ts of spectators, and
to my great discomfort I found myself the chief object of this
interest. On every side I heard the question asked, "Which is
Viljoen?" and, on my being pointed out, I often caught the
disappointed answer, "Is that him?" "By Jove, he looks just like other
people." They had evidently expected to see a new specimen of mankind.

In the middle of the village we halted before a small, neat house,
which I was told was General Blood's headquarters. The General himself
met us on the threshold; a well-proportioned, kindly-looking man about
50 years of age, evidently a genuine soldier and an Irishman, as I
soon detected by his speech. He received us very courteously, and as I
had little time at my disposal, we at once entered into our
discussion. It would serve little purpose to set down all the details
of our interview, especially as nothing final was decided, since
whatever the General said was subject to Lord Kitchener's approval,
whilst I myself had to submit everything to my Commandant-General.
General Blood promised, however, to stop sending out the women with
their proclamations, and also the officers on similar missions, and
the Red Cross question was also satisfactorily settled. The kaffir
question, however, was left unsettled, although General Blood promised
to warn the kaffir tribes round Lydenburg not to interfere in the War
and not to leave the immediate vicinity of their kraals. (Only the
night before two burghers named Swart had been murdered at Doornkoek
by some kaffirs, who pretended to have done this by order of the
English). The interview lasted about an hour, and besides us two,
Colonel Curran and my secretary, Lieutenant Malan, were present.
General Blood and his staff conducted us as far as Potloodspruit,
where we took leave. The white flag was replaced by the rifle, and we
returned to our respective duties.

[Illustration: Going in under the White Flag to a Conference with
General Blood at Lydenburg.]

CHAPTER XLIII.

MRS. BOTHA'S BABY AND THE "TOMMY."

In September, 1901, after having organized the commandos north of
Lydenburg, I went back with my suite to join my burghers at Olifant's
River, which I reached at the beginning of September. The enemy had
left General Muller alone after the affair with the Hussars. Reports
were coming in from across the railway informing us that much fighting
was going on in the Orange Free State and Cape Colony, and that the
burghers were