twenty-four hours; at other times from fifty to two hun-
dred, and once as many as four hundred and thirty-six.

In spite of this, we had but few mishaps. Indeed,
I can only remember three instances of any one being
hurt by the shells. A young burgher, while riding
behind a ridge and thus quite hidden from the enemy,
was hit by a bomb, and both he and his horse were
blown to atoms. This youth was a son of Mr. Gideon
van Tonder, a member of the Executive Council.
Another Lyddite shell so severely wounded two broth-
ers, named Wolfaard, Potchefstroom burghers, that
we almost despaired of their lives. Nevertheless, they
recovered. I do not want to imply that the British
Artillery were poor shots. Far from it. Their range
was very good, and, as they had plenty of practice
every day, shot after shot went home. I ascribe our
comparative immunity to a Higher Power, which
averted misfortune from us.

I had not been long at Magersfontein before I be-
came convinced that Lord Methuen was most unlikely
to make another attack on our extensive positions. I
said nothing of this to any of the burghers, but on more
than one occasion, I told General Cronje what I thought
about the matter.

"The enemy," I repeated to him over and over
again, "will not attack us here. He will flank us."
But Cronje would not listen to me.

The presence of women in our laager was a great
hindrance to me in my work. Indeed, I opened a
correspondence with the Government on the matter,
and begged them to forbid it. But here again my
efforts were unavailing. Later on, we shall see in
what a predicament the Republican laagers were placed
through the toleration of this irregularity.

Meanwhile, the inevitable results of Cronje's policy
became more and more apparent to me, and before
long we had to suffer for his obstinacy in keeping us
to our trenches and schanzes. ¹

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