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- float: left; - margin-right: 1em } - -.align-right { clear: right; - float: right; - margin-left: 1em } - -.align-center { margin-left: auto; - margin-right: auto } - -div.shrinkwrap { display: table; } - -/* SECTIONS */ - -body { margin: 5% 10% 5% 10% } - -/* compact list items containing just one p */ -li p.pfirst { margin-top: 0; margin-bottom: 0 } - -.first { margin-top: 0 !important; - text-indent: 0 !important } -.last { margin-bottom: 0 !important } - -span.dropcap { float: left; margin: 0 0.1em 0 0; line-height: 1 } -img.dropcap { float: left; margin: 0 0.5em 0 0; max-width: 25% } -span.dropspan { font-variant: small-caps } - -.no-page-break { page-break-before: avoid !important } - -/* PAGINATION */ - -@media screen { - .coverpage, .frontispiece, .titlepage, .verso, .dedication, .plainpage - { margin: 10% 0; } - - div.clearpage, div.cleardoublepage - { margin: 10% 0; border: none; border-top: 1px solid gray; } - - .vfill { margin: 5% 10% } -} - -@media print { - div.clearpage { page-break-before: always; padding-top: 10% } - div.cleardoublepage { page-break-before: right; padding-top: 10% } - - .vfill { margin-top: 20% } - h2.title { margin-top: 20% } -} - -</style> -<title>TEN MONTHS IN THE FIELD WITH THE BOERS</title> -<meta name="PG.Rights" content="Public Domain" /> -<meta name="PG.Title" content="Ten Months in the Field with the Boers" /> -<meta name="PG.Producer" content="Al Haines" /> -<link rel="coverpage" href="images/img-cover.jpg" /> -<meta name="DC.Creator" content="Anonymous" /> -<meta name="DC.Created" content="1901" /> -<meta name="PG.Id" content="41488" /> -<meta name="PG.Released" content="2012-11-24" /> -<meta name="DC.Language" content="en" /> -<meta name="DC.Title" content="Ten Months in the Field with the Boers" /> - -<link href="http://purl.org/dc/terms/" rel="schema.DCTERMS" /> -<link href="http://id.loc.gov/vocabulary/relators" rel="schema.MARCREL" /> -<meta content="Ten Months in the Field with the Boers" name="DCTERMS.title" /> -<meta content="ten.rst" name="DCTERMS.source" /> -<meta content="en" scheme="DCTERMS.RFC4646" name="DCTERMS.language" /> -<meta content="2012-11-25T23:59:07.609552+00:00" scheme="DCTERMS.W3CDTF" name="DCTERMS.modified" /> -<meta content="Project Gutenberg" name="DCTERMS.publisher" /> -<meta content="Public Domain in the USA." name="DCTERMS.rights" /> -<link href="http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/41488" rel="DCTERMS.isFormatOf" /> -<meta content="Anonymous" name="DCTERMS.creator" /> -<meta content="2012-11-24" scheme="DCTERMS.W3CDTF" name="DCTERMS.created" /> -<meta content="width=device-width" name="viewport" /> -<meta content="EpubMaker 0.3.20a4 by Marcello Perathoner <webmaster@gutenberg.org>" name="generator" /> -<style type="text/css"> -.pageno { position: absolute; right: 95%; font: medium sans-serif; text-indent: 0 } -.pageno:after { color: gray; content: '[' attr(title) ']' } -.lineno { position: absolute; left: 95%; font: medium sans-serif; text-indent: 0 } -.lineno:after { color: gray; content: '[' attr(title) ']' } -.toc-pageref { float: right } -pre { font-family: monospace; font-size: 0.9em; white-space: pre-wrap } -</style> -</head> -<body> -<div class="document" id="ten-months-in-the-field-with-the-boers"> -<h1 class="center document-title level-1 pfirst title"><span class="x-large">TEN MONTHS IN THE FIELD WITH THE BOERS</span></h1> - -<!-- this is the default PG-RST stylesheet --> -<!-- figure and image styles for non-image formats --> -<!-- default transition --> -<!-- default attribution --> -<!-- -*- encoding: utf-8 -*- --> -<div class="clearpage"> -</div> -<!-- -*- encoding: utf-8 -*- --> -<div class="align-None container language-en pgheader" id="pg-header" xml:lang="en" lang="en"> -<p class="noindent pfirst"><span>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 </span><a class="reference internal" href="#project-gutenberg-license">Project Gutenberg License</a><span> -included with this eBook or online at -</span><a class="reference external" href="http://www.gutenberg.org/license">http://www.gutenberg.org/license</a><span>.</span></p> -<p class="noindent pnext"></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 2em"> -</div> -<div class="align-None container" id="pg-machine-header"> -<p class="noindent pfirst"><span>Title: Ten Months in the Field with the Boers -<br /> -<br />Author: Anonymous -<br /> -<br />Release Date: November 24, 2012 [EBook #41488] -<br /> -<br />Language: English -<br /> -<br />Character set encoding: UTF-8</span></p> -</div> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 2em"> -</div> -<p class="noindent pfirst" id="pg-start-line"><span>*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK </span><span>TEN MONTHS IN THE FIELD WITH THE BOERS</span><span> ***</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 4em"> -</div> -<p class="noindent pfirst" id="pg-produced-by"><span>Produced by Al Haines.</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 1em"> -</div> -<p class="noindent pfirst"><span></span></p> -</div> -<div class="align-None container coverpage"> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 3em"> -</div> -<div class="align-center auto-scaled figure margin" style="width: 54%" id="figure-37"> -<span id="cover"></span><img class="align-center block" style="display: block; width: 100%" alt=" " src="images/img-cover.jpg" /> -<div class="caption centerleft figure-caption margin"> -<span class="italics">Cover</span></div> -</div> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 4em"> -</div> -</div> -<div class="align-None container frontispiece"> -<div class="align-center auto-scaled figure margin" style="width: 55%" id="figure-38"> -<span id="general-de-villebois-mareuil"></span><img class="align-center block" style="display: block; width: 100%" alt=" " src="images/imig-front.jpg" /> -<div class="caption centerleft figure-caption margin"> -<span class="italics">GENERAL DE VILLEBOIS-MAREUIL</span></div> -</div> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 4em"> -</div> -</div> -<div class="align-None container titlepage"> -<p class="center pfirst"><span class="x-large">Ten Months in the -<br />Field with the Boers</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 2em"> -</div> -<p class="center pfirst"><span class="medium">By -<br />An Ex-Lieutenant of -<br />General de Villebois-Mareuil</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 3em"> -</div> -<p class="center pfirst"><span class="medium">With a Map and Portrait</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 3em"> -</div> -<p class="center pfirst"><span class="medium">London -<br />William Heinemann -<br />1901</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 4em"> -</div> -</div> -<div class="align-None container verso"> -<p class="center pfirst"><em class="italics small">All rights reserved</em></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 4em"> -</div> -</div> -<div class="align-None container dedication"> -<p class="center pfirst"><span class="medium">To -<br />GENERAL DE VILLEBOIS-MAREUIL</span></p> -<!-- class medium --> -</div> -<p class="pfirst"><em class="italics">To you, General, who, from the Paradise of the -Valiant, can read in my heart the sentiments of respect -and affection that guide me, I dedicate these lines -in token of the profound admiration of your former -Lieutenant.</em></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 1em"> -</div> -<p class="pfirst"><span>TRANSVAAL, 1899-1900.</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 4em"> -</div> -<p class="center pfirst"><span class="large">I</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 2em"> -</div> -<p class="pfirst"><span>'No room, sir!'</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>This was the phrase that greeted my friend -De C---- and myself at the door of every -carriage we tried.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The fast train for Marseilles leaving Paris at -8.25 was, indeed, full to overflowing that night -of December 23; by eight o'clock not a place -was left.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Finally, after treading on a good many toes, -and exchanging a good many elbowings, we -installed ourselves more or less comfortably--a -good deal less, to be accurate--one in the front -of the train, the other close to the luggage-van.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>A last clasp of the hand to the comrades who -have come to the station with us, and we are off.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The lights of Paris begin to die out in the -distance; conversation languishes; the -monotonous rumble of the train lulls the travellers -into drowsiness; heads nod and droop in the -dim light of the lamp.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>'La Roche! Wait here five minutes!'</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>We jump out. C---- and I meet again.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>'Well, how are you getting on?'</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>'Not very well. And you?'</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>'Very badly!'</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>And, much depressed, we return to our -respective carriages.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>At last the patience under discomfort habitual -to men of our unsettled lives asserts itself, and -we sleep soundly till we reach Arles, when we -find two seats together.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>At Marseilles we were kindly received by a -pleasant cousin of mine, and by a delightful -lady, also of my kindred.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The 24th we spent with some comrades, -officers of the neighbouring garrison, and on the -25th we and our baggage were safely on board -the </span><em class="italics">Natal</em><span>, of the Messageries Maritimes.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>I make special mention of our baggage, which, -in preparation for the campaign we are about to -undertake, consists of two little canteens. The -two together weigh exactly 38 kilos, making -about 19 kilos each. They hold all our -belongings, including our two revolvers and two -hundred cartridges. We are not overloaded -with baggage.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The </span><em class="italics">Natal</em><span> is one of the 'fine steamers' of -former days, fairly large.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>We first take possession of our cabin, which -opens into the dining-saloon. Then we go -up on the bridge, where we are introduced to -Colonel Gourko, who is also on his way to the -Transvaal, as Russian military attaché. We -had met him the evening before at the station, -for he arrived by the same train as ourselves. -But his fluent French, and his rosette of the -Legion of Honour, which he always wears by -courtesy in France, had made us take him for -some important functionary on his way to -Madagascar!...</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>We ask his pardon. But the minutes pass. -Hand-shakings, good wishes, bursts of emotion, -the time-honoured formula of departure have -been gone through; the gangways are taken -up, the ropes cast off; we steam out of port. -The handkerchiefs that flutter on the quay and -on the pier gradually diminish, the houses -seem to flatten, Notre Dame de la Garde -dwindles, becomes smaller and smaller, till at -last it is a mere speck on the horizon. Then -it disappears altogether; we are on the open sea.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>I shall not thrill with ecstasy, nor pour out a -tribute of emotion to the 'blue immensity,' for, -though I have many parts--as you, my readers, -will readily believe, especially such of you as do -not know me--I am no poet. The dinner-bell -finds De C---- and me prosaically wrangling -over 150 points at piquet.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The dining-saloon is large, but there are few -diners. We take a general survey.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The captain, who is supposed to preside over -the meals, is not well, and does not appear. In -fact, we scarcely see him at table during the -passage.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Colonel Gourko, Captain Ram, and Lieutenant -Thomson, the Dutch military attachés, Captain -D---- of the Marines, with his charming young -wife and their son Guy--who is soon one of our -firmest friends--an engineer, a naval doctor, a -young lady on her way to set up as a milliner -at Tananariva, an English journalist, and Henry -de Charette, a volunteer for the Transvaal, -where his health will prevent him from playing -a very active part, make up the sum total of -diners, or very nearly so.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>We further discovered on board Messieurs de -Breda, a former cavalry officer, Pimpin, Michel, -a distinguished artillery officer, and a few others -destined to be our pleasant comrades in the -future.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>As at least fifteen of us are bound for Lourenço -Marques, and as we have reason to fear a visit -from some English cruiser not unaccustomed to -such travellers, we have all adopted the most -extraordinary callings. One of us is a -commercial traveller in the wine or drug trade; -another is a dealer in apparatus of various kinds. -I also met a bird-seller, a manufacturer of blinds, -and an agent for bitumens!</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>C---- and I are modest! We are in quest -of purchasers for 'Calaya,' a febrifuge of -extraordinary virtues, a specific for fever, dysentery, -headache, toothache, etc.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The weather is superb; but our boat is slow, -and we rarely make 300 miles in the twenty-four -hours.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>We reach Port Said on December 31. For -New Year's Day we get up an entertainment -with a lottery on board, and, thanks to Madame -D----, it proves a great success.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The profits, amounting to nearly a thousand -francs, were handed over to the Widows and -Orphans' Fund of the Messageries Maritimes.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The prizes offered by the passengers were of -the most curious description, and as we were -bound for sunny climes, there were more than -twenty umbrellas among them. Chance, with -perhaps a little extraneous help, made a good -many of these fall to the share of Colonel -Gourko, who took the little joke in excellent part.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Breda undertakes the refreshment buffet, with -the help of a charming young girl, and presides -with great dignity.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>After leaving Port Said the company is -increased by the members of a Russian -ambulance going to the Transvaal. They keep very -much to themselves, and every evening they -meet together on the lower deck to sing their -vesper prayer. The sacred chant, in itself very -imposing, takes on a solemn grandeur in the -picturesque setting of the Red Sea.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>At Aden we go on shore, and make an -execrable lunch, washed down, however, by -some excellent Chianti and Barolo; then we go -to see the famous cisterns, in which there is -hardly ever any water now.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>We also pick up a new passenger, Captain -B----, of the Royal Field Artillery, who also is -for Durban on warfare bound. Our approaching -hostility does not prevent us from being the -best of friends throughout the passage. He -wears the medal of the Soudan, too, which gives -him a further title to our sympathies. He -describes his very interesting campaigns in India -and Egypt. He was present at Omdurman--'the -great battle,' as he calls it.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Ever since we started we have been hearing -terrific accounts of Guardafui. Few vessels, it -appears, escape disaster at this point! But the -sea is like oil, to the great mortification, no -doubt, of all our ancient mariners.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Now we are bound straight for Madagascar. -For eight days we shall be between sky and -water. Let us turn them to account for a rapid -retrospect of the causes which have led to the -war in which we are about to take part.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>It will not, I think, be necessary to dwell on -the origin of the Boers.[#]</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 2em"> -</div> -<p class="left pfirst"><span class="small">[#] Boer means peasant; Burgher denotes a citizen.</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 2em"> -</div> -<p class="pfirst"><span>Colonists sent out in 1652 by the Dutch -East India Company, they landed at the Cape -of Good Hope, discovered two centuries before -(1486), and settled there, employing themselves -in agriculture and cattle-breeding.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>At the time of the Revocation of the Edict -of Nantes, 300 French Huguenots joined them, -bringing up the number of the colonists to about -1,000. The fusion of the two races was rapid, -and the French tongue disappeared among them. -Many of the French names even were corrupted--Cronje -was originally Crosnier--but many, -on the other hand, have persisted in their Gallic -form--Villiers, Marais, Joubert, Du Toit--and -their bearers are very proud of their French -descent. But England, anxious to acquire the -colony when it began to prosper, sent out a -number of emigrants, reinforcing them steadily, -till they became an important factor in the -community.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>From 1815, when Cape Colony was recognised -as a British possession by the Treaty of Vienna, -English policy has been hostile to the Boers, -who, for their part, received the English settlers -in no friendly spirit.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>About 1835 the Boers, under the pressure -of the vexations to which they were subjected, -began their exodus to the north--the Great -Trek, as they still call it--and founded the -Orange Free State, recognised in 1869 by -Europe, and the Transvaal.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>They were not left long in the enjoyment of -the territory they had wrested from the Kaffirs. -Diamondiferous deposits were discovered in the -Orange Free State in 1871; the English -promptly confiscated the find on the pretext -that it belonged to a native chief under their -protection.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>In 1877, the Zulus having risen against the -Boers, England intervened for the alleged -pacification of the country, sent her troops to -Pretoria, and annexed the Transvaal.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>But in 1880 the Boers revolted, and under -Joubert inflicted a crushing defeat on the English -at Majuba Hill, on the frontier of Natal, -February 27, 1881.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The treaty of August 3, 1881, recognised -the independence of the Transvaal under the -suzerainty of the Queen. Another treaty, signed -in London, February 27, 1884, recognised the -absolute independence of the Transvaal.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>On January 2, 1896, the famous Jameson -Raid, still fresh in men's memories, was checked -at Krugersdorp.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Wishing to satisfy the claims of the Uitlanders, -the President reduced the term necessary for the -acquisition of electoral rights from fourteen to -nine years. Finally, in 1899, England, -constituting herself the champion of the foreigners, -instructed Sir Alfred Milner, Governor of the -Cape, to demand a further reduction of the -term to five years.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>This measure meant the rapid intrusion of -the alien into the administration, and the gradual -swamping of the Boers. It would have been the -ruin of Boer autonomy. The President refused. -'Her Majesty's subjects,' he said, 'demanded -my trousers; I gave them, and my coat -likewise. They now want my life; I cannot grant -them that.'</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>All these demands were but so many pretexts -intended to mask the true designs of England -from the European Powers. But they are -manifest to the least discerning. On the one -hand, there are gold-mines in the Transvaal, and -speculators demand them. On the other, Cecil -Rhodes has declared that 'Africa must be English -from the Cape to Cairo.' War had therefore -long been foreseen, and the Transvaal quietly -prepared for the struggle.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Under cover of an expedition into Swaziland, -which was nothing but a march of some few -hundred Burghers who had never fired a shot -except at game, considerable armaments had -been made from 1895 onwards.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Krupp supplied them with field-guns of 12 -and 15 pound. Maxim-Nordenfeldts were -bought. These quick-firing guns throw -percussion-shells to a distance of about 5,000 -metres; their calibre is 35 millimetres. The -English have a great respect for these little -pieces, which they have christened 'pom-poms,' -in imitation of the noise made by their rapid -fire. The same firm supplied small calibre -Maxim guns for Lee-Metford cartridges. The -cartridges are fixed to strips of canvas (belts), -which unroll automatically, presenting a fresh -cartridge to the striker the instant its predecessor -has been fired.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Lastly, the Creusot factories received orders -for guns of the latest pattern: four 155 -centimetres long, with a range of about 10,000 -metres, which the Boers call 'Long Toms,' and -two batteries of 75 millimetre field-guns.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>These cannon (model 95) were furnished with -all the latest improvements. They fire very -rapidly, and the brakes, situated on either side -of the piece, absorb the recoil, the carriage being -the fulcrum, and the trunnions the points of -contact with the piece. They have a range of -about 7,000 metres. They are loaded by means -of cartridges, the whole charge enclosed in a -single metal case. When efficiently served, they -will fire from fifteen to twenty shots a minute.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>We have advanced indeed since the year -1881, and the cannon made in the Transvaal -itself, with cartwheel axle-trees riveted and -braised together![#]</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 2em"> -</div> -<p class="left pfirst"><span class="small">[#] This is preserved in the museum at Pretoria, side by -side with a mitrailleuse labelled 'Meudon,' given to the -President by the Emperor William.</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 2em"> -</div> -<p class="pfirst"><span>A large stock of Mauser, Martini-Henry -and Steyr rifles (1887 pattern), with plentiful -ammunition, was also bought by the Boer -Government.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The weapon most in favour is the Mauser rifle -of 1891, calibre 7.5 millimetres. It is sighted -up to 2,000 metres. It has a magazine -containing five cartridges. The movable -straight-levered breech-block has a safety-bolt.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The cavalry carbine, also much appreciated, -is a reduced model of the rifle. The mechanism -is the same, and it also has a magazine holding -five cartridges, but the movable breech-block -has a bent lever. This carbine is sighted up to -1,400 metres.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>These two weapons are of great precision, -but I have heard it objected since my return -that the wooden grip which covers part of the -barrel causes an unequal heating and cooling of -the metal between the covered and uncovered -parts, giving rise to occasional explosions or -distortions. Personally, I saw no instance of this.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The Martini-Henry rifles, carbines, and -muskets are sometimes preferred by the older -Boers. They are of an obsolete pattern, and -have an insignificant range of only 800 metres -for carbines and muskets. They are 11 -millimetres in calibre, and their leaden bullets have -no casing of harder metal. To some persons -they have the advantage of disabling a man -more rapidly and effectually at a short range -than bullets of smaller calibre.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Events now follow closely one on another. -On September 26, 1899, the Volksraad issued -the following proclamation from Bloemfontein:</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>'The Volksraad, considering paragraph 2 of -the President's speech, and the official -documents and correspondence submitted therewith, -having regard to the fact that the strained state -of affairs throughout the whole of South Africa, -which has arisen owing to the differences between -the Imperial Government and the Transvaal, -threatens to lead to hostilities, the calamitous -consequences of which to the white inhabitants -would be immeasurable, being connected with -the Transvaal by the closest ties of blood and -confederacy, and standing in the most friendly -relationship with the Imperial Government; -fearing that, should war break out, a hatred -between European races would be born which -would arrest or retard peaceful developments in -all States and colonies of South Africa, and -produce distrust in the future; feeling that the -solemn duty rests upon it of doing everything -possible to avoid the shedding of blood; -considering that the Transvaal Government during -the negotiations with the Imperial Government, -which extended over several months, made every -endeavour to arrive at a peaceful solution of the -differences raised by the aliens in the Transvaal, -and taken up by the Imperial Government as -its own cause, which endeavours have unfortunately -had only this result, that British troops -were concentrated on the border of the -Transvaal, and are still being strengthened--resolves -to instruct the Government still to use every -means to maintain and insure peace, and in a -peaceful manner to contribute towards a solution -of existing differences, provided it be done -without violating the honour and independence of -the Free State and the Transvaal; and wishes -unmistakably to make known its opinion that -there exists no cause for war, and that a war -against the Transvaal, if now undertaken by the -Imperial Government, will morally be a war -against the whole white population of South -Africa, and in its consequences criminal, for, come -what may, the Free State will honestly and -faithfully fulfil its obligations towards the -Transvaal, by virtue of the political alliance -existing between the two Republics.'</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>On the 29th Mr. Chamberlain, more aggressive -than ever, laid down certain impossible -conditions:</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>1. The franchise to every Uitlander after five -years of residence, unencumbered by any -formalities that might restrict the privilege.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>2. An absolute separation of the executive -and judicial power in the Transvaal.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>3. Abolition of the dynamite monopoly.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>4. Dismantlement of the fortress of Johannesburg.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>5. A special municipal government for -Johannesburg.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>6. Official recognition of the English language, -and an equal use of it and the Dutch tongue.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>During the first days of October the situation -became more and more serious. Certain attempts -at conciliation were still made. On October 5, -President Steyn demanded that the massing of -troops on the frontier should cease. But on -the 6th Sir Alfred Milner replied that he could -not accede to his request. Mr. Steyn accordingly -wrote to the Governor of Cape Colony 'that -the success of further negotiations was very -doubtful, as the Transvaal would refuse any -conditions whatever laid down by Her Majesty's -Government if British troops continued to arrive -while negotiations were in progress.'</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Finally, on October 10 the Boer ultimatum -was handed to Mr. Conyngham-Green. The -Transvaal Executive had demanded an answer -within twenty-four hours, but the delegates of -the Orange Free State got the term extended to -forty-eight hours.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>War was declared on October 11. The Boer -commandos grouped themselves in two principal -centres, the Orange Free State and Natal. In -the Free State, Du Toit and Kolby invested -Kimberley on October 14. Cronje advanced -against Methuen in the south-east, Schoeman -against Colesberg, and Olivier to meet Gatacre -south of Aliwal North.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>In Natal, Botha, Schalk Burgher, Lucas -Meyer and Prinsloo, under the Commander-in-Chief -Joubert, marched upon Ladysmith.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>On October 20 a desperate engagement took -place at Glencoe. General Symons, himself -mortally wounded, lost sixty killed, 300 wounded, -and 300 prisoners. The Boers had seventy men -killed.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>On October 21, at Elandslaagte, the German -Legion and the Scandinavians, surprised by the -enemy, were slaughtered by the English Lancers -after a heroic resistance.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>On the 23rd, at Dundee, Generals Yule and -White were obliged to fall back on Ladysmith.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Finally, on October 30, under the very walls -of the town, at Lombard's Kop, General White, -beaten again, lost 300 dead and wounded, -1,200 prisoners and ten guns.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>On November 2 Ladysmith was invested.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>To judge by the behaviour of the Boers at -this juncture, it would have seemed that the -siege of the three towns, Mafeking, Kimberley -and Ladysmith, was the end and object of the -whole campaign.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>They had at this stage of the war one of the -most magnificent opportunities imaginable. Full -of confidence, flushed with success, well equipped, -and more numerous than they would ever be -again, they might have reckoned on the -co-operation of the Cape Boers, who, believing in -the possible success of their brethren, were -preparing to throw in their lot with them.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Against them they had some 40,000 English, -half of them only just disembarked, unacclimatized, -untried in warfare, the other half discouraged -by recent events and scattered over a -vast area.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Order and effort prolonged for one week -only would have overwhelmed and annihilated -the English army. Cape Colony and Natal -would have thrown off the yoke, associating -themselves with the Transvaal and the Orange -Free State, and the United States of South -Africa would have been a power to reckon with. -But no! Nothing was attempted. Joubert -seemed to be hypnotized before Ladysmith, Du -Toit before Kimberley.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>And, quietly and undisturbedly, England -gradually disembarked the 200,000 men Lord -Kitchener thought necessary for the work in hand. -Nevertheless, for two months more the -incapacity of the English generals all along the -line thrust the flower of the Queen's battalions -under the deadly fire of the Mausers, without a -chance of fighting for their lives, so to speak.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>On November 10, at Belmont, Lord Methuen -was repulsed with heavy loss. A month later, -at Stormberg, General Gatacre ventured an -advance without scouts, without a map, blindly -following a guide whose course he did not even -verify by a compass.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The advance took place in the utmost -disorder, though it had been arranged forty-eight -hours, previously. The ambulance lost touch -with the detachment, and went its own way. -The 2nd Battalion of the Northumberland -Fusiliers lost its ammunition-waggon. The -column advanced in close order to within -100 yards of the Boer entrenchments without -any warning, and was decimated. Gatacre lost -100 men killed and 700 prisoners.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>On December 11, at Magersfontein, Lord -Methuen had a second disaster to deplore. -Half an hour after midnight, after twenty-four -hours of artillery preparations and -bombardment of the Boer entrenchments, five Highland -regiments advanced in line of quarter-column. -The night was dark, and rain was falling in -torrents. At half-past three in the morning -the English halted, not very sure of their route. -In an instant a deadly fire poured out from the -rocks. They were less than 200 yards from -the trenches occupied by Cronje's men.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The Black Watch was decimated. General -Wauchope fell, crying: 'My poor fellows! -'twas not I who brought you here!' The -Marquis of Winchester was also killed.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The whole body was demoralized, and it was -not possible to make the fugitives lie down till -they had reached a distance of several hundreds -of yards. 'It was,' says an eye-witness, 'one of -the saddest sights that could wring the heart of -an English soldier of our times.'</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>In this turmoil of confusion and indecision, -Lord Methuen only gave the order to retire -towards four o'clock in the afternoon. More -than a thousand dead strewed the battle-field, -and no help was given to the wounded till the -following day.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>In the last letter he wrote to England, -Wauchope said: 'This is my last letter, for I -have been ordered to attempt an impossible -task. I have protested, but I must obey or give -up my sword.... The men of the Modder -River army will probably never follow Lord -Methuen in another engagement.'</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Finally, on December 15, the Battle of -Colenso was fought. I borrow an account of -it from Sir Redvers Buller's telegram despatched -from Chieveley Camp in the evening:</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>'I regret to report serious reverse. I moved -in full strength from camp near Chieveley this -morning at 4 a.m. There are two fordable -places in the Tugela, and it was my intention -to force a passage through at one of them. -They are about two miles apart, and my -intention was to force one or the other with one -brigade, supported by a central brigade.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>'General Hart was to attack the left drift, -General Hildyard the right road, and General -Lyttleton in the centre to support either.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>'Early in the day I saw that General Hart -would not be able to force a passage, and -directed him to withdraw. He had, however, -attacked with great gallantry, and his leading -battalion, the Connaught Rangers, I fear suffered -a great deal. Colonel Brooke was severely -wounded.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>'I then ordered General Hildyard to advance, -which he did, and his leading regiment, the -East Surrey, occupied Colenso Station and the -houses near the bridge.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>'At that moment I heard that the whole of -the artillery I had sent to that attack--namely, -the 14th and 66th Field Batteries and six naval -12-pounder quick-firing guns, the whole under -Colonel Long, R.A.--were out of action, as it -appears that Colonel Long, in his desire to be -within effective range, advanced close to the -river. It proved to be full of the enemy, who -suddenly opened a galling fire at close range, -killing all their horses, and the gunners were -compelled to stand to their guns.'</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Desperate efforts were made to bring back -the guns, but only two were saved by the -exertions of Captain Schofield and two or three -of the drivers.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>It was here that Lieutenant Roberts, of the -66th Battery of Artillery, son of Field-Marshal -Lord Roberts, met a glorious death.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>'Some of the waggon-teams got shelter for -troops in a donga, and desperate efforts were -made to bring out the field-guns, but the fire -was too severe, and only two were saved by -Captain Schofield and some drivers, whose -names I will furnish.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>'Another most gallant attempt with three -teams was made by an officer whose name I will -obtain. Of the 18 horses, 13 were killed, and -as several of the drivers were wounded, I would -not allow another attempt.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>'As it seemed they would be a shell mark, -sacrificing loss of life to a gallant attempt to force -passage unsupported by artillery, I directed the -troops to withdraw, which they did in good order.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>'Throughout the day a considerable force of -the enemy was pressing on my right flank, but -was kept back by the mounted men under Lord -Dundonald and part of General Barton's brigade.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>'The day was intensely hot and most trying -to the troops, whose conduct was excellent.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>'We have abandoned ten guns, and lost by -shell-fire one.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>'The losses in General Hart's brigade are, I -fear, heavy, though the proportion of severely -wounded is, I hope, not large.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>'The 14th and 66th Field Batteries also -suffered severe losses.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>'We have retired to our camp at Chieveley.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>'The Boer losses are said to be over 700 men.'[#]</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 2em"> -</div> -<p class="left pfirst"><span class="small">[#] This statement does not appear in the </span><em class="italics small">Times</em><span class="small"> report -of General Buller's telegram.--TRANSLATOR.</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 2em"> -</div> -<p class="pfirst"><span>No, General, we did not lose 700 men that day.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>General Botha's report gave 8 dead and 20 -wounded, while more than 2,000 English lay -on the battle-field.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Round about the batteries especially the -carnage had been terrible. The Boers, ambushed -on a little kopje on the further side of the -Tugela, 300 metres from the cannon, kept up -an unerring fire for an hour.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>December 15, be it noted, has long been a -day of rejoicing in the Transvaal. It is the -anniversary of the Battle of Bloedriver, when -Pretorius, to avenge the massacre of Pieter -Retief and over 500 Boers, defied the bands -of the Zulu chief Dingaun. This was on -December 15, 1838, and on that eventful day -Pretorius and his 400 men left 3,000 Zulus on -the field, with a loss of only three wounded -themselves.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>After Colenso the victors had another splendid -opportunity. They might have pushed forward -with the armies of Natal and the Free State. -The English troops had, it is true, been -reinforced, but the arms of the Republics were -still victorious in every direction.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>In the beginning, on the whole, the elements -of success were overwhelmingly with the Boers. -These were superiority of numbers, of -marksmanship, a profound knowledge of the country, -of which no accurate maps exist, and the great -distances between their opponents and such -reinforcements as the latter could depend on. -It might have been said that the fortune of war, -taking into account the right and justice of -their cause, had been pleased to place all the -elements of victory in their hands. But neither -the advice offered by the most authoritative -voices and based on the great teachings of -military history, nor the entreaties dictated by -the most generous devotion to the cause of the -Boers, could rouse the superiors in command -from the apathy that seemed to have overtaken them.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Christmas passed in rejoicings on both sides. -The belligerents exchanged Christmas and New -Year good wishes by the medium of shells -specially prepared, containing sweets, -chocolates, etc. New Year's Day found them all -much in the same positions. The bombardment -of the three towns, Mafeking, Kimberley, -and Ladysmith, continued.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>However, on January 6 Joubert made up -his mind to attack--if, indeed, that strange -encounter, aimless and incoherent, can be called -an attack. Was it an assault by the besiegers -or a sortie of the besieged? Perhaps both. -It took place at Platrand. Four or five hundred -of Prinsloo's men were seriously engaged; the -others (there were 6,000 round the town) took -up positions early in the morning, quitted them -towards ten o'clock to come back and breakfast -in camp, returned to them later, and remained -for the rest of the day 1,800 yards from the -town, which was no longer defended, without -firing a shot, without a thought of throwing -themselves against it or of going to the help of -their comrades, hotly engaged close by. In the -evening they went back quietly to camp, while -the commandos of Zand River, Harrismith, -Heilbron, and Kroonstad had fifty-four killed -and ninety-five wounded. The English lost -138 killed and over 200 wounded. A little -dash, decision, and cohesion, and the town -might have been taken. Such was Colonel -de Villebois-Mareuil's opinion.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>But even in the full flush of success we shall -never find among the Boers that eagerness, that -scorn of death, that enthusiasm which sweep -troops forward and make great victories.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The same day, at Colesberg, an </span><em class="italics">accident</em><span> (this -word is a happy invention of General French's -to denote a reverse) cost the English 150 lives, -among them that of Colonel Watson.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The sieges followed their--I will not say -normal--course, for the ill-defended towns -ought long ago to have been taken by the -Boers. Such was the general situation, more -or less, when we landed.</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 4em"> -</div> -<p class="center pfirst"><span class="large">II</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 2em"> -</div> -<p class="pfirst"><span>Time passed, the screw laboured round, and on -January 12 we arrived at Diego Suarez.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>'Passengers for Lourenço Marques change -steamers!'</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>For the </span><em class="italics">Natal</em><span> is bound for Mauritius, along -the east coast of Madagascar. We shall -therefore spend the night on shore.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Wandering about the town, we meet Colonel -Gourko, whom we invite to dinner, as we are -in a French colony. I can't pride myself much -on this meal, in the name of French culinary art.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The next day I lighted on a quartermaster of -the Marine Artillery, whom I had known in the -Soudan when he was only a gunner. He went -off to find the other Soudanese campaigners of -the settlement, and in a quarter of an hour I -was surrounded by half a dozen old comrades. -They were all in high spirits, for it had been a -day of promotions, and several of them were -toasting their new stripes.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>I spend a full hour with them, recalling the -old days spent in the colony that all who have -once known regret.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The hour of parting draws near; several -subalterns return to their duties, while my old -friend and a newly-promoted officer come to see -me off.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The </span><em class="italics">Gironde</em><span>, also of the Messageries Maritimes, -plies from Diego Suarez to Durban and -</span><em class="italics">vice versâ</em><span>. Several artillery and marine officers, -having heard of my presence, have come to wish -me godspeed on board. I am much touched -at this token of sympathy from unknown -friends, for, setting my humble personality -aside, it is a homage to the noble cause I am -on my way to uphold.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>But the bell rings, the anchor is weighed, and -we are off. If the </span><em class="italics">Natal</em><span> was an old 'fine -steamer,' the </span><em class="italics">Gironde</em><span> is a </span><em class="italics">very</em><span> old one. She -was formerly one of the swift and elegant -Indian liners, but now, obsolete and worn-out, -is reserved for this little auxiliary service till -such time as some sudden squall shall send her -to the bottom.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Nevertheless, we arrived safely at Mozambique, -where some few days before a terrible -cyclone had destroyed part of the native village. -Huts were overthrown and lying in fragments, -trees torn up by the roots, telegraph-wires -broken; an air of mournful desolation hung -over the district.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Meanwhile, the buxom negresses of the quarter -went about their daily work, apparently unmoved -at the ruin of their dwellings.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>We pay a visit to the fort, a very curious -sight, with its mediæval battlements bristling -with cannon two hundred years old, and its -soldiers armed with flintlock muskets. All -these excellent Portuguese warriors seem to be -impressed by a sense of their lofty mission. -They even demurred a little before admitting us -into their 'citadel.'</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>We take up the Archbishop of Mozambique, -I believe; he is brought on board by a military -launch, with all the honours due to his rank, -and saluted by the guns of the fort.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>We leave Mozambique the same evening.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Every day there were superb sunsets, glories -of deep purple, blue, blazing red, green, yellow -and pink, vivid pieces of impressionism that -beggar description.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Thus, still avoiding shipwreck, we come to -Beira, where we land our prelate, who is received -by a numerous staff of officers; troops line -the quays, and salutes are fired!</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Portugal has certainly a remarkable colonial -army. Among the others there is a huge -captain, bursting out of his tunic. Each of his -long commands, incomprehensible to me, seems -to produce consternation in his troop, followed -by a series of perfectly diverse manoeuvres.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>We turn away that we may avoid laughing -aloud, for the moment is a serious one... Two -or three trombones attack the Portuguese national -air. A good many of the worthy soldiers have -shouldered arms, and the majority have presented -them.... His lordship passes. He gets into -a little 'lorry' pushed by natives, and goes off -quickly, while the troops disperse. They are -worthy of those I have several times seen at Lisbon.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>I think if I were the Portuguese I would -prefer none at all to such as these.... And, -then, the suppression of the military budget -would perhaps enable them to pay their dividends. -In the afternoon we embark a band of -Englishmen coming from Rhodesia to enlist as -volunteers at Durban and Cape Town. They -invade the saloon with their friends, and sing -'God save the Queen.' Some of the Frenchmen -present retort with the Marseillaise; the -situation becomes strained, fists are clenched, and -finally a certain number of blows are exchanged. -We have on board a grandson of President -Kruger's, whose home is in Holland. After -having been arrested once, conducted to Durban -and sent back to Europe, he is making a second -attempt to enter his country. Thanks to a -strict incognito, only laid aside for two of us, -he succeeds in his design.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>At night we arrive off Lourenço Marques, -where, without let or hindrance, we disembark -on January 21.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>We order a bottle of Moët in the saloon to -drink the health of Captain B----, whom we -are leaving, and against whom we are going to -fight presently.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>'Your good health,' he says, 'and I trust we -shan't meet later on!'</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>We part with a hearty shake of the hand. -At the Custom-house we easily get our -artistically-concealed revolvers through, but the -Customs officers fall upon the uniforms, arms -and harness belonging to Colonel Gourko. -They decline to pass anything, in spite of all -explanations. The Colonel is obliged to go and -fetch the Russian Consul and the Governor. We -take up our quarters at the Hotel Continental, -which, we are told, is the best. Five of us are -packed into one small room on improvised beds, -where we are devoured by mosquitoes ... and -this costs fourteen shillings a day!</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Colonel Gourko, having recovered his baggage, -joins us there, and, in his turn, invites us to -dinner. He does things in a princely fashion, -and the bill must have been one that Paillard -himself would have hesitated to present.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>All sorts of obstacles are invented to prevent -our departure. Firstly, of course, our passports -have to be </span><em class="italics">visé</em><span>, but before this can be done we -have to get stamps, which are only to be had at -the opposite end of the town; we have, further, -to produce a certificate of good conduct (having -only arrived the night before!). Then more -stamps, then a note from the French Consul, -then more stamps; and the office where you -get the signature or the paper is never the same -as the one that sells the stamps.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>At last all formalities have been carried out. -Our pockets are bulging with some dozen papers -covered with innumerable signatures and a -shower of stamps. Cost: over 50 francs--10,850 reïs!</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>We go to the station at seven o'clock the -following morning. There are a great many -police officers on duty. By the Governor's -orders no one is to be allowed to start for the -Transvaal with the exception of the Russian -ambulance. We all exclaim shrilly, and hurry -off to the Consul.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Upon our formal declaration that this order -will injure us in our business, he proceeds to -the Governor and remonstrates, with the result -that we are authorized to start next morning, -there being only one train a day.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>We spend the day wandering about the -town, which is of little interest. The great -square planted with trees is pleasant, however.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>We see the funeral procession of an officer of -the English man-of-war stationed here. The -coffin, covered with the Union Jack, is placed -on a little gun-carriage drawn by sailors; -others line the way. Officers in full uniform -follow, and a company of red-coats bring up the rear.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>This is our last encounter with the 'soldiers -of the Queen' before we open fire upon them. -They are already numerous in South Africa, -and every day brings reinforcements.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>At the beginning of hostilities there were -about 25,000 men distributed over Natal and -Cape Colony. From November 9 to January 1 -seventy-eight transports have brought 70,000 -men, completing the fifth division; 15,000 -volunteers have been raised on the spot, making -in all 110,000 men.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The sixth and seventh divisions, a contribution -from the colonies, will bring them up to -22,000; 3,000 yeomanry and 7,000 militiamen -will complete the total of 152,000 promised for -the month of February. The seventh division -started from January 4 to January 11, bringing -nearly 10,000 men and eighteen cannon.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Engagements at the rate of 3,600 francs -(£124) are being made on every side--1,600 -(£64) on enlistment, 2,000 francs (£80) at the -end of the war. Enlistments in our Foreign -Legion are affected and fall off considerably.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The City of London, by means of a public -subscription of £100,000, raises a corps of -volunteers. This desperate system of enlistment -is severely criticised, even in England.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>'What a humiliation,' says Mr. Frederick -Greenwood in the </span><em class="italics">Westminster Gazette</em><span> of -January 2, 'to have to cry Help! help! at every -crossway to pick up a man or a horse.'</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Seventeen new battalions are to be raised -after January 15. The choice of men rests -with the colonel or the lieutenant-colonel -commanding the regimental district. They are -required to be aged from twenty to thirty-five, -to have gone through a course of instruction -in 1898 or 1899, and to hold a certificate of -proficiency in shooting. But, as a fact, many -of these certificates are given by favour, and a -third of the volunteers are from eighteen to -twenty years old. The effort made by the -country has been considerable.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>On January 19 the eighth division was -mobilized. It comprised the sixteenth and -seventeenth brigades under the command of -Major-Generals B. Campbell and J. E. Boyes; -Batteries 89, 90, and 91, and the 5th company -of Engineers, making a strength of 10,540 men, -1,548 horses, eighteen cannon, and eight -machine guns.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The eighth division is under the command of -General H. M. L. Rundle, aged forty-four, -who has already served in the Zulu campaign, -at the siege of Potchefstroom in the Transvaal -in 1881, and in the Egyptian and Soudanese -campaigns from 1884 to 1898.</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 4em"> -</div> -<p class="center pfirst"><span class="large">III</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 2em"> -</div> -<p class="pfirst"><span>To return to our journey. On the morning of -the 24th, at 10 o'clock, we took the train and -departed, happy to leave Lourenço Marques. -The last station on the frontier is Ressano-Garcia; -again our papers are examined. If we -paid highly for them, they at least do good -service.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The train rolls on again, and in a few -minutes we are on the soil of the Transvaal. -All along the line, at every little bridge, bands -of armed Boers are posted. Komatipoort -Station is also occupied by troops. Everyone -gets out. There is a minute inspection of all -papers, even of private letters, and we are -conscientiously searched. Having satisfied our -challengers, we are allowed to go on. The -trains travel very slowly in this very broken, -varied country. We ascend almost -uninterruptedly, and the line seems to run either along -the sides of rocky mountains or the edges of -bottomless abysses. Many of the spots we pass -are extraordinarily picturesque. In the evening -we arrive at Watervaalonder, and the train -stops; for in this country neither trains nor -men are in a hurry.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>A Frenchman, named Mathis, keeps a hotel, -at which we sleep. He receives us with much -affability, and talks enthusiastically of the game -in the neighbourhood. He is a Nimrod.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The next day we start again, and in the -evening we are at Pretoria. My friend Gallopaud -is at the station, and takes us to the -Transvaal Hotel, where the guests of the Government -are quartered.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>On the 26th, thanks to the good graces of -M. Grunberg, we are presented to M. de Souza, -Mr. Reitz's secretary, for whom we have letters -of introduction.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>We take the oath of fealty as burghers, and -receive our weapons, Mauser carbines, the stock -of which is getting low, cartridges and belts. -Horses and saddles are already giving out. We -are impatient to be off, but shops and offices are -all closed on Saturday at one o'clock and -throughout Sunday.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>We take advantage of the holiday to inspect -the town. Pretoria, as everyone knows, is the -capital of the Transvaal. It is the seat of -the Government, which is composed of two -Chambers, the First Volksraad and the Second -Volksraad. Each is composed of twenty-nine -members, elected by direct suffrage. The -President of the Republic and the Commander-in-Chief -are elected by the members of the First -Chamber, the former for five, the latter for ten -years. They are eligible for re-election for any -length of time.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The President, Paul Kruger, familiarly known -as 'Oom Paul,' was Commander-in-Chief for a -long time before he became President. The -present Generalissimo, Joubert, was his rival in -the Presidential elections.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The Transvaal revenue is drawn for the most -part from heavy royalties on the mines, and -a crushing tax on explosives; in 1897 an -income of 112,005,450 francs (£4,480,218) -was received, against an expenditure of -109,851,400 francs (£4,394,056).</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The general aspect of Pretoria is depressing; -only two or three streets show any animation. -The circumstances of the moment are not -certainly such as to enliven the town, but I -have been told that even in times of peace it is -never very cheerful.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Stretching over a wide area, it is intersected -by little tramways, the cars drawn by two -consumptive horses. In the centre is Government -House, a huge building of freestone, massive -and ungraceful, though not without certain -pretensions to the 'grand style,' I believe. On each -side a sentry of the Presidential guard paces up -and down. Under the colonnade of the main -entrance, which faces a large open space, a few -steps lead up to a vast hall, with a monumental -staircase at the end. On each side of the hall -two wide corridors run round the building, and -give access to all the different offices. We find -the whole place, hall, corridors and offices, -crowded with busy people, some soliciting, -others solicited, all hurrying hither and thither. -With the exception of some few buildings of -several storeys grouped round the palace and in -the main street--the post-office, the clubs, the -banks, the hotels and the large shops--all the -houses are little one-storey cottages surrounded -by gardens.</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 1em"> -</div> -<p class="center pfirst"><span>* * * * *</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 1em"> -</div> -<p class="pfirst"><span>On Monday morning we are able to have -horses, which we go and catch ourselves in the -great courtyard which serves as a dépôt. We -have also some old English saddles, and after -buying some rugs and some indispensable -provisions, we are ready to start at about five in -the evening.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Our departure is fixed for eleven o'clock, by -the special train which is to take </span><em class="italics">Long Tom</em><span> to -Kimberley, where we are to join Colonel -Villebois. This </span><em class="italics">Long Tom</em><span>, a 155 millimetres Creusot -gun, is a personage, a celebrity. It weighs 2,500 -kilogrammes; its carriage weighs the same. Its -fame is derived from its history.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>One night last November, at Lombard's Kop, -in front of Ladysmith, where the gun was -mounted, sixty English, taking advantage of -the slumbers of the Boer sentinels, stormed the -hill, seized the cannon, and finding it -impossible to displace it, damaged the two ends with -dynamite. After this the burghers, coming -up in force, retook the gun, brought it to -Pretoria, and repaired it in a remarkable manner. -It was, however, shortened by about 25 centimetres.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>After these adventures it has become a sort of -prodigal son, a legendary weapon beloved of -those great children we call the Boers. It is, -therefore, no small honour to be called upon to -escort </span><em class="italics">Long Tom</em><span>. We share this honour with -a gunner named Erasmus, a strange being, who, -after being severely wounded at the taking of -'his cannon,' had sworn only to return and fight -in its company.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>On this Monday night, accordingly, at eleven -o'clock, in a downpour of rain, we and our -horses take our places in the train, which, -profiting no doubt by its being a 'special,' starts -an hour after time. It consists of three or four -first-class coaches with lateral corridors. These -coaches, which are comfortable enough, and very -high in the ceiling, have in each compartment -two seats of three places each, covered with -leather, and in the centre a folding-table about -50 centimetres wide. At night a second seat, -which is raised in the day-time, or serves as a -luggage-net, makes a sleeping-berth, so that -four travellers in each compartment can rest -comfortably, a convenience highly desirable in -a country where journeys often last forty-eight -hours, and even six or seven days, as from Cape -Town to Buluwayo and Fort Salisbury.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Travellers install themselves as they please, -without any sort of constraint. Luggage is not -registered, and the carriages are invaded--I use -the term advisedly--with weapons, saddles, -bridles, bandoliers, provisions, dogs, if one -has any, rugs, trunks and bundles. No officials, -no staff, no warning cries, no notices -forbidding travellers to get out while the train -is in motion. A station-master, and hardly -anything more.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>A bell rung three times at short intervals -announces the departure of the train. You get -in, or you don't get in; you stand on the -footboard, climb on to the roof of the carriage, -leave the door open or shut it, get into a truck -or cattle-van--it's your own look out. You -are free, and no one would dream of interfering -with you in the matter.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>In the carriages passengers sleep, drink, eat, -sing, shoot and gamble, and every morning a -negro comes and cleans up.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>There is a little of everything among the -debris--old papers, empty preserve-tins, -fruit-parings, tobacco-ash, cartridge-cases, empty, and -sometimes broken, bottles. An inspector on -the P. L. M. would go mad at the sight.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>While the cleaning goes on, we go and ask -for a little hot water from the engine, and make -our morning coffee. On trucks that we go and -fetch ourselves we load up heavy carts of -provisions, ammunition, and cannon. Finally, we -heap up pell-mell in open cattle-vans, mules -and horses in some, oxen in another. And -casualties are no more numerous than in -Europe, where we arrange them like sardines -in a box--'thirty-two men, eight horses.' The -beasts of these regions, like the men, have -apparently learnt to take care of themselves -from their earliest infancy.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>During the journey of Tuesday a springbock, -a kind of antelope, startled by the engine, is so -imprudent as to run along by the train at a -distance of about 300 metres. From the tender -to the last van a brisk fire suddenly opens. The -engine-driver slows down, then, as the creature -falls, stops altogether. A man gets down, -fetches the quarry, and comes quietly back. -The train goes on again, the springbock is -cut up, and at the next station the -engine-driver gets a haunch as an acknowledgment -of his good-nature. This is indeed travelling -made enjoyable!</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>But there are always folks who like to cut -down the cakes and ale! In April, 1900, a -penalty of £5 sterling was decreed for persons -who fire a gun or a revolver in a railway-station -or a village.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>In every station--and they are legion--the -whole feminine population has gathered, and -sings the Boer hymn as soon as the train -appears. And at every station the following -ceremony takes place: A deputation comes to -Erasmus, and begs him to show </span><em class="italics">Long Tom</em><span>. -Erasmus mounts on the truck where the cannon -is installed, and opens the breech. Each woman -passes in front of it, putting either her head or -her arm in, with cries of admiration. Then -Erasmus closes the breech, gets down, and the -Transvaal hymn, sung in chorus, alternates -with that of the Orange Free State until the -departure of the train.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>On Tuesday evening at six o'clock we arrive -at Brandfort. It is too late to unload the gun, -and we spend the night in the village, where we -are very well received.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Early on Wednesday we begin our task, -with the help of the whole village, and to the -accompaniment of the national hymn. The -young girls all have sharp, forced voices, but -from a distance the effect of these voices in -chorus is not unpleasant. As to the male -choirs, which are heard on every possible -occasion, they are really charming and very -impressive. Their music is very slow, and -almost exclusively devotional in its rhythm.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Towards three o'clock on Thursday the -convoy is ready. Thirty bullocks have been -harnessed to </span><em class="italics">Long Tom</em><span>. The rest of the -convoy consists of some twenty waggons of -provisions and ammunition. As we set off, -two or three photographers make their appearance.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The column, escorted by some sixty Boers, -moves off towards Kimberley, in the midst of -enthusiastic demonstrations. The waggons are -heavy four-wheeled carts, with powerful brakes; -the back part is covered with a sort of rounded -tent stretched over hoops. This tent is the -home of the travelling Boer. In it he keeps -his mattress, his blankets, his utensils, his arms, -while the front part is reserved for the heavy -stores--millet, flour, biscuits, etc.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The driver walks beside his team, armed -with a long whip, which he wields in both -hands. The thick cane handle is often about -10 feet, and the lash, of strips of undressed hide, -from 15 to 20 feet long. The management of -this whip is no easy matter, and it is curious to -see a good driver, at the moment when an effort -is required, giving each of his twenty or thirty -bullocks the necessary stroke in an instant.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The Burgher himself is mounted, shabby -and ragged, dressed in a faded coat, a shapeless -hat, and long trousers without straps.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>For some time on the march we had a neighbour -whose ulster, formerly, no doubt, of some -normal hue, had turned, under the rains of years -(I had almost said of centuries), a pinkish colour, -with green reflections, like a sunset at sea. And -the happy owner of this prism seemed quite -unconscious that, amidst much that was -extraordinary, he was perhaps the most extraordinary -sight of all.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>One warrior was mounted on a wretched old -English saddle, to which were slung pell-mell a -mackintosh, a many-coloured rug, a coffee-pot, -a water-bottle, and a bag containing a medley -of coffee, sugar, tobacco, biscuit and </span><em class="italics">biltong</em><span> -(dried meat). Two bandoliers, and sometimes -his rifle, were slung across his body, the latter -horizontally on his stomach, when he was not -carrying it upright in his hand, like a taper. -His braces hung down his back. He had a -single spur, for the Burgher rarely uses two, -thinking a second an unnecessary luxury. -Indeed, he relies much more on his </span><em class="italics">shambock</em><span> (a -thong of hippopotamus hide) than on his single -spur for the control of his horse.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Thus equipped, he shambles along on his -jade, which trots, canters and gallops at intervals, -silent, his legs well forward, his feet stuck out, -catching at his over-long stirrups. His military -organization is on a par with his equipment.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The 'commando' is the only military division -known among the Boers. A commando is a -levy of the men of a district, under the -leadership of a field-cornet or a commandant. These -grades, which are ratified by the Government, -are independent of any hierarchy, and merely -imply a difference in the number of electors.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>I say electors advisedly, for the field-cornets -are chosen by their men, and, in their turn, -take part in the nomination of the generals. -This arrangement works well enough when -electors and elected are of one mind. But -when the leader wants to carry out some plan -which his electors disapprove, he runs the risk -of being cashiered and replaced by one of the -majority.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>I do not know what are the results of this -system in politics; but, applied to an army, it -is disastrous, for very often the leader, brave -enough himself, dares not engage his men, lest -he become unpopular; and this, I think, has -been the main cause of the total absence of -offensive action on the part of the Boers. -Perhaps, indeed, it will prove one of the main -causes of their final overthrow.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The commandant, or field-cornet, chooses -among his men a 'corporal,' who acts as his -auxiliary. These 'commandos,' the effective -numbers of which are essentially variable, are -called after the chief town of the district from -which they are drawn: Heidelberg Commando, -Carolina Commando. And not only do they -vary considerably, according to the population -of a district, but the field-cornet himself never -knows how many men he has at his disposal, -for the Burghers have no notion of remaining -continuously at the front; when one of the -number wants to go back to his farm nothing -can stop him. He goes, though he will come -back later for another spell of service. Desertions -of this kind often took place </span><em class="italics">en masse</em><span> the -day after a reverse.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The Johannesburg Politie and the Artillery -are the only troops in the Transvaal which can -be described as more or less disciplined. The -Politie are the police-force of Johannesburg and -Pretoria.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>In times of peace the men wear a uniform -consisting of a black tunic, cut after the English -pattern, and black trousers. On their heads -they wear a little hard black cap, with a button -at the end, and for full dress a white peaked -cap with a badge bearing the arms of the -Transvaal. On the collars of their tunics are -three brass letters: Z. A. R. (Zuid Africa -Republic). But during the campaign their -uniform has disappeared, and they are not to -be distinguished from the ordinary Burghers. -A certain discipline obtains among them, and -they receive regular pay, which is reduced in -time of war, as their families are then in receipt -of indemnities in kind.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>These men are the only ones who can be -relied on to hold a position they have been told -to keep. The other Burghers will only fight -if they choose, and if they can do so without -much risk.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The fighting strength of the Johannesburg -Politie is about 800 men, with four lieutenants, -under Commandant van Dam, an energetic and -intelligent man.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The guns, of which I have already given a -brief description--four </span><em class="italics">Long Toms</em><span>, a dozen -75 millimetres Creusot guns, some thirty -Krupp field-pieces and old Armstrongs--are -served by a body of artillery whose barracks -are at Pretoria. I do not say nineteen or twenty -batteries, for there are no groups or -detachments. Each gun is used separately, according -to the needs of the generals or the fancy of the -artillerymen.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The corps consists of thirty officers and about -400 men. They wear a black tunic and -breeches, and a sort of shako much like that -of the Swiss army. In the field this shako is -replaced by a large felt hat looped up on one -side, and the rest of the costume undergoes any -modification that suggests itself to the wearer.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>They were at first under the command of -Commandant Erasmus, who was superseded -after the affair of Lombard's Kop, below -Ladysmith.[#]</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 2em"> -</div> -<p class="left pfirst"><span class="small">[#] Commandant Erasmus must not be confused with the -Adjutant Erasmus who was with our party. The same -names are very frequent throughout the Republics, the -natives of which are mainly sprung from the few families -who originally settled there. Thus there are some twenty -Bothas, thirty Jouberts, etc.</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 2em"> -</div> -<p class="pfirst"><span>The artillery of the Free State, composed of -old Armstrong guns and a few Krupp guns -lent by the Transvaal, is served by a corps who -look like the artillerymen of a comic opera. -They wear a drab tunic and breeches with a -great deal of orange braid, and are inferior -even to their colleagues of the Transvaal.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>All told, then, the army consists of some -40,000 to 50,000 Burghers, without cohesion -and without discipline, field-cornets who do not -obey their generals, and who cannot command the -obedience of their men. Over them are titular -generals and vecht-generals (generals appointed -for the term of the campaign only), for the -most part ignorant of the very elements of the -art of war, and at variance one with another.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>How often during this campaign are we led -to ponder over the phrase we have been -mechanically reciting for ten years past: -'Seeing that discipline is the strength of armies!'</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 1em"> -</div> -<p class="center pfirst"><span>* * * * *</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 1em"> -</div> -<p class="pfirst"><span>We have a six days' march before us. The -bullocks are accustomed to travel by short -stages of two hours, followed by an hour's rest. -At night, however, we advance by stages of -four or five hours.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The soil over which we pass is bare and -sandy, of a uniform grayish-yellow tint, and -produces nothing but short, coarse grass, which -serves as fodder for the oxen and horses.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>At every halt the cattle are let loose, and -when the rest is over the Kaffir 'boys' go off in -pursuit of them, often to a considerable distance. -Water is scarce, and generally bad.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Very often on the way we are received with -delightful hospitality at the farms we pass. -These houses are clean, and often even those -which stand quite alone in the bush have a -parlour adorned with photographs, religious -prints, and Scripture texts in large characters. -The furniture is simple, but there is very often -a harmonium, for the singing of hymns is a -frequent exercise in a Boer household.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Nevertheless, a respect for musical -instruments is not carried to extremes. At Dundee, -for instance, a Burgher had made a shelter for -himself with a piano taken from an English villa.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The head of the family, often an old man -with a white beard, is an absolute and much -respected master in his home. He presides at -meals, waited on by the women, who do not -eat till the men have finished. The menu -invariably consists of eggs and mutton cooked -together in a frying-pan, bread or biscuit, and -fruit. The drink is coffee with milk.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The Boer women are not well favoured. As -a rule, they are thick-set and weather-beaten. -They wear large pink or white sun-bonnets, -very becoming to the young girls.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The traveller is a guest, received as if he were -an old acquaintance; and whatever the hour -of his appearance, he is at once offered coffee -with milk, and, when they are in season, peaches.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>At the time of our journey a good many men -were at the front; but there are often some -dozen children with the women, making large -households. They all live pell-mell in two or -three rooms.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>In time of peace the Burgher is a keen -sportsman; this is, indeed, the reason of his -wonderful skill as a marksman, for he always shoots -with ball-cartridge; shot is never used. In -time of war he is a hunter still. He fights as -he hunts, the game alone is changed; but as -the quarry has means of defence more efficacious -and violent than those of the ostrich or the -springbock, he is often less persevering in -pursuit of it.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>When the Burgher halts to hunt or to fight, -he dismounts, shelters his horse behind some -rock, and leaves it loose, taking care to pass -the bridle over its neck. All the horses are -trained to stand perfectly still when they see -the reins hanging in front of them thus, -and, no matter how heavy the fire, they will -not stir.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The Boers have a way of their own of -reckoning distances. When, for instance, they -tell you that it is seven hours from a certain -place to another, don't imagine that you will be -in time for dinner if you set off at noon; the -seven hours in question are a conventional term. -They are hours at the gallop, and it is supposed -that a swift horse, going at his utmost speed, -could cover the distance in seven hours.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The immense concessions given by the -Government are not cultivated, for the Boer has a -rooted dislike to work; his black servants -grow the necessary mealies, and keep his -numerous flocks. As his wants are very primitive, -this suffices him. To procure sugar, coffee, -and other necessaries, he goes to town and sells -two or three oxen.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The rifle and cartridges furnished by the State -in time of war become the Burgher's property.</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 1em"> -</div> -<p class="center pfirst"><span>* * * * *</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 1em"> -</div> -<p class="pfirst"><span>On the march in war-time this system of -halting the oxen because they are hot, and the men -because they want to drink coffee at every farm, -is neither very rapid nor very practical. We do -not arrive at Boshof till the fifth day. This is -the spot fated to be the grave of our venerated leader.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Boshof, in contrast to its surroundings, is a -gay little oasis, traversed by a cool stream. It -boasts green trees and pretty villas. Two -ambulances are installed here, but they shelter -only two or three wounded as yet.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>At the end of the village is a pool, which -delights us vastly. We spend the afternoon in -it, after lunching with the field-cornet.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The town is </span><em class="italics">en fête</em><span>, as at Brandfort, to receive -us, or rather--away with illusion!--to receive -</span><em class="italics">Long Tom</em><span>.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>We start again in the night, and reach -Riverton Road. We are now on English -territory, in Cape Colony.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Towards noon, M. Léon comes to meet the -cannon, the arrival of which has been anxiously -expected for the last two days.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>We are only an hour from the camp, which -we reach at a gallop. There, at Waterworks--the -reservoir that supplies Kimberley--we find -Colonel de Villebois-Mareuil.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Need I describe that frank and energetic face, -with its searching blue eyes, and its benevolent -smile, sometimes a little ironical, always subtle; -the clear voice; the concise manner of speech, -brief without being brusque? Even at that -stage a look of sadness had stamped itself upon -his face; he saw that the men for whom he -was to lay down his life would not follow the -counsels dictated by his profound knowledge -and unquenchable devotion.</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 1em"> -</div> -<p class="center pfirst"><span>* * * * *</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 1em"> -</div> -<p class="pfirst"><span>We had been expected for two days, and -twice the Colonel had had good luncheons -prepared. Then, giving us up, he had ordered -nothing, and we took his kitchen by surprise.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>We find with him Baron de Sternberg, that -charming Viennese, whose inexhaustible good -spirits are famous throughout London and -Paris. In the evening he works in his tent at -a history of the war, and composes the most -delicious verses in German. The Colonel also -works hard.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><em class="italics">Long Tom</em><span> arrives some time after us.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Our laager at Waterworks is a large square, -measuring some 200 metres on every side, -planted with trees, and containing the machinery -for distributing the water. It looks like an -oasis in the midst of the vast yellow plain. In -the distance are a few kopjes. We are about -700 metres from Kimberley. The camp is -commanded by General du Toit.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Kampferdam, where the cannon has been -taken, is 3 kilometres to the south, and 5,500 -metres from Kimberley. It is a kind of whitish -peak, about 50 metres high, formed of the -refuse from the diamond mine below.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The night of Tuesday to Wednesday is spent -in the construction of the wooden platform on -which </span><em class="italics">Long Tom</em><span> and his carriage are to be -mounted.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The English searchlights fix their great -round eyes upon us from time to time, but there -is nothing to show that the enemy has noticed -anything abnormal in our proceedings.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>All night long the work goes on with feverish -activity, for Léon, who is superintending the -operations, wants to fire his first shell at -daybreak. But it is no easy task to hoist up that -mass of 5,000 kilos, especially with -inexperienced, undisciplined, and obstinate men, -and the cannon is not ready till ten o'clock.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>One of our party, Michel, an old artilleryman, -the holder of some twenty gunnery prizes, gives -the workers the benefit of his experience, and as -he cannot find any sights, Erasmus artlessly -proposes to make one of wood!</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>At last the first shot is fired! I am certain -that at this moment not a single Boer is left in -the trenches. Everyone has rushed out to see -the effect produced. It is of two kinds. -Firstly, our shell, badly calculated, bursts far off -in the plain; then, no sooner has it been fired, -than an English shell from the Autoskopje -battery, 3,500 metres to our right, falls and -explodes among the machinery of the -Kampferdam mine. This exchange of compliments -goes on till near twelve o'clock. This is the -sacred hour of lunch. The fire ceases.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>As coffee is a liquid which has to be imbibed -slowly, firing does not begin again till nearly -four o'clock. It is very hot, for it is the height -of summer.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>During this interval, the Colonel has been -several times to General du Toit, to ask for -fifty volunteers.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The Colonel's plan is to batter the town with -a storm of shells (we have 450) for two hours, -from four to six, and thus demoralize it; then, -with fifty men, whom the French contingent -would lead, to seize the Autoskopje battery, -which is but poorly defended, at nightfall, and -thence to gradually creep up to the town -through a little wood, which would mask the -advance. The plan was very simple, requiring -but few men, and had every chance of success, -because of the surprise it would have been to -the English, who had never been attacked -hitherto.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>'Wait a bit,' said Du Toit; 'I will lay your -plan before the council of war to-morrow.'</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>In vain the Colonel tells him that the success -of the plan depends on its immediate execution. -He can get no answer. The evening is wasted.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>General du Toit is a big, bronzed man, with -a black pointed beard and a straight and -penetrating gaze. Though very brave personally, -he has never dared to engage his men.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The latter are very well pleased with their -role of besiegers. They will appreciate it less -when the </span><em class="italics">Long Cecil</em><span> comes upon the scene. -Hitherto, the long </span><em class="italics">far niente</em><span>, comparatively free -from peril--the town, under the command of -Colonel Kekewich, was defended by such a small -garrison that </span><em class="italics">sorties</em><span> were impossible--has only -been broken by the singing of hymns, the -brewing of coffee and cocoa, and the occasional -pursuit of a springbock.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Every evening a guard, composed, I fancy, of -anyone who chose to go, went off, provided -with a comfortable stock of bedding, to do duty -round the camp.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Others, the valiant spirits, remained at the -three batteries where were installed </span><em class="italics">Long Tom</em><span>, -the three Armstrongs, and the Maxim.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><em class="italics">Long Tom's</em><span> battery was by far the most -popular, for several reasons. In the first place, -its processes were much more interesting than -those of the small guns; then, its defenders -were much more sheltered, owing to the -proximity of the mining works; and finally, a -good many former miners were always on the -look-out for a stray diamond or two.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Among the besiegers of Kimberley, indeed, -we met with a good many adventurers who -took no other part in the campaign.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Men of all nationalities, many of them -familiar with the town, having worked in the -mines here, they came in the hope of finding -some diamond overlooked in the sudden -cessation of mining operations.... Then, too, -they knew that Cecil Rhodes was in the town, -having had no time to fly or to carry off his -treasure.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Then, again, there are bankers and jewellers -in Kimberley, and if the Boers had taken the -town....</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>It appears that Cecil Rhodes was quite aware -of this danger, and I have heard that he -attempted to manufacture a balloon which was -to have carried 'Cecil and his fortunes' to a -safer city.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>In any case, his gratitude to his defenders -was very lively. And, in addition to other -liberalities, he presented a commemorative medal -to them all.</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 4em"> -</div> -<p class="center pfirst"><span class="large">IV</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 2em"> -</div> -<p class="pfirst"><span>Failing an assault, we resume the bombardment. -The firing is slow and inaccurate. The -English reply in much the same fashion, when -suddenly their new cannon appears on the -scene, not altogether to our surprise, for some -intercepted letters had warned us of its -manufacture. It was the famous </span><em class="italics">Long Cecil</em><span>.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The </span><em class="italics">Long Cecil</em><span> was a gun of about 12 -centimetres, made in Kimberley itself during the -siege with a piece of steel taken from the -machinery of the De Beers mine.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The piece was drilled and rifled with the -means at the disposal of the besieged.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The closing of the breech, a somewhat -fantastic arrangement, was based on the Canet -system. In default of a trial field, the range -was arrived at from observations of actual firing -against us.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><em class="italics">Long Cecil</em><span> accordingly began to speak, and -to speak very much to the point. Several -times we were covered with earth, and I am -certain that out of twenty shells, the extreme -error was not more than 200 metres. One -fortunately fell diagonally on </span><em class="italics">Long Tom's</em><span> very -platform, rebounded, and burst a little way off. -Seven men were killed.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The next day, Thursday, passed in almost -precisely the same fashion. Towards five o'clock -the interchange of amenities between </span><em class="italics">Long Tom</em><span> -and </span><em class="italics">Long Cecil</em><span> began, and lasted till 8.30; at -8.30, breakfast. After breakfast, the guns went -to work again till 11. At 11, lunch, rest. -From 4 to 6, another cannonade. At 6, dinner.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>This respect for meal-times is charming, and -greatly facilitates life in the field.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>It is a pity the attention of the Powers is not -called to this subject by an international -convention! Many affections of the stomach would -be hereby avoided.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Encouraged by the example of their big -brothers, the little 12 and 15-pounder Krupps -and Armstrongs join in the concert.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The English have five, and we have four. It -is delightful, and one can't complain of a single -second of boredom.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>On Friday, the Colonel's request is still -unanswered.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>'Wait a little while!'</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Sternberg has had enough of it. Recognising -the impossibility of persuading Du Toit to take -decisive action, he starts off to Jacobsdal, where -the English make him a prisoner. He was a -great loss, for he had an extraordinary repertory -of adventures, which he told in a very amusing -manner, and, besides, he was a capital cook.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The 'boys' in these regions, greatly inferior -to those of the Soudan in this respect, claim to -be cooks as soon as they know how to light a -fire. Accordingly, we prepare our meals -ourselves. Tinned meat, a bit of roast mutton, or -a stew, are the usual dishes.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The Colonel eats very little, and only takes -grilled meat; he drinks tea or milk, and never -touches wine or spirits. He does not smoke. -He is a striking contrast to the rest of us, who -eat like ogres, drink like sponges, and smoke -like engines!</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Our contingent, consisting of Breda, Léon, -Michel, Coste, my friend De C---- and I, -remain with Villebois.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Michel has calculated the ranges, and we fire -all Friday night. The points aimed at are: -the searchlights, Cecil Rhodes' house, the Grand -Hotel, the last high chimney on the left, and -that on the right.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Erasmus was unable to suppress a gentle -amusement at the sight of our preparations for -night-firing. But when he grasped the idea -that we were in earnest, and that his </span><em class="italics">Long Tom</em><span> -was being loaded, the benevolent smile with -which one would watch a spoilt child engaged -in some innocent folly changed to a look of -real anxiety. He thought poor Michel had -gone mad. He finally got used to the novel proceeding.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Firing ceased on both sides about 12.30 a.m. -Early on Saturday morning it began again. -One of our shells fell on the De Beers magazine, -transformed into an ammunition factory, and -caused an explosion and a fire.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The English, despairing of silencing our -</span><em class="italics">Long Tom</em><span> with their </span><em class="italics">Long Cecil</em><span>, replied to -every shot at the town by a shell into our -laager. The accuracy of their fire with this -gun at a range of about 7,000 metres was -remarkable. We were indeed a capital target: -a green rectangle of 200 metres in the midst of -a yellow, arid plain.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The shell arrived in thirty-four seconds, but -did no great damage, for a watchman gave the -alarm, 'Skit!' each time when he saw the -smoke, and we retreated into shelter.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The telegraphists of the staff, who were -working in a little house, were placed in -communication with the watchman by means of a -bell, and, warned half a minute before the -arrival, they had time to take refuge in a -neighbouring trench.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>We learnt later that a similar system had -been adopted in Kimberley as a protection -against </span><em class="italics">Long Tom</em><span>, and hence the small -number of killed during the siege. One of the -first victims of </span><em class="italics">Long Tom</em><span>, however, was the -engineer of the </span><em class="italics">Long Cecil</em><span>, who had just -finished his work. A shell burst on his house -and killed him in his bedroom. Another cause -of the slight mortality on both sides was the -bad quality of the fuses for the projectiles, -which often burst imperfectly, or not at all. -Thus, one of the English shells fell in the -machinery of the waterworks, only a few inches -from our reserve of a hundred shells, and -happily failed to explode. Another went -through a cast-iron pipe, over a centimetre -thick, and buried itself in the earth without -exploding; its fuse was completely flattened on -the projectile by contact with the pipe.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Nevertheless, a good many, too many indeed, -</span><em class="italics">did</em><span> burst with satisfactory results--to those -who fired them.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>A good many of the Boers accordingly took -the precaution of digging a sort of tomb several -feet deep, in which they piled mattresses and -blankets. They spent all night and part of the -day lying in this shelter.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>On Saturday morning, on arriving at the -battery, we were surprised by a whistling sound. -The English, harassed by the fire of </span><em class="italics">Long Tom</em><span>, -had dug trenches during the night to a distance -of about 1,200 yards, and had manned them -with riflemen. Their fire was not yet very -galling, because of the distance between us.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Colonel de Villebois, seeing clearly what -would happen, renewed his request for a party -of men. He now only asked for twenty-five to -make an assault that very night, for he pointed -out that the </span><em class="italics">shanjes</em><span> (trenches) would be pushed -forward during the night, and that our battery -would become untenable. But he was repulsed -by the eternal 'Wait a little while!'</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Long convoys of Kaffirs that the English -could no longer feed came out of the town -every day, preceded by huge white flags. Some -were allowed to pass after a parley, others -were sent back again.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The Colonel feared that an attempt would be -made against </span><em class="italics">Long Tom</em><span> by night, as a sequel -to the offensive movement on the part of the -garrison indicated by the making of the trenches.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Everyone goes to spend the night at the -battery, and we take the opportunity of firing at -the town. It proves to be merely a pastime. -The English reply, but do not attack us.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>On Sunday, February 11, we rest all along -the line. The Burghers sing hymns in chorus, -and do not cease till late in the evening. A -sort of patriarchal simplicity obtains among -them. Yesterday the Colonel was shaving. A -Boer entered without saying a word, sat down -on his little camp-bed, and remained there -motionless. The Colonel, used to their ways, -took no notice, but waited for the visitor to -explain his visit. As this was prolonged -considerably, the Colonel continued his toilet by -a tub taken </span><em class="italics">puris naturalibus</em><span>. The Boer -remained, staring silently at him. At last, his -toilet ended, the Colonel explained to the -visitor that he must go, as he wanted to close -his tent. The Boer departed without a word. -About ten minutes afterwards he came back -with a friend, who explained that he wanted -the Colonel's razor. He would bring it back -</span><em class="italics">afterwards</em><span>. It was very hard to make him -understand that the Colonel wished to reserve -the implement for his private use.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>On this Sunday, the day of rest, we accordingly -went off to bathe at a spring four kilometres -from our laager. We enjoy this peaceful -pastime in the company of a young clergyman -who was at one time in the camp. When </span><em class="italics">Long -Cecil</em><span> began to bombard us, he judged its -war-like thunders to be incompatible with his sacred -function, and set up his tent beyond its range.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>On Monday morning the firing began again -early. Léon and the Colonel went off to the -battery. Our horses had been turned out to -graze by mistake, so we did not start till an -hour after them. On arriving, we found the -balls whistling more smartly than on Saturday. -We could plainly distinguish the buzz of the -dum-dum bullets amidst the whir of the -ordinary charge.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>During the two nights, the English had -pushed forward their trenches to a distance of -from 700 to 800 yards from us. We went up -on the platform, where the Colonel, his glass in -his eye, was talking imperturbably to General -du Toit. At the same moment we saw Léon, -who was standing behind them, spin round and -fall across the gun-carriage. The poor fellow -had been shot right through the forehead just -above the eyes.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The Colonel at once raised him in his arms, -others started off in haste for an ambulance; -but the bullets were now falling round us like -hail. Two horses were wounded in an instant, -and a Burgher fell, a bullet clean through his -body.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Poor Léon was still conscious. He bid us all -good-bye calmly, taking a particularly -affectionate leave of the Colonel, to whom he was -greatly attached. The Colonel took a little -water to wash the blood from his face, and -placed the empty pannikin on the parapet of -sacks filled with earth behind which we were -sheltered. So heavy was the English fire that -the pannikin instantly fell to the ground pierced -by a bullet.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>At last a cart appeared with an attendant -and a stretcher. The wounded, who numbered -about a dozen by this time, received first aid; -then Léon was carried off on a stretcher.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>What a journey was that march of three -kilometres, the first part of which was performed -under a rain of bullets! The head of the -wounded man was swathed in cloths, which we -kept wetting continually, holding an umbrella -over his head, for the heat was intense--it was -eleven o'clock in the morning. Blood poured -from his mouth and nose. Poor fellow! we -made up our minds that it was all over with him.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>We reached Waterworks in two hours. But -the little house that had been turned into a -hospital was no longer safe since the bombardment -of our camp had begun. A telegram -had therefore been sent to Riverton Road, where -there was an ambulance-station with a good -doctor. Towards one o'clock an ambulance-carriage -arrived and carried off our comrade.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>On Tuesday, the 13th, we missed the salute -</span><em class="italics">Long Tom</em><span> had been in the habit of giving the -enemy at daybreak. What had happened? -We sent off for news. General du Toit replied -that Erasmus declared the gun was broken, and -could not be fired. He himself had not been -to inquire into the damage, and seemed to be -no more concerned than if he had been told -it was raining at Chicago. We set off to -Kampferdam in great distress, expecting to -find the gun a wreck.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>As we approached, however, we saw that it -was still in place, apparently wondering at its -own silence. We examined it carefully all over, -but could find nothing to account for the -catastrophe, and, in despair, we sent for Erasmus.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Standing back a couple of paces, he showed -us that one of the beams of the platform, which -had received the full force of the recoil, had -sunk some few centimetres. It was a matter of -no importance, and did not interfere with the -firing in any way. But Erasmus, I suppose, -did not feel inclined to work the gun that day. -He had told Du Toit that it was broken, and -the General had at once accepted the statement. -After a severe reprimand to the recalcitrant -gunner, the firing recommenced as usual.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Our provisions began to run out in camp, in -spite of a stock of potatoes we had discovered -at the waterworks. It was accordingly arranged -that we should start off with two others of the -party to get fresh stores, and a cart and mules, at Pretoria.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The Colonel, believing that the lack of -offensive action among the Boers would prolong the -siege indefinitely, determined to set out himself -on the 15th for Colesberg, where we were to -rejoin him in a few days. We started on the -14th, bound for Brandfort and Pretoria.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>On setting out, my mare, an excellent mount, -but very fiery, brought me suddenly to the -ground, to the great amusement of the Colonel. -The same accident having happened to Breda a -day or two before, it began to be looked upon -as a special privilege of the ex-cavalry officers!</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>At nightfall we arrived at Riverton Road, -where Léon was lying. During the evening -the Colonel himself came over to inquire for -him. He had had a good day, and the operation -that was judged necessary had been fixed for -eleven o'clock that night, to avoid the heat of -daylight. We waited about the door of the -baggage-shed, which had been converted into -an ambulance.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The operation, which proved perfectly successful, -lasted an hour and a half. The doctor, -a Scotchman called Dunlop, assured us that our -poor friend was out of danger.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>At daybreak on the 15th we started, the -Colonel for the camp, we for Brandfort. It was -terribly hot, and we were in a hurry, for a -rumour of Lord Roberts' arrival had got about. -It seemed likely that there would be some more -lively work on hand very soon, and we were -anxious to get through the drudgery of -revictualling as quickly as possible.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>In the evening we reached Boshof, where a -good many wounded had been brought since -our last visit. We rode all day on the 16th, -slept in the bush, and started again at daybreak -on the 17th. Towards noon we took a rest of -an hour and a half, and consumed a tin of -corned beef.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>It was nearly two when we mounted again -under a sky of fire, not to draw rein till we -reached Brandfort at ten o'clock on Sunday -morning, save for a compulsory halt of two -hours from three to five in the morning, when -the darkness made it impossible for us to -continue our journey in the trackless sand and -tangled bush.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>We had been in the saddle twenty-six hours -out of thirty to accomplish our journey of -120 miles, and had taken three and a half days, -riding over sixty kilometres a day, in average -heat of from 38° to 40° (centigrade), without -fodder and almost without water, in a wild, -unknown country.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Our horses were dead-beat, and we entered -the village on foot, dragging the poor brutes by -their bridles. What was our stupefaction to -hear that the siege of Kimberley had been -raised without any engagement the very day -after our departure!</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The surprise, it seems, had been complete. -There was a cry of 'The English!' and then a -panic, which barely left time to carry off the -guns and waggons. Part of the ammunition -was left behind, some provisions, </span><em class="italics">Long Tom's</em><span> -break and its platform. The Colonel had -escaped with Breda. But in the confusion one -of our comrades, Coste, was lost, and eventually -joined Cronje.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>A story which amused us all at the time may -be told here. A volunteer, no longer in his -first youth--well over fifty, in fact--had come to -join the Colonel just at the time of the English -attack. A very eccentric character, and slightly -bemused by drink, he found himself in the thick -of the stampede, without any clear idea of what -it was all about.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Suddenly the Burghers, who had never seen -him in the camp before, struck by his odd -behaviour, demanded his passports. Not -understanding a word of Dutch, he had some difficulty -in making out what they wanted.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>At last he produced the necessary paper. -The pandours of the moment scrutinized them -carefully, then, shaking their heads in the -fashion which among all races implies negation, -they said:</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>'No good! </span><em class="italics">Obsal!</em><span>' (mount).</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Two men ranged themselves on either side of -the unlucky wight, a complete novice in -horsemanship, and galloped off with him to a farm -several miles off.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>'Dismount! Your passports!'</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>About fifteen persons, men, women and -children, were grouped round a table. The -passport, handed round once more, is -discussed by the assembly, each person present -giving an opinion. The general verdict is -unfavourable, for heads are again shaken.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>'No good! </span><em class="italics">Obsal!</em><span>'</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The poor volunteer, aching from his furious -gallop, begins to think things rather beyond a -joke; but, anxious to conciliate, he remounts, -and gallops off again under escort. On arriving -at another farm another inspection, also -unfavourable, takes place.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>'No good! </span><em class="italics">Obsal!</em><span>'</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>This time the worm turns. Pale, exhausted -and racked with pain, he opposes the force of -inertia to the rigour of his tormentors, who, -convinced that he is a spy, set him against a wall -and load their rifles. This argument is so -convincing that he remounts, and finally makes -them understand that he will be able to find -someone to answer for him at Brandfort.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Two days later he arrived there, fasting, -exhausted, and still guarded by his escort. -Fortunately he was recognised and released. He -never returned to the front.</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 1em"> -</div> -<p class="center pfirst"><span>* * * * *</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 1em"> -</div> -<p class="pfirst"><span>We leave for Pretoria by the first train, and -arrive on the evening of the 20th. We at once -set to work on our re-victualling mission.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Two days later, I got a telegram from -Colonel de Villebois-Mareuil. Having heard -of the arrival of a good many French volunteers -at Pretoria, he agrees to take the command of -them, and orders me to get them together. A -letter to M. Reitz, sent off at the same time, -explains the project.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Among the new arrivals are ex-petty officers, -ex-sailors, ex-legionaries ... a motley crew. -Their equipment will take several days, and it is -arranged that they are to join us at Colesberg, -for which we start by that evening's train.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>During this short sojourn at Pretoria I was -presented by Colonel Gourko to Captain D----, -the French military attaché, one of the most -charming men I have ever met.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>We noticed numerous placards on the town -walls, giving notice of thanksgiving services for -February 26 and 27. It is the anniversary of -Majuba Hill, which is celebrated every year -with great pomp. This year, in spite of the -national pre-occupation in current events, the -traditional custom is to be kept up. The usual -review of the troops by the President and the -Commander-in-Chief cannot, of course, take -place; but the shops and offices will be closed -for forty-eight hours, and the whole population -will flock to the churches.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Shortly after our departure, at a station the -name of which I forget--perhaps intentionally, -for I feel a qualm of remorse at the recollection -of it--a little fox-terrier playing about the train -jumped into our carriage. We were just -starting.... It would have been cruel to throw -the poor little beast on to the platform at the -risk of maiming it or causing it to be run -over.... In short, we kept her, and -christened her Nelly. She was very pretty, -pure white, with a black patch on her head and -another on her back. I felt remorseful--until -the next station; then I overcame my -scruples. I am so fond of dogs.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>At Brandfort, a counter-order awaits us, -directing us to go to Bloemfontein, where the -Colonel awaits us, in consequence of Lord -Roberts' latest operations. We land our cart, -our mules, and our provisions. But our -worn-out horses have to be replaced. The Colonel, -impatient to be gone, will not wait for us, and -starts for Petrusburg, where we are to join him -as quickly as possible.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>On the 28th, the news of Cronje's -capitulation reaches us. We know nothing of the -details, but the moral effect is terrible.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>We had got together hastily at Pretoria a -cart, harness, mules, and three black boys. -Individually, each of these acquisitions is highly -satisfactory. The cart is a superb omnibus, -freshly painted gray; the harness is almost new, -the mules very handsome--a little black one in -particular. The boys were chosen to suit all -tastes: one tall, one short, and one of medium -height. But it proves very difficult to establish -any sort of cohesion between these various -elements.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>At the first attempt the harness breaks, the -mules bite and kick. It needs the cunning of -an Apache even to approach the little black one. -The boys are stupid, and speak neither Dutch -nor English, nothing but Kaffir. The omnibus -alone remains stationary, but it creaks and -groans in a pitiable fashion when touched.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>A second experiment is no more successful -than the first. The third gives a better result: -the vehicle moves, and even goes very near to -losing a wheel.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>This remarkable result is achieved, firstly, -because all the rotten leathers of the harness are -in pieces, after a double series of joltings and -strainings; only the solid ones are left. -Secondly, the pretty little black mule has run -away, after breaking some dozen halters, so that -we are saved the trouble of harnessing her. -Lastly, we have stationed the three boys at a -safe distance, begging them on no account to -help us, and Michel, who as an old artilleryman -is an adept in harness, does wonders. Finally -we get off, escorting our omnibus, which groans -aloud at every step.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>We look like 'The Attack on the Stage -Coach' in Buffalo Bill!</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 4em"> -</div> -<p class="center pfirst"><span class="large">V</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 2em"> -</div> -<p class="pfirst"><span>On the morning of the 7th, the road to -Petrusburg was blocked, and the guns were roaring in -front of us. Marais, Botha's adjutant, joined -us. At the first sound of the guns we left the -waggons, and galloped off in the direction he -pointed out. The battle of Poplar Grove was -about to be fought under our eyes, though we -were unable to take a very active part in it.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The engagement went on mainly oh our right; -we were on the left of the Boer lines. In front -of us was a kopje occupied by a hundred rifles.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>About 11 o'clock the English cavalry charged -at the guns, about two miles away. The firing -slackened. Then about 2 o'clock the English -began to shell us furiously with shrapnel, also the -kopje forming the Boer centre. An outflanking -movement completed the demoralisation of the -Boers, and at 3.30 the retreat became general.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>President Kruger came by this morning to -announce that he had made the following peace -proposals:</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 2em"> -</div> -<p class="left pfirst"><span>'BLOEMFONTEIN, -<br />'</span><em class="italics">March</em><span> 5, 1900.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>'The blood and tears of the thousands who -have suffered by this war, and the prospect of -all the moral and economic ruin with which -South Africa is now threatened, make it -necessary for both belligerents to ask themselves -dispassionately, and as in the sight of the Triune -God, for what they are fighting, and whether -the aim of each justifies all this appalling misery -and devastation.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>'With this object, and in view of the assertions -of various British statesmen to the effect -that this war was begun, and is being carried -on, with the set purpose of undermining Her -Majesty's authority in South Africa, and of -setting up an administration over all South -Africa, independent of Her Majesty's -Government, we consider it our duty solemnly to -declare that this war was undertaken solely as -a defensive measure to safeguard the threatened -independence of the South African Republic, -and is only continued in order to secure and -safeguard the incontestable independence of both -Republics as sovereign international States, and -to obtain the assurance that those of Her -Majesty's subjects who have taken part with -us in this war shall suffer no harm whatsoever -in person or property.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>'On these two conditions, but on these alone, -are we now, as in the past, desirous of seeing -peace re-established in South Africa, and of -putting an end to the evils now reigning over -South Africa; while, if Her Majesty's -Government is determined to destroy the independence -of the Republics, there is nothing left to us and -to our people but to persevere to the end in the -course already begun, in spite of the -overwhelming pre-eminence of the British Empire, -confident that that God who lighted the -inextinguishable fire of the love of freedom in the -hearts of ourselves and of our fathers will not -forsake us, but will accomplish His work in us -and in our descendants.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>'We hesitated to make this declaration earlier -to your Excellency, as we feared that, as long -as the advantage was always on our side, and as -long as our forces held defensive positions far in -Her Majesty's colonies, such a declaration might -hurt the feelings of honour of the British people; -but now that the prestige of the British Empire -may be considered to be assured by the capture -of one of our forces by Her Majesty's troops, -and that we are thereby forced to evacuate other -positions which our forces had occupied, that -difficulty is over, and we can no longer hesitate -clearly to inform your Government and people -in the sight of the whole civilized world why -we are fighting, and on what conditions we are -ready to restore peace.'</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 2em"> -</div> -<p class="pfirst"><span>Lord Salisbury replied as follows:</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 2em"> -</div> -<p class="left pfirst"><span>'FOREIGN OFFICE, -<br />'</span><em class="italics">March</em><span> 11, 1900.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>'I have the honour to acknowledge your -Honours' telegram, dated the 5th of March, -from Bloemfontein, of which the purport is -principally to demand that Her Majesty's -Government shall recognise the "incontestable -independence" of the South African Republic -and Orange Free State "as sovereign international -States," and to offer on those terms to -bring the war to a conclusion.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>'In the beginning of October peace existed -between Her Majesty and the two Republics -under the Conventions which were then in -existence. A discussion had been proceeding -for some months between Her Majesty's Government -and the South African Republic, of which -the object was to obtain redress for certain very -serious grievances under which British residents -in the South African Republic were suffering. -In the course of these negotiations the South -African Republic had, to the knowledge of Her -Majesty's Government, made considerable -armaments, and the latter had, consequently, taken -steps to provide corresponding reinforcements -to the British garrisons of Cape Town and -Natal. No infringement of the rights guaranteed -by the Conventions had, up to that point, -taken place on the British side. Suddenly, at -two days' notice, the South African Republic, -after issuing an insulting ultimatum, declared -war upon Her Majesty; and the Orange Free -State, with whom there had not even been any -discussion, took a similar step. Her Majesty's -dominions were immediately invaded by the -two Republics, siege was laid to three towns -within the British frontier, a large portion of -the two colonies was overrun, with great -destruction to property and life, and the Republics -claimed to treat the inhabitants of extensive -portions of Her Majesty's dominions as if those -dominions had been annexed to one or other of -them. In anticipation of these operations, the -South African Republic had been accumulating -for many years past military stores on an -enormous scale, which, by their character, could only -have been intended for use against Great Britain.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>'Your Honours make some observations of -a negative character upon the object with which -these preparations were made. I do not think -it necessary to discuss the questions you have -raised. But the result of these preparations, -carried on with great secrecy, has been that the -British Empire has been compelled to confront -an invasion which has entailed upon the Empire -a costly war and the loss of thousands of -precious lives. This great calamity has been -the penalty which Great Britain has suffered -for having in recent years acquiesced in the -existence of the two Republics.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>'In view of the use to which the two -Republics have put the position which was given -to them, and the calamities which their -unprovoked attack has inflicted upon Her Majesty's -dominions, Her Majesty's Government can only -answer your Honours' telegram by saying that -they are not prepared to assent to the independence -either of the South African Republic or of -the Orange Free State.'</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 2em"> -</div> -<p class="pfirst"><span>It was to be war, then, to the bitter end.</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 1em"> -</div> -<p class="center pfirst"><span>* * * * *</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 1em"> -</div> -<p class="pfirst"><span>At the beginning of the retreat, a field-cornet -came to ask my advice, as often happened. -He disregarded it, as always happened. I -wanted them to destroy the reservoirs, burn the -forage, and poison the wells all along the line -of retreat.[#] He would never consent.</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 2em"> -</div> -<p class="left pfirst"><span class="small">[#] The writer apparently made this monstrous -suggestion quite seriously.--TRANSLATOR.</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 2em"> -</div> -<p class="pfirst"><span>Later on, when I was a prisoner, an English -officer of rank, who had taken part in the -march across the Orange Free State, told me he -had suffered terribly from thirst, and he assured -me that if the measures I had advised had been -taken, Roberts' 40,000 men, for the most part -mounted, would never have achieved their task.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>But at the moment time failed me to prove -to the brave field-cornet, by the teaching of -history in general, and of the wars in Spain -in particular, what excellent results might be -obtained by such a method of defence. Minutes -were becoming precious, and we made off as -fast as we could, while in the distance we saw -half our convoy blazing, fired by bursting shells.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Towards half-past nine we lay down on the -veldt, without pitching any tents, and keeping a -sharp look-out. By eleven the last of the Boer -stragglers had passed. Colonel Gourko and -Lieutenant Thomson had been made prisoners.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>On the 8th we were astir at daybreak. Our -three boys went off to find our beasts, which had -strayed far in search of pasture, on account of -the scanty herbage, in spite of their hobbles. -They were all recovered, however, with the -exception of one mule, which remained deaf to -every summons, a most inconsiderate proceeding -on his part, seeing that the English were at -our heels.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Time being precious, we started off as well as -we could with our reduced convoy. Suddenly -one of our boys, big John, stood tiptoe on his -long feet, gave a sweeping glance around, and -went quietly on his way. Half an hour later, -he began again to increase in height and -to study the horizon.... We could see -absolutely nothing. As my acquaintance with -John was slight, I imagined that he probably -suffered from some nervous affection. But this -time he sniffed the air loudly, and, without a -word, darted off obliquely from our track.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>An hour passed, and he did not return. -Grave doubts of his fidelity began to afflict us. -At last, two hours later, we noticed a speck on -the horizon, then two. It was John with the -missing mule. John is an angel--a black angel!</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>All the farms we passed on the road had -hoisted the white flag. At noon we reached -the point where the road to Bloemfontein -bifurcates. A few Burghers were gathered there. -We pitched our tents.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>During the evening the French military -attaché, Captain D----, passed, and told us -that Colonel de Villebois was only about an -hour distant from us.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>On March 9 we set out to join him. We -found him with about fifty men, coming from -Pretoria. These men were divided into two -companies, the first under Breda, the second -under me. Directly we arrived it was agreed -to start at ten o'clock. We stopped long -enough to add our cart to the Colonel's convoy, -which we were to pick up near the farm of -Abraham's Kraal. The 'French Corps' was formed!</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>About four o'clock we arrived on the height -of Abraham's Kraal. The farm so-called lies -along the Modder River, which flows from east -to west. Its steep, bush-entangled banks are -bathed with yellow, turbid water, whence its -name--Modder (Mud) River. A line of -kopjes, starting from the edge of the river, -stretches several miles south of it. In front -of them, to the west, lies a barren yellow plain. -Far off on the horizon lie the kopjes of Poplar -Grove, where we were forty-eight hours before.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The Colonel, who has gone off on a scouting -expedition with his troop, is not to be found. -We wait for him vainly all the evening with -General Delarey's staff, in company with Baron -von Wrangel, an ex-lieutenant of the German -Guards. In this expedition a young volunteer -named Franck, a quartermaster of the Chasseurs -d'Afrique, whose term had just expired, -distinguished himself by his coolness and his boldness -under fire. He was a brave fellow, as he was -to prove later on.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Night came on fast, our chief was still absent, -and we went off to sleep at a little deserted farm, -with the officers of the Johannesburg Politie. -We lay down beside them and slept like men -who have been in the saddle for twelve hours.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>On March 10, at 5 a.m., we started for -General Delarey's bivouac. It might have -been 6.30, when Vecht-General Sellier passed -us at a gallop, crying: '</span><em class="italics">Obsal!</em><span> The English!'</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Our positions, chosen the night before, were -as follows: Our right, with the Modder River -beyond, consisted of about 400 men of the -Johannesburg Politie, with a Krupp gun, an -Armstrong, and two Maxims. Then a space -in the plain, where a commando of 200 men, -with three cannon and a Maxim gun, constituting -our centre, had taken up a position early -in the morning. Finally, to the south, on our -left, 300 men on a round kopje, fairly high.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>At Poplar Grove two days before we had -numbered several thousands; but the Boers, -discouraged by the check they had undergone, -had returned to their farms, refusing to fight. -This was a proceeding very characteristic of -these men, slow physically and morally, -profoundly obstinate, astute rather than intelligent, -distrustful, sometimes magnanimous. Easily -depressed and as easily elated, without any -apparent cause, they are a curious jumble of -virtues and failings, often of the most -contradictory kinds. The sort of panics frequent -among them are due, I think, rather to their -total lack of organization than to their temperament; -for, not to speak of individual instances -of valour, by no means rare among them, the -Johannesburg Politie, with their very primitive -discipline, have shown what might have been -done by the Boers with some slight instruction -and some slight discipline.[#]</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 2em"> -</div> -<p class="left pfirst"><span class="small">[#] Ten years ago the Duc de Broglie, in his 'Marie-Thérèse -Impératrice,' wrote as follows of the campaign of -1744 against Frederick the Great:</span></p> -<p class="left pnext"><span class="small">'Prince Charles had not even all his force at his -disposal.... All that had been left him were the Hungarian -levies, who had indeed been the main strength of the -Austrian army; but these irregular troops, passing from -ardour to discouragement with that mobility proper to -men with whom enthusiasm does duty for experience and -discipline, now thought of nothing but of a speedy return -to their homesteads, and entered reluctantly upon every -enterprise that retarded this return. Whole companies -deserted the flag and took the road for Hungary.'</span></p> -<p class="left pnext"><span class="small">These words, written of the Hungarians of the seventeenth -century, are literally applicable to the Boers of -to-day, and it is curious to note--though I do not for a -moment compare Lord Roberts to Frederick the Great--that -the Hungarians often inflicted a check on the King -of Prussia, just as the Boers have occasionally stopped the -English Marshal.</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 2em"> -</div> -<p class="pfirst"><span>They alone had remained, with a handful of -foreigners and some stray men from various -commandos.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The Heilbron Commando, consisting of over -200 men, was represented by the corporal and -three men. All the rest, the commandant at -their head, had gone home; hence their reduced -fighting strength. At last all the remnant of -the force was in its place, behind little rocky -entrenchments hastily thrown up.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>In the distance a long column of 'khakis' -defiles, marching from north to south, presenting -its left flank to us from a distance of seven or -eight miles, and preceded by a body of mounted -scouts.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>We go to inspect the mounting of our guns, -which are arriving on our left and in the centre -of our line. Then we return to the kopje -where we were before with the Johannesburg -Politie. Captain D----, the French military -attaché, is there following all the movements.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>About eight o'clock an English detachment -essays a movement against us, and we open fire -with our Krupp gun. English regiments defile -against the horizon till eleven o'clock. Some -Maxims and a battery of field-guns have been -mounted against us.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Between the English and Boer lines a herd of -springbock are running about in terror under -the shells. The poor beasts finally make off to -more tranquil regions and disappear.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The Maxims fire short, but after a few seconds -the field-guns find the range, and fire with a -certain precision. Two shrapnel-shells fired -one after the other burst over our heads. My -right-hand neighbour gets a bullet just below -his right eye, and falls against me; I am covered -with his blood. He died soon after.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>As I bathe his face, I see Captain D---- -hobbling back. I go to him. He has been -struck on the hip by a ball, which, having -fortunately spent most of its force, has not -penetrated the flesh. The wound was not -dangerous, but it swelled a good deal at once, and -caused a numbness in the leg. I hastily applied -the necessary dressing, which the Captain had -with him, and then went to fetch his horse.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>After his departure, we return to the kopje. -The Mounted Rifles advance in force. We -wait till they are about 500 metres off, and -then open a heavy fire upon them, supported -by the two Maxims. They retreat rapidly, -leaving some dozen of their number on the -field. We make four prisoners. They are -sailors who have been mounted, lads of barely -twenty. There is a lull after this attempt.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>About four o'clock the artillery fire begins -again with redoubled fury, heralding a violent -charge by the infantry, who have been concentrated -under the shelter of the field-guns. A -simultaneous charge is made on our left wing. -All along the line and on both flanks we sustain -a heavy fusillade from the enemy. Although -protected to some extent by our rocks, our -losses are pretty heavy.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The English come up to be killed with -admirable courage. Three times they return to -the charge in the open, losing a great many -men. At nightfall they are close upon us.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>I go in search of Colonel Villebois, who -means to rest his men in a little wood behind -a kopje on the banks of the Modder. We -have eaten nothing since the night before.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>At eight o'clock comes an order for a general -retreat. We learn that an outflanking -movement is to be attempted against us. In the -evening General Delarey telegraphed as follows:</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 1em"> -</div> -<p class="pfirst"><span>'The English are advancing upon our positions -in two different directions. They have -begun to bombard General Sellier, and are -keeping up a sharp rifle-fire. We have been -heavily engaged from nine o'clock this morning -till sunset. The federated troops fought like -heroes. Three times they repulsed a strong -force of the English, who brought up fresh -troops against us every time. Each attack was -repulsed, and at sunset the English troops were -only about forty metres from us. Their losses -were very heavy. Our own have not yet been -ascertained. A report on this point will -follow.'</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 1em"> -</div> -<p class="pfirst"><span>We found afterwards that Roberts' entire -army was present, some 40,000 men, and that -he had engaged over 12,000. Our losses were -380 men out of about 950.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>At 8.30 we set out hastily for Bloemfontein, -carrying off our prisoners and wounded on -trolleys drawn by mules. About eleven o'clock -we pass some English outposts, which are -pointed out to us on our right at a distance of -only a few hundred metres.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>At three in the morning we arrive at the -store where we had bivouacked two nights -before. We leave our horses to graze in a -field of maize, and take a short rest. About -five we are greeted by distant volleys.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>'</span><em class="italics">Obsal!</em><span>'</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>But my horse is dead lame in the right hind-leg. -I try to bind it up with the remains of an -old waistcoat. Impossible. He cannot drag -himself along. I am forced to 'find' another -which is grazing near by.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>I seem to be forming predatory habits. Here -I am now with a dog I 'found,' which follows -me faithfully, on a horse I also 'found'! But -it is in the cause of liberty.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Besides, these habits are so much in vogue -among the Boers. I could tell a tale of one of my -comrades, to whose detriment some half-dozen -horses had been 'found' by the Burghers (the -process is called by them </span><em class="italics">obtail</em><span>). And, to -conclude, my find was no great acquisition.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>We finally arrive at Bloemfontein about -three o'clock in the afternoon. Here we meet -numbers of English men and women, smartly -dressed in summer costumes, smiling and cheerful, -starting out in carriages to meet the victors. -They are not aggressive, however; our sullen -bearing perhaps warns them that a misplaced -exuberance might have unpleasant consequences.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>We find our convoy at the entrance of the -town, and we pass through to our camp on the east.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Poor capital! What terror, what disorder -shows itself on every side! The shops have -been hurriedly shut; men, carriages, riders pass -each other in every direction, and the two main -streets are encumbered with an interminable -string of bullock-waggons. In the market-place -and in the market itself an improvised -ambulance has been set up, and the wounded are -being tended. On every threshold stand women -and children, whose anxious eyes seem to ask: -'Where are they?'</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 4em"> -</div> -<p class="center pfirst"><span class="large">VI</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 2em"> -</div> -<p class="pfirst"><span>We start again on the 12th, at three in the -morning. Not a Burgher remains with us. -They have all gone off in the directions of -Wynburg and Kroonstad.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>On the 13th we are on the bridge of the -Modder River. We establish ourselves in a -deserted farm, and execute some stray ducks, -which would no doubt have died of hunger but -for our timely appearance--a most painful end, -I believe.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Scouts are sent out. In about an hour the -English are suddenly sighted. We rush to -the road, and in ten minutes a barricade is -thrown across it. I am in the centre with the -others. But the English hang back, and finally -go off.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Towards noon we start in the direction of -Brandfort, where our convoy, which was to -travel day and night, is expected to be by this -time. It is about 4.30 when we come in sight -of the village.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>There is a cloud of dust on our left, then -two despatch-riders on bicycles fly past us. The Lancers!</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>We set off at a gallop to get to the houses -before them. It is a steeplechase between -us. After an hour's ride we arrive at the same -time as the head of the enemy's advanced guard, -which falls back at a gallop. We try to pursue -them, but our broken-down horses can carry us -no further.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>We rush into the village, while our men -hastily harness our carts. The Colonel sends -us to take up a position to cover their retreat, -for there are two squadrons of Lancers in the -little wood 500 metres from the village. The -Landdrost, fearing reprisals, comes to beg me -not to fire. I give him these alternatives--to -hold his tongue or to be shot. He prefers the -former, and I see him no more.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Meanwhile, C---- and Michel get down a -cannon from a truck at the railway-station. -The terrified artillerymen refuse to work it. -But the English, not knowing what our -numbers are (we are barely twenty-five), dare -not attack us, and we get away in the night.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Our rallying-point is Kroonstad, the new -capital of the Free State.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>On the 15th we are at Wynburg. We leave -it again on the morning of the 16th by the last -train, setting fire to the railway-station and -destroying the reservoirs. Comfortably -installed in a train we made up ourselves, at -Smaldeel we are invaded by a whole -commando.... Six men to every carriage, with -their six saddles, six bridles, six rifles, six -cloaks, a dozen blankets, and some twenty -packages.... Ouf!</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>These good Burghers, who smoke as long -as they can, are without the most elementary -ideas of ordinary civility of behaviour. Their -familiarity of manner is extraordinary; happily, -they show no resentment if one retorts in like -fashion. One of them, to steady himself -during his slumbers, thrusts his foot--and such -a foot!--into the pocket of C----'s coat. -C----, put quite at his ease by this proceeding, -does not hesitate to increase the comfort of his -own position by a reciprocal thrusting of his -foot into the waistcoat of his sympathetic -</span><em class="italics">vis-à-vis</em><span>. They form a touchingly fraternal -group, and in this position they sleep for ten -hours. At every sudden stoppage, the rounded -paunch of the good Burgher acts as a buffer, -deadening the violence of the jolt for my -friend.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>My </span><em class="italics">vis-à-vis</em><span>--I had almost said my -opponent--much more formal, is content to -plant a bag on my knees, and a box on my -feet.... How beautiful is the simplicity of -rustic manners!</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>At last, on March 17, we reach Kroonstad -and establish our camp there. We take -advantage of this sojourn to pursue the -education of our 'boys.'</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>In consequence of our having 'chummed' -with other comrades, our suite has taken on -alarming proportions; we look like a company -of slave-dealers.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The biggest and oldest of our boys is called -John. He seems to have an inordinate affection -for straws, with which he delights to adorn the -calves of his legs.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The second is also called John; he is one of -the best. We have christened him 'Cook,' in -allusion to his functions. An old stove, found -in a house that had been burnt, gives him quite -an important air when he prepares our meals.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The third is called Charlie. He is very -intelligent, an excellent mule-driver, but a -thorough rascal.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The fourth, who is chocolate-coloured, is -good at guarding the mules at the pasture. -He is called 'Beguini,' which means little.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The fifth is not of much use for anything, -but he is very fond of his master, a sympathetic -survivor of 'Fort Chabrol.'</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The sixth belongs to no one. But noting -that his compatriots seem happy enough with -us, he has established himself in our kitchen, -and serves us more or less like the others.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The Walsh River, a very remarkable stream, -for there is water in it,[#] flows past Kroonstad, -and we occupy our leisure moments with the -bucolic occupation of fishing.</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 2em"> -</div> -<p class="left pfirst"><span class="small">[#] Most of the rivers are dried up in summer-time.</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 2em"> -</div> -<p class="pfirst"><span>All the members of the Government have -assembled at Kroonstad; the two Presidents, -the generals, the military attachés, and Colonel -de Villebois-Mareuil are present at their deliberations.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>There seems to be a tendency to energetic -measures. A martial law decreeing the -death-penalty against deserters is passed and -proclaimed. Unfortunately, it was never enforced. -The confidence of the Burghers has been -somewhat shaken. The Executive begins to -understand that he who foretold the -consequences of their blunders so unerringly may -perhaps be able to remedy them.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>On the 20th, accordingly, Colonel de -Villebois-Mareuil is appointed Vecht-General, and -all the Europeans are placed under his command. -But scarcely had this just and intelligent -resolution been passed, when jealousy, pride, and fear -of seeing a stranger succeed where they themselves -had failed took possession of the Burghers, -and the orders to concentrate were never -carried out.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>It is much to be regretted that sentiments so -injurious to the national cause should have -deprived the Government of the inestimable -services that might have been rendered by a -corps of 1,500 or 2,000 resolute Europeans, all -formerly soldiers, under the command of a man -of the science, the valour, and the worth of -General de Villebois-Mareuil.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Nevertheless, about 200 men of all nationalities, -drawn by the confidence such a leader -alone could inspire, came of their own free will -to place themselves under his orders. With -these he organized the 'European Legion.' It -included the two divisions of the French corps, -a Dutch corps, and a German corps.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Everything General de Villebois asked for -was promised, but nothing was carried out. -His plan consisted primarily of raids like those -which marked the War of Secession.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>On the 20th he addressed this stirring -proclamation to us and to those who were scattered -further afield:</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 1em"> -</div> -<p class="pfirst"><span>'</span><em class="italics">To the Legionaries who have known me as their -comrade:</em></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>'Officers, non-commissioned officers, and -soldiers! I know you have not forgotten me, -and that we understand each other, hence this -appeal to you.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>'We see around us a worthy people, who are -threatened with the loss of their rights, their -property, and their liberty, for the satisfaction -of a handful of capitalists.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>'The blood which flows in the veins of this -people is partly French blood. France, -therefore, owes them some manifestation of sympathy.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>'You are men whose martial temperaments, -to say nothing of the great obligations of -nationality, have brought together under the banner -of this people. May success and victory attend -their flag! I know you as the ideal type of -a corps made for attack, and ignorant of retreat.'</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 1em"> -</div> -<p class="pfirst"><span>Influenced mainly by the unfriendly attitude -of certain generals to whom his promotion had -given umbrage, Villebois determined to strike a -great blow in all haste.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Without waiting to complete the organization -of the Legion, he formed us into a corps of -100 men, which he made up by the addition of -twenty-five Afrikanders, under Field-Cornet -Coleman; and as soon as the cartload of -dynamite he had been awaiting arrived, he set out -on the 24th, at eight o'clock in the evening.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>His parting orders to me were to hold myself -in readiness, with the rest of the men (about -100) and the new arrivals, for Saturday next, -March 31, and to collect horses and provisions. -On the 31st, he would come back and explain -the second part of the operation he was then -beginning.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Absolute secrecy was preserved as to the -object of his expedition. To Breda's question -as to the direction he proposed to take, he -replied: 'To the right.'</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Our poor General was very nervous. On -March 23, the eve of his departure, he -telegraphed to a wounded friend who was -returning to France: 'You, at least, know -your fate, whereas I am uncertain what lies -before me!' A dark presentiment, perhaps. In -any case, what melancholy underlies that short -phrase! I do not say </span><em class="italics">discouragement</em><span>, for there -are some stout hearts who know not the feeling, -and Villebois was of these.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Two days after, one of my men returned in -the evening; his horse had broken down on the -road. They had made a very rapid march, -taking only four hours' rest at night and four in -the day, in two fractions. Nevertheless, after -thirty-six hours of marching at this rate, this -man, unmounted, and separated from the rest of -the column, had found a horse in a kraal, and -had been able to return to Kroonstad in two hours.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Where then had the guide led them? If I -could have communicated with the General, I -would have warned him, but this was out of -the question. On the 31st, there was no news; -on the 1st, 2nd and 3rd of April, still none. On -the 4th, after a notice from Colonel Maximoff, -our detachment moved to Brandfort.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>We are at a loss to account for the delay in -the return of our comrades. But in a campaign -delays are so common, the unexpected happens -so constantly, that our anxiety is not very -great.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The special train that takes us to Smaldeel -consists of fifty-three coaches, the number found -necessary for the men, waggons, and horses of -our contingent. We found that the railway -had been cut beyond Smaldeel, and we were -obliged to go on to Brandfort by the road.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Brandfort had been occupied by the Lancers -for several days, but they had fallen back. The -village is now the centre of Generals Delarey, -Kolby and Smith.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>We arrive on April 7 at 8.30. In the afternoon -a telegram is posted up announcing that -General Christian de Wet, who is operating to -the east of Bloemfontein, has arrived near -Sanna's Post, cutting off the water-supply of -the Bloemfontein garrison, and carrying off -375 men, 7 cannon, 1,000 mules and 400 -waggons. Three days later, on April 4, at -Dewetsdorp, he took 459 more prisoners and -12 waggons.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>This was the beginning of that series of -</span><em class="italics">razzie</em><span> and surprises he has been carrying on -incessantly ever since, astonishing the most -audacious by his audacity, and by the rapidity -and suddenness of his movements defeating the -most scientific and elaborate devices for his -capture. Broadwood, Rundle, Hunter, even -Kitchener have been forced to give up the chase, -and to wait till Fortune, unfaithful for a day, -shall deliver the valiant Burgher into their -hands.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>We met the Landdrost of Brandfort again, -now more patriotic than ever; but he seemed -slightly embarrassed when he saw us.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>On April 7, the day of our arrival, we made -a reconnaissance towards the south with four -men. As we left the Boer lines we met a man, -who, hearing us talking French, came to bid us -'Bon jour!' We entered into conversation, and -he seemed to take a great interest in European -news. At last he told us he was a Belgian, and -suddenly asked:</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>'You had a war with the Germans one time, -didn't you?'</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The war of 1870 was news to him. He had -been on the Veldt since 1867.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>'Do you know if our Leopold is still on the -throne?'</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>After assuring him of the health and even -vigour of his Sovereign, we continued our -reconnaissance, not without moralizing a little -over a man who had so completely broken with -Europe and the old civilization.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The English positions were visible from -Brandfort, on Tabel Kop and Tabel Berg, the -other side of the plain that stretches south-east -of the little town. Towards five o'clock we -received a few volleys, hastily fired, which did -no damage. But our object was attained: we -had discovered that the enemy's positions -extended a good way to the south.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The 8th was a Sunday. In the evening I -received this telegram from President Steyn:</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 1em"> -</div> -<p class="pfirst"><span>'The Landdrost of Hoopstad sends me the -following: "Field-Cornet Daniels reports that -the troops under Methuen's command at Boshof -have marched upon Hoopstad, and I have -received from Methuen himself the letter I -communicate below. The native who brought -the letter tells us that an engagement took place -with General de Villebois in the neighbourhood -of Boshof, that ten men were killed on our side, -and fifteen on that of the enemy, among them -a superior officer, but that all our force was -finally made prisoner. Field-Cornet Daniels -supposes that the enemy will march upon -Christiana and Hoopstad, and thence upon -Kroonstad."</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 1em"> -</div> -<p class="left pfirst"><span>"'HEADQUARTERS, SWARTZ KOPJEFONTEIN, -<br />"'</span><em class="italics">April</em><span> 8, 1900.</span></p> -<p class="left pnext"><span>"'To THE COMMANDANT OF THE FREE STATE LAAGER.</span></p> -<p class="left pnext"><span>"'SIR,</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>'"I have the honour of sending you a -copy of Lord Roberts' proclamation to the Free -State, laying down the conditions under which -you are invited to surrender.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>'"Two days ago the Foreign Legion was -taken prisoner by me, and their General, -Villebois, was killed.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>'"The English army is advancing on every -side, and I beg you to consider the very liberal -conditions now offered you, which would not -be renewed at a later date.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>'"I have the honour to be, sir,</span></p> -<p class="left pnext"><span>'"Your obedient servant, -<br />'"METHUEN,"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>'"Lieutenant-General commanding -the 10th Division."'</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 1em"> -</div> -<p class="pfirst"><span>This telegram was a thunderbolt for us. -The anxiety we had felt at the General's delay -had not been such as to have caused us to dream -of such a catastrophe. Yet we could not doubt -the news.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>'Two days ago the Foreign Legion was -taken prisoner by me, and their General, -Villebois, was killed,' said the telegram.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>That evening two reconnoitring parties were -sent out; the first, from the Tabel Kop -direction, came in next morning with a wounded -man. The second, under Wrangel, started for -the neighbourhood of Hoopstad, and could not -return for several days.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>On the 9th we made an inventory of the -property belonging to the General, to Breda, -and to the rest of our poor comrades, all of -which was packed for transmission to Pretoria. -The same day I received the following telegram -from Colonel Gourko:</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 1em"> -</div> -<p class="pfirst"><span>'Thomson unites with me in the expression -of our profound grief at the cruel loss you have -sustained in the person of Colonel de Villebois-Mareuil, -a valiant soldier and distinguished leader.'</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 1em"> -</div> -<p class="pfirst"><span>This homage from the Russian and Dutch -attachés to the memory of our great compatriot -touched us deeply.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>On the 10th one of Ganetzki's men was -killed in a reconnaissance. Comte Ganetzki -had his day of Parisian celebrity in connection -with La belle O----.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>On the 11th I had a telegram from Wrangel:</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 1em"> -</div> -<p class="pfirst"><span>'I reached here (Hoopstad) at 5.30 this -evening, with five men. The English are at -Knappiesfontein, an hour and a half's march -from Boshof. There are no Burghers at Hoopstad. -I shall start for Boshof to-morrow, and -send you a report later on. I await your -orders.'</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 1em"> -</div> -<p class="pfirst"><span>I at once communicate this news to General -P. Botha. He believes that the environs of -Hoopstad are occupied by the Burghers, and -that the English will march upon Smaldeel -to cut off communication (April 12). Events -proved him to have been entirely mistaken; but -I might have talked to him for hours without -altering his convictions an iota.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Cannon had been thundering all the evening -in the distance, but we had not been able to -determine in what direction they were. -On April 13, Commandant Delarey, brother -of the General, was appointed honorary -commander of the European Legion--'honorary' -because he could not act save in concert with -the heads of the different corps--Rittmeister -Illich for the Austro-Hungarians, Captain -Lorentz for the Germans, myself for the French.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>An official telegram announces that General -de Villebois was buried at Boshof with military -honours. Lord Methuen was present, and the -prisoners of the Legion were represented. -There was even a funeral oration, to which -Breda replied.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>In the engagement of April 5 there had -been 11 killed, the General being one, and 51 -wounded, out of 68. The rest had been made -prisoners.</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 1em"> -</div> -<p class="pfirst"><em class="italics">Easter Day</em><span>, 1900.--A second telegram from -Wrangel, dated from Hoopstad, reports as -follows:</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>'1. Braschel (a former officer of the German -artillery) informs us that 10,000 men and 700 -cavalry are marching from Boshof on Bultfontein. -He counted thirty-six gun-carriages, cannon, and -waggons.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>'2. There are about 700 Burghers at Landslaagte.'</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 1em"> -</div> -<p class="pfirst"><span>On the 16th, we take horse at noon with -every man available to join Kolby. This -excellent General, one of the best men that ever -lived, is not remarkable for the originality of his -combinations. He witnessed our arrival with -delight, smiling--he is always smiling--received -us very cordially, and asked us what we had -come for! He had had no instructions about -us; however, it was all the same to him whether -we slept there or elsewhere, so we remained. -We came in for a perfect deluge of rain all -night, and at four the next morning we started -to take up a position with Delarey's, Botha's, -and Kolby's commandos.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>We number from 1,000 to 1,200 Burghers, -with two Creusot guns, a Krupp and a Nordenfeldt.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>At 4.30 in the evening, orders are given to -retire to the different camps. We arrive at -10 o'clock.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>On the 18th, it rains again in torrents. In -the evening, about 9 o'clock, Wrangel's -reconnoitring party comes in. I will transcribe the -account given me by one of his men, Meslier, -that it may lose nothing of its interest by a -paraphrase.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>'Starting on Monday, the 9th, in the evening, -we marched secretly and rapidly towards -Hoopstad, following first the Vedula and then the -Wet River across the veldt. We crossed rivers -without any fords, passing through a country -without roads or paths, and through the dense -bush that grows on the banks of the -water-courses. Out of ten picked horses two died, -and three men fell out on the road exhausted. -One of them went into hospital at Smaldeel.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>'On Wednesday, the 11th, we reached Hoopstad -at five o'clock in the evening, and slept at -the President Hotel, which is kept by a German.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>'At six o'clock next morning (April 12) I -started with Braschel and Brostolicky in the -direction of Boshof. The English, after having -advanced upon Bultfontein, as reported in our -telegram of the 15th, returned for the most part -towards Boshof. We slept that night at -Landslaagte, where the Johannesburg Politie are -encamped. They number about 200, and expect -a reinforcement of 300 men.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>'We left again on the morning of the 13th, -separating at a given point, Braschel and his -companion going towards the camp of -Commandant Cronje (brother of the General taken -prisoner at Paardeberg), and I towards Boshof.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>'Towards noon I passed Driefontein, which -was supposed to be occupied by the English. -The inhabitants of the farm told me that when -Colonel de Villebois arrived an English corps -had been in the neighbourhood for several days, -apparently waiting. The people at the farm -heard the noise of the battle, which lasted about -four hours, and helped to collect the dead and -wounded afterwards. Among our men they -noticed one who had a handkerchief bound -round his head and a very large nose. Another -had a very long beard.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>'Towards one o'clock I arrived at Muyfontein, -where there was a little outpost of thirty -Lancers under an officer. I sheered off to -the east, and arrived near Boshof about half-past -four.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>'Boshof was full of troops. From the -neighbouring kopjes one could distinctly see the -"khakis" moving about in the village. Skirting -Boshof, I arrived at Kopjefontein on the -south-west. There I was a good deal disturbed by -strange hissing noises coming from about -800 metres away, and the pursuit of a party -of twenty Lancers, who followed me for about -half an hour.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>'I returned to Rothsplaats Farm, where I -spent the night. I had fastened my horse to a -cart, and had laid down myself under a tree. -About ten o'clock eight marauders approached -from the path. Not seeing me, some of the -party installed themselves in the farm, while the -rest chased a young pig, which, flying in terror -before them, came quite close to the corner -where I was lying in ambush. Fortunately he -changed his mind, and made off in another -direction. Finally, to my great satisfaction, -they caught him, and the whole party returned -to the farm. They stayed about two hours, -and then departed.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>'At four in the morning I continued my -journey, and at eight o'clock I arrived at -Landslaagte, where I joined the Johannesburg -Politie.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>'Between Landslaagte and Driefontein I met -Cronje with about 2,000 men, a Krupp and a -Nordenfeldt gun. His intention was to attack -Kopjefontein. I reported what I had seen, and -went on towards Hoopstad; but my worn-out -horse fell when we were still some four hours -distant from the town. I was obliged to sleep -at a farm, and was unable to reach Hoopstad -till the afternoon of Sunday, the 15th. All our -seven horses had broken down. We asked for -others, which the Landdrost refused. Wrangel -accordingly telegraphed to President Steyn, who -replied by an order to give us everything we -required.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>'We took some excellent horses and a few -necessary garments, for a three days' journey -through the thorns and bush that border the -Wet River had reduced us to absolute rags.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>'These negotiations and a brief rest occupied -Monday and Tuesday. We started on Wednesday -at one o'clock, and knowing the road to be -safe, we passed through Bultfontein, accomplishing -our return journey in a day and a half.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>'At Hoopstad we were told that when the -Villebois contingent had passed through, all had -remarked the gaiety of the General, who had -kept the piano going all the evening, and the -depression of Breda.'</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>These last words gave a fresh poignancy to -our regrets. Just as the General had been the -ideal of the brilliant and revered leader, so had -Breda been the ideal of the devoted friend, the -good comrade, the man of sound judgment and -charming amenities.</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 1em"> -</div> -<p class="center pfirst"><span>* * * * *</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 1em"> -</div> -<p class="pfirst"><span>From this report we gathered certain facts -hard to explain. We group them here together -with others which reached us from a different -source.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>1. Wrangel and his men, who left Brandfort -on the evening of the 9th, arrived at Driefontein -at noon on the 13th--in four nights and three -and a half days. The General, under the conduct -of his Afrikander guide, took twelve nights and -eleven days (from the evening of March 24 to -the morning of April 5) to cover an equivalent -distance. Now, the length and irregularity of -this march were utterly irreconcilable with the -object the General had in view, with the dates -he had himself fixed, and with the length and -severity of the distances he was in the habit of -exacting from his men.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>2. Numerous desertions took place among -the Dutch and the Afrikanders, men who spoke -the same language.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>3. Finally, and this is a very serious -coincidence, a whole English brigade, which retired -as soon as it had made the </span><em class="italics">coup</em><span> determined on, -was lying in wait for the contingent, the itinerary -of which had been kept so strictly secret that -only the guide could have known it exactly.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>This fact was confirmed by the following -statement made to me by an English officer -present at the engagement. The General, -finding himself surrounded at daybreak, after -having marched all night, took up a position -on a kopje near the farm of Driefontein. -Artillery fire began almost immediately, opened -by Battery No. 4 of the Royal Field Artillery.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Throughout the four hours of the engagement -the General was seen walking up and -down, encouraging first one and then another, -and pointing out the spots at which his followers -were to fire. His death was followed by the -surrender of the decimated band.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The General wore the costume he always put -on for expeditions and for the field--a brown -hat, fastened up on one side with a badge -bearing the arms of the Transvaal; an old black -tunic, the large metal buttons of which had been -replaced by large black ones; brown corduroy -trousers, and shooting-boots, laced in front and -buckled at the sides; his revolver in a -cross-belt, and at his waist a yellow leather case, -containing a chronometer, a barometer and a -compass. He always wore brown kid gloves, -and carried a bamboo cane. I will not yet -express the melancholy thought which, with -me, has become a firm conviction; but when I -learned the fate of my revered chief, 'the La -Fayette of South Africa,' as one of the most -distinguished Generals of the French army called -him, how could I but remember the disappointments -he had suffered during the last six months, -the petty jealousies by which he had been -pursued, and the ill-will which had hampered -all his bold and intelligent initiative?</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Pondering these things, I recalled the day -when, before Kimberley, the General had -received from France a little gold medal, which -he showed me with proud emotion. It bore -this inscription: 'To a great Frenchman, from -the companions of his daughter.'</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Yes, a great Frenchman! For in him -flourished all high thoughts of duty and abnegation, -all the noble virtues that make up a great -leader and a great patriot. He was a man and -a soldier.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>In this connection it will be of interest to -record what my friend and comrade Breda told -me, on his return from Saint Helena, of the -engagement of April 5. He cannot believe that -there was treachery, yet he cannot explain certain -strange coincidences.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>'We started, as you know,' he said, 'on the -evening of March 24. Our guide began by -losing his way the first night and the first day. -(This confirmed the story told by my man, -who came back in two hours, after marching -out for thirty-six.)</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>'At last we arrived at Hoopstad, where an -important group of the Dutch contingent refused -to advance.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>'The General, determined to advance with -the French alone, ordered the names of the -Dutch who remained faithful to be taken down. -A sudden revulsion of feeling made the majority -of them give in their names, and the detachment -set off in the direction of Boshof.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>'At the farm of Driefontein a messenger came -in search of the General. A most important -communication from a distinguished personage -awaited him at Hoopstad. A serious scheme -was on foot for the formation of a large legion.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>'This project appealed strongly to the General, -who left me at Driefontein with the detachment, -returning himself to Hoopstad to confer with -the envoy. He returned in three days, and -the march towards the south was resumed.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>'The General supposed that there might be -about 200 or 300 men at Boshof, and, on being -assured of this, a Boer commando of about 200 -men joined us. But on the 4th, information -was received that Boshof was much more -strongly occupied, and that it might hold from -800 to 1,000 men. The General, believing -this story to be an invention of the Burghers -to excuse their defection--of which they -immediately gave notice--disregarded it, and -continued his march.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>'We arrived near a farm where, it appears, the -English officers at Boshof were in the habit of -coming to picnic on Sundays. The General -made for a point a little way from this, and -halted beside a small kopje. We unsaddled the -horses and sent them to graze, and the tired -men lay down to sleep.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>'I remained talking with General de Villebois, -when we suddenly caught sight of a few horsemen.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>'"The English!"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>'I went off to wake the men quietly, for -we hoped to surprise this little reconnoitring -party. There were so few of them that we -did not fetch in our horses.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>'They came nearer. All of a sudden, behind -them in the distance a long column of "khakis" -came in sight. It was no longer a question of -surprising a patrol. We had to defend ourselves.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>'The General at once recognised the gravity -of the situation. He arranged his men on two -little kopjes, the Dutch on one, the French on -the other, remaining himself with the latter. -Each man had his place assigned him, his rock -to defend.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>'And the battle began--a furious, hopeless -encounter. For three hours we replied as well -as we could to the tremendous fusillade that soon -made gaps among us.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>'Almost at the outset the Dutch hoisted the -white flag and surrendered. Two or three of -them who chanced to be with the French -contingent came and asked General de Villebois to -surrender. He pointed to the kopje where -their compatriots had already laid down their arms.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>'"Here we do not surrender," he said.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>'By degrees, however, the first shelters were -abandoned, and the men fell back on some -rocks beyond. The General noticed this.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>'"Return to the first positions!" he ordered.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>'Bullets were falling like hail. There was a -moment's hesitation.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>'"Shall I go myself?" cried the Chief, advancing.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>'But a brave fellow springs forward. It is -Franck, who had already distinguished himself -at Abraham's Kraal. Waving his rifle with -a grand gesture, he cried: "Vive la France!"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>'He fell instantly, struck by two bullets. -But the impulse had been given; the positions -were resumed.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>'On all sides, however, the "khakis" were -closing in upon us. They fixed their bayonets -and charged. Suddenly the General fell back -without a word. He was dead.'</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 1em"> -</div> -<p class="center pfirst"><span>* * * * *</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 1em"> -</div> -<p class="pfirst"><span>Whatever the strength and vitality of a man -may be, the inert body will fall when the soul -takes flight. Villebois was the soul of the -legion. Accordingly, when he was killed, -the survivors surrendered, after four hours -of heroic resistance.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Out of twenty-seven Frenchmen, the General, -Le Gilles and Robiquet were killed, Bardin, -Bernard, Franck and the others were wounded.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The English officers told us that they had -been informed several days before of the arrival -of 100 Frenchmen at Hoopstad, thus confirming -the story of the Driefontein farmers.</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 1em"> -</div> -<p class="pfirst"><span>The Comte de Villebois, one of the youngest -colonels in the French army, had been severely -wounded as a sub-lieutenant in the army of the -Loire in 1870. His conduct had been such as -to merit the Cross of the Legion of Honour at -the age of twenty.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>I will transcribe here, as a touching homage -to his memory, the order of the day which -Colonel de Nadaillac addressed to his regiment, -informing them of the glorious death of their -former chief:</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>'Colonel de Villebois-Mareuil, who had the -honour of commanding the 130th Regiment, -has died a soldier's death in the Transvaal, shot -through the breast by the fragment of a shell.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>'Retiring at an early age, at his own request, -he took his sword and the resources of his fine -intelligence to the aid of the little Boer nation.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>'His chivalrous soul could not resist the appeal -of those generous sentiments which have so long -been a tradition in our fair France. He wished -to defend the weak against the strong.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>'Let us respectfully salute this victim of the -noblest French virtues, this valiant soldier who -has fallen on the field of honour.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>'The former Colonel of the 130th will be held -in loving remembrance by us, and we offer the -just tribute of our patriotic regrets to his -memory.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>'May God have mercy on the brave man -who left child, friends, and fortune, to defend -the oppressed.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>'The death of Colonel de Villebois-Mareuil -will be recorded in the regimental annals of the -130th.'</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 4em"> -</div> -<p class="center pfirst"><span class="large">VII</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 2em"> -</div> -<p class="pfirst"><span>On the 18th we heard that De Wet, after his -successes at Taba N'chu and Sanna's Post, was -at Wepener, where he had surrounded 2,000 -men of Brabant's Horse.</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 1em"> -</div> -<p class="center pfirst"><span>* * * * *</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 1em"> -</div> -<p class="pfirst"><span>Without orders, and without precise tidings -of any kind, we remain five days longer at -Brandfort.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>General Delarey seems uncertain what to do. -While he is casting about for a plan of action, -we may take a glance at our enemies, and study -them a little.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>In this campaign the English army has -collected together elements the most diverse. -About one half of it consists of regular troops, -the other half of volunteers, colonial troops, -and contingents from every country. Their -behaviour under fire varies greatly, according -to their origin.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Tommy Atkins the regular, cold, calm, -advances under a hail of projectiles, marching -steadily in time, as if on the parade-ground. -Scornful of danger, his head held high, he -seems to say: 'Make way! I am an Englishman!'</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The colonial, on the other hand, the -cowboy, the volunteer from the Cape, from -Rhodesia, and from Australia, a hunter by -profession, fights in the same fashion as the -Boers. He has their qualities and their -defects: great precision as a marksman, but a -lack of cohesion and of discipline. Crouching -behind a rock, taking advantage of every scrap -of cover, like his adversary, he hunts rather -than fights.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>But a good many militiamen, volunteers from -various towns, and yeomen are even less brilliant, -and exchange perils, privations, and fatigue for -a sojourn in a Boer prison with great readiness. -Some of the regular regiments, too, brought up -to their fighting strength by hasty recruiting at -the last moment, are not exempt from the shame -of unnecessary capitulations.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>But such proceedings are not characteristic of -Tommy. The Englishman knows very little -of the art of war, but he is brave, very brave.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The officers, with some few exceptions, are -ignorant of everything an officer should know. -The operations (?) of Sir Charles Warren, Lord -Methuen, and Sir Redvers Buller seem to be a -sort of competition of lunatics.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>General Buller appears to have some inkling -of it himself; on December 28 he writes as -follows from the camp of Frere:</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>'I suppose our officers will in time learn the -value of scouting; but in spite of all one can -say, up to this our men seem to blunder into -the midst of the enemy, and suffer accordingly.'</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>These words from the pen of the General -who, on January 24, was to 'authorize' the -Spion Kop fiasco are delicious!</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The profession of arms in England is an -occupation not at all absorbing, but very -fashionable, very 'sporting.'</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>War itself is a sport, which has its special -costume, its accidents proper to the soldier, but -which is not supposed to engross the man. -The fact that a great many officers brought -with them, in addition to their khaki uniforms -and braided tunics, tennis, football, and polo -costumes, dress-coats and smoking-jackets, is -significant of this state of mind.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The programme they had mentally drawn up -was something of this sort: From 7 to 8 a.m., -football, breakfast; from 9 to 10, lawn tennis; -from 10 to 11, a battle; then a rest, a tub, -massage, lunch!</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The English officer is a gentleman, always -perfectly well bred, often very well educated, -and extremely affable; but he is a gentleman, -and not an officer.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>War entered upon by men of this type -demands neither serious preliminary study nor -effective progress in an army; and as regards -military art and science, the English are still at -the stage of the pitched battle.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>It is but just to add that they have also -preserved the cool, tenacious courage and the -indomitable energy of their race, qualities which -none can deny them. I saw some superb -charges by English troops in Africa, but they -always reminded me of Marechal Pelissier's -remark after the heroic charge at Balaclava: -'C'est magnifique, mais ce n'est pas la guerre!'</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>I am no Anglophile, as my campaign of over -eight months on the Boer side sufficiently -proves, but it is the duty of a loyal soldier to -recognise the qualities and the courage of his -adversaries.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>After this short digression, let us resume our -survey of the English army.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>During the first months, up to March, their -artillery ammunition seems to have been very -defective, often exploding imperfectly, or not -at all. The fire took a long time to regulate, -and was nearly always independent, rarely in -salvoes. Nevertheless, I several times saw guns -served in a remarkably efficient manner.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The horses are superb, and were constantly -renewed; throughout the campaign they had -from five to six quarterns of oats a day.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Their artillery equipment consists of a variety -of very ordinary patterns. They have not yet -any field-guns with breaks. The mounted -artillery (Royal Horse Artillery) is a picked -body of men. Its officers must have served -four years in the Field Artillery, and must also -be possessed of a certain private income.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Their guns, Armstrongs of 76.2 millimetres, -are called 12-pounders (from the weight of the -projectile). The Field Artillery uses 89 -millimetre guns with 22-pound shells. The -breech-blocks are screwed in. The mountain-guns -(1882 pattern) are loaded at the muzzle.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The batteries consist of six pieces, with the -exception of the volunteer batteries, which have -only four.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Their shell-guns, of which even during their -operations on the open plain they had a certain -number of batteries (notably No. 61 Battery at -Spion Kop, and No. 65 Battery at Paardeburg), -are howitzers of the latest pattern; they are -loaded at the breech, and are specially -constructed for fire at a high angle of elevation.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Their naval guns and siege guns, dragged -about by teams of from twenty to thirty oxen, -were able to follow the troops in a satisfactory -manner.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The lyddite shells did not prove very -effective. They explode with a loud and violent -report. The green smoke has a stupefying -effect; objects such as stones or fragments of -shell that come in contact with the explosive -take on a sulphur-green tint.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The English used over 300 guns; and if we -add to these thirty-five large naval guns, -mounted upon siege-gun carriages, and those -of the volunteer batteries, we get a total of -about 400.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The cavalry has played but a secondary part; -but the charges of General French's division at -Poplar Grove were vigorously executed, and -cost the lives of two officers and some fifty men. -The relief of Kimberley by this same division -was rather a raid of great rapidity than a -cavalry action properly so-called.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The Boer method of warfare explains the -powerlessness of the cavalry to take any -prominent part in the operations; reconnaissances -were carried out by Kaffir spies and -Afrikander irregulars. Cavalry pursuit would, -I think, have been perfectly useless, for the -Boers would have immediately taken up -defensive positions in kopjes inaccessible to horses, -and the precision of their fire would soon have -proved extremely harassing to the horsemen.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The infantry, to give it greater mobility, was -relieved of every kind of impedimenta. The -uniform is extremely practical as a whole.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The foot-soldier wears a khaki tunic with -pockets, made in the summer of canvas, in the -winter of cloth; trousers to match, the lower -part bound up in strips of khaki flannel, on the -same pattern as those of our Chasseurs Alpins. -His helmet is absolutely unsuitable; heavy -and ugly, it does not even protect him from the sun.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>A big dark-gray cloak, a blanket, and a -waterproof tent canvas, which theoretically are -supposed to be carried on the back in two -little rolls, are as a fact transported on trolleys -drawn by mules marching on the left of each company.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The man carries only his canteen and his -bandolier. The latter seemed to me too large -and heavy to be practical, but the canteen, the -lid of which makes a saucepan, seems -convenient. It is the same for officers and privates. -Each battalion is followed by a little Maxim -gun, firing Lee-Metford cartridges.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The Mounted Infantry is, theoretically, an -arm of the first importance. In practice it has -its partisans and its detractors. I leave the task -of authoritative pronouncement to critics more -expert than myself, and shall only say that -Colonel Martyr's and General Hutton's Mounted -Rifles rendered very considerable service to Lord -Roberts. The Mounted Rifle has an ordinary -cavalry saddle, with a black cloak rolled up on -the holsters before him. His uniform is the -same as that of the infantry: a tunic, trousers, -and flannel bandages. He wears the felt hat -of the country. He carries two bandoliers -and is armed with the Lee-Metford rifle and -with a short bayonet like that of our artillery-men. -The butt-end of his gun rests in a bucket -hanging on the right of his saddle, and the -stock is supported by a leather thong round the -right arm like a lance.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The Mounted Rifle fights on foot, sheltering -his horse behind a piece of rising ground. His -horse to him is merely a rapid means of transport.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Belts and straps, swords, sheaths and hilts, -guns and waggons, are all painted khaki colour.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>After enumerating all the weapons used by -the belligerents, it would be an unpardonable -omission to say nothing of the famous dum-dum bullets.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Have they been much used? Yes, certainly, -and on both sides.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The story that the Boers only used those -they had captured from the English is quite -inadmissible, for the Mauser rifles, which were -used exclusively in the Transvaal, were largely -provided with them.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>I will try to describe the patterns chiefly used:</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>1. Section in the nickel casing, leaving the -extremity of the leaden bullet exposed; the lead, -getting very hot, emerges partly from the casing, -flattens at the slightest resistance, and expands.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>2. Four longitudinal sections in the nickel -casing allow the bullet to flatten at the moment -of contact, and to exude lead through the -apertures.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>These two first patterns, the ones most in use, -are made for Lee-Metford and Mauser rifles.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The English also use hollow-nosed bullets, -the extremity of which is cut or rubbed off.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The Boers, for their part, have manufactured -solid projectiles, which show the lead through a -straight section, and have the four longitudinal -slits.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>A few expansive Lee-Metford cartridges, -hollow, and filled with fulminate, certainly -existed, but I do not believe that they were ever -in general use.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>I need not insist upon the terrible injuries -inflicted by all these projectiles. I have seen -the whole of the back of a man's hand carried -away by a bullet entering the palm, where it -had only made a hole of the normal dimension.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>During this war, in an arid country without -any towns, Tommy has suffered terribly. -Accustomed to the comfort of English barracks -and to abundant meals, he was ill-prepared to -spend his nights on the hard ground in cold and -rain, with stones that bruised his ribs for his -only bed, and half a biscuit for his dinner.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Now that we have inspected the English -army, let us see what it has accomplished since -our arrival.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>First of all in Natal. In January, Ladysmith -was still invested. The garrison of nearly -10,000 men and the inhabitants were decimated -more by disease than by the occasional shells -the Boers threw into the town every day as a -matter of duty. Provisions had become scarce. -An officer's ration was two biscuits and 240 -grammes of horseflesh a day.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>A dozen eggs cost £2 8s.; a dozen tomatoes, -18s.; a tin of preserved meat, £3; a tin of -condensed milk, 10s.; a pot of jam, £1 11s.; -a quarter of a pound of English tobacco, £3; -a case containing a dozen bottles of whisky, -£140, nearly £12 a bottle.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Nevertheless, a newspaper published by the -besieged, the </span><em class="italics">Lyre</em><span>, is still facetious. It -publishes the following notes:</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>'</span><em class="italics">Telegram from London</em><span>.--A shell thrown by -</span><em class="italics">Long Tom</em><span> fell in the War Office. General -Brackenbury received it with resignation.... -A good many reputations have been damaged. -The 2nd Army Corps has been discovered in -the War Office portfolios.'</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Meanwhile, Buller was still trying to cross -the Tugela and relieve Ladysmith. Without -any definite plan, perplexed and irresolute, he -runs up and down the bank of the river like a -cat afraid of the water.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>At last he 'permits' Warren to attack Spion -Kop. It is strange indeed to find Warren's -15,000 men (the 5th Division) and Buller's -25,000 setting out without a map, without -information, and without a guide.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>On January 16 Lieutenant Flood luckily -discovered a ford, by which two battalions -crossed the river; but then the Engineers were -obliged to await the arrival of Lieutenant -Mazzari's sailors to make a ferry.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>At Trichardt's Drift two pontoon bridges -were built, and the whole of Warren's division -crossed.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>On the 19th this General essays an -out-flanking movement in the direction of Acton -Homes; but this manoeuvre at the base of -escarpments occupied by the enemy is found to -be too dangerous; the division falls back upon -Trichardt's Drift with its convoys and the 420 -bullock-waggons intended for the Ladysmith -garrison.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>A frontal attack, facing east, is decided upon -for January 20. The infantry is engaged 800 -yards from the Boer trenches. It is three -o'clock; an assault is about to be made on the -position. But a counter-order arrives, the reason -for which has never yet been explained.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>On the 21st, 22nd and 23rd the English try -to gain a few hundred yards. Clery and Warren -confess themselves powerless, and turn the attack -towards the south-east.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>On the night of the 23rd General Woodgate -receives orders to seize Spion Kop. General -Woodgate, commanding the 9th Brigade, took -part in the Abyssinian campaigns of 1868, the -Ashanti campaign of 1873, and the Zulu -campaign of 1879. Later he was in command of -the English forces in West Africa, during the -rising of 1898.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>He took with him eight companies of the -2nd Battalion Lancashire Fusiliers, six companies -of the 2nd Battalion Royal Lancashire Regiment, -two companies of the 1st Battalion South -Lancashire Regiment, 194 men of Thorneycroft's -Mounted Infantry, and a half-company Royal -Engineers. To these were added two battalions -from General Lyttelton's Brigade.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>At 3.30 in the morning, after mounting the -hill in silence, Lieutenant Audrey, in command -of the advance-guard, took two of the Boer -trenches with the bayonet. They were held by -Boers of the Vryheid commando, who were few -in number, and had been completely surprised.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>But the Heidelberg and Carolina -commandos, under Schalk Burger, came to the -rescue. Urged forward by a German -commando and by Ricciardi's Italians, they crossed -an open space under a hail of bullets and -lyddite shells, and established themselves on -one of the three spurs formed by the kopje -at this point.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The struggle was very fierce. Between nine and -eleven the English charged three times with the -bayonet and were repulsed. Under the deadly -fire of the Mausers and the Maxim-Nordenfeldts -they were obliged to fall back gradually, before -any serviceable reinforcements had reached them.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Woodgate, mortally wounded, was replaced -by Colonel Thorneycroft; the latter received -neither orders nor instructions, though it would -have been easy to have established optical -telegraph communication, as the heliograph was -working between Mount Alice and Bester -Farm (Redvers Buller and White).[#]</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 2em"> -</div> -<p class="left pfirst"><span class="small">[#] A heliograph </span><em class="italics small">was</em><span class="small"> working on the height, but 'the -signallers and their apparatus were destroyed by the heavy -fire' (</span><em class="italics small">vide</em><span class="small"> Sir Charles Warren's report).--TRANSLATOR.</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 2em"> -</div> -<p class="pfirst"><span>His position had become most critical; a -council of war was hastily called, on the -decision of which the height was evacuated under -cover of night.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>On January 25 Sir Redvers Buller, who had -hastened to Warren's camp, was informed of -this catastrophe, which upset all his -combinations. A general retreat was determined on, -and the troops recrossed the Tugela.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>After this bloody check, General Buller's -report of the movement is delicious:</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>'The fact that we were able to withdraw our -ox-waggons and mule transports over a river -85 yards broad and with a rapid current, -without any interference from the enemy, is, I -think, a proof that they have learnt to respect -the fighting powers of our soldiers.'</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The 'lesson' he had given the Boers had cost -him 307 killed, thirty-one of whom were officers; -175 wounded, of whom forty-nine were officers; -and 347 prisoners and missing, among them -seven officers.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The Boers had 168 men killed. And, as -Ricciardi has pointed out, but for the -incomprehensible opposition of General Joubert, this -retreat across the Tugela would have been, not -a proof that the enemy had learnt to respect the -fighting powers of the English, but a terrific -rout. For General Louis Botha, surrounded by -a dozen guns, was watching the English passing -over their pontoons from the heights he had -defended the night before. They were well -within range, and the gunners were at their -posts. It wanted but an order, the pontoons -would have been destroyed, and Warren's -division, hemmed in by the river, would have -been massacred to a man. Why was this order -not given?</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>In March, even before the death of the -Generalissimo, a terrible word had been -whispered--treason! At any rate, his inaction was -highly culpable, for if the struggle seems -hopeless now, there was a time when he might have -turned it into victory, and made it another -Majuba Hill campaign.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>We know that Joubert's ignorance was almost -incredible, that he could not even use a map, -and that he stubbornly refused to learn. His -attitude at the time of Warren's retreat and in -certain other circumstances no doubt gave colour -to the rumours of poisoning which followed the -General's sudden death in March. It is -conceivable that some Burgher, carried away by -patriotic zeal, did not hesitate to commit a -crime that the supreme command might pass -into more faithful or bolder hands....</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Later on, when I was a prisoner in the -English camp, I said one day in jest to a young -sub-lieutenant:</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>'You lost one of your best generals in March.'</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>'Who do you mean?'</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>'Joubert.'</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Seeing his air of surprise and annoyance, -a superior officer who was present said, with -a smile:</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>'You are right!'</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 1em"> -</div> -<p class="pfirst"><span>On February 1 the positions of the -belligerents had undergone no very notable -modification since the beginning of the war. We will -recapitulate them for the last time, for English -reinforcements were arriving from every side. -Lord Roberts had assumed the supreme -command, the besieged towns were shortly to be -delivered, and the war was to enter upon an -active phase.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>In the north, in Rhodesia, General Carrington -was at Marondellas, and Colonel Plumer at -Safili Camp, near Buluwayo.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>At Mafeking, Colonel Baden-Powell is made -a Lieutenant-General. 'The Wolf who never -sleeps,' as his men call him, is still besieged by -Snyman.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Colonel Kekewich at Kimberley is surrounded -by the troops of Du Toit, Kolby, Delarey, and -Ferreira.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>General Cronje, to the south of Kimberley, is -well informed as to Lord Roberts' preparations, -but he pays no heed to them, and meets all -Villebois' far-seeing counsels with the stock -phrase: 'I was a general when you were still -a child.'</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Schoeman is near Colesberg, facing General French.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Olivier, to the north of Burghersdorp, -confronts Gatacre.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Botha and Schalk Burgher, on the north -bank of the Tugela, hold in check Buller and -Warren on the south bank, near Colenso.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Finally, Joubert, Prinsloo, and Lucas Meyer -are round Ladysmith, where General White is -still imprisoned.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>On February 5 Buller, after deploying his -troops as if for a frontal attack in the direction -of Potgieter, at last crossed the Tugela at the -foot of Dorn Kop. If perseverance deserves a -reward, he has certainly earned one.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>But the period of sieges draws to a close. -The war is entering on another phase. Lord -Roberts has completed his concentration, his -orders are given, the invasion begins.</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 4em"> -</div> -<p class="center pfirst"><span class="large">VIII</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 2em"> -</div> -<p class="pfirst"><span>On February 10 the Field Marshal concentrated -three divisions on the Modder River: Kelly-Kenny -(6th), Tucker (7th), and Colvile (9th). -Then he secretly assembled the cavalry, grouped -into three brigades (those of Broadwood, Porter, -and Gordon), under General French. The -latter, supported by seven mounted batteries -and six field batteries, started in the night -of the 11th-12th, reached Rooidam, continued -by way of Potgieter's Farm, brushed aside -General Ferreira, and entered Kimberley on -Thursday, February 15, at half-past five in -the evening.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The surprise was complete, as we know!</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Meanwhile, Lord Roberts had not been idle. -On the 15th, Maxwell's Brigade occupied -Jacobsdal, and Lord Kitchener was pressing -Cronje, who was retiring upon Paardeburg.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>French, his raid accomplished, joined Kitchener -by way of Koodoesrand, and on the 17th the -whole of Roberts' force surrounded the Boer -General.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>After a ten days' defence, more heroic than -reasonable--for he might have broken through -with De Wet's help--Cronje, crushed by the -terrible fire of 90 cannon,[#] bore out Colonel de -Villebois' prediction, being forced to surrender -unconditionally on February 27, at 7.30 a.m.</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 2em"> -</div> -<p class="left pfirst"><span class="small">[#] Lord Roberts had 6 field batteries, 1 howitzer battery, -7 horse batteries, and 5 naval guns--90 pieces in all, to -be exact.</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 2em"> -</div> -<p class="pfirst"><span>Lord Roberts telegraphed as follows to the -War Office:</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 1em"> -</div> -<p class="pfirst"><span>'PAARDEBURG, 7.45 a.m.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>'General Cronje is now a prisoner in my -camp. The strength of his force will be -communicated later. I hope Her Majesty's -Government will consider this event satisfactory, -occurring as it does on the anniversary of -Majuba.'</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 1em"> -</div> -<p class="pfirst"><span>It was afterwards announced by the War -Office that the General had surrendered two -Krupp guns, one belonging to the Orange Free -State, and two Maxims, one of these also -belonging to the Orange Free State, 4,000 men, of -whom 1,150 were Free Staters, and 47 officers, -18 of them Free Staters. Among the officers -was the artillery commandant Albrecht, formerly -an Austrian officer.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>In Natal, on the 28th, Lord Dundonald -entered Ladysmith, the siege of which had -been raised at six in the evening, preceding a -convoy of provisions which arrived on the -morning of March 2.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Lord Roberts did not linger long on the banks -of the Modder River. After giving his troops -a short rest while he went with Kitchener to -visit Kimberley, where he was the guest of Cecil -Rhodes, he continued his march upon Bloemfontein. -On the 7th he was at Poplar Grove, -on the 10th at Abraham's Kraal--he called the -battle fought here Driefontein--and on the 13th -he entered the capital of the Orange Free State.</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 1em"> -</div> -<p class="left pfirst"><span>'BLOEMFONTEIN, -<br />'</span><em class="italics">March</em><span> 13, 8 p.m.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>'By God's help, and thanks to the bravery of -Her Majesty's soldiers, the troops under my -command have taken possession of Bloemfontein. -The British flag is now flying over the President's -house, which was last night abandoned by -Mr. Steyn, the late President of the Orange -Free State.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>'Mr. Fraser, a member of the former -executive, the mayor, the secretary of the late -Government, the Landdrost and other -functionaries, came to meet me two miles out of the -town, and handed me the keys of the -Government offices.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>'The enemy has retired from the neighbourhood, -and all seems calm. The inhabitants -of Bloemfontein gave our troops a hearty -reception.</span></p> -<p class="left pnext"><span>'ROBERTS.'</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 1em"> -</div> -<p class="pfirst"><span>Lord Roberts's first operation was -accomplished; he established a solid base at -Bloemfontein, accumulating a great quantity of -provisions there, a very wise measure to take -before throwing his troops into a hostile country, -impoverished by five months of warfare, the -resources of which had already been heavily laid -under contribution by the Boers. At the same -time his troops radiated round the former -capital to drive off the little commandos that -were still hovering about in the neighbourhood.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The 9th Division, under General Colvile, was -broken up to keep communications open, and -its chief returned to England.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Such was the situation when, on Monday, -April 23, we received orders to saddle at seven -in the morning. We started at 8.30, with two -days' rations.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The direction is the same as before, towards -the south. But after the counter-order of last -Monday, we feel no great confidence as to the -object of this new manoeuvre. We have -christened these starts 'the Monday morning -exercises.'</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>This time, it seems, that while De Wet is -busy at Wepener with Brabant's Horse, which -he is still surrounding, a strong column is to -attempt to cut him off from the north, by -establishing a line between Bloemfontein and -the frontier of Basutoland. We are to -oppose this movement and enable De Wet to pass.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>We arrive in the plain watered by the -Onspruit about five in the evening. We -bivouac there with Lorentz's Germans, with -whom we are still grouped. The nights begin -to be cold. During the evening 1,000 men -and two 75 millimetre Creusot guns arrive.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>In Botha's camp, close by, there are still from -300 to 400 men, a Krupp gun, an Armstrong, -and a Nordenfeldt.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>On the morning of the 24th a reinforcement -of from 200 to 300 men arrives. Our total -strength is from 1,500 to 1,800 men.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>We remain in bivouac, but on the 25th our -provisions are exhausted, and they re-victual us -by driving a flock of sheep across the plain. -Each group of five or six men takes one. Part -of the flesh is grilled over a fire of cow-dung--the -only fuel available in the Veldt--and the -rest, cut into quarters, is slung on the saddles -for next day.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>For the last two days the luminous balloon -of the English has been visible all the evening -till midnight.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>In the afternoon we get orders to start for the -Waterworks, to the east of Bloemfontein, which -the English have recaptured from General -Lemmer. We are to take provisions for several -days; but the English, it seems, are close behind -us. They have come down into the plain, and -the road from here to Brandfort is very insecure.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>At three o'clock in the afternoon Wrangel, -two former officers in the German army, Couves, -De Loth, and I, set out to fetch a trolley loaded -with necessaries for the two corps.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>We arrive at Brandfort towards midnight. -Captain D----, whom we meet here, gives us -the news from France. The Théâtre Français -was burnt down on March 9, and Mdlle. Henriot -was one of the victims of the catastrophe. We -also hear of the explosion at Johannesburg. A -telegram says that the fort blew up on the 24th. -But we learn later that it was Begbie's factory -and not the fort that exploded. Another -telegram, relating to the fight at Boshof, says -that Prince Bagration is not dead, but wounded -only. A lieutenant of marines named Gilles -was killed. This is all we have in the way of -details, for the official list of the losses of -April 5 has not yet appeared.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>As regards the explosion, the following -information may be of interest.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The citadel of Johannesburg was not -constructed with a view to defending the town, but, -on the contrary, with the idea of bombarding it. -This curious arrangement calls for some explanation.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>On January 1, 1896, Dr. Jameson, coming -from the east, was checked at Krugersdorp with -his contingent, which prevented the execution -of his </span><em class="italics">coup de main</em><span>. But at the news of his -arrival a number of Uitlanders, for the most -part English, had armed. Forming themselves -into commandos, and reinforced by a battery of -Maxims smuggled in among machines for use in -the mines, they bivouacked on the heights of -Yeoville, commanding Johannesburg, to await -and join the men of the Chartered Company.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>After this escapade the Transvaal Government, -in order to work upon the loyal -sentiments of its good city of Johannesburg, -presented it with a fort, which, situated in a -prominent position in the town, would have -been capable in a very few minutes of correcting -any ill-timed manifestations of sympathy to -which its inhabitants might be inclined to give -way in the future.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The Begbie factory was used for the -manufacture of projectiles. With comparatively -primitive methods and absolutely inexperienced -workmen, the making and charging of shells of -all the patterns in use in our own artillery had -been carried on here. Every evening from -700 to 800 were despatched in every direction.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>For a long time past, directly after war -was declared, the English who had been -expelled had publicly predicted an explosion at -this factory. On February 2 a telegram from -Durban announced that this explosion had -taken place. The manager, Mr. Grünberg, had -even vainly called the attention of the police to -a house close to the powder magazine.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>To be brief, a terrible explosion took place -on the 24th, killing some hundred persons, and -destroying a quarter of the town.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>This was in the main what the inquiry that -took place afterwards brought to light:</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>A little mine containing black powder had -been dug in the suspected house, close to -the dynamite reserve of the powder magazine. -The authors of the explosion had afterwards -connected the mine with the electric light of -their rooms; then they had departed quietly to -a place of safety, having still half a day to -spare. In the evening, at five o'clock, when -the electric light works turned on the current -to distribute light in the town, the explosion -was produced automatically. The guilty persons -were never discovered.</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 1em"> -</div> -<p class="center pfirst"><span>* * * * *</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 1em"> -</div> -<p class="pfirst"><span>We spent our evening discussing all this -news, and then went to bed in our encampment. -On the morning of the 26th we loaded a trolley, -to which we had harnessed eight strong mules, -with cartridges, biscuit, and a few other -necessary provisions. We started at two o'clock in -the afternoon, and arrived late in the evening at -a farm where an ambulance was installed.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>We bivouacked several hundreds of metres -off, as we were urgently recommended to do by -the doctor, who was accompanied by his wife. -He took advantage of the Geneva Convention -to protect his domestic peace, no doubt with an -eye to Wrangel, who is a very pretty fellow!</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>I do not know if the legislator foresaw such a -case as this!</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Our dinner was furnished by the roosters of -the farmyard, which three of our number had -initiated in the laws of hospitality. Certain -protestations are raised by the victims, during -which I call and scold my poor Nelly, who is -lying perfectly innocent at my feet. But the -ambulance men will think it was she who was -pursuing the poultry.... One should always -try to save appearances.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>We take a very light sleep, and towards -three o'clock a Kaffir comes to tell us that he -has just met a numerous band of English. We -harness up rapidly, and make off still more -rapidly at a hand-gallop, while in the dawning -light we make out the scouts of the enemy on -the neighbouring kopjes.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>All day we marched across the plain without -a guide, and at six in the evening we reached -Botha's camp. Our comrades, who had gone -off on a little reconnaissance, which proved to be -fruitless, came in at about 8.30.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>A rumour that we had been taken prisoners -together with the trolley had preceded us; it -had been brought in by the Irish Americans, -and confirmed by a heliographic message from -the commissary at Brandfort.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>On the 28th all the Europeans were told to -hold themselves in readiness to start as an -advanced guard. I meet with a very cordial -reception from the officers of the staff, for I -find among them the Adjutant,[#] Marais, who -was with us at Poplar Grove. The order to -start was given at two in the afternoon.</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 2em"> -</div> -<p class="left pfirst"><span class="small">[#] The title of Adjutant to a Boer General often -corresponds to that of head of the staff, and not to the -subordinate rank implied by the grade in France.</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 2em"> -</div> -<p class="pfirst"><span>We have just heard that Von Loosberg, an -ex-lieutenant of the German army, whom we -knew at Abraham's Kraal, and who had since -taken service in the artillery, had received seven -Maxim bullets at Dewetsdorp, two in the head -and five in the body. He recovered!</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>At five o'clock we reach a little stream. -Here we are to encamp for three days. From -1,200 to 1,500 are gathered here with Botha, -Delarey and Kolby. The tents are set up a -little apart. We are very comfortable.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>At about 8.30 we had finished dinner, and -were about to seek a well-earned repose; several -of the party were already rolled up in their -blankets. Suddenly there was a noise of the -tramp of horses and strange murmurs. We -went in search of information. All the camp -was astir, and the Boers were making off -quietly.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>'The English! Be off!'</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>We struck our tents hastily, saddled our -horses, and harnessed the mules, without getting -any more precise information, and then we joined -in the general retreat. The questions we ask -call forth answers precisely like those given by -young recruits at their first manoeuvres.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>'The enemy!'</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>'Where?'</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>'Over there!'</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>A sweeping gesture embraces the whole -horizon; the indication is all the more vague in -that it is ten o'clock, and that the night is very -dark.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>'Are there many of them?'</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>'I don't know.'</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>'Which way are they going?'</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>'I don't know.'</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>I almost think that if one asked rather sharply, -'Did you see them?' the man would answer, 'No.'</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Nevertheless, the convoy takes an easterly -direction, and the men are so disposed as to -cover the retreat. We are on a rocky kopje -swept by an icy wind. Thinking we were to -bivouac again further on, we had packed up -our cloaks and rugs on the trolley. Our -benumbed fingers can no longer grasp our -rifles; we shiver, swear, and sneeze in chorus. -It was a horrible experience!</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>After a night that seemed interminable, dawn -and sunlight put an end to our torture. During -the morning certain information is brought in. -The camp has been broken up, 1,500 men have -been mobilized, and have spent the night on the -</span><em class="italics">qui vive</em><span>. A patrol of thirteen Lancers passed -close by.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The 29th is a Sunday. The Boers sing -hymns. We pitch our tents again about two -hours' distance from our camp of the night before.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>On the 30th, at eight o'clock, orders are -given to transport our laager to the foot of the -high kopjes we see four or five miles off in the -direction of Taba N'chu.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Towards 9.30 the Maxim suddenly opens -fire, without our having seen or heard anything -to account for it. We gallop off to the kopjes -straight in front of us, making for one of the -highest, which is called Taba N'berg. But a -field-cornet comes after us at a gallop, and -sends us more to the left to join General Kolby. -It is all the same to us, as we know nothing of -what is on hand. We take up a position on a -little rocky peak.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The kopjes form a large semicircle, slightly -oval, the curve of which lies to the north-east -and the opening to the south-east. A group of -trees in the midst of the arid yellow basin is -Taba N'chu. To the west of our position -twenty miles off is Bloemfontein. All the -bottom of the vast hollow is full of men in khaki.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>It is ten o'clock. We have one cannon on -our left, and on our right, between us and the -big kopje, another cannon and a Maxim gun. -Later in the day two or three Grobler guns -appeared on the scene. One English battery -took up a position about 4,000 metres from us, -then another, distributing common shell and -shrapnel all along our line. A brisk fusillade -was also brought to bear upon us at a long -range (about 2,500 yards).</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Judging the distance to be too great for -effective rifle-fire, we did not respond to this, -but did our best with our guns. At eleven -o'clock, however, our Maxim was silenced.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The Duke of Edinburgh's Volunteers and the -Royal Irish charged our right wing four times, -and finally succeeded in establishing themselves -on the flank of the incline, which was relatively -slight on their side.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Von Braschel was killed, and Brostolowsky, -both former officers in the German army; also -Baudin, a former sergeant of marines, who had -served his fifteen years, and had come to the -Transvaal while waiting for the liquidation of -his retiring pension.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>About 4.30 we were ourselves vigorously -charged by the infantry, but a brisk fire, -unerringly delivered, dispersed those who did not -fall.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The fighting ceased with the day. In the -evening, owing to the unexpected nature of the -engagement, we had neither provisions nor -coverings. A box of sardines between ten of -us was our dinner, and the intense cold debarred -us from the sleep that would have consoled us -for our missing meal.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>We remained in position, and at daybreak on -May 1 the battle began again.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>With the Germans, we were sent to occupy -the big kopje against which the English attack -had been most violent the night before. Its -dominant position made it of great strategic -value; but the Boers who had held it were -guilty of the disastrous negligence, only too -habitual with them, of retiring from it in order -to sleep comfortably, instead of strengthening -their position upon it.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The English, on the other hand, had spent -the night digging trenches, and were firmly -established on the ground they had gained in -the two days. From the very beginning, -therefore, our position was less favourable.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The ascent of Taba N'berg by a rocky, steep, -and almost precipitous incline took about thirty-five -minutes. So rugged was the hillside that it -was impossible to use litters to bring down the -wounded. We were forced to drag them down -by the feet, or to make them slide down sitting. -Our shelters were therefore often stained with -long trails of blood.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Our horses were left at the bottom of the -hill, without anyone on guard as usual. On -reaching the top, we were greeted by steady -infantry fire and by a few shrapnel shells, which -we received without responding till ten o'clock. -Then, leaning a little upon our right, we began -to fire. We numbered about a hundred--fifty -foreigners, and as many Boers; for the majority -of those who had been with us the night -before--perhaps 500 Europeans, and a rather smaller -number of Burghers--had returned to the laager, -and had not come back.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>It is true that the day had been a hard one -for them, and that they had had to bear the -brunt of the battle under a heavy artillery fire.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Up to this moment nothing serious had been -attempted. But about eleven o'clock the whole -of the Royal Canadian contingent arrived in -open formation. They were greeted on their -passage by our two 75 millimetre guns, which -had taken up a position on our left at the foot -of the kopje.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>I heard afterwards that the guns, though they -had been remarkably well laid, had not been -very effective, the shells with fuses having fallen -without exploding. In consequence of this, -only two or three men, who had been struck -full by the shells as if they had been bullets, had -been killed. Several others were knocked over -by the shock, but picked themselves up -unharmed. I got this information later from a -superior officer of an English regiment who -had been present in the engagement.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>About one o'clock, without any order and -without any reason, the Boers, who were -occupying another little kopje on our left, forsook -their position. The English artillerymen at -once rushed forward, and now began to fire -upon us at a distance of 3,500 metres. Then, -all at once, there was a cry of, 'To the horses!' At -our feet, behind us in the plain, a regiment -of Lancers, who had come round the big kopje -where we were stranded as on an island, sweep -forward in loose order, to seize our horses -which are sheltered below.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>There is a rush to protect them. A few -Boers, coming from I know not whence, took -ambush in a little spruit, and drove off the -Lancers by a withering fire; but while this feint -was being carried out, the English made another -rush forward, more serious than the first. A -fierce fusillade was kept up on both sides.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>We are now only hanging on to the kopje -by the left corner.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Suddenly, not having been able to seize our -horses, the enemy open a terrible artillery fire -upon them obliquely. The Boers retreat before -it, and the position becomes untenable; we have -only just time to reach our horses. As we come -down the kopje, one of my comrades, who is a -great declaimer of verse, recites 'Rolla'; but -his memory fails him at a certain verse, and he -asks me to help him out. I reply that I don't -know 'Rolla,' but my answer is cut short by a -shell which, passing between us, bursts and -carries off the head of a Burgher clean from the -nape of the neck.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>And through the crash of shells and the -whistle of bullets I hear a few metres off the -voice of my friend De C---- speaking to -someone I cannot see:</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>'It was at Tabarin, you know.'</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>At last we reach the horses; Buhors arrives, -bringing the water-bottles he has filled at a little -spring a hundred metres off under a hail of -projectiles. An ambulance is on the spot, -riddled with bullets, and the doctor, admirably -calm, tends the wounded, while the natives -hastily harness the mules. We see two or three -more men fall; a horse drops disembowelled by -a shell; then we are in the saddle.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Four or five men, who were firing at us from -a distance of about 200 metres on top of the -kopje we had just abandoned, and the battery -which was working away unceasingly 3,000 -yards off, had got us in an angle of fire. The -ground was ploughed up by a hail of projectiles, -and the shower of bullets raised thousands of -little clouds.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>A hard gallop of 2,000 metres under these -convergent fires carried us pretty well out of -danger.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>A German, with a long fair beard, whom I -knew well, galloped past me. He had no coat, -no hat, no arms; his horse had neither saddle -nor bridle; he was guiding it by a halter. Pale, -with staring eyes, his face contracted, he dashed -past me. There was a large blood-stain on his -shirt. He had been shot right through the body!</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>It was half-past two o'clock.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>These two days cost us twenty killed, among -them six Europeans, and about fifty wounded, of -whom twenty were Europeans.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Scarcely had we got beyond range, when we -met Botha, who posted us on a little slope. -There were about sixty of us. Then Botha -went off. When he had disappeared, a Burgher -went slowly up to his horse, mounted it, and -left the field. Another followed him, just as -slowly, then a third. Soon there were only -about fifteen Europeans left.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>We could see nothing on the horizon, neither -convoy nor retreating troops. We in our turn -departed, saluted by a few shells.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Here and there a few wounded, and one or -two men who had lost their horses, were going -away. No one knew what had become of the army.</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 4em"> -</div> -<p class="center pfirst"><span class="large">IX</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 2em"> -</div> -<p class="pfirst"><span>At last we meet General Olivier's troops, -marching to the north-west. They appear to -know nothing of the battle. Scarcely have we -gone 100 metres with them before we are -stopped by a battery, which opens fire upon us. -The English form a semicircle round us. The -situation is serious. We make off across the -Veldt, towards the east, till far on in the night. -We sleep on the ground, keeping a sharp look-out.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>On the next day, Tuesday, at dawn, we set -out again, describing a wide circle, first to the -east, then to the north, and finally to the west. -It proved lucky for us that we had done so, for -we were behind the English columns marching -on Brandfort and Winburg.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Finally, always making our way across the -Veldt, we arrived at Brandfort on the 4th about -eight o'clock in the morning.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Oh, how thankful we were to be in our -camp and in our tents again! What a tub we -had! what a breakfast! and what a sleep we -look forward to when night comes!</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>While waiting for the preparation of a serious -meal, we set to work to grill a few chops. They -have scarcely been on the embers more than two -minutes, when we hear Pom! pom! pom!</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>There is no time for breakfast. To horse! -We swallow our raw cutlets, and gallop off.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Four men stay behind to strike the camp, -and we take up a position to the south-east of -Brandfort, on the kopjes that command the -plain.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>In the distance, about eight kilometres off, -we see the English convoys already making for -Brandfort. They are pretty confident.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>To the right, a battery, of which we can -distinguish the escort, silences the cannon nearest -us by killing the gunners. Then a second -battery advances at a trot on the left in the -plain, and crosses the fire of the first.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The Boers watch this manoeuvre with great -interest, discussing it and giving their opinions -on it. Then, as the battery halts and takes up -a position, slowly but surely, they all make for -their horses.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Scarcely are the first shells fired before they -are in their saddles, decamping at full speed.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Our two 75-millimetre guns come up, and -throw a few shells from a distance, with no result.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>It is always the same. They watch the -enemy's operations without interfering, and -when they want to act, it is too late.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>It is two o'clock. Our waggons went off -long ago, but the road is encumbered with a -long string of vehicles.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The roads to Smaldeel and Winburg are cut -off. There is an indescribable throng on the -Veldt; each person is going in his own -direction. The confusion is complete.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>C---- and I go off to try and find our -baggage, for since the 1st we have had no news -of the trolley, which is with Michel and a few -comrades. The rest of the carts may very well -have been captured, like so many others, either -near Winburg or near Smaldeel.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>My friend, always full of foresight, had taken -the precaution of putting a pot of peach jam in -his pocket when we started in the morning. -On this we dined without a scrap of biscuit.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Late in the evening we arrived at a farm, -from whence we were shown the English -outposts on a kopje opposite. During the night -the owners of the farm went off in a cart. -Kaffirs kept watch to warn us should any attempt -be made on our refuge. We slipped away at -daybreak, and arrived at Smaldeel towards noon -on the 5th.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The retreat continued. Each day was marked -by a skirmish, though no serious engagement -took place except at Zand River on the 9th. -There the fighting was pretty hot. The Boers -of our right wing were driven back, while the -Germans, who were in front, held the bed of the -river, which makes an angle at this point. The -English column advanced, greatly outnumbering -the Germans, who were very nearly taken. They -ordered the Boers to stand firm to allow them -to disengage themselves, but the panic-stricken -Burghers would not stop. Then, without -receiving any orders, the Germans, moved by a -feeling of deep and legitimate anger, once more -summoned the fugitives to fight, and on their -refusal, poured a volley into them at a distance -of about 200 metres. Several fell; the rest, -cowed by this prompt action, returned to their -positions, held the English column in check for -a few moments, and gave the Germans time to -disengage themselves.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>On the 12th French had arrived first at -Kroonstad by one of his usual outflanking -movements. The surprise had been complete. -Fortunately our carts had left the day before.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Since the 8th Heilbron had become the seat -of government of the Free State.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The Irish Brigade,[#] nearly all of whom were -drunk after the sacking of the stores, had been -made prisoners for the most part.</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 2em"> -</div> -<p class="left pfirst"><span class="small">[#] A certain number of Irish, commanded by Colonel -Blake, had taken service with the Boers under the name -of the Irish Brigade.</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 2em"> -</div> -<p class="pfirst"><span>The railway-station, which served as a -commissariat store, had been burnt to the ground -with all the provisions, which there had been -no time to save.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Everyone was worn out. Lorentz had been -shot in two places at Zand River; Wrangel too -was wounded. Everywhere where resistance had -been necessary the Boers had not stood against -a dozen shells.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The retreat continued to Vereeniging; we -arrived there on the 14th. The most -contradictory rumours were freely circulated. On -the 12th, Mafeking was said to have been taken -by the Boers; on the 13th the news was -confirmed; on the 14th it was denied.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The town, it appeared, had very nearly been -taken by a hundred foreigners; but getting -no support from the Boers, they had failed in -their attempt, and seventy-two of them had been -killed.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>On the morning of the 17th we were said to -have captured eighteen guns at Mafeking. The -following telegram, signed by General Snyman, -had even been published:</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>'This morning I had the good fortune to -take prisoner Baden-Powell and his 900 men.'</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>In the evening it was reported that we had -suffered a check, and had lost ten guns.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The last report was, unhappily, the only true -one.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Baden-Powell, whom Lord Roberts had -asked in April to hold on till May 18, had -been relieved on the 17th, after a siege of -118 days.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The last few days, it seems, had been very -hard ones, for on April 22 the ration had been -reduced to 120 grammes of meat and 240 -grammes of bread a day.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The little garrison had been greatly tried, -losing more than half of its numbers during this -siege, the longest in modern times after those of -Khartoum (341 days) and Sebastopol (327 -days), though a trifling affair as compared with -the ten years of Troy, or the twenty-nine years -of Azoth recorded by Herodotus.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>We found our waggons awaiting us at -Vereeniging on the 15th; we were thoroughly -disgusted, as may be supposed. We had been -retreating and retreating continuously, without -a struggle, without an effort, offering no resistance.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>However, we found that a </span><em class="italics">Long Tom</em><span> had -been brought up, mounted on a truck. It was -protected by a steel shield and a rampart of -sandbags. A second truck, also casemated with -logs and sandbags, served as a magazine for -powder and shell. But the kind of armoured -train thus formed remained idle in the railway-station.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>I inquired whether we were to attempt an -attack and push forward. The answer was -that we could not venture to cross the Vaal -with the gun, because it was feared that the -Free State Boers, who were displeased at the -war, might blow up the railway bridge while -the 'armoured train' was in the Orange -territory, and thus deliver it into the hands of -the English. Such was the spirit of confidence -that reigned!</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>In spite of all this, we wished to try once -more to organize an effective foreign legion. -De Malzan, a former officer in the German -army, was appointed Adjutant of the Uitlanders' -Corps under Blignault, by the Government of -Pretoria; his commission was signed by Reitz -and Souza. He went, his jaw still bandaged -for a wound received at Platrand, to confer -with General Botha. He was very badly -received.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>'I do not recognise anyone's right to make -appointments. Blignault is not a General, and -you are nothing at all. The Europeans can all -go back to their own countries. I don't want -them. My Burghers are quite enough for -me'--a remark he might have spared the -European legion, which, out of about 280, had in -the last two months lost fifteen killed, nineteen -prisoners and eighty-seven wounded on the -battlefields of Boshof, Taba N'chu, Brandfort -and Zand River.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Anxious to clear up the question definitively, I -left my camp on the other side of the Vaal, and -made for Pretoria on the evening of the 18th in -a coal-truck.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>On the 19th I found Lorentz there. He -had been made a Colonel. We held a council -of war--Lorentz, still lame from his two -wounds; Wrangel, with his arm in a sling; -Rittmeister Illich, the Austro-Hungarian, and -myself. It was decided that we should lay -before the President a scheme of organization, -from which I will quote a passage, as it shows -the state of mind in which we all were:</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>'We earnestly hope that on the lines we have -laid down, and with the active support of the -Government--which no one has yet obtained--a -good result may be achieved.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>'This plan, taking into account the rapidity -with which events are following one upon -another, depends for its success on the swiftness -with which it is carried out. But we much fear -that a fresh rebuff from the Government, after -so many others, would irrevocably discourage -its well-wishers.'</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 1em"> -</div> -<p class="center pfirst"><span>* * * * *</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 1em"> -</div> -<p class="pfirst"><span>We obtained an interview with De Korte, -who had influence. He approved the plan, but -feared to see it fail, like so many others. Our -representations became more and more pressing.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>On the 24th I went to Johannesburg to see -Dr. Krause, who is also influential. He was -very amiable, but irresolute, and did not know -what to say.</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 1em"> -</div> -<p class="center pfirst"><span>* * * * *</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 1em"> -</div> -<p class="pfirst"><span>The English continued to advance. A -despatch-rider came to tell me that my convoy had -arrived. It joined me, indeed, at Johannesburg -on the 26th, without any 'boys,' all of them -having deserted; the waggons battered and -broken by fording the rivers, the beasts dead -or exhausted by a journey without rest or food, -the men worn out by continual vigilance, and -by their double duties as 'boys' and combatants, -disgusted at the retreat and the disorder.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Many of them laid down their arms, and -found work at the cartridge-factory and in the -mines at from twenty-five to thirty shillings a -day. One, more desperate than the rest, left -his arms with us, and went off to the English -lines to surrender. Only a very few remained, -waiting for the President's decision as a last -resource.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The Landdrost allots a piece of waste ground -to the twenty mules, twenty-one oxen, thirty-two -horses and two 'boys,' which constitute the -debris of our convoy. The men find lodging -where they can.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>On Sunday, the 27th, one of my men arrived -from Pretoria with a letter from Lorentz, dated -Saturday morning. The scheme had been signed -and approved. Afterwards he handed me a -proclamation by Lorentz, dated the evening of the -same day. At two o'clock everything was -retracted and refused. Furious and despairing, -Colonel Lorentz adjured all the foreigners to -lay down their arms:</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 1em"> -</div> -<p class="pfirst"><span>'As the honourable Government of the -Z.A.R. cannot accede to our modest but just -demands, we, the foreigners of various nationalities, -being without means of livelihood, are no -longer in a position to sacrifice our lives for the -maintenance of the Federated Republics.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>'I, the under-signed, hitherto commandant of -the international corps, hereby invite all persons -who voluntarily joined me to lay down their -arms on Tuesday, May 29, 1900, at ten o'clock -in the morning, at the Old Union Club at -Pretoria, or at any other place where they may -happen to be.</span></p> -<p class="left pnext"><span>'(Signed) C. LORENTZ. -<br />'HAUPTMANN v. L.'</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 1em"> -</div> -<p class="pfirst"><span>I hesitated to show the proclamation to my -companions, they were already so depressed.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>On the morning of Monday, the 28th, a -policeman, furnished with an order from the -Landdrost, requisitioned our beasts at the -grazing-ground without even giving us notice. -I believe he sold them. I had almost certain -proof of this later on. We never found them -again.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>In the night three of our waggons out of -the five were pillaged in spite of the man -on guard. Such behaviour to Europeans who -were being cut up into mincemeat for them! ... It -was too much! The cup was full. I -handed Lorentz's proclamation to the men. It -did not raise a regret; they were all sick of the -business.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Those in authority had refused them a few -shillings, scarcely the pay of a Kaffir, of which -they were sorely in need, for they were utterly -destitute, and had not the means to escape from -the English and return to their countries.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>And now the authorities were taking advantage -of our exhaustion to steal our horses--under -a pretext of legality--to give, or, rather, to sell -them to Boers who were going back quietly to -their farms. For if a few thousand still stood -their ground, the majority had lost heart, and -had returned to their homes, only leaving them -when their wives, more patriotic than -themselves, drove them back to the front.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>It was generally the old men, those who -had taken part in the 'Great Treks,' who set -the example of resistance. These men have -inherited the virtues of their ignorant and rustic -ancestors. If they can read at all, the Bible is -their only book; and even if they cannot read -it, they know its grand pages, and try to live up -to its precepts.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Many Burghers of the younger generation, -on the other hand, have inhabited towns; they -have become greedy of gain, very English in -their habits and customs, and have lost the -principal virtues of their race, substituting for -them the faults, often much aggravated, of those -who have given them the shady civilization of -South African cities.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>In the army of Natal, round about Amajuba, -there were seven guns and about 200 men. Of -these just </span><em class="italics">six were Burghers</em><span>, the rest were -Afrikanders and foreigners. And while former -officers and non-commissioned officers of the -European artillery were begging for cannon, two -of these seven guns were idle for want of men -to serve them.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>They prefer to leave them thus rather than -to give them over to foreigners. I was told -this by a Burgher, an artilleryman of twenty, -who was going to his post. I travelled with -him from Pretoria to Elandsfontein on the -morning of May 24. He himself did not -conceal his indignation at this method of proceeding.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>At Pretoria the Government had given up -all pretence of action. A general panic seemed -to reign. Rumour reported that influential -persons were mainly occupied in dividing the -public money among themselves.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>It is a fact that none of the tradespeople, -whether they were hotel-keepers who had -lodged and fed troops on presentation of -requisition warrants, or dealers in clothes and -provisions, had been paid. They all now declined -to lodge persons or provide goods for the State.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>A woman, Mrs. S. D., who had had a -contract for saddles, was obliged, after many -fruitless appeals, to enter the Government offices -horsewhip in hand, like Louis XIV. when he -intimidated his Parliament.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Thanks to this vigorous proceeding, she -received a credit-note, on which a certain -number of bars of gold were given her, for the -national bank-notes had fallen to about -two-thirds of their nominal value. But this was -an exceptional case, and most of the -trades-people were less fortunate.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>What became of the gold that for eight -months was taken out of seven mines working -for the State? No one knows!</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>It is true that, from the highest functionary -to the humblest Burgher, all were intent on the -most shameless pillage. I saw army contractors, -on whom no sort of check existed, charged with -the provision of every kind of necessary, food, -clothing, horses, oxen, etc., and making fine -fortunes in no time; while the honest and -worthy Boer received from the State horses and -harness which he afterwards sold to it again -with the utmost coolness.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>I know, too, that very large sums were -devoted to a press propaganda in favour of the -South African Republics. And how many -skilful middlemen, by means of round sums -judiciously distributed, secured orders for the -most expensive and useless commodities!</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>In all countries and in all ages it is notorious -that out of ten army contractors nine are thieves -and one is a rogue, especially in war-time. -Their depredations date back to the institution -of armies, and the Boer contractors had only to -follow on a path already clearly marked out for -them by their European confrères. But few of -these have displayed such a degree of proficiency -in their calling.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>I might quote the case of a famous Parisian -firm of balloonists, to which nearly 10,000 francs -were paid in ready money for waterproof silk, -cord, and various utensils for the construction -of a balloon. An aeronaut was also engaged at -a salary of 2,000 francs a month, all expenses -paid, and when he arrived at Machadodorp, where -the President was at the time, he was greeted -with:</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>'A balloon? What for?'</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>After awaiting a solution for three weeks, the -aeronaut returned to France, noting on his -return journey a number of stray packages on -the quay at Lourenço Marques. They -contained the silk and the rest of the apparatus.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>It was by a scientific application of these -Boer principles that Mrs. S. D. came by the -very pretty sum we have seen her collecting -with her horsewhip!</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>She had engaged to deliver 500 saddles a -week at £10 each; but a good many of the -Burghers to whom the saddles were distributed -sold them back to the worthy lady's agents for -£4 or £5, and she then sold them again to the -State, after changing the more conspicuous of -them a little. So that these wretched saddles -were always reappearing on the scene, as in a -review at the Châtelet; but each of their -migrations brought in a solid sum to Mrs. D----.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>It is not difficult to see why there was no -money for the combatants.</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 4em"> -</div> -<p class="center pfirst"><span class="large">X</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 2em"> -</div> -<p class="pfirst"><span>After forty-eight hours of fighting from -Elandsfontein to Florida, on May 29 and 30, -we were cut off from the road to Pretoria by -General French and his cavalry.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Without horses it was impossible for us to -follow the retreat, and we found ourselves shut -up in Johannesburg. We succeeded in enrolling -ourselves among the police of the mines, which -gave us a temporary shelter, and perhaps saved -us a sojourn at St. Helena; for we were -determined not to take the oath of neutrality, but to -begin fighting again as soon as possible.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>On May 31 the English entered Johannesburg. -The English flag was hoisted with great -pomp at noon in the great square, in the presence -of Lord Roberts. Dr. Krause had been -empowered to surrender the town.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Johannesburg is a very English town. Its -behaviour at the time of Jameson's raid -sufficiently proved this, and many of the more -irreconcilable Burghers who had been brought -into hospital there wounded ran away before -they were cured rather than remain in the hostile -town.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The Union Jack was accordingly greeted with -loud shouts of 'Hip! hip! hip! hurrah!'</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Nevertheless, we often met Burghers in the -crowd who, like ourselves, were only biding their -time to return to the front. I saw one old man -weeping silently. I am not sentimental, but I -have rarely felt a more poignant emotion than -this mute and dignified despair excited in me. -I hurried away. I think I should have wept -myself.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The entry of the troops began at about 10.30, -and lasted four hours. About 12,000 men -marched through the town, and in the environs, -as far off as Elandsfontein, some 50,000 passed, -it was said.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>But what a procession it was! There was no -order; the men barely marched in ranks. No -uniforms, officers and soldiers huddled together, -dirty, and many of them in rags. They had -eaten nothing since the day before, when the -ration had been two biscuits.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>On they came, or rather dragged themselves, -with drooping heads, one with his rifle on his -shoulder, another with his slung across his back, -one with the butt-end uppermost, some without -bayonets, others with bayonets fixed. Some -officers had our Mauser rifles, others -Lee-Enfields, others sporting rifles. Nearly all, -both officers and soldiers, walked with the help -of sticks.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>From Bloemfontein to Johannesburg they -had covered 250 miles, fighting every day, and -sometimes marching 45 kilometres without a -halt across country.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>A few days earlier, at Kroonstad, their -convoys had not come up. Lord Roberts, anxious -to continue his forward movement by forced -marches, asked the commissariat-officer:</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>'Can you serve the ration?'</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>'No, sir.'</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>'Half ration, then?'</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>'No, sir.'</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>'Quarter ration?'</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>'Yes, perhaps.'</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>On receiving this problematic reply, the -Marshal explained the situation to his men. -They immediately replied with acclamations: -'For Lord Roberts we would march without -any ration at all!'</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The Black Watch, out of a thousand men, -their strength on landing, mustered about sixty -behind their pipers. The others lie in the -trenches of Magersfontein and at the foot of -Dorn Kop.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Save for a few battalions that have arrived -recently, the regiments are skeleton corps.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>As we watched these haggard, exhausted -troops dragging themselves along, involuntarily -we called to mind him who once marched our -fathers through all the capitals of Europe. In -spite of fatigue, privation, and hard fighting, it -was in a very different guise that the Grand -Army entered Vienna and Berlin behind the -Emperor and his glittering staff.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The artillery was in better form. Some fifteen -batteries were drawn by magnificent horses, and -I saw men on cobs that looked well worth from -two to three hundred louis.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>There were also some siege-guns, and some -15 centimetre naval guns--one from the -</span><em class="italics">Monarch</em><span>--drawn by thirty-two oxen. It was -behind this powerful artillery, devastating the -whole region with it on principle, whether -occupied or not, that the English army had -advanced from Bloemfontein.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>If we had had a body of cavalry, I believe -that rapid and energetic action would have -resulted in a considerable loss of </span><em class="italics">matériel</em><span> to the -English army; for, relying on the absolute lack -of offensive measures on our side, they often -left their batteries defenceless.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Next came a strong train--telegraph apparatus, -balloonists, engineering implements for digging -wells, pumps, etc.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The troops merely passed through the town, -leaving in it a garrison under the command -of Colonel Mackenzie (Seaforth Highlanders), -who was appointed Governor of Johannesburg.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The next day a proclamation by Frederick -Sleigh, Baron Roberts of Kandahar and -Waterford, K.P., G.C.B., G.C.S.I., G.C.I.E., V.C., -Field-Marshal, commanding Her Majesty's -Forces in South Africa:</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 1em"> -</div> -<p class="pfirst"><span>'Assures the non-combatant population of his -protection.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>'All Burghers who have committed no act of -violence contrary to the laws of civilization -against any of Her Majesty's subjects are -authorized to return to their homes, after giving -up their arms and pledging themselves to take -no further part in hostilities. Passports will be -given them.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>'Her Majesty's Government will respect the -private property of the inhabitants of the South -African Republic, as far as is compatible with -the exigencies of war.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>'All individual attempts upon property will -be severely punished.</span></p> -<p class="center pnext"><span>'GOD SAVE THE QUEEN!</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>'Given under my hand and seal at Johannesburg, -May 31, 1900.'</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 1em"> -</div> -<p class="pfirst"><span>At the same time, regulations fixing the prices -of provisions for the troops were issued: 30s. for -a sack of 168 lb. of oats; champagne-tisane, -160s. a case; tobacco, from 3s. to 7s. a -pound, etc.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Let us take advantage of our ephemeral -functions as policemen to explore the town a -little. Johannesburg was not the first mining -centre in the Transvaal. The first workers -established themselves at Barberton in 1886. -A few years later the Brothers Strubens, -whilom prospectors, discovered an auriferous -vein in the Witwatersrand near the farm of -Landlaagte. Johannesburg then consisted of -a few scattered huts. It now numbers over -100,000 inhabitants (I mean, of course, before -the war).</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>It is a town given over to business. The -centre is occupied by the post-office, a huge -building, in front of which is a vast -marketplace. Here in normal times trains of carts -bring in all the necessaries of life--fruit, -vegetables, mealies, etc. The principal streets, -Commissioner Street, Market Street, Pritchard -Street and President Street, are wide, clean, and -bordered by handsome shops. The whole town -is lighted by electricity.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The blocks of houses, three and four stories -high, are called 'buildings'; often several of -them belong to the same owner or to the same -society, and bear their names: Ægis Building, -Commissioner Street; S.A. Mutual Building; -Standard Building; Heritier Building.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The houses are not numbered, but this does -not inconvenience the postmen, for they do not -exist. Each inhabitant pays a small sum for his -own box at the post-office, and goes to fetch his -correspondence when he likes.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Johannesburg has a very well organized fire-brigade, -with engines, ladders and fire-escapes of -the latest pattern. The captain, who is, I believe, -an Englishman, served for a time in Paris, -London, and New York, and wears the honorary -medal of our Paris brigade. The men wear -the same uniform as English firemen.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The hosiers, tailors, French milliners, -dressmakers, saddlers, and music-sellers of the town -are on a par with the best European specialists. -Life is very expensive, and all luxuries command -tremendous prices. Cabs, dirty and ill-harnessed, -drawn by two miserable horses and very badly -driven, cost 7s. an hour. Little light cabriolets -drawn by negroes are therefore generally used -for locomotion. These are much cheaper and -fairly rapid, for the negroes--Kaffirs or -Zulus--are in excellent training, and can go -extraordinary distances at the double.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The currency was for a long time English, -but in 1892 the Transvaal struck her first coins -(pounds and shillings) with the effigy of President -Kruger.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The Free State has no coinage of her own, -and uses English or Transvaalian money.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Bronze money, of which the President only -allowed a few specimens to be struck, is not -current; the monetary unit is the 'ticket,' a -small silver coin worth 3d.[#]</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 2em"> -</div> -<p class="left pfirst"><span class="small">[#] Some English officers, it seems, saw for the first time -at Elandsfontein a Kruger's penny, and bought it for £2. -The current price of a Kruger's penny is from two to -three shillings.</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 2em"> -</div> -<p class="pfirst"><span>The Johannesburg journals, the </span><em class="italics">Standard and -Diggers' News</em><span> and the </span><em class="italics">Wolkstrem</em><span>, the official -organ, therefore cost 3d.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>At Johannesburg much more than at Pretoria, -because the town is more English, the houses -in the centre of the town are mainly offices, for -all the inhabitants who are comfortably off live -in the suburbs, either on the height beyond the -fort, or at the end of Main Street, in the great -park of Belgravia.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Most of these suburban dwellings are very -expensive, and are comfortably and luxuriously -arranged. A garden more or less large is -considered an absolute necessity.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The majority of the population speculate and -gamble, and it is not rare in times of peace to -recognise in some barman or miner a gentleman -who had dazzled the town by the magnificence -of his carriages and horses a few months back. -No surprise is felt by anyone, for the next -'boom' will perhaps make him a wealthy man -of fashion once more.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>I could quote the case of a young man I -knew well who was twice a millionaire, and -who, after having been ruined for the second -time, was gradually building up a third fortune. -He is very little more than thirty.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Johannesburg, however, is merely a city of -passage. Men stay here just long enough to -make money, and directly this is done, they -return to their own countries. The end and -aim of everything here is to make money, and -to make it quickly.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Based on this principle, and composed of a -number of adventurers, the cosmopolitan society -one finds here hardly offers a guarantee of -irreproachable morality.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Antecedents are of little account, indeed. A -merchant who has been convicted of fraud in -France, here enjoys the consideration due to -the £500,000 he has gained with the money -he stole in his fraudulent bankruptcy.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>I have even heard that some years ago the -extradition of a rogue was the signal for -disorderly scenes and an expostulatory address, -because he had not been convicted of theft -since his arrival at Johannesburg. He had -made a considerable sum of money there, and -was accompanied to the station by a number of -friends.</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 1em"> -</div> -<p class="center pfirst"><span>* * * * *</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 1em"> -</div> -<p class="pfirst"><span>No sketch of Johannesburg would be -complete without a few words about the gold-mines.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>I am no authority on the subject, but I will -describe what was told me and what I saw; and -as the engineer who was good enough to give -me some information knew me to be ignorant, -my precis will be a little 'Manual on Mining' -for the use of novices.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>In the first place, there is an essential -difference between the manner in which gold is found -in Witwatersrand and in other districts, such as -Klondyke, Senegal, or the Soudan. In the -latter, the gold is in grains, either embedded -between the frozen stones, or rolling in the beds -of rivers. The auriferous mud is taken up and -washed, and the gold is retained. Nothing -could be simpler.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>In the Rand, however, the working of the -mines is purely scientific. The mineral is found -in blocks of quartz and silicious clay containing -pyrites of auriferous copper and gold.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>After calculating the direction of the reef, -one must dig down to a greater or less depth to -find it. Dynamite is then used to detach the -gold-bearing quartz, which is brought to the -surface. It has the appearance of very hard white -stone, slightly veined with blue. It is carried -off to the batteries in Decauville trucks, and -there a crushing-mill, which looks like a gigantic -coffee-mill, and sledge-hammers combined into -groups of five, reduce it to a very fine powder. -A current of air spreads this powder over -copper-plates covered with mercury.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>A large proportion of the gold, about 60 per -cent., amalgamates with the mercury, and once -a fortnight the amalgam is scraped off. After -fusion the mercury in the amalgam volatilizes, -leaving a deposit of almost pure gold.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The residuum of the first process is afterwards -poured into huge vats of from 10 to 12 metres -in diameter, in which cyanide of potassium has -been placed. A solution of cyanide of gold is -thus obtained, and this is put into cases lined -with strips of zinc, on which the gold is -precipitated. The 40 per cent. lost in the first -process is thus recovered.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The gold thus collected is melted down into -ingots, the transport and verification of which -are the objects of interminable regulations.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>So much for the scientific part. The rest is -simpler.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The heavy labour is mainly done by Kaffirs -or Zulus under the supervision of white miners -who earn about twenty-five pounds a month, -and live in the boarding-house connected with -the mine.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The natives live in a compound where no -alcohol is allowed. Their rations are given -them, and they live on very little. Their -ambition is to earn enough money to return to -their native place, buy two wives, and do no -more work; the wives work for them thenceforth. -It takes them about two years to realize -this dream. When the time is up, it is -impossible to keep them in the mines.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The first year of working (1888) yielded -about £1,000,000. In 1895 about £8,000,000 -was extracted. Finally, from January 1 to -August 31, 1899, the harvest was nearly -£13,000,000. The net profits of exploitation -are considerably diminished by the enormous -expenses resulting from the dearness of -European labour, and the heavy taxes imposed by the -Transvaal Government on mining rights and on -the importation of explosives.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>At the time of my sojourn all the works were -closed. In the town, as every hospital and -ambulance was full to overflowing, the hotels -were requisitioned for the sick. In front of -the Victoria Hotel there were often strings -of ten and twelve waggons bringing in the -wounded.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Often at dusk a dray would pass, into which -long, heavy cases of deal were furtively slipped.... -The </span><em class="italics">avowed</em><span> losses were terrible enough. -What were they in reality?</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>About the middle of December the War -Office confessed to 7,350 men. At the -beginning of February this number was doubled, -and Buller's three attempts on the Tugela cost -1,046 killed, 3,785 wounded, and over 1,500 missing.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>In March the numbers had swelled to 14,000. -It was the unhealthy season, and sickness--enteric -fever especially--made wider gaps in -the English ranks than bullets. On May 10 -over 18,000 men were missing, 5,000 of whom -were dead.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>On the Boer side the statistics are much more -difficult to check, especially when one is -confronted with such discrepancies as these: -Rumours and reports stated the Boer losses -at the Battle of Colenso, on December 15, to -have been 8 killed and 14 wounded. But I -find a report drawn up by the Red Cross Society -in which the numbers are given as 77 killed and -210 wounded.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>What is one to believe? In all ages -belligerents have tried to conceal their losses, and -this kind of juggling is, of course, much easier -among incoherent groups like the commandos -than in regular battalions.</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 1em"> -</div> -<p class="center pfirst"><span>* * * * *</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 1em"> -</div> -<p class="pfirst"><span>One day--it was June 10, I think--all the -police of the mines were requisitioned to -transport the wounded from the station to the -hospitals. There were a great many, and they -had been forbidden to say whence they came; -the police were also forbidden to speak to them -on any pretext whatever. Had something very -serious happened? We never knew exactly -what it was.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Pretoria had been occupied on June 5. The -news that reached us came at long intervals, -after manipulation by the censor, and was often -of the most fantastic order.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The police regulations were most stringent. -Everyone was ordered to be indoors, at first -by seven o'clock, later by 8.30. The streets -and squares were guarded by troops. Jewellers' -and wine-merchants' shops and bars were closed -by order. No one was allowed to draw money -without a permit from the military authorities, -and a limit--of £20 a week, I think--was -enforced as to the amount, unless a special -permission had been granted.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Finally, residents in the town were required -to get a pass and to take an oath of allegiance. -Those who, like ourselves, had resolved not -to do this, were obliged to hide like outlaws, to -avoid being marched off to the fort, and thence -to Ceylon. We give a reproduction of this -police regulation[#] which was posted on the -walls of the town.</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 2em"> -</div> -<p class="left pfirst"><span class="small">[#] See pp. 216, 217.</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 2em"> -</div> -<p class="pfirst"><span>A few days back a German had gone into -Government Place at noon and hauled down -the English flag. The sentry looked on aghast -at first, and then began to question him.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>'It has no business here,' replied the German, -going on with his work. He was arrested at -last, and condemned to nine months' hard labour.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The life of inaction had become unbearable -to me. At the end of June, still on the -lookout for a means of returning to the front, I at -last 'found' the papers of an English -police-officer. And now for liberty!</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 1em"> -</div> -<p class="center pfirst"><span>* * * * * * * *</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 1em"> -</div> -<p class="center pfirst"><span class="large">V. R. -<br />POLICE NOTICE,</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>1. All Civilians are required to remain in their houses between -the hours of 7 p.m. and 6.30 a.m. unless provided with a pass signed by -the Military Commissioner of Police.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>2. No Natives are allowed in the town except such as are -permanently employed within its limits.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>3. All Liquor Stores, Bars, and Kaffir Eating Houses are closed -until further orders. No liquor will be sold except on the written order of -an Officer of Her Majesty's Forces. -4. All Jewellers' Shops are closed.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>5. No Civilian is allowed to ride or drive, or ride a bicycle -within the town unless provided with a pass signed by the Military -Commissioner of Police.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>6. Any person disobeying these regulations is liable to arrest, and -will be dealt with under Martial Law.</span></p> -<p class="left pnext"><span>By Order, -<br />FRANCIS DAVIES, MAJOR GRENADIER GUARDS, -<br /></span><em class="italics">Military Commissioner of Police.</em><span> -<br />JOHANNESBURG, 1ST JUNE, 1900.</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 2em"> -</div> -<p class="center pfirst"><span class="large">POLITIE KENNISGEVING.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>1. Alle Inwoners worden hierbij bevolen om in hun huizen te -blyven van 7 uur 's avonds tot 6.30 uur 's morgens indien niet voorzien -van een Paspoort, geteekend door de Militaire Commissaris van Politie.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>2. Geen Kleurlingen mogen in de Stad zyn indien zy geen vast -werk hebben daarin.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>3. Alle Bottel Stores, Bars en Kleurling Kosthuizen moeten -gesloten worden tot nadere kennisgeving. Geen Drank mag verkocht -worden indien niet voorzien van een Permit van den Officier van Harer -Majesteit's Troepen.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>4. Alle Jewelier Winkels moeten gesloten worden.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>5. Geen Inwoner mag ryden te Paard, Rytuig of Bicycle in de -Stad, zonder voorzien te zyn van een permit, geteekend door de Militaire -Commissaris van Politie.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>6. Eenig persoon die deze Regulaties niet opvolgt, zal gestraft -worden onder de Krygswet.</span></p> -<p class="left pnext"><span>By Order, -<br />FRANCIS DAVIES, MAJOR GRENADIER GUARDS. -<br /></span><em class="italics">Militaire Commissaris van Politie.</em><span> -<br />JOHANNESBURG, 1 JUNI, 1900.</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 1em"> -</div> -<p class="center pfirst"><span>* * * * * * * *</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 4em"> -</div> -<p class="center pfirst"><span class="large">XI</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 2em"> -</div> -<p class="pfirst"><span>With a brief but resolute gesture, I took off -my hat in farewell to the City of Gold. With -a few necessaries rolled up in a cloak, I succeeded -in passing through the English lines at -Boksburg, after journeying for three days, sometimes -in friendly carts, sometimes on foot, to escape -attention.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Near the level crossing of the railway at -Boksburg a party of Lancers was encamped. -Putting on the tranquil and indifferent air of -a man whose conscience is at ease, I passed -through them without molestation. Further -along the road there were two small outposts, -which I was able to avoid by passing over a -dried-up pond.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>When night came on, I slept at Benoni. -Commandant Derksen, of the Boksburg -commando, was in the neighbourhood. I hoped to -fall in with him in the north-east. The nights -began to be terribly cold.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>At 4 a.m. on July 4 I was once more on my -way. I walked till nine in the evening. My -feet were sore and bleeding.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>I arrived at last at a farm, where I was coldly -received at first; for they took me for a spy. -But when I showed the papers that constituted -me a Burgher, I was petted as if I had been a -son of the house. They gave me eggs, milk -and biscuit, and offered me shelter for the night. -As I had no rug, and the cold was terrible, I -accepted the offer with joy.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>My hostess had three sons with Derksen, and -a fourth with De Wet. The fourth was Baby, -as she called him, showing me the photograph -of this little Benjamin, who may have been -about forty, and had a beard down to his waist.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>They were worthy folks, Boers of the old -school, hospitable and patriotic. They made -me up a bed in a kind of old travelling carriage -in the coach-house, and after half an hour of -fierce conflict with a swarm of mice, I fell -asleep.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Twice I was roused by further attacks from -the rodents, and a third time by a man with a -long beard, who said:</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>'</span><em class="italics">Obsal!</em><span>'</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>I was a little surprised at first, but finally I -grasped the situation. A patrol commanded by -one of the Bothas (a cousin of the Generalissimo), -had come to the farm at three in the morning. -My hostess explained my case, and they had -sent to ask me if I would join them.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>I agreed eagerly, and rapid preparations were -at once made for my equipment. They found -me a lean hack, gave me a rug by way of saddle, -and two pieces of cord for stirrups, and armed -me with a Lee-Metford rifle, taken from the -English a little while before! Don Quixote!</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>We consumed the usual coffee and biscuit, and -started, taking a zigzag route northwards towards -Irene. Derksen was rather more to the east.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Towards nine in the evening we lay down to -rest on the Veldt. I think I never suffered as I -did from the cold that night. It was freezing -hard, and I had nothing to cover me but the -rug, which, soaked through with the horse's -sweat, was as stiff as a board in ten minutes. -It was impossible to sleep for a moment, and -the pain became so intolerable that I was obliged -to walk about to warm myself a little; and then -the wounds on my feet, which were quite raw, -made me suffer cruelly.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>A few days later an officer of the first brigade -of Mounted Infantry was found frozen to death -on bivouac, in spite of his blankets.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>We started at daybreak on the 6th, making -for a Kaffir kraal. At about 7.30 we heard -three cannon-shots fired, but could not tell -exactly from what direction. Then there was -silence again.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Towards eight o'clock a group of about fifteen -horsemen in felt hats and long dark overcoats -came towards us, then, suddenly wheeling, went -off at a gallop. We were fourteen, all told.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>When it reached the top of the kopje, the -party disappeared, and when, in our turn, we -rose above the crest, we were received with a -fusillade. There were about forty men, some -400 metres from us. We turned back hastily, -to put our horses in shelter on the other side, -and then replied.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>A Burgher was wounded in the head. We -had the cover of the rocks to protect us, and, in -spite of our inferior numbers, the two sides were -about equal. Then another Burgher and my -neighbour were wounded almost simultaneously, -the latter in the thigh, probably by a ricochet. -His wound was serious. I took his Mauser -and his cartridges from him.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>I am not very sure how long this little game -had been going on, perhaps ten minutes. -Suddenly we heard shots behind us. One of our -horses fell; Botha got a bullet right through him. -We were surrounded by about 300 men of the -Imperial Light Horse. There was nothing to -be done. A Burgher named Marais held up a -white handkerchief. There were only ten of us -left. I was handed over to some English officers, -who received me with the greatest possible -courtesy. As the action had now extended all -along the line, I was taken to the rear.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>In the evening I was confided to the -Connaught Rangers, who had been kept in reserve. -Hearing of my nationality and my former rank -in the French army, they said: 'We are allies -now! We are making common cause in China!' I -made many inquiries about the events in the -Far East, of which we knew nothing, having -held no communication with Europe since April.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Hoping to be able to take part in the Chinese -Expedition by joining the Foreign Legion, I -made up my mind to give my parole to General -H----, who was in command of the column.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Meanwhile I heard the most interesting details -from the English officers of the campaign in -which we had lately been fighting against each -other. There were among them survivors of -Colenso and Spion Kop, and men of the -Ladysmith garrison.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The Connaught Rangers were commanded by -Colonel Brooke, who was seriously wounded at -Colenso, near the railway bridge. He was acting -as General in command of the Irish Brigade. -He invited me to dine with him, and at night, -though most of the officers were sleeping in the -open air, he offered me half of the little shanty -which formed his bedroom, and himself fetched -a bundle of straw for my bed. Then I had -innumerable offers of rugs, cloaks, and capes, -till at last I believe I was better wrapped up -than anyone in the camp.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>During the evening a telegram came telling -Colonel Brooke that he had been promoted and -was a general. I willingly joined in the toasts -that were drunk in his honour, for it is a fine -and noble feature of a military career that one -feels no bitterness to an adversary. When the -battle is over, foes can shake hands heartily, -though they are ready to slash each other to -pieces again a few hours later.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>On July 7 we rose at six. A captain brought -me some hot water in an indiarubber basin, -sponges, and soap. Then breakfast was served. -We had porridge, red herrings, butter, jam, -biscuits, coffee and tea.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>But the Irish Brigade had received orders to -saddle up, and I was handed over to the staff of -the first brigade of Mounted Infantry. I was -very politely received by General Hutton's -staff-officer, a lieutenant. The superior officer -who took me to him, Major M. D----, of the -2nd Royal Irish Fusiliers, asked him if he spoke -French. I was delighted to hear him answer in -the affirmative. I went to lunch with him in -his tent. Conversation languished. For a long -time he did not open his lips, if I may so -express it, for he was eating the grilled mutton -his orderly had given us with evident appetite. -Suddenly he addressed me:</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>'Navet du pon.'</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>I bowed amiably, thinking we were to have a -dish of turnips of some kind. 'Du pon' -puzzled me a little; but perhaps there were -'Navets Dupont' just as there are 'Bouchées -Lucullus' and 'Purée Soubise.' I was astonished -at my host's culinary knowledge. At last, later -on, when I had heard the phrase a great many -times without ever seeing any turnips, I found -out that he wished to say, 'N'avez-vous du -pain.' This was the highest flight of which he -was capable in French.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Nevertheless, my sojourn with Colonel -Hutton's staff was extremely interesting. I -heard that we had killed the day before -Captain Currie and Lieutenant Kirk of the -Imperial Light Horse, and I was present at an -engagement that lasted three days. On the -third day, indeed, shells burst so near me that -I ran a fair chance of being killed by my friends.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>I will give a brief journal of events hour by -hour, so to speak.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>On the 7th fighting began early towards -the east. We could hear it, though we could -see nothing. From noon to three o'clock the -cannonade was very lively towards -Olifantsfontein. This was the engagement at Witklip, -I believe. The English lost some fifty men, -among them ten killed.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>On the morning of July 8 twenty mounted -men went out with picks and spades to bury -the dead. They were preceded by a large -white flag. At 10.30 cannon-shots were heard -east-south-east, then suddenly, at 11.5, three -detachments of the Mounted Rifles went off.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Officers and despatch-riders were galloping up -and down everywhere. I think the English had -been completely surprised by a return of the -Boers.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>There was rapid harnessing and saddling. -All round the bivouac horsemen were bringing -in oxen, mules, and horses from grazing.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The Mounted Rifles galloped off to take up -a position on the crest a mile away about which -there had been fighting the day before.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>At 11.15 another large detachment of -Mounted Rifles passed, returning the salute of -the sentry on duty at headquarters.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>In all they may have been from three to four -squadrons. It was difficult to form any idea of -actual numbers, for they were not marching in -strict order, and taking into account the -reduction in the strength of certain corps, a column -of two or three hundred men may well have -represented a whole regiment.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>A captain of the Irish Brigade told me that -his company consisted of seventy-eight men, -completed by yeomanry, and he called his -adjutant to verify the figures he had given me.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>At 11.20 a battery of the Royal Field -Artillery went off in the same direction at a -trot. A fraction of about fifty returned at a -walk.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>About 100 metres from my point of observation--an -old waggon--the Irish Brigade and the -Borderers stood at ease. At 11.30 a battalion -was moved forward. Five minutes later a -second battery, a great naval 10-centimetre gun, -drawn by twenty oxen, joined the fighting line -with the rest of the Irish.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Everything had been done very rapidly. -One could see that the men had been trained -to sudden alarms by six months of warfare. -Thirty-five minutes before the men were busy -in camp, and the beasts were grazing. Now -more than half the men were engaged, and all -were ready awaiting orders to advance.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The skirmishers came back at a gallop, and a -man arrived to hasten the advance of the naval -gun, the oxen of which were almost trotting -already.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>At 11.55 two other naval guns, also drawn -by twenty oxen each, went forward to join the -others. A large ambulance-waggon followed.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>In the camp a dog was howling dismally. -The cannonade slackened a little.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>At noon an ammunition-waggon, drawn by -ten mules, went off to supply the line of -combatants.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>It is lamentable that the Burghers, clinging -obstinately to their defensive tactics, know -nothing of rear or flank movements.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>There are no sentries either right or left. -All the troops have gone off in the direction of -the cannon--that is to say, towards the -east--and in that immense camp, containing some -hundreds of waggons, there are only a platoon -of Mounted Rifles and a half-battalion of -infantry. A handful of men could carry the -camp and sack it.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>In addition to the material result, what a -moral effect would be produced on the troops -engaged a mile and a half off, if they knew that -an enemy, however feeble, was in possession of -the road of retreat, and engaged in plundering -the stores and ammunition!</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>It is true that the Boers did not know the -state of the camp, but if they had they would -have done nothing. This circumstance, -confirming many other instances, would have -convinced me more firmly than ever, if that were -possible, that the great secret of warfare is to -</span><em class="italics">dare</em><span>! This, I think, was the sole science of -Murat, Lassalle and many another famous -</span><em class="italics">sabreur</em><span>. And the Emperor himself, was not -he, too, a type of audacity in the conception of -his most brilliant campaigns, in the conduct of -his most glorious victories?</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>About 12.30 the firing ceased. It -recommenced again about 3 and 4.30. At three -o'clock another great ammunition waggon was -despatched. No losses were announced that -evening.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The staff was at work till one o'clock in the -morning, and a long telegram in cipher was -sent off to Pretoria. In the evening rather late -I heard the movements of troops, which -recommenced the next morning at dawn.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>July 9.--From 7 a.m. to 7.30 a battery and -several detachments of the Mounted Rifles, ten -or fifteen, moved off to the east-south-east, -strongly flanked on the right (south) by other -Mounted Rifles and by a battery.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>In the early morning there were two -centimetres of ice on the artillery buckets, and -towards noon we were glad to be in our -shirtsleeves. This great variation, more than 37 -degrees in twenty hours, is very trying. We were -now in mid-winter, and the sun set at five o'clock. -At eight the firing, which was very brisk, -seemed nearer than the day before. The Boer -shells, carrying too far, burst between the camp -and the line of the English artillery, which we -could see perfectly. The infantry was posted -towards the east-south-east.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The staff-officer told me that the English -were engaged with General Botha's 5,000 men. -I offered no opinion, but I was sure he was -wrong, and information I received later justified -this belief. I was rather inclined to think that -it was the worthy Derksen, who had collected -some 500 or 600 men, and who, by rapid and -unexpected movements, was trying to make the -enemy believe in the presence of a very -considerable force. My staff-officer further told me -that General Hutton was in command of 6,000 -men, three batteries, and four naval guns. This, -to judge by what I saw, may very probably have -been correct. At any rate, a formidable convoy -was on the spot. The guns were still booming.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>An old sergeant with four stripes was -introduced to me. He was the senior member of -Battery 66, which had been kept in reserve. -He had been serving under Lieutenant Roberts, -who was killed at Colenso.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>During the day four ambulance-waggons were -sent out to the lines. It was at first intended -that I should be taken to Pretoria, but as the -route of the convoy had been changed, I was -conveyed to Springs. I was one of fifteen -prisoners, not counting the wounded.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>At 4.30 the firing was much closer, but we -had to start; the convoy was ready. It -consisted of fifty bullock-waggons, eight or ten -of them filled with wounded men. We, the -prisoners, were at the head of the convoy, -strongly guarded by infantry and mounted men. -A few mounted irregulars preceded us as scouts. -These men, recruited chiefly among the -Afrikanders, sometimes even among the Boers, know -the country very well.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Our guide was a native of Boksburg, and -knew all the men with Derksen, the leader of -the Boksburg commando. I made no attempt -to conceal the disgust I felt for this renegade. -But nothing distracted him from his duties, for -he had a holy horror of falling into the hands of -the Boers.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>During the night fires in the bush reddened -the horizon on every side. They came to ask -us several times if these were signals. I really -had no idea, but I was inclined to think not.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>On account of the meagre fuel afforded by -the short dry grass of the veldt, the fires we -saw in these regions had none of the grandeur -of the bush-fires in the Soudan, where the high -grass is from 6 to 10 feet high. In those -whirlwinds of fire the flames seem to lick the sky, -and the tallest trees are twisted and calcined -like straws. Numerous as the fires were, they -did not warm the atmosphere, and the cold -was terrible.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>At last we arrived, supperless, at Springs, -at 1.30 in the morning, so frozen that we -were obliged to look and see if our feet and -hands were still in place. We slept huddled -in the guard-room at the railway-station.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Early on the morning of the 10th, Major -Pelletier, of the Royal Canadian Regiment, -came to fetch me to breakfast at mess. But -Captain Ogilvie, the commandant of the station, -would not let me leave his jurisdiction till I had -been to his quarters to make my toilet.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>After this process I went off with the Major. -He was a charming fellow, a French Canadian, -as his name indicates, and a native of a little -village in Normandy. I spent the day with -him. He told me the most interesting things -about Canadian life, spoke enthusiastically of -the fine sport there, and invited me to come -and pay him a visit later on. At the same time -he confided to me that both he and his men were -suffering terribly from the heat. I then, being -almost frozen, make up my mind never to accept -his kind invitation.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>I met a young doctor, too, whose name I -forget, also a French Canadian. All the French -Canadians, who form the majority of the -contingent, speak excellent French, interlarded with -old-fashioned expressions and marked by a strong -Norman accent. Many of them do not know a -word of English.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>At six o'clock I start for Johannesburg, in -the carriage reserved for officers. My pockets -are full of French Canadian papers, which, -though some two months old, are full of news -fresh to me.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>On my arrival, I presented myself to Major -Davies, the commandant of the military police. -He speaks French very correctly, was very -agreeable, and gave me leave to go about the -town on parole. I had only to leave my -address with him, and to report myself at -his office every morning at eleven o'clock.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>On the 13th a plot was discovered to seize -the town. About 500 arrests took place during -the evening. As I had taken the oath of -neutrality, I was not among the conspirators, and -while hostilities last I can say no more on this -subject.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>On the 14th I received a permit to return to -France, and I started by the two o'clock train -that very day.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>All along the line the railway-stations had been -converted into entrenched camps. We continually -passed trains loaded with horses, guns, and -men--some twenty in all, perhaps. We arrived -at Kroonstad at eleven in the morning on the -15th. Nothing remained of the sheds and the -goods-station which we had burnt on May 12, -with all the stores.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Involuntarily I took out my pocket-book, -and read the names of the men who then -composed the French corps. We were not forty -altogether. Three had been killed, five had -disappeared, the others were dispersed.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>I tried to go out of the station to revisit all -those places in the town where we spent a -fortnight, gay, full of hope, almost complete in -numbers. But the station was surrounded by -sentries, and no one was allowed to pass.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>From a distance the prospect was dismal -enough. The streets were deserted, and, as if -to emphasize the fact that everywhere there is -suffering, the Red Cross flag floated sadly over -the town. In the foreground, close to us, on -the line, and in the sidings, were deserted -railway-carriages, half burnt, overturned, and -broken.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>All round the town were field hospitals and -vast camps. There were about 11,000 men in -all, I was told. A feverish activity reigned at -the station, a continuous bustle and movement. -Convoys of provisions and arms followed each -other in rapid succession. We counted sixteen -during the day on the 16th.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Horses and mules were entrained in some, -others brought back the worn-out horses. -Many of these poor beasts had died on the -road; most of them could hardly stand. They -were dragged along a few steps, and a -non-commissioned officer put a bullet through their -heads inside the station. Thirty or forty thus -executed lay heaped one on another in a pool of -blood, which ran in a little stream towards the -line.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>On the platform stood cases of ammunition -and arms. Several placed together contained -Lee-Enfield cavalry carbines, and were marked -'Very Urgent.'</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>On the 16th we were still at Kroonstad, and -a trainful of prisoners passed going to East -London. It became one of the daily exercises -of the garrison to walk to the station and see -the travellers.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Two questions were to be heard perpetually:</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>'Do you think it is nearly over?' 'Have -you any Kruger pennies?'</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>And Tommy is quite happy when they tell -him that, as to being nearly over, it's not quite -that; but that as to going on much longer, it -won't go on much longer--at least, it depends -on what you mean by much longer; or when -someone gives him one or two Kruger pennies.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>At last we left Kroonstad at ten o'clock in -the evening, passing through Brandfort, that -village to which, feted and acclaimed, we had -come with </span><em class="italics">Long Tom</em><span> in January. All along -the route the railway had been destroyed, and -we travelled on rails laid on unballasted sleepers -by the Royal Engineers.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Trenches had been dug to enable the train to -pass over the shallow, dried-up streams without -any very artistic labour, and sometimes the little -half-destroyed bridges had been repaired with -logs and made to do duty again.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>It seemed wonderful that it could all hold. -But it appeared--I heard this at the camp at -Springs--that one of the chief engineers of -the railway service was a civilian, a French -Canadian, who had already distinguished himself -in America by the construction of very daring -railways.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>He must have been extraordinary indeed to -have astonished the Americans!</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>It is certain that the English successfully -re-established railway communication with very -restricted means in a very rapid manner--not -that this prevents it from being constantly -re-cut, however.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>On July 17, at 8.30 in the morning, we were -at Bloemfontein. Poor old capital of the -Orange Free State! It is now the chief town -of the Orange River Colony. Here again -there was an immense camp, a large proportion -of the Kelly-Kenny division.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>We only stayed half an hour, and, after -changing trains at Springfontein, we passed -Norval's Pont at 6.35 in the evening. We -were in Cape Colony! Here we were no -longer on an improvised railway, and we got -on faster. On the 18th, about 7.30 a.m., we -were in the environs of Cape Town.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>In accordance with English custom, many of -the merchants have offices in the town, and live -in little houses which give a gay and smiling -aspect to the suburbs. We therefore took up -a number of passengers who looked like men of -business. In a few minutes we were in the -town. We left the train at 8.30.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>My permission to return to France was -confirmed by the General commanding the garrison. -I was almost a free man!</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 1em"> -</div> -<p class="center pfirst"><span>* * * * *</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 1em"> -</div> -<p class="pfirst"><span>Vague rumours reached us from the front, -always carefully doctored by the censor. Prinsloo -was taken prisoner with several thousand men; -but on the line to Lourenço Marques Botha was -still defending himself vigorously. After the -taking of Pretoria the Government, incarnating -itself, so to speak, in the person of President -Kruger, installed itself in a special train. There -Oom Paul slept, received, ate, and lived. There -the official printing-press was also set up, and -the money that was circulated was minted there. -As in the hurried departure from Pretoria it -had not been possible to carry off a complete set -of weights, the sovereigns issued were simple -gold discs, quite plain, without image or inscription.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>It was on this line, too, that the last great -battles were fought, at Middelburg, Belfast, -and Machadodorp, after which, renouncing all -attempts at defence, the Boers began that guerilla -campaign which De Wet had already successfully -essayed.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>In a few days our steamer sailed. It was not -without a pang that we quitted the land we had -hoped to see free, for which we had fought for -seven months, and which had proved the grave -of a venerated leader and of beloved friends.</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 4em"> -</div> -<p class="center pfirst"><span class="large">CONCLUSION.</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 2em"> -</div> -<p class="pfirst"><span>An inexperienced writer, more expert with arms -than with the pen, I do not know if I have -described all these events in a manner sufficiently -clear and coherent to convey a distinct -impression. I shall therefore try to sum up on a few -broad lines the ideas I have been able to form -after the experiences I have recorded.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>First of all, two great questions seem to -present themselves: Why, in spite of all their -qualities, have the Boers been beaten? Why -are the English, with over 250,000 men, held -in check by a handful of peasants?</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>These two questions are closely connected, -for, though this seems a paradox, the chief cause -of the defeat of the Boers is also the cause of -their long resistance. I will explain.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>I think we must attribute the defeat of the -federated troops mainly to their absolute lack of -military organization, for in spite of the legend -of the volunteers of 1792, no undisciplined -force, however brave, will ever prove a match -for a regular army.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Resistance may be more or less prolonged, -phases more or less heroic, but the issue is -foredoomed.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>This lack of organization, of discipline--that -is the great thing--explains the absence of -cohesion, of combined action, of rational leadership.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>I have already sufficiently pointed out the -evils of suffrage as applied to the election of -commanders. In addition to this, what -enthusiasm or confidence can these feel, when they -know that half the men of their commando will -leave them on the road if they feel so inclined? -And even if they do not actually do so, the -leader's confidence is put to a rude test!</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Yet these same Boers who have fought like -lions on occasion, and on occasion have fled -without firing a shot, are capable of education -in the art of war.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The Johannesburg Politie is a striking proof -of this. With the elementary discipline that -obtains among them, this corps held their own -for a whole day against Lord Roberts's 40,000 -men on two occasions, at Abraham's Kraal on -March 10, and near Machadodorp on August 27, -almost unsupported. And each time at the -price of a third of their number!</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 1em"> -</div> -<p class="center pfirst"><span>* * * * *</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 1em"> -</div> -<p class="pfirst"><span>To this chief and primordial cause we must -add another, not altogether inexcusable, but -very harmful under the circumstances. I mean -the dread and hatred of the foreigner.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Not inexcusable, I say, for, for nearly a -century, the foreigner has been to the Boer the -invader, the robber, and the enemy!</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The Boers therefore, as a whole, could never -believe that for love of a noble cause, or a -passion for adventure, men of every nation -should have come to espouse their cause against -the United Kingdom quite disinterestedly.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>In the unfortunate state of mind that prevailed -among them, the eulogies of a well-intentioned -but maladroit press had the most disastrous -effect.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>What sort of respect, indeed, could these -primitive people feel for Europeans when -Lombroso and Kuyser had written in all good -faith: 'As 63 per cent. of Boer blood is Dutch, -12 per cent. French, 12 per cent. Scotch, and -3 per cent. German, this mixture of the best -nations of Europe ought to constitute a centre -of liberty and civilization, a race superior to any -in Europe!'</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Why, when one belongs to 'a race superior -to any in Europe,' should one follow the advice -of officers of the European armies, and, -consequently, of the inferior races?</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>And, indeed, when we consider the remarkable -campaign now being carried on by De Wet -and Botha, we may well ask whether Europeans -could obtain better results. Under present -conditions, I think, it would be hard to do -better.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>But if General de Villebois' advice had been -taken from the first, it is very probable that the -guerilla war would never have been inaugurated. -The campaign would have been over long ago; -for whereas the Boers were content to hold the -English in check, the Europeans wanted to beat them.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Not satisfied with successful engagements that -gave no solid advantage, they wanted to push -forward, with the enthusiasm that surprises a -demoralized enemy, creates a panic, and results -in total rout.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Haunted by the names that gleam in the -folds of our banners--Jemmapes, Valmy, -Marengo and Austerlitz--we dreamed of great -victories. And if the Boers had wished it, this -dream might have been realized!</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>We now come to the reason why the English, -with over 250,000 men, are held in check by a -handful of peasants.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>I have said that this question is closely bound -up with the cause of the Boer defeat--the -absence of discipline. For how is it possible to -surround, to conquer, and to crush adversaries -who will never be drawn into a battle, and who -make off directly a blow is struck at them?</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Are they closely pressed by the enemy? -Each man goes off as he chooses in a different -direction, and the commando of 500 men which -attacked a little convoy yesterday has melted -away before the column of 2,000 sent in pursuit -of it.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Far away in the bush, to the east, a horseman -disappears on the horizon, another on the -west--and that is all.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>If one of these men should have been too -closely engaged in the English lines, the first -farm he comes to offers him an asylum. His -rifle is thrust under a plank in the flooring, his -horse turned out to graze, the white flag floats -over the house, and Her Majesty has no more -inoffensive subject than my Burgher--for the -next twenty-four hours.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>If need be, when the English authority is too -near, an old gun--I once saw a flintlock--will -be handed to him in sign of submission, and the -oath of neutrality taken.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>This explains the enormous number of arms -that have been given up, while the Burghers -have retained their good Mausers and -Martini-Henrys, and still use them.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>But as soon as the English, pleased at a fresh -submission, have gone off, the rifle--the good -one this time--is brought out, the horse stealthily -mounted, and the Burgher is abroad once more.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The dispersions are merely momentary, and -very often a rallying-point among the hills has -been fixed on in advance. Eight days later -the commando, concentrating again, appears on -the scene with some unexpected stroke. This -kind of thing may go on for a long time.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>'Egaillez-vous, les gas!' was the cry of the -Vendéen chiefs; and it is this manoeuvre, and -the rally which follows it, that regular troops -cannot execute.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>This kind of warfare is obviously very painful -and fatiguing for the invader. But it is a -purely defensive method, and cannot have any -decisive success, unless the invading army -should give up the struggle.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>For which side does Fortune reserve her final -favours? It is certain that the English are -weary, very weary, and that they have been so -for some time.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Ten months ago, at the beginning of January, -a soldier of the 2nd West Yorkshire Regiment -wrote with mournful resignation:</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>'We shall all be thankful when this war is -over, and this horrible butchery at an end!'</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Another, less disciplined and more easily -discouraged, a yeoman, wrote after Colenso:</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>'If I come through alive, the army will have -seen the last of me! I have had enough of it, -and I bitterly regret having rejoined my -regiment.'</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>I do not say that these sentiments are general, -but they indicate the weariness of the -combatants. And this lassitude seemed to me to -be creeping over all, from the general to the -private, among those I met between Springs -and Cape Town.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The army itself will not be consulted, of -course, but I wish to note this state of mind, -which seems to me serious.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>On the other hand, British prestige is too -deeply engaged for the English to retreat -without losing caste.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>What will happen? It would be foolhardy -to prophesy. 'If in doubt, refrain,' says the -sage. I will take his advice, offering for the -consideration of those who have followed me -so far this melancholy sentence from the -Westminster Gazette of last March:</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>'Each Boer will have cost us £2,000 to -subdue, and no one can yet say what each will -cost us to govern.'</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>October, 1900.</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 3em"> -</div> -<p class="center pfirst"><span class="small">BILLING AND SONS, LTD., PRINTERS, GUILDFORD</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 4em"> -</div> -<div class="align-center auto-scaled figure margin" style="width: 77%" id="figure-39"> -<img class="align-center block" style="display: block; width: 100%" alt=" " src="images/img-map-t.jpg" /> -<div class="caption centerleft figure-caption margin"> -<span class="italics">Map of the Transvaal and the Orange Free State (small version)</span></div> -</div> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 4em"> -</div> -<div class="align-center auto-scaled figure margin" style="width: 100%" id="figure-40"> -<img class="align-center block" style="display: block; width: 300%" alt=" " src="images/img-map.jpg" /> -<div class="caption centerleft figure-caption margin"> -<span class="italics">Map of the Transvaal and the Orange Free State (large version)</span></div> -</div> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 6em"> -</div> -<p class="center pfirst"><span>* * * * * * * *</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 6em"> -</div> -<p class="center pfirst"><span class="x-large">The Transvaal from Within</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 2em"> -</div> -<p class="center pfirst"><span>BY J. P. FITZPATRICK</span></p> -<p class="center pnext"><span class="small">Demy 8vo., cloth, 10s. net. Popular Edition, cloth, 2s. 6d. net. -<br />People's Edition, paper, 6d. net</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Mr. Chamberlain, replying to a Westmoreland correspondent, who -complained of the want of a printed defence -of the Government's policy in the -Transvaal, wrote, 'I refer you to Mr. FitzPatrick's book.'</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Lord Rosebery at Bath: 'A book which seems to me to bear on every page -and in every sentence the mark of truth, -which gives you wholesale and in detail -an extraordinary, and I think I may say an appalling, record of the way in -which the Government of the Transvaal was carried on and the subjection to -which it reduced our fellow-countrymen there.'</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The Times: 'Mr. FitzPatrick's book supplies a want which has been widely -felt. For the first time, the information -which everyone has been asking for, and -which nobody has been able to obtain, with regard to the common facts of -contemporary Transvaal history, -is collected in a volume convenient for reference -and easy to read. Nothing that has been written upon the Transvaal brings the -conditions of life there so clearly before English readers. Mr. FitzPatrick lays -his arguments boldly and simply before his readers, but it is in the facts of the -book--facts never before brought together in so convenient a form--that the -most powerful of all arguments will be found. Few readers will lay down the -volume without feeling that they know more than they have ever known before -of the real issues on trial in South Africa.'</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 3em"> -</div> -<p class="center pfirst"><span class="x-large">Why Kruger Made War</span></p> -<p class="center pnext"><span class="large">Or, Behind the Boer Scenes</span></p> -<p class="center pnext"><span class="medium">BY JOHN A. BUTTERY</span></p> -<p class="center pnext"><span class="small">LATE OF THE 'STANDARD AND DIGGERS' NEWS,' JOHANNESBURG</span></p> -<p class="center pnext"><span class="small">1 vol., crown 8vo., 3s. 6d. Second Impression</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The Times.--'Amid the never-ceasing flood of South African literature, -Mr. Buttery's is a book which deserves to be read. He writes with inside -knowledge of the Transvaal, its recent history, -and its public men. His chapters are -pointed, easy to read, and full of interesting -local matter. His description of the -position of the Cape Dutch and of the Bond is worth reading. The book contains -within small compass more useful and interesting information than is sometimes -to be found in far more pretentious volumes.'</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Literature.--'It has the incisiveness that one expects from the work of the -man on the spot, and it illuminates the British case with anecdotes and -circumstantial details.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The Daily Telegraph.--'The author throws a good deal of light on the -proceedings of the Hollander clique. -The book contains much that is of interest at -the present time.</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 3em"> -</div> -<p class="center pfirst"><span class="x-large">The Rise and Fall of Krugerism</span></p> -<p class="center pnext"><span class="medium">BY JOHN SCOBLE AND H. R. ABERCROMBIE</span></p> -<p class="center pnext"><span class="small">Demy 8vo., cloth extra, 10s. net. Popular Edition, 2s. 6d. net</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The Daily Chronicle.--'The authors throw new light on much that we knew -before, and they write with the experience of old inhabitants.'</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The Daily Express.--'A most timely book, and one well deserving the -serious consideration of all public men.'</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The Scotsman.--'Those in search of enlightenment respecting the rise and -fall of Krugerism in South Africa -will find this volume a mine of information on -the subject.'</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The Manchester Courier.--'The most striking feature of the work is its -almost encyclopedic completeness, for there is hardly one of the many phases of -political interest connected with South Africa which is not threshed out in these -pages. There is a tone of healthy Imperialism about this book which is -refreshing and attractive. It will be welcomed -as a logical and painstaking presentation -of the South African question.'</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The Newcastle Daily Chronicle.--'We leave the book convinced that a -perusal of it will open the eyes of the British people all over the world to the -evils and dangers of Krugerism in such a way as perhaps no other one book -could do.'</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The Yorkshire Post.--'A valuable as well as an interesting work.'</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 3em"> -</div> -<p class="center pfirst"><span class="x-large">The South African Conspiracy</span></p> -<p class="center pnext"><span class="x-large">Or, The Aims of Afrikanderdom</span></p> -<p class="center pnext"><span class="medium">BY FRED. W. BELL, F.S.S.</span></p> -<p class="center pnext"><span class="small">Demy 8vo., cloth extra, 5s. net</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The Times.--'The matter is one of great importance, and the volume serves -a useful purpose in bringing the known facts and the arguments to be deduced -from them within the reach of all.'</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The Morning Post.--'If there are left in this country any reasonable persons -who yet believe in the righteousness of Krugerism and the whole-hearted loyalty -of the Afrikander Bond to the Mother Country, we commend to their kind -attention "The South African Conspiracy," -which forms a valuable companion to -"The Transvaal from Within" and "The Rise and Fall of Krugerism." It is -well that the voice of yet another who has lived long in South Africa, who has -travelled far and wide in Cape Colony and the Transvaal, and who is familiar -with the temper and aspirations of every section of the population, should have -added its testimony to the mass of evidence which serves to show us how, but for -the employment of military force, the British Empire would have soon been in a -fair way of classing South Africa with the United States, and other portions of -the earth, that were once a part of that Empire, and now are not.'</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The Scotsman.--'Mr. Bell's book will be found eminently worthy of perusal -and consideration. It clears up many points and facts that have been purposely -obscured.'</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The Daily Express.--'A valuable contribution to South African history.'</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The Yorkshire Post.--'We hope that Mr. Bell's book will be widely read; -it should be of real service in the face of the coming settlement.'</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The Daily Mail.--'The true inwardness of the origin, growth, and -achievements of the Afrikander Bond have -never been so succinctly and tersely set -forth as in this book, -which is excellent in its moderation, reserve, and judicious -impartiality.'</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 2em"> -</div> -<p class="center pfirst"><span class="medium">LONDON: WILLIAM HEINEMANN, 21, BEDFORD ST., W.C.</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 6em"> -</div> -<!-- -*- encoding: utf-8 -*- --> -<div class="backmatter"> -</div> -<p class="pfirst" id="pg-end-line"><span>*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK </span><span>TEN MONTHS IN THE FIELD WITH THE BOERS</span><span> ***</span></p> -<div class="cleardoublepage"> -</div> -<div class="language-en level-2 pgfooter section" id="a-word-from-project-gutenberg" xml:lang="en" lang="en"> -<span id="pg-footer"></span><h2 class="level-2 pfirst section-title title"><span>A Word from Project Gutenberg</span></h2> -<p class="pfirst"><span>We will update this book if we find any errors.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>This book can be found under: </span><a class="reference external" href="http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/41488"><span>http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/41488</span></a></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Creating the works from public domain print editions means that no one -owns a United States copyright in these works, so the Foundation (and -you!) can copy and distribute it in the United States without -permission and without paying copyright royalties. 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