Anxious to find out the impression produced on the Boers by the late actions, I hastened to meet the ambulances, which, preceded by three horsemen carrying a large white flag, were now coming from the direction of Bulwana.  They were stopped at our cavalry picket line, and a report of their arrival was sent back to the nearest brigadier.  Their leader was a fine old fellow of the genuine veldt Boer type.  He spoke English fluently, and we were soon in conversation.

Cronje’s surrender had been officially announced to us on the previous day, and I inquired whether he had heard of it.  He replied that he knew Cronje was in difficulties, but understood he had managed to escape with his army.  As for the surrender, it might be true or it might be false.  ‘We are told so many lies that we believe nothing.’

But his next remark showed that he realised that the tide had begun to turn.  ’I don’t know what we poor Afrikanders have done that England won’t let us be a nation.’  I would have replied that I remembered having heard something about ‘driving the English into the sea,’ but I have been over this ground before in every sense, and knew the futility of any discussion.  Indeed, when the debate is being conducted with shells, bullets, and bayonets, words are feeble weapons.  So I said with an irony which was quite lost on him, ‘It must be all those damned capitalists,’ and this, of course, won his complete agreement, so that he confided that losing the position we had taken on the 27th was ’a sore and bitter blow.’

It happened that two squadrons of the 13th Hussars had ridden forward beyond us towards Bulwana, and at this moment the Boer artillery began to shell them rather heavily.  We watched the proceedings for a few minutes, and the Boer was much astonished to see soldiers riding leisurely forward in regular though open order without paying the slightest attention to the shrapnel.  Then several more squadrons were ordered to support the reconnaissance.  A great company of horsemen jingled past the halted ambulances and cantered off in the direction of the firing.  My companion regarded these steadfastly, then he said: 

‘Why do they all look so pleased?’

’Because they think they are going to fight; but they will not be allowed to.  It is only desired to draw your fire and reconnoitre.’

The whole plain was now occupied by cavalry, both brigades being on the move.

‘Little did we think a week ago,’ said the Boer, ’that we should see such a sight as this, here in this plain.’

‘Didn’t you think we should get through?’

‘No, we didn’t believe it possible.’

‘And you find the soldiers brave?’

‘They do not care for life.’

‘And Ladysmith?’

‘Ah,’ his eye brightened, ‘there’s pluck, if you like.  Wonderful!’

Then we agreed that it was a sad and terrible war, and whoever won we would make the gold mines pay, so that ‘the damned capitalists’ should not think they had scored, and thus we parted.