be arranged; but in order that I may not
mislead your Excellency, I have to say that no peace will be
accepted by us which imperils the independence of the two
Republics, or which does not take into consideration the interests
of our Colonial brethren who have joined us. If it is a crime to
fight in one's self-defence, and if such a crime is to be punished,
then I am of opinion that His Majesty's Government should be
satisfied with the annihilation of the country, the misery of women
and children and the general desolation which this war has already
caused. It is in your Excellency's power more than in that of any
one else, to put a stop to this, and by doing so, to restore this
unfortunate part of the world to its former happiness. We ask no
magnanimity, we only demand justice. I enclose a translation of my
letter in order to avoid any misinterpretation of it by your
Excellency, as this happened not long ago when a letter which I had
written to the Government of the South African Republic, and which
at Reitz fell into your hands, was published in such a way that it
was nearly unrecognizable, as not only was it wrongly interpreted
in some places, but sentences were inserted which had never been
written, and other parts were left out altogether, so that an
entirely wrong meaning was given to the letter.

I have the honour, etc.,

M.T. STEYN,
_State-President of the Orange Free State._

[Footnote 98: Nobody dies of fright.]

[Footnote 99: The report of the Commission of which he was a member.]

[Footnote 100: Resident Magistrates.]

CHAPTER XXXI

Blockhouses and Night Attacks

While the great events recorded at the end of my last chapter were in
progress, I paid a visit to the Harrismith burghers, who were under the
command of Commandant Jan Jacobsz, and also to some of the Bethlehem
men. On my return I learnt that the enemy were occupied in building a
line of blockhouses from Heilbron to Frankfort.

It has always seemed to me a most unaccountable circumstance that
England--the all-powerful--could not catch the Boers without the aid of
these blockhouses. There were so many other ways in which the thing
might have been done, and better done; and the following incident, which
occurred during the war, serves to show that this policy of the
_blockhouse_ might equally well have been called the