleaned about a foot of it in the middle, tied one end
+to my spanner, and threw the latter over the line. The swing carried it
+over a second time, the two ends hanging just above the ground.
+Attaching one end to the instrument, I heard the <a name="Page_90" id="Page_90" />English telegraphist
+in Heilbron calling up Kroonstadt, and the Boer telegraphist in
+Frankfort working to Reitz.</p>
+
+<p>I immediately climbed the pole and cut the Frankfort side of the line.
+Then I took another piece of cable, and connected the earth terminal of
+the vibrator with the telegraph pole. The British signals now came
+through beautifully clear. The first message that passed was one from
+General Hamilton to Lord Roberts, announcing his arrival at Heilbron,
+the details of the two engagements fought during the march, the number
+of killed and wounded, and the state of his force&mdash;&quot;often hungry, but
+cheerful.&quot; Then followed some others of lesser importance. The
+President's party were just driving away. I left my assistant with the
+vibrator, ran across to the road, and handed His Honour the messages. He
+smiled as he read the report and appeared highly gratified. After a few
+words of encouragement to me he drove on, and I returned to the line.
+The signals were now so weak, however, that nothing could be
+distinguished.</p>
+
+<p>We saddled our horses and rode towards Heilbron, intending to try again
+closer to the town. We had not gone far before the captain of the
+despatch riders and one of his men overtook us. They had been ordered by
+the President to place <a name="Page_91" id="Page_91" />themselves at my disposition. Four men would
+have attracted too much attention, however, and I persuaded them to
+return. We two rode on until almost on top of the hill overlooking
+Heilbron, when we dismounted. Drawing the horses behind a low stone
+wall, we attached the instrument to the line. I listened. There were no
+fewer than five different vibrators calling each other, some strong and
+clear, others sounding weak and far, like &quot;horns of Elfland faintly
+blowing.&quot; Presently the disputing signals died away, and one musical
+note alone took up the strain.</p>
+
+<p>Never was lover more absorbed in the thrilling sound of his divinity's
+voice than I in the notes of that vibrator, seemingly wailing up from
+the bowels of the earth.</p>
+
+<p>Nor was my attention unrewarded.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;From Chief of Staff, Honingspruit,&quot; came the words, &quot;to General
+Hamilton, Heilbron.&quot; Then followed orders. How Hamilton was to march
+from Heilbron; how Broadwood was to move from Ventersburg, the entire
+plan of campaign for the next few weeks! A mass of information to
+gladden the heart of our steadfast chief. &quot;Hurrah!&quot; we whispered to each
+other, as I carefully put the precious message in a safe place.</p>
+
+<p>Then some harsh, grating sounds were heard in <a name="Page_92" id="Page_92" />the microphone. The wires
+were evidently being overhauled in Heilbron. Complete silence followed.
+Hearing a couple of shots fired on our left, we removed all traces of
+our work and rode back to our starting-point, well satisfied with the
+valuable information we had so fortunately obtained. I at once sent my
+assistant after the President with the despatch. Fearing that the enemy
+might send a patrol here during the night, I left for Frankfort, and
+arrived there at midnight. Before leaving, however, I had instructed my
+assistant to join up the line where I had cut it, if upon his return the
+next morning he should find the place still free from the enemy.</p>
+
+
+
+<hr style="width: 65%;" />
+<h2><a name="I_MEET_DE_WET" id="I_MEET_DE_WET" /><a name="Page_93" id="Page_93" />I MEET DE WET</h2>
+
+
+<p>The little village of Frankfort was wrapped in slumbering darkness when
+I entered it. Cold and hungry after the five hours' journey, I did not
+scruple to knock up the Postmaster. With an instinct of good-fellowship
+that did him credit, he at once made me welcome; breaking up a couple of
+empty boxes, we made a rattling fire, and soon big gulps of cocoa were
+chasing the last few shivers from my wearied frame.</p>
+
+<p>My last thought as I wrapped my blanket round me and stretched myself
+out on the floor was of the despatch I had sent after the President.
+Suppose my messenger lost the document or was captured! But I would soon
+know, for if I found the line joined through at eight o'clock, according
+to my orders, it would be a proof that he had returned and found the
+coast clear.</p>
+
+<p>The little office was crowded with busy clerks when I opened my eyes the
+next morning. Casting a rapid glance at the clock, I saw it was almost
+eight. There was no time to lose. I grasped the useful little vibrator
+with one hand, flung the <a name="Page_94" id="Page_94" />blanket into a corner with the other, and set
+off, calling to the native servant to follow with a ladder. It was not
+advisable to operate under the eyes of the townspeople, so I marched
+across the bridge and into the veld, until a suitable spot was reached.
+No sooner had I thrown my wire over the line than I again heard British
+and Dutch signals intermingled. Good! My message was safe.</p>
+
+<p>The Kafir shinned up the pole and cut the wire, permitting the British
+signals only to come through. I listened intently to the various more or
+less interesting messages being exchanged by the enemy. Presently a new
+and stronger note broke in&mdash;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Hello! Here, Sergeant-Major Devons. Who are you?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>Devons? Those are the fellows that we fought at Ladysmith. But what&mdash;how
+comes he here? Listen&mdash;&mdash;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Here, Heilbron. We're just waiting to leave. Crowds of Boers on the
+hills.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Ah! I say, I've pushed on, quite by myself, for fully twelve miles,&quot;
+said the hoarse note of the non-com.'s vibrator. &quot;When I reached
+Roberts' Horse the chief said I was d&mdash;&mdash;d lucky to get through!&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Good on you!&quot; replied his admiring hearer. &quot;This is a bit different
+from old Tyneside, ain't it?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;<a name="Page_95" id="Page_95" />Cheer up; we shall soon be in Pretoria.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Confound you!&quot; said I, dashing my fist on the key, &quot;you're not there
+yet!&quot;</p>
+
+<p>To prevent myself from interrupting them, advertently or otherwise, I
+had taken the precaution to disconnect the battery, so my little
+outbreak did no harm.</p>
+
+<p>Then the sergeant-major sent a long message to his chief, Captain
+Faustnett, duly informing the latter of the distance he had come, all by
+himself, and of what the officer commanding Roberts' Horse had said,
+after which the Heilbron man remarked&mdash;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Good-bye, we're off.&quot; Silence followed.</p>
+
+<p>The net result of the morning's work was the knowledge that Hamilton was
+leaving Heilbron at that very moment, and leaving it ungarrisoned. This
+information I hastened to communicate to my chief, with the result that
+within a very short space of time we were again in telegraphic
+communication with that town and in possession of several hundred sick
+and wounded that the British had kindly left to our care. At Spion Kop
+we wanted their wounded, but did not get them; here we did not want them
+in the least, but we got them all the same.</p>
+
+<p>My next task was the maintenance of the fence line between Frankfort and
+Reitz. A testing <a name="Page_96" id="Page_96" />station had been established half-way between the two
+villages, consequently the communication was fairly good and there was
+not much for me to do. One day a message arrived from my chief in
+Pretoria, asking me to go thither, and accompany him northwards when the
+capital should be abandoned. The Postmaster-General of the Free State,
+however, insisted upon my remaining a few days longer.</p>
+
+<p>A little while after De Wet's commando entered the village about a
+thousand strong. The rumour went that De Wet was going to rest for a
+week and then strike a heavy blow. No sooner had the column halted on
+the bank of the river than De Wet himself rode over to our office,
+accompanied by his secretary. They wrote out a few telegrams, and then
+De Wet entered into conversation with the Postmaster-General. His tone
+and manner lacked the slightest cordiality. He asked the
+Postmaster-General whether he was sure, quite sure, that the British
+side of our telegraph lines was always cut, so that the enemy could not
+tap our messages. Yes, the chief was quite sure. But De Wet thought it
+best that instructions to that effect should be re-issued, so as to
+leave no excuse for any possible negligence. This suggestion was carried
+out on the spot.</p>
+
+<p><a name="Page_97" id="Page_97" />The chief then introduced me to De Wet. Compared with Louis Botha, or
+almost any other of our generals, De Wet presented but a sorry sight.
+His manners are uncouth, and his dress careless to a degree. His
+tactlessness, abrupt speech, and his habit of thrusting his tongue
+against his palate at every syllable, do not lessen his undeniable
+unattractiveness. But De Wet, if he lacks culture, certainly has an
+abundance of shrewdness, and is not without some dignity at times. And I
+must confess that it is chiefly owing to De Wet and Steyn that the war
+did not end with the fall of Pretoria. What is the secret of his
+success? This, he has one idea, one only&mdash;the independence of his
+country. Say to him&mdash;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;If the English win&mdash;&mdash;&quot; and he breaks in&mdash;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;If the heavens fall&mdash;&mdash;&quot;</p>
+
+<p>Choosing his lieutenants by results only, he is assured of good service.
+An incorrect report, and the unlucky scout is tried by court-martial.</p>
+
+<p>Whilst giving this modern Cincinnatus due credit for his undoubted
+smartness, it must be borne in mind that the movements of the Free State
+forces were generally determined by the <i>Oorlogscommissie</i>, a body made
+up of President Steyn, Judge Hertzog, Advocate De Villiers, and two or
+three other prominent men, whose trained intellects concerted the plan
+of campaign, De Wet <a name="Page_98" id="Page_98" />being entrusted with its execution. He had power to
+alter details according as circumstances might dictate, but that was
+all.</p>
+
+<p>And he had men to aid him like General Philip Botha (third of three
+brothers, generals), Commandant Olivier (now captured), Captain Theron
+(killed near Krugersdorp), besides others whose names have never been
+heard of, but who, if De Wet were captured to-morrow, would be both
+willing and able to take his place.</p>
+
+<p>One peculiar feature of the Afrikander character is the complete absence
+of anything approaching hero-worship. Perhaps this is due to the habit
+of ascribing success to the favour of Providence. However this may be,
+it is certain that General Joubert's death hardly excited even a
+momentary thrill of regret, in spite of his years of service as
+Commandant-General. As for erecting a monument to the memory of any of
+our great men, why, we are all equal, they say, and anyone could have
+done as much.</p>
+
+<p>Notwithstanding this characteristic of the people, De Wet, secure in the
+favour of the Government, knows how to make himself obeyed and
+respected. I have seen burghers retreat who, upon being stopped and
+threatened with death by their officer, have torn open their coats and
+shouted, &quot;Shoot! Shoot me, if you dare! I shall not turn back!&quot;</p>
+
+<p><a name="Page_99" id="Page_99" />I cannot imagine anyone venturing to take up this attitude towards De
+Wet. He would certainly not hesitate to carry out a threat through any
+fear of the consequences. And yet it was my fortune to incur his
+displeasure. It came about in this way. The chief sent for me one day
+and said&mdash;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;You have asked to be allowed to return to the Transvaal. But there is a
+chance for you to do some very important work just now. Do you mind
+remaining three or four days longer?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Not at all.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Very well. De Wet leaves to-morrow. You will accompany him. He wants
+you to tap the British lines near Kroonstad. You may attach yourself to
+Scheepers' corps, but you will be in no way subordinate to him, and you
+will use your own discretion in the execution of your duty. He will give
+you every aid and assistance. Try and get a horse from him, as we are
+short.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>The chief then showed me a map whereon was marked out our line of route.
+It was evidently going to be an exciting adventure, and I thanked him
+warmly for having selected me to take part in the expedition. I then
+went and hunted up Scheepers, whom I found in his tent. This is the same
+Scheepers who later operated in Cape Colony, and whom Chamberlain has
+taken such a dislike to. I can assure the Secretary for the <a name="Page_100" id="Page_100" />Colonies
+that Scheepers is an amiable and harmless young man, who would probably
+now be teaching a Sunday-school class had Joseph not been such a
+dreamer.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Well, Scheepers,&quot; I said, &quot;so I am to accompany you to-morrow. Can you
+supply me with a horse?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;That will be difficult,&quot; he replied, &quot;but if money can buy one you
+shall have it.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>This seemed good enough. Early the next morning the commando was on the
+march. Scheepers had kept his word and sent me a horse. It was not an
+attractive animal outwardly, being of an indefinite shade between white
+and grey, and with an unnecessary profusion of projections adorning its
+attenuated frame. However, there was no time to lose, and I mounted the
+steed, trusting it might possess moral qualities which would atone for
+its physical defects.</p>
+
+<p>The animal went very well as long as I did not interfere with the bent
+of its wayward desire, which was to proceed in any direction but the
+right one. Have you ever steered an extremely willing young thing
+through her first waltz? If so you will know what my feelings were after
+the first hour. And now just imagine that the waltz lasted for four
+hours, and you will have some idea of my sufferings, for that is the
+length of time <a name="Page_101" id="Page_101" />I was compelled to spend on the back of my new
+acquisition.</p>
+
+<p>Scheepers had sent a couple of men on ahead a few days before in order
+to see if the coast was clear. One of his heliographists and myself now
+rode ahead of the column, planted a heliograph on a suitable spot, and
+called up towards a high hill beyond Heilbron, where it had been
+arranged that the two scouts should be about this hour. Scarcely had our
+heliograph glittered for a moment in the sun when back from the hill
+came a long flash of light.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;What news?&quot; we asked.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;All quiet,&quot; came the reply.</p>
+
+<p>We returned to the column, which was marching wonderfully slowly, and
+informed Scheepers, who was pleased to find his men so punctual. As we
+rode along he asked me a few particulars about the vibrator, wire
+tapping, and so on. I told him how at Spion Kop the wire failed at the
+very moment it was needed most.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Yes,&quot; he remarked thoughtfully, &quot;trifles often make all the difference.
+I had an experience of that myself one night not so long ago. We had
+laid a nice little trap near Kroonstad, put a charge of dynamite on the
+rails, placed the men in position, and waited for a train to come along.
+After a few hours of suspense the latter appeared, <a name="Page_102" id="Page_102" />and just as it was
+going over the charge I pressed the button. What do you think happened?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;The unexpected, I suppose?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Precisely. To our disgust the dynamite did not do the rest, and the
+train puffed tranquilly past. One of my battery wires had become
+disconnected in the dark, and through that one little detail the whole
+thing was spoilt.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;At least from your point of view,&quot; I said jestingly. &quot;But think what a
+narrow escape you had yourselves. The train might have stopped, a
+searchlight might have thrown its piercing gleam over your waiting band,
+and a volley from a battery of maxims might have strewn the shuddering
+veld with your palpitating bodies!&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Oh, no danger of that!&quot; replied Scheepers lightly; &quot;we knew there were
+no <i>Graphic</i> artists on board!&quot;</p>
+
+<p>Towards sunset the head of the column halted, nine miles from Heilbron,
+having done only twenty miles during the whole day's march. I say the
+head of the column, because the body of it was still straggling
+somewhere along the road, to say nothing of the tail. We went to bed
+hungry, the men with the waggon being too lazy to make a fire. I
+consoled myself with the prospect of a good breakfast in Heilbron the
+next morning, and slept as well as the cold would let me.</p>
+
+
+
+<hr style="width: 65%;" />
+<h2><a name="ROODEWAL" id="ROODEWAL" /><a name="Page_103" id="Page_103" />ROODEWAL</h2>
+
+
+<p>We were awakened the next morning while it was still dark. I roamed
+about in the gloom searching for my errant Rosinante. After describing
+half a dozen circles I returned to the waggon, to find the missing steed
+no longer astray, but peacefully grazing away about six feet from the
+aforesaid vehicle. It was a demon of a horse, no doubt about that. We
+upsaddled and stood shivering in the cold, our ears and noses fast
+becoming frostbitten, and waited for the body of the column to catch up
+to us, for it now appeared that everyone had gone to sleep where he
+pleased the night before. De Wet was in a furious rage.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;I told them we were to be in Heilbron at sunrise!&quot; he shouted. &quot;I wish
+the British would catch and castrate every one of them, so that they may
+be old women in reality.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>His railing did not accelerate the approach of the loiterers, and it was
+long after sunrise when we finally made a start for Heilbron&mdash;nine miles
+distant. When we neared the town Scheepers, <a name="Page_104" id="Page_104" />myself, and another went
+forward to reconnoitre. What was our surprise to find that the whole
+place was full of English! They had suddenly entered the town the night
+before. I at once went back and informed De Wet, who ordered the column
+to halt and outspan. Testing the telegraph line, I found that whereas
+there were no British signals audible, our own signals from Frankfort
+could be heard very plainly. The Frankfort telegraphist was busy calling
+Heilbron, not knowing that the town had again changed masters. As his
+was an ordinary Morse instrument I could not communicate with him, but I
+did the next best thing by cutting the wire. The presence of the enemy
+in Heilbron was a check for us. We did not expect Colville to come
+forward so rapidly. It was necessary to modify our plan of campaign, and
+De Wet and several of the commandants rode to a farm some six miles away
+to consult with the President, who had pitched his tent at that spot.
+Scheepers was still away scouting. His men made no effort to prepare any
+food, and as I was beginning to suffer from hunger the situation was
+anything but pleasant for me. It is hard to realise the amount of
+selfishness which generally prevails in a laager or commando. It is a
+case of everyone for himself. There is no regular distribution of
+rations every <a name="Page_105" id="Page_105" />day, as in other armies. The commando is divided into
+messes of about ten men each. To this mess is given every now and then a
+live ox and a bag of meal. The ox is killed and cut into biltong, and
+the meal baked into stormjagers, a kind of dumpling fried in dripping.
+Now Scheepers' little corps, which consisted of half a dozen men, was
+probably not very well off itself in the matter of provisions&mdash;in any
+case, they offered me none. The commissariat consisted of nothing but
+oxen and meal, cold comfort for me. I rode back a couple of miles to a
+spot where a field telegraph office had been opened. Standing in the
+open veld under the telegraph line was a Cape cart, under the cart a
+telegraph instrument. This was the office.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Can you give me anything to eat?&quot; I asked the telegraphist, one of our
+most capable men.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Very sorry,&quot; he answered; &quot;I've been here for a week, and no one has
+troubled to send me any food. I've managed to get a loaf of bread from
+that farm yonder now and then, but their supply is exhausted, and I
+don't know what to do next.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Why don't you ask the President's party for food? We all know they fare
+well enough.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;I've sent them message after message, but can get no satisfaction. All
+they think about is the amount of work they can get out of me. Little
+they care what my troubles are!&quot;</p>
+
+<p><a name="Page_106" id="Page_106" />This was really a shameful state of affairs, and I began to grow
+disgusted with the whole business. Not satisfied with refusing to supply
+him with food, a passing commando had stolen his cart-horses, so that he
+had no means of leaving the spot.</p>
+
+<p>It was a clear case of selfish and brutal neglect. I condoled with the
+poor fellow, and rode back to the laager. De Wet was still absent. It
+appeared that we were going to lie there for days, instead of the whole
+expedition being over in a day or two. After thinking the matter over, I
+decided to return to Frankfort and carry out my intention of going back
+to the Transvaal. Upon reaching Frankfort I explained the matter to the
+Postmaster-General, adding that the expedition would probably take a
+couple of weeks, by which time the Free State would already be cut off
+from the Transvaal, and my return rendered impossible. He urged upon me,
+however, to postpone my departure. During the day a telegram arrived
+from De Wet, saying he had now decided to move forward, and asking that
+I should accompany him. So convinced was I that his attempt would end in
+a fiasco, in spite of his knowledge of the enemy's movements, that I
+persuaded the chief to send another in my place. De Wet was extremely
+annoyed, but I was foolish enough to insist. Judge of my regret when, a
+<a name="Page_107" id="Page_107" />week or so later, we heard of the magnificent blow delivered at
+Roodewal. After this sudden swoop De Wet returned to the vicinity of
+Heilbron. The chief and I drove out to his camp. It was interesting to
+see his entire band clad in complete khaki, with only the flapping,
+loose-hanging felt hats to show their nationality. Wristlets, watches,
+spy-glasses, chocolate, cigarettes, were now as common as in ordinary
+times they were rare. Heliographic and telegraphic instruments by the
+cartload. No doubt about it, Roodewal came at an opportune moment.
+Roberts was pressing Botha hard in front, and this stunning blow at his
+lines of communication compelled him to pause. Think of his forces
+fighting through that rigorous winter, wearing only their summer
+uniforms! No wonder their ardour grew cool!</p>
+
+<p>Theron's corps now came through from the Transvaal and joined De Wet.
+Theron, dissatisfied with his treatment by the Transvaal Government, was
+here received with open arms. His hundred and fifty young fellows were
+as keen as ever; it did one's eyes good to see one corps at least where
+discipline was not despised. Theron was a slightly built young lawyer,
+with an expression of the deepest sadness, due to the premature decease
+of his <i>fianc&eacute;e</i>. He took care of his men, fed and horsed them well, led
+them into <a name="Page_108" id="Page_108" />hot corners and saw them safely out again. Terrible indeed
+must be the engagement when one of Theron's men is abandoned by his
+comrades. &quot;No cowards need apply&quot; was the motto of the band, held
+together by an <i>esprit de corps</i> without equal; and no cowards did. When
+the corps passed Frankfort Theron commandeered a horse from an alleged
+British subject. The latter threatened to appeal to the Government, and
+came into town for the purpose, vowing vengeance on Theron's devoted
+head.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;I enjoy myself,&quot; said Theron to me, &quot;when they threaten me. It is when
+they come to me with soft words that I cannot resist.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>As a matter of fact, the Government sustained Theron's action, and the
+owner of the animal was obliged to ask Theron to take two others for it.
+This he agreed to do, and thus ended the only instance of which I know
+in which the Free State Government allowed anything to be commandeered
+from a British subject.</p>
+
+<p>The capture of the Yeomanry took place about this time. There have been
+several attempts to explain this affair. It was said in our laagers at
+the time that Colonel Sprague, immediately after his surrender, remarked
+to our commandant that he would shoot the Lindley telegraphist if he
+could get hold of him, because the latter had <a name="Page_109" id="Page_109" />tampered with his message
+asking for reinforcements. This was quite possible, for at this time
+<i>most of the British telegrams passed through our hands before reaching
+their destination</i>. If I might venture to express an opinion, formed at
+the time, I should say that General Colville was absolutely free from
+any blame in connection with the capture of the Yeomanry&mdash;an incident to
+which we attached very little importance, being interested merely in the
+military qualities of our opponents, and in their social rank not at
+all.</p>
+
+<p>When Rundle's force was at Senekal and Brabant's Horse at Harmonia every
+one of their telegrams was read by a telegraphist attached to one of the
+commandoes lying in the vicinity. Several of these messages were in
+cipher, it is true, but many of them were not. It was largely owing to
+information thus obtained that the British sustained a rather severe
+check when they advanced against our positions near Senekal. One would
+think the enemy would have taken strict precautions against their plans
+leaking out in this manner, but I presume we were considered rather too
+dense for that kind of thing.</p>
+
+<p>The affair of Roodewal decided Roberts to send back a strong column to
+keep us off his flanks. It was only infantry, and we got quite tired of
+waiting for it to reach us. It reached Villiersdorp <a name="Page_110" id="Page_110" />eventually, and we
+fell back from Frankfort towards Bethlehem&mdash;the new headquarters. It was
+with heavy hearts that we said good-bye to our kind friends in
+Frankfort, for well we knew by this time what the passage of a British
+column meant for the defenceless non-combatants&mdash;houses broken down and
+burnt, children and greybeards torn from their families, and all the
+other useless and unnecessary cruelties that have broken so many lives,
+converted so many joyous homesteads into tombstones of black despair,
+and imprinted into the very souls of many Afrikanders an ineradicable
+loathing and hatred of everything British. As Boadicea felt towards the
+Roman, so feels many a Boer matron to-day against the Briton, and when
+Britons shall have followed Romans into the history of the past, the
+Afrikander race shall write an epitaph upon their cenotaph. Ambition! By
+that sin fell the angels, and by that sin fall the Angles. But oh, the
+pity of it! For of all the nations that in turn have risen and waxed
+great upon the surface of the globe, there are none for whose ideals the
+Boers feel more sympathy than for those of the British. It is the
+paralysing difference between the ideal and the real that is creating
+the gulf which threatens our eternal separation.</p>
+
+
+
+<hr style="width: 65%;" />
+<h2><a name="OFF_TO_THE_TRANSVAAL" id="OFF_TO_THE_TRANSVAAL" /><a name="Page_111" id="Page_111" />OFF TO THE TRANSVAAL</h2>
+
+
+<p>When we reached Reitz, on our way to Bethlehem, another young
+Transvaaler and myself obtained permission to try and reach the
+Transvaal. The enemy's columns were traversing the intervening country
+in all directions, but we determined that the attempt was worth making.
+Bidding good-bye to our Free State colleagues, we left the little
+village that was later to become famous as the scene of the capture of
+the Free State Government, and retraced our way to Frankfort. The
+send-off given us took the form of a little reunion in the parlour of
+the modest hotel. Here there were gathered together some dozen young
+Free Staters, and an impromptu smoking concert was held. Everyone
+present was compelled to give a song or recite something. The first on
+the programme was Byron's &quot;When we two parted,&quot; which was sung with fine
+effect by a blushing young burgher. Next came the old camp favourite,
+&quot;The Spanish Cavalier.&quot; The sentimental recollections induced <a name="Page_112" id="Page_112" />by these
+two songs were speedily dissipated by a rattling comic song in Dutch,
+&quot;<i>Op haar hot oog zit'n fratje</i>&quot; A few recitations followed. One of the
+reciters had just enunciated the lines&mdash;</p>
+
+<div class="poem"><div class="stanza">
+<span>&quot;Within the circle of your incantation<br /></span>
+<span class="i3">No blight nor mildew falls,<br /></span>
+<span class="i1">No fierce unrest, nor lust, nor lost ambition,<br /></span>
+<span class="i3">Passes those airy walls&quot;&mdash;<br /></span>
+</div></div>
+
+<p>when a mocking voice came floating in at the window&mdash;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Are you referring to Downing Street?&quot; It was a captured British
+officer, who, roaming about the village, had been attracted by our
+revelry. He was evidently no follower of the expand-or-burst policy of
+the British Cabinet.</p>
+
+<p>This appropriate interpellation put an end to the proceedings. We set
+off, unarmed, as we had sent our Mausers back to the Transvaal some time
+before, and mounted on a pair of nags that were plainly unfit to make
+the journey. Long before we reached Frankfort, in fact, my companion's
+horse gave in. We rode to a farmer's house near the road to try and find
+another mount. A boy of thirteen was the only male person on the farm.
+Yes, he had a pony. Would he exchange it for ours, and take something to
+boot? No fear, what he wanted was cash. How much? Thirteen pounds. But
+thirteen is an <a name="Page_113" id="Page_113" />unlucky number; better take twelve. In that case, he
+would prefer to take fourteen. The pony was worth the price, the cash
+changed hands, and we continued our journey. Some miles from Frankfort
+we met two Boers, who told us that they had also meant to return to the
+Transvaal, but had heard that the enemy were so close to Frankfort that
+they had decided to turn back. We determined to continue, however, and
+shortly after dark we cautiously entered the village. The enemy had not
+yet arrived, but were expected early the next morning. We consulted one
+of our friends in the village, who advised us to try and cross the
+railway near Standerton. We decided to follow his advice, and left early
+the next morning. A few miles out of town we observed several horsemen
+to our left. Fearing these were British, we swerved to the right,
+cutting across country. Keeping a good look-out, we continued our way
+till evening, when we were overtaken by a farmer driving a cart. He was
+lame and had never been on commando, but on the approach of the British
+columns had left his home to their mercy. He conducted us to the modest
+cottage of his brother-in-law, where we found a bed for ourselves and
+stabling for our horses. Before sunrise the next morning we were again
+on our way. Through the thick mist we <a name="Page_114" id="Page_114" />saw several horsemen approach a
+house standing solitary in the veld. They dismounted and entered the
+dwelling. Anxious to know whether these were friends or foes, we rode
+thither. Making as little noise as possible, we managed to gain the spot
+unobserved, and found that they were Boers. They gave us each a cup of
+steaming coffee, black and bitter, but none the less acceptable,
+directed us on our way, and wished us good luck. Towards noon we reached
+a hamlet named Cornelia, where we introduced ourselves to the leading
+inhabitant, with whom we lunched. Here my horse refused to feed, showing
+strong symptoms of <i>papies</i>. There was no help for it, however; he had
+to carry me, sick or well. Some miles further we reached the house of an
+English farmer. He had the consideration to conceal his satisfaction at
+the approach of his countrymen and the kindness to doctor my horse for
+me. The poor animal was in such a pitiable state that it could hardly
+stand. After swallowing a dose of strychnine, however, it improved
+wonderfully, and we were enabled to continue, but naturally at a very
+slow pace. That evening we slept at a farmer's house near the Vaal
+River. Here we heard that there was a Boer commando lying near
+Greylingstad, and thither we directed our way. As we rode <a name="Page_115" id="Page_115" />through the
+Vaal the next morning we felt a genuine thrill of joy at setting our
+feet once more upon our own soil. That afternoon Greylingstad came in
+sight, but what a bitter disappointment! Instead of finding our own
+commandoes here, we found the place occupied by a large British force.
+We reined in on the veld, gazed at the British camp, and then at each
+other. To our left lay Heidelberg, to our right Standerton, both held by
+the enemy, and in front of us stood the tents of a British column at
+least five thousand strong!</p>
+
+<p>Whilst we were still discussing the situation a Bushman mounted on a
+scraggy pony and seated on a sheepskin saddle came riding along. We
+hailed him and asked him where he was off to. He told us he belonged to
+a party of half a dozen Boers, who, hidden just over the hill, had sent
+him to see what we were. We ordered him to lead us thither. When we
+approached the spot it was to find the men all on their feet, rifles
+loaded and cocked, ready to lay us low should we prove to be Englishmen.
+We lost no time in dissipating their fears. They explained that they
+belonged to the commando which had been lying here, and which only the
+day before had retired on the approach of the enemy. They themselves,
+having been on a visit <a name="Page_116" id="Page_116" />to their farms near by, had got left behind. I
+at once suspected that they meant to lay down their arms, but it would
+never have done to say so, so I contented myself with demanding their
+advice as to the best way of rejoining the aforesaid commando. They were
+not very anxious to rejoin it themselves, and consequently represented
+the matter as being extremely difficult. At length they showed us a farm
+near the British camp, and recommended our going thither, as the people
+there would be able to give us all possible help. We reached the farm
+just after sunset to the accompaniment of barking dogs and hissing
+geese. The door was opened by a feeble old man, who, with his equally
+aged wife, were apparently the only occupants of the place. As soon as
+it was evident that we were friends, however, two strapping sons made
+their appearance from a kopje behind the house, where the clatter of our
+horses' hoofs had caused them to take refuge. They informed us that they
+had followed the enemy's movements throughout the day, and that the line
+was so well guarded that our getting through was extremely unlikely. But
+we could sleep there that night, and the next morning we could see what
+was to be done.</p>
+
+<p>During the evening the old father recounted, with much humour, his
+experience of Theron's <a name="Page_117" id="Page_117" />merry band. How they had come there in the
+middle of the night, knocked him up, stabled their horses in his yard,
+asked for bread, <i>brod</i>, <i>brood</i>; eggs, <i>eiers</i>, <i>ejers</i>, in all the
+dialects under the sun, how they had actually plucked the oranges from
+his trees, until he was forced to ask Theron to station a guard in the
+orchard! But the next morning they had paid for everything, and ridden
+away, singing and shouting.</p>
+
+<p>Nothing in the old gentleman's manner to show that the enemy were camped
+only four miles away, although he knew very well that they would visit
+him the next day, and probably deprive him sooner or later of all he
+possessed. Only down the face of his white-haired wife rolled silent
+tears as she gazed at the bearded faces of her stalwart sons and thought
+of the long farewell that they would bid her on the morrow!</p>
+
+<p>When we rose the next morning we lost no time in making for the high,
+boulder-strewn kopje behind the house. Here we found the farmer's sons,
+armed, their horses at hand, gazing through a large telescope at the
+British camp, which could be plainly distinguished with the naked eye.</p>
+
+<p>Presently a small party of scouts left the camp and came in our
+direction, riding slowly, and eyeing every little rise or depression in
+the ground <a name="Page_118" id="Page_118" />with the utmost distrust. They reached a farmhouse lying
+between their camp and ourselves, and after a while we saw a cart leave
+the farm and drive towards the camp. Another Boer laying down his arms,
+beguiled by Buller's blarney! Then the scouts came nearer and nearer.
+When within a thousand yards or so they encountered a troop of mares
+grazing on the veld. Round and round these they rode, plainly intending
+to annex any that might suit them. My friends were strongly tempted to
+fire on these cattle thieves. Only the thought of their aged parents
+restrained them, for they well knew the result would be the burning down
+of their home.</p>
+
+<p>It was plain that the scouts were making for this farm. We hurried down
+to the house, saddled our horses&mdash;mine still suffering and hardly able
+to go at a trot, and went to say good-bye to our hosts.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Yes, my children,&quot; said the old lady, &quot;it is better to go, for should
+the British find you here they would only treat us the worse for it. And
+we have sorrow enough, God knows. Come and see my son, my sick and
+suffering son, who perhaps will never rise from his bed again!&quot;</p>
+
+<p>She conducted us into a bed-chamber, where, pallid and worn, his wife
+seated by his side, lay the wreck of a once splendid specimen of
+man<a name="Page_119" id="Page_119" />hood, now, alas! in the last stage of some wasting disease&mdash;the
+result of privations endured on commando. All that we could do was to
+speak a few weak but well-meant words of comfort to the afflicted
+family, and then leave them to their fate.</p>
+
+<p>The sons promised to follow us later, as they wished to remain in the
+neighbourhood to see what became of their home. My friend and myself
+rode to another farm in the neighbourhood, undecided as yet whether to
+make the attempt to get through the enemy's lines or to turn back;
+crossing Roberts' lines of communication in the Free State was easy
+enough, but here we had Buller to deal with. Upon reaching this farm we
+found the occupants greatly excited. A Hottentot had just arrived from a
+farm already visited by the enemy, bearing Buller's proclamation,
+printed in Dutch and English, and promising protection, compensation,
+and I know not what all, to those who came in and surrendered. The
+entire household and several armed Boers from the vicinity gathered
+round the farmer. No one dared to read the proclamation aloud. It was
+handed from one to the other, shamefacedly, as if there were something
+vile in the very touch of the document.</p>
+
+<p>I anxiously watched the varying expression of their features, as
+interest struggled with patriotism. <a name="Page_120" id="Page_120" />Wearied of strife and fearful of
+losing the result of years of hard work, the assembled men felt a strong
+inclination to accept the enemy's offer. But no one dared give utterance
+to his feelings. Eye met eye, and glanced away. It was easy to see what
+the result would be. It was plainly my duty to protest, but what could I
+do, a stranger, a mere youth? What could I say to these men, who had
+already given proof of their devotion on many a bloody field, and who
+only recoiled now when brought face to face with the supreme test&mdash;the
+sacrifice of their hearths and homes? I ventured to point out, however,
+that those who had already surrendered now bitterly regretted it, and
+added that the very nature of the case made it impossible for the
+British to carry out their promises. They listened in silence. My words
+may have had some slight effect; in any case, the Hottentot was sent
+back without a definite reply. It was useless to expect any aid from
+these men. Leaving them to decide their own fate, we started back for
+the Free State.</p>
+
+
+
+<hr style="width: 65%;" />
+<h2><a name="ARRESTED_AS_SPIES" id="ARRESTED_AS_SPIES" /><a name="Page_121" id="Page_121" />ARRESTED AS SPIES</h2>
+
+
+<p>A couple of hours' riding, then the farm of an old field-cornet, where
+we off-saddled and bought a few bundles of forage for our horses. The
+field-cornet entered into conversation with us whilst our animals were
+feeding, but omitted to ask us into the house, and kept eyeing us in a
+puzzled manner, as though we had dropped from Mars. I know not what my
+companion thought of it, or if he thought at all, but I myself put the
+old man's strange manner down to a sort of speechless admiration, and
+accepted it as such. But I was mistaken.</p>
+
+<p>When our friend shook hands with us he did so very limply, and as far as
+we went he could be seen gazing after us.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;What ails him?&quot; I asked my comrade.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Oh, he doesn't see men like ourselves every day,&quot; was the careless
+answer. How could I argue?</p>
+
+<p>We kept on our way, and towards sundown reached a farm on the bank of
+the Vaal, simul<a name="Page_122" id="Page_122" />taneously with another young fellow coming from the
+direction of the railway line.</p>
+
+<p>It turned out that this farm belonged to his father. He himself had left
+home that morning with the intention of crossing the railway, but had
+found the line so well patrolled that he had given up the attempt. We
+stabled our horses and entered the small but comfortably furnished
+cottage, where we were presented to the other members of the family.
+After supper came the usual evening service. This was hardly over when
+we heard a loud knocking at the front door. The door was opened, and the
+strange-mannered old field-cornet entered.</p>
+
+<p>He greeted us solemnly and sat down. Next came a thundering rap at the
+back door, and another Boer entered, a tall, powerful fellow, who was
+foaming at the mouth with suppressed excitement, and bristling with
+cartridge belts.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;My nephews,&quot; said the first-comer to us, &quot;you must not take it amiss,
+but it is my duty to arrest you!&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;What for, uncle?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;For being suspected of spying. You must either accompany me back to my
+farm, or let me take your horses there, so as to prevent your leaving
+here during the night.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;All right, uncle, take the horses, but don't <a name="Page_123" id="Page_123" />forget to feed them well.
+But perhaps it would spare you trouble if you read our papers.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;It is easy to forge papers,&quot; said the old man. His companion now boiled
+over and broke in&mdash;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;No, no! We've got you right enough! What else can you be but cursed
+spies, riding about the country like this?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;I don't wish to argue with you,&quot; I replied, angered by his brutal
+manner. &quot;I'm as true a burgher as you are, to say the least, and I warn
+you that I shall hold you responsible for what you do or say.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Oh! oh! Responsible? We are our own Government now. And where are your
+arms? Spies!&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;I see you have a gun, but perhaps that is only because you've had no
+chance to lay it down.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;What! Yes, I've got a gun, and I'll prove it to you!&quot; he shouted,
+pointing the weapon at me.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Just like a cowardly bully to threaten an unarmed man! But,&quot; I added
+gently, &quot;you'll feel differently to-morrow.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Will I? Why?&quot; he asked, curiosity getting the better of his rage.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;You'll be sober then.&quot; This only incensed him the more, but he saw that
+he had gone too far, and contented himself with uttering a <a name="Page_124" id="Page_124" />few
+half-intelligible threats. We then went out to the stable, gave them our
+horses, and went to bed.</p>
+
+<p>I woke just as dawn was breaking. Before the door stood the son of the
+house, his gun in his hand.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Hello, you are up early,&quot; I said. He looked rather confused.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;To tell the truth, I have been guarding you all night. But all the
+same, I don't believe that you are spies. Come and have some coffee.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>We had just finished our coffee when we heard horses' hoofs coming along
+the road, and presently one of our friends from the farm near
+Greylingstad entered the room.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;I've brought your horses,&quot; he said, smiling merrily. &quot;I passed the old
+field-cornet's this morning and told him I could certify that you are no
+spies.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>Whilst we were saddling up the field-cornet and his companion of the
+night before arrived. The latter was now sober. They were profuse in
+apologies.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;You were angry last night because we had no rifles; you had more reason
+to be glad,&quot; I remarked to the field-cornet's assistant.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Why?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Because if I had been armed I might have <a name="Page_125" id="Page_125" />been imprudent enough to blow
+your brains out when you pointed your gun at me. And how awful that
+would have been!&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Man,&quot; he said, &quot;it's the cursed drink.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Well,&quot; said I, &quot;it's all over now. Good-bye!&quot; Off we went&mdash;my comrade,
+myself, and the man who had brought our horses, Delange. The latter had
+an <i>achter ryder</i> and two spare horses. Towards noon we reached the farm
+of one of Delange's friends. My mount was now thoroughly done up, having
+eaten almost nothing for three days. I asked the farmer if he had a
+horse for sale.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;There are several in the stable,&quot; he replied, &quot;but they belong to my
+son, and he is on commando; so I am sorry, but I can't sell you one.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;I tell you what we'll do,&quot; said Delange. &quot;I'll give you one of mine for
+yours, which can then remain here till it gets well. Should you come
+round here again one day we can then change back again.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;But suppose the animal dies?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Oh, I'll risk that. What is one horse more or less?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>I gratefully accepted this generous offer, and soon had my new
+acquisition saddled. It was a lively little nag, and all my weariness
+passed <a name="Page_126" id="Page_126" />away as I felt it bound between my knees. Delange remained here,
+and my comrade and I continued our journey alone, making for Vrede.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;There's a Jew a few miles from here,&quot; said the farmer as he bade us
+good luck, &quot;whom we suspect of treason. You should try and trap him and
+take him with you to Vrede.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>Towards dusk we reached the Jew's store. We rode up to the building and
+he came to the door, an intelligent-looking man.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Good evening,&quot; I said in English, &quot;are there any Boers about?&quot; We were
+both dressed after the English style.</p>
+
+<p>When the man's wife heard English spoken she also came to the door and
+stood by her husband's side.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Well, can't you answer?&quot; The fellow's face was a study. He and his wife
+looked at each other, evidently feeling that some danger was threatening
+them.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Sir,&quot; he said at last, speaking with an effort, &quot;I have seen no Boers.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Is this the road to Vrede?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Yes,&quot; he faltered.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Thanks. Good-night,&quot; and we rode away. It might be easy to shoot a
+traitor in cold blood, but to try and trap a man into uttering his own
+condemnation seemed too cruel.</p>
+
+<p><a name="Page_127" id="Page_127" />The next place we came to was a miserable-looking hovel standing by the
+wayside. The door was opened by an old man.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Good evening, uncle. Can you sell us a few bundles of forage?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Good evening. Yes, certainly. Come inside. It's a poor dwelling, but
+you are welcome. Johnny, take the horses and put them in the stable.
+Won't you join us at supper?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>Our appetites needed no stimulating, and we at once joined the family,
+who had just been sitting down to table when we arrived. After the meal
+our horses were saddled and brought to the door.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;What do we owe you for the forage?&quot; we asked. It would be an insult
+under any circumstance to offer to pay a Boer for a meal, &quot;paying
+guests&quot; being still unknown to our benighted nation.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;No, my friends,&quot; he said. &quot;I am poor, but I can't take your money. We
+are all working for our country, and must help each other.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;That's true, but you must really allow us to pay.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;No, no! A few shillings will make me no richer or poorer.&quot; It was only
+with the greatest difficulty that we managed to leave a few shillings on
+the table. And this in spite of the fact that he was in the direst
+poverty. But this is nothing <a name="Page_128" id="Page_128" />unusual in South Africa, where hospitality
+is considered a duty and a pleasure.</p>
+
+<p>We pushed on until late that night, when we reached Vrede. Here we
+learnt that the column which Lord Roberts had sent back from
+Johannesburg had just entered Reitz. The next day we turned our horses'
+heads towards Bethlehem, seeing a fair amount of game during the day's
+ride. Darkness found us still travelling onward. A few miles to our
+right a crimson glare lit up the heavens&mdash;a grass fire started by the
+British column, and an unmistakable danger-signal for us.</p>
+
+<p>We were now very close to the enemy, and might expect to meet a patrol
+at any moment. Whilst riding along in the dense gloom we heard loud
+voices a few hundred yards ahead of us. Turning out of the road, we rode
+on the grass so as to make no noise, and carefully approached. Upon
+getting nearer we found it was some natives driving cattle into a kraal.
+Near by was a farmhouse, and thither we went. Only the womenfolk were at
+home. We quickly reassured them&mdash;for every stranger was taken for an
+Englishman&mdash;and were asked to stay for the night. Presently the farmer
+himself arrived&mdash;he had been out watching the enemy.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;They will pass here to-morrow,&quot; he said, &quot;then I shall go on that hill
+yonder and knock over <a name="Page_129" id="Page_129" />a few of them. I had a fine chance to shoot
+to-day, but did not want to put them on their guard.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;But don't you think it would be better to join a commando and help in
+making an organised resistance? You may kill a few of the enemy by
+hanging about in twos and threes, but what difference will that make in
+the end?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;You mean us to act like the dervishes at Omdurman? I'm afraid you don't
+understand the affair, my son. We do belong to a commando, as a matter
+of fact, but we are scouts entrusted with the duty of keeping in
+constant touch with the enemy. If in the execution of this duty we see
+an opportunity to shoot a few of the enemy, are we to hold our hand
+because we happen to be only two or three?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;I should think not. But the enemy call it sniping, and I have heard
+them say that snipers get no quarter. And if you fire on a column near
+here they will come and burn this house down.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;It is not for me,&quot; he replied, &quot;to consider my own interests. I have my
+orders and must carry them out. What! Are we, who have lost sons,
+brothers, friends&mdash;are we, I say, to think of our property now? No! Let
+everything go, strip us to the bone, but leave us our liberty! It is not
+for ourselves that we battle and suffer, but for <a name="Page_130" id="Page_130" />posterity. It is for
+the birthright of our children&mdash;freedom. We are no servile Hindoos to
+meekly bow beneath the foreign yoke! They have put their hands to the
+plough, but they will find it stubborn land, land that they will grow
+weary of manuring with the bodies of their sons! And all for what? To
+raise a crop of thistles and thorns, for that is all they'll ever get
+out of us!&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;And it strikes me the end of the furrow is still out of sight.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;My boy,&quot; he said earnestly, &quot;<i>this furrow has no end!</i>&quot;</p>
+
+
+
+<hr style="width: 65%;" />
+<h2><a name="IN_THE_MOUNTAINS" id="IN_THE_MOUNTAINS" /><a name="Page_131" id="Page_131" />IN THE MOUNTAINS</h2>
+
+
+<p>&quot;I wish you a pleasant journey,&quot; said our host the next morning, as we
+prepared to mount. &quot;Have you money enough? Yes? Well, in any case, take
+this biltong along in your saddle-bags; it's my own make, you'll find it
+good. Keep a good look-out. Good-bye!&quot;</p>
+
+<p>After thanking him warmly for his kindness, we rode off. Halting but
+once to feed and water our horses, we reached a farm near Bethlehem
+towards evening, where we spent the night. We were awakened by the sound
+of a heavy bombardment in the direction of Bethlehem, which informed us
+that the British were attacking the town. With an optimism that now
+seems marvellous, we never for a moment doubted that the enemy would be
+driven back, and that we would at last be able to take a little repose,
+for twelve hours daily in the saddle was beginning to tell on us. Quite
+cheerfully we rode down to the village, listening to the music of the
+bursting shells and the lively rattle of the small-arms. Suddenly a
+cloud of Boers <a name="Page_132" id="Page_132" />issued from a kopje to our right, and slowly retreated
+across our front. We rode up to them and learnt that they had just
+received orders to retire, as the place could no longer be defended. It
+appeared that the British general had informed De Wet that if he did not
+surrender the town it would be bombarded. Most of the property belonged
+to British subjects, so De Wet ordered all loyal inhabitants to leave
+the town, and then told the general to bombard as much as he liked,
+which the latter forthwith proceeded to do. De Wet had placed a couple
+of guns on the mountain overlooking the town, and this, together with
+Theron's hundred and fifty men&mdash;the only commando seriously engaged that
+day&mdash;sufficed to keep the British back for three hours. De Wet's own men
+were kept in reserve to meet the usual outflanking movement. The latter
+did not take place, however, the enemy coming straight on. Finally
+something went wrong with one of our two guns, and Theron being hard
+pressed, with the reserve too far away to render immediate help, the
+order was given to retire. The artillerists profited by the occasion to
+tumble the damaged gun down a precipice, saying that they had had enough
+of repairing it. Here it was found by the enemy the next day. A rush was
+made for the mountain passes, as it was feared the enemy might <a name="Page_133" id="Page_133" />occupy
+them and cut off our retreat, but this was not even attempted, and we
+were allowed to gain our rocky fastnesses in peace. The following day
+was spent in climbing up and down the steep footpaths over the
+mountains, and that afternoon we arrived at the end of our journey,
+Fouriesburg, having spent something like a hundred hours on horseback
+during the last ten days. Our first move was towards the river, for we
+had not had a bath for several days. After repeated splashes in the
+chilly torrent we bought a few clean things, put them on, and then
+gravitated towards the telegraph office. Needless to say, our colleagues
+were surprised to see us, being under the impression that we had long
+since reached the Transvaal. Whilst still busy giving explanations we
+heard someone on the instrument calling Winburg. Now Winburg was in
+British hands; it could be no other than a British station calling.
+Wishing to gain a little information, we responded.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Here, Winburg.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Here, Bethlehem. Are you Winburg?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Yes.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Then give the name of the officer commanding.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>There was no time for hesitation, and in our haste we gave the wrong
+name.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;<a name="Page_134" id="Page_134" />Go away,&quot; came the answer; &quot;you're a way out. Trying to fool us, are
+you?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>After a while we called him up again.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Bethlehem! Bethlehem!&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Here, Lieutenant Sherrard, R.E. What's up?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Here, Winburg. What's the news?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;That you are a lot of fools for keeping on fighting and murdering your
+men!&quot; came the sharp reply.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Oh, kindly allow us to know our own business best. You'll find some
+method in our folly.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Maybe. How did you like the little bits o' lyddite yesterday?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;I believe it slightly killed one mule. How did you like the hell fire
+from the Nordenfeldt?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Never saw it. But honestly, why don't you come in and surrender?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;But honestly, what is your real opinion of those who desert their
+country in her hour of need?&quot; He preferred not to say, but disconnected
+the wire, and we heard no more of our friend the Royal Engineer.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Pity they were too sharp for us this time,&quot; I said to the Postmaster.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Oh, it doesn't matter,&quot; he replied, &quot;we caught up their report of the
+engagement just after they entered the town. It seems they had a pretty
+severe loss. Ours was slight, but one lyddite <a name="Page_135" id="Page_135" />shell burst over a group
+of horses and killed twenty.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;And what is the situation now?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Well, all our forces are here in the mountains now, and we can hold out
+for years. There are only two passes; they are strongly held, and the
+enemy will never get through them. We tried to get our prisoners to take
+parole, but they refused, so we have driven them over the Drakensberg
+into Natal. Last, but not least, the traitor Vilonel is here, waiting
+for his appeal to be heard.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>This Vilonel, a young man of prepossessing appearance, had been one of
+the most promising officers, and had early been promoted to commandant.
+Whether through overweening ambition on his part or not I cannot say,
+but Vilonel, accused of insubordination, was thenceforth given the
+distasteful and inglorious task of commandeering. He wearied of this,
+and applied for active service, but in vain. Then, smarting under a
+sense of injustice, he took the fatal step&mdash;deserted. Not content with
+this, he wrote a letter out of the British camp to one of our
+field-cornets, urging upon the latter to surrender. The letter fell into
+the hands of one of our Intelligence officers, who forthwith replied in
+the field-cornet's name, asking Vilonel to meet him at a certain
+secluded spot. Vilonel kept the appoint<a name="Page_136" id="Page_136" />ment, accompanied by a British
+major, and both were made prisoners, the major protesting energetically
+against what he was pleased to consider as a breach of the rules of
+warfare, but his captors begged to differ, reminding him that all's fair
+in love and war, especially in dealing with traitors and their
+associates.</p>
+
+<p>Vilonel was tried at Reitz, and sentenced to five years, the judge
+remarking that he was lucky to get off with his life. The prisoner did
+not think so, and applied for leave to appeal. This was granted, but
+owing to the nature of the subsequent military operations the Court had
+not found time to sit, hardly time to pause, in fact.</p>
+
+<p>When the day finally arrived for the appeal to be heard the little
+court-room was crowded with interested spectators. Judge Hertzog
+presided, assisted by two young advocates, Messrs. Hugo and Cronj&eacute;, and
+Advocate De Villiers represented the State. The prisoner, who conducted
+his own defence, asked for a postponement. This was refused. He then
+made an able statement, asserting his innocence of any evil intentions,
+pleading that he had acted as his conscience dictated, and eloquently
+praying the Court to reconsider his sentence. It was a painful moment
+when the presiding judge, after a whispered consultation with the
+assessors, turned to the prisoner and <a name="Page_137" id="Page_137" />confirmed the sentence, adding,
+in his clear, incisive voice, that the name of Vilonel would remain an
+eternal stigma upon the fame of the Afrikander race. One could not help
+feeling a thrill of compassion at the tragic end of such a promising
+career. To-day a noble patriot, to-morrow a black traitor, despised by
+the lowest of his countrymen!</p>
+
+<p>President Steyn's wife and family were installed in a house in this
+village, but the President himself preferred to camp in the veld and
+share the lot of his burghers.</p>
+
+<p>With him were nearly all the members of the Government, if we except
+those who had chosen to remain behind in Bethlehem, and who, from what
+their delighted friends heard, had been compelled by the British to foot
+it all the way to Reitz. We went out to the camp, and reported
+ourselves. It was now bitterly cold, the snow-topped Drakensberg keeping
+the temperature at an uncomfortable proximity to zero. But the men were
+nearly all well provided with warm khaki uniforms reaped at Roodewal,
+the mountains were full of cattle and corn, and we felt that we could
+easily hold these almost inaccessible heights against the British cordon
+formed outside.</p>
+
+<p>But it was fated otherwise. A despatch rider <a name="Page_138" id="Page_138" />arrived from the
+Transvaal; the situation there urgently demanded the encouragement of
+Steyn's presence. To leave this impregnable stronghold and venture
+across the open plains below needed all the boldness of De Wet, all the
+steadfast courage of Steyn. These leaders had never been known to
+falter; they did not falter now. Everything was arranged in the utmost
+secrecy. For a few days there was a hurrying to and fro of commandoes,
+and then one morning De Wet's laager was seen to have disappeared.</p>
+
+<p>Prinsloo was left behind over four thousand men, with orders to stand
+his own.</p>
+
+
+
+<hr style="width: 65%;" />
+<h2><a name="THROUGH_THE_CORDON" id="THROUGH_THE_CORDON" /><a name="Page_139" id="Page_139" />THROUGH THE CORDON</h2>
+
+
+<p>IT was no easy matter to pass through the British forces that lay massed
+around the mountain-chain. We were two thousand horsemen, and our
+vehicles, carts, ox-and mule-waggons formed a procession fully six miles
+long. When we trekked out of the nek strict orders were given that there
+was to be no loud talking and no matches struck. This latter was
+especially hard on such a crowd of inveterate smokers. I remember whilst
+we were riding mutely along, listening to the creaking and jolting of
+the waggons, and wondering whether we were going to get through, or what
+the alternative would be if we did not, we suddenly saw someone
+deliberately strike a match and light his pipe.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Who struck that match?&quot; came from the front. Then the delinquent
+himself spoke up&mdash;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;It's this confounded Kafir of mine. Was it you, Jantje?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Yes, baas,&quot; responded the dutiful black, bobbing up and down on his
+master's spare horse.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;<a name="Page_140" id="Page_140" />Give him twenty with the sjambok.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Right!&quot; Jantje and his master turned out of the road, and soon the
+unmistakable thwack! thwack! of the sjambok could be heard, mingled with
+subdued ejaculations in Kafir and Dutch. But judging by the expression
+on Jantje's features by the camp fire that night, as he blew long
+fragrant clouds into the gaping nostrils of his envious friends, I have
+my doubts about that thrashing.</p>
+
+<p>We halted frequently to allow the straggling ox-waggons to close up.
+Then we would dismount, stamp our chilly feet, draw our overcoats or
+blankets closer, and discuss trivialities. During one of these halts a
+horseman came dashing up from the rear&mdash;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;General, there's a doctor behind who has just come through the enemy's
+lines. He asks you to wait for him.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Tell him to hurry!&quot;</p>
+
+<p>We sat down and waited. In about half an hour's time another horseman
+came hurrying along. Here at last! No. Only another messenger. Another
+long wait, and finally the doctor arrived. He squatted down next to De
+Wet, and in a low voice related how he had been unjustly captured by the
+British some weeks ago, how they had sent him to Johannesburg and kept
+him <a name="Page_141" id="Page_141" />in prison until now, only liberating him after repeated requests
+for a hearing. His tale was listened to in silence and with deep
+attention. When it was told the order was given to mount, and on we
+trekked again past the sleeping British camp. Presently the moon rose,
+and by its light we passed a lonely farmhouse. Beware its slumbering
+inmates when the British come along to-morrow, for are not they
+responsible for the telegraph line which runs across the farm, and which
+we have cut in half a dozen places! No doubt the house will be burnt,
+and all the stock confiscated. But never mind, the owner has surrendered
+and is living under British protection&mdash;protection whereof he is going
+to get a taste now, so why should we pity him? On we go until long past
+midnight, when we halt in a secluded little valley. Our horses greedily
+swallow the icy water, and then eagerly crop the tasteless dry grass,
+for our waggons are too far behind, we can give them no mealies
+to-night.</p>
+
+<p>The next morning a cloud of dust in our rear showed that we were being
+pursued. Whilst we were hastily inspanning and upsaddling, Theron came
+in from the right, bringing with him a captured Hussar. One old Boer,
+who had his little boy with him, brought the youngster up to the soldier
+and said&mdash;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;<a name="Page_142" id="Page_142" />Now, sonny, you've never seen an Englishman. Here is one. Look at him
+well; you must shoot lots of them yet.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Go away,&quot; said one of the Boers, &quot;what do you mean by staring at the
+man like that? Don't you know any better than to insult a helpless
+prisoner?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;I'm sorry,&quot; said the old man, turning away, &quot;I don't want to hurt his
+feelings; I only wanted to show my son the game he must track one day.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>The little boy cried when they led him away, saying&mdash;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;I 'ants my 'ickle khaki, I 'ants my tame Englishman!&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Don't cry,&quot; said the old man, &quot;father will catch you some to-morrow.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>The little fellow's eyes brightened with anticipation, and his tears
+gave way to smiles. Sure enough his father came into camp a few days
+later driving before him two diminutive steeds bending beneath the
+weight of two corpulent khakis. He called his son and said&mdash;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Now, sonny, here are the soldiers I promised you.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>The little fellow looked them over carefully. Then his lower lip began
+to pout, and tears rolled down his cheeks.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;<a name="Page_143" id="Page_143" />What's the matter, my son,&quot; asked the astonished father, &quot;doesn't he
+like his khakis?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;No, daddy,&quot; replied the little chap, striving with his tears.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Why not, my lad?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>Then the child's restraint gave way, and he burst out&mdash;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Oh, daddy, they're not&mdash;<i>sob</i>&mdash;real&mdash;<i>sob</i>&mdash;soldiers at all!&quot;</p>
+
+<p>They were two of the C.I.V.</p>
+
+<p>But to return. As soon as the waggons were ready they were sent on along
+the winding valley, whilst the horsemen and artillery took up a position
+on a neighbouring hill and awaited the British attack. This took the
+form of continuous shelling until sundown. As soon as darkness fell the
+horsemen took a short cut and rejoined the waggons, which in the
+meantime had gained a considerable start. President Steyn and his
+secretary accompanied De Wet during the day and had a taste of the
+enemy's shell-fire. When we asked the secretary that evening how he had
+liked the ordeal he said he could hardly describe his feelings whilst it
+lasted, but when the shelling ceased it was the heavenliest sensation of
+his life. So if you want a heavenly sensation you know now how to get
+it.</p>
+
+<p>We had an ambulance staff with us, but were <a name="Page_144" id="Page_144" />sometimes obliged to leave
+our wounded behind, because we knew very well the enemy would be only
+too glad to get hold of our doctors and deprive us of all medical help.</p>
+
+<p>On crossing the railway near Honingspruit we captured a train. From the
+newspapers taken out of the mail-bags we learnt that we were being
+closely pressed, and that hopes were entertained of our speedy capture.
+We did not grudge the papers the pleasures of hope; what we objected to
+was their crocodile tears over us poor misguided, ignorant burghers, who
+were too stupid to see the beauty of becoming exultant British subjects,
+like the Irish. We also learnt that Steyn was ill, that he was hiding on
+a farm near Heilbron, that he was a prisoner in De Wet's camp, that his
+mind had given way, that he wouldn't let De Wet surrender, that De Wet
+wouldn't let the burghers surrender, that the burghers wouldn't let
+Steyn surrender, <i>ad fin. ad nauseam</i>.</p>
+
+<p>As we had a distinct object in view, <i>i.e.</i> to bring Steyn to Kruger, we
+generally preferred to avoid unnecessary engagements. But we could show
+our teeth when we liked. We were laagered near Vredefort one day when
+the pursuers made a sudden dash forward, coming within a mile or so
+before they were observed. On this occasion there <a name="Page_145" id="Page_145" />was no hasty flight.
+The cattle continued peacefully grazing around the waggons, whilst the
+horsemen went to meet the enemy. There was a brief exchange of shells,
+and then our men charged with such good effect that the British were
+forced to retire. They followed us at a more respectful distance after
+that.</p>
+
+<p>De Wet kept his plans so secret that very few knew for certain whither
+we were bound. The President called me into his tent one morning and
+asked me a few questions about the roads near Balmoral, where the
+Transvaal Government was at that time. I happened to have a map with me,
+and so was able to supply the desired information. He then told me to
+take a couple of heliographists and try to get into communication with
+one of the Transvaal commandoes near Potchefstroom.</p>
+
+<p>We climbed one of the numerous hills lying around and called up towards
+Potchefstroom, but got no reply. As we sat chatting, keeping our eyes
+fixed on the dark ridges in the distance, one of my companions
+remarked&mdash;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;This reminds me of a fine trick I played on the English a few months
+ago. We were trekking along quietly one day when I observed a heliograph
+glitter on a hill about ten miles away. I at once fixed my instrument,
+and soon learnt that it was a British helio post. I sent him a heliogram
+saying <a name="Page_146" id="Page_146" />that we were a small party of British in danger of capture, and
+asking that an escort should be sent to bring us in. The next day the
+escort walked into our arms! We took the rifles and let the prisoners
+go&mdash;about a hundred men. The next day the British heliographist called
+me up again and reproached me for telling him such a deliberate lie!&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;And what did you reply?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Oh, I said, 'g.t.l.'; you know what that means!&quot;</p>
+
+<p>Espying a pretty little cottage in the valley below, I rode thither to
+try and buy a loaf of bread, leaving the others to continue calling. On
+the way down I noticed a telegraph wire running in the direction of
+Potchefstroom. In the farmhouse were only two young girls, the elder a
+charming golden-haired fairy with tender eyes of cornflower blue. And
+her smile!&mdash;it was enough to make one say all kinds of silly things just
+for the pleasure of seeing her ripe lips part, revealing her wholesome,
+even little teeth! No wonder I delayed my departure! I left at last,
+however&mdash;not without the loaf of bread&mdash;and made for the camp. I had not
+gone far before I met one of the burghers, who told me Steyn and De Wet
+had gone up to the helio post a little while before. What would they say
+when they <a name="Page_147" id="Page_147" />found me absent from my post! I approached the camp in
+anything but an enviable mood, and was just off-saddling when the two
+leaders returned. Like a flash the thought came to me of the telegraph
+line I had seen.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;President,&quot; I said eagerly, before he could speak, &quot;there's a telegraph
+line near here. Shan't I go and try to tap it?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>He looked at me very seriously for a moment, and then replied, a smile
+breaking through the frown, &quot;Yes, go on, you should have been there
+already.&quot; Saved again! I went, but needless to say, if I heard any
+secrets that evening it was not through the medium of a telegraph wire!</p>
+
+
+
+<hr style="width: 65%;" />
+<h2><a name="SKIRMISHES" id="SKIRMISHES" /><a name="Page_148" id="Page_148" />SKIRMISHES</h2>
+
+
+<p>A band of about thirty Transvaalers, mostly from Potchefstroom, who had
+been attached to De Wet for some time, now decided to go on ahead and
+join Liebenberg's commando, near their native town. As De Wet had no
+intention of moving forward just yet, I joined my brother Transvaalers.
+Bidding adieu to our Free State comrades, we crossed the Vaal. Just
+beyond the river we were joined by two or three others, who had with
+them as prisoner a British sergeant. This fellow had been in charge of a
+band of native police, whose insolence had terrorised the women and
+children for miles around, until a body of Boers came along and routed
+them out of the district, capturing their leader. What became of the
+blacks I do not know, but it must be remembered that the Transvaal
+natives are Boer subjects, and liable to be shot if caught aiding the
+British. The feeling against the sergeant was very bitter.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;<a name="Page_149" id="Page_149" />Oh, you're the Kafir chief, are you?&quot; said one of our men to him.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Ho, yuss, h' I'm the Kefir ginnyril,&quot; responded the flattered cockney,
+with an irritating grin.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;I'd like to Kafir general you through the head,&quot; said the disgusted
+Boer promptly. The sickly grin faded, and the threat was not carried
+out.</p>
+
+<p>Towards afternoon a heavy rain began to fall. There was no shelter for
+us, and we pushed along, wet and cold. Then night came, and the road,
+now transformed into a rushing torrent, was only shown us by the lurid
+lightning flashes that continually rent the heavens. And we had a sick
+man on the trolley, for whom this exposure was a serious matter. But
+finally we reached a farmhouse, occupied by an old woman. Her eyes
+filled with tears when she saw us, and she thanked the Lord that He had
+spared her to behold once more the defenders of her country. Near by was
+an empty building. We outspanned and off-saddled, turning our animals
+loose, as we knew they would not stray far in such a blinding storm. The
+sick man was hastily carried in and laid upon some dry blankets.</p>
+
+<p>Then we made half a dozen roaring fires with some mealie cobs that we
+found lying in the <a name="Page_150" id="Page_150" />house, stripped ourselves, and held our boots and
+clothing over the fire till they were fairly dry. By this time the water
+boiled; we drank some coffee, then made up beds on the floor and slept
+till morning. It was a bit of a struggle to get into our damp things
+when we awoke, but as we rode along our clothes dried and our spirits
+rose. Then Potchefstroom came in sight, but, alas! it was held by the
+enemy.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;What would my poor mother say,&quot; said one young fellow, &quot;if she knew I
+was so near!&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Oh, my wife and children!&quot; sighed another.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Cheer up, boys!&quot; interrupted the commandant. &quot;Our country first, you
+know.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>That afternoon we joined a small commando lying near the railway between
+Potchefstroom and Frederikstad. It numbered barely a hundred men, but
+they had with them a bomb-Maxim and a Krupp. At midnight we got orders
+to march for the hills near Frederikstad, where we arrived at dawn. Here
+we were reinforced by a score of burghers, and we continued our way,
+keeping in a parallel with the railway, but behind some intervening
+hills. Presently a scout came in and reported the enemy in sight.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Forward!&quot; ordered the commandant, and forward we raced along through
+the veld, keeping a look-out for holes. One youngster's horse went
+<a name="Page_151" id="Page_151" />down, the rider turning a beautiful somersault. Shouts of laughter
+greeted his exploit, but he quickly remounted, and was one of the first
+to reach the hill for which we were making, and which dominated the
+railway. Keeping the Nordenfeldt in reserve, we opened fire with Krupp
+and small-arms on the advance guard of the enemy.</p>
+
+<p>We did not know at the time that we were tackling Lord Methuen and five
+thousand men, but such was the case. Of course we made a very poor show;
+what can you expect? But anyhow, we engaged them for about two hours.
+Then their cavalry came on with a rush, and we were compelled to give
+way. It was only with the greatest difficulty that we saved the guns,
+and we only succeeded in doing so, I presume, because the enemy were not
+aware of our real numbers. Our waggons fled to one side of the line
+whilst we remained on the other, with absolutely nothing to eat. By
+buying a few eggs and other small produce from the natives we managed to
+subsist until the third day, when we crossed the railway, marched all
+night, and rejoined our waggons at dawn. To slaughter sheep and cook
+porridge did not take long; hearty is the only word to describe the meal
+we made. Then we moved round and joined Liebenberg, who, with six
+<a name="Page_152" id="Page_152" />hundred men, had just retaken Klerksdorp without firing a shot. But
+then, the place was garrisoned by only forty English, and resistance
+would have been of no avail.</p>
+
+<p>We hung about the neighbourhood of Potchefstroom for about two weeks,
+anxiously waiting for the word to be given to attack the town, but
+Liebenberg confined his tactics to making an appearance in sight of the
+town and retreating as soon as the enemy came out to give battle. This
+kept the enemy on the <i>qui vive</i>, it is true, but it also tired out our
+horses, and we soon grew weary of it. We had several lively little
+skirmishes, however. One day about forty of us were detached to go and
+bombard a British gun which stood on the other side of the town, whilst
+the rest of our commando approached the town on this side. We were
+sitting down quite comfortably under a tree below our gun, eating bread
+and dripping, listening to the duel and smiling at the high aim of the
+British gunners, when the look-out shouted&mdash;&quot;Here's the enemy behind
+us!&quot;</p>
+
+<p>The gun was rapidly limbered up and we rode to the top of the hill.
+Across the valley about a hundred horsemen were stealthily stealing up
+Vaal Kop, evidently with the intention of taking <a name="Page_153" id="Page_153" />us in the rear. We
+halted and gave them a couple of shells, to which they very promptly
+replied.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Commandant,&quot; said one of my comrades, &quot;let's charge them. They're not
+too many for us.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;No,&quot; was the reply; &quot;it's best to be prudent.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Well, I'm going to have a smack at them, anyway! Coming along?&quot; he
+shouted to me, and without waiting for a reply, started down the valley.
+I followed him, and we cut across over the loose stones at a breakneck
+pace, not making straight for the enemy, but for a rocky ridge whence
+our fire could reach them. As we climbed the ridge we were joined by two
+others. When we got to the top we saw about forty horsemen in the valley
+beyond.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Fifteen hundred yards!&quot; shouted Frank, and we let them have it. Round
+and round they turned in a confused circle, like a flock of worried
+sheep. Then they rode away to the right, straight into a morass, back
+again, and finally retreated in amongst the bushes on the slope of the
+hill, whence they favoured us with a few well-aimed shots in reply. The
+whole thing had lasted barely five minutes, but we had each emptied
+about fifty cartridges, so we felt quite happy. As we left the shelter
+of the hill and rode back across the valley, <a name="Page_154" id="Page_154" />their companions on top of
+the hill turned a Maxim on us, but the bullets all went high, singing
+overhead like a flight of canaries. Going up on the other side, I took a
+piece of bread out of my pocket, and was just trying to persuade myself
+to offer our two companions some, when crack! crack! came a couple of
+Nordenfeldt shells right behind us. It didn't take us long to get over
+the hill, the vicious little one-pounders crackling and fizzling round
+us all the while.</p>
+
+<p>On the other side a comical sight met our eyes. The whole veld was full
+of scattered Boers retiring in all directions, with a shell bursting in
+between them every now and then, luckily without any effect. A few
+hundred yards away stood the cart of our clergyman, who was frantically
+trying to unharness his mules and inspan horses in their place. He was
+so nervous that his fingers refused to undo the straps, so we dismounted
+and effected the exchange for him. As soon as the last strap was buckled
+he lashed up and drove away, too excited even to say thank you.</p>
+
+<p>We were so accustomed to retreating by this time that it seemed
+extraordinary to see a man lose his head so easily. The British shells
+pursued us till we were out of sight, but the only <a name="Page_155" id="Page_155" />casualty was when a
+shell passed so close to Van der Merwe, the mining commissioner of
+Johannesburg, that the concussion knocked him off his horse.</p>
+
+<p>That evening Jonas came into camp. Jonas is quite a character in his
+way. When the British entered Potchefstroom he, with four followers,
+took up a position on a kopje about six miles out of town, and a
+thousand yards from the Johannesburg road. Whenever a convoy or a body
+of British came along Jonas and his merry band would open a furious
+fusillade, causing the unhappy enemy no end of inconvenience. It is a
+fact that he carried on this game for months, unhindered.</p>
+
+<p>After his day's work Jonas would lay aside rifle and bandolier, don his
+overcoat, and stroll into town to see his family.</p>
+
+<p>He was challenged by a sentry on one occasion, but Jonas reproved him so
+severely and bluffed him so completely, that the poor fellow broke into
+an abject apology, whereupon Jonas very condescendingly promised to say
+no more about the matter.</p>
+
+
+
+<hr style="width: 65%;" />
+<h2><a name="WE_ENTER_POTCHEFSTROOM" id="WE_ENTER_POTCHEFSTROOM" /><a name="Page_156" id="Page_156" />WE ENTER POTCHEFSTROOM</h2>
+
+
+<p>&quot;On Sunday we shall hold service in Potchefstroom,&quot; announced the
+commandant. Ah! Something definite at last! The men's hearts grow light
+as they polish their rifles, for are not they going to behold their dear
+ones soon? No one thinks of doubting the commandant's word; he is our
+leader, what he says must be true. How we shall get in none know, but
+get in we shall, all are sure of that. One morning my two comrades are
+sent to spy the town. My horse's unshod hoofs are tender as my lady's
+hands; I have searched the plains for a dead horse wearing shoes. Of all
+the carcasses I find the hoofs are gone, cut off by sharper comrades. I
+must remain behind. At night the order is given, &quot;March!&quot; Cheerfully the
+column trots out of camp; we who have no horses follow it with wistful
+eyes. There are girls in the town too, ah! such girls! Complexions a
+dream of purity, mystic, melting eyes, and hair a silken web to weave
+sweet fancies through.</p>
+
+<p>At midnight my two friends return. What, the <a name="Page_157" id="Page_157" />others gone already? And
+you still here! No, mount, saddle, hurry, sick or well, go we must, and
+come must you! And perhaps, after all, if we ride steadily, who knows?
+If my horse fails, why, we will loot another on the road.</p>
+
+<p>We do not take the <i>spoor</i>, we slip across the veld; my mount treads
+gingerly, but what odds? After to-day he shall rest for a week!</p>
+
+<p>We near the town. Everything is deathly quiet. Where is our commando?
+Cautiously we enter the streets, riding far apart, rifles ready. Halt!
+here comes a horseman. Don't fire, he is unarmed. Why, 'tis but a boy!
+Where's the enemy? Where's the foe, quick? What! Deserted the town? We
+look around and see a long string of Boers come speeding along about a
+mile behind. Hurrah, we are first in! We race into the market square,
+crowds of people, and halt at the Government Buildings. Up with the
+<i>Vierkleur!</i> Ah, the proud exultation of seeing our own flag once more
+float over the ancient capital! Women press around, young and old,
+beautiful alike in pure emotion of patriotic joy, eager to greet their
+war-worn men.</p>
+
+<p>My sons, do they live? God be praised, they are here. The father fell at
+Belmont, but He has spared the sons!</p>
+
+<p>And mine, I say, and mine; three they are, <a name="Page_158" id="Page_158" />boys yet&mdash;what, no more? All
+I have&mdash;all I had gone for ever! Oh, Lord, uphold us! Welcome home, my
+boy. Your brother, is he well? Speak! Ah me! I loved him best; it is my
+punishment At last! my love, my husband! Happy day! Hush ... a hymn
+peals forth and wafts our thoughts to One above, a harmony of mingled
+joy and sadness. The last solemn notes die away, and we separate&mdash;joyous
+couples to make mirth together, sad widows to weep alone.</p>
+
+<p>How strange to sit at a table once more, to hear again the melody of
+girlish voices! &quot;Sweet are looks that ladies bend on whom their favours
+fall.&quot; Let us bask in the warmth of your smiles to-night; to-morrow the
+cheerless veld again!</p>
+
+<p>Tales to boil the blood are told, barbarous brutality. Our commandant's
+daughter dragged before the provost-marshal. The gun found buried in
+your yard; your father's work? No, my own. You lie! Out you go&mdash;property
+confiscated, furniture sold; go seek the commandoes and ask them for
+shelter!</p>
+
+<p>A widow, husband killed. Clear out, furniture confiscated! Why? Your
+sons are fighting; you are a rebel! I'll teach you to remember Major
+C&mdash;&mdash;&mdash;.</p>
+
+<p>But in a skirmish Major C&mdash;&mdash;&mdash; is killed; joy of the widowed and
+fatherless. Homage to our <a name="Page_159" id="Page_159" />noble women, patient under persecution,
+steadfast in adversity, cheerfully sending forth their nearest and
+dearest to battle to the end!</p>
+
+<p>On the morrow a sharp alarm note is sounded. An officer gallops from
+house to house. Quick! saddle and ride; meet at Frederikstad! Myself and
+a comrade are quickly speeding thither, our brief Valhalla over. On the
+road we overtake and pass parties of twos and threes, all on the same
+errand. At last we approach the rendezvous. Up the hill rides a dense
+body of cavalry; down near the station horsemen dash in and out, to and
+fro, like busy ants. On the hill a few footmen leisurely stroll about,
+rifle in hand. What means all this commotion? We pass a Kafir hut.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Are those Boers or English, outa?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Boers, baas.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Sure?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Yes, baas, it's our own people.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Yes, look, that's the commandant ahead on his roan. Come along!&quot; We
+near the horsemen. The last man dismounts as we approach; his companions
+are disappearing over the rise; he shifts his saddle forward, staring at
+us intently. A tall, well-built fellow, red hair, chin scrubby,
+dust-covered features. A bayonet at his side&mdash;by heavens! an Englishman!</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Frank, it's a khaki,&quot; I whisper, &quot;keep straight on.&quot;</p>
+
+<p><a name="Page_160" id="Page_160" />The soldier looks me in the face as we slowly pass him. I feel my
+cheeks burn and turn my head away. His gun stands in the bucket; we can
+shoot him, but then, the others? We wear top-boots and riding-breeches,
+hats pinned up at the side; he is in doubt&mdash;perhaps we are scouts just
+come in. He mounts his horse and rides after his comrades.</p>
+
+<p>Now turn and away, over boulders and bushes for dear life! Suddenly a
+dozen scouts file down the hill, two hundred yards off. I wave my hat
+and beckon them to follow. They halt, perplexed. Then a few bullets
+whistle by, and we see the scouts come dashing after us. But the bushes
+are high and the boulders loose; we are down the hill now, over the
+flats and away! Down to the river&mdash;the bridge is destroyed! Never mind,
+through we go, and then turn round to smile at our pursuers.</p>
+
+
+
+<hr style="width: 65%;" />
+<h2><a name="DE_WET_ONCE_MORE" id="DE_WET_ONCE_MORE" /><a name="Page_161" id="Page_161" />DE WET ONCE MORE</h2>
+
+
+<p>The reason for all this hurry-scurry became plain when we learnt that De
+Wet, tired of playing at hide-and-seek with the enemy on the other side
+of the Vaal, had crossed over and passed by Potchefstroom the night
+before. It was into the pursuing force that we had ridden.</p>
+
+<p>Reaching the laager, we found the majority of our comrades there. Of the
+fate of those who had delayed to leave the town we were ignorant. The
+laager inspanned and followed De Wet, who had just passed here, and
+after a few hours' rapid trekking caught up to him. A halt was called
+for breakfast, but before the water boiled for coffee the enemy came in
+sight behind us. The cattle were rapidly driven together, oxen yoked and
+horses saddled, and in about three minutes' time we were on the move
+once more. De Wet's force and our own combined comprised nearly three
+<a name="Page_162" id="Page_162" />thousand men, with six hundred waggons and carts, forming a train that
+made a splendid target for the British gunners.</p>
+
+<p>There was not much difficulty in keeping the enemy back, but still they
+hung on persistently, worrying us day after day, until our horses, and
+even the tougher mules, began to drop in the road, and our men to grow
+weary of the saddle.</p>
+
+<p>The oxen bore up best of all; we now made the discovery that they could
+trot just as well as mules, and with less effort. But even they felt the
+strain.</p>
+
+<p>As far as we went the road we left behind us was littered with abandoned
+animals. It was pitiful to see these dumb creatures try to drag
+themselves after us, as if they too feared the pursuing foe. But still
+the weary march went on, night and day, until a numbed indifference
+settled over us.</p>
+
+<p>Shells fell to the right and left unnoticed; was the apathy, not of
+despair, for our faith would never let us feel that, but of sheer and
+utter exhaustion.</p>
+
+<p>Haggard men, sunk in slumber, beat a mechanical tattoo on their horses'
+ribs as the gaunt animals dazedly staggered forward. And now came the
+stunning news that Prinsloo, Prinsloo with 4,000 <a name="Page_163" id="Page_163" />men, had surrendered!
+Only one hope sustained us&mdash;the Magaliesberg. There we would find
+shelter and rest.</p>
+
+<p>But Clements was lying in wait for us there, waiting for us to walk
+blindly into the trap he had set. Well was it for our straggling train
+that Delarey came dashing down on Clements in the night, slaying and
+capturing right and left, till the British general was glad to take
+refuge in entrenched Pretoria! Else we were surely taken and the war
+ended. When at last we struggled over Olifant's Nek, it was to find the
+pass held by friends, not foes, many signs of the enemy's occupation,
+from plundered farm-houses to hundreds of biscuit tins, strewing the
+ground.</p>
+
+<p>Our waggons were drawn up in a line behind the mountain, and we manned
+the passes, confident in our ability to hold them. But we were too
+wearied, and the enemy too persistent. On the third day they forced the
+weaker of the passes, and we were forced to fly once more. Had the
+British continued their stern chase our capture were almost certain;
+strange to say, with success within their grasp, they held their hand,
+halted, and followed us no further. In the retreat the Free State and
+the Transvaal commandoes took <a name="Page_164" id="Page_164" />different directions, myself remaining
+with the latter. We marched all night, past frowning kopjes, and camped
+in a thick mimosa forest at dawn.</p>
+
+<p>Here the commando decided to remain for a while. I obtained a pass from
+Liebenberg and set off alone to make my way through the dense bush to
+Middelburg.</p>
+
+<p>The first day I discovered De Wet's &quot;meagre commando,&quot; about a thousand
+men, who had been ordered to conceal themselves here and feed up their
+animals, whilst De Wet himself, with the other half of his force,
+scoured the country to within ten miles of Johannesburg.</p>
+
+<p>In the evening I arrived at a mission station, where the only whites
+were the missionary's young daughter and her youthful brother. Their
+father had left for a visit shortly before the war broke out, and had
+not been able to return. They themselves had done the mission work,
+unaided, through all these anxious months. And remember that at this
+time the bushveld Kafirs were waging war amongst themselves!</p>
+
+<p>The next day I encountered a couple of waggons laden with ammunition for
+Delarey. The escort told me they had left Middelburg eighteen days
+before. Making circuits to avoid <a name="Page_165" id="Page_165" />the enemy and taking wrong roads had
+delayed them.</p>
+
+<p>Then&mdash;it is wonderful how news travels amongst the Kafirs&mdash;I heard that
+Steyn was also somewhere in the bush, on the way to join the Transvaal
+Government. Fortunately for me, I rode right into his party that
+evening, just as they were starting off again. I had only off-saddled
+once since sunrise, but the chance was too good to be missed, and I
+joined them. The party consisted of barely fifty men&mdash;not an extravagant
+escort, but sufficient, under the circumstances.</p>
+
+<p>We travelled till midnight, halted for an hour, and then forward again
+till sunrise, when we crossed the Pienaar's River. Here we found a
+fair-sized commando under a general whose name I forget, as that was the
+only time I ever heard it. He was expecting an attack, the waggons were
+already retreating. We halted long enough to prepare breakfast, during
+which time the President shot a few bush doves. Hardly had we finished
+the meal when the rat-tat, rat-tat of small-arms showed that the British
+were approaching. Then a Maxim rattled forth amongst the rocks, and
+warned us that the action had begun in earnest.</p>
+
+<p><a name="Page_166" id="Page_166" />The commando kept the enemy back just long enough to give us a decent
+start, and then retired. We afterwards learnt that this British
+force&mdash;under Barnum-Powell, of Tarascon&mdash;had been sent out from Pretoria
+expressly to intercept us. It was a close thing&mdash;had the enemy been a
+little smarter they might have had us. As it was, we doubled away under
+cover of the bush, and were soon out of reach.</p>
+
+<p>Now followed a week of rapid trekking, varied with a little shooting now
+and then at the partridges and bright-plumaged birds that abound in the
+bushveld, and once relieved by the sight of a magnificent bush fire, a
+sea of roaring flame. I must not forget our banjoist, who of nights
+beguiled our careworn chief with cheery marches, quicksteps, and comic
+songs. Finally we emerge upon the <i>hoogeveld</i> of Middelburg, to find the
+town in the enemy's hands. We make for Roossenekal. Again the British
+are before us. We turn away towards Machadodorp. As we near the village
+Schalk Burger comes out to meet us. He and Steyn speak earnestly
+together. Burger is more silent, more taciturn than ever. We push on,
+and reach Machadodorp, where a train is in waiting. The station is
+crowded with Transvaalers, all eager to shake their gallant Free <a name="Page_167" id="Page_167" />State
+brethren by the hand. The President and party enter the carriage, the
+engine whistles, and the train speeds down to Waterval Onder, where Paul
+Kruger and his advisers are impatiently awaiting its arrival.</p>
+
+
+
+<hr style="width: 65%;" />
+<h2><a name="END_OF_THE_REGULAR_WAR" id="END_OF_THE_REGULAR_WAR" /><a name="Page_168" id="Page_168" />END OF THE REGULAR WAR</h2>
+
+
+<p>The battle of Machadodorp was expected to A take place at any moment,
+and the general feeling was that this fight should decide the campaign,
+the more so as the issue was confidently awaited by us. On the second
+day after Steyn's arrival at Waterval Onder the British attacked. Never
+before in the history of the war had such a furious bombardment been
+known. Only those who have witnessed the fierce storms of the tropics
+can form an idea of the awful unending roar of the lyddite guns as they
+belched forth one continuous shrieking mass of projectiles into the
+defenders' trenches. At Waterval Onder the two Governments listened in
+silent suspense as the sonorous reverberations rolled through the
+mountains, louder and fiercer yet, till the firm earth shook beneath the
+shock.</p>
+
+<p>At last came the appalling message that the British were victorious, and
+our men in full retreat! High hopes had been built on this <a name="Page_169" id="Page_169" />combat; no
+wonder if for a while we felt disheartened. The end of regular warfare
+had been reached; it was imperative that an entire change of tactics be
+adopted. Steyn was for beginning the guerilla system immediately, in
+which he was supported by Gravett, Pienaar, and Kemp; Kruger, however,
+determined to defend the railway to the last. The British lost no time
+in following up their success. It had been said that they would never
+venture down these precipitous heights, but, like all other prophecies
+about this surprising war&mdash;except Kruger's, that he would stagger
+humanity&mdash;it turned out false, for down into the infernal mountain pits
+the enemy thronged after us, with a courage that made us marvel.</p>
+
+<p>The Governments retreated by train to Nelspruit, and thence to
+Hectorspruit, the commandoes following by rail and road.</p>
+
+<p>Here the forces were divided, those without horses being sent to
+entrench Komatipoort, while the rest made ready to slip past the
+approaching enemy's outstretched arms. It was decided that President
+Kruger should leave for Holland, Schalk Burger acting in his place. Most
+of the burghers still fighting are Progressives, and therefore
+politically opposed to Paul Kruger, but there were few who did not feel
+a sincere sympathy for the venerable President in this, well-nigh the
+bitterest <a name="Page_170" id="Page_170" />hour of his stormy life. I say nearly every man still
+fighting is as fervent a Progressive as the world could wish, and as
+much opposed to Paul Kruger's policy as the British themselves! Then
+what are they fighting for? you ask. For independence! Let us gain that,
+and in one year's time you will see the Transvaal merged into the model
+Free State, the Switzerland of South Africa!</p>
+
+<p>After Kruger's departure Steyn took leave of the Transvaal Government.
+His last interview with Botha took place in the open air, in full sight
+of the burghers. The two conversed in low, earnest tones. Botha looked
+ill and haggard, he had aged since he had gained his spurs at Colenso;
+the weight of his responsibility lay heavy upon him.</p>
+
+<p>Louis Botha is idolised by his men&mdash;perhaps he has not an enemy in the
+world&mdash;but it is to Steyn, and Steyn alone, that the honour belongs of
+the resistance still being offered by the Boers. Let not this detract
+from the merits of those other and equally gallant spirits, leaders or
+men, who have nobly breasted the waves of adversity; who shall blame
+them if at times they felt the current overwhelming?</p>
+
+<p>Steyn utters a last cheering word, then shakes Botha's hand, mounts, and
+rides away at the head of his little escort.</p>
+
+<p><a name="Page_171" id="Page_171" />The scene around the station resembles nothing so much as a cattle
+fair. Near the line stands a policeman, his gaze fixed upon a large box
+lying at his feet. The box is filled with gold. Ben Viljoen, standing on
+a waggon, addresses the men, explaining to them what guerilla warfare
+means. On the other side hats, shirts, and what not are being dealt out
+with a lavish hand. Some burghers wander off into the bush in search of
+game, others lie lazily stretched out beneath the trees. Trains crammed
+with men arrive from the rear, discharge their freights of assorted
+humanity, and are immediately boarded by the dismounted men destined for
+Komatipoort. The line is blocked with traffic, trains run anyhow, and it
+will be some days before everything is ready for our trek to begin.</p>
+
+<p>There being no longer any need for officials, my colleagues volunteered
+to form themselves into a fighting corps, and did me the honour of
+selecting me as their leader. The corps, however, lacked accoutrements.
+I went down to Delagoa Bay. Upon returning, with two other officers, we
+were arrested at the Portuguese station Moveni.</p>
+
+<p>Although armed with passports signed by the District Governor, we were
+informed that we would under no circumstances be allowed to recross the
+frontier. Nor could we obtain permission to return to Lourengo Marques
+by train. The <a name="Page_172" id="Page_172" />young Portuguese commandant, a mirror of courtesy,
+explained that we had either to await further orders there or walk back
+to the Bay, a distance of fifty miles.</p>
+
+<p>After waiting for several hours we quietly boarded a train coming from
+Komatipoort, and managed to reach Lourengo Marques unobserved. We still
+believed that we would contrive to get back somehow sooner or later, but
+were soon cruelly undeceived. President Kruger, who was the guest of the
+District Governor, wrote to General Coetser at Komatipoort, asking him
+not to destroy the bridge and advising him to take refuge in Portuguese
+territory. Coetser himself, with the few of his men who had fairly
+decent horses, preferred to follow Botha, who by this time had begun his
+trek from Hectorspruit, and left General Pienaar in charge of
+Komatipoort.</p>
+
+<p>Influenced by the arguments of the Portuguese&mdash;one of which was that,
+should the British cross the Portuguese frontier and take the Boers in
+the rear, Portugal would not be able to prevent it&mdash;and by the fact that
+the positions first chosen for the entrenchments lay within a mile of
+the frontier and therefore could not be occupied, a <i>Kr&yuml;gsraad</i> resolved
+to follow the President's advice. The bridge had already been mined, the
+guns placed in position, and everything made ready to give <a name="Page_173" id="Page_173" />Pole-Carew
+and the Guards a worthy reception; but fate decided otherwise, and
+General Pienaar, with some two thousand men, crossed the
+frontier,&mdash;needless to say with what deep regret&mdash;thus reducing by
+one-fifth our forces in the field, a loss which would have been avoided
+had Steyn's advice been taken and guerilla warfare begun after
+Machadodorp.</p>
+
+<p>There was thenceforth nothing for us poor ship-wrecked wretches to do
+than to gaze impotently on our heroic brethren still struggling against
+the storm. The waves run high, but it is their duty to continue.</p>
+
+<p>And they will continue. Not because they are sure of success, but
+because it is their duty.</p>
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+<pre>
+
+
+
+
+
+End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of With Steyn and De Wet, by Philip Pienaar
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+</pre>
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+</body>
+</html>
diff --git a/15224.txt b/15224.txt
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+++ b/15224.txt
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+The Project Gutenberg EBook of With Steyn and De Wet, by Philip Pienaar
+
+This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with
+almost no restrictions whatsoever.  You may copy it, give it away or
+re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included
+with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org
+
+
+Title: With Steyn and De Wet
+
+Author: Philip Pienaar
+
+Release Date: March 1, 2005 [EBook #15224]
+
+Language: English
+
+Character set encoding: ASCII
+
+*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK WITH STEYN AND DE WET ***
+
+
+
+
+Produced by Jonathan Ingram, Garrett Alley, and the Online Distributed
+Proofreading Team.
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+WITH STEYN AND DE WET
+
+BY
+
+PHILIP PIENAAR
+
+OF THE TRANSVAAL TELEGRAPH SERVICE
+
+
+METHUEN & CO.
+36 ESSEX STREET W.C.
+LONDON
+1902
+
+
+
+
+CONTENTS
+
+                                    PAGE
+
+THOMAR                                1
+
+THE ELEVENTH OF OCTOBER               3
+
+FIRST IMPRESSIONS                     8
+
+COLENSO                              17
+
+PLATRAND                             25
+
+SPION KOP                            32
+
+GLORIOUS WAR                         42
+
+PIETERS' HEIGHTS                     47
+
+GLENCOE                              53
+
+THE FREE STATE                       60
+
+LINDLEY TO HEILBRON                  68
+
+VELD INCIDENTS                       76
+
+TAPPING THE WIRES                    87
+
+I MEET DE WET                        93
+
+ROODEWAL                            103
+
+OFF TO THE TRANSVAAL                111
+
+ARRESTED AS SPIES                   121
+
+IN THE MOUNTAINS                    131
+
+THROUGH THE CORDON                  139
+
+SKIRMISHES                          148
+
+WE ENTER POTCHEFSTROOM              156
+
+DE WET ONCE MORE                    161
+
+END OF THE REGULAR WAR              168
+
+
+
+
+WITH STEYN AND DE WET
+
+
+
+
+THOMAR
+
+
+Here in the quiet old convent of Thomar, the Convento de Christo, the
+strife of the past months seems like a dream. Wandering through the long
+corridors, with their bare, empty apartments, gazing by the hour on
+paintings faded and torn, the work of long dead and forgotten masters,
+dwelling on marvels of ancient architecture, resting the eyes on
+peaceful landscapes and hearing the sweet murmur of falling waters, the
+scenes of war seem distant and remote.
+
+The heart but so lately harrowed by the devouring emotions of anger,
+hate, and the lust of blood, now soothed by the sympathy of the kindly
+Portuguese, is lulled into harmony with the surrounding scenes of peace
+and beauty. Only the thought of our ravaged country, struggling still
+for dear life, though forced upon her knees, brings back the claims of
+duty and the yearning to be up and doing, to enter once more the ranks
+of the foemen and strike another blow for liberty.
+
+Hopeless! Yet where is the Boer--prisoner, exile, or renegade--even
+he!--who does not dream by nights he feels once more the free veld air
+upon his brow, lives again the wild night rides beneath twinkling stars?
+He feels once more his noble steed bound beneath him, grips again his
+comrade's welcoming hand, and wakens with a bitter sigh.
+
+Some consolation, then, to recall blows already struck, and duty fairly
+done.
+
+
+
+
+THE ELEVENTH OF OCTOBER
+
+
+When war appeared inevitable the spirit of the Boers rose to support
+them in their hour of trial, and only sentiments of patriotism and
+defiance were felt and expressed. Joy at the opportunity of proving once
+and for ever their ability to defend themselves and consequent right to
+independence, regret for friendships about to be severed--these were the
+chief emotions of the younger generation. The elder thought of past
+wrongs, long cherished, and silently took down the rifle from behind the
+door.
+
+The women, ever strong in national spirit, lent the aid of their
+encouragements and prayers. Sons wept that they were too young to
+accompany their fathers on commando.
+
+Yet there came a moment when for the space of a minute a mighty shadow
+seemed to brood over the land, and the cold chill of coming evil struck
+the nation as if from the clouds. A message had been despatched from
+Pretoria to every corner of the country. One word only: War!
+
+The blow had fallen. Nothing could avert a sanguinary struggle. Well the
+burghers knew the overwhelming strength of the foe, but they went
+blithely forth to meet their fate, strong in a sincere confidence in
+Providence. If the worst came to the worst, well, "'twere better to have
+fought and lost, than never to have fought at all!"
+
+Of all the branches of the Transvaal Civil Service there was not one
+that stood higher in the public estimation at that moment, nor one that
+distinguished itself more during the war, than that to which I had the
+honour to belong--the Department of Telegraphs. Equipped with the most
+up-to-date instruments, composed almost equally of picked men from
+England and Holland and of well-trained young Colonials and
+Transvaalers, under an energetic chief, our department proved itself,
+both before and during the war, second to none, and, the Afrikander
+portion at least, worthy of the confidence of the Government.
+
+I had just been transferred from Johannesburg to Pilgrimsrest, a quaint
+little one-street village near the Portuguese frontier, one of the
+oldest alluvial diggings of the early days, and now the centre of an
+important mining district. Here we heard that our commandoes had
+invaded the enemy's territory in every direction, and news of the
+preliminary engagements was awaited with breathless interest. The male
+inhabitants of the village often spent entire nights under the verandah
+of the telegraph office, and the importance of the telegraphist suddenly
+grew almost too great to bear with becoming modesty.
+
+One Sunday morning, however, the office wore a deserted look. The Dutch
+inhabitants were engaged in courteously escorting those of British birth
+or sympathies over the border, and I was alone. After a long interval of
+silence the instrument began ticking off a message--
+
+"Elandslaagte--flight--lancers!"
+
+Then came the list of the fallen. Name after name of well-known men fell
+like lead upon the ear. Finally my colleague at the other end gently
+signalled that of my uncle, followed by the sympathetic remark: "Sorry,
+old man."
+
+I could write no more. What, my uncle dead! General Kock, Major Hall,
+Advocate Coster--all dead! It seemed impossible. We could not understand
+it, this first initiation of ours into war's horrible reality.
+
+Within a week reinforcements were despatched from our district. I
+obtained a few weeks' leave of absence and accompanied them.
+
+We were an interesting band. Two hundred strong, we counted among our
+number farmers, clerks, schoolmasters, students, and a publican. My mess
+consisted of a Colonial, an Irishman, a Hollander, a German, a Boer, and
+a Jew. It must not be imagined, however, that we were a cosmopolitan
+crowd, for the remaining hundred and ninety-four were nearly all true
+Boers, mostly of the backwoods type, extremely conservative, and
+inclined to be rather condescending in their attitude towards the
+clean-shaven town-dwellers. The almost universal respect inspired by a
+beard or a paunch is a poor tribute to human discernment.
+
+Every mess possessed one or two ox-waggons, loaded with a tent,
+portmanteaux, trunks, foodstuffs, and ammunition. We made about twenty
+miles daily, passing through Lydenburg, Machadodorp, Carolina, and
+Ermelo, and reached Volksrust on the fourteenth day. During the march we
+learnt that heavy fighting had taken place in Natal, Dundee being taken
+and Ladysmith invested, and a strong commando had actually made a
+reconnaissance as far down as Estcourt.
+
+General Joubert, who had bruised himself in the saddle during the latter
+expedition, was now recruiting his health here in Volksrust. I went to
+see him, and found him installed in a railway carriage, and looking very
+old and worn. I showed him a telegram instructing me to apply to him
+for a special passport enabling me to return when my leave expired.
+
+He said, "Others want leave to go home; you ask for leave to come to the
+front. But your time is so short, it is hardly worth while. Still, I am
+glad to see such a spirit among you young people."
+
+Turning to his secretary, he ordered the passport to be made out. This
+was done in pencil on the back of my telegram. The general signed,
+handed me the document, and shook my hand. I thanked him, and left,
+highly gratified.
+
+We entrained that afternoon, slept in the carriages at Newcastle,
+reached Ladysmith, or rather our station nearest Ladysmith, the
+following day, disentrained, rode into camp, reported ourselves for
+duty, and went on outpost the same night.
+
+
+
+
+FIRST IMPRESSIONS
+
+
+Our chief concern was whether we, as novices, would bear ourselves well
+in our first engagement. Speaking to an old campaigner on the subject,
+he said--
+
+"Tell me candidly, how do you feel?"
+
+"Well, rather nervous."
+
+"Ah! Now, I can tell you a man who feels nervous before a fight is all
+right, because he has some idea of what he is going to meet. It is the
+reckless recruit that often proves a coward. He fancies it a mere
+bagatelle, and finds out his mistake too late."
+
+This rather encouraged us, for, to tell the truth, we felt anything but
+reckless.
+
+One evening about twenty of us were sent off to keep watch in a Kafir
+kraal near the town. In one of the huts we found a Kafir lying sick, and
+too weak to rise. He told us the former outpost had always brought him
+something to eat, but now they had not come for some days, and he had
+begun to think himself doomed to die of starvation, or, worse still, of
+thirst. We soon made up a collection of biscuits and cold tea, and I am
+happy to say that henceforth the poor creature's wants were daily
+supplied.
+
+A rather peculiar adventure befell us here a few days later. The sun had
+already set when we reached the spot where we were to stand guard during
+the night. We dismounted, and two men went forward on foot to
+reconnoitre. After a while they returned with the startling news that
+the enemy was approaching in force. They were sent forward again to make
+sure, and again returned, saying there could be no doubt about the
+matter.
+
+"We heard the rumble of an approaching train, the march of cavalry, and
+saw the glint of arms between the trees!"
+
+This was definite enough. A man was instantly despatched to alarm the
+main laager, while the rest of us followed leisurely. We were about
+half-way back when the messenger returned with an additional twenty-five
+men and an order that we were instantly to return to our post; if in
+possession of the enemy, to retake and hold it until relieved.
+
+A very tall order, and more than one man uttered the belief that
+discretion was the better part of valour, and that there was no humour
+in attacking numberless Britons with fifty men. We braced up our
+nerves, however, retraced our steps, and presently reached the vicinity
+of the kraal. Two men crept up close and came back to say the place was
+full of English. Leaving the horses in charge of a few men, we crept
+forward and surrounded the kraal. Each sought a suitable shelter and
+laid himself down to await the dawn. It was now about midnight. The next
+four hours passed very slowly, lying there in the cold and with the
+expectation of a desperate struggle in the morning. We thought how brave
+we were, and how sorry our general would be when he heard how we had all
+been shot down to a man, and how in after years this night attack of
+ours would rank with the charge of the Light Brigade. We hoped
+Chamberlain would die soon after us, so that we could meet his soul in
+the great Beyond and drag it through a sieve.
+
+What was our surprise to find when it grew light that there had never
+been an Englishman near! The whole thing from beginning to end was only
+another false alarm, and all our valour had been wasted.
+
+This kind of alarm was rather frequent at the time. A burgher woke up
+one night to find himself being roughly shaken and someone shouting in
+his ear--
+
+"What are you doing? Get up, quick! Don't you hear the alarm?"
+
+"Yes, another false one, I daresay," turning over for another nap.
+Happening to open his eyes, he became aware for the first time that he
+was speaking to no one less than General Joubert himself!
+
+The poor fellow did not argue the point any further, but forthwith fled
+into the night, glad to get off at that price.
+
+One morning two of us were returning from our usual swim when suddenly
+we saw the whole camp a beehive of commotion, burghers running to and
+fro, saddling their horses, shouting at each other, and generally
+behaving with a great lack of decorum--like madmen, in fact, or members
+of the Stock Exchange. Hastening on, we heard that the enemy were coming
+out to attack us. We hastily seized our nags, and in five minutes were
+on top of the nearest hill between ourselves and the enemy, who could be
+seen approaching three thousand yards away. We formed ourselves into
+groups, and each group packed itself a low wall of the loose stones
+lying about.
+
+One German, armed with a Martini-Henry, found himself shunned by all his
+comrades on account of his cartridges not containing smokeless powder,
+and was obliged to entrench himself on his own at some distance from
+the rest. The poor fellow was the butt of all the primitive humourists
+from the backwoods, and was assured with much solemnity that his rifle
+would draw all the British fire in his direction, and that he was as
+good as dead already. Thorny is the path of glory!
+
+The British guns in Ladysmith opened fire as their cavalry advanced, the
+shells falling a few hundred yards to our right, on a hill whence our
+cannon had lately been removed.
+
+When within two thousand yards the enemy suddenly wheeled to the left
+and were quickly out of sight between the hills. They found the Pretoria
+men there, and came back helter-skelter to the accompaniment of rapid
+rifle firing. First one saddle and then another was emptied as they
+raced across from right to left, making for a low scrub-covered kopje.
+
+In this kopje a party of our men were concealed. With keen interest we
+watched the scene, waiting to see the enemy caught in the trap. Then a
+volley burst from the brush. Like a flash the horsemen wheeled and raced
+back into Ladysmith. The volley had been fired too soon.
+
+A few mornings later we heard that during the night something very
+serious had taken place on Lombard's Kop. Being a sort of free lance, I
+immediately saddled my pony and rode in that direction. Presently I met
+two Boers on horseback.
+
+"Morning, cousins." (Cousin is a title of courtesy used in addressing
+one's equal in age. Elder men are called "uncle.")
+
+"Morning, cousin. Of what people may cousin be?"
+
+"Of the telegraph service. And cousins?"
+
+"Of the artillery."
+
+"Something happened up there last night?"
+
+"Yes. The English came and blew up our Long Tom!"
+
+"How was that possible?"
+
+"We can think what we like. Why was the burgher guard absent? It is
+shameful!"
+
+We returned to camp together. The news had now been made public, and
+formed the one theme of discussion. Much credit was given the enemy for
+their audacity, but there was a strong suspicion that treachery had been
+at work. The ensuing court-martial resulted in two officers being
+suspended from duty only, although there were many trees about.
+
+A few days later I went to see my brother, who was stationed on Pepworth
+Hill, some six miles to our right. He belonged to the Artillery Cadets,
+who at the beginning of the war had been distributed amongst the various
+guns in order to give them practical experience. Of the four that were
+attached to this gun two had already been wounded. It was glorious to
+see these lads of fifteen and sixteen daily withstanding the onslaught
+of the mighty naval guns. The rocks around their howitzer were torn by
+lyddite, and the ground strewn with shrapnel bullets.
+
+"The British say we are trained German gunners. Quite a compliment to
+Germany!" said one youngster laughingly.
+
+"And I," said another, inflating his chest, "am a French or Russian
+expert! Dear me, how we must have surprised them!"
+
+They showed me how they crushed their coffee by beating it on a flat
+stone. Their staple food was bully beef and hard biscuits.
+
+"If only we had some cigarettes," they said, "how gay we should be! Last
+week we got some sugar, enough for two days; we are so sick of black,
+bitter coffee!"
+
+A severe thunderstorm now broke overhead, and as I had to go on duty
+that night I took leave of my friends. They had no tents, and had to
+find the best shelter they could under tarpaulins stretched between the
+rocks.
+
+Riding along, I soon found my raincoat soaked through. The water began
+to rush along the path, and the loud, incessant pealing of the thunder
+and the rapidly succeeding and fearfully vivid lightning flashes so
+terrified my horse that it refused to move a step. Dismounting, I led
+the animal through the blinding rain for upwards of an hour, when I
+reached camp, to find the outpost already gone. I took off my streaming
+garments, and turned into my warm bed. At midnight the flap of the tent
+was opened, and I was ordered to turn out and stand guard. Our effects
+were still at Volksrust. Drawing on a soaking wet pair of heavy corduroy
+breeches in the middle of the night is one of the least delicious
+experiences possible, as I found to my cost, to say nothing of sitting
+in them on an antheap for a couple of hours with a chilly rain falling.
+
+In the morning came the news that the enemy had again surprised and
+blown up one of our guns--none other than the howitzer visited by me the
+previous evening. Presently the young cadets themselves came riding into
+camp, bringing with them pieces of guncotton, and showing by the state
+of their ragged uniforms the hand-to-hand nature of the struggle that
+had taken place.
+
+One of them said in answer to my inquiries--
+
+"We heard someone climbing the hill in the night, and challenged. It was
+the British. They shouted 'Rule Britannia!' and rushed up to the top. We
+fired into them. We were too few. By sheer weight of numbers they
+forced us aside. One of the artillerymen was dragged by the leg from his
+sleeping-place. He shook himself free, and bolted. The soldiers formed a
+square round the gun, charged it with guncotton, shouted 'Stand back!'
+and the next moment our gun was crashing through the sky. It all
+happened in a moment. Then the enemy retired, followed by some burghers,
+who had by this time arrived from the laager at the back of the hill.
+The Pretoria commando was also waiting for them, and intercepting their
+retreat, made them pay dearly enough for their exploit."
+
+
+
+
+COLENSO
+
+
+One day our scouts made a splendid haul, bringing into camp that
+celebrated, devil-may-care animal, the war-correspondent. His story was
+that he had wandered out of Ladysmith with a packet of
+newspapers--"merely to exchange notes and to challenge you for a cricket
+match!"
+
+Squatted on the ground, crowds of bearded Boers gazing at him with
+fierce interest, he looked anything but comfortable, and no wonder, for
+the word _spion_ was often uttered. His colour was a pale green, while
+his teeth chattered audibly. He was subsequently sent to Pretoria, and
+thence exiled to civilisation, _via_ Delagoa Bay.
+
+On the same day we captured three natives bearing British despatches. As
+these runners were giving considerable trouble, it was decided to
+execute one and send the other two to spread the news among their
+friends--black and white.
+
+The grave was already dug, when General Joubert, always against harsh
+measures, decided to spare the Kafir's life. The contrast between the
+bearing of this savage and that of the war-correspondent was most
+striking.
+
+Sometimes the merits of the different commandoes would be discussed. The
+palm was generally awarded to the Irish Brigade and the Johannesburg
+Police, two splendid corps, always ready for anything, and possessing
+what we others painfully lacked--discipline.
+
+The burghers used to relate with much relish a story of how one day the
+British shells came so fast that even our artillerymen did not dare
+leave their shelter to bring up ammunition for the gun; how two of those
+devils of Irishmen sprang to the task, and showed how death should be
+faced and danger conquered. Erin for ever!
+
+Buller now began to press his advance on the Tugela, and his searchlight
+could nightly be seen communicating with the besieged; long official
+messages in cipher, and now and then a pathetic little message, "All
+well, Edith sends love," would flash against the clouds, causing us to
+think of other scenes than those before us.
+
+On the tenth of December a heavy bombardment was heard from the Tugela.
+On happening to pass the telegraph office at two o'clock, a colleague
+called to me--
+
+"Buller has tried to cross the river; he is being driven back. Ten of
+his guns are in danger, and as soon as the sun sets our men are going
+over to take them!"
+
+This was news indeed.
+
+"Which is the road to Colenso?"
+
+"Round those hills, then straight on."
+
+"Thanks, good-bye," and off I went, determined to see those guns taken.
+
+About four hours' hard riding, then a tent by the wayside, the red cross
+floating above. An ambulance waggon has just arrived, bringing a few
+wounded. I must be close to the battlefield now, but I hear no firing.
+What can have happened?
+
+Half an hour further. I see the fires of a small camp twinkling in a
+gully to my left, and make my way thither. It is pitch dark. As I
+approach the camp I hear voices. It is Dutch they are speaking. Then
+several dim shapes loom up before me in the darkness.
+
+"Hello! What commando is this?"
+
+"Hello, is that you? By Jove, so it is! I thought I knew the voice," and
+dashing Chris Botha shakes my hand.
+
+"It is you, commandant! Where are those ten guns?"
+
+"Oh, that's what you're after. Sorry, but we took them early in the
+afternoon. Never mind, come along into camp. You'll see enough in the
+morning."
+
+In the camp they had six Connaught Rangers--a captain, lieutenant, and
+four men, about four of the lot wounded. They alone of all their
+regiment had managed to reach the bank of the Tugela--Bridle Drift,
+about two hundred yards from the trenches of the Swaziland commando.
+Finding no shelter in the river bank, exhausted, wounded almost to a
+man, they ceased firing, whereupon our men left them in peace until the
+end of the fight, when they were brought over and complimented upon
+their pluck.
+
+"I'm tired out after to-day's work," Botha said, "but there's no help
+for it. I must sleep in the trenches again to-night. Walk down with me,
+your friends down there will be glad to see you."
+
+After an hour's walk--it seemed more like a week--we reached the
+trenches, where the young heroes of the Swaziland commando made me
+welcome. I asked them about the day's fighting, but they said--
+
+"Too tired to talk to-night, old man. Turn in; to-morrow will do."
+
+We turned in, and slumbered undisturbed by any thought of the blood shed
+that day.
+
+Early the next morning we waded through the river, wearing only a hat
+and shirt, and carrying our topboots over the shoulder. Dozens of Boers
+were splashing about in the water, enjoying themselves like so many
+schoolboys. Lying strewn about on the other side were scores of dead
+bodies; by the side of each fallen soldier lay a little pile of empty
+cartridge cases, showing how long he had battled before meeting his
+doom. Some lay with faces serenely upturned to the smiling sky, others
+doubled up in the agony of a mortal wound, with gnashing teeth fixed in
+a horrid grin, foam-flecked lips, and widely staring eyes.
+
+Horrible, in truth, but most awful of all was the soul-sickening stench
+of human blood that infected the air. We soon turned back, unable to
+bear it any longer.
+
+"Did your commando lose many men?" I asked my companion.
+
+"Only two, strange to say. Wonderful; can't explain it."
+
+"How did you feel during the fight?"
+
+"When we saw the vast number of soldiers steadily approaching, and
+heard the thunderous explosion of hundreds of shells, we knew we were in
+for a hot time. Our small commando could never have retreated over the
+four miles of open country behind us. There was only one thing to be
+done--fight. And we fought--fought till our gun-barrels burnt our hands
+and our throats were parched with thirst--the excitement of it all!"
+
+"Could you see when your bullet went home?"
+
+"You noticed that soldier lying behind the antheap, a hole in his
+forehead? That man worried us a good deal. _He_ could shoot, the beggar!
+Well, two of us fixed our rifles on the spot and waited till he raised
+his head; then we fired. You know the result."
+
+Boys talking, mere boys, who should have been thinking of flowers,
+music, and love, instead of thus taking a grim delight in the stern
+lessons of war.
+
+Saying au revoir to my friends, I now rode over to the telegraph office
+a few miles lower down. The operators were transmitting piles of
+messages to and from anxious relatives, and were not sorry to see
+someone who could lend them a hand. The chief of the department happened
+to be there at the time. He immediately placed me in harness. I wired
+to my field-cornet at Ladysmith saying I was unavoidably detained, as
+the phrase goes, and the next few weeks passed quietly by, long hours
+and hard work, it is true, but on the other hand pleasant companions and
+a splendid river, with boating and swimming galore.
+
+One morning a score of Theron's scouts passed by, their famous captain
+at their head. One of them--an old friend--reined in long enough to tell
+me they were off to lie in wait for a small British patrol, which, a
+native had told them, daily passed a certain spot suitable for an
+ambuscade.
+
+In the afternoon the same band returned, several on foot, and carrying
+someone in a blanket. What was my surprise to find that this was no
+other than poor Harry C----!
+
+The native had misled them, and the surprise had been the other way
+about. My friend had received a bullet through the stomach, a wound
+which appeared necessarily fatal. He was laid down in a tent. Theron
+bent over him, his eyes filling with compassionate tears. "How now,
+Harry?"
+
+"Awful pain, captain."
+
+To break the news gently we wired home that he was only slightly
+wounded. This turned out to have been wiser than we knew, for, to our
+joy, Harry lingered on, rallied, and finally recovered, a triumph of
+medical skill.
+
+
+
+
+PLATRAND
+
+
+In Natal itself the situation was satisfactory, but the course of events
+elsewhere made the speedy capture of Ladysmith imperative. It was
+accordingly decided to make an attack on Platrand, or Waggon Hill, as
+the British call it. If we could gain this hill the town would be at our
+mercy.
+
+The plan of attack was simple in the extreme. The Free Staters would
+climb one side, the Transvaalers the other, and Louis Botha himself ride
+over from Colenso with a reserve of three hundred men.
+
+Our chief determined to view this fight, and agreed to take me along. It
+had been arranged that the attack should take place on the 6th of
+January. In the afternoon of the 5th we took the road to Ladysmith,
+travelling in a light mule-waggon, our horses tied alongside.
+
+Near Nelthorpe a small commando passed us. Knowing very well what errand
+they were bound upon, we yet thought fit to ask them where they were
+off to. "Oh, nowhere particular," was the answer. "Out for exercise,
+that's all." This discretion was most commendable, for in our mixed
+forces spying must have been easy and frequent.
+
+We pitched tent for the night, and at three the next morning saddled our
+horses and followed the spoor of the commando. Presently, encountering a
+Kafir holding half a dozen horses, we asked him where the owners were.
+He pointed to a hill near by, where we found the gallant Villebois, the
+kindly Oberst von Braun, and ill-fated von Brusewitz. Little did we
+think at the time that the latter would meet his death a few weeks later
+on Spion Kop and the former shortly fall at Boshof!
+
+It was growing light, and we could see, lying on our right, the neutral
+camp; further away, on Bulwana, our biggest gun, where we knew General
+Joubert was standing, his wife by his side.
+
+Straight before us lay the key to Ladysmith--Platrand, whence now and
+again came the sharp rat-tat of the Metford, followed by the Mauser's
+significant cough.
+
+Through our glasses we espied six helmeted men slowly retreating up the
+mountain, pausing at every dozen yards to fire a volley at some
+invisible enemy. Three of them reached the top. The sentries were being
+driven in.
+
+General Botha now arrived with the reserve force. All dismounted.
+
+"Put your horses out of sight," were his first words to his men, "they
+will draw the enemy's fire."
+
+Scarcely had he spoken when a shrapnel shell burst overhead, and three
+horses were lying on their backs, snorting and kicking. Then came
+another and another. Both went wide. The animals were quickly led behind
+the hill, and the three wounded put out of their pain.
+
+Taking the best shelter possible, we gazed upon the drama being unfolded
+before us.
+
+The attack was now in full swing. The grating British volleys, the
+ceaseless mill of independent firing, the sharp flash of the British
+guns, the fierce whirr of our French shells, the deep boom of Long Tom
+resounding through the valleys. Who can describe it all?
+
+Yet hardly a single combatant could be discerned. Attacked and attackers
+alike were invisible. One soldier only stood in plain view on the crest
+of the hill, signalling with a flag. Our men reached the crest, and the
+soldier disappeared. Whether in response to his signals or not,
+reinforcements presently reached the hill.
+
+In long, thin lines of yellow they ran across the plateau to the crest,
+hoping to drive the Boers back the way they had come. As it approached
+the line grew thinner and thinner, until there was nothing of it left.
+And so on, for hour after hour, the yellow lines of gallant men flung
+themselves into the open, only to fall beneath the raging fire poured
+upon them from the sternly held mountain crest.
+
+Down the hill our wounded dribbled, thirsty men, pale men, men covered
+with blood and weeping with rage. How grim must be the fire they have
+just passed through! One man is brought down lying across a horse. His
+face hangs in strips, shattered by a dum-dum bullet. Thank goodness,
+some of ours are using buckshot to-day!
+
+A Boer mounts on a waggon.
+
+"Who will take in ammunition?"
+
+No response.
+
+I turn to my chief. "Do you advise me to try?"
+
+"I cannot; you must decide for yourself."
+
+Throwing a sack of cartridges over my horse's back, I set off. No sooner
+in the open, than whizz, whizz, went the bullets past my ear. The pony
+stopped, confused. I struck the spurs into his flanks, and on we flew,
+the rapid motion, the novelty of the affair, and the continual whistle
+of the bullets producing in me a peculiar feeling of exaltation.
+
+Then the sack tumbled off. I sprang down, hooked the bridle to a tree,
+rushed back for the bag, and started forward again. The firing now
+became so severe that I raced for a clump of trees, hoping to find
+temporary shelter there. Some of our men were here, lying behind the
+slender tree-trunks and taking a shot at the enemy now and then.
+
+"Absolutely impossible to live in the open," they said. "Better wait
+awhile and see how things go."
+
+I laid myself down under the trees and listened to the bullets as they
+sang through the branches.
+
+The very heavens vibrated as the roar of artillery grew ever fiercer,
+and the loud echoes rolled along from hill to hill and died away in an
+awful whisper that shook the grass-tops like an autumn wind.
+
+What were those lines of Bret Harte's about the humming of the battle
+bees?... I could not remember.
+
+My eyelids grew heavy and presently I was fast asleep.
+
+"Wake up! They're coming round to cut us off. We must clear!" And away
+went my friend.
+
+Knowing their horses would soon out-distance my heavily laden pony, and
+trusting to get away unobserved, I took his bridle and led him away. For
+about twenty yards all went well. Then suddenly there broke loose over
+us the thickest storm of lead I ever wish to experience. Whether it was
+a Maxim or not I could not say, but it seemed to me as if the whole
+British army was bent on my destruction. Like raindrops on a dusty road
+the bullets struck around me. The pony snorted, shivered, and sometimes
+stood stock still. I jerked the bridle savagely and struggled on,
+without the slightest hope of escaping, and thinking what a cruel shame
+it was that I should be shot at like a deer. Finally the shelter of a
+dry watercourse was reached. Following this for some distance, I
+encountered another party of our men, to whom I handed my charge, too
+shaken to repeat the experiment. The firing now slackened off, and I
+returned to my chief, full of mortification over my failure.
+
+It was evident the hill would not be taken that afternoon, so we
+returned to our tent, intending to come back the next morning. Late that
+evening, however, Colonel Villebois passed and told us our forces had
+been withdrawn, General Botha being ordered to Colenso, where Buller had
+made a feint attack to help Ladysmith.
+
+Our struggle was therefore a failure, but it had not been made in vain,
+since it proved once again that we also could storm a fortified hill,
+and fight a losing fight--the hardest fight of all.
+
+
+
+
+SPION KOP
+
+
+Something peculiar began to be observed about the British camp at
+Chieveley. The naval guns still flashed by day, the searchlight still
+signalled to Ladysmith of nights, the tents still glistened in the sun,
+but the soldiers, where were they?
+
+Marching somewhere up the river. Buller meant to try his luck once more.
+More than one of our present leaders had in former days fought by
+Buller's side against the Zulus. They knew him tenacious, able; no mere
+theorist. It was here in Natal, under their eyes, that he had gained his
+Victoria Cross--the same priceless bit of bronze that young Roberts had
+just died to win; and they felt that to ward off his second blow would
+ask all our energy and cost many useful lives.
+
+The commandoes on our side of the river were extended to keep pace with
+the enemy's movements on the other. The distance between the different
+laagers lengthened considerably, and a speedy and certain method of
+communication soon became a necessity. To obtain this use was made of
+the vibrator, an instrument so sensitive that the most faulty line will
+carry sufficient electricity to work it. Having received orders to
+accompany the construction party, I said good-bye to my comfortable
+quarters, and found myself in the veld once again.
+
+While the two waggons loaded with wire, etc., went on by road we struck
+across country, myself on horseback, a vibrator strapped to the saddle,
+the others on foot. Half a dozen Kafirs accompanied us, carrying rolls
+of "cable," wire about the thickness of the lead in a pencil and covered
+with gutta percha. A wooden "saddle" holding one roll of wire was
+strapped on the back of one of the natives, one end of the wire joined
+up to the instrument in the office; the native marched forward, the wire
+unrolling as he went, and the other boys placing stones upon it here and
+there in order to prevent its being dragged about by cattle. In this
+manner we went forward, establishing an office at every laager on the
+way, with the result that every commando was always fully informed as to
+the situation of all the others, and the enemy's every movement
+immediately known to the entire forces, enabling reinforcements to be
+sent anywhere at any time.
+
+This system was an easy one to learn, and it has been said that some of
+our generals became so fond of it that the slightest movement of the
+enemy was the signal for a request for reinforcements. This is, no
+doubt, a frivolous exaggeration.
+
+The first day of laying the cable we had gone about fifteen miles, when
+communication with the office suddenly ceased. Telling the others to go
+on, I turned back and carefully tested the line, eventually finding the
+fault at sundown. Reporting my whereabouts to the office, I was ordered
+to follow the working party as rapidly as possible, the chief adding
+that it was especially desired to have communication the same night with
+the Standerton laager, where the others would have arrived by this time.
+I therefore pushed on, following the wire. It was pretty dark when I
+reached the foot of a mountain. Right across the cable led me--rather a
+difficult matter tracing it in the dark--but at last an open plain on
+the other side was reached; a few miles further I found one of our men
+stretched out in the grass by the side of the cable.
+
+"Where's the Standerton laager?"
+
+"This is where it was. Shifted yesterday; don't know where to. Others
+gone to find out. Got a blanket?"
+
+I had not. We had no idea where the waggons were. We lay down to
+shiver, not to sleep, for the intense cold made the latter impossible
+and the former obligatory. In the middle of the night we moved round to
+the other side of the antheap, thinking it _must_ be warmer there. But
+it wasn't.
+
+At sunrise the others returned, saying that the Standerton laager had
+moved much higher up, and that the Johannesburg laager was the next on
+the list. They accordingly marched in that direction, laying the cable
+as they went, past precipices and over mountain gorges. I followed on,
+testing and repairing, very tedious work in the burning sun. Fortunately
+I was able to buy a little fresh milk from a native, which refreshed me
+immensely. The waggons were still missing, so we had very little food.
+
+At midnight the cable led me up a high hill, so steep that the pony
+almost fell over backwards as I led him up the face of it. Right on the
+top lived an old native, who, hearing the barking of his dogs, rushed
+out armed with an assegai, ready to defend his eyrie against all comers.
+I persuaded him to take me straight to the Johannesburg laager, where a
+good night's rest made all right again.
+
+The next morning communication was established with headquarters, and I
+had the pleasure of eating a decent breakfast with Ben Viljoen, then
+commandant, now general, whose acquaintance I had made during the
+Swaziland expedition.
+
+A fiery politician and a reckless writer, his pet aversions were
+Hollanders and Englishmen, and it was hard to say which he detested the
+most. Brave and straightforward, he was most popular amongst his men,
+but the official, non-fighting, salary-pocketing element bore him no
+love. General in charge of these positions was kind-hearted, energetic
+Tobias Smuts, of Ermelo.
+
+During the night Louis Botha arrived here, accompanied only by his aide
+and his secretary. He, Smuts, their staffs, all slept in one small tent
+on the hard ground, and with hardly room enough to turn round in. Truly
+our chiefs were anything but carpet knights!
+
+For a couple of days my office was under a waggon, then my tent arrived,
+and soon everything was in full swing. One afternoon I was honoured by a
+visit from a Hollander Jew and Transvaal journalist, whose articles had
+more power to sting the Uitlanders than almost anything one could
+mention on the spur of the moment.
+
+We drank tea together and discussed the probability of our camp being
+bombarded, standing, as it did, in full view of the hill whereon the
+British cannon had been dragged a few days before. He had just raised
+the cup to his lips when a well-known sound was heard--the shriek of an
+approaching shell. Nearer and louder it came, till finally--bang!--the
+shell burst not a hundred yards away. A young lineman, who had been
+listening with all his soul and ever wider stretching eyes, now gave an
+unearthly yell and almost sprang through the top of the tent, knocking
+over the unhappy journalist and sending the hot tea streaming down his
+neck. The youth's exit was somewhat unceremonious.
+
+The office was hastily removed to the high bank of the adjacent stream.
+Whilst this operation was going on the instrument buzzed out a message
+ordering me to leave immediately for the Spion Kop office. I at once
+said au revoir, handing over to my assistant the charge of the office,
+river bank and all, as well as the task of dodging the shells, which
+continued to fall around.
+
+Riding along the steep bank for about two hundred yards, I found a
+footpath leading down one side and up the other. No sooner had I started
+down this than I heard a loud explosion. It did not sound quite so near,
+but on gaining the opposite bank I saw floating over the spot just
+quitted by me a small cloud of smoke, showing that a shell had been
+fired at me with marvellous accuracy. Then a couple burst near the
+general's tent, and the laager was immediately shifted behind the hill.
+
+I reached Spion Kop, took charge of the office, and was kept so busy
+that for a week there was no time to have a decent wash.
+
+The hill next ours was daily bombarded with the utmost enthusiasm,
+shells falling there at the rate of fully sixty a minute, while we
+escaped with only an occasional bomb. Looking down upon the plain before
+us, we could see the British regiments drilling on the bank of the
+river, about two thousand yards away, probably to draw our fire, but in
+vain was the net spread.
+
+The ground of operations was somewhat extensive. For some days the
+enemy's infantry had been harassing our right wing, attacking every day,
+and drawing a little nearer every night. Louis Botha was almost
+continually present at this point, only coming into camp now and then
+for a few hours' sleep.
+
+One evening his secretary said to me, with genuine emotion, "It has all
+been in vain! Our men are worn out. They can do no more!"
+
+He was a Hollander, and also a gentleman; that is to say, he was not one
+of those Hollanders who lived on the fat of the land, and then turned
+against us in our adversity; rather was he of the rarer stamp of Coster,
+who glorified his mother country by nobly dying for that of his
+adoption.
+
+"Cheer up!" I replied. "There are other hills."
+
+"To-morrow will tell," he said, as he bade me good-night.
+
+And the morrow did. In the grey dawn two hatless and bootless young men
+came stumbling down into the laager.
+
+"The British have taken the hill!"
+
+Startled, we gazed at Spion Kop's top--only five hundred yards away, but
+invisible, covered by the thick mist as with a veil. The enemy were
+there, we knew it; they could not see us as yet, but the mist would soon
+clear away, and then....
+
+Our guns were rapidly trained on the spot, our men placed in position,
+and we waited.
+
+I ran into the tent to telegraph the news to Colenso. No reply to my
+hasty call. The wire is cut!
+
+"Go at once," said the chief, "and repair the line."
+
+As I rode off the mist cleared, and a few minutes later the fight had
+begun. The cable ran about a thousand yards behind our firing line, and
+as I went along, my eyes fixed on the wire, the noise of the battle
+sounded in my ears like the roar of a prairie fire. Jagged pieces of
+shell came whizzing past, shrieking like vampires in their hunt for
+human flesh.
+
+Searching carefully for the fault, my progress was slow, and it was
+afternoon when the Johannesburg laager was reached. Here I found a
+despatch-rider, who said that reinforcements had arrived at Spion Kop
+early in the morning, that our men had immediately climbed the hill, and
+that, the issue being very, uncertain, we might have to retreat during
+the night.
+
+The line was still interrupted, although I had repaired several faults.
+I accordingly rode back to Spion Kop early the next morning. When I
+entered the laager it was to find that all the waggons had already
+retreated, and the tents standing deserted. Not quite deserted, for in
+one of them half a dozen bodies were lying. The enemy had unexpectedly
+retired during the night, and the entire commando was now on the hill,
+gazing at the plentiful harvest reaped by our Nordenfeldts. Thither I
+also went.
+
+British ambulance men were busy collecting corpses. It was a mournful
+sight; it seemed to me as if war really meant nothing else than
+butchering men like sheep, quietly, methodically, and without any pomp
+or circumstance.
+
+"A sad sight!" I remarked to the British chaplain.
+
+"They only did their duty," was his unfeeling reply. Duty! Is it any
+man's duty to kill and be killed without knowing why? For what did these
+poor Lancashire lads know or care about the merits of the war?
+
+"What do you think the confounded English have had the cheek to do?"
+asked a friend. "You know they always keep our wounded as prisoners when
+they get the chance. Well, this morning their ambulance came here and
+coolly carted away all their wounded! Louis Botha says they might have
+asked permission first. I should have turned a Maxim on them!"
+
+We went down to the laager, found the line in order, and wired the news
+of the victory to Pretoria. I had not been able to get into
+communication the day before because the chief had taken a hand in the
+fighting instead of attending to the instrument.
+
+Believing that Warren would make another attempt, this time more to our
+right, we shifted the office a few miles in that direction and pitched
+our tent next to a farmhouse, which was being utilised as a hospital.
+
+
+
+
+GLORIOUS WAR
+
+
+Late that evening I heard someone outside the tent asking where the
+hospital was. It was my father. We had no idea of meeting each other
+here, as I had parted from him in Johannesburg before the war began,
+when he had no intention of going to Natal. He himself had been under
+the impression that I was still at Ladysmith.
+
+He told me he had come to see my young cousin, Johannes, who had been
+wounded on Spion Kop the day before. We walked over to the hospital. The
+wounded lad, a frail boy of fifteen, looked terribly exhausted lying
+there on the floor, his left arm completely shattered.
+
+"We were two together," he said, "myself and another boy. We crept
+closer and closer to one of the small sangars, firing into it as we
+crept, until there was only one Englishman left alive in it. He called
+out 'Water!' and I ran to give him my flask. When I got close to him he
+pointed his gun at me and fired. I sprang aside, and the bullet
+ploughed up my arm. My chum then shot him dead. Our doctor was too busy
+with the English officers to attend to me, so I fear I shall lose my
+arm."
+
+Poor child! his fear was only too well founded. His arm was amputated,
+after which he went to his uncle's farm to recuperate. When the British
+arrived there he would not surrender, but took his gun and went on
+commando. Three days later he was brought in, shot through the lungs.
+That is the last I have been able to hear of him.
+
+A few days after the battle of Spion Kop we moved forward and opened
+another office on our right wing. The British soon after retired from
+the vicinity, and this wing was withdrawn. The office remained, however,
+being utilised by scouts and patrols for the transmission of urgent
+reports.
+
+One day Oberst von Braun called, accompanied by two Boers. I asked him
+what had become of his lieutenant.
+
+"Ah, poor von B----!" he said. "The fighting on Spion Kop was almost
+over, and he had just risen and walked forward a few steps, when a
+chance bullet crashed into his forehead, and he fell a corpse."
+
+This was the same lieutenant who had caused a great sensation in Germany
+a few years before by killing an unarmed civilian in a moment of
+provocation. It may seem a just retribution that he should have met
+with such a tragic fate, but those who knew him in Natal felt nothing
+but regret for his loss. Oberst von Braun was taken prisoner a few days
+after, and the British reported that his mind was unhinged. This did not
+appear improbable to us, for we knew how much he had been affected by
+the loss of his companion.
+
+I stayed here for three weeks, without much occupation except wasting
+ammunition on turtle doves and hoping that the next patrol would not be
+a British instead of a Boer one.
+
+The deserted houses in the neighbourhood had all been visited in turn by
+both British and Boer patrols, and between the two enormous damage had
+been wrought. It must be pointed out, however, that the mischief done by
+our men was in no way authorised--was, in fact, against express orders,
+whereas the British now burn our houses to the joyful fiddling of the
+London _Times_, and with a righteous unction eminently national.
+
+A small but remarkably severe engagement took place about this time, in
+which a portion of Viljoen's men suffered heavily.
+
+This detachment, about forty in number, was guarding a Nordenfeldt
+stationed in an advanced position on an isolated hill. One afternoon a
+large body of the enemy suddenly attacked the hill. Ben Viljoen, who,
+as usual, was on the spot, is not what may be called an excessively
+pious man, but he rose to the occasion and inspired his little band by
+asking them if they did not fear God more than the British. Thus
+encouraged to stand firm, they bravely held the hill till fully half
+their number were killed. There was no hoisting of the white flag,
+however, our men at that time generally preferring almost certain death
+to surrender. This instance was no exception. Every man got out as best
+he could, Commandant Viljoen himself racing out with the gun.
+
+Our cannon now shelled the hill furiously. The British ambulance tried
+to reach our wounded, but the fire was too hot. This bombardment kept on
+for two days, when the enemy retired, whereupon we again took possession
+of the hill. Two or three of our wounded were found to be still alive,
+but with their wounds in a terrible state of putrefaction. Imagine their
+sufferings during those two awful days of heat, thirst, and exposure, to
+say nothing of the shells continually exploding around them. They were
+brought into camp and ultimately recovered. For all I know, they may be
+fighting still. This little affair is known to the British as the battle
+of Vaalkrantz.
+
+When they heard that their son had gone safely through the battle of
+Spion Kop an old Free State farmer and his wife came down to pay him a
+visit The son then accompanied his mother home, the old man taking his
+place for a few days. One day some artillerists were engaged in their
+favourite pastime of burning out unexploded lyddite shells, when one of
+the shells burst, killing three men. As fate would have it, the old
+father in question was one of the three.
+
+Another peculiar accident happened on Spion Kop, whilst the rifles of
+the killed and wounded soldiers were being collected. One of the rifles
+lay under a corpse. Seizing the weapon by the muzzle, a young Boer
+attempted to draw it toward him. The charge went off and lodged in his
+stomach, inflicting a fatal wound. The soldier had been killed in the
+act of taking aim, and his finger had stiffened round the trigger. The
+young fellow thus killed by a dead man was the only son of his widowed
+mother.
+
+
+
+
+PIETERS' HEIGHTS
+
+
+When the British retreated from Spion Kop it was to move down to Colenso
+once more. Taking the Boschrand, after a feeble defence, they were
+enabled to command our positions on the other side, and succeeded in
+crossing the Tugela unhindered.
+
+Why we surrendered the river so easily and then defended Pieters'
+Heights so obstinately is explained by the fact that, owing to the
+British advance on Kimberley, the idea had become general that we should
+have to give up Ladysmith in any case, and therefore our men were drawn
+back from the river preparatory to a general retirement. Pieters'
+Heights were held till everything was ready, and then the retirement was
+effected without even an attempt at pursuit by the enemy.
+
+When the Pieters' Heights fighting began I was ordered thither. Going
+through the Klip River, our heavily laden waggon stuck fast. We quickly
+obtained the loan of another span of mules and hitched them on in
+front, but the double team only succeeded in breaking the trek-chain.
+There was nothing for it but to outspan and carry the heavy loads up the
+steep bank. At this we toiled till midnight. Too tired to catch the
+mules and haul the waggon out, we went to sleep, leaving that operation
+for the morning.
+
+Before we woke, however, another waggon came along. Finding the road
+blocked by ours, the driver roared at us to clear the way immediately.
+We were not going to rise so early just to please him, so we answered
+him that if he was in a hurry he could pull the waggon out himself. This
+he was obliged to do, in order to get past. We then thanked him, and
+gently told him that if he had addressed us in a decent manner in the
+beginning he would have spared himself all his trouble. We meekly added
+the hope that this little lesson would not be lost upon his wayward
+mind. His remarks cannot be reproduced here, but it was plain that he
+felt very much as little States do sometimes when taken in hand by one
+of the great Powers and subjected to a little kind cruelty.
+
+After reloading the waggon we went on, and reached Pieters in due
+course. The first thing that drew my attention was the sight of one of
+my young colleagues standing under the verandah of the telegraph
+office, his face a picture of grief. His father had been killed that
+morning.
+
+Going a few miles further, I took charge of the telegraph office in
+Lukas Meyer's laager. Meyer, a grand-looking man, formerly possessed
+much influence, being at one time President of the New Republic, a State
+founded by himself in a tract of country granted him and his followers
+by a Kafir chief for assistance rendered during an intertribal war. This
+small republic, soon incorporated with the Transvaal, was thenceforth
+represented in the First Volksraad by its former president, Louis Botha
+becoming its member for the Second Chamber. At the battle of Dundee
+Botha distinguished himself. Meyer did not. Then the former gained fresh
+laurels at Colenso, and this finally gave him the precedence over Meyer,
+General Joubert himself, on his death-bed, expressly asking that Botha
+should be appointed his successor. Meyer, then, was in charge of this
+laager, Botha had command of the whole line, and Commandant General
+Joubert was at headquarters near Ladysmith.
+
+Daily the British regiments stormed, and daily they melted away before
+the fire of our men. The stench arising from the unburied corpses soon
+made the whole hill reek. The British asked for an armistice to bury
+their dead, and this was granted by the commandant to whom the request
+was made. When Botha heard of this he at once informed the enemy that
+the matter had been arranged without his knowledge, and that he could
+grant no armistice. I think this is the only case on record where an
+armistice has ever been refused by us, although armistices were asked
+for many times by the British.
+
+The combatants, who during the interval had been chatting together most
+amicably, were quickly recalled to their respective positions, and the
+slaughter recommenced, continuing until one fine afternoon the enemy
+took the Krugersdorp commando's position, thus rendering our whole line
+untenable. A council of war was immediately called, to take place that
+evening, as it was impossible for our officers to leave the shelter of
+their trenches during daylight.
+
+Soon after sunset the various officers began to arrive. First came
+riding into camp, alone and unnoticed in the darkness, that
+incomprehensible man, Schalk Burger, now Acting President. He entered
+the tent moodily, nodded to us, and squatted down in the corner,
+absorbed in thought. My colleague and I were just making a meal of
+coffee and biscuit. We expressed our regret that we had no chair to
+offer him, asking him to accept a cup of coffee instead. This he did,
+in silence. Silence was his strong point.
+
+Masterful Lukas Meyer next entered, and after him came the pride of the
+army, Louis Botha, soldier and gentleman, followed by several officers.
+A general council of war was now held, General Joubert being consulted
+by telegraph throughout the discussion. There was no sleep that night
+for the telegraphists who had to transmit the queries and replies to and
+from headquarters.
+
+When the discussion was at its height, information was received that the
+Johannesburg laager was surrounded by the enemy. This laager now
+constituted our right wing. This intelligence was soon contradicted, but
+not before it had exercised a considerable influence upon the decision
+arrived at, which was to abandon Ladysmith. The minutes of this council
+of war, could they be published, would probably make most interesting
+reading, and be of great value to the impartial historian.
+
+At two in the morning we inspanned; at sunrise we were over Klipriver
+and trekking past Ladysmith.
+
+The road was one long string of waggons, each straggling on at the
+pleasure of its owner. Horses, thanks to the criminal neglect of those
+responsible, were already becoming scarce, and groups of men, many of
+them wounded, sadly stumbled along, carrying their unwieldy bundles of
+blankets, their little kettles, their knapsack, rifle and bandolier.
+Some trudged along with a saddle slung over the back, hoping to loot a
+mount by the wayside.
+
+We did not travel far that day, but the next the march became more
+rapid, every vehicle putting its best wheel foremost. A heavy rain fell
+as Elandslaagte was reached, adding to the general depression. Whilst
+the majority kept to the road, those who had no other means of
+conveyance entrained here for Glencoe. The commissariat stores were
+being hastily cleared out, what could not be loaded being set alight.
+The last train that left that evening carried the dynamiters, who
+destroyed the bridges after passing over them.
+
+After a weary ride in the open trucks, seated on sacks of bread, a
+drizzling rain soaking down upon us, we reached Glencoe. The platform
+and station buildings were crowded with the sleeping forms of the weary
+burghers, who, as yet unused to retreating, were somewhat mixed in more
+senses than one. Louis Botha was still near Ladysmith with the
+rearguard, most of the other chiefs were coming by road, and there was
+no one on the spot to back up General Joubert in his attempts to
+reorganise the confused and ever-growing mass of undisciplined men. The
+retreat, in fact, threatened to degenerate into a reckless flight.
+
+
+
+
+GLENCOE
+
+
+President Kruger had been informed A of the chaotic state of affairs,
+and arrived at Glencoe early the next morning. The burghers were called
+together, and the President, leaning out of the window of his railway
+carriage, asked them to join him in singing a psalm. He then offered up
+a fervent prayer for guidance, after which he addressed the burghers,
+reproaching them for their want of confidence in an all-powerful
+Providence, and exhorting them to take courage afresh and continue the
+struggle for the sake of their posterity, which one day would judge
+their acts.
+
+"Whither would you flee?" he asked us. "The enemy will pursue you, and
+tear you from the arms of your wives. The man who surrenders takes the
+first step into exile. Brothers! Stand firm, and you will not be
+forsaken!"
+
+As the father of his people spoke, the doubts and fears that had filled
+the breasts of the multitude disappeared. Forgotten were the days and
+weeks of hunger, heat, and thirst; forgotten the ghastly shrapnel
+showers, the soul-crushing crash of the awful lyddite shell, the
+unnerving possibility of sudden death that for months had darkly loomed
+across their lives, and every man felt the glorious fires of patriotism
+rekindle in his bosom.
+
+Then General Joubert spoke.
+
+"If I be the stumbling-block in the way of our success, then I pray God
+to remove me," was the humble prayer of the warrior grown grey in wars,
+who now found himself too feeble to direct the forces with his wonted
+vigour. He then reminded us of brave deeds done in the past, and
+expressed his confidence in the future, provided we did not lose heart.
+
+When the General had finished, he sent officers round to marshal the men
+into some sort of order. It was wonderful to see the change in the
+spirit of the burghers. Where but a moment before had been disheartened
+mutterings and sulky looks were now smiling faces and cheerful
+conversation. With alacrity the men came forward, gave their names, and
+that of their respective commandoes, and took in the positions assigned
+them. The danger was past. Even the news of Cronje's surrender, which
+was soon after made public, did not have more than a transient effect.
+The anxiety as to his fate had been so keen that even to know the worst
+was a relief.
+
+For two disquieting days, however, nothing was heard of the rearguard.
+To our relief it turned up on the third day. Several weeks of quiet
+followed, the British resting after their giant efforts, whilst we
+prepared to stem their further advance when it should take place. During
+this period of inaction on the part of the enemy I was sent down into
+Zululand, and stationed at a small spot named Nqutu, near Isandhlwana,
+Rorke's Drift, Blood River, and other scenes of stirring battles fought
+in former days. At Rorke's Drift could be seen, in good repair, the
+graves of the gallant men who fell in defending the passage through the
+river against the Zulus after the British disaster at Isandhlwana.
+
+While at Nqutu we received news of the fall of Bloemfontein and the
+death of General Joubert, as well as of De Wet's victory at Sanna's
+Post, the latter the only bright gleam that relieved the daily darkening
+horizon of our future.
+
+I now obtained a few days' leave of absence. My substitute left Glencoe
+early in the morning, accompanied by a mule waggon. The trolley duly
+arrived at sundown, but the substitute was absent. It appeared he had
+taken a short cut, as he thought, and had not been seen since. Bethune's
+mounted infantry was hanging about the neighbourhood, and we feared he
+might have been raked in. At midnight, however, he made his appearance,
+wet to the skin, after wandering to and fro in the chilly mist for
+hours. I immediately handed the books and cash over to him, and went to
+bed till four o'clock, when I saddled my horse and started for Glencoe,
+on leave and on my way home. Carefully nursing my mount, I reached
+Dundee at noon. After a short rest we went on, and reached Glencoe at
+one o'clock, none the worse for the morning's ride of almost fifty
+miles.
+
+Here I learnt that a plan was afoot to attack the British camp at
+Elandslaagte, which lay quite open and unprotected, as if it were part
+of an Earl's Court exhibition. When I left by train next morning our
+guns were already in action.
+
+Not being pushed home, however, the attack did not amount to much,
+except for its moral effect upon our men. It also gave the enemy the
+idea of finding a decent position for his camp.
+
+Travelling with me in the train were several men on their way to the
+Free State, where our forces were being hard pressed. Before leaving I
+had also sent in a request asking to be transferred thither, as Natal
+was becoming really too dull.
+
+At first sight Johannesburg did not seem much altered, but on driving
+through the deserted streets, all the shops barricaded, and tramway
+idle, the difference between the bustling city of old and this silent
+shadow of its former self was only too evident.
+
+Another difference that thrust itself upon the observation was the
+alteration which had lately taken place in the sentiments of the
+remaining Uitlander inhabitants. These, upon their lavish protestations
+of friendship and fidelity, had been allowed to remain during the war.
+In our triumphs their sympathy was ever with us, but when Cronje was
+captured, Ladysmith relieved, and Bloemfontein abandoned, their
+long-latent loyalty to the British Empire became too fervent to be
+restrained within the bounds of decency. "Remnants" of red, white and
+blue were ostentatiously sewn into a distant resemblance of the British
+flag; the parlour piano once more did its often unsatisfactory best with
+the British anthem; mamma's darling received strict injunctions not to
+play with that horrid little Dutch boy next door; and papa, jingling the
+sovereigns he had received in his latest deal with the Government,
+prepared to pat Lord Roberts on the back when he should enter the town.
+
+But what can one say of those "oprechte[A] Afrikaners" who followed the
+same procedure? The Smits who became Smith, the Louw that suddenly
+shrank into Lowe (could he sink lower?), the Jansen transformed into
+Johnson, and the Volschenk merged into Foolskunk? What did John Bull
+think of all these precious acquisitions to his family?
+
+In striking contrast was the bearing of some of the numerous
+British-born officials, British-born and with British sympathies, who
+nevertheless faithfully performed their arduous duties until their
+services were no longer needed, and then entered the new regime with
+conscience clear and not without some degree of regret for the old.
+Loyal to the old, they could be loyal to the new. That several of the
+British-born officials had played the despicable part of spy is
+undoubted, but their villainy served but as a foil to show more clearly
+the merits of those who remained honest men.
+
+Before my leave had expired I returned to Natal, weary of miserable
+Johannesburg, and little thinking that I should not see my home again
+for years. Upon reaching Glencoe I found a telegram had just arrived,
+granting my request to be sent to the Free State. An hour later I was on
+my way, and the following evening the train landed me at Winburg, where
+a construction party was awaiting my arrival.
+
+FOOTNOTES:
+
+[Footnote A: _Oprechte_ = thorough.]
+
+
+
+
+THE FREE STATE
+
+
+Menschvretersberg (Cannibal Mountain), near Thabanchu, was at this time
+the site of the Boer headquarters, and it was our duty to establish
+telegraphic communication between this point and Winburg, a distance of
+about forty miles.
+
+After consideration, the inspector decided that it would take too long
+to lay a cable.
+
+Wire fences had already been utilised in America for short-distance
+telephonic communication, and this system had already been tried at Van
+Reenenspas by ingenious young Bland, of the Free State telegraphs,
+employing, however, the vibrator instead of the telephone. We determined
+to follow his example.
+
+According to the law of the land, every Free State farm has to be
+fenced. Blocks of sandstone, about four feet high and twelve inches
+square, are generally used for fencing uprights. Here, then, were lines
+ready made, and covering the country in every direction like network.
+
+The only thing necessary to isolate the wire was to walk along the
+fence, cut the cross-bindings connecting the upper wire with the lower
+ones, lay a cable under the gates, and there you were. This did not take
+long, and soon messages were gaily buzzing to and fro over the fence.
+There was naturally a great loss of electricity, but not enough to
+prevent the working of the sensitive little vibrator.
+
+As with the cable in Natal, however, there were frequent interruptions.
+A herd of cattle would knock a few poles over, a burgher hurrying across
+country would simply cut a passage through the fence, or a farmer in
+passing through a gate would notice the cable, dig it up, and take it
+along, swearing it must be dynamite, and that the English were trying to
+explode the Free State with it.
+
+All this necessitated constant repairing, but on the whole the system
+proved fairly satisfactory, allowing the Government in Kroonstad to keep
+in constant touch with the fighting line.
+
+In Natal everything was very quiet; here, on the contrary, the British
+were pushing forward vigorously. General Louis Botha came down from
+Glencoe to aid De Wet, leaving his brother Christian to oppose bulldog
+Buller, or "Red Bull," as we called him.
+
+In spite of Louis' presence the enemy continued to gain ground, and it
+was not long before Brandfort had to be given up. The enemy next took
+Thabanchu, and it became clear that our positions at Menschvretersberg
+could not be held much longer. President Steyn himself visited the
+positions, cheering and encouraging the men, but the strain of
+attempting to stem the British advance could no longer be sustained.
+Within a few days we received orders to retire to Lindley.
+
+Retire! But how? We were three, our horses two, our luggage heavy. By a
+stroke of luck we managed to hire a cart and two. Hitching our horses on
+in front, we had a team of four, and the difficulty was solved.
+
+When driving away from the spot where, in the midst of war's alarms, I
+had yet spent some of the happiest hours of my life, I could not help
+looking back long and earnestly at the beautiful homestead, and
+wondering what fate held in store for it and its kind-hearted owner,
+who, always against the war, and weary of sacrifices he deemed useless,
+had determined to remain behind and surrender to the enemy. Like many of
+our best and most progressive men, he had become disgusted with the want
+of discipline in the ranks, and the painful lack of unanimity amongst
+the leaders. Sincere in his convictions, I do not think he could be
+blamed for acting up to them. Those who have rightly earned the
+contempt and hatred of every true Afrikander are those Boers who, not
+content with deserting, have gone yet further, and attempted to assist
+the enemy that they were fighting against only the day before. Even
+their new masters must surely despise such willing slaves!
+
+Absorbed in these reflections, I yet had time to notice the approach,
+from the opposite direction, of a Cape cart drawn by six bays.
+
+As the two carts passed each other the team of bays was stopped by a
+vigorous hand, and President Steyn addressed us, force and determination
+stamping every word and gesture.
+
+"Good morning! Why are you leaving already? I want communication with
+Kroonstad!"
+
+"Good morning, President. We had orders to leave at once, but there is
+an operator in the office still; he will remain till the last moment."
+
+"Very well; good-bye!" And off he went, the dust clinging to his long
+brown beard.
+
+We drove on, our four horses trotting merrily along. We were five in the
+vehicle, however, including the driver and his little boy, and presently
+the weight began to tell. After the first halt one of the leaders
+failed.
+
+"He won't make it much further," said the inspector. "Better turn him
+loose and see what can be done with three."
+
+"I have a better plan," said our other companion. Stopping the cart, he
+unharnessed the animal, passed the rope through its mouth, vaulted on
+its back, and rode to a farmhouse some distance away. Presently he
+returned, bringing another horse, which he had obtained in exchange for
+our exhausted animal.
+
+Thus reinforced, we pushed on, arriving at Senekal at ten that night.
+The only hotel was crowded; we were glad to sleep on the parlour floor.
+After breakfast the next morning we continued our journey, passing group
+after group of burghers on their way home.
+
+It was truly painful to see these poor fellows struggling along, their
+horses scarce able to walk and themselves in a condition not much
+better. At noon we outspanned at some water-pools, where several of
+these groups were also resting. We entered into conversation with them,
+and they told us that they had retired earlier than the others on
+account of the weakness of their animals; that one of their number had
+been taken ill, and could ride no further, even if his horse could carry
+him, which was doubtful.
+
+We spoke to the sick man, who was lying in the shade of a tree. He was
+quite a youth, and evidently of a better stamp than his companions.
+
+"If only I could reach a certain farm about five miles further on," he
+sighed, "I think I should manage."
+
+"Take my seat," said I, "and I'll ride your nag."
+
+"I must tell you," he objected, "that the poor beast is quite exhausted.
+It would take hours to get him there."
+
+"Never mind, I'll start now, and you can follow on with the cart when
+our horses have had a feed."
+
+Our business admitted of no retard, so I meant to get a good start in
+order not to delay my companions.
+
+I mounted the nag and shouted "Get up!"
+
+He stumbled forward a few steps and stood stock still. I pricked him
+with the spurs, he moved on a little further and halted again. By dint
+of spurring, striking, and shouting, he at last broke into a slow trot,
+wearily dragging his hoofs, but before long he stopped once more.
+
+I dismounted and tried to lead him, but he would not budge. Then I tried
+driving him on ahead, but as soon as I got behind him he turned out of
+the road, first to the right, then to the left. Of all heart-breaking
+experiences this was the worst. I could not leave the animal to die by
+the wayside; the farm was only a few miles further on, where he would
+find water, food, and rest. I mounted again, shouted, cracked my
+sjambok--blows he could no longer feel--flourished my arms, jerked my
+body up and down in the saddle, and finally got him into a walk--but
+such a walk! slow, mechanical, every step an effort.
+
+When we finally reached the farmhouse I sprang down and quickly threw
+the saddle off. No sooner did the faithful animal feel itself released
+from its service than it sank to the ground, utterly exhausted. I myself
+was not much better off, after my exertions in the blazing sun. If you
+are fond of horses, never try to repeat my experiment. Straining the
+last ounce out of your mount is too much like mule-driving, and that is
+the most soul-killing occupation on earth, as any Afrikander can
+testify.
+
+The cart was waiting for me here. We bade adieu to the sick man, and
+drove on. Towards sunset we overtook a man struggling along on foot,
+carrying a heavy saddle on his head. He signalled to us to stop, and
+came panting up to the side of the cart.
+
+"My horse died this morning," he said, "and I've been carrying this
+saddle all day. Can't you load it up for me as far as Lindley?"
+
+The man looked so thoroughly done up that I felt sorry for him.
+Besides, I wanted to stretch my legs a bit, so I said that he could take
+my seat, and I started off on foot while they were strapping fast the
+saddle. The exercise was so agreeable in the fresh evening air that I
+continued it, and kept ahead of the cart until we reached Lindley. We
+went to the hotel, had a good dinner, and then to bed.
+
+
+
+
+LINDLEY TO HEILBRON
+
+
+Lindley and Heilbron were each in telegraphic communication with all the
+other towns still in our possession, and consequently also with each
+other; but no telegraph line ran between the two. A message from one to
+the other had to travel _via_ Johannesburg and Kroonstad, involving a
+delay of several hours. It was our task to make good this missing link.
+Haste was required, for the British were already marching on Kroonstad,
+whence the Government was preparing to retire, ostensibly to Lindley,
+but in reality to Heilbron.
+
+Unfortunately the material wherewith the new line was to be built had
+not yet arrived from the Transvaal. The inspector decided not to wait,
+but to build the line without it.
+
+"Build a line without material? Impossible," you say. Not at all. You
+forget the fences; we did not.
+
+Our first care was to obtain a list of those farms along the road whose
+fences joined. This did not take many hours. Being joined here by a
+lineman, who had charge of half a dozen natives and a waggon, we loaded
+our luggage on the latter, as well as a sack or two of meal--the only
+foodstuff we could obtain, and began work, each armed with a spanner and
+a couple of iron tent-pegs.
+
+The fences were in bad repair, many of the stone poles having fallen
+down and the wires being broken and tangled every few hundred yards.
+Lifting the heavy stones and repairing and untangling the barbed wire
+was unaccustomed work, and soon our hands were covered with cuts and
+bruises. The distance by road between the two points is only about forty
+miles, but owing to the fences running at all angles to each other we
+had about seventy miles to cover. This it took us a week to do, rising
+early, working all through the day, and continuing in the moonlight at
+night. By buying a couple of sheep to supplement the bags of meal, and
+drinking a gall-like imitation coffee brewed from barley, we managed to
+fare well enough, and better than thousands of others are faring to-day.
+
+Our communication with the starting-point continued fairly good until we
+came within six miles of Heilbron, when it suddenly failed. I went back
+along the line, and eventually found the fault. After having repaired it
+and given my pony an hour's rest, I took a short cut for Heilbron, and
+arrived there at ten that night, only to find that during the time
+occupied by my return ride the wire had again stopped working. Having
+been in the saddle since six in the morning, I could do no more that
+night, although the Government, now installed here, was anxiously
+awaiting the resumption of communication. Early the next morning I
+started back. I considered it best to start testing from the middle of
+the line, and therefore went by road instead of following the fence. A
+few miles out of town I met De Wet's force, which was just retreating
+from Ventersburg. The men and animals were weary and dusty, but there
+was no depression noticeable; hope seemed to spring up afresh after
+every defeat, and those who thought of the result at all were confident
+that, as the song of the camp had it, "No Englishman shall ever cross
+the Vaal."
+
+And now I shall try and draw you a picture of what I saw next. It was a
+scene painfully humiliating for a Boer; what it was for an Englishman I
+leave you to judge.
+
+Coming along in the dusty road was a little drove of cattle and horses,
+about twenty in all, shaggy animals, and of all sizes, evidently the
+entire stock of some small farmer. Mounted astride on ponies, driving
+the sorry herd, their faces sunburnt, their hair all in a tangle, and
+their air the most dejected possible, were two young girls of about
+fifteen and seventeen years. Following them was a rickety old waggon.
+Under the hood sat an aged man and his wife, the parents of the two
+girls. Not a soul to help these poor creatures in their wild flight.
+They did not even know whither they were fleeing--anywhere to keep out
+of the hands of the enemy. Slowly the little caravan passed out of
+sight. Who can tell what regrets for the past were felt by the aged
+couple?--what hopes for the future by the helpless lasses?
+
+When I reached the intermediate station I found that the fault lay on
+the Lindley side. Towards Lindley I rode, testing the line frequently,
+but the sun went down and I was still testing. It grew too dark to see
+the wire distinctly, so I made for a farmhouse near by to seek shelter
+for the night. I knocked at the door, whereupon the light within was
+immediately extinguished. A minute or so after a native servant came
+round from the back. I gave him my horse to take to the stable, and
+waited for the door to be opened. Presently the Kafir returned and asked
+me to follow him to a side door, which he opened for me. I stepped
+inside, and found myself in the presence of about a dozen Boers, all
+armed, and all gazing at me as if they had paid for the privilege.
+There was something tense in the situation.
+
+I broke the ice by asking them if they took me for a ghost. As soon as
+they heard me speak in Dutch the fixed stare gave way to a general grin.
+Then they explained, with a sigh of relief, that the zealous servant had
+told them with bated breath that I was a bold, bad Englishman, whereupon
+they had made the above preparations for receiving me. I did not fail to
+curse the native's stupidity, after which we sat down to a plentiful
+dinner. When this was over the mistress of the house made us a large bed
+on the floor, and soon my strange bedfellows and myself were slumbering
+like a lot of little cherubs.
+
+Leaving early the next morning, I followed the line without any success
+until within four miles of Lindley. Then I noticed a long column of
+vehicles and cavalry trekking over the hill to my right and towards the
+town. Presently an old Boer came driving by.
+
+"Do you know what that is?" he asked, pointing to the column.
+
+"No."
+
+"English."
+
+I observed the column attentively. Yes, he was right. The mystery was
+explained. Naturally enough we could not get into communication with
+the town when it was already occupied by the enemy. The British had
+heard that the Government was in Lindley, and had therefore made this
+sudden march, whilst we believed them to be still in Kroonstad. It was
+most important that the President should know the news immediately. I at
+once attached the vibrator to the line and called up Heilbron.
+
+"Here Heilbron."
+
+"Here P. The English are in Lindley."
+
+"What!"
+
+"The English are in Lindley."
+
+"Impossible."
+
+"Please tell the President what I say."
+
+Silence. Presently the reply came--
+
+"Here Postmaster-General. The President says impossible. Enemy still in
+Kroonstad."
+
+"Not much! Here they are, before my eyes. Please believe that there is
+no mistake."
+
+"Wait a bit." Then, "Where is Piet De Wet?"
+
+"Probably cut off, and on the other side of the town."
+
+"Can you remain there for a while?"
+
+"Yes."
+
+After a while, "You may return now."
+
+"Had I not better remain and watch their movements?"
+
+"Yes, do so."
+
+I remained in the neighbourhood that night and the next morning, but the
+enemy lay quiet in Lindley, so I returned to Heilbron.
+
+When I reported myself to the Postmaster-General, he said--
+
+"The President wants to see you."
+
+I thought I was going to get into a scrape for not having been able to
+report anything further. However, I followed the Chief to a small
+building a few doors lower down the street.
+
+Entering, we found ourselves in a fairly roomy office, where two or
+three gentlemen were engaged in an earnest discussion. After being
+introduced to them I was taken into an inner office. Seated at a table,
+writing, was President Steyn.
+
+Although attired in plain black, like any other lawyer, there was a
+dignity in his bearing, and a force of character in his manner, that
+could not fail to make an impression on my mind, young as I was.
+
+"Well," he said, calling me by name, "where do you come from?"
+
+My embarrassment was so great, in spite of the friendly smile that
+accompanied these words, that I could only stammer--
+
+"From Winburg, President," alluding to the last time I had seen him.
+
+"No, no! I mean to-day."
+
+"Oh, from Lindley. But I could not find out much more. Some think their
+next move will be towards Bethlehem, others think they are coming on
+here."
+
+"Ah! Well, I know now that your information was correct, and I am
+satisfied with your work. I hope you will continue to be so successful.
+Now, go out there again, see what they are doing, and report to me."
+
+"Thank you, President," was all I could say, as he shook my hand, and I
+retired, highly gratified, as you may imagine.
+
+
+
+
+VELD INCIDENTS
+
+
+My first thought was that my pony would have to be shod before I could
+expect him to carry me any further. I found Judge Hertzog, then Chief of
+Commissariat, in the street, a young man still, of medium height, whose
+clear brow and incisive speech marked him out from amongst the crowd of
+farmers, policemen, and idlers that constantly surrounded him with
+requests for this, that, or the other lacking article or animal.
+
+He gave me an order to have my pony shod before all the others, a very
+important stipulation, for the ambulance horses had been waiting to be
+shod for a week. He added that he would supply us with other horses, but
+there were none to be bought. I told him I knew of a farmer who had a
+horse for sale at eighty pounds.
+
+"Yes, he asks us eighty, and presently the enemy will come along and
+take it for nothing," replied Hertzog.
+
+I went to the blacksmith and handed him the order.
+
+"Yes, everybody wants to be first," said that worthy; "but first come
+first served, says I."
+
+"But this is for special service."
+
+"Can't help that."
+
+"Do you mean to disobey the orders of the Government?"
+
+"Oh, no, not I! But I have no nails; may have some in a day or two."
+
+"Whose are those you are using now?"
+
+"They belong to the despatch riders' corps."
+
+I at once sought out the captain of the corps and persuaded him to count
+me out thirty nails. I then returned to the smith and held a candle for
+him whilst he shoed my horse. When I led the animal away I found that it
+was lame.
+
+"That's nothing," said the smith. "It will soon pass."
+
+"Oh, no. Just pull that shoe off and put it on again."
+
+This he did, and then the lameness disappeared. I took the animal to the
+stable, filled the crib with fodder, overhauled the vibrator, packed my
+saddle-bags, and went to bed.
+
+Early the next morning I started, making straight for the intermediate
+station.
+
+After three hours' riding I met a mounted policeman riding at full
+speed, or the best imitation of it that his mount could produce. "The
+English are coming!" was all he uttered as he passed by. When I reached
+the farmhouse I heard shots falling just beyond the hill. The womenfolk
+on the farm were in a pitiful state of distress. They had ornamented the
+roof of the house with a white flag, following the custom then
+prevailing in those parts threatened by the enemy.
+
+"They've been fighting all the morning," they said, wiping their eyes,
+"and now our men are retreating. Whatever will become of us?"
+
+I stabled my horse, walked to the fence, attached the vibrator, and
+called up Heilbron. No reply. The line was down again!
+
+This discovery put me into a pretty bad temper. Presently about a dozen
+Boers came galloping along from the fighting line. On seeing me, the
+leader reined in and shouted--
+
+"What the devil is this? What are you doing here?" He took me for an
+Englishman, and thought this a good opportunity to gain distinction.
+Thoroughly roused by his bullying tone, I retorted--
+
+"And who the devil are you? And where the devil are you running away to
+in such a hurry?"
+
+Taken aback, he faltered--
+
+"Oh, I have orders from my commandant, which I must keep secret."
+
+"Yes, I know your kind of orders. Get away, and don't interfere with
+men who are doing their duty." The band thereupon cleared off. Then a
+despatch rider came dashing up, his splendid black entire specked with
+foam.
+
+"I have an urgent despatch for the Government," he said, after we had
+made ourselves known to each other, "but my mount is about done up after
+all the riding about I have done away on our left."
+
+"Give it me," I said; "I'll repair the line and send it through."
+
+He handed me the message, and we walked over to the farmhouse. Whilst we
+were drinking a cup of coffee crowds of burghers rode past in retreat.
+Nearly every one stopped and asked for a glass of milk, a loaf of bread,
+or a few eggs. Their wants were supplied as far as possible. In every
+case money was offered, and in every case it was refused.
+
+With the despatch in my pocket I could not delay, so I took my nag and
+rode back along the fence. The very first test I made I found the line
+in order again. I transmitted the despatch, adding that there was
+nothing to stop the enemy from taking Heilbron that night. This news
+caused some consternation, as may be imagined, and the Government left
+Heilbron immediately.
+
+When I had finished I saw coming towards me a young Free Stater, who had
+been sent out from Heilbron to remove the fault, which he had succeeded
+in doing.
+
+"Let's go back to the farmhouse after sunset," I said, "and see if the
+British are there already."
+
+"Right!"
+
+We waited till dark, and then carefully rode to the farm, making as
+little noise as possible. When near the house we dismounted, cautiously
+approached, and peered through a window. Everything was quiet. We
+knocked. The housewife opened the door, pale and agitated.
+
+"They have not been here yet?" I asked.
+
+"No, but we expect them every minute."
+
+We brought our horses into the yard, so as to be at hand, and entered
+the house.
+
+"Your husband is not back yet?"
+
+"No, but they say he is safe."
+
+The door opened noiselessly, and the man himself stood before us. He had
+also taken a look through the window before entering. He placed his gun
+in a corner, kissed his wife and children, and shook hands with us.
+
+"We've had a hard day;" he said, "let's go in to supper."
+
+After the meal, even more silent than is habitual amongst us, where
+talking at table is almost as bad form as making a joke with a minister
+would be in Sloper's Scotland, our host told us that the English had
+camped on the spot where they had fought, and that he did not think they
+would march till daylight. It was best for us to sleep there that night,
+and leave with him before dawn.
+
+We agreed.
+
+"Father, can I go too?" asked his son, aged thirteen.
+
+"No, my boy, you must stay and help mother to manage the farm. It will
+be a long while ere father returns."
+
+"Oh, father! I'm too old to stay in the house, like an old woman.
+Besides, I'm afraid they will make me prisoner."
+
+"Do you think they catch children like him?" his mother asked anxiously.
+
+"No, I don't think they are so cruel," I replied; "but one can never
+tell."
+
+"Well, they won't get the chance," said the plucky little fellow. "As
+soon as I see them coming, I shall take my mare and go and hide in the
+hills."
+
+The mother did not say anything. She bore up bravely, as our women ever
+do, Heaven bless them! Was it not but some ten miles from this very spot
+that years before a handful of our pioneers had gained the victory at
+Vecht Kop, when the women loaded the guns and handed them to the men as
+the latter unflinchingly beat back the tremendous horde of maddened
+blacks that flung themselves against the hastily drawn circle of
+waggons. Does not one old lady still bear the scars of the nineteen
+stabs she received on that day? Our women are women indeed, and worthy
+mothers of the race that yet shall people all Africa and rule itself.
+
+Do not think I am flying too high. The average Boer family numbers ten
+children. Boys are in the majority. If at present we have thirty
+thousand warriors (I am not counting the wasters), it follows that in
+two generations we shall have three hundred thousand. Taking the
+proportion then, as now, of ten to one, Britain will have to employ
+against us in 1940 no less than three million men! And when that time
+comes, the children of to-day will have the recollection of the
+concentration camps and of a few other little trifles to strengthen
+their backbone.
+
+The concentration camps! Fit subject for Dante, who in the _Divina
+Comedia_ portrays as no other can the maddened heart of a father doomed
+to see his children waste away before his very eyes. There are many
+relentless Ugolins among the Boers to-day.
+
+I firmly believe that a steady process of infanticide was never intended
+to be the _raison d'etre_ of these camps; no civilised nation could
+deliberately sanction a system cemented with the bones and blood of
+innocent babes. And the British are a civilised nation.
+
+No, the fault does not lie in the system itself, but in its application.
+It is a humane idea carried out inhumanely, so inhumanely that when the
+Black Hole of Calcutta is forgotten Englishmen will still hang their
+heads for shame at the mention of concentration.
+
+What the Levite concubine's outraged flesh was to Israel the infant
+mortality is to the Afrikanders of the Cape and Natal, who, a hundred
+thousand strong, may at any moment lose their self-control and throw in
+their lot with their brethren. Then Britain will tear the bandage from
+her eyes, but it will be too late.
+
+Let me remind Canon Knox-Little, and those other divines who can
+complacently view the children's Golgotha, of the words of their Master:
+"_But whoso shall offend one of these little ones, it were better that a
+millstone were hanged about his neck, and he were drowned in the depth
+of the sea._"
+
+But to return. After the usual reading of the Gospel, we retired for the
+night. Our sleep, however, was none too secure. At about two o'clock the
+dogs set up a terrible howling. My heart beat loudly. We were in for it
+now! But no, it was only the farmer's son, who came to tell us to get
+ready.
+
+We rose at once. Our host said a long good-bye to his wife and children,
+and we rode away in the misty night, a keen wind cutting through flesh
+and bone.
+
+After a very long hour we reached the house of our guide's brother.
+
+We got in without awakening the inmates, and entered a small bedroom,
+where two young men were lying asleep. They woke on hearing us move
+about, and struck a match.
+
+"Good morning," I said; "rather early, isn't it?"
+
+"Yes," they replied, waiting for me to explain. I kept quiet, however,
+and watched the expression on their faces gradually change from surprise
+to uneasiness, and from uneasiness to alarm. Then I briefly explained
+the situation to the young men, after which we went to sleep in our
+chairs till daybreak, when the servant entered with the morning coffee.
+
+Our guide took us into the parlour and introduced us to his
+sister-in-law. He then left to rejoin his commando.
+
+We stayed to breakfast, and then also left, making for Heilbron, but not
+feeling quite sure as to whether we should reach it before the enemy.
+After travelling a couple of hours we observed half a dozen horsemen
+appear against the skyline on our left. From the way they were spread
+out we judged them to be English. To make sure we rode a little nearer.
+On coming round one of the numerous undulating _bulten_, we saw three
+horsemen making for us at full speed. We at once wheeled round and took
+up a position behind some rocks. When the horsemen came closer we found
+that they were Boers. They told us, however, that the men first observed
+by us were really British, which accounted for their haste, and that the
+whole column was following just behind.
+
+Now that we had located the enemy we felt more at ease. The scouts were
+riding near the road along which the wire ran, about seven miles from
+the town. Cutting across in plain sight of the enemy, we fixed the
+vibrator to the fence, and called up Heilbron. We heard the instruments
+working in the office, but got no reply to our hurried call. The scouts
+were about fifteen hundred yards away. We continued calling; they
+continued approaching, carefully inspecting every foot of ground before
+them. It seemed strange to us that the scouts of a column on the march
+should search for the enemy within five hundred yards only of the main
+body. But perhaps that is what they teach at Sandhurst. Presently the
+head of the column came in sight from behind the rise. The scouts were
+now within eight hundred yards. We quietly mounted our horses and rode
+away. They gave no sign of having observed our movements. When some
+distance away, we looked back and saw that the whole column had halted,
+about seven thousand men.
+
+We reached Heilbron to find the place practically deserted. Wishing to
+see the enemy enter the town, we delayed our departure. Some hours
+passed, and nothing happened to denote the proximity of the British. We
+feared that they might be surrounding the town before entering it, so we
+left for Frankfort, following the road taken by the President the night
+before.
+
+
+
+
+TAPPING THE WIRES
+
+
+We had gone about a mile, when suddenly a score of horsemen made their
+appearance on top of the rise before us. Not knowing whether they were
+friends or foes, we swerved away to the left, regaining the road by a
+detour. After sunset we saw a small bonfire blaze forth about three
+miles away in the direction we were going. We hardly knew what to make
+of such an unusual sight. The night was a fairly dark one, but we pushed
+on rapidly. In the middle of a hard canter my horse suddenly struck his
+forefeet against some obstacle, and came crashing down upon his head. It
+was an anxious moment for me. When we had disentangled ourselves I
+hastened to feel the pony's knees, and found to my joy that they were
+but little damaged. Whilst still laughing over this mishap, we heard
+voices to our right. We listened for a moment. First came the question
+_in English_--
+
+"Where are they?"
+
+Then the reply--
+
+"Don't know where they are now."
+
+This was enough for us, and we sped forth as silently and as fast as
+possible.
+
+On approaching the bonfire we heard more voices--Dutch this time. We
+rode up to the group standing round the fire. Several friends came
+forward to greet us, and we became aware that this was the President's
+party--about thirty men in all.
+
+"Where are your sentries?" I asked.
+
+"Just going out now."
+
+"Who is in charge?"
+
+"The President's secretary."
+
+Calling the latter aside, I said--
+
+"I don't wish to cause an alarm, but on coming along about a mile from
+here we heard men calling to each other in English. At one o'clock the
+British were only fifteen miles from here; your bonfire may have drawn a
+patrol hither."
+
+"What is it? Who has arrived?" asked Steyn, coming out of his tent. We
+gave him all the information we had gained. He immediately ordered all
+lights to be extinguished, and sent the guard to find out what the
+voices meant. All were relieved when it turned out to have been merely a
+couple of the President's bodyguard searching for their horses.
+
+Early the next morning a couple of deserters were brought in. They had
+been caught trying to slip past in the night. One said he had a sick son
+at home, and was only going to see him, perhaps for the last time. The
+other was going home to fetch better horses, and so forth. They were so
+unfortunate as to call upon the Deity to testify to the truth of their
+assertions. This roused Steyn's ire.
+
+"How dare you be guilty of such sacrilege?" he cried. "It is this cursed
+habit of yours of using God's name upon every trivial occasion that
+makes our enemies think us a nation of hypocrites! Back to your
+commandoes at once!"
+
+The men slunk away. We enjoyed their discomfiture in a measure, for,
+with all reverence for true religion, it must be confessed that many of
+these gentry thought psalm-singing all that was required of them, and
+did not hesitate to leave their less "elect" brethren to bear the brunt
+of the fighting.
+
+After breakfast I walked down to the telegraph line connecting Heilbron
+and Frankfort, which ran past this point. Taking about ten yards of
+"cable" wire, I cleaned about a foot of it in the middle, tied one end
+to my spanner, and threw the latter over the line. The swing carried it
+over a second time, the two ends hanging just above the ground.
+Attaching one end to the instrument, I heard the English telegraphist
+in Heilbron calling up Kroonstadt, and the Boer telegraphist in
+Frankfort working to Reitz.
+
+I immediately climbed the pole and cut the Frankfort side of the line.
+Then I took another piece of cable, and connected the earth terminal of
+the vibrator with the telegraph pole. The British signals now came
+through beautifully clear. The first message that passed was one from
+General Hamilton to Lord Roberts, announcing his arrival at Heilbron,
+the details of the two engagements fought during the march, the number
+of killed and wounded, and the state of his force--"often hungry, but
+cheerful." Then followed some others of lesser importance. The
+President's party were just driving away. I left my assistant with the
+vibrator, ran across to the road, and handed His Honour the messages. He
+smiled as he read the report and appeared highly gratified. After a few
+words of encouragement to me he drove on, and I returned to the line.
+The signals were now so weak, however, that nothing could be
+distinguished.
+
+We saddled our horses and rode towards Heilbron, intending to try again
+closer to the town. We had not gone far before the captain of the
+despatch riders and one of his men overtook us. They had been ordered by
+the President to place themselves at my disposition. Four men would
+have attracted too much attention, however, and I persuaded them to
+return. We two rode on until almost on top of the hill overlooking
+Heilbron, when we dismounted. Drawing the horses behind a low stone
+wall, we attached the instrument to the line. I listened. There were no
+fewer than five different vibrators calling each other, some strong and
+clear, others sounding weak and far, like "horns of Elfland faintly
+blowing." Presently the disputing signals died away, and one musical
+note alone took up the strain.
+
+Never was lover more absorbed in the thrilling sound of his divinity's
+voice than I in the notes of that vibrator, seemingly wailing up from
+the bowels of the earth.
+
+Nor was my attention unrewarded.
+
+"From Chief of Staff, Honingspruit," came the words, "to General
+Hamilton, Heilbron." Then followed orders. How Hamilton was to march
+from Heilbron; how Broadwood was to move from Ventersburg, the entire
+plan of campaign for the next few weeks! A mass of information to
+gladden the heart of our steadfast chief. "Hurrah!" we whispered to each
+other, as I carefully put the precious message in a safe place.
+
+Then some harsh, grating sounds were heard in the microphone. The wires
+were evidently being overhauled in Heilbron. Complete silence followed.
+Hearing a couple of shots fired on our left, we removed all traces of
+our work and rode back to our starting-point, well satisfied with the
+valuable information we had so fortunately obtained. I at once sent my
+assistant after the President with the despatch. Fearing that the enemy
+might send a patrol here during the night, I left for Frankfort, and
+arrived there at midnight. Before leaving, however, I had instructed my
+assistant to join up the line where I had cut it, if upon his return the
+next morning he should find the place still free from the enemy.
+
+
+
+
+I MEET DE WET
+
+
+The little village of Frankfort was wrapped in slumbering darkness when
+I entered it. Cold and hungry after the five hours' journey, I did not
+scruple to knock up the Postmaster. With an instinct of good-fellowship
+that did him credit, he at once made me welcome; breaking up a couple of
+empty boxes, we made a rattling fire, and soon big gulps of cocoa were
+chasing the last few shivers from my wearied frame.
+
+My last thought as I wrapped my blanket round me and stretched myself
+out on the floor was of the despatch I had sent after the President.
+Suppose my messenger lost the document or was captured! But I would soon
+know, for if I found the line joined through at eight o'clock, according
+to my orders, it would be a proof that he had returned and found the
+coast clear.
+
+The little office was crowded with busy clerks when I opened my eyes the
+next morning. Casting a rapid glance at the clock, I saw it was almost
+eight. There was no time to lose. I grasped the useful little vibrator
+with one hand, flung the blanket into a corner with the other, and set
+off, calling to the native servant to follow with a ladder. It was not
+advisable to operate under the eyes of the townspeople, so I marched
+across the bridge and into the veld, until a suitable spot was reached.
+No sooner had I thrown my wire over the line than I again heard British
+and Dutch signals intermingled. Good! My message was safe.
+
+The Kafir shinned up the pole and cut the wire, permitting the British
+signals only to come through. I listened intently to the various more or
+less interesting messages being exchanged by the enemy. Presently a new
+and stronger note broke in--
+
+"Hello! Here, Sergeant-Major Devons. Who are you?"
+
+Devons? Those are the fellows that we fought at Ladysmith. But what--how
+comes he here? Listen----
+
+"Here, Heilbron. We're just waiting to leave. Crowds of Boers on the
+hills."
+
+"Ah! I say, I've pushed on, quite by myself, for fully twelve miles,"
+said the hoarse note of the non-com.'s vibrator. "When I reached
+Roberts' Horse the chief said I was d----d lucky to get through!"
+
+"Good on you!" replied his admiring hearer. "This is a bit different
+from old Tyneside, ain't it?"
+
+"Cheer up; we shall soon be in Pretoria."
+
+"Confound you!" said I, dashing my fist on the key, "you're not there
+yet!"
+
+To prevent myself from interrupting them, advertently or otherwise, I
+had taken the precaution to disconnect the battery, so my little
+outbreak did no harm.
+
+Then the sergeant-major sent a long message to his chief, Captain
+Faustnett, duly informing the latter of the distance he had come, all by
+himself, and of what the officer commanding Roberts' Horse had said,
+after which the Heilbron man remarked--
+
+"Good-bye, we're off." Silence followed.
+
+The net result of the morning's work was the knowledge that Hamilton was
+leaving Heilbron at that very moment, and leaving it ungarrisoned. This
+information I hastened to communicate to my chief, with the result that
+within a very short space of time we were again in telegraphic
+communication with that town and in possession of several hundred sick
+and wounded that the British had kindly left to our care. At Spion Kop
+we wanted their wounded, but did not get them; here we did not want them
+in the least, but we got them all the same.
+
+My next task was the maintenance of the fence line between Frankfort and
+Reitz. A testing station had been established half-way between the two
+villages, consequently the communication was fairly good and there was
+not much for me to do. One day a message arrived from my chief in
+Pretoria, asking me to go thither, and accompany him northwards when the
+capital should be abandoned. The Postmaster-General of the Free State,
+however, insisted upon my remaining a few days longer.
+
+A little while after De Wet's commando entered the village about a
+thousand strong. The rumour went that De Wet was going to rest for a
+week and then strike a heavy blow. No sooner had the column halted on
+the bank of the river than De Wet himself rode over to our office,
+accompanied by his secretary. They wrote out a few telegrams, and then
+De Wet entered into conversation with the Postmaster-General. His tone
+and manner lacked the slightest cordiality. He asked the
+Postmaster-General whether he was sure, quite sure, that the British
+side of our telegraph lines was always cut, so that the enemy could not
+tap our messages. Yes, the chief was quite sure. But De Wet thought it
+best that instructions to that effect should be re-issued, so as to
+leave no excuse for any possible negligence. This suggestion was carried
+out on the spot.
+
+The chief then introduced me to De Wet. Compared with Louis Botha, or
+almost any other of our generals, De Wet presented but a sorry sight.
+His manners are uncouth, and his dress careless to a degree. His
+tactlessness, abrupt speech, and his habit of thrusting his tongue
+against his palate at every syllable, do not lessen his undeniable
+unattractiveness. But De Wet, if he lacks culture, certainly has an
+abundance of shrewdness, and is not without some dignity at times. And I
+must confess that it is chiefly owing to De Wet and Steyn that the war
+did not end with the fall of Pretoria. What is the secret of his
+success? This, he has one idea, one only--the independence of his
+country. Say to him--
+
+"If the English win----" and he breaks in--
+
+"If the heavens fall----"
+
+Choosing his lieutenants by results only, he is assured of good service.
+An incorrect report, and the unlucky scout is tried by court-martial.
+
+Whilst giving this modern Cincinnatus due credit for his undoubted
+smartness, it must be borne in mind that the movements of the Free State
+forces were generally determined by the _Oorlogscommissie_, a body made
+up of President Steyn, Judge Hertzog, Advocate De Villiers, and two or
+three other prominent men, whose trained intellects concerted the plan
+of campaign, De Wet being entrusted with its execution. He had power to
+alter details according as circumstances might dictate, but that was
+all.
+
+And he had men to aid him like General Philip Botha (third of three
+brothers, generals), Commandant Olivier (now captured), Captain Theron
+(killed near Krugersdorp), besides others whose names have never been
+heard of, but who, if De Wet were captured to-morrow, would be both
+willing and able to take his place.
+
+One peculiar feature of the Afrikander character is the complete absence
+of anything approaching hero-worship. Perhaps this is due to the habit
+of ascribing success to the favour of Providence. However this may be,
+it is certain that General Joubert's death hardly excited even a
+momentary thrill of regret, in spite of his years of service as
+Commandant-General. As for erecting a monument to the memory of any of
+our great men, why, we are all equal, they say, and anyone could have
+done as much.
+
+Notwithstanding this characteristic of the people, De Wet, secure in the
+favour of the Government, knows how to make himself obeyed and
+respected. I have seen burghers retreat who, upon being stopped and
+threatened with death by their officer, have torn open their coats and
+shouted, "Shoot! Shoot me, if you dare! I shall not turn back!"
+
+I cannot imagine anyone venturing to take up this attitude towards De
+Wet. He would certainly not hesitate to carry out a threat through any
+fear of the consequences. And yet it was my fortune to incur his
+displeasure. It came about in this way. The chief sent for me one day
+and said--
+
+"You have asked to be allowed to return to the Transvaal. But there is a
+chance for you to do some very important work just now. Do you mind
+remaining three or four days longer?"
+
+"Not at all."
+
+"Very well. De Wet leaves to-morrow. You will accompany him. He wants
+you to tap the British lines near Kroonstad. You may attach yourself to
+Scheepers' corps, but you will be in no way subordinate to him, and you
+will use your own discretion in the execution of your duty. He will give
+you every aid and assistance. Try and get a horse from him, as we are
+short."
+
+The chief then showed me a map whereon was marked out our line of route.
+It was evidently going to be an exciting adventure, and I thanked him
+warmly for having selected me to take part in the expedition. I then
+went and hunted up Scheepers, whom I found in his tent. This is the same
+Scheepers who later operated in Cape Colony, and whom Chamberlain has
+taken such a dislike to. I can assure the Secretary for the Colonies
+that Scheepers is an amiable and harmless young man, who would probably
+now be teaching a Sunday-school class had Joseph not been such a
+dreamer.
+
+"Well, Scheepers," I said, "so I am to accompany you to-morrow. Can you
+supply me with a horse?"
+
+"That will be difficult," he replied, "but if money can buy one you
+shall have it."
+
+This seemed good enough. Early the next morning the commando was on the
+march. Scheepers had kept his word and sent me a horse. It was not an
+attractive animal outwardly, being of an indefinite shade between white
+and grey, and with an unnecessary profusion of projections adorning its
+attenuated frame. However, there was no time to lose, and I mounted the
+steed, trusting it might possess moral qualities which would atone for
+its physical defects.
+
+The animal went very well as long as I did not interfere with the bent
+of its wayward desire, which was to proceed in any direction but the
+right one. Have you ever steered an extremely willing young thing
+through her first waltz? If so you will know what my feelings were after
+the first hour. And now just imagine that the waltz lasted for four
+hours, and you will have some idea of my sufferings, for that is the
+length of time I was compelled to spend on the back of my new
+acquisition.
+
+Scheepers had sent a couple of men on ahead a few days before in order
+to see if the coast was clear. One of his heliographists and myself now
+rode ahead of the column, planted a heliograph on a suitable spot, and
+called up towards a high hill beyond Heilbron, where it had been
+arranged that the two scouts should be about this hour. Scarcely had our
+heliograph glittered for a moment in the sun when back from the hill
+came a long flash of light.
+
+"What news?" we asked.
+
+"All quiet," came the reply.
+
+We returned to the column, which was marching wonderfully slowly, and
+informed Scheepers, who was pleased to find his men so punctual. As we
+rode along he asked me a few particulars about the vibrator, wire
+tapping, and so on. I told him how at Spion Kop the wire failed at the
+very moment it was needed most.
+
+"Yes," he remarked thoughtfully, "trifles often make all the difference.
+I had an experience of that myself one night not so long ago. We had
+laid a nice little trap near Kroonstad, put a charge of dynamite on the
+rails, placed the men in position, and waited for a train to come along.
+After a few hours of suspense the latter appeared, and just as it was
+going over the charge I pressed the button. What do you think happened?"
+
+"The unexpected, I suppose?"
+
+"Precisely. To our disgust the dynamite did not do the rest, and the
+train puffed tranquilly past. One of my battery wires had become
+disconnected in the dark, and through that one little detail the whole
+thing was spoilt."
+
+"At least from your point of view," I said jestingly. "But think what a
+narrow escape you had yourselves. The train might have stopped, a
+searchlight might have thrown its piercing gleam over your waiting band,
+and a volley from a battery of maxims might have strewn the shuddering
+veld with your palpitating bodies!"
+
+"Oh, no danger of that!" replied Scheepers lightly; "we knew there were
+no _Graphic_ artists on board!"
+
+Towards sunset the head of the column halted, nine miles from Heilbron,
+having done only twenty miles during the whole day's march. I say the
+head of the column, because the body of it was still straggling
+somewhere along the road, to say nothing of the tail. We went to bed
+hungry, the men with the waggon being too lazy to make a fire. I
+consoled myself with the prospect of a good breakfast in Heilbron the
+next morning, and slept as well as the cold would let me.
+
+
+
+
+ROODEWAL
+
+
+We were awakened the next morning while it was still dark. I roamed
+about in the gloom searching for my errant Rosinante. After describing
+half a dozen circles I returned to the waggon, to find the missing steed
+no longer astray, but peacefully grazing away about six feet from the
+aforesaid vehicle. It was a demon of a horse, no doubt about that. We
+upsaddled and stood shivering in the cold, our ears and noses fast
+becoming frostbitten, and waited for the body of the column to catch up
+to us, for it now appeared that everyone had gone to sleep where he
+pleased the night before. De Wet was in a furious rage.
+
+"I told them we were to be in Heilbron at sunrise!" he shouted. "I wish
+the British would catch and castrate every one of them, so that they may
+be old women in reality."
+
+His railing did not accelerate the approach of the loiterers, and it was
+long after sunrise when we finally made a start for Heilbron--nine miles
+distant. When we neared the town Scheepers, myself, and another went
+forward to reconnoitre. What was our surprise to find that the whole
+place was full of English! They had suddenly entered the town the night
+before. I at once went back and informed De Wet, who ordered the column
+to halt and outspan. Testing the telegraph line, I found that whereas
+there were no British signals audible, our own signals from Frankfort
+could be heard very plainly. The Frankfort telegraphist was busy calling
+Heilbron, not knowing that the town had again changed masters. As his
+was an ordinary Morse instrument I could not communicate with him, but I
+did the next best thing by cutting the wire. The presence of the enemy
+in Heilbron was a check for us. We did not expect Colville to come
+forward so rapidly. It was necessary to modify our plan of campaign, and
+De Wet and several of the commandants rode to a farm some six miles away
+to consult with the President, who had pitched his tent at that spot.
+Scheepers was still away scouting. His men made no effort to prepare any
+food, and as I was beginning to suffer from hunger the situation was
+anything but pleasant for me. It is hard to realise the amount of
+selfishness which generally prevails in a laager or commando. It is a
+case of everyone for himself. There is no regular distribution of
+rations every day, as in other armies. The commando is divided into
+messes of about ten men each. To this mess is given every now and then a
+live ox and a bag of meal. The ox is killed and cut into biltong, and
+the meal baked into stormjagers, a kind of dumpling fried in dripping.
+Now Scheepers' little corps, which consisted of half a dozen men, was
+probably not very well off itself in the matter of provisions--in any
+case, they offered me none. The commissariat consisted of nothing but
+oxen and meal, cold comfort for me. I rode back a couple of miles to a
+spot where a field telegraph office had been opened. Standing in the
+open veld under the telegraph line was a Cape cart, under the cart a
+telegraph instrument. This was the office.
+
+"Can you give me anything to eat?" I asked the telegraphist, one of our
+most capable men.
+
+"Very sorry," he answered; "I've been here for a week, and no one has
+troubled to send me any food. I've managed to get a loaf of bread from
+that farm yonder now and then, but their supply is exhausted, and I
+don't know what to do next."
+
+"Why don't you ask the President's party for food? We all know they fare
+well enough."
+
+"I've sent them message after message, but can get no satisfaction. All
+they think about is the amount of work they can get out of me. Little
+they care what my troubles are!"
+
+This was really a shameful state of affairs, and I began to grow
+disgusted with the whole business. Not satisfied with refusing to supply
+him with food, a passing commando had stolen his cart-horses, so that he
+had no means of leaving the spot.
+
+It was a clear case of selfish and brutal neglect. I condoled with the
+poor fellow, and rode back to the laager. De Wet was still absent. It
+appeared that we were going to lie there for days, instead of the whole
+expedition being over in a day or two. After thinking the matter over, I
+decided to return to Frankfort and carry out my intention of going back
+to the Transvaal. Upon reaching Frankfort I explained the matter to the
+Postmaster-General, adding that the expedition would probably take a
+couple of weeks, by which time the Free State would already be cut off
+from the Transvaal, and my return rendered impossible. He urged upon me,
+however, to postpone my departure. During the day a telegram arrived
+from De Wet, saying he had now decided to move forward, and asking that
+I should accompany him. So convinced was I that his attempt would end in
+a fiasco, in spite of his knowledge of the enemy's movements, that I
+persuaded the chief to send another in my place. De Wet was extremely
+annoyed, but I was foolish enough to insist. Judge of my regret when, a
+week or so later, we heard of the magnificent blow delivered at
+Roodewal. After this sudden swoop De Wet returned to the vicinity of
+Heilbron. The chief and I drove out to his camp. It was interesting to
+see his entire band clad in complete khaki, with only the flapping,
+loose-hanging felt hats to show their nationality. Wristlets, watches,
+spy-glasses, chocolate, cigarettes, were now as common as in ordinary
+times they were rare. Heliographic and telegraphic instruments by the
+cartload. No doubt about it, Roodewal came at an opportune moment.
+Roberts was pressing Botha hard in front, and this stunning blow at his
+lines of communication compelled him to pause. Think of his forces
+fighting through that rigorous winter, wearing only their summer
+uniforms! No wonder their ardour grew cool!
+
+Theron's corps now came through from the Transvaal and joined De Wet.
+Theron, dissatisfied with his treatment by the Transvaal Government, was
+here received with open arms. His hundred and fifty young fellows were
+as keen as ever; it did one's eyes good to see one corps at least where
+discipline was not despised. Theron was a slightly built young lawyer,
+with an expression of the deepest sadness, due to the premature decease
+of his _fiancee_. He took care of his men, fed and horsed them well, led
+them into hot corners and saw them safely out again. Terrible indeed
+must be the engagement when one of Theron's men is abandoned by his
+comrades. "No cowards need apply" was the motto of the band, held
+together by an _esprit de corps_ without equal; and no cowards did. When
+the corps passed Frankfort Theron commandeered a horse from an alleged
+British subject. The latter threatened to appeal to the Government, and
+came into town for the purpose, vowing vengeance on Theron's devoted
+head.
+
+"I enjoy myself," said Theron to me, "when they threaten me. It is when
+they come to me with soft words that I cannot resist."
+
+As a matter of fact, the Government sustained Theron's action, and the
+owner of the animal was obliged to ask Theron to take two others for it.
+This he agreed to do, and thus ended the only instance of which I know
+in which the Free State Government allowed anything to be commandeered
+from a British subject.
+
+The capture of the Yeomanry took place about this time. There have been
+several attempts to explain this affair. It was said in our laagers at
+the time that Colonel Sprague, immediately after his surrender, remarked
+to our commandant that he would shoot the Lindley telegraphist if he
+could get hold of him, because the latter had tampered with his message
+asking for reinforcements. This was quite possible, for at this time
+_most of the British telegrams passed through our hands before reaching
+their destination_. If I might venture to express an opinion, formed at
+the time, I should say that General Colville was absolutely free from
+any blame in connection with the capture of the Yeomanry--an incident to
+which we attached very little importance, being interested merely in the
+military qualities of our opponents, and in their social rank not at
+all.
+
+When Rundle's force was at Senekal and Brabant's Horse at Harmonia every
+one of their telegrams was read by a telegraphist attached to one of the
+commandoes lying in the vicinity. Several of these messages were in
+cipher, it is true, but many of them were not. It was largely owing to
+information thus obtained that the British sustained a rather severe
+check when they advanced against our positions near Senekal. One would
+think the enemy would have taken strict precautions against their plans
+leaking out in this manner, but I presume we were considered rather too
+dense for that kind of thing.
+
+The affair of Roodewal decided Roberts to send back a strong column to
+keep us off his flanks. It was only infantry, and we got quite tired of
+waiting for it to reach us. It reached Villiersdorp eventually, and we
+fell back from Frankfort towards Bethlehem--the new headquarters. It was
+with heavy hearts that we said good-bye to our kind friends in
+Frankfort, for well we knew by this time what the passage of a British
+column meant for the defenceless non-combatants--houses broken down and
+burnt, children and greybeards torn from their families, and all the
+other useless and unnecessary cruelties that have broken so many lives,
+converted so many joyous homesteads into tombstones of black despair,
+and imprinted into the very souls of many Afrikanders an ineradicable
+loathing and hatred of everything British. As Boadicea felt towards the
+Roman, so feels many a Boer matron to-day against the Briton, and when
+Britons shall have followed Romans into the history of the past, the
+Afrikander race shall write an epitaph upon their cenotaph. Ambition! By
+that sin fell the angels, and by that sin fall the Angles. But oh, the
+pity of it! For of all the nations that in turn have risen and waxed
+great upon the surface of the globe, there are none for whose ideals the
+Boers feel more sympathy than for those of the British. It is the
+paralysing difference between the ideal and the real that is creating
+the gulf which threatens our eternal separation.
+
+
+
+
+OFF TO THE TRANSVAAL
+
+
+When we reached Reitz, on our way to Bethlehem, another young
+Transvaaler and myself obtained permission to try and reach the
+Transvaal. The enemy's columns were traversing the intervening country
+in all directions, but we determined that the attempt was worth making.
+Bidding good-bye to our Free State colleagues, we left the little
+village that was later to become famous as the scene of the capture of
+the Free State Government, and retraced our way to Frankfort. The
+send-off given us took the form of a little reunion in the parlour of
+the modest hotel. Here there were gathered together some dozen young
+Free Staters, and an impromptu smoking concert was held. Everyone
+present was compelled to give a song or recite something. The first on
+the programme was Byron's "When we two parted," which was sung with fine
+effect by a blushing young burgher. Next came the old camp favourite,
+"The Spanish Cavalier." The sentimental recollections induced by these
+two songs were speedily dissipated by a rattling comic song in Dutch,
+"_Op haar hot oog zit'n fratje_" A few recitations followed. One of the
+reciters had just enunciated the lines--
+
+    "Within the circle of your incantation
+       No blight nor mildew falls,
+     No fierce unrest, nor lust, nor lost ambition,
+       Passes those airy walls"--
+
+when a mocking voice came floating in at the window--
+
+"Are you referring to Downing Street?" It was a captured British
+officer, who, roaming about the village, had been attracted by our
+revelry. He was evidently no follower of the expand-or-burst policy of
+the British Cabinet.
+
+This appropriate interpellation put an end to the proceedings. We set
+off, unarmed, as we had sent our Mausers back to the Transvaal some time
+before, and mounted on a pair of nags that were plainly unfit to make
+the journey. Long before we reached Frankfort, in fact, my companion's
+horse gave in. We rode to a farmer's house near the road to try and find
+another mount. A boy of thirteen was the only male person on the farm.
+Yes, he had a pony. Would he exchange it for ours, and take something to
+boot? No fear, what he wanted was cash. How much? Thirteen pounds. But
+thirteen is an unlucky number; better take twelve. In that case, he
+would prefer to take fourteen. The pony was worth the price, the cash
+changed hands, and we continued our journey. Some miles from Frankfort
+we met two Boers, who told us that they had also meant to return to the
+Transvaal, but had heard that the enemy were so close to Frankfort that
+they had decided to turn back. We determined to continue, however, and
+shortly after dark we cautiously entered the village. The enemy had not
+yet arrived, but were expected early the next morning. We consulted one
+of our friends in the village, who advised us to try and cross the
+railway near Standerton. We decided to follow his advice, and left early
+the next morning. A few miles out of town we observed several horsemen
+to our left. Fearing these were British, we swerved to the right,
+cutting across country. Keeping a good look-out, we continued our way
+till evening, when we were overtaken by a farmer driving a cart. He was
+lame and had never been on commando, but on the approach of the British
+columns had left his home to their mercy. He conducted us to the modest
+cottage of his brother-in-law, where we found a bed for ourselves and
+stabling for our horses. Before sunrise the next morning we were again
+on our way. Through the thick mist we saw several horsemen approach a
+house standing solitary in the veld. They dismounted and entered the
+dwelling. Anxious to know whether these were friends or foes, we rode
+thither. Making as little noise as possible, we managed to gain the spot
+unobserved, and found that they were Boers. They gave us each a cup of
+steaming coffee, black and bitter, but none the less acceptable,
+directed us on our way, and wished us good luck. Towards noon we reached
+a hamlet named Cornelia, where we introduced ourselves to the leading
+inhabitant, with whom we lunched. Here my horse refused to feed, showing
+strong symptoms of _papies_. There was no help for it, however; he had
+to carry me, sick or well. Some miles further we reached the house of an
+English farmer. He had the consideration to conceal his satisfaction at
+the approach of his countrymen and the kindness to doctor my horse for
+me. The poor animal was in such a pitiable state that it could hardly
+stand. After swallowing a dose of strychnine, however, it improved
+wonderfully, and we were enabled to continue, but naturally at a very
+slow pace. That evening we slept at a farmer's house near the Vaal
+River. Here we heard that there was a Boer commando lying near
+Greylingstad, and thither we directed our way. As we rode through the
+Vaal the next morning we felt a genuine thrill of joy at setting our
+feet once more upon our own soil. That afternoon Greylingstad came in
+sight, but what a bitter disappointment! Instead of finding our own
+commandoes here, we found the place occupied by a large British force.
+We reined in on the veld, gazed at the British camp, and then at each
+other. To our left lay Heidelberg, to our right Standerton, both held by
+the enemy, and in front of us stood the tents of a British column at
+least five thousand strong!
+
+Whilst we were still discussing the situation a Bushman mounted on a
+scraggy pony and seated on a sheepskin saddle came riding along. We
+hailed him and asked him where he was off to. He told us he belonged to
+a party of half a dozen Boers, who, hidden just over the hill, had sent
+him to see what we were. We ordered him to lead us thither. When we
+approached the spot it was to find the men all on their feet, rifles
+loaded and cocked, ready to lay us low should we prove to be Englishmen.
+We lost no time in dissipating their fears. They explained that they
+belonged to the commando which had been lying here, and which only the
+day before had retired on the approach of the enemy. They themselves,
+having been on a visit to their farms near by, had got left behind. I
+at once suspected that they meant to lay down their arms, but it would
+never have done to say so, so I contented myself with demanding their
+advice as to the best way of rejoining the aforesaid commando. They were
+not very anxious to rejoin it themselves, and consequently represented
+the matter as being extremely difficult. At length they showed us a farm
+near the British camp, and recommended our going thither, as the people
+there would be able to give us all possible help. We reached the farm
+just after sunset to the accompaniment of barking dogs and hissing
+geese. The door was opened by a feeble old man, who, with his equally
+aged wife, were apparently the only occupants of the place. As soon as
+it was evident that we were friends, however, two strapping sons made
+their appearance from a kopje behind the house, where the clatter of our
+horses' hoofs had caused them to take refuge. They informed us that they
+had followed the enemy's movements throughout the day, and that the line
+was so well guarded that our getting through was extremely unlikely. But
+we could sleep there that night, and the next morning we could see what
+was to be done.
+
+During the evening the old father recounted, with much humour, his
+experience of Theron's merry band. How they had come there in the
+middle of the night, knocked him up, stabled their horses in his yard,
+asked for bread, _brod_, _brood_; eggs, _eiers_, _ejers_, in all the
+dialects under the sun, how they had actually plucked the oranges from
+his trees, until he was forced to ask Theron to station a guard in the
+orchard! But the next morning they had paid for everything, and ridden
+away, singing and shouting.
+
+Nothing in the old gentleman's manner to show that the enemy were camped
+only four miles away, although he knew very well that they would visit
+him the next day, and probably deprive him sooner or later of all he
+possessed. Only down the face of his white-haired wife rolled silent
+tears as she gazed at the bearded faces of her stalwart sons and thought
+of the long farewell that they would bid her on the morrow!
+
+When we rose the next morning we lost no time in making for the high,
+boulder-strewn kopje behind the house. Here we found the farmer's sons,
+armed, their horses at hand, gazing through a large telescope at the
+British camp, which could be plainly distinguished with the naked eye.
+
+Presently a small party of scouts left the camp and came in our
+direction, riding slowly, and eyeing every little rise or depression in
+the ground with the utmost distrust. They reached a farmhouse lying
+between their camp and ourselves, and after a while we saw a cart leave
+the farm and drive towards the camp. Another Boer laying down his arms,
+beguiled by Buller's blarney! Then the scouts came nearer and nearer.
+When within a thousand yards or so they encountered a troop of mares
+grazing on the veld. Round and round these they rode, plainly intending
+to annex any that might suit them. My friends were strongly tempted to
+fire on these cattle thieves. Only the thought of their aged parents
+restrained them, for they well knew the result would be the burning down
+of their home.
+
+It was plain that the scouts were making for this farm. We hurried down
+to the house, saddled our horses--mine still suffering and hardly able
+to go at a trot, and went to say good-bye to our hosts.
+
+"Yes, my children," said the old lady, "it is better to go, for should
+the British find you here they would only treat us the worse for it. And
+we have sorrow enough, God knows. Come and see my son, my sick and
+suffering son, who perhaps will never rise from his bed again!"
+
+She conducted us into a bed-chamber, where, pallid and worn, his wife
+seated by his side, lay the wreck of a once splendid specimen of
+manhood, now, alas! in the last stage of some wasting disease--the
+result of privations endured on commando. All that we could do was to
+speak a few weak but well-meant words of comfort to the afflicted
+family, and then leave them to their fate.
+
+The sons promised to follow us later, as they wished to remain in the
+neighbourhood to see what became of their home. My friend and myself
+rode to another farm in the neighbourhood, undecided as yet whether to
+make the attempt to get through the enemy's lines or to turn back;
+crossing Roberts' lines of communication in the Free State was easy
+enough, but here we had Buller to deal with. Upon reaching this farm we
+found the occupants greatly excited. A Hottentot had just arrived from a
+farm already visited by the enemy, bearing Buller's proclamation,
+printed in Dutch and English, and promising protection, compensation,
+and I know not what all, to those who came in and surrendered. The
+entire household and several armed Boers from the vicinity gathered
+round the farmer. No one dared to read the proclamation aloud. It was
+handed from one to the other, shamefacedly, as if there were something
+vile in the very touch of the document.
+
+I anxiously watched the varying expression of their features, as
+interest struggled with patriotism. Wearied of strife and fearful of
+losing the result of years of hard work, the assembled men felt a strong
+inclination to accept the enemy's offer. But no one dared give utterance
+to his feelings. Eye met eye, and glanced away. It was easy to see what
+the result would be. It was plainly my duty to protest, but what could I
+do, a stranger, a mere youth? What could I say to these men, who had
+already given proof of their devotion on many a bloody field, and who
+only recoiled now when brought face to face with the supreme test--the
+sacrifice of their hearths and homes? I ventured to point out, however,
+that those who had already surrendered now bitterly regretted it, and
+added that the very nature of the case made it impossible for the
+British to carry out their promises. They listened in silence. My words
+may have had some slight effect; in any case, the Hottentot was sent
+back without a definite reply. It was useless to expect any aid from
+these men. Leaving them to decide their own fate, we started back for
+the Free State.
+
+
+
+
+ARRESTED AS SPIES
+
+
+A couple of hours' riding, then the farm of an old field-cornet, where
+we off-saddled and bought a few bundles of forage for our horses. The
+field-cornet entered into conversation with us whilst our animals were
+feeding, but omitted to ask us into the house, and kept eyeing us in a
+puzzled manner, as though we had dropped from Mars. I know not what my
+companion thought of it, or if he thought at all, but I myself put the
+old man's strange manner down to a sort of speechless admiration, and
+accepted it as such. But I was mistaken.
+
+When our friend shook hands with us he did so very limply, and as far as
+we went he could be seen gazing after us.
+
+"What ails him?" I asked my comrade.
+
+"Oh, he doesn't see men like ourselves every day," was the careless
+answer. How could I argue?
+
+We kept on our way, and towards sundown reached a farm on the bank of
+the Vaal, simultaneously with another young fellow coming from the
+direction of the railway line.
+
+It turned out that this farm belonged to his father. He himself had left
+home that morning with the intention of crossing the railway, but had
+found the line so well patrolled that he had given up the attempt. We
+stabled our horses and entered the small but comfortably furnished
+cottage, where we were presented to the other members of the family.
+After supper came the usual evening service. This was hardly over when
+we heard a loud knocking at the front door. The door was opened, and the
+strange-mannered old field-cornet entered.
+
+He greeted us solemnly and sat down. Next came a thundering rap at the
+back door, and another Boer entered, a tall, powerful fellow, who was
+foaming at the mouth with suppressed excitement, and bristling with
+cartridge belts.
+
+"My nephews," said the first-comer to us, "you must not take it amiss,
+but it is my duty to arrest you!"
+
+"What for, uncle?"
+
+"For being suspected of spying. You must either accompany me back to my
+farm, or let me take your horses there, so as to prevent your leaving
+here during the night."
+
+"All right, uncle, take the horses, but don't forget to feed them well.
+But perhaps it would spare you trouble if you read our papers."
+
+"It is easy to forge papers," said the old man. His companion now boiled
+over and broke in--
+
+"No, no! We've got you right enough! What else can you be but cursed
+spies, riding about the country like this?"
+
+"I don't wish to argue with you," I replied, angered by his brutal
+manner. "I'm as true a burgher as you are, to say the least, and I warn
+you that I shall hold you responsible for what you do or say."
+
+"Oh! oh! Responsible? We are our own Government now. And where are your
+arms? Spies!"
+
+"I see you have a gun, but perhaps that is only because you've had no
+chance to lay it down."
+
+"What! Yes, I've got a gun, and I'll prove it to you!" he shouted,
+pointing the weapon at me.
+
+"Just like a cowardly bully to threaten an unarmed man! But," I added
+gently, "you'll feel differently to-morrow."
+
+"Will I? Why?" he asked, curiosity getting the better of his rage.
+
+"You'll be sober then." This only incensed him the more, but he saw that
+he had gone too far, and contented himself with uttering a few
+half-intelligible threats. We then went out to the stable, gave them our
+horses, and went to bed.
+
+I woke just as dawn was breaking. Before the door stood the son of the
+house, his gun in his hand.
+
+"Hello, you are up early," I said. He looked rather confused.
+
+"To tell the truth, I have been guarding you all night. But all the
+same, I don't believe that you are spies. Come and have some coffee."
+
+We had just finished our coffee when we heard horses' hoofs coming along
+the road, and presently one of our friends from the farm near
+Greylingstad entered the room.
+
+"I've brought your horses," he said, smiling merrily. "I passed the old
+field-cornet's this morning and told him I could certify that you are no
+spies."
+
+Whilst we were saddling up the field-cornet and his companion of the
+night before arrived. The latter was now sober. They were profuse in
+apologies.
+
+"You were angry last night because we had no rifles; you had more reason
+to be glad," I remarked to the field-cornet's assistant.
+
+"Why?"
+
+"Because if I had been armed I might have been imprudent enough to blow
+your brains out when you pointed your gun at me. And how awful that
+would have been!"
+
+"Man," he said, "it's the cursed drink."
+
+"Well," said I, "it's all over now. Good-bye!" Off we went--my comrade,
+myself, and the man who had brought our horses, Delange. The latter had
+an _achter ryder_ and two spare horses. Towards noon we reached the farm
+of one of Delange's friends. My mount was now thoroughly done up, having
+eaten almost nothing for three days. I asked the farmer if he had a
+horse for sale.
+
+"There are several in the stable," he replied, "but they belong to my
+son, and he is on commando; so I am sorry, but I can't sell you one."
+
+"I tell you what we'll do," said Delange. "I'll give you one of mine for
+yours, which can then remain here till it gets well. Should you come
+round here again one day we can then change back again."
+
+"But suppose the animal dies?"
+
+"Oh, I'll risk that. What is one horse more or less?"
+
+I gratefully accepted this generous offer, and soon had my new
+acquisition saddled. It was a lively little nag, and all my weariness
+passed away as I felt it bound between my knees. Delange remained here,
+and my comrade and I continued our journey alone, making for Vrede.
+
+"There's a Jew a few miles from here," said the farmer as he bade us
+good luck, "whom we suspect of treason. You should try and trap him and
+take him with you to Vrede."
+
+Towards dusk we reached the Jew's store. We rode up to the building and
+he came to the door, an intelligent-looking man.
+
+"Good evening," I said in English, "are there any Boers about?" We were
+both dressed after the English style.
+
+When the man's wife heard English spoken she also came to the door and
+stood by her husband's side.
+
+"Well, can't you answer?" The fellow's face was a study. He and his wife
+looked at each other, evidently feeling that some danger was threatening
+them.
+
+"Sir," he said at last, speaking with an effort, "I have seen no Boers."
+
+"Is this the road to Vrede?"
+
+"Yes," he faltered.
+
+"Thanks. Good-night," and we rode away. It might be easy to shoot a
+traitor in cold blood, but to try and trap a man into uttering his own
+condemnation seemed too cruel.
+
+The next place we came to was a miserable-looking hovel standing by the
+wayside. The door was opened by an old man.
+
+"Good evening, uncle. Can you sell us a few bundles of forage?"
+
+"Good evening. Yes, certainly. Come inside. It's a poor dwelling, but
+you are welcome. Johnny, take the horses and put them in the stable.
+Won't you join us at supper?"
+
+Our appetites needed no stimulating, and we at once joined the family,
+who had just been sitting down to table when we arrived. After the meal
+our horses were saddled and brought to the door.
+
+"What do we owe you for the forage?" we asked. It would be an insult
+under any circumstance to offer to pay a Boer for a meal, "paying
+guests" being still unknown to our benighted nation.
+
+"No, my friends," he said. "I am poor, but I can't take your money. We
+are all working for our country, and must help each other."
+
+"That's true, but you must really allow us to pay."
+
+"No, no! A few shillings will make me no richer or poorer." It was only
+with the greatest difficulty that we managed to leave a few shillings on
+the table. And this in spite of the fact that he was in the direst
+poverty. But this is nothing unusual in South Africa, where hospitality
+is considered a duty and a pleasure.
+
+We pushed on until late that night, when we reached Vrede. Here we
+learnt that the column which Lord Roberts had sent back from
+Johannesburg had just entered Reitz. The next day we turned our horses'
+heads towards Bethlehem, seeing a fair amount of game during the day's
+ride. Darkness found us still travelling onward. A few miles to our
+right a crimson glare lit up the heavens--a grass fire started by the
+British column, and an unmistakable danger-signal for us.
+
+We were now very close to the enemy, and might expect to meet a patrol
+at any moment. Whilst riding along in the dense gloom we heard loud
+voices a few hundred yards ahead of us. Turning out of the road, we rode
+on the grass so as to make no noise, and carefully approached. Upon
+getting nearer we found it was some natives driving cattle into a kraal.
+Near by was a farmhouse, and thither we went. Only the womenfolk were at
+home. We quickly reassured them--for every stranger was taken for an
+Englishman--and were asked to stay for the night. Presently the farmer
+himself arrived--he had been out watching the enemy.
+
+"They will pass here to-morrow," he said, "then I shall go on that hill
+yonder and knock over a few of them. I had a fine chance to shoot
+to-day, but did not want to put them on their guard."
+
+"But don't you think it would be better to join a commando and help in
+making an organised resistance? You may kill a few of the enemy by
+hanging about in twos and threes, but what difference will that make in
+the end?"
+
+"You mean us to act like the dervishes at Omdurman? I'm afraid you don't
+understand the affair, my son. We do belong to a commando, as a matter
+of fact, but we are scouts entrusted with the duty of keeping in
+constant touch with the enemy. If in the execution of this duty we see
+an opportunity to shoot a few of the enemy, are we to hold our hand
+because we happen to be only two or three?"
+
+"I should think not. But the enemy call it sniping, and I have heard
+them say that snipers get no quarter. And if you fire on a column near
+here they will come and burn this house down."
+
+"It is not for me," he replied, "to consider my own interests. I have my
+orders and must carry them out. What! Are we, who have lost sons,
+brothers, friends--are we, I say, to think of our property now? No! Let
+everything go, strip us to the bone, but leave us our liberty! It is not
+for ourselves that we battle and suffer, but for posterity. It is for
+the birthright of our children--freedom. We are no servile Hindoos to
+meekly bow beneath the foreign yoke! They have put their hands to the
+plough, but they will find it stubborn land, land that they will grow
+weary of manuring with the bodies of their sons! And all for what? To
+raise a crop of thistles and thorns, for that is all they'll ever get
+out of us!"
+
+"And it strikes me the end of the furrow is still out of sight."
+
+"My boy," he said earnestly, "_this furrow has no end!_"
+
+
+
+
+IN THE MOUNTAINS
+
+
+"I wish you a pleasant journey," said our host the next morning, as we
+prepared to mount. "Have you money enough? Yes? Well, in any case, take
+this biltong along in your saddle-bags; it's my own make, you'll find it
+good. Keep a good look-out. Good-bye!"
+
+After thanking him warmly for his kindness, we rode off. Halting but
+once to feed and water our horses, we reached a farm near Bethlehem
+towards evening, where we spent the night. We were awakened by the sound
+of a heavy bombardment in the direction of Bethlehem, which informed us
+that the British were attacking the town. With an optimism that now
+seems marvellous, we never for a moment doubted that the enemy would be
+driven back, and that we would at last be able to take a little repose,
+for twelve hours daily in the saddle was beginning to tell on us. Quite
+cheerfully we rode down to the village, listening to the music of the
+bursting shells and the lively rattle of the small-arms. Suddenly a
+cloud of Boers issued from a kopje to our right, and slowly retreated
+across our front. We rode up to them and learnt that they had just
+received orders to retire, as the place could no longer be defended. It
+appeared that the British general had informed De Wet that if he did not
+surrender the town it would be bombarded. Most of the property belonged
+to British subjects, so De Wet ordered all loyal inhabitants to leave
+the town, and then told the general to bombard as much as he liked,
+which the latter forthwith proceeded to do. De Wet had placed a couple
+of guns on the mountain overlooking the town, and this, together with
+Theron's hundred and fifty men--the only commando seriously engaged that
+day--sufficed to keep the British back for three hours. De Wet's own men
+were kept in reserve to meet the usual outflanking movement. The latter
+did not take place, however, the enemy coming straight on. Finally
+something went wrong with one of our two guns, and Theron being hard
+pressed, with the reserve too far away to render immediate help, the
+order was given to retire. The artillerists profited by the occasion to
+tumble the damaged gun down a precipice, saying that they had had enough
+of repairing it. Here it was found by the enemy the next day. A rush was
+made for the mountain passes, as it was feared the enemy might occupy
+them and cut off our retreat, but this was not even attempted, and we
+were allowed to gain our rocky fastnesses in peace. The following day
+was spent in climbing up and down the steep footpaths over the
+mountains, and that afternoon we arrived at the end of our journey,
+Fouriesburg, having spent something like a hundred hours on horseback
+during the last ten days. Our first move was towards the river, for we
+had not had a bath for several days. After repeated splashes in the
+chilly torrent we bought a few clean things, put them on, and then
+gravitated towards the telegraph office. Needless to say, our colleagues
+were surprised to see us, being under the impression that we had long
+since reached the Transvaal. Whilst still busy giving explanations we
+heard someone on the instrument calling Winburg. Now Winburg was in
+British hands; it could be no other than a British station calling.
+Wishing to gain a little information, we responded.
+
+"Here, Winburg."
+
+"Here, Bethlehem. Are you Winburg?"
+
+"Yes."
+
+"Then give the name of the officer commanding."
+
+There was no time for hesitation, and in our haste we gave the wrong
+name.
+
+"Go away," came the answer; "you're a way out. Trying to fool us, are
+you?"
+
+After a while we called him up again.
+
+"Bethlehem! Bethlehem!"
+
+"Here, Lieutenant Sherrard, R.E. What's up?"
+
+"Here, Winburg. What's the news?"
+
+"That you are a lot of fools for keeping on fighting and murdering your
+men!" came the sharp reply.
+
+"Oh, kindly allow us to know our own business best. You'll find some
+method in our folly."
+
+"Maybe. How did you like the little bits o' lyddite yesterday?"
+
+"I believe it slightly killed one mule. How did you like the hell fire
+from the Nordenfeldt?"
+
+"Never saw it. But honestly, why don't you come in and surrender?"
+
+"But honestly, what is your real opinion of those who desert their
+country in her hour of need?" He preferred not to say, but disconnected
+the wire, and we heard no more of our friend the Royal Engineer.
+
+"Pity they were too sharp for us this time," I said to the Postmaster.
+
+"Oh, it doesn't matter," he replied, "we caught up their report of the
+engagement just after they entered the town. It seems they had a pretty
+severe loss. Ours was slight, but one lyddite shell burst over a group
+of horses and killed twenty."
+
+"And what is the situation now?"
+
+"Well, all our forces are here in the mountains now, and we can hold out
+for years. There are only two passes; they are strongly held, and the
+enemy will never get through them. We tried to get our prisoners to take
+parole, but they refused, so we have driven them over the Drakensberg
+into Natal. Last, but not least, the traitor Vilonel is here, waiting
+for his appeal to be heard."
+
+This Vilonel, a young man of prepossessing appearance, had been one of
+the most promising officers, and had early been promoted to commandant.
+Whether through overweening ambition on his part or not I cannot say,
+but Vilonel, accused of insubordination, was thenceforth given the
+distasteful and inglorious task of commandeering. He wearied of this,
+and applied for active service, but in vain. Then, smarting under a
+sense of injustice, he took the fatal step--deserted. Not content with
+this, he wrote a letter out of the British camp to one of our
+field-cornets, urging upon the latter to surrender. The letter fell into
+the hands of one of our Intelligence officers, who forthwith replied in
+the field-cornet's name, asking Vilonel to meet him at a certain
+secluded spot. Vilonel kept the appointment, accompanied by a British
+major, and both were made prisoners, the major protesting energetically
+against what he was pleased to consider as a breach of the rules of
+warfare, but his captors begged to differ, reminding him that all's fair
+in love and war, especially in dealing with traitors and their
+associates.
+
+Vilonel was tried at Reitz, and sentenced to five years, the judge
+remarking that he was lucky to get off with his life. The prisoner did
+not think so, and applied for leave to appeal. This was granted, but
+owing to the nature of the subsequent military operations the Court had
+not found time to sit, hardly time to pause, in fact.
+
+When the day finally arrived for the appeal to be heard the little
+court-room was crowded with interested spectators. Judge Hertzog
+presided, assisted by two young advocates, Messrs. Hugo and Cronje, and
+Advocate De Villiers represented the State. The prisoner, who conducted
+his own defence, asked for a postponement. This was refused. He then
+made an able statement, asserting his innocence of any evil intentions,
+pleading that he had acted as his conscience dictated, and eloquently
+praying the Court to reconsider his sentence. It was a painful moment
+when the presiding judge, after a whispered consultation with the
+assessors, turned to the prisoner and confirmed the sentence, adding,
+in his clear, incisive voice, that the name of Vilonel would remain an
+eternal stigma upon the fame of the Afrikander race. One could not help
+feeling a thrill of compassion at the tragic end of such a promising
+career. To-day a noble patriot, to-morrow a black traitor, despised by
+the lowest of his countrymen!
+
+President Steyn's wife and family were installed in a house in this
+village, but the President himself preferred to camp in the veld and
+share the lot of his burghers.
+
+With him were nearly all the members of the Government, if we except
+those who had chosen to remain behind in Bethlehem, and who, from what
+their delighted friends heard, had been compelled by the British to foot
+it all the way to Reitz. We went out to the camp, and reported
+ourselves. It was now bitterly cold, the snow-topped Drakensberg keeping
+the temperature at an uncomfortable proximity to zero. But the men were
+nearly all well provided with warm khaki uniforms reaped at Roodewal,
+the mountains were full of cattle and corn, and we felt that we could
+easily hold these almost inaccessible heights against the British cordon
+formed outside.
+
+But it was fated otherwise. A despatch rider arrived from the
+Transvaal; the situation there urgently demanded the encouragement of
+Steyn's presence. To leave this impregnable stronghold and venture
+across the open plains below needed all the boldness of De Wet, all the
+steadfast courage of Steyn. These leaders had never been known to
+falter; they did not falter now. Everything was arranged in the utmost
+secrecy. For a few days there was a hurrying to and fro of commandoes,
+and then one morning De Wet's laager was seen to have disappeared.
+
+Prinsloo was left behind over four thousand men, with orders to stand
+his own.
+
+
+
+
+THROUGH THE CORDON
+
+
+IT was no easy matter to pass through the British forces that lay massed
+around the mountain-chain. We were two thousand horsemen, and our
+vehicles, carts, ox-and mule-waggons formed a procession fully six miles
+long. When we trekked out of the nek strict orders were given that there
+was to be no loud talking and no matches struck. This latter was
+especially hard on such a crowd of inveterate smokers. I remember whilst
+we were riding mutely along, listening to the creaking and jolting of
+the waggons, and wondering whether we were going to get through, or what
+the alternative would be if we did not, we suddenly saw someone
+deliberately strike a match and light his pipe.
+
+"Who struck that match?" came from the front. Then the delinquent
+himself spoke up--
+
+"It's this confounded Kafir of mine. Was it you, Jantje?"
+
+"Yes, baas," responded the dutiful black, bobbing up and down on his
+master's spare horse.
+
+"Give him twenty with the sjambok."
+
+"Right!" Jantje and his master turned out of the road, and soon the
+unmistakable thwack! thwack! of the sjambok could be heard, mingled with
+subdued ejaculations in Kafir and Dutch. But judging by the expression
+on Jantje's features by the camp fire that night, as he blew long
+fragrant clouds into the gaping nostrils of his envious friends, I have
+my doubts about that thrashing.
+
+We halted frequently to allow the straggling ox-waggons to close up.
+Then we would dismount, stamp our chilly feet, draw our overcoats or
+blankets closer, and discuss trivialities. During one of these halts a
+horseman came dashing up from the rear--
+
+"General, there's a doctor behind who has just come through the enemy's
+lines. He asks you to wait for him."
+
+"Tell him to hurry!"
+
+We sat down and waited. In about half an hour's time another horseman
+came hurrying along. Here at last! No. Only another messenger. Another
+long wait, and finally the doctor arrived. He squatted down next to De
+Wet, and in a low voice related how he had been unjustly captured by the
+British some weeks ago, how they had sent him to Johannesburg and kept
+him in prison until now, only liberating him after repeated requests
+for a hearing. His tale was listened to in silence and with deep
+attention. When it was told the order was given to mount, and on we
+trekked again past the sleeping British camp. Presently the moon rose,
+and by its light we passed a lonely farmhouse. Beware its slumbering
+inmates when the British come along to-morrow, for are not they
+responsible for the telegraph line which runs across the farm, and which
+we have cut in half a dozen places! No doubt the house will be burnt,
+and all the stock confiscated. But never mind, the owner has surrendered
+and is living under British protection--protection whereof he is going
+to get a taste now, so why should we pity him? On we go until long past
+midnight, when we halt in a secluded little valley. Our horses greedily
+swallow the icy water, and then eagerly crop the tasteless dry grass,
+for our waggons are too far behind, we can give them no mealies
+to-night.
+
+The next morning a cloud of dust in our rear showed that we were being
+pursued. Whilst we were hastily inspanning and upsaddling, Theron came
+in from the right, bringing with him a captured Hussar. One old Boer,
+who had his little boy with him, brought the youngster up to the soldier
+and said--
+
+"Now, sonny, you've never seen an Englishman. Here is one. Look at him
+well; you must shoot lots of them yet."
+
+"Go away," said one of the Boers, "what do you mean by staring at the
+man like that? Don't you know any better than to insult a helpless
+prisoner?"
+
+"I'm sorry," said the old man, turning away, "I don't want to hurt his
+feelings; I only wanted to show my son the game he must track one day."
+
+The little boy cried when they led him away, saying--
+
+"I 'ants my 'ickle khaki, I 'ants my tame Englishman!"
+
+"Don't cry," said the old man, "father will catch you some to-morrow."
+
+The little fellow's eyes brightened with anticipation, and his tears
+gave way to smiles. Sure enough his father came into camp a few days
+later driving before him two diminutive steeds bending beneath the
+weight of two corpulent khakis. He called his son and said--
+
+"Now, sonny, here are the soldiers I promised you."
+
+The little fellow looked them over carefully. Then his lower lip began
+to pout, and tears rolled down his cheeks.
+
+"What's the matter, my son," asked the astonished father, "doesn't he
+like his khakis?"
+
+"No, daddy," replied the little chap, striving with his tears.
+
+"Why not, my lad?"
+
+Then the child's restraint gave way, and he burst out--
+
+"Oh, daddy, they're not--_sob_--real--_sob_--soldiers at all!"
+
+They were two of the C.I.V.
+
+But to return. As soon as the waggons were ready they were sent on along
+the winding valley, whilst the horsemen and artillery took up a position
+on a neighbouring hill and awaited the British attack. This took the
+form of continuous shelling until sundown. As soon as darkness fell the
+horsemen took a short cut and rejoined the waggons, which in the
+meantime had gained a considerable start. President Steyn and his
+secretary accompanied De Wet during the day and had a taste of the
+enemy's shell-fire. When we asked the secretary that evening how he had
+liked the ordeal he said he could hardly describe his feelings whilst it
+lasted, but when the shelling ceased it was the heavenliest sensation of
+his life. So if you want a heavenly sensation you know now how to get
+it.
+
+We had an ambulance staff with us, but were sometimes obliged to leave
+our wounded behind, because we knew very well the enemy would be only
+too glad to get hold of our doctors and deprive us of all medical help.
+
+On crossing the railway near Honingspruit we captured a train. From the
+newspapers taken out of the mail-bags we learnt that we were being
+closely pressed, and that hopes were entertained of our speedy capture.
+We did not grudge the papers the pleasures of hope; what we objected to
+was their crocodile tears over us poor misguided, ignorant burghers, who
+were too stupid to see the beauty of becoming exultant British subjects,
+like the Irish. We also learnt that Steyn was ill, that he was hiding on
+a farm near Heilbron, that he was a prisoner in De Wet's camp, that his
+mind had given way, that he wouldn't let De Wet surrender, that De Wet
+wouldn't let the burghers surrender, that the burghers wouldn't let
+Steyn surrender, _ad fin. ad nauseam_.
+
+As we had a distinct object in view, _i.e._ to bring Steyn to Kruger, we
+generally preferred to avoid unnecessary engagements. But we could show
+our teeth when we liked. We were laagered near Vredefort one day when
+the pursuers made a sudden dash forward, coming within a mile or so
+before they were observed. On this occasion there was no hasty flight.
+The cattle continued peacefully grazing around the waggons, whilst the
+horsemen went to meet the enemy. There was a brief exchange of shells,
+and then our men charged with such good effect that the British were
+forced to retire. They followed us at a more respectful distance after
+that.
+
+De Wet kept his plans so secret that very few knew for certain whither
+we were bound. The President called me into his tent one morning and
+asked me a few questions about the roads near Balmoral, where the
+Transvaal Government was at that time. I happened to have a map with me,
+and so was able to supply the desired information. He then told me to
+take a couple of heliographists and try to get into communication with
+one of the Transvaal commandoes near Potchefstroom.
+
+We climbed one of the numerous hills lying around and called up towards
+Potchefstroom, but got no reply. As we sat chatting, keeping our eyes
+fixed on the dark ridges in the distance, one of my companions
+remarked--
+
+"This reminds me of a fine trick I played on the English a few months
+ago. We were trekking along quietly one day when I observed a heliograph
+glitter on a hill about ten miles away. I at once fixed my instrument,
+and soon learnt that it was a British helio post. I sent him a heliogram
+saying that we were a small party of British in danger of capture, and
+asking that an escort should be sent to bring us in. The next day the
+escort walked into our arms! We took the rifles and let the prisoners
+go--about a hundred men. The next day the British heliographist called
+me up again and reproached me for telling him such a deliberate lie!"
+
+"And what did you reply?"
+
+"Oh, I said, 'g.t.l.'; you know what that means!"
+
+Espying a pretty little cottage in the valley below, I rode thither to
+try and buy a loaf of bread, leaving the others to continue calling. On
+the way down I noticed a telegraph wire running in the direction of
+Potchefstroom. In the farmhouse were only two young girls, the elder a
+charming golden-haired fairy with tender eyes of cornflower blue. And
+her smile!--it was enough to make one say all kinds of silly things just
+for the pleasure of seeing her ripe lips part, revealing her wholesome,
+even little teeth! No wonder I delayed my departure! I left at last,
+however--not without the loaf of bread--and made for the camp. I had not
+gone far before I met one of the burghers, who told me Steyn and De Wet
+had gone up to the helio post a little while before. What would they say
+when they found me absent from my post! I approached the camp in
+anything but an enviable mood, and was just off-saddling when the two
+leaders returned. Like a flash the thought came to me of the telegraph
+line I had seen.
+
+"President," I said eagerly, before he could speak, "there's a telegraph
+line near here. Shan't I go and try to tap it?"
+
+He looked at me very seriously for a moment, and then replied, a smile
+breaking through the frown, "Yes, go on, you should have been there
+already." Saved again! I went, but needless to say, if I heard any
+secrets that evening it was not through the medium of a telegraph wire!
+
+
+
+
+SKIRMISHES
+
+
+A band of about thirty Transvaalers, mostly from Potchefstroom, who had
+been attached to De Wet for some time, now decided to go on ahead and
+join Liebenberg's commando, near their native town. As De Wet had no
+intention of moving forward just yet, I joined my brother Transvaalers.
+Bidding adieu to our Free State comrades, we crossed the Vaal. Just
+beyond the river we were joined by two or three others, who had with
+them as prisoner a British sergeant. This fellow had been in charge of a
+band of native police, whose insolence had terrorised the women and
+children for miles around, until a body of Boers came along and routed
+them out of the district, capturing their leader. What became of the
+blacks I do not know, but it must be remembered that the Transvaal
+natives are Boer subjects, and liable to be shot if caught aiding the
+British. The feeling against the sergeant was very bitter.
+
+"Oh, you're the Kafir chief, are you?" said one of our men to him.
+
+"Ho, yuss, h' I'm the Kefir ginnyril," responded the flattered cockney,
+with an irritating grin.
+
+"I'd like to Kafir general you through the head," said the disgusted
+Boer promptly. The sickly grin faded, and the threat was not carried
+out.
+
+Towards afternoon a heavy rain began to fall. There was no shelter for
+us, and we pushed along, wet and cold. Then night came, and the road,
+now transformed into a rushing torrent, was only shown us by the lurid
+lightning flashes that continually rent the heavens. And we had a sick
+man on the trolley, for whom this exposure was a serious matter. But
+finally we reached a farmhouse, occupied by an old woman. Her eyes
+filled with tears when she saw us, and she thanked the Lord that He had
+spared her to behold once more the defenders of her country. Near by was
+an empty building. We outspanned and off-saddled, turning our animals
+loose, as we knew they would not stray far in such a blinding storm. The
+sick man was hastily carried in and laid upon some dry blankets.
+
+Then we made half a dozen roaring fires with some mealie cobs that we
+found lying in the house, stripped ourselves, and held our boots and
+clothing over the fire till they were fairly dry. By this time the water
+boiled; we drank some coffee, then made up beds on the floor and slept
+till morning. It was a bit of a struggle to get into our damp things
+when we awoke, but as we rode along our clothes dried and our spirits
+rose. Then Potchefstroom came in sight, but, alas! it was held by the
+enemy.
+
+"What would my poor mother say," said one young fellow, "if she knew I
+was so near!"
+
+"Oh, my wife and children!" sighed another.
+
+"Cheer up, boys!" interrupted the commandant. "Our country first, you
+know."
+
+That afternoon we joined a small commando lying near the railway between
+Potchefstroom and Frederikstad. It numbered barely a hundred men, but
+they had with them a bomb-Maxim and a Krupp. At midnight we got orders
+to march for the hills near Frederikstad, where we arrived at dawn. Here
+we were reinforced by a score of burghers, and we continued our way,
+keeping in a parallel with the railway, but behind some intervening
+hills. Presently a scout came in and reported the enemy in sight.
+
+"Forward!" ordered the commandant, and forward we raced along through
+the veld, keeping a look-out for holes. One youngster's horse went
+down, the rider turning a beautiful somersault. Shouts of laughter
+greeted his exploit, but he quickly remounted, and was one of the first
+to reach the hill for which we were making, and which dominated the
+railway. Keeping the Nordenfeldt in reserve, we opened fire with Krupp
+and small-arms on the advance guard of the enemy.
+
+We did not know at the time that we were tackling Lord Methuen and five
+thousand men, but such was the case. Of course we made a very poor show;
+what can you expect? But anyhow, we engaged them for about two hours.
+Then their cavalry came on with a rush, and we were compelled to give
+way. It was only with the greatest difficulty that we saved the guns,
+and we only succeeded in doing so, I presume, because the enemy were not
+aware of our real numbers. Our waggons fled to one side of the line
+whilst we remained on the other, with absolutely nothing to eat. By
+buying a few eggs and other small produce from the natives we managed to
+subsist until the third day, when we crossed the railway, marched all
+night, and rejoined our waggons at dawn. To slaughter sheep and cook
+porridge did not take long; hearty is the only word to describe the meal
+we made. Then we moved round and joined Liebenberg, who, with six
+hundred men, had just retaken Klerksdorp without firing a shot. But
+then, the place was garrisoned by only forty English, and resistance
+would have been of no avail.
+
+We hung about the neighbourhood of Potchefstroom for about two weeks,
+anxiously waiting for the word to be given to attack the town, but
+Liebenberg confined his tactics to making an appearance in sight of the
+town and retreating as soon as the enemy came out to give battle. This
+kept the enemy on the _qui vive_, it is true, but it also tired out our
+horses, and we soon grew weary of it. We had several lively little
+skirmishes, however. One day about forty of us were detached to go and
+bombard a British gun which stood on the other side of the town, whilst
+the rest of our commando approached the town on this side. We were
+sitting down quite comfortably under a tree below our gun, eating bread
+and dripping, listening to the duel and smiling at the high aim of the
+British gunners, when the look-out shouted--"Here's the enemy behind
+us!"
+
+The gun was rapidly limbered up and we rode to the top of the hill.
+Across the valley about a hundred horsemen were stealthily stealing up
+Vaal Kop, evidently with the intention of taking us in the rear. We
+halted and gave them a couple of shells, to which they very promptly
+replied.
+
+"Commandant," said one of my comrades, "let's charge them. They're not
+too many for us."
+
+"No," was the reply; "it's best to be prudent."
+
+"Well, I'm going to have a smack at them, anyway! Coming along?" he
+shouted to me, and without waiting for a reply, started down the valley.
+I followed him, and we cut across over the loose stones at a breakneck
+pace, not making straight for the enemy, but for a rocky ridge whence
+our fire could reach them. As we climbed the ridge we were joined by two
+others. When we got to the top we saw about forty horsemen in the valley
+beyond.
+
+"Fifteen hundred yards!" shouted Frank, and we let them have it. Round
+and round they turned in a confused circle, like a flock of worried
+sheep. Then they rode away to the right, straight into a morass, back
+again, and finally retreated in amongst the bushes on the slope of the
+hill, whence they favoured us with a few well-aimed shots in reply. The
+whole thing had lasted barely five minutes, but we had each emptied
+about fifty cartridges, so we felt quite happy. As we left the shelter
+of the hill and rode back across the valley, their companions on top of
+the hill turned a Maxim on us, but the bullets all went high, singing
+overhead like a flight of canaries. Going up on the other side, I took a
+piece of bread out of my pocket, and was just trying to persuade myself
+to offer our two companions some, when crack! crack! came a couple of
+Nordenfeldt shells right behind us. It didn't take us long to get over
+the hill, the vicious little one-pounders crackling and fizzling round
+us all the while.
+
+On the other side a comical sight met our eyes. The whole veld was full
+of scattered Boers retiring in all directions, with a shell bursting in
+between them every now and then, luckily without any effect. A few
+hundred yards away stood the cart of our clergyman, who was frantically
+trying to unharness his mules and inspan horses in their place. He was
+so nervous that his fingers refused to undo the straps, so we dismounted
+and effected the exchange for him. As soon as the last strap was buckled
+he lashed up and drove away, too excited even to say thank you.
+
+We were so accustomed to retreating by this time that it seemed
+extraordinary to see a man lose his head so easily. The British shells
+pursued us till we were out of sight, but the only casualty was when a
+shell passed so close to Van der Merwe, the mining commissioner of
+Johannesburg, that the concussion knocked him off his horse.
+
+That evening Jonas came into camp. Jonas is quite a character in his
+way. When the British entered Potchefstroom he, with four followers,
+took up a position on a kopje about six miles out of town, and a
+thousand yards from the Johannesburg road. Whenever a convoy or a body
+of British came along Jonas and his merry band would open a furious
+fusillade, causing the unhappy enemy no end of inconvenience. It is a
+fact that he carried on this game for months, unhindered.
+
+After his day's work Jonas would lay aside rifle and bandolier, don his
+overcoat, and stroll into town to see his family.
+
+He was challenged by a sentry on one occasion, but Jonas reproved him so
+severely and bluffed him so completely, that the poor fellow broke into
+an abject apology, whereupon Jonas very condescendingly promised to say
+no more about the matter.
+
+
+
+
+WE ENTER POTCHEFSTROOM
+
+
+"On Sunday we shall hold service in Potchefstroom," announced the
+commandant. Ah! Something definite at last! The men's hearts grow light
+as they polish their rifles, for are not they going to behold their dear
+ones soon? No one thinks of doubting the commandant's word; he is our
+leader, what he says must be true. How we shall get in none know, but
+get in we shall, all are sure of that. One morning my two comrades are
+sent to spy the town. My horse's unshod hoofs are tender as my lady's
+hands; I have searched the plains for a dead horse wearing shoes. Of all
+the carcasses I find the hoofs are gone, cut off by sharper comrades. I
+must remain behind. At night the order is given, "March!" Cheerfully the
+column trots out of camp; we who have no horses follow it with wistful
+eyes. There are girls in the town too, ah! such girls! Complexions a
+dream of purity, mystic, melting eyes, and hair a silken web to weave
+sweet fancies through.
+
+At midnight my two friends return. What, the others gone already? And
+you still here! No, mount, saddle, hurry, sick or well, go we must, and
+come must you! And perhaps, after all, if we ride steadily, who knows?
+If my horse fails, why, we will loot another on the road.
+
+We do not take the _spoor_, we slip across the veld; my mount treads
+gingerly, but what odds? After to-day he shall rest for a week!
+
+We near the town. Everything is deathly quiet. Where is our commando?
+Cautiously we enter the streets, riding far apart, rifles ready. Halt!
+here comes a horseman. Don't fire, he is unarmed. Why, 'tis but a boy!
+Where's the enemy? Where's the foe, quick? What! Deserted the town? We
+look around and see a long string of Boers come speeding along about a
+mile behind. Hurrah, we are first in! We race into the market square,
+crowds of people, and halt at the Government Buildings. Up with the
+_Vierkleur!_ Ah, the proud exultation of seeing our own flag once more
+float over the ancient capital! Women press around, young and old,
+beautiful alike in pure emotion of patriotic joy, eager to greet their
+war-worn men.
+
+My sons, do they live? God be praised, they are here. The father fell at
+Belmont, but He has spared the sons!
+
+And mine, I say, and mine; three they are, boys yet--what, no more? All
+I have--all I had gone for ever! Oh, Lord, uphold us! Welcome home, my
+boy. Your brother, is he well? Speak! Ah me! I loved him best; it is my
+punishment At last! my love, my husband! Happy day! Hush ... a hymn
+peals forth and wafts our thoughts to One above, a harmony of mingled
+joy and sadness. The last solemn notes die away, and we separate--joyous
+couples to make mirth together, sad widows to weep alone.
+
+How strange to sit at a table once more, to hear again the melody of
+girlish voices! "Sweet are looks that ladies bend on whom their favours
+fall." Let us bask in the warmth of your smiles to-night; to-morrow the
+cheerless veld again!
+
+Tales to boil the blood are told, barbarous brutality. Our commandant's
+daughter dragged before the provost-marshal. The gun found buried in
+your yard; your father's work? No, my own. You lie! Out you go--property
+confiscated, furniture sold; go seek the commandoes and ask them for
+shelter!
+
+A widow, husband killed. Clear out, furniture confiscated! Why? Your
+sons are fighting; you are a rebel! I'll teach you to remember Major
+C------.
+
+But in a skirmish Major C------ is killed; joy of the widowed and
+fatherless. Homage to our noble women, patient under persecution,
+steadfast in adversity, cheerfully sending forth their nearest and
+dearest to battle to the end!
+
+On the morrow a sharp alarm note is sounded. An officer gallops from
+house to house. Quick! saddle and ride; meet at Frederikstad! Myself and
+a comrade are quickly speeding thither, our brief Valhalla over. On the
+road we overtake and pass parties of twos and threes, all on the same
+errand. At last we approach the rendezvous. Up the hill rides a dense
+body of cavalry; down near the station horsemen dash in and out, to and
+fro, like busy ants. On the hill a few footmen leisurely stroll about,
+rifle in hand. What means all this commotion? We pass a Kafir hut.
+
+"Are those Boers or English, outa?"
+
+"Boers, baas."
+
+"Sure?"
+
+"Yes, baas, it's our own people."
+
+"Yes, look, that's the commandant ahead on his roan. Come along!" We
+near the horsemen. The last man dismounts as we approach; his companions
+are disappearing over the rise; he shifts his saddle forward, staring at
+us intently. A tall, well-built fellow, red hair, chin scrubby,
+dust-covered features. A bayonet at his side--by heavens! an Englishman!
+
+"Frank, it's a khaki," I whisper, "keep straight on."
+
+The soldier looks me in the face as we slowly pass him. I feel my
+cheeks burn and turn my head away. His gun stands in the bucket; we can
+shoot him, but then, the others? We wear top-boots and riding-breeches,
+hats pinned up at the side; he is in doubt--perhaps we are scouts just
+come in. He mounts his horse and rides after his comrades.
+
+Now turn and away, over boulders and bushes for dear life! Suddenly a
+dozen scouts file down the hill, two hundred yards off. I wave my hat
+and beckon them to follow. They halt, perplexed. Then a few bullets
+whistle by, and we see the scouts come dashing after us. But the bushes
+are high and the boulders loose; we are down the hill now, over the
+flats and away! Down to the river--the bridge is destroyed! Never mind,
+through we go, and then turn round to smile at our pursuers.
+
+
+
+
+DE WET ONCE MORE
+
+
+The reason for all this hurry-scurry became plain when we learnt that De
+Wet, tired of playing at hide-and-seek with the enemy on the other side
+of the Vaal, had crossed over and passed by Potchefstroom the night
+before. It was into the pursuing force that we had ridden.
+
+Reaching the laager, we found the majority of our comrades there. Of the
+fate of those who had delayed to leave the town we were ignorant. The
+laager inspanned and followed De Wet, who had just passed here, and
+after a few hours' rapid trekking caught up to him. A halt was called
+for breakfast, but before the water boiled for coffee the enemy came in
+sight behind us. The cattle were rapidly driven together, oxen yoked and
+horses saddled, and in about three minutes' time we were on the move
+once more. De Wet's force and our own combined comprised nearly three
+thousand men, with six hundred waggons and carts, forming a train that
+made a splendid target for the British gunners.
+
+There was not much difficulty in keeping the enemy back, but still they
+hung on persistently, worrying us day after day, until our horses, and
+even the tougher mules, began to drop in the road, and our men to grow
+weary of the saddle.
+
+The oxen bore up best of all; we now made the discovery that they could
+trot just as well as mules, and with less effort. But even they felt the
+strain.
+
+As far as we went the road we left behind us was littered with abandoned
+animals. It was pitiful to see these dumb creatures try to drag
+themselves after us, as if they too feared the pursuing foe. But still
+the weary march went on, night and day, until a numbed indifference
+settled over us.
+
+Shells fell to the right and left unnoticed; was the apathy, not of
+despair, for our faith would never let us feel that, but of sheer and
+utter exhaustion.
+
+Haggard men, sunk in slumber, beat a mechanical tattoo on their horses'
+ribs as the gaunt animals dazedly staggered forward. And now came the
+stunning news that Prinsloo, Prinsloo with 4,000 men, had surrendered!
+Only one hope sustained us--the Magaliesberg. There we would find
+shelter and rest.
+
+But Clements was lying in wait for us there, waiting for us to walk
+blindly into the trap he had set. Well was it for our straggling train
+that Delarey came dashing down on Clements in the night, slaying and
+capturing right and left, till the British general was glad to take
+refuge in entrenched Pretoria! Else we were surely taken and the war
+ended. When at last we struggled over Olifant's Nek, it was to find the
+pass held by friends, not foes, many signs of the enemy's occupation,
+from plundered farm-houses to hundreds of biscuit tins, strewing the
+ground.
+
+Our waggons were drawn up in a line behind the mountain, and we manned
+the passes, confident in our ability to hold them. But we were too
+wearied, and the enemy too persistent. On the third day they forced the
+weaker of the passes, and we were forced to fly once more. Had the
+British continued their stern chase our capture were almost certain;
+strange to say, with success within their grasp, they held their hand,
+halted, and followed us no further. In the retreat the Free State and
+the Transvaal commandoes took different directions, myself remaining
+with the latter. We marched all night, past frowning kopjes, and camped
+in a thick mimosa forest at dawn.
+
+Here the commando decided to remain for a while. I obtained a pass from
+Liebenberg and set off alone to make my way through the dense bush to
+Middelburg.
+
+The first day I discovered De Wet's "meagre commando," about a thousand
+men, who had been ordered to conceal themselves here and feed up their
+animals, whilst De Wet himself, with the other half of his force,
+scoured the country to within ten miles of Johannesburg.
+
+In the evening I arrived at a mission station, where the only whites
+were the missionary's young daughter and her youthful brother. Their
+father had left for a visit shortly before the war broke out, and had
+not been able to return. They themselves had done the mission work,
+unaided, through all these anxious months. And remember that at this
+time the bushveld Kafirs were waging war amongst themselves!
+
+The next day I encountered a couple of waggons laden with ammunition for
+Delarey. The escort told me they had left Middelburg eighteen days
+before. Making circuits to avoid the enemy and taking wrong roads had
+delayed them.
+
+Then--it is wonderful how news travels amongst the Kafirs--I heard that
+Steyn was also somewhere in the bush, on the way to join the Transvaal
+Government. Fortunately for me, I rode right into his party that
+evening, just as they were starting off again. I had only off-saddled
+once since sunrise, but the chance was too good to be missed, and I
+joined them. The party consisted of barely fifty men--not an extravagant
+escort, but sufficient, under the circumstances.
+
+We travelled till midnight, halted for an hour, and then forward again
+till sunrise, when we crossed the Pienaar's River. Here we found a
+fair-sized commando under a general whose name I forget, as that was the
+only time I ever heard it. He was expecting an attack, the waggons were
+already retreating. We halted long enough to prepare breakfast, during
+which time the President shot a few bush doves. Hardly had we finished
+the meal when the rat-tat, rat-tat of small-arms showed that the British
+were approaching. Then a Maxim rattled forth amongst the rocks, and
+warned us that the action had begun in earnest.
+
+The commando kept the enemy back just long enough to give us a decent
+start, and then retired. We afterwards learnt that this British
+force--under Barnum-Powell, of Tarascon--had been sent out from Pretoria
+expressly to intercept us. It was a close thing--had the enemy been a
+little smarter they might have had us. As it was, we doubled away under
+cover of the bush, and were soon out of reach.
+
+Now followed a week of rapid trekking, varied with a little shooting now
+and then at the partridges and bright-plumaged birds that abound in the
+bushveld, and once relieved by the sight of a magnificent bush fire, a
+sea of roaring flame. I must not forget our banjoist, who of nights
+beguiled our careworn chief with cheery marches, quicksteps, and comic
+songs. Finally we emerge upon the _hoogeveld_ of Middelburg, to find the
+town in the enemy's hands. We make for Roossenekal. Again the British
+are before us. We turn away towards Machadodorp. As we near the village
+Schalk Burger comes out to meet us. He and Steyn speak earnestly
+together. Burger is more silent, more taciturn than ever. We push on,
+and reach Machadodorp, where a train is in waiting. The station is
+crowded with Transvaalers, all eager to shake their gallant Free State
+brethren by the hand. The President and party enter the carriage, the
+engine whistles, and the train speeds down to Waterval Onder, where Paul
+Kruger and his advisers are impatiently awaiting its arrival.
+
+
+
+
+END OF THE REGULAR WAR
+
+
+The battle of Machadodorp was expected to A take place at any moment,
+and the general feeling was that this fight should decide the campaign,
+the more so as the issue was confidently awaited by us. On the second
+day after Steyn's arrival at Waterval Onder the British attacked. Never
+before in the history of the war had such a furious bombardment been
+known. Only those who have witnessed the fierce storms of the tropics
+can form an idea of the awful unending roar of the lyddite guns as they
+belched forth one continuous shrieking mass of projectiles into the
+defenders' trenches. At Waterval Onder the two Governments listened in
+silent suspense as the sonorous reverberations rolled through the
+mountains, louder and fiercer yet, till the firm earth shook beneath the
+shock.
+
+At last came the appalling message that the British were victorious, and
+our men in full retreat! High hopes had been built on this combat; no
+wonder if for a while we felt disheartened. The end of regular warfare
+had been reached; it was imperative that an entire change of tactics be
+adopted. Steyn was for beginning the guerilla system immediately, in
+which he was supported by Gravett, Pienaar, and Kemp; Kruger, however,
+determined to defend the railway to the last. The British lost no time
+in following up their success. It had been said that they would never
+venture down these precipitous heights, but, like all other prophecies
+about this surprising war--except Kruger's, that he would stagger
+humanity--it turned out false, for down into the infernal mountain pits
+the enemy thronged after us, with a courage that made us marvel.
+
+The Governments retreated by train to Nelspruit, and thence to
+Hectorspruit, the commandoes following by rail and road.
+
+Here the forces were divided, those without horses being sent to
+entrench Komatipoort, while the rest made ready to slip past the
+approaching enemy's outstretched arms. It was decided that President
+Kruger should leave for Holland, Schalk Burger acting in his place. Most
+of the burghers still fighting are Progressives, and therefore
+politically opposed to Paul Kruger, but there were few who did not feel
+a sincere sympathy for the venerable President in this, well-nigh the
+bitterest hour of his stormy life. I say nearly every man still
+fighting is as fervent a Progressive as the world could wish, and as
+much opposed to Paul Kruger's policy as the British themselves! Then
+what are they fighting for? you ask. For independence! Let us gain that,
+and in one year's time you will see the Transvaal merged into the model
+Free State, the Switzerland of South Africa!
+
+After Kruger's departure Steyn took leave of the Transvaal Government.
+His last interview with Botha took place in the open air, in full sight
+of the burghers. The two conversed in low, earnest tones. Botha looked
+ill and haggard, he had aged since he had gained his spurs at Colenso;
+the weight of his responsibility lay heavy upon him.
+
+Louis Botha is idolised by his men--perhaps he has not an enemy in the
+world--but it is to Steyn, and Steyn alone, that the honour belongs of
+the resistance still being offered by the Boers. Let not this detract
+from the merits of those other and equally gallant spirits, leaders or
+men, who have nobly breasted the waves of adversity; who shall blame
+them if at times they felt the current overwhelming?
+
+Steyn utters a last cheering word, then shakes Botha's hand, mounts, and
+rides away at the head of his little escort.
+
+The scene around the station resembles nothing so much as a cattle
+fair. Near the line stands a policeman, his gaze fixed upon a large box
+lying at his feet. The box is filled with gold. Ben Viljoen, standing on
+a waggon, addresses the men, explaining to them what guerilla warfare
+means. On the other side hats, shirts, and what not are being dealt out
+with a lavish hand. Some burghers wander off into the bush in search of
+game, others lie lazily stretched out beneath the trees. Trains crammed
+with men arrive from the rear, discharge their freights of assorted
+humanity, and are immediately boarded by the dismounted men destined for
+Komatipoort. The line is blocked with traffic, trains run anyhow, and it
+will be some days before everything is ready for our trek to begin.
+
+There being no longer any need for officials, my colleagues volunteered
+to form themselves into a fighting corps, and did me the honour of
+selecting me as their leader. The corps, however, lacked accoutrements.
+I went down to Delagoa Bay. Upon returning, with two other officers, we
+were arrested at the Portuguese station Moveni.
+
+Although armed with passports signed by the District Governor, we were
+informed that we would under no circumstances be allowed to recross the
+frontier. Nor could we obtain permission to return to Lourengo Marques
+by train. The young Portuguese commandant, a mirror of courtesy,
+explained that we had either to await further orders there or walk back
+to the Bay, a distance of fifty miles.
+
+After waiting for several hours we quietly boarded a train coming from
+Komatipoort, and managed to reach Lourengo Marques unobserved. We still
+believed that we would contrive to get back somehow sooner or later, but
+were soon cruelly undeceived. President Kruger, who was the guest of the
+District Governor, wrote to General Coetser at Komatipoort, asking him
+not to destroy the bridge and advising him to take refuge in Portuguese
+territory. Coetser himself, with the few of his men who had fairly
+decent horses, preferred to follow Botha, who by this time had begun his
+trek from Hectorspruit, and left General Pienaar in charge of
+Komatipoort.
+
+Influenced by the arguments of the Portuguese--one of which was that,
+should the British cross the Portuguese frontier and take the Boers in
+the rear, Portugal would not be able to prevent it--and by the fact that
+the positions first chosen for the entrenchments lay within a mile of
+the frontier and therefore could not be occupied, a _Krygsraad_ resolved
+to follow the President's advice. The bridge had already been mined, the
+guns placed in position, and everything made ready to give Pole-Carew
+and the Guards a worthy reception; but fate decided otherwise, and
+General Pienaar, with some two thousand men, crossed the
+frontier,--needless to say with what deep regret--thus reducing by
+one-fifth our forces in the field, a loss which would have been avoided
+had Steyn's advice been taken and guerilla warfare begun after
+Machadodorp.
+
+There was thenceforth nothing for us poor ship-wrecked wretches to do
+than to gaze impotently on our heroic brethren still struggling against
+the storm. The waves run high, but it is their duty to continue.
+
+And they will continue. Not because they are sure of success, but
+because it is their duty.
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of With Steyn and De Wet, by Philip Pienaar
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