ect and esteem of his enemy.

Colonel Park had had no great success in his last two expeditions, but
on February 20th he made an admirable march, and fell upon a Boer laager
which lay in placid security in the heart of the hills. One hundred and
sixty-four prisoners, including many Boer officers, were the fruits of
this success, in which the National Scouts, or 'tame Boers,' as they
were familiarly called, played a prominent part. This commando was that
of Middelburg, which was acting as escort to the government, who again
escaped dissolution. Early in March Park was again out on trek, upon
one occasion covering seventy miles in a single day. Nothing further of
importance came from this portion of the seat of war until March 23rd,
when the news reached England that Schalk Burger, Reitz, Lucas Meyer,
and others of the Transvaal Government had come into Middelburg, and
that they were anxious to proceed to Pretoria to treat. On the Eastern
horizon had appeared the first golden gleam of the dawning peace.

Having indicated the course of events in the Eastern Transvaal, north
and south of the railway line, I will now treat one or two incidents
which occurred in the more central and northern portions of the country.
I will then give some account of De Wet's doings in the Orange River
Colony, and finally describe that brilliant effort of De la Rey's in the
west which shed a last glory upon the Boer arms.

In the latter days of December, Colenbrander and Dawkins operating
together had put in a great deal of useful work in the northern
district, and from Nylstrom to Pietersburg the burghers were continually
harried by the activity of these leaders. Late in the month Dawkins was
sent down into the Orange River Colony in order to reinforce the troops
who were opposed to De Wet. Colenbrander alone, with his hardy colonial
forces, swept through the Magaliesburg, and had the double satisfaction
of capturing a number of the enemy and of heading off and sending back a
war party of Linchwe's Kaffirs who, incensed by a cattle raid of
Kemp's, were moving down in a direction which would have brought them
dangerously near to the Dutch women and children. This instance and
several similar ones in the campaign show how vile are the lies which
have been told of the use, save under certain well-defined conditions,
of armed natives by the British during the war. It would have been a
perfectly easy thing at any time for the Government to have ra