Besides, by assisting the enemy they not only encouraged them, but greatly discouraged their brethren in the field.  The burgher who really meant well naturally became disheartened that those who fought with him for one and the same object could turn against him and play such a low and treacherous part.  How men, who have stooped to deeds so mean and foul, shall defend their loathsome actions at the bar of Conscience and Justice, I know not.

In addition to the “National Scouts”—­as though these were not more than sufficient—­we had to contend against thousands of blacks, aboriginal natives armed by the British and taken up in their ranks.  We naturally felt indignant at the adoption of coloured races in the British army; for we regarded it as an unwritten agreement between the respective Governments that no blacks were to be involved in the war.  It was to be white versus white, Boer versus Briton.  Hence, when the natives became embroiled in the struggle we refused to acknowledge and treat them as combatants.  No quarter was given to armed natives that were not British subjects, and even these forfeited their lives on more than one occasion.  This action, regarded superficially, may seem cruel and unjust, but remembering that war had not been declared against the natives, and also that, if we did treat them as English soldiers, we would simply have courted the opposition of all the natives, it does not seem quite so cruel and unjust.  We had to resort to severe measures so as to let the natives fully realise that they were not acknowledged combatants, and thus could not claim the privileges of combatants.  Surely the odds were already great enough—­why then adopt blacks?  We hold that the Military Government was not justified in the use of armed natives, and surely their adoption did not tend to the glory and honour of the British arms in South Africa.

Again, one must remember that for fully eighteen months we were entirely dependent upon the enemy for all military supplies.  Our limited resources were soon exhausted, and, as the English controlled all the ports, the importation of arms, ammunition, horses, saddles, foodstuffs, and other necessaries, was out of the question.

The general opinion as to the duration of the war was that it would or could only last till the limited supply of Boer ammunition was spent.  This limited supply, however, like the widow’s oil, was not exhausted even after two years and eight months, and certainly never would as long as British factories provided rifles, ammunition, and other military equipments.