At five o'clock the lads from
Johannesburg again met and reported the result of the afternoon's work. The
nine Mauser rifles had been bought, and six thousand rounds of ammunition
had been purchased. This appeared an excessive amount, but as there might be
a difficulty in obtaining this ammunition, they bought up all that could be
found in the town. Peters and his party had chosen the horses for the troop.
The farmer was a well-known breeder of good stock, and was glad to dispose
of some of them at a fair price in order to lessen their number. He had
already had several enquiries from corps that were being raised, but the
prices were higher than could be paid for ordinary troopers, though several
had been bought by officers. The lot the lads had picked out had been put
aside, and they had given the farmer fifty pounds earnest-money, to hold
them till the next morning.
"They are as good a looking lot of
horses as I ever saw," Peters said, "in fact, by a long way the best. I
always heard that he was one of the largest breeders of good horses in South
Africa. He had eight or ten extraordinarily good ones, but, of course, he
wanted extra prices for these; but from the rest--and he has some three
hundred of them--he let us choose any we liked at one price, and I think I
can say that we shall be as well mounted a corps as any out here. Of course
we avoided the showy-looking horses, and chose those specially suited to the
country and likely to be fast. Mr. Duncan had several thoroughbreds from
home, and there is no doubt that his stock has benefited by it; they are all
of the country type, sturdy and compact, and yet somewhat finer in the limb
than any I ever saw in the Transvaal. We were delighted with them."
All the lads were accustomed from
childhood to horses, but those Chris had selected as the committee of
inspection were admitted by their friends to be the best judges of
horseflesh in the party, their fathers being wealthy men who always bought
the finest horses money could obtain.
"We will go over in a body
to-morrow," Chris said, "and pay for them and bring them back. We are lucky
indeed to have got hold of such a good lot. Are they pretty even animals,
Peters?"
"Yes, I really don't think there is
anything to choose between them."
"Well then, the fair way will be, to
make one-and-twenty tickets with as many numbers and fasten one to the mane
of each horse, then we will put another twenty-one numbers into a hat and
draw them; in that way everyone will be satisfied. Those of you who have not
got their money from their people had better ask them for it this evening,
so that we can settle up to-morrow for the horses and rifles and ammunition.
The hundred pounds we have each been promised will well cover all our
expenses up to the moment we start, and I should think leave us with
something like twenty pounds apiece in pocket, but all we have and the other
hundred for future expenses we had better put into the bank here to-morrow.
We must arrange for four of us to sign cheques, each cheque to be signed by
two, but we had better give them all our signatures so that in case what we
can call the finance committee of four are all killed or taken prisoners
there will be no bother about having fresh signatures to arrange about."
"Well," Sankey said, "we might as well settle that at once. I propose that
Field, Carmichael, Capper, and, of course, you form the committee." As no
amendment was offered, this was at once agreed to.
"What time did you say that we would
come over to fetch the horses?"
"About ten o'clock."
"Well, will you all be at my hotel
to-morrow at half-past eight with your money? Then we will all sign our
names on paper the committee first; afterwards they shall go with me to the
bank and pay all the money in, give them the list of signatures, and tell
them that until further notice two of the four first names will sign the
cheques, but that should circumstances prevent any two of them being able to
do so, others will sign instead. The account had better stand as the
Johannesburg Scouts. When we have arranged that we will hire a couple of
light waggons and start. Have you all got your saddlery?"
"Yes."
"Well, we will take it with us, and
then we can ride the horses back. I will get the tickets made out."
As soon as the bank opened in the
morning, Chris and his three companions presented themselves, and had an
interview with the manager, who was somewhat surprised when twenty-one
cheques and cash to the amount of three thousand five hundred pounds were
handed in, each member having deducted the amount paid for saddlery and
clothes. "We wish the account to stand in the name of the Johannesburg
Scouts, and cheques will be signed by two of the four names standing first
on this list; but as casualties may occur, you will please accept any of
these signatures. Our little corps will form part of the Maritzburg Scouts,
but in money matters we keep to ourselves, being all volunteers serving
without pay."
The manager ran his eye over the
cheques. All the names were well known to him as those of prominent men at
Johannesburg, and the great majority had already accounts at his bank, as
all had some time previously made arrangements for drawing money in case of
necessity.
"I suppose, Mr. King," he said,
"that as you and your friends represent the corps, you are all young men?"
"We are all boys," Chris answered
with a smile, "but we are old enough to do men's work, and in the Transvaal
the Boers are commandeering all boys two or three years younger than we
are."
"Well, I congratulate you all both
on your patriotism and your pluck, Mr. King, and I have no doubt that you
will do good service."
Receiving a cheque-book, they drew
two hundred pounds for current expenses, and then going back to the hotel
found the two Cape-carts and their companions ready, and the saddlery
already stowed away. On arriving at the farm all were highly pleased with
the horses their comrades had selected. They had on the way agreed that it
would be a good plan to buy four others to act as pack-horses, and to
furnish them with remounts in case any of their own were shot. These were to
be sent into the town by two Kaffirs, whom they arranged to take into their
service, for the farmer said at once, when they asked him that he could very
well spare them, as he would be parting with a considerable number of his
horses and cattle, and would not require so many hands as he had at present.
The two men he chose for them were both active young natives; they made no
objection to the exchange of masters, and, indeed, seemed pleased at the
thought of going with them to fight the Boers, who were universally hated by
the natives.
A cheque was given to the farmer for
their purchase, then the horses were chosen by lot as agreed, and were at
once saddled and mounted. They had all been partially broken in, and as the
boys were good riders, they were after a little preliminary struggle soon at
their ease, and, taking a couple of hours' sharp ride through the country,
returned on good terms with their mounts. Two or three hours were spent in
teaching the horses to stand steady as soon as the reins were thrown over
their heads, this being a training to which all horses in the Cape are
subjected. Then they rode back to the town and arranged with a farmer near
it to picket their horses in one of his meadows, and for their feed while
they remained there. The rest of the day was spent in laying in their
supplies. The rifles and ammunition were paid for, pack saddles bought for
the four spare horses, a brace of revolvers purchased for each member,
haversacks ordered for the whole party, and bags to carry a supply of grain
for each horse. In the evening they went out to the farm, and after
discharging their rifles a few times fed their horses.
This they repeated in the morning,
so as to familiarize them with the sound of firearms; then they saddled and
mounted them, and after riding for half an hour drew up in line, as Captain
Brookfield, who had sworn them in on the previous afternoon, was to inspect
them at eight o'clock. They had all put on their working clothes, bandoliers
and belts, and high boots, and the captain on his arrival, after closely
inspecting them, expressed his strongest approval of their appearance.
"I really congratulate you, Mr.
King," he said, "on having command of twenty such serviceable-looking young
fellows. As they all can ride, and, as you tell me, can all shoot, they
ought to do really good service, and I should be well pleased if all my
troop were composed of such good material. From the fact that you can all
speak Dutch, and most of you Kaffir, you will have great opportunities of
obtaining information, and can, in case of need, pass as young Boers. In
fact, I may say that there is some danger of your being mistaken for them by
our men. I should take you for them myself, except that you all look
brighter and more wide-awake than Boers generally do; but an artilleryman
could hardly be blamed if he plumped a shell among you at a distance of two
or three thousand yards."
"We thought of that, sir;" Chris
turned to his band, "Change caps!" All pulled field-service caps from their
pockets, took off the soft felts, rolled them up and forced them into their
valises, and put on the caps.
"That is excellent!" Captain
Brookfield exclaimed. "That certainly alters your appearance altogether, and
as far as your figures could be made out through a glass, it could be seen
that you are an irregular body of some sort. And this can be still more
plainly seen if, as I should advise you, you always ride in fours when you
are approaching our lines; there will then be little chance of a mistake
being made. Where did you pick up all those horses?"
"We bought them yesterday from a
farmer named Duncan, who has brought them down from his place near Dundee."
"Ah! that accounts for it; he is one
of the best-known horse-breeders in the colony. I had not heard that he had
come down."
"He only arrived two days ago, sir.
We were fortunate to hear of it, and some of us rode over early yesterday
and were lucky enough to secure them."
"You were lucky. There are several
mounted corps being formed here and at Durban, and horses will go up in
price rapidly. Where is he staying'?"
"About a mile and a half farther
out, sir. If you want horses I should think that you had better go on at
once, for he told me that he had sold sixty yesterday, but that very few of
them were anything like as good horses as these."
"No. People are subscribing
handsomely, but we cannot afford to mount our troopers on such horses as
these. A good many gentlemen have found their own horses, and of course will
be well mounted; but a good, sound, country horse is all we can afford for
the others; they are excellent for ordinary work, though, of course, not so
fast as yours, nor quite so big. Your horses have all a strain of English
thoroughbred blood, and if you should at any time have to ride for it there
would be little chance of the Boers overtaking you, though some of them are
very well mounted, for the two things a Boer will spend money on, are his
horse and his rifle. And when do you start?"
"We are going to-morrow morning. I
went to the station-master yesterday evening and arranged for trucks for the
horses to be attached to an early train to Dundee. We want to get up in time
to see the first of it, and we should lose three days if we were to travel
by road."
"That is the right spirit, and I
wish I could go with you; but my troop will wear a sort of uniform, Norfolk
jackets and riding-breeches, and the outfitters are so overwhelmed with
orders that it will be another couple of days at least before they are
ready. Then the men must have two or three days' drill before they start; I
am still short of horses, so I will ride on and see Duncan. I want
thirty-five more, and as yet, although subscriptions are coming in well, we
are still a good deal short of our requirements. However, I dare say I shall
be able to make some arrangement with Duncan, as I shall probably have
enough to pay him in full by the end of the week. Altogether, I don't
suppose I shall be ready to start for another ten days, and unless the Boers
delay their advance I am afraid that I shall not get to Dundee."
"Do you not believe that we shall be
able to hold the town?"
"I hardly think that there is a
chance of it, and I am sure we made a mistake in sending a portion of the
force there. I know the premier was most anxious that our troops should be
posted as far north as possible, in order to save the loyal farmers from
plunder. If the position were stronger and impossible to be turned, the case
would be different; but it is not strong, and can be turned on each flank.
If the Boers march to attack General Symons, who is in command there, he may
possibly beat them off; but as they can advance towards Ladysmith either
from the Free State on one side or the Transvaal on the other, he and his
troops would be cut off, and the loyal farmers would be plundered just as
much as if Symons had remained at Ladysmith. I fancy all the military men
think that a grave mistake has been made, and that General White should not
have exposed half his force to disaster. Besides, the position of Ladysmith
is no more defensible than that of Dundee. The Tugela would be the natural
line of defence, but even that could be turned by troops from the Transvaal
going through Zululand, and the line of the river would be very difficult to
defend by a force of less than twenty thousand men. However, we shall see
how the thing works out--how enterprising the Boers are, and how warmly the
Free Staters throw themselves into the work."
"You think that we shall have a hard
time, Captain Brookfield?"
"Yes, I think that is certain, even
if Cape Colony keeps quiet, which I am very much afraid it will not do. If
it rises, it will take all the strength of England to put it down. Well, I
wish you all luck. I can assure you I feel proud of my Johannesburg section,
and I shall be glad when you join me."
He shook hands with the whole of the
lads and then rode off.
"The train starts at eight o'clock,"
Chris said. "We had better get our good-byes over to-night, get some
breakfast if we are able to do so at half-past five, and meet here at six.
We ought to be at the station at least an hour before the train starts. We
shall not only have to get the horses into the trucks, which is certain to
be a troublesome business, as they are altogether new to it, but we shall
have to see to our other stores and belongings. I have arranged that we
shall travel with the horses, so that we can each stand at the heads of our
own animals, and if they are very wild, we can blindfold them until they
become accustomed to the situation. I have bought a couple of trusses of hay
from Thomas, and he will send down two of his native boys to the station. I
should advise you all to put some food into your haversacks, there is no
saying how long we may be on the road."
"What sort of trucks are they,
Chris?" "They have high sides, but no roofs. Of course I would rather have
had roofs, but the station-master could not provide any waggons with them.
But he showed me these, and as the sides are quite high enough to prevent
the horses getting out, they will do very well."
The saddles were taken off and piled
together. There was no chance of rain, so they were left uncovered. The lads
then walked back into the town. There was, of course, a sad parting that
evening between Chris and his mother, but she bore up well. She knew that
hundreds of other women were parting with husbands or sons, and she felt
that, as the main cause of the war was to rescue the Uitlanders in the
Transvaal from the oppression of the Boers, it behooved all the fugitives
from that country to do their utmost.
In the morning the lads all arrived
punctually at the rendezvous. The horses were fed to the accompaniment, as
usual, of pistol shots. Then they were saddled up, the valises the lads had
brought down with them were strapped on, and with their rifles slung behind
them they rode to the station.
It was, as they had expected, a long
and troublesome business to get the horses into the trucks, but at last this
was managed. Nose-bags were put on, with a few double-handfuls of grain,
then one trooper was left to each two horses, while the rest saw to their
bundles of blankets, their stores of tea, sugar, and flour, preserved milk,
cocoa, bacon, and tinned food. A couple of frying-pans, and a canteen of tin
cups and plates, a knife, fork, and spoon each, and two kettles, completed
their outfit. They had put their soft felt hats in their valises, and were
all in their flat fatigue caps.
The train was a long one, but the
carriages with it were empty, for while the trains from the north were
closely packed, there were few persons indeed proceeding up country. The
trucks, however, were well filled, as great quantities of stores were being
taken up, some to Ladysmith, and others for the force at Dundee. The horses
soon became accustomed to the motion, and their masters took the opportunity
of familiarizing themselves with them, by talking to them, patting them, and
giving them pieces of bread and an occasional lump of sugar. The two Kaffirs
had brought on the pack-horses four water-skins and a couple of buckets, and
in the heat of the day the horses were allowed a good drink, while their
masters, whose haversacks had been filled by their friends, enjoyed a hearty
meal, washed down by tin mugs full of champagne.
They were in the highest spirits,
although the meal was taken under difficult circumstances, for all were
seated on the upper rails of the trucks, there being no room for them to sit
down among the horses. The plates were all packed up, and fingers and teeth
served for knives and forks, which was the less important since chickens
were the staple of the meal; and these had been cut up before starting. Many
were the jokes that passed along the line. All felt that it was the last
experience they were likely to have of civilized food, and that it would be
a long while before champagne or any other wine would fall to their lot. The
Kaffirs, who had each charge of two spare horses, enjoyed themselves no
less, for they had a fair share of the provisions of their masters, and were
in a high state of contentment with their prospects.
There was a halt of an hour at
Ladysmith. Many of the officers and soldiers gathered at the station, their
work for the day finished, and the arrival of the train being always an
event of some importance in the little town. They were amused and interested
at the party of young fellows who alighted to stretch their legs and get a
change of position.
"Which is your leader?" a major
asked Field.
"The one talking to an officer. His
name is Chris King."
"Is he chosen because he is the
oldest of you?"
"No, that has nothing to do with it.
We are all within a year of the same age. We have all been chums and
friends, and have hunted and shot together, and he is the one we elected as
our leader, just as you would choose the captain of a cricket club. We all
come from Johannesburg, find our own horses, arms, and outfits, and ask
nothing whatever from the government; and as we speak Dutch, and all know
more or less Kaffir, we fancy we can make a good deal better scouts than
your cavalry, who can't ask a question of a Boer or get information from a
native."
The major laughed. He saw that the
lad a little resented the joking tone in which he had asked the question.
"I have no doubt that you are
right," he said, "and I am quite sure I should like half a dozen of you as
subalterns. When did you come from Johannesburg?"
"We left there about a week ago, and
as we were only at Maritzburg three days, we have not lost any time."
"Indeed, I think that is a record
performance. Of course you are all looking forward to your first skirmish; I
can assure you we are."
"We had our first on the way down
here, when we were between Newcastle and the frontier. Four or five of us
went to a farmhouse to try and get some food and milk for the women and
children. It was a Boer's place, and the fellow came out with a rifle and
warned us off. We went forward, and he took a shot at King when he was quite
close to him, but fortunately the bullet only went through his hat. Chris
knocked him down and gave him a tremendous thrashing with his own whip. Then
we took some provisions and paid for them, and searching the house, found
twelve Mauser rifles and a lot of ammunition. We took these off without
paying for them. The Boer had made off while we were searching the house,
and he and some twenty others pursued us, not dreaming that we were now
armed. However, we gave them a volley, and emptied three saddles and killed
three or four horses, and they moved off without trying to make our further
acquaintance."
"Well done, lads!" the officer said
warmly, "that was an excellent beginning, and I have no doubt that you will
follow it up well."
Similar conversations were going on
all along the platform, and when at last the lads again took their places in
the trucks, a hearty cheer was given them. The sun was setting when they
arrived at Dundee. It was a larger place than Ladysmith, as there were some
coal-mines in the neighbourhood, and a considerable number of men were
employed in them. Like Ladysmith it is situated on a plain dominated by
hills. The camp was some little distance out of the town. An officer was at
the station with a party of men to receive the stores brought up by the
train. Chris at once went up to him and saluted.
"We have just arrived, sir; we are a
section of the Maritzburg Scouts, acting independently. As we are all from
Johannesburg, and find our own horses, equipment, and food, provide our own
rations, and, of course, serve without pay, we propose to scout on our own
account, and as we all speak Dutch well, I think that we may be useful in
obtaining information. We shall, of course, search the country in whatever
direction may be considered most useful."
"I have no doubt that you will be of
good service, sir," the officer said.
"I suppose we can camp anywhere we
like."
"I should think so. As you do not
draw rations, it can matter little where you post yourselves; but I don't
think that you will be able to get tents to-night."
"We shall not want them, sir; we
have each a large waterproof sheet, and intend to use them as tentes d'abri.
I suppose I had better report myself at the headquarters of the general?"
"Yes, that would be the proper
thing. The camp is a mile and a half away; if you follow the Glencoe
railway, you cannot miss it."
As soon as the horses were detrained
and the baggage packed, the little party mounted and left the station, and
choosing a piece of unoccupied ground a few hundred yards away, proceeded to
unsaddle and picket the horses, while Chris rode away to the camp
accompanied by one of the natives to hold his horse there. He had no
difficulty in finding it, and dismounting, walked to the group of
head-quarter tents. His appearance excited a good deal of amusement and some
chaff from the soldiers he passed. He looked, indeed, like a young Dutch
farmer in his rough clothes, and his rifle, and a bandolier of cartridges.
Seeing a young officer close to a tent, he asked him which was that of the
adjutant- general.
"He is there talking to the general
at the door of his tent. Do you wish to speak to him?"
"I should be glad to do so," Chris
replied. The officer walked across and informed the colonel that Chris
wanted to speak to him.
"Bring him across, Mr. Williams,"
the general himself said. "He is evidently a young farmer, and possibly
brings in some news of the enemy's movements."
The lieutenant returned to Chris and
led him up to the general.
"You have some news that you wish to
give us, sir?" Sir Penn Symons said.
"No, general; but I hope to be able
to do so to-morrow."
He then stated his position and the
nature of his command.
"We are all very well mounted, sir,"
he went on, "and as we all speak Dutch, hope to be useful. At any rate, we
shall be no trouble to you, as we draw neither rations nor pay. We think we
can pass anywhere as Boers; that is why we have not adopted any uniform."
"I have no doubt you will be of
service," the general said, though I hardly think that you will pass as
Boers with those caps."
"We have all wide-brimmed hats to
use while we are scouting, general; but we carry these too, so that on our
return towards your lines we can be recognized even at a distance as not
being Boers, and so avoid being fired at."
"Yes, that is a very necessary
precaution. I will have officers commanding cavalry and artillery
detachments warned, that a section of Maritzburg volunteers are dressed as
farmers, but may be known in the distance by having caps similar to the
ordinary infantry field-service caps.
"Well, sir, I shall be glad if you
will to-morrow ride to the south, following the river, and endeavour to find
out whether the Boers have any considerable force in that direction, either
on this side of the river or the other, I may tell you that five of the
Natal police were captured on the evening of the 13th at De Jagers Drift.
The Boers have been in possession of Newcastle for the past three days, and
they are certainly crossing the passes from the Free State. You must be very
careful, for they have scouting parties across the river almost as far as
the Tugela. However, we hardly expect any serious struggle for another week
or ten days; for all the accounts are to the effect that the Boers are still
very deficient in transport, and that for the past week those at Laing's
Nek, and the other passes, have been very much straitened for provisions. It
would be as well for you, while you are at Dundee, to come over once a day
to report your doings, and to receive orders as to the point where we most
need information. Have you gone into lodgings in the town?"
"No, sir. We have waterproof sheets
that form tentes d'abri, and we prefer being with our horses, which were
only bought a few days ago; so, as we shall not have much opportunity of
sleeping otherwise than in the open for some time, we thought it as well to
begin at once, especially as the weather looks threatening, and the horses,
being unaccustomed to be picketed, might pull up the pegs and get loose were
there a heavy rain."
"You seem to be well fitted for the
work, and to set about it in the right spirit."
"We have all been accustomed to
hunting expeditions, sir, when we have often been out for some days, so that
we understand how to shift for ourselves, though we are new to campaigning."
"What rifles have you? that does not
look like a Lee-Metford." "No, general, it is a Mauser. We captured twelve
of them, at a Boer's farmhouse three or four miles this side of Newcastle
six days ago. He fired at us, and though his bullet only went through my
hat, we thought ourselves justified in searching his house."
[Illustration: CHRIS OFFERS HIS
SERVICES TO SIR PENN SYMONS.]
"Certainly you were. We heard that
there had been a skirmish on the road, and learned the particulars from one
of those who took part in it, and who stayed here for two or three days
before going down the country. He said that four or five young gentlemen,
who were coming down with a party of women and children from Volksrust, had
gone to a farmhouse to try and get food, milk, and bread for the females.
The Boer farmer insulted them, and shot at one of them when but two or three
yards away; he had been tremendously thrashed by the young fellow, and they
returned laden with a good supply of milk and bread, and twelve rifles and a
lot of ammunition that they had found at the farm. And with these they and
some of the men had beaten off an attack of a score of Boers without any
loss to themselves."
"Yes, general, that was our party;
we had sent forward for some waggons, and got into Dundee two hours after
the skirmish; and as there was a train just going we went on at once, and
reached Maritzburg the next morning, where we were joined by some of our
party who had come down the day before. As we had made all our plans before
leaving Johannesburg, we were able to start this morning, which was the
third after our arrival there."
"You were prompt indeed," the
general said with a smile, "and must have needed money as well as brains."
"We had all obtained leave of our
families, general, and were well provided with funds to carry us through the
campaign if it lasts for a year. We wanted to be in time for the first
fight."
"I think yours was the first fight,
except that a few shots were exchanged between our scouts and the Boers on
the morning after the ultimatum expired. Now, sir, if you should at any time
be in want of necessaries I shall be glad to supply you; but I cannot
furnish you with ammunition, as the Mausers carry a smaller bullet than our
rifles."
"Thank you, general, but we have
enough to last us for a considerable time, having brought up six thousand
rounds."
"A good provision indeed," the
general laughed; "enough to last you through half a dozen pitched battles. I
shall be in the town at six o'clock to-morrow morning, and shall be pleased
to inspect your little corps before you start."
"I thank you, general; we shall all
be very proud to be inspected by you."
Then saluting he returned to his
horse and rode back to Dundee. He was pleased to see that the eleven little
tents had been erected strictly in line, that the horses were all standing
quietly at the picket-rope, and that two of the troop were placed as
sentries. A large fire was blazing in front of the tents, the two natives
were squatting by it, the kettles were swung over it, and a joint of meat
was roasting there. Two or three of the lads were standing talking together;
the rest had gone into the town. Cairns came up to him as he dismounted.
"Have you heard the news, Chris?"
"No, I have not heard any particular
news."
"I was at the station a quarter of
an hour ago, and a telegram had just been received that the Boers were, when
it was sent off, entering Elandslaagte station, and were in the act of
capturing the passenger train that was standing there. The message stopped
abruptly, as no doubt the Boers entered the room where the clerk was at work
at the needles."
"By Jove we are in luck!" Chris
said. "Of course that was the train that had to leave three hours after us.
If we had stopped for that, the horses, rifles, and kit would all have gone,
and we should now be prisoners. It is serious news, though, for it is
evident that not only are they marching against us in front, and on both
flanks, but have cut our communications with Ladysmith. There can be no
doubt that, as everyone said there, it was a mistake to send General Symons
forward here, as it was almost certain that with four regiments, three
batteries of artillery, a regiment of cavalry, and a few hundred of the
Natal police and volunteers, he could never maintain himself here. Why, we
heard at Ladysmith that a column had gone out the day before towards Besters
station, as the news had come in that they were even then in the
neighbourhood. It was a false alarm, but it was enough to show that the
Boers were likely to be coming down and cutting the railway in our rear.
General Symons told me that he did not expect any general advance of the
enemy just yet, because he heard that their transport was incomplete, and
that they were very short of provisions. But I don't think the want of
transport would prevent their advancing. We know well enough that the Boers
think nothing of going out for three or four days without any prospect of
getting any more provisions than they carry about them, unless they have the
luck to bring down an antelope. And as Utrecht and Vryheid and Newcastle are
all within a few miles of us, and the Free Staters have already come down
through some of the passes of the Drakensberg, they must be within an easy
ride of us; and if they are in force enough to drive us out of this place,
they must know they would find themselves in clover, for we heard at
Ladysmith that there were provisions and stores for two months collected
here."
