flank. I had with me one hundred and ten men in all.
Many of them were without rifles, having given up
their arms at Bloemfontein. Others were provided
with serviceable achterlaaiers, but had little or no am-
munition, because they had already fired off their car-
tridges in mere wantonness in the belief that they
might have to give up their rifles any day. My hand-
ful of burghers were thus as good as unarmed.

During our march I kept the English continually
under surveillance. They were unable to advance
very rapidly, as the bulk of their force was made up of
infantry. But they were too far ahead for the com-
mandos whom I had sent in pursuit to be able to get at
them; and for me, with the handful of almost un-
armed burghers which I commanded, to have at-
tempted an attack would have been worse than folly.

On the evening of the 2nd of April, the English
encamped on the hill to the west of a farm called
Oollogspoort; whilst we off-saddled to the north of
them, on Mr. Van der Walt's farm. The enemy,
however, was not aware of the position of our laager.

The following morning, at four o'clock, I sent a
third report to the commandos. They had been some
way on the road to Dewetsdorp, and thus, far out of
the course to Reddersburg, when my second report
reached them; and now my despatch rider met only
Generals Froneman and De Villiers with seven hun-
dred men and three guns, and was too late to prevent
General Wessels from going on to Dewetsdorp.

Shortly after sunrise General Froneman received my
report. He had been riding all night through without
stopping, and many of his horses were already tired
out. But as my order was that the Generals were to
leave behind those who were unable to proceed, and
to hasten on at once without so much as off-saddling,
he did not wait to be told twice, but pushing forward
with all speed, arrived on the 3rd of April at Schwars-
kopjes on the Kaffir River. He had left Sanna's
Post on the afternoon of the previous day.

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