ed? For more than two and a half years we have fought for our
just rights, and what do we see if we take a retrospective view? Are
we making progress, or are we gradually going down the precipice? I
have been in correspondence with my officers in all parts of the
country, and have received information from them as to the condition
of affairs, but I must tell you that from all that information there
is nothing to show me that our cause is progressing, not even by the
smallest stride. Instead of the large fighting force we had last year,
we have now only 10,000 men. In the course of the last year we have
lost 6,000 men either through death or capture.

When I consider our decline during the past ten months, I must say
that the enemy has in that time learnt to fight better against us, and
to do our people more damage. Ten months ago there was not a single
blockhouse in my division; now lines of blockhouses intersect the
entire division. You can cross these lines only at night, and then
only with difficulty. The whole division is cut up into large areas.
We are now obliged to split up our forces into small groups, so that
the enemy may not be able to ascertain where the commando really is.
Through being so intersected by these lines of blockhouses, which we
cannot cross by daylight, we run a great risk of being captured, and,
indeed, many burghers are captured.

It has been remarked that we can still obtain provisions here and
there. Meat is almost our only food now, and everyone knows what it
means to cross a blockhouse line with cattle. Latterly the commandos
have been supporting themselves principally on cattle looted from the
enemy, but recently the enemy has sent almost all their loot cattle
down to Natal. The cattle, for instance, that was at Ladysmith has
been removed to Estcourt, so that there is now very little opportunity
for looting. To a large extent also we have lived on cattle purchased
from the Kaffirs, but the enemy has now removed even the Kaffirs with
their cattle. The danger is that these districts, forced thereto by
hunger, will later be obliged to say, that however bitter, they must
conclude peace on any terms. We have tried to obtain cattle from other
districts, but that has been proved to be no longer possible. Our
position has thus in this respect become much worse. The blockhouses
are not the only cause of this, but the decline is also to be
attributed to the weakening of our horses, which are driv