Belfast and Machadodorp, and waited
events. While we were resting there Lord Roberts sent us 250 families
from Pretoria and Johannesburg in open trucks, notwithstanding the
bitterly cold weather and the continual gusts of wind and snow. One
can picture to oneself the deplorable condition we found these women
and children in.

But, with all this misery, we still found them full of enthusiasm,
especially when the trucks in which they had to be sent on down the
line were covered with Transvaal and Free State flags. They sang our
National Anthem as if they had not a care in the world.

Many burghers found their families amongst these exiles, and some
heartrending scenes were witnessed. Luckily the railway to Barberton
was still in our possession, and at Belfast the families were taken
over from the British authorities, to be sent to Barberton direct.
While this was being done near Belfast under my direction, the
unpleasant news came that our camp was entirely destroyed by a grass
fire.

The Commandant-General and myself had set up our camp near Dalmanutha
Station. It consisted of twelve tents and six carts. This was Botha's
headquarters, as well as of his staff and mine. When we came to the
spot that night we found everything burned save the iron tyres of the
waggon wheels, so that the clothes we had on were all we had left us.
All my notes had perished, as well as other documents of value. I was
thus deprived of the few indispensable things which had remained to
me, for at Elandslaagte my "kit" had also fallen into the hands of the
British. The grass had been set on fire by a kaffir to the windward of
the camp. The wind had turned everything into a sea of fire in less
than no time, and the attempts at stamping out the flames had been of
no avail. One man gave us a cart, another a tent; and the harbour at
Delagoa Bay being still open (although the Portuguese had become far
from friendly towards us after the recent British victories) we
managed to get the more urgent things we wanted. Within a few days we
had established a sort of small camp near to headquarters.

We had plenty to do at this time--building fortresses and digging
trenches for the guns. This of course ought to have been done when we
were still at Donkerhoek by officers the Commandant-General had sent
to Machadodorp for the purpose. We had made forts for our "Long Toms,"
which were so well hidden from view behind a rand that the enemy had
not discovered th