eeniging, on or
about the 15th of May.

"I should be glad to receive Your Excellency's sanction to my
request that each Representative should have the right to take one
man with him.

"Your Excellency will greatly oblige by sending a reply to
Kaffirsdorp in the district of Bethlehem, where I am awaiting an
answer.

"C.R. DE WET,
General Commander-in-Chief, Orange Free State.
BETHLEHEM, _April 25th, 1902_."

To this I received the following answer from Lord Kitchener:--

"IMPERIAL RESIDENCY, PRETORIA,
_April 25th, 1902_.

"TO GENERAL DE WET, KAFFIRSDORP.

"In answer to your message, I agree altogether with your demands
that during the absence of the chosen Representatives from their
commandos, from the 11th of May until their return, such commandos
shall not be troubled by us. I also agree that every
Representative, as you propose, shall be accompanied by one man.

"I shall also be glad if you would send an officer, at least two
days before the Meeting, in order to let me know about the number,
and the necessary arrangements for the treatment of the
Representatives at this Meeting.

(Signed) "KITCHENER."

On the 11th of May I sent a telegram to Lord Kitchener, in which I said
that, as all my generals and chief officers had been chosen as
Representatives, the armistice must begin on the 11th of May. The
telegram was as follows:--

FROM GENERAL DE WET TO HIS EXCELLENCY LORD KITCHENER.

"PRETORIA, _May 11th, 1902_.

"The following chief officers have been chosen as Representatives
for the commandos of the districts: Hoopstad, Boshof, and parts of
Winburg and Bloemfontein,--districts to the west of the railway
line.

"1. General C. Badenhorst.

"2. Commandant J. Jacobsz.

"3. Commandant A. Bester.

"It thus appears that all my generals and chief commanding officers
are chosen as Representatives to attend at the Meeting of
Vereeniging, on the 15th inst., and according to our mutual
agreement at Pretoria, an armistice will be given from to-day (11th
May, 1902) in all districts of the Orange Free State up to a date
which shall be agreed upon after the close of the Meeting at
Vereeniging. Any answer, previous to noon of the 11th inst., will
reach me at Brandfort.

"Commander-in-Chief,