the tired animals when a telegram arrived,
saying that Petrusburg was already in the hands of the English.
President Kruger was thus compelled to return without a moment's delay.
I saw him into his waggon, and then immediately mounted my horse, and
rode to the positions where my burghers were stationed.

Again I was confronted with the baleful influence of Cronje's surrender.
A panic had seized my men. Before the English had even got near enough
to shell our positions to any purpose, the wild flight began. Soon every
position was evacuated. There was not even an attempt to hold them,
though some of them would have been almost impregnable. It was a flight
such as I had never seen before, and shall never see again.

I did all that I could, but neither I nor my officers were able to
prevent the burghers from following whither the waggons and guns had
already preceded them. I tried every means. I had two of the best horses
that a man could wish to possess, and I rode them till they dropped. All
was in vain. It was fortunate for us that the advance of the English was
not very rapid. Had it been so, everything must have fallen into their
hands.

In the evening we came to Abraham's Kraal, a farm belonging to Mr.
Charles Ortel, some eighteen miles from Poplar Grove. The enemy were
encamped about an hour and a half's ride from us.

The next morning the burghers had but one desire, and that was to get
away. It was only with the greatest difficulty that I succeeded in
persuading them to go into position. I then hastened to Bloemfontein, in
order to take counsel with the Government about our affairs generally,
and especially to see what would be the most suitable positions to
occupy for the defence of the capital. Judge Hertzog and I went out
together to inspect the ground; we placed a hundred men in the forts,
with Kaffirs to dig trenches and throw up earthworks.

I was back at Abraham's Kraal by nine o'clock on the morning of March
the 18th. I found that our forces had been placed in position by
Generals De la Rey, Andreas Cronje, Philip Botha, Froneman and Piet de
Wet, the last-named having arrived with his commandos from Colesberg a
few days before the rout at Poplar Grove.

We had not long to wait before fighting began, fighting confined for the
most part to the artillery. The English shells were at first directed
against Abraham's Kraal, which was subjected to a terrific bombardment;
later on they turned their guns upo