Their Losses Must Have Been Great

At the hour of sunset there was something to relieve the monotony of fleeing all day. Two burghers (bread spies as we call them) had gone ahead to buy some bread at a farm where a party of the enemy was stationed. Not aware of that, they rode up to the house, with the result that one got captured, while the other returned under a hail of bullets at a breakneck pace to relate the fate of his comrade. De Wet immediately sent in a note asking the enemy to surrender, since they numbered only about twenty.

They answered shortly: "We won't."

They were then charged, and up went the white flag without their firing a single shot.

For the night we bivouacked at that farm. The British columns were now scarcely four miles from us. We dreaded a night attack, but, owing to incessant rain, both parties seemed only too glad to stay where they were. Here we had the advantage of hills and ridges, where we could stand and face the foe.

At sunrise the enemy's guns and Maxim-Nordenveldt began to play on these ridges. Our guns had been placed in position, too, and responded sharply. We succeeded in beating off the enemy's attacks till 11am, then we were outflanked and had to evacuate our positions. Their losses must have been great. Two of our men fell in the action.

Pieter Hendrik Kritzinger, Boer General