upied the rocky heights during the stillness of the night, so
that when the Boer pickets discovered them the next morning they found
the enemy commanding a position higher than their own, which they
forthwith abandoned. The enemy, now in possession of two mountain
passes, forced the Boers to evacuate all the other passes, by
threatening an attack on our rear and surrounding us. So on Tuesday
morning, at about 9 A.M., the commandos quitted the mountains and fell
back on Fouriesburg.

Our situation was becoming hourly more and more embarrassing. There was
just one thing to be done, and that was to move as quickly as possible
all along the base of the mountain range, and to seize a pass called
Naauwpoort Nek farther northwards. That pass was not yet occupied by the
enemy, and there it was possible to secure a safe exit; and higher up
the mountain range, at the farm of Salmon Raads, was another pass which
could be reached in due time.

If Prinsloo had, in his heart, desired to save his commandos, he could
have done so easily. But no sooner had we left the mountains than we
noticed that strange whispers were passed from man to man; we heard it
said that a further prolongation of the war was absolutely useless;
that many of the officers and burghers were tired of it, and would like
to go home. In short, we saw what was coming, and anticipated the
surrender.

When the commandos arrived at Naauwpoort Pass they found their exit cut
off there by the enemy. Instead of hastening on to the next pass, the
officers held a council of war to discuss the situation, or, more
correctly, to deliberate on a surrender. The meeting lasted almost all
night. Some of the officers were deadly opposed to a surrender;
others--and they were the majority--were in favour of it. Nothing,
however, was decided at that meeting, for a Hoofd Commandant had first
to be elected before any steps could be taken.

A second meeting of officers for the purpose of electing a Chief
Commandant was next held. In that meeting Prinsloo was elected Chief
Commandant, but, as not all the officers were present, some of them
being still in the positions, it was beforehand agreed that the man
elected by that meeting should have no authority before the votes of the
absent officers were taken, and when their votes came in it was found
that General Roux, and not Prinsloo, was elected.

The latter, however, entered into negotiations with the enemy before
this question as to