following day I joined President Steyn, who told me that he wished
me to accompany him in his march to the west. And although it did not
agree with my own ideas--principally, because I did not want the enemy
to think that I was running away from them--I consented to this plan,
and the more willingly because it was some time since I had visited the
western commandos.

It was a long journey that lay before us, and I had only the clothes
that I was then wearing. I would have sent for another suit had I not
heard that the enemy were encamped close to the cave where our treasures
lay hidden.[107]

I had therefore to do the best I could with what I had. There was no
clothing to be got in the western districts, so that when my present
outfit was worn out, I should be compelled to put on "khaki"--although
there was nothing I relished less than to rob a prisoner of war.

We started out that same evening in the direction of the railway line.
Our party consisted of about two hundred men, composed as follows: the
President, with his bodyguard of thirty men, under Commandant H. Van
Niekerk, the Government, Commandant Van de Merwe, of Vredefort, my staff
and myself.

Before daybreak we got through the Heilbron-Frankfort line of
blockhouses without accident; and on the following night (March 5th) we
crossed the railway line, between Wolvehoek and Viljoensdrift. Whilst we
were occupied there in cutting the telegraph wires, the enemy fired a
few rounds on us, at a distance of five hundred or six hundred paces. We
approached nearer, and they then opened fire with a Maxim--but without
doing any damage.

We continued on our road, past Parijs and Vredefort, towards Bothaville,
and we came upon a blockhouse line which extended from Kroonstad to the
Vaal River. We rested for two days, to the north of Bothaville; during
this time my scouts captured from the enemy eighteen horses, most of
which were in good condition.

On the night of March 12th we broke through the blockhouse line, some
five miles to the west of Bothaville. When we were about fifty paces
from the line, somebody to our left challenged us:

"Halt! Who goes there?"

He challenged us a second time, and then fired.

At once seven or eight sentries fired upon us. Shots also were directed
at us from the right. Nevertheless we cut through the barbed wire and
crossed in safety, the firing still continuing, until we were about
fifteen hundred paces on the far side of the lin