mprisonment
in the Concentration Camps were upset by the unskilful driving of the
soldiers or their kaffir servants, and many women and children were
injured in this way.

Moreover, a certain Mrs. Lindeque was killed by an English bullet near
Roos Senekal, the soldiers saying that she had passed through the
outposts against instructions. Small wonder, therefore, that many of
our women-folk fled with their children at the enemy's approach,
leaving all their worldly possessions behind to fall a prey to the
general destruction. We often came across such families in the
greatest distress, some having taken shelter in caves, and others
living in huts roughly constructed of half-burnt corrugated iron
amongst the charred ruins of their former happy homes. The sufferings
of our half-clad and hungry burghers were small compared to the misery
and privations of these poor creatures. Their husbands and other
relations, however, made provision for them to the best of their
ability, and these families were, in spite of all, comparatively
happy, so long as they were able to remain amongst their own people.

Our commandos were now fairly exhausted, and our horses needed a rest
very badly, the wanderings of the previous few weeks having reduced
them to a miserable condition. I therefore left General Muller near
the cobalt mines on the Upper Olifant's River, just by the waggon
drift, whilst I departed with 100 men and a pom-pom to Witpoort and
Windhoek, there to collect my scattered burghers and reorganise my
diminished commando, as well as to look after our food supplies. At
Witpoort the burghers who had been under the late Field-Cornet Kruge,
and had escaped the enemy's sweeping movements, had repaired the mill
which the English had blown up, and this was now working as well as
before. A good stock of mealies had been buried there, and had
remained undiscovered, and we were very thankful to the "bush-lancers"
for this bounty.

Still, things were not altogether "honey." Matters were rather in a
critical state, as treachery was rampant, and many burghers were
riding to and fro to the enemy and arranging to surrender, the
faithful division being powerless to prevent them. We had to act with
great firmness and determination to put a stop to these tendencies and
within a week of our arrival half a dozen persons had been
incarcerated in Roos Senekal gaol under a charge of high treason.
Moreover we effected a radical change in leadership,