r he had under him a certain National Scout, who
constantly made raids from Winburg with a band of four or five hundred
Kaffirs. A few months previously a division of Commandant Hasebroek's
commando had been attacked at Doornberg by this man's Kaffirs, and four
burghers had been murdered in a horrible manner. More cases of this
nature had taken place, and I only mention this one in passing. I am not
in a position to give all the instances, but many of them were sworn to
in affidavits, of which copies were sent to Lord Kitchener. The original
affidavits fell into the hands of the English; but fresh ones shall be
drawn up on my return to South Africa, so that I may be able to prove
the statements I have made. The narration of these brutalities I prefer
to leave to persons more conversant With the facts than myself. I have
only alluded to the subject so as to make it clear why I like to keep my
eye on Colonel Baker's column.

I must now continue my story where I left it.

I took up my position to the north-west of Lindley, in front of the
columns which approached from Kroonstad. But after a few skirmishes with
them, I returned to the east till darkness came on. When night had
fallen I went round to the south, behind Kaffirskop, expecting to
receive the news that Colonel Baker was coming up from Winburg, for he
generally carried on his operations in conjunction with the forces at
Kroonstad.

On the following day the enemy marched to Liebenbergsvlei, between
Bethlehem and Reitz. Thence they took the road between Lindley and Reitz
to Kroonstad.

Piet de Wet, of the National Scouts, was with these columns.

After we had remained two days at Kaffirskop, we crossed the Valsch
River. The news then came that a column with a convoy was on the march
from Harrismith to Bethlehem.

I felt that it was my duty to attack this column, but, although I
advanced with all haste, I was not in time to catch the enemy before
they reached Bethlehem. When I saw this, I decided to wait, at a
distance of some fifteen miles to the north-east of Bethlehem, for I
expected that the column would return to Harrismith.

The troops remained in Bethlehem till the morning of the 18th of
December; they then marched out towards Harrismith.

I at once divided my commando into two parts, each consisting of two
hundred and fifty men. One of these divisions I posted behind the
eastern end of the Langberg, about forty miles from Bethlehem; the other
on the