And the English would have been quite right in their
anticipations. To have stayed where we then were
would, without doubt, have been the end of us. There-
fore, when the proposal was made that we should take
positions in the mountains, I opposed it as emphati-
cally as I could, alleging incontrovertible arguments
against it. It was then decided that all our forces,
with the exception of a small watch, should issue forth
from behind the mountains.

We also arranged to divide the whole of the com-
mandos ¹ we had with us into three parts:--

I was in supreme command of the first division,
which was to march under the orders of General Botha.
It consisted of burghers from Heilbron, under Com-
mandant Steenekamp, and of Kroonstad men, under
Commandant Van Aard. Besides these, there were
also five hundred men from Bethlehem, under Com-
mandant Michal Prinsloo; the burghers from Boshof,
under Veldtcornet Badenhorst; a small number of
Colonials from Griqualand, under Vice-Commandant
Van Zyl; and some Potchefstroom burghers, who hap-
pened to be with us. Further, I took with me, for
scouting purposes, Danie Theron and his corps of
eighty men, recruited from almost every nation on the
face of the earth; Captain Scheepers and his men also
served me in the same capacity.

The Government and its officials were placed under
my protection; and I was to set out, on July the 15th,
in the direction of Kroonstad-Heilbron.

The second division was entrusted to Assistant Com-
mander-in-Chief Paul Roux, with P. J. Fourie and
C. C. Froneman as Vechtgeneraals. It was composed
of burghers from Fauresmith, under Commandant
Visser; from Bloemfontein, under Commandant Du
Plooij; from Wepener, under Commandant Roux;
from Smithfield, under Commandant Potgieter; from
Thaba'Nchu, under Commandant J. H. Olivier; from
Jacobsdal, under Commandant H. Pretorius; and of

-124-