High explosive shells from ten guns wrought
havoc among the South African soldiers, but not until their ammunition
ran out and every man of their gun crews was either killed or wounded
would the little band of Boers and Britons surrender. It developed
later that Lieutenant Colonel S. G. Maritz, a Boer leader commanding
Union forces in the Northwest territory, had turned traitor and
arranged the disaster. It was through General Beyers that he had been
appointed to an important command on the German border.

Maritz who was now ordered by General Smuts, Minister of Defense, to
report to headquarters and give up his command, sent a defiant reply
October 8, 1914. He stated that in addition to his own troops he had
German guns and men, and had signed an agreement with the Governor of
Southwest Africa ceding Walfish Bay (a British possession) and certain
portions of Union territory in return for a guarantee of the
independence of the South African Republic. All his officers and men
who were unwilling to join with him had been sent as prisoners into
German territory.

General Botha replied to the rebel by proclaiming martial law
throughout the Union. General Brits, with the imperial Light Horse,
was sent to capture Maritz, and in an engagement October 15, 1914, at
Ratedraai, near Upington, took seventy rebel prisoners.

On October 22, 1914, Maritz with 1,000 rebels and seventy German
gunners, attacked at dawn the post of Keimos, where there were only
150 loyalists. The little garrison held out until reenforcements
arrived and the battle then turned against Maritz, who offered to
surrender for a free pardon. This being refused, the fight went on,
and Maritz eventually fled wounded into German territory. Two days
later a party of rebels with German gunners were defeated at Kakamas.

General Hertzog, who had represented the pro-German party in the Union
Parliament, gathered a commando and broke out in revolt on October 21,
1914. He issued a manifesto complaining of English oppression, and
announced that he would tolerate it no longer. Three members of the
Union Parliament and a member of the Defense Council, Mr.
Wessel-Wessels, came out in arms. In the western Transvaal and the
northern Free State the rebel leaders had about 10,000 men in separate
groups. Their plan was to join their commandos with a force under
Maritz from German Southwest Africa.

The situation from a military point of view seemed to be serious for
the Uni