ered blockhouse, and managed somehow to get through. The
majority of the burghers had already crossed and fled, whilst the
remainder hurried back with a pom-pom and the other carts. I did not
expect that the train would come so close to us, and was seated on my
horse close to the surrendered blockhouse when it pulled up abruptly
not four paces from me. The search-light made the surroundings as
light as day, and revealed the strange spectacle of the burghers, on
foot and on horseback, fleeing in all directions and accompanied by
cattle and waggons, whilst many dead lay on the veldt. However, we
saved everything with the exception of a waggon and two carts, one of
which unfortunately was my own. Thus for the fourth time in the war I
lost all my worldly belongings, my clothes, my rugs, my food, my
money.

My two commandants were now south of the line with half the men,
whilst I was north of it with the other half. We buried our dead next
morning and that evening I sent a message to the remainder of the
commandos, telling them to cross the line at Uitkijk Station,
south-west of Middelburg, whilst Captain Hindon was to lay a mine
under the line near the station to blow up any armoured train coming
down. Here we managed to get the rest of our laager over without much
trouble. The "Tommies" fired furiously from the blockhouses and our
friend the armoured train was seen approaching from Middelburg,
whistling a friendly warning to us. It came full speed as before, but
only got to the spot where the mine had been laid for it. There was a
loud explosion; something went up in the air and then the shrill
whistle stopped and all was silent.

The next morning we were all once more camped together at Rooihoogte.

CHAPTER XXXVIII.

TRAPPING PRO-BRITISH BOERS.

In the month of July, 1901, we found ourselves once more on the scene
of our former struggles, and were joined here by General Muller, who
had completed his mission south of the railway. This district having
been scoured for three weeks by thirty thousand English soldiers, who
had carefully removed and destroyed everything living or dead, one can
imagine the conditions under which we had to exist. No doubt from a
strategical point of view the enemy could not be expected to do
otherwise than devastate the country, but what grieved us most was the
great amount of suffering this entailed to our women and children.
Often the waggons in which these were being carried to i