pened a flank fire on our nearest
positions.

First one position and then another was abandoned by our burghers, who
followed one another's example like sheep; few made any attempt to
defend their posts, and in spite of my efforts and those of the officers
under me, they retreated to the north.

Thus, without a single shot being fired, Bloemfontein fell into the
hands of the English.

[Footnote 24: This correspondence will be found in Chapter XXX.]

[Footnote 25: Member of the Free State Volksraad and Executive Council.]

[Footnote 26: Member of the Free State Volksraad and Executive Council,
and also President of the Volksraad.]

[Footnote 27: Member of the first Volksraad of the South African
Republic.]

[Footnote 28: This harbour, then the only harbour in South Africa open
to us, was subsequently forbidden us by the Portuguese Government, whose
officials even went so far as to arrest eight hundred of our burghers
(who, for want of horses, had taken refuge in Portuguese territory), and
to send them to Portugal. The ports of German West Africa cannot be
counted among those which were available for us. Not only were they too
far from us to be of any service, but also, in order to reach them, it
would have been necessary to go through English territory, for they were
separated from us by Griqualand West, Bechuanaland, and isolated
portions of Cape Colony. We had, therefore, during the latter portion of
the war, to depend for supplies upon what little we were able to capture
from the enemy.]

CHAPTER VIII

The Burghers Receive Permission to Return to their Homes

Thus Bloemfontein had fallen into the hands of the English; but whatever
valuables it contained were spared by the enemy. I did not myself
consider the place much superior to any other town, and I would not have
thought it a matter of any great importance if it had been destroyed.
Still, I felt it to be very regrettable that the town should have been
surrendered without a shot.

How can I describe my feelings when I saw Bloemfontein in the hands of
the English? It was enough to break the heart of the bravest man amongst
us. Even worse than the fall of our capital was the fact that, as was
only to be expected, the burghers had become entirely disheartened; and
it seemed as if they were incapable now of offering any further
resistance. The commandos were completely demoralized. Indeed! the
burghers from Fauresmith and Jacobsdal had already ret