t the word of the
English was not to be trusted, and, fearing for their own safety, they
returned to their commandos. I sent President Steyn a telegram,
informing him that our burghers were rejoining, and adding that Lord
Roberts was the best recruiting sergeant I had ever had!

General Froneman and the men whom he had collected soon found work to
do. The enemy was expecting a reinforcement from Aliwal North, and I
sent the General, with six hundred troops, to oppose it. He came into
touch with it at Boesmanskop, and a slight skirmish took place.

In the meanwhile I received a report from General Piet de Wet, who was
at Dewetsdorp, notifying me that the English forces outnumbered his own
so enormously that he could not withstand their advance. He suggested
that I ought at once to relinquish the siege and proceed in the
direction of Thaba'Nchu.

I also received discouraging news from General Piet Fourie, who had had
a short but severe engagement with the troops that were coming from
Bloemfontein, and had been compelled to give way before their superior
forces.

Piet de Wet's advice appealed to me all the more strongly since
reinforcements were pouring in upon the enemy from all sides. But I was
of opinion that I ought to go with a strong force after the enemy in the
direction of Norvalspont, as I was convinced that it was no longer
possible to check their advance. But General Piet de Wet differed from
me on this point, and held that we ought to keep in front of the
English, and I was at last compelled to give in to him.

Accordingly I issued orders to General Froneman to desist from any
further attack upon the reinforcement with which he had been engaged,
and to join me. When he arrived I fell back on Thaba'Nchu.

My siege of Colonel Dalgety, with his Brabant's Horse and Cape Mounted
Rifles, had lasted for sixteen days. Our total loss was only five killed
and thirteen wounded. The English, as I learnt from prisoners, had
suffered rather severely.

[Footnote 36: Cape Mounted Rifles.]

CHAPTER XII

The English Swarm over our Country

On April 25th we arrived at Alexandrie, six miles from Thaba'Nchu. The
latter place was already occupied by English outposts. General Philip
Botha now joined me; he had been engaging the enemy in the triangle
formed by Brandfort, Bloemfontein and Thaba'Nchu. My commandos numbered
some four thousand men, and I decided that it was time to concentrate my
forces.

Lord Rober