To delay and wait for the fall of the river was out of the question.  For not only would it take at least fifteen days before the river would have subsided to such a degree that we could hope to ford it, but De Wet’s old friend, General Knox, was at his heels.  All we could do was to march up the Caledon.  That river, being much smaller than the Orange River, would sooner fall and afford us a way of escape.  Our hopes were realised.  De Wet found a ford where he and his whole commando passed through.  Once more he was a free man.  We accompanied him for some distance up the river, until we came to the farm of one Smith.  Here Captain Scheepers, Captain Fouche and myself left the main body and went with our commando, consisting of about 300 men in all, in the direction of Rouxville, where, on the 13th of December, we captured 150 of the 2nd Brabants, who were sent to and for us.

While in the Rouxville district we received a message from De Wet that we should enter the Colony as soon as possible, and that he would try to follow us up.  He was, however, prevented from carrying out his intentions.  It seemed as if Providence had so ordained it that he should not cross the Orange River, or, even crossing it, should not sojourn for a long time in the land of the enemy.  For no sooner had he passed the Caledon, than the enemy concentrated on him and succeeded in driving him back through Sprinkhaan Nek to the northern districts of the Orange Free State.

This, however, afforded us a chance of slipping through on to British soil.  In the night of the 15th of December, at 2 A.M., we forded the Orange River at a point five miles below Odendaal’s Stroom.  It was a dark night, and the water was still very high, but we all reached the opposite bank in safety.  There we came upon the guard of the drift, as they were indulging in a game of cards.  One was wounded, two ran away and eight were captured.  They did not expect us to cross the river at 2 A.M., and were thus taken unawares.

We were now once more in British territory.  But what a contrast between this and our first invasion in the beginning of the war!  No large commandoes, no waggons, and no guns.  We were only 300 men—­a raiding band, as some contemptuously called us—­with one Maxim, and even that proved too cumbersome, for we soon cast it into a pool.  Instead of waggons and tents we had only our horses and mackintoshes, and some were even without the latter.  No large supplies of ammunition; our bandoliers were almost all half empty.

The morning of the 16th of December, then, found us in the Cape Colony.  We had made up our minds to spend at least some months in the enemy’s country.  Come what may, we would not return to the Orange Free State.  If the British had the right to stay in the Republics, why should we not tarry awhile in the Colony?  From the river we made a forced march to Venterstad, a small village lower down the stream.  We needed an outfitting, and thought that that would be the most likely place where we would get it.  We only had to surprise the garrison, about 50 strong, and we would have all we wanted.  In this we were quite successful.  The garrison, or town-guard, soon hoisted the white flag.