of February this column attacked some burghers who
were posted less than four miles from Elandskop, with the object--as I
heard later--of catching me. And they would have been quite successful
in their attempt had I been sleeping in the house where their
information led them to believe they would find me. But as a matter of
fact, I seldom, if ever, slept in a house, for to tell the truth, there
were scarcely any houses left to sleep in! The women who had escaped
capture lived in narrow shelters, which had been made by placing
corrugated iron sheets on what was left standing of the walls that
remained.

I crossed the Liebenbergsvlei on the 18th of February, and proceeded to
the farm of Rondebosch, which stands to the north-east of Reitz. There I
met the Government.

And now another big "drive" took place. The English columns marched to
the south of the Kroonstad-Lindley blockhouse line in the direction of
Bethlehem. Other troops came from Heilbron, and advanced to the north of
the Heilbron-Frankfort line, driving Commandant Ross across this line to
the south.

Nearer and nearer these two great divisions approached each other, until
at last they stretched without any break from the Bethlehem-Lindley to
the Frankfort-Vrede line of blockhouses. On the 21st of February the
whole column moved towards Vrede and Harrismith.

It seemed to me that my best plan would be to go with President Steyn
and the Government to the Witkopjes, which lay between Harrismith and
Vrede, and then to break through the English columns near Vrede or
Harrismith, or, if it proved impossible to do so at these points, at
least to force a way through somewhere.

On this occasion we had a great deal more difficulty in escaping from
the English than we had had during the previous "drive." Not only had we
to deal with these large forces behind, but also with thousands of
troops which were now approaching from Villiersdorp, Standerton,
Volksrust, and Laingsnek, and which were extended across the country in
one continuous line. The whole cordon thus formed consisted, as the
English themselves acknowledge, of sixty thousand men.

And again on this occasion they did not attempt to drive us against one
or other of the blockhouse lines, but they came, column on column, from
all sides, and formed a big circle round us. They thus made it quite
apparent that they had lost all faith in their blockhouses.

I only received news of the approach of these reinforc