CHAPTER IX

THE INTERREGNUM AT PRETORIA

While tremendous excitement was convulsing Johannesburg, Pretoria was simmering. The populace was trekking away towards the Lydenburg Mountains, their ox-carts rumbling incessantly along the streets, while a stream of Dutchmen, motley of habit and of mien, moved out before the rumour of the advancing army. They had decided that, though they might no longer be able to resist, they could still retain the ability to annoy! Mr. Kruger, with his Executive, amid the lamentations of his admirers, also fled. He hurried to the Middleburg Railway, leaving behind him a committee of citizens who were deputed to surrender the town to the British. He fled not empty-handed. In the dead of night gold in bars was piled recklessly into whatever vehicles could be found to hold it, and the spoil was shipped on board the train which bore the President from the scene of his really amazing career. With him went a good many of the British prisoners, though many more stoutly resisted the order for removal and showed fight. Their attitude betokened a general uproar, the story of which may be gleaned from the accounts of various officers who lived through days of tension which, coming atop of a long experience of incarceration, seemed to them like some hideous nightmare of the senses.

An officer, who had been captured by the Boers while in the hospital at Dundee after the retreat of General Yule, described the circumstances connected with the threatened commotion:--

"We were all at dinner, when Wood, of Standard Bank, and Hay, the American Consul, came in with two Hollanders. Their object in coming was to get us to send officers to the 5000 odd men out at Waterval, who were threatening to break out. It transpired that Kruger and the Government were 'clearing' (the report said in ambulance carts). The town was in a state of chaos, looting and drinking, and the British were expected next morning. The commandant--a Hollander, and not a bad chap in spite of it--then came in and announced that the British scouts were within six miles of Pretoria, and that he expected them in on the following morning. He appealed to us as soldiers, and asked us not to make it difficult for him to carry out his duty till the end. Well, we were in such good spirits that we gave him three cheers. Then Colonel H---- got up and called for three cheers for Wood and Hay, who have done so much for our men at Waterval. If it had not been for these two, and for subscriptions in the town and from us, the men would have been absolutely neglected. For though the Boer authorities took all the credit for what was done, they did nothing, discouraging all efforts, and treating with suspicion any one who stirred in the matter. At one time the hospital almost broke down for want of funds. Well, we gave them a tremendous ovation, and then sang 'For he's a jolly good fellow' over and over again. Then we struck up 'God save the Queen.' You never heard it sung as it was! It had been forbidden for nearly eight months. For the first Sunday when it was sung they took away the organ, and made themselves objectionable in many small ways. We had only once before sung it--on the Queen's birthday....

"About twenty-five officers went off after dinner to keep the men in order. Waterval is about ten miles from here. If this step had not been taken there is no saying what might have happened. The men had heard the booming of guns all day, in the direction of Johannesburg, and it is not to be wondered at that when the Boers tried to move them they flatly refused to budge. There are Maxims at each corner, and the loss of life would have been very great. But the Boers gave in. What might have happened if the men got loose in the town, after so much privation and such hardships, can be imagined, but the sending of officers should alter all things."

Naturally, at this time, the officers, who were prisoners, were bursting with excitement. On the 3rd, guns, about ten or twelve miles to south and south-west, were heard, and on the 4th, early, shells from British guns crashed on the ridge of hills south of the town--the first shots being fired at a redoubt behind the Artillery Barracks in Pretoria. Soon, to their delight, this was cleared of Boers, and subsequently two big forts on either side of the gorge in which is the railway then received attention. Three lyddite shells from the howitzer batteries were placed in the western fort, and a fierce and continuous fire from the 4.7 naval gun was concentrated on the railway station, and though the place remained intact the moral effect of the attack was sufficient to clear the course. Before dusk, more lyddite and shrapnel were concentrated on the huge hill south of Pretoria, and on part of the main ridge which had been shelled all day. The prisoners, acutely listening in their "bird cage," fancied they heard in the distance a British cheer, and confidently went to rest calculating on the morrow's freedom. At 1 A.M., however, they were awakened. The commandant declared that he had received orders from Botha, and they must at once pack and trek outside the town--as the town was to be defended, and was therefore unsafe. Waggons were prepared to receive the kit; and the guard, usually numbering about forty-eight, had been more than doubled; and over one hundred armed Boers and Hollanders were waiting to escort 125 defenceless officers.

Colonel Hunt, Royal Artillery, the senior prisoner, was consulted. It was known that once moved, chance of release would be uncertain; and the colonel with his brother officers decided to adopt a policy of passive resistance. They parleyed; they argued the impossibility of removal at so short notice. They demanded what mounts were provided. The commandant declared they must walk. This the officers refused to do. Colonels never walked, they said. Cavalry and field officers must be provided with horses to ride. And again in the matter of food--how about that? Thus arguing, the commandant was detained about an hour and a half; but still he declared he had come to do a duty, and do it he must. The policy of passive resistance having run to its extreme limits, the colonels decided to place the commandant under arrest--to detain him in the building and trust to luck. The assistant-commandant, who arrived to "put in his oar," was promptly "bagged" also. At 2.45 A.M. more wrangling took place. The commandant was reminded that an agreement had been practically entered into with the Transvaal Government that the men at Waterval should be kept quiet on condition that they were not moved, and that the Transvaal Government could not move the prisoners without a breach of faith. The commandant seemed impressed, and offered his word of honour that if released he would telephone to say there could be no removal--and countermand waggons and cancel arrangements. His word of honour was accepted. The commandant retired from the prison, and the officers went to bed fearing the worst.

The remainder of the story is soon told. At 9 A.M. the Duke of Marlborough, accompanied by his irrepressible kinsman, Winston Churchill, galloped to the prison and told the prisoners they were free. The prisoners cheered and shouted themselves hoarse. The guard was disarmed without a murmur, and the prisoners' servants placed to do duty in their stead, an arrangement which afforded them much merriment and infinite satisfaction. The whole situation was the result of a most successful piece of bluff, and the officers were not a little gratified with the exercise of diplomacy which had brought about delay at a most critical moment. They had been unable, however, to prevent the departure, on the 4th, of some 1000 prisoners, which removal was a distinct breach of faith, considering the negotiations before alluded to.

An officer related his experiences on the momentous 4th and 5th of June:--

"On Monday morning, 9 A.M., guns were heard quite close. We knew the Boers, 15,000 strong, had taken up a position about six miles out, and it was said they had solemnly sworn to die or win. About 10 A.M. we saw a shell burst over the hill to the south close to one of the forts. Then shrapnel after shrapnel was landed just over the fort and all along the crest line, about four miles away from us. Then some larger gun placed a lyddite close to the big fort, sending up an enormous column of red dust and making a huge report. It was a grand sight. It went on all day, and we sat there in deck chairs watching. We could see very few Boers about. About 3 P.M. we saw the balloon, about fifteen miles off, I should think. Later in the afternoon the railway was shelled near the suburbs, and just before dark, away to the west, we saw clouds of dust and what we took to be fleeing commandos. After such a day we all went to bed in excellent spirits. Our long depressing wait was very near its end, and we should now escape the terrible prospect of being moved away to the east. About 1 A.M. we were wakened up by the commandant, who turned on the electric light and walked along the line of beds, saying, 'Pack up, gentlemen, you have got to start at 3 P.M. and march six miles.' 'Why?' 'I don't know why; those are my orders.' 'Which direction?' 'To the railway, to the east.' Well, I knew what that meant at once, for I had expected the move for the last month, and many a very depressed hour had I spent thinking of the possibility of being carted about for six months in the cold--no food--no news--and every chance of being shot down. I lay in bed thinking what I should do--what we ought all to do. Some got up at once and dressed, quite ready to move, saying they were only going to move us out of range of the firing. But Colonel H---- luckily was not of that opinion, and nearly every one felt what it meant. We knew nothing for certain, but we thought our people were only six miles off. Outside the Hollanders' guard had been trebled--about 200--and there were about twenty armed and mounted Boers. It was soon agreed that no one should move unless a rifle was pointed at his head. The Hollanders are only half-hearted, and the Boers don't act without leaders. So the commandant and sub-commandant, who were alone inside, and only armed with revolvers, were made prisoners. They were told we refused to move; that they would have to shoot; and that, if they did shoot, every one of them would be hung by Bobs, who, we knew, was only seven miles off. Well, the commandant was talked round and fairly bluffed. He undertook not to move us, and to become a prisoner of the Boers if they insisted. He went out and had a talk with the Boer commandant; they had words, and the Boers galloped off to the town, calling him a ---- Hollander, and saying they would have to get a Maxim. We had delayed the thing anyway for a time, and the railway might be cut any time by French. It was frightfully cold; I did not turn in again. Many went and hid in the roof, in ditches, and all sorts of places, where they were bound to be found. I got a bread-knife and cut a hole in the rabbit wire, which is only a small part of the obstacle, and asked the Hollander sentry to look the other way if I tried to get out when the commander came. But there were so many of them that one was afraid of the other. He only hesitated, and said he would see. We waited on till daylight and no one came. We looked anxiously at the hills all round in hopes of seeing our troops on the hills, but could see nothing. We waited and watched anxiously, and thought we should have a day of suspense. About 8 A.M. on Tuesday, 5th June, large bodies of men were visible to the west, about seven miles off, but it was impossible to say whether they were our men or Boers. Even if they were our men, it was possible that we should be hustled off under their noses. About 9 A.M. two men in felt hats and kharki and a civilian galloped up. Even till they were 100 feet off I feared they might be Boers. Then they took off their hats and waved them; there was a yell, and we all rushed through the gate. They were Marlborough and Winston Churchill, and we were free!"

Some of the late prisoners rushed out of the enclosure down hill into the town, scampering and yelling. It was so good to be free! It was so grand to feel that the scene of their incarceration had already almost become British soil! One climbed up the flagstaff with the Union Jack in his mouth and fastened it at the top (the great emblem, manufactured from a Transvaal flag, had been held in readiness for many months). There, in the town, were British sentries over all the Government buildings, over the house of the President--where Mrs. Kruger still remained--and over all the banks, and in the square. But the smart guardsman of Pall Mall was nowadays strangely transmogrified. Battered and travel-stained in his shabby kharki and worn helmet--the latter perhaps adorned, in lieu of plume, with tooth-brush, spoon, or other useful article--and equipped with loaf or cook-pot, or like practical paraphernalia not laid down in the regulations, he made a quaint, yet inspiriting picture of martial vagabondage. But to the eyes of his long-expecting fellow-countrymen he was none the less refreshing, almost adorable, and in a perfect frenzy of rejoicing the prisoners laughed and threw up their hats and waved their arms like very lunatics freed from strait-waistcoats, or the thrall of the padded room.

The chief was not timed to arrive till two, but long before that hour the prisoners of war were drawn up in the square to feast their eyes with a sight for which they had hungered wearily, some of them since the grievous autumn days when they had found themselves in Dundee hospital at the mercy of the Boers. And sure enough the spectacle that then followed was worth waiting a lifetime to see, and one which none who witnessed it will ever forget.

To return, however, to Johannesburg, and to those who, during this time of terrific suspense, were marching as fast as legs would carry them to take possession of the Boer capital.

FROM JOHANNESBURG TO PRETORIA

June had opened more than propitiously. It found Lord Roberts with the British flag hoisted in Johannesburg, and within appreciable distance of seizing the capital, while in the southern portion of the Free State, rebellion was known to be nearing its conclusion. General Brabant--after some exciting experiences at Hammonia, in which Lieutenant Langmore (Border Horse) was severely wounded, and Lieutenants Boyes and Budler were made prisoners--had just joined hands with General Rundle. The former was engaged in watching the passes around the Basuto border, while the latter, with his usual vigilance and animation, mounted guard over the region between Ficksburg and Senekal. Here (at Senekal) General Clements caught up the chain and made his Brigade into a connecting link with the forces of Lord Methuen, which were at Lindley, forty miles to the north, which latter place was within communicable distance of Heilbron, where General Sir H. Colvile with the Highland Brigade kept clear the passage to the north. Thus it will be seen a complete cordon of communications was maintained, which formed a barrier to further inroads by the Free Staters, and forced them little by little to take their choice between surrender or flight.

At the same time a change had been wrought in the condition of affairs, and the Orange Free State had been rechristened the Orange River Colony.

At noon, on the 28th of May, an interesting ceremony had taken place in the Market Square at Bloemfontein and the Royal Standard had been hoisted. General Pretyman (Military Governor), surrounded with a vast concourse of persons, both British and Dutch, had read in an impressive voice for the benefit of all concerned, Lord Roberts's proclamation annexing the Orange Free State--which had been conquered by Her Majesty's Forces--to the Queen's dominions. He had then declared that henceforth the State would be recognised as the Orange River Colony, after which the troops presented arms and a salute of twenty-one guns was fired by the Naval Brigade and Royal Artillery, followed by lusty cheers for the Queen. At the same time a very different scene had been enacted in Pretoria. By the order of President Kruger, the day had been observed as one of humiliation throughout the country; humiliation and prayer for relief from oppression and preservation of the independence of the country--the country whose independence had been wrecked entirely by the ignorant and careless pilotage of the President himself.

In Johannesburg itself quietness soon began to reign, the people coming in resignedly to give up arms. On the whole there seemed to prevail a general sentiment of surprised relief at the peaceful mode of British occupation, and a dawning hope that before long hostilities would come to an end, and life resume its workaday habit. For the first two days of June the chief remained encamped at Orange Grove in order that all the troops, rested from their fatigues, might be gradually moved up so as to surround Pretoria, north, west, and south. But meanwhile the cavalry made a reconnaissance, and in course of the operations Lieutenants Durrand, Sadleir, Jackson, and Pollock, 9th Lancers, were wounded. The latter officer was missing, as was also Lieutenant the Hon. C. M. Evans-Freke, 16th Lancers.

From Johannesburg to Pretoria the distance is about thirty miles by road. East and west of Johannesburg for some 100 miles runs the Witwatersrand ridge, which commands the town and offers a strong position against any enemy advancing from the south. At Boksburg, on the east, are various natural redoubts of rubbish heaps thrown up from the mines, whose hideous chimneys rise clear against the cloudy atmosphere of the swarming city. Further on comes a species of desert, dotted now and then with a green oasis, and sliced with valleys wrinkled with undulating ridges, and beyond that, Pretoria. The town sits, so to speak, in the lap of hills, each hill crowned with forts, of which the two most formidable faced south, as menace to all invaders. The natural disposition of the surrounding heights makes it possible for a small force to resist a strong one with comparative ease. On the north a girdle of eminences, each a rocky and frowning fortress, renders approach in face of the enemy well-nigh impossible. Beyond Six-Mile Spruit, which lies some twenty-six miles from the Rand, and six from the capital, are three more frowning ridges, natural strongholds. And these it was necessary to assail. Both Schanzkop to west and Klapperkop to east of the line looked gaunt and ominous, the very fire and sword of the cherubim, and the approaches were charred black by intentional veldt fires so as to serve as blackboards to throw up any demonstrations in chalk-grey kharki. It was here, nevertheless, that the chief had decided to make his entry to Pretoria, keeping the direct Johannesburg road, and avoiding if possible the more dangerous of the fortified positions.

On the 3rd of June the great march was resumed. The army moved in three columns--the Cavalry Division under General French on the left, General Ian Hamilton's force in the centre, the main column, consisting of Pole-Carew's Division and Maxwell's Brigade of Tucker's Division (General Wavell's Brigade was left to hold Johannesburg), Gordon's Cavalry Brigade (covering the eastern flank) and the corps troops under the chief's direct command bearing towards the line of rail as described. Colonel Henry, with Ross's Mounted Infantry, Compton's Horse, the Sussex Yeomanry, the Victorian Rifles, the Colt Battery, and J Horse Battery, formed the advance guard of the main column, while Colonel de Lisle's 6th Mounted Infantry formed the advance guard of General Ian Hamilton's Division.

At dawn, on the 4th of June, Colonel Henry came in touch with the enemy at Six-Mile Spruit. Report had hinted that the Boers could not decide to offer opposition to the entry of the troops, and it was hoped that no serious fighting was intended. But there was tough work to come. The enemy opened fire and forced the troops to take cover for a time; but, afterwards, holding their own, they pushed on in view of Schanzkop and Klapperkop, the forts which yet suggested horrible possibilities. The enemy was also ensconced in sangars on other ridges round about, and assiduously plied their magazines. Then followed an artillery contest between J Battery and the guns of the Dutchmen, while Ross's Mounted Infantry, hastening to the left, secured a position from which another battery was enabled to join in the thunderous chorus.

No sooner was it found that Colonel Henry was definitely engaged, than General Ian Hamilton, who was somewhat west of the main army, was ordered to combine and assist the now warming operations--and presently his mounted troops had reinforced the advanced line, while the artillery of the main column came vigorously into play. A big gun from Schantz Fort sounded; a reply from the blue-jackets spat out. Lyddite burst over the feebly demonstrating Boers and damaged them, and showed them, that if they asked for it, there was more to come. At three, fifty guns threatened in concert--an argument that was well-nigh conclusive. Meanwhile up came the infantry, grandly steady in their advance. To right went the Guards' Brigade over the blackboard prepared for them, while Stephenson's Brigade, with Maxwell's Brigade on its left, forged straight ahead. There were kindly boulders which presently covered them, and allowed them to open a warning fire with rifles and Maxims. The Boers by this knew what to expect. They knew that their hours in their commanding kops were numbered; they knew by this time that the bayonet's gleam might follow, and then----

They had little time to consider. General Broadwood's troopers were making for their right flank, debouching in the distant plain on the left, circling them round, menacing their retreat. Up the kopjes swarmed the infantry, away towards the enemy's flank galloped the cavalry--bang and boom and boom roared the heavy artillery, addressing the forts that had seemed to play the cherubim to British advance. These were mute. The projectiles battered them or passed on into the town itself whence rifle fire burst out in fitful cascades, but resistance was no longer in the Dutchmen.... It was now growing dusk. Colonel de Lisle's sprightly Australians, cutting across country, were chasing Boers and guns almost into the town, while the infantry with sunset, were occupying the coveted positions--were handling the key of Pretoria!

But the Australians, darkness or no darkness, were on the war-path--nothing could stop them. They captured the flying Maxim of the flying Dutchmen, pursued them till they were within rifle fire of the streets--the streets where scurrying and panic-stricken forms were to be seen like ants disturbed, running hither and thither. Then Colonel de Lisle, equal to the occasion, profited by the general dismay and the demoralisation to send in an officer under a flag of truce to demand the surrender of the town.

An account of this momentous episode was given by Lieutenant W. W. Russell Watson, a Sydney officer, who was the most prominent actor in the proceedings:--

"Colonel de Lisle came up, beaming with delight, and said, 'Now, lad, you have done so well, are you fit to take the white flag into the city and demand the surrender of the city in the name of Lord Roberts and the British army?' 'Rather!' said I. So we tied a handkerchief on to a whip, and after saying good-bye to Holmes and the others, I started for the Landdrost of the capital with the white flag in the air alone and unarmed.

"I had not gone far when I was stopped by an artilleryman, so requested him to take me into town. He did so; but the Landdrost (chief magistrate), the Burgomaster (mayor), the Commandant-General, were still fighting on the hills about the city, so the Secretary of State was found, and he conducted me to Commandant-General Botha's private residence. He then telephoned to the Secretary for War, and they then despatched messages to their Generals to come at once to a council of war. First, General Botha himself came; then Generals Meyer and Walthusein and the military governors of the city. By this time I had been there two hours, during which time Mrs. Botha kindly gave me coffee and sandwiches, which, as I had not had a square meal for thirty-six hours, were most acceptable.

"Now came the discussion of the council. The General asked my mission, and this I told him with as much dignity as I could muster. He looked me up and down, and told me to be seated. They all spoke in Dutch, and some of the Generals were very excited. However, after an hour's chat, they drew up a letter, and Botha informed me that if I would conduct the Governor of the city to Lord Roberts, terms and conditions would be arranged. So they all shook hands with me, and said that I ought to be pleased at meeting their greatest statesmen and Generals.

"Off I went with the Governor and General Walthusein to Colonel de Lisle, who was waiting on the outskirts of the city for my return. The Colonel then joined us, and away we went to Lord Roberts, who was six miles off; so we did not arrive until 10.45 P.M. He was in bed, so just sat up and said, 'How do you do? If General Botha wishes to discuss with me the unconditional surrender of the town, I will meet him at Colonel de Lisle's camp at 9 A.M. to-morrow. In the meantime, I will not fire a shot. Good-night!'"

So unconditional surrender it was, and that at the cost of little more than seventy killed and wounded.

The report of the chief was as follows:--

"Shortly before midnight I was awoke by the officials of the South African Republic, Sandburg, Military Secretary to Commander-General Botha, and a general officer of the Boer army, who brought me a letter from Botha, proposing an armistice for the purpose of settling terms of surrender.

"I replied that I would gladly meet the Commander-General the next morning, but that I was not prepared to discuss any terms, as the surrender of the town must be unconditional.

"I asked for a reply by daybreak, as I had ordered the troops to march on the town as soon as it was light.

"In his reply, Botha told me that he had decided not to defend Pretoria, and that he trusted that the women, children, and property would be protected."

The next morning the main army moved on towards the railway station, while General Ian Hamilton's troops wound their way to the west of the town. (General French, it may be noted, had made his way to the north, and had skirmished himself into possession of an enveloping area.) Pretoria was now in sight. But even as the troops neared the railway station, trains--trains bearing away the surrendering Hollanders--were seen to be steaming forth. A chase followed, but barbed wire, gardens, houses, made pursuit impossible, and one train escaped. Others which were still in the station, however, were arrested, but not before a scrimmage of a bellicose kind had taken place between Major Shute, the advance guard, and the would-be fugitives. Then followed the release of the British prisoners and the excited rushing of the emancipated ones through the town. Meanwhile Major Maude and his party moved along amid the expectant populace, placing sentries at important points in the road, to the tune of the roars and cheers from the British prisoners, who--many of them--were almost wild with enthusiasm. After having secured the government buildings, the officers of the Staff attached to the Guards' Brigade paid their respects to Mrs. Kruger, who, attired in black silk and a white cap, received them with her usual Dutch calm, in the cottage where the old statesman was wont to live in almost peasant-like simplicity. Here, not many days ago, the most interesting, if not the most admired, figure of latter-day history had smoked the cavernous pipe which was his invariable companion. Here, not many days ago, sitting in the shady verandah and guarded by two policemen, and the white marble lions given him by Mr. Barnato, he had plotted and schemed behind the impenetrable mask that served him for a face. Now he was gone; and the great marble lions, massive and obdurate as ever, had become as the emblems of British majesty. The commanding officer informed the wife of the late President that the burghers guarding the Presidency would now be replaced by British soldiers, whereupon the Dutch guard placed pistols and ammunition on the pavement by the side of the marble monsters; and their occupation, now and henceforth, was ended!

At two o'clock, on the 5th of June, came the grand finale. Lord Roberts, Lord Kitchener, the Staff, and foreign attachés, numbering nearly 300, formed up in the main square in the centre of the magnificent official buildings, and there, once more, was hoisted the British flag amid the cheers--sincere and insincere--of the populace. Then followed the great spectacle--a pageant wherein was asserted the majesty of Great Britain--in the form of an unending host of muscular and disciplined heroes. The roll of drums, the flow of kharki, the clank and clang of armed men, began and continued for hours and hours, while the amazed inhabitants, arrayed in their bucolic best, wide-mouthed, wide-eyed, stood watching the vast procession, the like of which the little town had never before beheld.

Particularly remarkable among the vast cortège of seasoned warriors were the patriotic C.I.V.'s, whose soldierly bearing drew forth eulogies from the chief himself. All were agreed that they were the finest body of men that had ever been seen, and every one declared that their actions had been as excellent as their appearance.

A not less attractive feature of the great day was the march past of the Naval Brigade, its smart amphibians, its jolly blue-jackets so square and brawny and brave, and its big guns on improved gun-carriages, all of which had done such good work from beginning to end. The roar that greeted them as they swung along the streets of the conquered town was a sound to echo in the memory for many a year to come.

* * * * *

At such an imposing spectacle in so primitive an arena our enemies--real or subsidised--of course, took the opportunity to scoff. True, the ceremonial was scarcely as impressive as might have been the occupation of some less primitive capital; but its significance was twofold, and had ramifications far beneath the surface. The importance of the event to the British nation, and indeed to the whole European audience of critics, could not be overestimated. For, not a spectacle, but a symbol was intended. Great Britain came, not to conquer new territories, nor to acquire new power. She came to assert herself, and maintain her prestige in the face of the whole world, and meant, by the occupation of Pretoria, to mark the new epoch, drawing a line between the old era of maladministration, chicanery, and despotism, and a fresh one of law and order, and equal rights for white men. The great object of the war, therefore, had been achieved.

In October 1899, the Government of the South African Republic had sent an ultimatum to the Government of the British Empire. To this there could be but one answer, and that answer was given. Lord Roberts, in the month of March 1900, seized the capital of the Orange Free State, and in June took possession of the capital of the Transvaal, and from that time the two South African Republics virtually ceased to exist. Within appreciable distance we now saw before us a vast British Empire stretching from the Cape to the Zambesi, and a huge population--a mixed population consisting of a majority of Kaffirs and a minority of Dutch and English-speaking Europeans--cemented together by the most just and fair of all laws--British law. If the principles that guide this law had been followed by the two extinct Republics, which had owed their very existence to British toleration and British magnanimity, they would have continued to live and to prosper, and to develop in harmony with their own interests and those of the Mother Power which, so to speak, had afforded them the protection to promote their own growth. But, having grown, having battened on the advantages of their position in relation to the British, they became inflated with the idea of their own importance, and denied to the English-speaking settlers in the Transvaal that liberality of treatment which was extended to their own countrymen in the British colonies. The arrogance of this denial, and the success in maintaining it for many years, gave birth to more arrogance still. The British at last were not only to be trodden down, but were to be driven into the sea!

That Mr. Kruger should have so far lost his sound common sense as to dream of an ascendency of the Dutch in South Africa, was due partly to the misleading representations of needy foreigners and _chevaliers d'industrie_, who endeavoured to convert the President into a figurehead for their own piratical cruiser, and also to the folly of certain self-seeking British politicians, who tried to persuade the shrewd Dutchman into a belief in Boer arms and Boer diplomacy, and actually deceived him with the notion that their sympathetic bleats represented the trumpet voice of the British nation! It became necessary to teach him his mistake, and the lesson was taught. Thus it came to pass that, at the end of a long and really remarkable career, the despot was fleeing as fast as steam would carry him from the scene of his life's labours, while Lord Roberts, crowned with years and honour, reigned in his stead!

APPENDIX

REARRANGEMENT OF STAFF

The following rearrangement of divisional and brigade commands in South Africa took place during the month of April:--

CAVALRY DIVISION.

Lieutenant-General J. D. P. French commanding.

1st Brigade (Cape)--Colonel (Brigadier-General) T. C. Porter, 6th Dragoon Guards. 1st Brigade (Natal)--Lieutenant-Colonel (Brigadier-General) J. F. Burn-Murdoch, 1st Dragoons. 2nd Brigade (Cape)--Colonel (Brigadier-General) R. G. Broadwood, 12th Lancers. 2nd Brigade (Natal)--Colonel (Major-General) J. F. Brocklehurst. 3rd Brigade (Cape)--Colonel (Brigadier-General) J. R. P. Gordon, 17th Lancers. 3rd Brigade (Natal)--Colonel (Major-General) Lord Dundonald. 4th Brigade (Cape)--Colonel (Major-General) J. B. B. Dickson, C.B.

MOUNTED INFANTRY.

Colonel (Major-General) I. S. M. Hamilton, C.B., commanding.

1st Brigade--Colonel (Major-General) E. T. H. Hutton, C.B. 2nd Brigade--Colonel (Brigadier-General) C. P. Ridley.

1ST INFANTRY DIVISION (CAPE).

Lieutenant-General Lord Methuen commanding.

1st Brigade--Colonel (Major-General) C. W. H. Douglas. 20th Brigade--Colonel (Major-General) A. H. Paget, Scots Guards.

2ND DIVISION (NATAL).

Lieutenant-General Sir F. Clery commanding.

2nd Brigade--Major-General H. J. T. Hildyard, C.B. 4th Brigade--Colonel (Brigadier-General) C. D. Cooper, Royal Dublin Fusiliers.

3RD DIVISION (CAPE).

Major-General Sir Herbert Chermside, commanding.

22nd Brigade--Colonel (Major-General) R. E. Allen. 23rd Brigade--Colonel (Major-General) W. G. Knox, C.B.

4TH DIVISION (NATAL).

Lieutenant-General Hon. N. G. Lyttelton, C.B., commanding.

7th Brigade--Colonel (Brigadier-General) W. F. Kitchener, West Yorkshire Regiment. 8th Brigade--Colonel (Major-General) F. Howard, C.B., C.M.G.

5TH DIVISION (NATAL).

Lieutenant-General Sir Charles Warren commanding.

10th Brigade--Colonel (Major-General) J. T. Coke. 11th Brigade--Colonel (Major-General) A. S. Wynne, C.B.

6TH DIVISION.

Lieutenant-General T. Kelly-Kenny, C.B., commanding.

12th Brigade--Colonel (Major-General) R. A. P. Clements. 13th Brigade--Colonel (Major-General) A. G. Wavell.

7TH DIVISION (CAPE).

Lieutenant-General C. Tucker, C.B., commanding.

14th Brigade--Colonel (Major-General) J. G. Maxwell. 15th Brigade--Colonel (Major-General) C. E. Knox.

8TH DIVISION.

Lieutenant-General Sir Leslie Rundle commanding.

16th Brigade--Major-General B. B. D. Campbell. 17th Brigade--Major-General J. E. Boyes.

9TH DIVISION (CAPE).

Lieutenant-General Sir Henry Colvile commanding.

3rd (Highland) Brigade--Colonel (Major-General) H. A. MacDonald, C.B. 19th Brigade--Colonel (Major-General) H. L. Smith-Dorrien, Sherwood Foresters.

10TH DIVISION (NATAL).

Lieutenant-General Sir Archibald Hunter commanding.

5th Brigade--Major-General A. F. Hart, C.B. 6th Brigade--Major-General G. Barton, C.B.

11TH DIVISION (CAPE).

Lieutenant-General R. Pole-Carew, C.B., commanding.

Guards Brigade--Colonel (Major-General) I. R. Jones, Scots Guards. 18th Brigade--Colonel (Brigadier-General) T. E. Stephenson, Essex Regiment.

DEATHS IN ACTION AND FROM DISEASE

The following is a list of the officers who died in South Africa between January and June:--

JANUARY 1900

=4.=--In action at Colesberg: Major C. Bateson Harvey, Lieutenant A. V. West.

=5.=--Disease: Major C. P. Walker, Lieutenant C. P. Russell, Lieutenant C. S. Platt.

=6.=--In action at Rensburg: Lieutenant-Colonel A. J. Watson, Lieutenant F. A. P. Wilkins, Lieutenant S. J. Carey, Lieutenant C. A. White. Action at Ladysmith: Lieutenant-Colonel Dick-Cunyngham, V.C., Major Miller-Wallnutt, Major R. S. Bowen, Major F. Mackworth, Captain W. B. Lafone, Lieutenant C. E. M. Walker, Lieutenant L. D. Hall, Lieutenant R. J. T. Digby-Jones, Lieutenant H. N. Field, Lieutenant W. F. Adams, Lieutenant J. E. Pakeman, Lieutenant Noel M. Tod, Second Lieutenant W. H. T. Hill, Second Lieutenant F. H. Raikes, Second Lieutenant G. B. B. Denniss. Wounds received at Colesberg: Captain A. W. Brown.

=11.=--Wounds received at Ladysmith: Captain the Earl of Ava.

=13.=--Fever: Lieutenant W. Dixon Smith.

=15.=--Fever at Pietermaritzburg: Lieutenant E. Stabb, R.N.R.

=16.=--Dysentery at Pietermaritzburg: Major F. F. Crawford.

=19.=--Fever at Mooi River: Second Lieutenant D. B. Gore-Booth.

=20.=--Wounds received at Venters Spruit: Captain C. A. Hensley. Action at Potgieters: Major C. B. Childe.

=21.=--In action at Potgieters: Captain C. Ryall. Wounds: Captain A. D. Raitt. In action: Lieutenant-Colonel Buchanan-Riddell, Capt. F. Murray, Captain C. Walters, Lieutenant R. Grant, Lieutenant J. W. Osborne, Second Lieutenant H. G. French-Brewster.

=23.=--In action at Chieveley: Captain H. W. de Rougemont.

=24.=--Fever at De Aar: Captain C. G. Mackenzie. In action at Spion Kop: Major H. H. Massy, Major A. J. J. Ross, Captain N. H. Vertue, Captain G. M. Stewart, Captain C. L. Muriel, Captain M. W. Kirk, Captain C. G. F. G. Birch, Captain the Hon. J. H. L. Petre, Captain C. S. Knox-Gore, Captain C. H. Hicks, Lieutenant J. J. R. Mallock, Lieutenant E. Fraser, Lieutenant A. P. C. H. Wade, Lieutenant H. F. Pipe-Wolferstan, Lieutenant F. M. Raphael, Lieutenant H. W. Garvey, Lieutenant C. G. Grenfell, Lieutenant P. F. Newnham, Lieutenant T. F. Flower-Ellis, Lieutenant H. S. M'Corquodale, Lieutenant V. H. A. Awdry, Lieutenant the Hon. N. W. Hill-Trevor, Lieutenant A. Rudall, Lieutenant K. Shand, Lieutenant F. A. Galbraith, Second Lieutenant W. G. H. Lawley, Second Lieutenant H. A. C. Wilson. Wounds received at Spion Kop: Major S. P. Strong.

=28.=--Fever at De Aar: Captain W. A. Hebden.

=29.=--Wounds received at Ladysmith: Lieutenant W. R. P. Stapleton-Cotton.

FEBRUARY 1900

=1.=--Wounds received at Venters Spruit: Captain D. Maclachlan.

=2.=--Disease at Ladysmith: Second Lieutenant F. O. Barker.

=4.=--Disease at Ladysmith: Captain K. L. Tupman

=6.=--In action at Potgieters Drift: Major T. R. Johnson-Smyth, Second Lieutenant C. D. Shafto.

=6.=--Sunstroke at Wynberg: Captain E. Dillon. In action at Koodoesberg: Captain H. M. Blair.

=8.=--Wounds received at Koodoesberg: Captain C. Eykyn, Lieutenant F. G. Tait.

=10.=--In action: Lieutenant Buchanan, Lieutenant Carstens.

=11.=--Fever at De Aar: Lieutenant R. W. Bell. In action at Rensburg: Major G. R. Eddy.

=12.=--In action at Rensburg: Major A. K. Stubbs, Lieutenant J. Powell. Wounds received at Rensburg: Lieutenant-Colonel C. Cunningham, Lieutenant J. C. Roberts. Wounds received at Dekiels Drift: Captain H. G. Majendie.

=13.=--Wounds received at Rensburg: Lieutenant-Colonel H. A. Eager. In action at Gaberones: Captain J. G. French. In action at Waterval Drift: Second Lieutenant H. W. Ritchie. Wounds received at Ladysmith: Major D. E. Doveton. Disease: Captain H. W. Foster. Fever at Pretoria: Lieutenant C. A. P. Tarbutt.

=14.=--Wounds received at Mafeking: Captain R. H. Girdwood.

=15.=--In action at Waterval: Lieutenant C. P. M. C. Halkett. Wounds received at Rensburg: Major F. R. Macmullen.

=16.=--Wounds received at Kimberley: Second Lieutenant Hon. W. M'Clintock-Bunbury. Action at Monte Christo: Captain T. H. Berney. Action at Bird's River: Captain E. C. H. Crallan, Lieutenant Chandler. Action near Kimberley: Lieutenant A. E. Hesketh, Lieutenant E. G. Carbutt, Second Lieutenant P. F. Brassy.

=17.=--Fever at Ladysmith: Second Lieutenant W. A. Orlebar.

=18.=--Fever at Sterkstroom: Captain T. S. C. W. Broadley. In action at Paardeberg: Lieutenant-Colonel W. Aldworth, Captain E. P. Wardlaw, Captain B. A. Newbury, Captain A. M. A. Lennox, Lieutenant J. C. Angell, Lieutenant G. E. Courtenay, Lieutenant H. G. Selous, Lieutenant F. J. Siordet, Lieutenant A. R. Bright, Colonel O. C. Hannay, Lieutenant E. Perceval, Lieutenant H. M. A. Hankey, Second Lieutenant R. H. M'Clure, Second Lieutenant A. C. Nieve, Second Lieutenant V. A. Ball-Acton.

=19.=--Dysentery at Wynberg: Captain R. A. E. Benson. In action at Hlangwane Hill: Captain W. L. Thorburn.

=20.=--Wounds received at Paardeberg: Major C. R. Day, Captain E. J. Dewar, Lieutenant J. C. Hylton-Jolliffe, Second Lieutenant D. B. Monypenny, Captain Waldy. Wounds received at Rondebosch: Captain C. H. Thomas. In action at the Tugela River: Captain S. L. V. Crealock, Lieutenant V. F. A. Keith-Falconer, Second Lieutenant J. C. Parr. Fever at Ladysmith: Lieutenant G. W. G. Jones.

=21.=--Wounds received near Ladysmith: Captain R. E. Holt. Dysentery at Kimberley: Lieutenant Grant.

=22.=--In action at Arundel: Captain A. F. Wallis. In action at Pieters Drift: Lieutenant R. H. C. Coë. In action at Ladysmith: Lieutenant R. W. Pearson, Lieutenant the Hon. R. Cathcart, and Second Lieutenant N. J. Parker.

=23.=--Dysentery at Wynberg: Major C. H. Blount. Fever at Ladysmith: Captain G. S. Walker. Wounds: Captain H. M. Arnold. Wounds received at Groblers Kloof: Lieutenant F. C. D. Davidson. In action at Railway Hill: Lieutenant-Colonel C. C. H. Thorold and Lieutenant-Colonel T. M. G. Thackeray. In action at Pieters Hill: Brevet Lieutenant-Colonel C. G. H. Sitwell. In action at Railway Hill: Major F. A. Sanders and Lieutenant W. O. Stuart. In action at Colenso: Captain S. C. Maitland. In action near Ladysmith: Lieutenant B. H. Hastie and Lieutenant C. H. Hinton.

=24.=--In action at Stormberg: Lieutenant-Colonel F. H. Hoskier and Captain the Hon. R. H. J. L. de Montmorency. Fever at Sterkstroom: Captain A. T. England. In action near Ladysmith: Lieutenant F. A. Stebbing.

=25.=--Fever at Modder River: Midshipman S. Robertson. Wounds received at Spion Kop: Lieutenant H. V. Lockwood.

=26.=--Wounds received at Ladysmith: Major E. W. Yeatherd.

=27.=--In action at Pieters Hill: Lieutenant-Colonel W. M. O'Leary, Major V. Lewis, Captain H. S. Sykes, Lieutenant H. L. Mourilyan, Lieutenant H. B. Onraët, Second Lieutenant F. J. T. U. Simpson, and Second Lieutenant C. J. Daly.

MARCH 1900

=3.=--Blood-poisoning at Modder River: Captain R. Price.

=5.=--Fever at Naauwpoort: Lieutenant J. W. C. Walding.

=7.=--In action at Poplars Drift: Lieutenant D. J. Keswick. Wounds received near Ladysmith: Lieutenant E. A. P. Vaughan.

=8.=--Fever at Ladysmith: Lieutenant R. E. Meyricke. Fever at Modder River: Lieutenant S. D. Barrow.

=9.=--Fever at Ladysmith: Captain A. W. Curtis and Lieutenant C. Arkwright.

=10.=--In action at Driefontein: Captain A. R. Eustace, Captain D. A. N. Lomax, Lieutenant F. N. Parsons, V.C., and Second Lieutenant A. B. Coddington. Fever at Wynberg: Captain E. E. D. Thornton.

=11.=--Wounds: Lieutenant-Colonel C. E. E. Umphelby.

=12.=--Fever at Wynberg: Dr. W. C. Grigg. Wounds received at Driefontein: Lieutenant C. F. L. Wimberley. Fever on transport _Sumatra_: Lieutenant T. D. Whittington.

=13.=--Drowned at Norvals Pont: Second Lieutenant F. N. Dent.

=16.=--Fever at Pietermaritzburg: Major H. E. Buchanan-Riddell. Fever at Naauwpoort: Captain R. W. Salmon. Fever at Ladysmith: Lieutenant R. H. Kinnear.

=17.=--Fever at Ladysmith: Major J. Minniece.

=19.=--Dysentery at Ladysmith: Captain W. L. P. Gibton.

=20.=--Fever at Mooi River: Lieutenant A. W. Hall.

=22.=--Fever at Kimberley: Major H. J. Massy.

=23.=--Wounds received at Spion Kop: Major-General Sir E. R. P. Woodgate. In action near Bloemfontein: Lieutenant Hon. E. H. Lygon.

=26.=--Fever on her Majesty's ship _Powerful_: Fleet-Paymaster W. H. F. Kay.

=27.=--Fever at Naauwpoort: Captain F. W. Hopkins.

=28.=--In action at Norvals Pont: Colonel the Hon. G. Gough.

=29.=--Fever at Bloemfontein: Captain C. M. Kemble. Wounds received at Karee Siding: Lieutenant E. M. Young.

=30.=--In action at Brandfort: Captain A. C. Going. Fever at Ladysmith: Lieutenant B. T. Rose. In action at Lobatsi: Captain A. J. Tyler.

=31.=--In action near Bloemfontein: Major A. W. C. Booth and Lieutenant P. H. S. Crowle. In action at Sanna's Post: Lieutenant G. H. Irvine. Wounds: Lieutenant P. C. Grover. Wounds received at Ramathlabama: Captain F. Crewe. In action at Ramathlabama: Lieutenant F. Milligan. Meningitis: Lieutenant Whittington.

APRIL 1900

=2.=--Wounds at Pietermaritzburg: Lieutenant C. B. du Buisson.

=3.=--In action at Reddersburg: Captain F. G. Casson and Second Lieutenant C. R. Barclay. Wounds received at Karee: Captain W. M. Marter. Fever at Ladysmith: Lieutenant G. E. S. Salt.

=4.=--Wounds received near Bloemfontein: Lieutenant F. Russell-Brown. Wounds received at Reddersburg: Captain W. P. Dimsdale.

=5.=--In action at Rietfontein: Captain C. Boyle and Lieutenant A. C. Williams.

=9.=--In action at Wepener: Major C. F. Sprenger.

=10.=--Fever at Mooi River: Lieutenant G. H. Morley. In action at Wepener: Lieutenant H. F. B. Taplin and Lieutenant A. H. Thornton.

=15.=--Fever at sea on his way home: Lieutenant T. B. Ely. Fever at Ladysmith: Second Lieutenant S. H. Hutton. Fever at Pietermaritzburg: Second Lieutenant E. O. N. O. Leggett.

=16.=--Fever at Bloemfontein: Captain R. Peel, Captain B. C. C. S. Meeking, and Lieutenant C. O. Bache.

=18.=--Dysentery at Ladysmith: Captain S. Laurence. Disease at Kimberley: Captain E. M. Litkie.

=21.=--Dysentery at Pretoria: Assistant-Surgeon Jackson. Fever at Gaberones: Lieutenant Wallis. Fever at Bloemfontein: Lieutenant H. W. Prickard.

=23.=--Dysentery at Naauwpoort: Second Lieutenant R. J. Gibson-Craig.

=24.=--Wounds at Karreefontein: Captain F. L. Prothero.

=25.=--In action at Dewetsdorp: Captain P. R. Denny. In action at Israel's Poort: Captain H. Gethin. Wounds received at Sanna's Post: Lieutenant J. D. Murch.

=26.=--Fever at Queenstown: Captain C. Biddulph. Wounds at Eirstelaagte: Captain G. P. Brasier-Creagh.

=27.=--Fever at Bloemfontein: Major H. T. Hawley. In action at Thabanchu: Lieutenant F. S. Geary. Peritonitis at Bloemfontein: Captain A. B. Bennett.

=28.=--Wounds at Bloemfontein: Captain H. F. W. Stanley. Fever at Kimberley: Midshipman L. G. E. Lloyd.

=30.=--In action at Thabanchu: Major E. C. Showers, Lieutenant J. H. Parker, and Lieutenant Munro.

MAY 1900

=1.=--Pneumonia on board the _Dilwara_: Lieutenant C. Martin.

=2.=--Fever at Aliwal North: Lieutenant J. T. Dennis. Tuberculosis at Port Elizabeth: Lieutenant Holt.

=4.=--In action at Welkom: Captain C. E. Rose.

=5.=--Fever at Bloemfontein: Captain H. E. Dowse.

=6.=--Wounds at Callerberg: Captain Lovett. Wounds at Thabanchu: Captain E. G. Verschoyle. Wounds at Winburg: Lieutenant P. Cameron.

=7.=--Fever at Bloemfontein: Captain R. Fawssett and Lieutenant E. H. St. L. Chamier.

=8.=--Dysentery at Estcourt: Lieutenant S. Oglesby. Dysentery at Modder Spruit: Captain Warren.

=9.=--Wounds received at Warrenton: Major H. S. le M. Guille. Fever at Deelfontein: Lieutenant B. Cumming.

=10.=--Dysentery at Bloemfontein: Chaplain the Rev. C. F. O'Reilly. Pneumonia in Bloemfontein: Captain T. W. Milward. Wounds received at Zand River: Captain L. Head and Captain C. K. Elworthy.

=11.=--Fever at Naauwpoort: Second Lieutenant A. C. FitzG. Homan.

=12.=--Fever at Bloemfontein: Captain H. S. Prickard.

=13.=--Fever at Bloemfontein: Lieutenant H. P. Rogers.

=14.=--Disease at Capetown: Captain D. G. Seagrim.

=16.=--Fever at Naauwpoort: Lieutenant G. B. Guthrie. Disease at Naauwpoort: Lieutenant A. Lascelles. In action near Mafeking: Lieutenant Wilfred. In action at Mafeking: Lieutenant E. Harland.

=18.=--Fever at Bloemfontein: Lieutenant G. G. Moir and Midshipman J. Menzies.

=20.=--In action near Vryheid: Captain W. E. D. Goff, Lieutenant H. W. Lanham, and Lieutenant W. M'Lachlan. Fever at Bloemfontein: Lieutenant E. W. M. Noel.

=21.=--Died at Gaberones: Lieutenant H. Wallis. Fever at Bloemfontein: Captain G. C. Fordyce-Buchan.

=22.=--Fever at Deelfontein: Major P. Marsh. Fever at Kroonstad: Lieutenant the Hon. J. D. Hamilton. Fever at Springfontein: Lieutenant F. G. Peel.

=23.=--Fever at Bloemfontein: Major H. M. Browne. Fever at Boshof: Lieutenant E. L. Munn.

=24.=--Fever at Bloemfontein: Second Lieutenant Fletcher.

=25.=--In action at Senekal: Major H. S. Dalbiac. Fever at Wynberg: Captain N. G. H. Turner. Fever at Bloemfontein: Captain L. Livingstone-Learmonth. Fever at Mooi River: Major Cooper. Fever at Boshof: Second Lieutenant W. H. Amedroz.

=26.=--Fever at Kroonstad: Major A. S. Ralli and Captain W. H. Trow. Fever at Bloemfontein: Lieutenant R. S. Bree and Lieutenant J. D. Dalrymple-Hay.

=27.=--Pneumonia at Wynberg: Captain R. N. Fane.

=28.=--Fever at Bloemfontein: Lieutenant P. C. Shaw. Fever at Pietermaritzburg: Lieutenant A. Wylde-Brown. In action at Kheis: Major J. A. Orr-Ewing. In action at Kwisa: Lieutenant C. Slater.

=29.=--In action at Fabers Spruit: Colonel W. A. Spence. In action near Kroonstad: Captain C. S. Keith. Wounds received at Kheis: Lieutenant G. H. Matthews and Captain A. H. U. Tindall. Wounds received at Senekal: Second Lieutenant A. H. Murray.

=30.=--In action near Johannesburg: Captain St. J. Meyrick and Lieutenant H. W. Fife. Dysentery at Pinetown Bridge: Captain J. W. J. Hardman.

=31.=--Wounds received at Elandslaagte: Lieutenant C. G. Danks.

JUNE 1900

=1.=--Fever at Kroonstad: Captain S. Robertson. Fever at Florida: Lieutenant G. F. Nethercole. Wounds at Lindley: Lieutenant Sir J. E. C. Power, Bart. Dysentery at Bloemfontein: Second Lieutenant F. S. Firth.

=2.=--Fever at Bloemfontein: Lieutenant L. O. F. Mellish and Lieutenant C. H. B. Adams-Wylie. Wounds at Bappisfontein: Lieutenant J. F. Pollock. At sea on board the _Dilwara_: Lieutenant R. J. Jelf.

=4.=--Fever at Kroonstad: Lieutenant C. E. Eaton.

=5.=--Fever at Kimberley: Captain E. G. Young. In action at Schippens Farm: Lieutenant R. L. C. Hobson.

END OF VOLUME V.

Printed by BALLANTYNE, HANSON & CO. Edinburgh & London

TRANSCRIBERS' NOTES

Page v: Re-arrangement standardised to rearrangement Pages vi, 8: Koornspruit all one word in original. Left as is, as the title of a picture Page vi: Blomfontein standardised to Bloemfontein Page 2: Llanddrost corrected to Landdrost Page 4: Variable hyphenation of sky(-)line as in the original Pages 16, 128: Variable hyphenation of dare(-)devilry as in the original Page 19: Variable spelling of Hock (in Mosterts Hock) as in original Page 31: musquitoes as in the original Pages 36, 176: Variable spelling of Van Reenan's Pass/Van Reenen's Pass as in the original Page 44: Variable hyphenation of out-spanned as in the original Page 45: Fusileers standardised to Fusiliers Page 46: beleagured as in the original text Page 54: strategetical as in the original Page 55: skurry as in the original Page 59: caldron as in the original Page 70: Sqadrons corrected to Squadrons Page 74: Variable presence of acute accent on échelon as in the original Page 75: screeened corrected to screened Page 99: ariving corrected to arriving Page 100: franctically corrected to frantically Page 102: 7 P.M. as in the original. Should perhaps be A.M. Page 108: strategetic as in the original Page 109: Buluwayo corrected to Bulawayo Page 119: Barkly as in the original Pages 121, 148, 158: Variable spelling of Roodepoort/Roodepoorte/ Roodeport as in the original Page 133: "and did about other six" as in the original Page 149: Johannesberg corrected to Johannesburg Page 155: Landrost standardised to Landdrost Page 157: Variable spelling of horse(-)shoe as in the original Page 164: fusilade corrected to fusillade Page 169: Variable circumflex accent on depôt as in the original Page 172: Nordenfelts corrected to Nordenfeldts Page 176: Variable hyphenation of battle(-)field as in the original Page 180: duplicate "had" removed from "If this step had had not been taken" Page 191: Zambesi as in the original Page 192: ascendency as in the original text General: Variable spelling of khaki/kharki as in the original text General: Variable spelling of Valshe/Valsch/Valsche as in the original text General: Variable hyphenation of head(-)quarters as in the original text General: Variable hyphenation of mid(-)day as in the original text General: Variable hyphenation of rear(-)guard as in the original text General: Variable circumflex accent on viâ as in the original text