en, and proceeded on the 10th or 11th of November across the
railway line between Doorn River and Theronskoppen, with the intention
of executing my plan of making an inroad into the Cape Colony.

We wrecked the railway line and blew up a few small bridges, and then
proceeded in the direction of Doornberg, where I met Commandant
Hasebroek and his burghers. I sent orders to General Philip Botha to
come with the Harrismith and Kroonstad burghers, which he had with him.
They arrived about the 13th of November.

We then marched, with about fifteen hundred men, in the direction of
Springhaansnek, to the east of Thaba'Nchu. At the northern point of
Korannaberg, Commandant Hasebroek remained behind, waiting for some of
his men to join him.

We took with us one Krupp with sixteen rounds--that was our whole stock
of gun ammunition!

By the afternoon of the 16th we had advanced as far as Springhaansnek.
The English had built a line of forts from Bloemfontein to Thaba'Nchu
and Ladybrand. And just at the point where we wanted to pass them, there
were two forts, one to the south and the other to the north, about 2,000
paces from each other, on the shoulder of the mountain.

My first step was to order the Krupp to fire six shots on one of these
forts; and, very much to the credit of my gunners, almost everyone of
these shots found its mark. Then I raced through.

All went well. The only man hit was Vice-Assistant-Commandant Jan
Meijer, of Harrismith, who received a wound in the side. He was shot
while sitting in a cart, where he had been placed owing to a wound which
he had received a few days before, in the course of a hot engagement,
which General Philip Botha had had at Ventersburg Station.

We now rode on through Rietpoort towards Dewetsdorp, staying, during the
night of the 17th of November, at a place on the Modder River. The
following day we only went a short distance, and halted at the farm of
Erinspride.

On the 19th I made a point of advancing during the _day_, so as to be
observed by the garrison at Dewetsdorp.

My object was to lead the garrison to think that we did not want to
attack them, but wished first to reconnoitre the positions. This would
have been quite an unnecessary proceeding, as the town was well known to
me, and I had already received information as to where the enemy was
posted.

The garrison could only conclude that we were again flying, just as we
were supposed to have done--by readers of Engl