the "e" at the end of "intense,"
line 4. The writer, when making a final "d," makes the latter
portion of the letter something like this, but in the instances in
this document he exerts more pressure than we find here, see, for
instance, the "d" in "started," at line 2, the "d" in "glad," in
line 5, and "d" in "armed," line 4. Besides, I cannot think that this
can be the end of the word "hundred," as, judging from the length of
the word "started," the word "hundred" would have occupied from the
third vertical line, and this would certainly leave no room for
the other words suggested in the version given by Major Sir J.C.
Willoughby, viz.: "We will bring at least, or about three." If the
words "will send out some," or "we will send out some," are written
in line 7 after the word "town," adopting, as nearly as possible, the
space that would have been occupied by the writer for these words,
they will just fill the line. In like manner, with regard to line 8,
there is just room after the words "men to" for the two words "meet
you," and the small mark appearing before the full stop might
have been the terminal of the letter "u," but it would have been
impossible to get into this small space the words "meet you at
Krugersdorp," and even if the words "meet you at" were omitted, and
if it be assumed that the word which originally stood there was
"Krugersdorp," then the mark appearing before the full stop could
not by any theory be construed as having been a portion of the
letter "p," as I have examined various specimens of Colonel Rhodes'
handwriting, and have seen him write specimens containing the letter
"p" and find that he does not terminate a "p" with any stroke of this
description, but that he terminates it inside the oval portion of the
letter near the downstroke. With regard to the rest of the line, the
last two letters appear to have been "ne," and there is a dot just in
the position that would apparently have been occupied by the dot had
the previous letter been "i." Consequently, I am of opinion that the
theory that the words "will send," or "we will send out some men to
meet you," "you are a fine fellow," is perfectly consistent with the
spaces left in the torn document, but that the theory that the words
which were originally in the spaces were "I will bring at least or
about three hundred men to meet you at Krugersdorp, you are a gallant
fellow," is not only inconsistent with the amount of space available,
but do