never done anything to
give him special prominence. He had proved himself an efficient
soldier during the Boer War, and appears to have been in command of a
training camp in the western Transvaal when the rebellion was started.

Under these four leaders, acting independently, or in conjunction with
them, were subleaders, an indefinite number, members of the
Government, and men connected with the church and army, whose part in
the rebellion was to stir up the people.

An interesting character among the somewhat nebulous subleaders in the
rebellion was Van Rensburg, sometimes called "Prophet" Lichtenberg,
from the place where he lived. During the Boer War he had predicted a
remarkable victory for the Boers, which had resulted in the capture of
Lord Methuen, and ever since the burghers of the Union had held him in
reverential awe. When the war with Germany broke out he made various
prophecies. He discovered that the events foretold in the Book of
Revelation would now take place. Germany, he said, had been divinely
ordained to conquer the world and purify it. Any attempt to resist
this divine ordinance would be punished by the righteous anger of an
offended deity. Nor was the "prophet" forgetful of local politics, for
he had another "vision" in which he predicted that Generals Delarey,
Beyers, and De Wet were divinely appointed leaders, who would restore
the old republic. These "prophecies" were spread broadcast throughout
the Union, were eagerly believed by the superstitious burghers, and
served to hearten up the disaffected who had some grudge against the
Government.

A great meeting of the burghers was summoned to meet August 15, 1914,
at Treurfontein. This date had been fixed because Van Rensburg in a
"vision" had seen "a dark cloud, with blood flowing from it, inscribed
with number 15, and General Delarey, the uncrowned king of western
Transvaal, returning home without his hat, followed by a carriage full
of flowers." Eight hundred burghers attended the meeting, but Delarey,
who spoke, had been warned by General Botha, and therefore spoke
calmly, urging the burghers to remain cool and await events. Such was
Delarey's influence over the assembly, who had come expecting to make
a fiery speech, that a resolution expressing confidence in the
Government was passed.

On September 15, 1914, General Christian Beyers resigned his position
of commandant general of the defense force in a letter which was
practically a declar