over our soldiers in this fight.  Theirs was a deliberately-planned ambush to entrap men who had no idea that they were marching in an enemy’s country.  Bronkhorst Spruit engagement is the one during the whole of the war which does not redound to the credit of the Dutch, even if it does not reflect great discredit upon them.  If a reasonable time had been allowed Colonel Anstruther to give his reply, the 94th could not then say, as they do say and will say, that they were treacherously surprised.  ‘Two minutes’ looks, under the circumstances, very much like an idle pretence of fair dealing to cover an intentional act of cowardice which subsequent conduct could hardly palliate.  The Boers say that they had not more men than were marching with the 94th on that occasion; that statement is worth very little, considering the evidence of our officers, and, above all, the harsh evidence of the facts that the 94th was from advance-guard to rear-guard practically surrounded and outnumbered in every direction.

The preparedness of the Boers and the precision of their fire may be gathered from the testimony of Dr. Crow, of Pretoria, who attended the wounded, and vouched for an average of five wounds per man.  Dr. Crow also wrote: 

But as disastrous as the late war in the Transvaal had been to British prestige, thank God those at Bronkhorst Spruit did their duty and died like men, a noble example to any army.  If any stain has been cast on the British flag in the Transvaal, the gallant 94th did all that was possible by their deeds at Bronkhorst Spruit to obliterate it.

The news of this affair was received with horror, and the feelings roused by the details of it have never been allayed.  Race-hatred may have its origin in a hundred little incidents, but in the Transvaal there were two which undoubtedly, whether justly or otherwise, gave a character to the Boers that has embittered feeling against them more than any which had occurred in generations previous.  The second affair followed very closely on the Bronkhorst Spruit engagement—­i.e., the infamous murder of Captain Elliott, the only surviving unwounded officer from Bronkhorst Spruit.  Captains Elliott and Lambert were taken prisoners, and were offered the choice of two alternatives—­either to remain prisoners of war during the hostilities in the Transvaal, or to be released on parole d’honneur on condition that they should leave the Transvaal at once, cross into the Free State under escort, and not bear arms against the Republican Government during the war.  The second alternative was chosen.  They received an escort and free pass from Commandant-General Piet Joubert.  The following is extracted from Captain Lambert’s Report to Sir George Colley on January 5: