want. Indeed, he thought
they should never be in want if they had such a large commissariat
upon which they could draw, namely, the Zoutpansberg district, where
General Beyers was in command. He took from the Kaffirs what he
required, but what he took was not the property of the natives, but
what they had stolen from the burghers. He could hold out for two
years longer.

Chief Commandant de Wet asked why those commandos in the eastern
portions of the Transvaal could not do the same as those under command
of General Kemp, and re-take their property from the Kaffirs?

General Botha replied that the native tribes with which General Kemp
had to do could not even remotely be compared with the tribes with
which they had to deal in the south-east. There the natives were in
contact with the British. Whatever they looted from the Boers they
handed over to the British, who sold the loot. If cattle were
therefore taken from the Kaffirs in the south-eastern districts, they
would be taking cattle the lawful property of the natives. Besides
this, he had to point out that the Zulu was an entirely different kind
of native from the Kaffir with whom General Kemp had to do. The Zulus
were much stronger, and, further, the Republic had an agreement with
the Swazies that they (the Boers) would not trek into their country
with a commando to fight against them. They had to govern themselves
as long as the war lasted. Most of the cattle of the Swazies also had
been moved to behind the Lebombo mountains and to Zambaansland, and
were therefore beyond the reach of the commandos.

General Chris. Botha also declared that no cattle belonging to the
burghers in the eastern parts of the Transvaal were in possession of
the natives.

Mr. J. L. Grobler (Carolina) next related how matters stood in his
district. They had always had cattle and grain, but the British had
cut off the best part of their fields by means of blockhouses. What
they had now sown would stand them in good stead if nothing happened
to prevent them reaping. The Kaffirs were not well disposed. He
thought they could still hold out for seven or eight months, if
nothing unforeseen occurred. They still had 300 horses for the
burghers, but they were weak, and there were a good many burghers for
whom they had no mounts.

Mr. Naude said that he was delegated by a portion of the Pretoria
commando and by the detached commando under General Kemp. They sowed
and reaped as usual. Fortunately