has vanquished.

Our winter season had now begun. We had no provisions except meat, bread
and maize. Even these were rather scarce, but we could not yet say that
we were altogether destitute. Coffee and sugar--except when we had an
opportunity of helping ourselves from the enemy's stores--were unknown
to us. With regard to the first-named commodity, however, the reader
must know that in the district of Boshof there grows a wild tree, whose
roots make an excellent substitute for coffee. Broken up into small
pieces and roasted, they supplied us with a delicious beverage. The only
pity was that the tree was so scarce that the demand for this concoction
very greatly exceeded the supply. We therefore invented another
drink--which we also called coffee--and which was composed of corn,
barley, maize, dried peaches, sweet potatoes, and miscellaneous
ingredients. My own favourite beverage was abundant--especially after
heavy rain!

The question of clothing was now beginning to be a very serious one. We
were reduced to mending our trousers, and even our jackets with leather.
For the tanning of this leather the old and feeble were employed, who,
as soon as the enemy approached, fled, and as soon as they had passed,
returned to their tanning. At a later period the English had a trick of
taking the hides out of the tanning tubs and cutting them to pieces, in
the hope, I suppose, that we should then be compelled to go barefoot and
unclothed.

It was to obviate such a catastrophe as this that the custom of
_Uitschudden_[96] now came into force. The burghers, although against
orders, stripped every prisoner. The English had begun by taking away,
or burning, the clothes which the burghers had left in their
houses--that was bad enough. But that they should cut up the hides,
which they found in the tanning tubs, was still worse; and--the burghers
paid them back in the same coin by stripping the troops.

Towards the end of May I crossed the railway line to Parijs and
Vredefort, intending to go on from there to see General De la Rey, and
discuss our affairs with him. I had come to the conclusion that it would
be good policy to send small commandos into Cape Colony; for small
bodies of men can move rapidly, and are thus able to get out of the way
if they are threatened by overpowering numbers. Moreover, such small
detachments would compel the English to divide their forces.

When I reached Vredefort I received a despatch from President