, a respectable Jewish couple.

About five miles from Vryburg a party of thirty horsemen appeared on the
brow of the hill; these were the first Boers I had seen mounted, in
fighting array, and I made sure they would ride up and ask our business;
but apparently we were not interesting enough in appearance, for they
circled away in another direction. The road now descended into a sort of
basin or hollow, wherein lay the snug little town of Vryburg, with its
neat houses and waving trees, and beyond it we could see the white tents
of the Boer laager. A young Dutchman had recently described Vryburg to
me as a town which looked as if it had gone for a walk and got lost, and
as we drove up to it I remembered his words, and saw that his simile was
rather an apt one. There seemed no reason, beyond its site in a
sheltered basin, why Vryburg should have been chosen for the capital of
British Bechuanaland. The railway was at least a mile away on the east,
and so hidden was the town that, till you were close on it, you could
barely see the roofs of the houses. Then suddenly the carriage drove
into the main street, which boasted of some quite respectable shops. The
first thing that attracted our notice was the Court House, almost hidden
in trees, through which glimmered the folds of the gaudy Dutch standard.
Before the court were armed Boers, apparently sentries, whilst others
were passing in and out or lounging outside. Another group were busy
poring over a notice affixed on a tree, which we were told was the
latest war news:

WAR NEWS

LATEST REPORTS

_Price 3d._

VRYBURG, OCT. 31, 1899

MAFEKING SPEECHLESS WITH TERROR

KIMBERLEY TREMBLES

40 ENGLISH SOLDIERS DESERT TO JOIN OUR RANKS

It appears by telegram received this morning that the Burghers
started firing on Mafeking with the big cannon. The town is on
fire and is full of smoke.

The British troops in Natal met the Burghers at Elandslaagte.
The battle-field was kept by the Burghers under General
Prinsloo. Two were killed, four wounded.

We drove down the street, and pulled up at the Central Hotel, where I
got capital rooms and was most civilly received by the manager, an
Englishman. The latter, however, could hardly conceal his surprise at my
visit at this moment. He at once advised me not to mention my name, or
show myself too much, as that very day a new Landrost had arrived to
take charge of th