rs had only to
jump over the wall to find themselves still entrenched), still it was to
the advantage of the attacking party to come from a side where they
would not be expected.

These reasons brought me to the conclusion that the English would not
be on the look-out for us from the west, and I therefore decided to make
the attack from this side, the steep side of the mountain. But I did not
then know how steep it really was.

On the western point there were four forts close to each other. Each was
sufficient to give shelter to about twenty five men. To the south there
were four forts, and to the east three.

The top of the mountain was not more than three to four hundred paces in
diameter. To the east in a hollow the convoy was placed, and from every
_schanze_ we could rake it with our fire.

I remained on the spot from which I was reconnoitring, and sent word to
the commando, in the afternoon of the 24th of December, to come to a
certain place at Tijgerkloof, which they could do without being
observed. I ordered them to remain there until nightfall, and then to
advance within four miles of Groenkop, to the north, where I would meet
them.

This was done. I found the commando at the appointed place, and also
General Brand and Commandant Karel Coetzee, who had come on a visit that
day to my commando. They also took part in the attack. My men consisted
of burghers from General Michal Prinsloo, Commandants Hermanus Botha,
Van Coller, Olivier, Rautenbach, Koen, Jan Jacobsz and Mears, in all six
hundred men. Of these I left one hundred in charge of the
Maxim-Nordenfeldt and the pack-horses.

We had not a single waggon with us; every man put what he had with him
on his pack-horse, for long we had made it a rule not to be hampered
with waggons. Yet whenever we picked up reports of engagements in the
camping places of the English we repeatedly saw that they had taken a
Boer camp--and their greatest delight was to say that it was one of De
Wet's convoys.

They could not have been convoys of mine, because for the last fifteen
months I had had no waggon-camp with me. If a waggon-camp was taken, it
could only have been one consisting of women, who were flying in order
to escape capture by the English, and to avoid being sent to the
concentration camps. Everywhere in the State the women were taking to
flight, and their terror was increased tenfold when the news came that
many a woman and child had found an untimely grave i