the horses to move. Turning to Captain Elliot, who was sitting
beside me, I said, 'We must swim for it,' and asked could he swim?
to which he replied, 'Yes.' I said, 'If you can't, I will stick to
you, for I can.' While we were holding this conversation, a volley
from the bank, ten or fifteen yards off, was fired into us, the
bullets passing through the tent of my cart, one of which must have
mortally wounded poor Elliot, who only uttered the single word 'Oh!'
and fell headlong into the river from the carriage. I immediately
sprang in after him, but was swept down the river under the current
some yards. On gaining the surface of the water, I could see nothing
of Elliot; I called out his name twice, but received no reply.
Immediately another volley was fired at me, making the water hiss
around where the bullets struck. I now struck out for the opposite
bank, which I reached with difficulty in about ten minutes; but as
it was deep, black mud, on landing I stuck fast, but eventually
reached the top of the bank, and ran for about two thousand yards
under a heavy fire the whole while. The night being pitch dark, but
lit up every minute by vivid flashes of lightning, showed the enemy
my whereabouts. I found myself now in the Free State, but where I
could not tell, but knew my direction was south, while, though it
was raining, hailing, and blowing hard, and bitterly cold, an
occasional glimpse of the stars showed me I was going right. I
walked all that night and next day till one o'clock, when I
eventually crawled into a store kept by an Englishman called Mr.
Groom, who did all in his power to help me. I had tasted no food
since the previous morning at sunrise, and all the Dutch farmers
refused me water, so without hat or coat (which I had left on banks
of Vaal), and shoes worn through, I arrived exhausted at the above
gentleman's place, who kindly drove me to Heilbron, where I took the
post-cart to Maritzburg. I fear that Captain Elliot must have been
killed instantly, as he never spoke, neither did I see him again. I
have to mention that both Captain Elliot and myself, on being told
by South African Republican Government that the soldiers who had
been taken prisoners were to be released on the same conditions as
ourselves, expressed a wish to be allowed to keep charge of them,
which was refused, but we were told that waggons, food, and money
should be supplied to take them down country. But when they reached
Spencer's Punt o