rom Machadodorp
to Helvetia, where we halted while a commando was appointed to guard
the railway at Waterval Boven.

The next morning a big cloud of dust arose. "_De Engelse kom_" (the
English are coming) was the cry. And come they did, in overwhelming
numbers. We fired our cannon at their advance guard, which had already
passed Machadodorp: but the British main force stayed there for the
day, and a little outpost skirmishing of no consequence occurred.

A portion of the British forces appeared to go from Belfast via
Dullstroom to Lydenburg, these operations being only feebly resisted.
Our commandos were now parcelled out by the Commandant-General, who
followed a path over the Crocodile River bridge with his own section,
which was pursued by a strong force of Buller's.

I was ordered to go down the mountain in charge of a number of
Helvetia burghers to try and reach the railway, which I was to defend
at all hazards. General Smuts, with the remnant of our men went
further south towards the road leading to Barberton. Early the next
morning we were attacked and again obliged to fall back. That night we
stayed at Nooitgedacht.

The Boer position at and near Nooitgedacht was unique. Here was a
great camp in which 2,000 English prisoners-of-war were confined, but
in the confusion the majority of their Boer guards had fled to
Nelspruit. I found only 15 burghers armed with Martini-Henry rifles
left to look after 2,000 prisoners. Save for "Tommy" being such a
helpless individual when he has nobody to give him orders and to think
for him, these 2,000 men might have become a great source of danger to
us had they had the sense to disarm their fifteen custodians (and what
was there to prevent them doing so?) and to destroy the railway, they
would have been able not only to have deprived my commando of
provisions and ammunition, but also to have captured a "Long Tom."
There was, moreover, a large quantity of victuals, rifles, and
ammunition lying about the station, of which nobody appeared to take
any notice. Of the crowd of officials who stuck so very faithfully to
the fugitive Government there was not one who took the trouble to look
after these stores and munitions.

On arrival I telegraphed to the Government to enquire what was to be
done with the British prisoners-of-war. The answer was: "You had
better let them be where they are until the enemy force you to
evacuate, when you will leave them plenty of food."

This meant