lming forces of the enemy,
to surrender unconditionally with all the Orange Free State laagers
here.

I have the honour to be, Sir,
Your obedient servant,
M. PRINSLOO,
_Commander-in-Chief_.

I sent my reply in an unclosed envelope. It ran as follows:--

IN THE VELDT, _3rd August, 1900_.

TO MR. M. PRINSLOO.

SIR,--

I have the honour to acknowledge the receipt of your letter dated
the 30th of last month. I am surprised to see that you call
yourself Commander-in-Chief. By what right do you usurp that title?
You have no right to act as Commander-in-Chief.

I have the honour to be,
C.R. DE WET,
_Commander-in-Chief_.

Hardly had I written this letter before two men on horseback appeared.
They proved to be burghers sent by General Piet Fourie, who was with
Prinsloo at the time of his surrender. These burghers brought from
Generals Fourie, Froneman, and from Commandant Hasebroek and others, a
fuller report of the surrender of Prinsloo. We learnt from the report
that not all of the burghers had surrendered, but that, on the contrary,
some two thousand had escaped. This news relieved our minds.

President Steyn and myself determined to despatch Judge Hertzog to the
commandos which had escaped, giving him instructions to bring them back
with him if possible. We had been told that these commandos were
somewhere on the Wilgerivier, in the district of Harrismith.

My position had now become very difficult. It seemed, as far as I could
discover, that there were five or six English generals and forty
thousand troops, of which the greater part were mounted, all of them
trying their best to capture the Government and me.

My force numbered two thousand five hundred men.

On the afternoon when I received the above-mentioned letter, there was
still a way of escape open to me, through Parijs[64] to Potchefstroom.
This road crossed the Vaal River at Schoemansdrift, and then followed
the course of the stream between Parijs and Vanvurenskloof. It was now,
however, somewhat unsafe, for that same afternoon a large force of the
enemy was marching along the Vaal River from Vredefort to Parijs. These
troops would be able to reach Vanvurenskloof early the following
morning; whilst the force at Potchefstroom, which I have already
mentioned in this chapter, would also be able to arrive there at the
same hour.

I led my burghers that