ension of the blockhouse
system the attempts became less successful. There was one, however, upon
the northern line near Naboomspruit which cost the lives of Lieutenant
Best and eight Gordon Highlanders, while ten were wounded. The party of
Gordons continued to resist after the smash, and were killed or wounded
to a man. The painful incident is brightened by such an example of
military virtue, and by the naive reply of the last survivor, who on
being questioned why he continued to fight until he was shot down,
answered with fine simplicity, 'Because I am a Gordon Highlander.'

Another train disaster of an even more tragic character occurred near
Waterval, fifteen miles north of Pretoria, upon the last day of August.
The explosion of a mine wrecked the train, and a hundred Boers who
lined the banks of the cutting opened fire upon the derailed carriages.
Colonel Vandeleur, an officer of great promise, was killed and twenty
men, chiefly of the West Riding regiment, were shot. Nurse Page was also
among the wounded. It was after this fatal affair that the regulation of
carrying Boer hostages upon the trains was at last carried out.

It has been already stated that part of Lord Kitchener's policy of
concentration lay in his scheme for gathering the civil population
into camps along the lines of communication. The reasons for this, both
military and humanitarian, were overwhelming. Experience had proved that
the men if left at liberty were liable to be persuaded or coerced by the
fighting Boers into breaking their parole and rejoining the commandos.
As to the women and children, they could not be left upon the farms in
a denuded country. That the Boers in the field had no doubts as to
the good treatment of these people was shown by the fact that they
repeatedly left their families in the way of the columns so that they
might be conveyed to the camps. Some consternation was caused in England
by a report of Miss Hobhouse, which called public attention to the very
high rate of mortality in some of these camps, but examination showed
that this was not due to anything insanitary in their situation or
arrangement, but to a severe epidemic of measles which had swept away
a large number of the children. A fund was started in London to give
additional comforts to these people, though there is reason to believe
that their general condition was superior to that of the Uitlander
refugees, who still waited permission to return to their hom