self
to Lieut-General Burger. One of his adjutants, Mr. Joachim Fourie, who
distinguished himself afterwards on repeated occasions and was killed
in action near his house in the Carolina district, showed me a place
to laager in. We pitched our tents on the same spot where a few days
before Generals White and French had been defeated, and there awaited
developments.

At this place the British, during the battle of Nicholson's Nek, had
hidden a large quantity of rifle and gun ammunition in a hole in the
ground, covering it up with grass, which gave it the appearance of a
heap of rubbish. One of the burghers who feared this would be
injurious to the health of our men in camp, set the grass on fire, and
this soon penetrated to the ammunition. A tremendous explosion
occurred, and it seemed as if there were a real battle in progress.
From all sides burghers dashed up on horseback to learn where the
fighting was taking place. General Joubert sent an adjutant to enquire
whether the Johannesburgers were now killing each other for a change,
and why I could not keep my men under better control. I asked this
gentleman to be kind enough to see for himself what was taking place,
and to tell the Commandant-General that I could manage well enough to
keep my men in order, but could not be aware of the exact spot where
the enemy had chosen to hide their ammunition.

Meanwhile, it became daily more evident to me how greatly Joubert
depreciated my commando, and that we would have to behave very well
and fight very bravely to regain his favour. Other commandos also
seemed to have no better opinion, and spoke of us as the laager which
had to run at Elandslaagte, forgetting how even General Meyer's huge
commando had been obliged to retreat in the greatest confusion at
Dundee. If all the details of this Dundee engagement were published it
would be discovered that it was a Boer disaster only second to that of
Elandslaagte.

We were now, however, at any rate at the front. I sent out my outposts
and fixed my positions, which were very far from good; but I decided
to make no complaints. We had resolved to do our very best to
vindicate our honour, and to prove that our accusers had no reason to
call us either cowards or good-for-nothings.

CHAPTER VII.

THE BOER GENERAL'S SUPERSTITIONS.

A few days after we had arrived before Ladysmith we joined an
expedition to reconnoitre the British entrenchments, and my commando
was ordered nea