P. A. CRONJE.
  Commandant, Potchefstroom.

Within fifteen minutes of the receipt of this letter, Sir J. Willoughby replied, accepting the conditions in the following terms: 

I accept the terms on the guarantee that the lives of all will be spared.  I now await your instructions as to how and where we are to lay down our arms.  At the same time I would ask you to remember that my men have been without food for the last twenty-four hours.

’The flag sent with the first message (to quote the statement made on behalf of Sir J. Willoughby by his solicitor, Mr. B.F.  Hawksley) was sent perhaps a little earlier than 9.15.  Dr. Jameson’s force ceased firing as soon as the flag was hoisted, except on the extreme right.  Messengers were sent to stop that firing, and all firing ceased within five minutes.  The Boers continued to fire for some ten minutes, and for some time after Jameson’s force had ceased.  After Sir J. Willoughby had received the first answer the State Artillery opened fire and continued firing for at least fifteen minutes.  Sir J. Willoughby sent Colonel the Hon. H. White and Captain Grenfell to the Commandant with a note requesting to know the reason for firing on a flag of truce, and requesting that it might cease.  Sir J. Willoughby has no copy of the letter he wrote accepting the conditions offered by Cronje, but it was to the effect above given.  ’Besides Cronje, Commandant Malan was acquainted with the terms of surrender, for after Jameson’s force had given up their arms Commandant Malan came up and repudiated part of the terms, saying he would not guarantee the lives of Jameson and the leaders, and that they would be handed over to General Joubert, who would decide their fate.’

The decision having been announced to the forces, and many of the men having stacked their arms and dropped off to sleep where they lay in the veld, several other commandants joined Cronje, and an altercation took place in the presence of the surrendered officers, Commandant Malan of Rustenburg violently proclaiming that Cronje had no right to spare the lives of the force, and that it lay with the Commandant-General and Krijgsraad (or War Council) to decide what should be done with the prisoners.  Commandant Cronje replied that they had surrendered to him upon certain conditions, and those conditions had been accepted by him.  In the course of the discussion, in which several other prominent Boers joined, disapproval was generally expressed of Cronje’s acceptance of the terms and threats were used to Dr. Jameson in person.  Eye-witnesses on the Boer side state that Dr. Jameson declined to discuss the matter further; he merely bowed and walked away.  It may be remarked that it is not by any means unusual for the Boers to seek to stretch to their advantage terms which they have previously agreed upon.  There can now be no question as to the conditions of the surrender.  The officer in command on the field agreed to spare the lives of the entire force, and it was not competent for anyone to reverse that decision or to reopen the question.  The incident is instructive, and also important since the lives of Dr. Jameson and his men were made to play a considerable part in President Kruger’s game of magnanimity later on.{31}