partment, for in this
neighbourhood gold mines existed, which in time of peace give
employment to hundreds of miners.

Luckily, there was also a hospital at Haenertsburg, where we could
leave half a dozen fever patients, under the careful treatment of an
Irish doctor named Kavanagh, assisted by the tender care of a daughter
of the local justice of the peace, whose name, I am sorry to say, I
have forgotten.

About the 19th of October, 1900, we arrived at Pietersburg, our place
of destination.

CHAPTER XXIV.

PAINS AND PLEASURES OF COMMANDEERING.

We found Pietersburg to be quite republican, all the officials, from
high to low, in their proper places in the offices, and the
"Vierkleur" flying from the Government buildings. The railway to
Warmbad was also in Boer hands. At Warmbad were General Beyers and his
burghers and those of the Waterberg district. Although we had no coals
left, this did not prevent us from running a train with a sufficient
number of carriages from Pietersburg to Warmbad twice a week. We used
wood instead, this being found in great quantities in this part of the
country.

Of course, it took some time to get steam up, and we had to put in
more wood all the time, while the boilers continually threatened to
run dry. We only had two engines, one of which was mostly laid up for
repairs. The other one served to keep the commandos at Warmbad
provided with food, etc.

The Pietersburgers also had kept up telegraphic communication, and we
were delighted to hear that clothes and boots could be got in the
town, as we had to replace our own, which had got dreadfully torn and
worn out on the "trek" through the "boschveldt." Each commandant did
his best to get the necessary things together for his burghers, and my
quarters were the centre of great activity from the early morning to
late in the evening, persons who had had their goods commandeered
applying to the General and lodging complaints.

After we had been at Pietersburg for eight days, a delay which seemed
so many months to me, I had really had too much of it. The complaints
were generally introduced by remarks about how much the complainants'
ancestors had done for the country at Boomplaats, Majuba, etc., etc.,
and how unfairly they were now being treated by having their only
horses, or mules, or their carriages, or saddles commandeered.

The worst of it was, that they all had to be coaxed, either with a
long sermon, pointing out to them