in such a way as would ensure their friendship.  On no account were they to molest the peaceful neutral British subjects, for they were not at war with the colonists.  They were also forbidden to take anything from British subjects without paying the proper value for the thing required.  There were some more injunctions, which have escaped my memory.  No wonder that one should forget when chased as we were.  I believe these orders were, as a rule, obeyed.  In fact I should say we erred in adhering so strictly to them, for we met some ultra-loyalists who would not give or sell us so much as a morsel of food.  Now when any one is hungry, and people will neither give nor sell, what else can he do than help himself?  If he does not, it is his own fault should he starve.  At a certain farm we offered a sovereign for one bucket of meal, but all in vain; when we asked the woman for a glass of water, she pointed us to a spring some distance off.  Shameful, is it not!  Next time we shall, I am afraid, not be so over-polite.  One learns a lot every day.

“At 11 A.M. our scouts reported that they had sighted two columns about 7 miles from us.  And now our troubles and hardships commenced.  What we anticipated and dreaded had actually taken place.  The enemy had occupied all the passes in front of us, preventing us thereby from crossing the railway at the intended point between Norval’s Pont and Colesberg.  We had now to go in that barren and desolate part of the Colony where one is entirely dependent upon forage, and where, unfortunately for us, none was to be had.

“I expected that the British would intercept us.  They knew about De Wet’s intended invasion; and had every facility by rail for mobilising and seizing all the points of consequence.  Whilst we had to ride all the way from Winburg district, they had the advantage of being transported by rail—­an advantage which can hardly be over-estimated.

“Encumbered with guns and waggons, we could not dodge the enemy.  We either had to seize the passes or proceed in a direction which might lead to fatal results.  To do the former appeared impossible to De Wet, and so the latter course was reluctantly adopted.  If it were not for the convoy, we would have achieved our object and would have entered those districts where commandoes could exist.

“The enemy was engaged till dusk.  We had no casualties; but Commandant Ross and a number of his men were cut off.  They managed to reach the Orange Free State safely.  How they found their way through the various columns, I can’t say—­a Boer, if need be, can retire wonderfully well!  At sunset our convoy almost fell into the hands of the enemy.  What a pity it did not!  It would have saved us so much needless trouble, and we would have been far better off without it.

“Most of the night we remained in the saddle.  The General was anxious to get as far away as possible from the columns, to rest