hich were from
eight hundred to nine hundred paces from us. From this hill we kept up
as fierce a fire as we could, and this to a great extent prevented the
enemy in those forts from firing on our burghers who were still coming
on in a long train.

It is necessary, in order that the reader may understand the task which
we had set ourselves to accomplish, to say a few words about
Springhaansnek. At either side of the way by which we must pass, there
were two strong forts, at a distance of from a thousand to twelve
hundred paces from each other. In the space between them there was
absolutely no cover; and the distance from the point where the burghers
were first visible to the men in these forts, to the point where they
again disappeared from view, was at least three thousand paces.

Over these terrible three thousand paces our burghers raced, while a
storm of bullets was poured in upon them from both sides. And of all
that force--eight thousand strong--no single man was killed, and only
one was wounded!

Our marvellous escape can only be described to the providence and
irresistible protection of Almighty God, who kept His hand graciously
over us.

What the enemy's loss was I never heard.

In addition to the burghers, a few carts and waggons, as well as one of
the two guns which had been taken at Dewetsdorp, got safely through the
English lines. The other gun was left behind by the sergeant of the
artillery, before he reached the fighting line. He sent the horses of
the gun-carriage with the gunners, back to Commandant Hasel, who
subsequently followed us to Ijzernek, to the west of Thaba'Nchu.

My ambulance with Dr. Fourie and Dr. Poutsma, were stopped by the
English. Dr. Fourie had, as was quite proper, remained outside the
fighting line, with the intention of coming through afterwards. This he
was permitted to do on the following day. He brought me a message from
General Knox to the effect that Commandant Hasebroek had lost heavily in
an engagement with Colonel White, who had marched out from Thaba'Nchu.
But I had already received information that the Commandant had got
through the enemy's lines unhurt, and that on the contrary it was he who
had killed some of Colonel White's men, while they were attacking him.

We decided to retreat still further, in order to reach a place of safety
where we might rest our horses, in preparation for that long dash into
Cape Colony, which I still intended to carry out on the fir