They told me there that Commandant Weilbach had
deserted his post early in the evening. What was I
to do? It was impossible to search for him during
the night, and I was compelled to take burghers away
from other commandos, and to place them in the
abandoned positions. On their arrival there, they dis-
covered that no sooner had Weilbach failed us than
the enemy had seized his post--the key to Bloemfon-
tein! We did all that we could, but our situation had
been rendered hopeless by the action of a Command-
ant who ought to have been dismissed out of hand for
his conduct at Poplar Grove.

That night I did not close an eye.

* * * * *

The morning of the 13th of March dawned.

Hardly had the sun risen, when the English in the
entrenchments which Commandant Weilbach had de.
serted, opened a flank fire on our nearest positions.

First one position and then another was abandoned
by our burghers, who followed one another's example
like sheep; few made any attempt to defend their
posts, and in spite of my efforts and those of the
officers under me, they retreated to the north.

Thus, without a single shot being fired, Bloemfon-
tein fell into the hands of the English.

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