ater, however, they came to the conclusion
that it would be best to act more cautiously, that General de la Rey
could hardly be missed in the Western Transvaal, that he (General
Smuts) should go with a small commando to ascertain what the
possibilities in the Cape Colony were. "I went," he continued, "with
300 men, while 100 men followed me, but 100 men I had to leave behind
with General Kritzinger because their horses were too poor. We had a
very difficult journey, certainly the most difficult that I and my
people ever experienced. I went through the whole of the Cape Colony.
I proceeded to Grahamstown, then to Graaff Reinet, and down to the
coast again. With a few exceptions I met all the commandos in the Cape
Colony. I questioned the leaders and thus came to be well informed on
everything. Commandant Kritzinger did not follow me according to
agreement, and as I saw that there was a danger of disorder arising I
took everything under my command. I found that there were about 1,400
or 1,500 men under arms, and not 3,000 as had been reported. To obtain
the exact numbers, however, was almost impossible. Commandant Lotter
was captured with his whole commando of 100 men. I have now been in
the Cape Colony for about a year, and the number that joined us in
that time was about 1,400. The number of men under arms had thus been
doubled, and but for the losses there would now have been 3,000 men.
There are now about 2,600 men under my command, but then there is
another division sent in by General de la Rey under General de
Villiers in Griqualand West, about 700 strong, and another in
Bechuanaland under Commandant van der Merwe. There are thus about
3,300 men operating in the Cape Colony, and this does not include the
men under Myburgh, Wessels, and van Reenen, of whom I know nothing.

The question now is: What help can be expected from the Cape Colony
for our cause? There will be no general rising in the Cape. We had
very good expectations, and thought that it would not be difficult to
cause a general rising there. The people are very enthusiastic--more
so than with us; but they have peculiar difficulties. The first is
with reference to horses. The British have taken all the horses that
could be used, and shot the useless ones. There is, therefore, a
great scarcity of horses in the Cape Colony. And, further, it is
extraordinarily difficult for the Colonist to rise if he has to fight
on foot with the knowledge that if he is captu