By Wednesday night it was known that Major Heany had passed through Mafeking in time to join Dr. Jameson’s force, and that, bar some extraordinary accident, Captain Holden must have met Dr. Jameson on his way, since he had been despatched along the road which Dr. Jameson would take in marching on Johannesburg; and if all other reasons did not suffice to assure the Committee that Dr. Jameson would not be relying on any assistance from Johannesburg the presence of one or other of the two officers above mentioned would enable him to know that he should not count upon Johannesburg to give him active support.  Both were thoroughly well acquainted with the position and were able to inform him, and have since admitted that they did inform him, that he should not count upon a single man going out to meet him.  Captain Holden—­who prior to the trial of Dr. Jameson and his comrades, prompted by loyalty to his chief, abstained from making any statement which could possibly embarrass him—­immediately after the trial expressed his regret at the unjust censure upon the Johannesburg people and the charges of cowardice and bad faith which had been levelled against them, and stated that he reached Pitsani the night before Dr. Jameson started, and that he faithfully and fully delivered the messages which he was charged to deliver and earnestly impressed upon Dr. Jameson the position in which the Johannesburg people were placed, and their desire that he should not embarrass them by any precipitate action.

Before daybreak on Thursday, January 2, Bugler Valle, of Dr. Jameson’s force, arrived in the Reform Committee room and reported himself as having been sent by the Doctor at about midnight after the battle at Krugersdorp on Wednesday.  He stated that the Doctor had supplied him with the best horse in the troop and sent him on to inform Colonel Rhodes where he was.  He described the battle at the Queen’s Mine, Krugersdorp, and stated that the force had been obliged to retreat from the position in which they had fought in order to take up a better one on higher ground, but that the position in which they had camped for the night was not a very good one.  When questioned as to the exact message that he had been told to deliver he replied, ’The Doctor says, “Tell them that I am getting along all right, but they must send out to meet me."’ He was asked what was meant by ‘sending out to meet him.’  Did it mean to send a force out?  Did he want help?  His reply was, ’No; the Doctor says he is getting along all right, but you must send out to meet him.’  The messenger was keenly questioned upon this point, but adhered to the statement that the force was getting along all right and would be in early in the morning.  Colonel Rhodes, who was the first to see the messenger, was however dissatisfied with the grudging admissions and the ambiguous message, and expressed the belief that ’the Doctor wants help, but is ashamed to say so.’  Acting promptly on this conviction, he despatched all the mounted men available (about 100) under command of Colonel Bettington, with instructions to ascertain the whereabouts of Dr. Jameson’s force, and if possible to join them.