For eighteen months we were provided, directly or indirectly, by the British Government with the necessaries of war.  Britain was supporting two armies in the field, armies which were not animated by a very friendly spirit toward each other.  Our support, however, demanded at times the sacrifice of precious lives.  When a commando ran short of ammunition a determined onslaught to secure more was planned, and often successfully carried out.  The ammunition was obtained, but, alas! it cost them the blood of some of their bravest men.  Such dependence was a great drawback to us.  The Home Government also indirectly provided the fighting Boers with clothes.  At first the burgher had his own private supply of clothing; but when the policy of destruction was resorted to his clothes were consumed by the flames, and he had to apply to the British Government for others.  And this is how he did it.  When he made a prisoner he would exchange clothes with him, provided better ones were thus secured, which was not always the case.  With a certain amount of etiquette and dignity, this bargain was closed.  Tommy, without any demonstration or remonstrance, would take off his jacket, pants and boots, and hand these to his brother Boer, with some such remark:  “I don’t grudge you it, sir—­I know you fellows need them clothes badly; we have burnt yours, we shall get others again.”  “Out boots, out trousers, out jacket,” were the abrupt commands of some of the Boers who had but little English.

To put an end to this process of exchanging outfits, Lord Kitchener issued a proclamation which forbade, under penalty of death, any fighting Boer to dress in khaki.  This proclamation was not heeded, for the simple reason that men who had the interests of their country at heart were not likely to surrender because their clothes were wearing out.  This threat but added one more to the many risks of death they ran.  And so a few of these unfortunate burghers, captured in khaki dress because they had no other, were shot in accordance with the proclamation.  This did not, however, intimidate the rest, for at the close of the war several hundreds were dressed in the dirty khaki hue.

In conclusion we note one point more, which counted seriously against the late Republics.  It was this:  the field of operations became more and more circumscribed and narrowed down by the extension of the blockhouses.  The two Republics were divided, so to speak, into a great many little states by the blockhouse lines.  The Free State alone was divided into at least eight or nine sections.  Now these divisions, fenced round on every side, were cleared, one after the other, of all cattle, sheep, and other foodstuff.  The British concentrated their forces in each section and operated there until it resembled a wilderness.  And so they went from one division to another, until finally almost the whole country—­both Transvaal and Free State—­was denuded and in a semi-famine state.  Owing to this confined and limited area in which we had to move, it was absolutely impossible for us to safeguard our war supplies.