wo days later the English occupied Dullstroom, and the pseudo-invalid
and the women, minus their belongings, were taken care of by the
enemy, as they had wished.

CHAPTER XXXIX.

BRUTAL KAFFIRS' MURDER TRAIL.

At Windhoek we were again attacked by an English column. The reader
will probably be getting weary of these continual attacks, and I
hasten to assure him that we were far more weary than he can ever
grow. On the first day of the fight we succeeded in forcing back the
enemy, but on the second day, the fortunes of war were changed and
after a fierce fight, in which I had the misfortune to lose a brave
young burgher named Botha, we gave up arguing the matter with our foes
and retired.

The enemy followed us up very closely, and although I used the sjambok
freely amongst my men I could not persuade them, not even by this
ungentle method, to make a stand against their foes, and as we passed
Witpoort the enemy's cavalry with two guns was close at our heels.

Not until the burghers had reached Maagschuur, between the Bothas and
Tautesbergen, would they condescend to make a stand and check the
enemy's advance. Here after a short but sharp engagement, we forced
them to return to Witpoort, where they pitched camp.

Our mill, which I have previously mentioned as being an important
source of our food supply, was again burned to the ground.

Our commandos returned to Olifant's River and at the cobalt mine near
there joined those who had remained behind under General Muller. The
enemy, however, who seemed determined, if possible, to obliterate us
from the earth's surface, discovered our whereabouts about the middle
of July, and attacked us in overwhelming numbers. We had taken up a
position on the "Randts," and offered as much resistance as we could.
The enemy poured into us a heavy shell fire from their howitzers and
15-pounders, while their infantry charged both our extreme flanks.
After losing many men, a battalion of Highlanders succeeded in
turning our left flank, and once having gained this advantage, and
aided by their superior numbers, the enemy were able to take up
position after position, and finally rendered it impossible to offer
any further resistance. Late in the afternoon, with a loss of five
wounded and one man killed--an Irish-American, named Wilson--we
retired through the Olifant's River, near Mazeppa Drift, the enemy
staying the night at Wagendrift, about three miles further up the
stream. Th