lat on my face, seeking the anthill as cover, prepared to sell my life
dearly should they prove to be Englishmen. As soon as they observed me
they halted, and sent one of their number up to me. Evidently they knew
not whether I was friend or foe, for they reconnoitred my prostrate form
behind the anthill with great circumspection and caution; but I speedily
recognised comrades-in-arms. I think the long tail which is peculiar to
the Basuto pony enabled me to identify them as such, and one friend, who
was their outpost, brought me a reserve horse, and what was even better,
had extracted from his saddle-bag a tin of welcome bully beef to stay
my gnawing hunger. But they brought sad tidings, these good friends.
Slain on the battlefield lay Assistant-Commandant J. C. Bodenstein and
Major Hall, of the Johannesburg Town Council, two of my bravest
officers, whose loss I still regret.

We rode on slowly, and all along the road we fell in with groups of
burghers. There was no question that our ranks were demoralised and
heartsick. Commandant-General Joubert had made Dannhauser Station his
headquarters and thither we wended our way. But though we approached
our general with hearts weighed down with sorrow, so strange and
complex a character is the Boers', that by the time we reached him we
had gathered together 120 stragglers, and had recovered our spirits
and our courage. I enjoyed a most refreshing rest on an unoccupied
farm and sent a messenger to Joubert asking him for an appointment for
the following morning to hand in my report of the ill-fated battle.
The messenger, however, brought back a verbal answer that the General
was exceedingly angry and had sent no reply. On retiring that night I
found my left leg injured in several places by splinters of shell and
stone. My garments had to be soaked in water to remove them, but after
I had carefully cleaned my wounds they very soon healed.

The next morning I waited on the Commandant-General. He received me
very coldly, and before I could venture a word said reproachfully:
"Why didn't you obey orders and stop this side of the Biggarsbergen,
as the Council of War decided you should do?" He followed up the
reproach with a series of questions: "Where's your general?" "How many
men have you lost?" "How many English have you killed?" I said
deferentially: "Well, General, you know I am not to be bullied like
this. You know you placed me in a subordinate position under the
command of Ge