in telegraphic
communication with the head laager, and at once wired to the
Commandant-General for instructions. The answer was:--

"Send your carts back to Modderspruit (our headquarters) and
hold the position with your mounted commandos."

The position indicated was on the Upper Tugela, on a line with
Colenso. My laager was about 20 miles away from the head laager; the
enemy had passed through Onderbroekspruit, and was pushing on with all
possible speed to relieve Ladysmith, so that I now stood in an oblique
line with the enemy's rear. I sent out my carts to the south-west,
going round Ladysmith in the direction of Modderspruit. One of my
scouts reported to me that the Free State commandos which had been
besieging Ladysmith to the south, had all gone in the direction of Van
Reenen's Pass; another brought the information that the enemy had been
seen to approach the village, and that a great force of cavalry was
making straight for us.

General Joubert's instructions were therefore inexplicable to me, and
if I had carried them out I would probably have been cut off by the
enemy. My burghers were also getting restless, and asked me why, while
all the other commandos were retiring, we did not move. Cronje's
surrender had had a most disheartening effect on them; there was, in
fact, quite a panic among them. I mounted a high kopje from which I
could see the whole Orange Free State army, followed by a long line of
quite 500 carts and a lot of cattle, in full retreat, and enveloped in
great clouds of red dust. To the right of Ladysmith I also noticed a
similar melancholy procession. On turning round, I saw the English in
vast numbers approaching very cautiously, so slowly, in fact, that it
would take some time before they could reach us. Another and great
force was rushing up behind them, also in the direction of Ladysmith.

It must have been a race for the Distinguished Service Order or the
Victoria Cross to be won by the one who was first to enter Ladysmith.
We knew that the British infantry, aided by the artillery, had paved
the way for relief, and I noticed the Irish Fusiliers on this
occasion, as always, in the van. But Lord Dundonald rushed in and was
proclaimed the hero of the occasion.

Before concluding this chapter I should like to refer to a few
incidents which happened during the Siege of Ladysmith. It is
unnecessary to give a detailed description of the destruction of "Long
Tom" at Lombardskop or