we got as far as Viljoen's Drift, there was an end to my
"special train!" In spite of the Government's orders that I was to be
sent forward without delay, I had to wait six hours, and then be content
to travel as an ordinary passenger.

At Bloemfontein we found everything ready for us, and at once started on
our journey of sixty or seventy miles to Magersfontein, where we arrived
on December the 16th.

During the time I had spent in travelling, three important engagements
had taken place, namely those of Colenso, Magersfontein and Stormberg.
At Colenso, the English had suffered heavy losses, and ten guns had
fallen into our hands. Magersfontein also had cost them dear, and there
General Wauchope had met his fate; while at Stormberg seven hundred of
them had been taken prisoners, and three of their big guns had been
captured by us.

At Magersfontein were six or seven thousand Transvaal burghers under
General Piet Cronje, with General De la Rey as second in command. Thus
it fell to my lot to take over the command of the Free-Staters. The
Commander-in-Chief of these Free State burghers, as well as of those who
were camped round Kimberley, was Mr. C.J. Wessels; Mr. E.R. Grobler
commanded at Colesberg, and Mr. J.H. Olivier at Stormberg.

I spent my first few days at Magersfontein in organizing the Free State
burghers. When this task had been accomplished, General De la Rey and I
asked General Cronje's permission to take fifteen hundred men, and carry
on operations in the direction of Hopetown and De Aar with the intention
of breaking Lord Methuen's railway communications. But Cronje would
hear nothing of the scheme. Say what we would, there was no moving him.
He absolutely refused to allow fifteen hundred of his men to leave their
positions at Magersfontein, unless the Government found it impossible to
procure that number of burghers from elsewhere. Thus our plan came to
nothing.

Shortly afterwards De la Rey was sent to the commandos at Colesberg, and
I succeeded him in the command of the Transvaalers at Magersfontein. The
Government then put General Wessels in sole command at Kimberley, and
gave General Cronje the chief command over the Free State burghers at
Magersfontein. Thus it was that I, as Vechtgeneraal, had to receive my
orders from Cronje. I had the following Commandants under me: Du Preez,
of Hoopstad; Grobler, of Fauresmith; D. Lubbe, of Jacobsdal; Piet
Fourie, of Bloemfontein; J. Kok and Jordaan, of Winbur