With the Boer Forces

CHAPTER VI.. The Boers in Battle

THE BOERS IN BATTLE

Fighting against forces numerically superior--The battle at Sannaspost--The trek towards the enemy--The scenes along the route--The night trek--Finding the enemy, and the disposition of the forces in the spruit and on the hills--The dawn of day and the preparation for battle--The Commandant-General fires the first shot--The battle in detail--Friend and foe sing "Soldiers of the Queen."

CHAPTER VII.. The Generals of the War

THE GENERALS OF THE WAR

Farmer-generals who were without military experience--A few who studied military matters--Leaders chosen by the Volksraad--Operating in familiar territory--Joubert's part in the campaign--His failure in Natal--His death and its influence--General Cronje, the Lion of Pochefstroom, and his career--General Botha and his work as successor of Joubert--Generals Meyer, De Wet, and De la Rey, with narratives concerning each.

CHAPTER VIII.. The War Presidents

THE WAR PRESIDENTS

The Boers' real leader in peace and in war--Bismarck's opinion of Kruger--The President's duties in Pretoria--His visits to the laagers and the influence he exerted over the disheartened burghers--His oration over Joubert's body--His opinion of the British, and of those whom he blamed for the war--His departure from Pretoria--President Steyn and his work during the war.

CHAPTER IX.. Foreigners in the War

FOREIGNERS IN THE WAR

The soldier of fortune in every war--The fascination which attracts men to fight--The Boers' view of foreigners--The influx of foreigners into the Boer country in search of loot, commissions, fame, and experience--Few foreigners were of great assistance--The oath of allegiance--Number of foreigners in the Boer army--The various legions and their careers.

CHAPTER X.. Boer Women in the War

BOER WOMEN IN THE WAR

Boer women's glorious heritage--Their part in the political arena before the war--Urged the men to fight for their independence--Assisting their embarrassed government in furnishing supplies to the army--Helping the poor, the wounded, and the prisoners--Sending relatives back to the ranks--Women taking part in battles--Asking the Government for permission to fight.

CHAPTER XI.. Incidents of the War

INCIDENTS OF THE WAR

Amusing tales told and retold by the burghers--Boy-burghers at Magersfontein capture Highlanders' rifles--The Takhaar at Colenso, who belonged to "Rhodes' Uncivilised Boer Regiment"--Photographers in battle--The heliographers at the Tugela amusing themselves--Joubert's story of the Irishman who wanted to be sent to Pretoria--The value of credentials in warfare as shown by an American burgher's escapade--The amusing flight after the fall of Bloemfontein.

APPENDIX.

THE STRENGTH OF THE BOER ARMY

LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS

COMMANDANT-GENERAL LOUIS BOTHA (Photograph by R. Steger, Pretoria.)

GENERAL LUCAS J. MEYER (Photograph by Leo Weinthal, Pretoria.)

BATTLEFIELD OF COLENSO, DECEMBER 15, 1899 (Photograph by R. Steger, Pretoria.)

BOERS WATCHING THE FIGHT AT DUNDEE (Photograph by Reginald Sheppard, Pretoria.)

ELECTING A FIELD-CORNET (Photograph by the Author.)

KRIJGSRAAD, NEAR THABA N'CHU (Photograph by the Author.)

BOER COMMANDANTS READING MESSAGE FROM BRITISH OFFICERS AFTER THE BATTLE OF DUNDEE (Photograph by Reginald Sheppard.)

GENERAL GROBLER (Photograph by the Author.)

SPION KOP, WHERE BOERS CHARGED UP THE HILLSIDE (Photograph by Reginald Sheppard.)

PLAN OF BATTLEFIELD OF SANNASPOST (Drawn by the Author under supervision of General Christian De Wet.)

VILLAGE AND MOUNTAIN OF THABA N'CHU (Photograph by the Author.)

THE AUTHOR, AND A BASUTO PONY WHICH ASSISTED IN THE FIGHT AT SANNASPOST (Photograph by T.F. Millard, New York.)

CALLING FOR VOLUNTEERS TO MAN CAPTURED CANNON AFTER SANNASPOST (Photograph by the Author.)

COMMANDANT-GENERAL CHRISTIAN H. DE WET (With Facsimile of his Signature.)

GENERAL PETER DE WET (Photograph by the Author.)

GENERAL JOHN DE LA REY (Photograph by the Author.)

PRESIDENT KRUGER ADDRESSING AMERICAN VOLUNTEERS (Photograph by R. Steger.)

BATTLEFIELD OF ELANDSLAAGTE (Photograph by Van Hoepen.)

COLONEL JOHN E. BLAKE, OF THE IRISH BRIGADE (Photograph by Leo Weinthal.)

MRS. GENERAL LUCAS J. MEYER (Photograph by Leo Weinthal.)

MRS. OTTO KRANTZ, A BOER AMAZON (Photograph by R. Steger.)

MRS. COMMANDANT-GENERAL LOUIS BOTHA (Photograph by Leo Weinthal, Pretoria.)

GENERAL HENDRIK SNYMAN

FIRST BRITISH PRISONERS OF WAR CAPTURED NEAR DUNDEE (Photograph by Reginald Sheppard.)

CHAPTER I. The Way to the Boer Country

THE WAY TO THE BOER COUNTRY

Immediately after war was declared between Great Britain and the Boers of the Transvaal and the Orange Free State, the two South African republics became ostracised, in a great measure, from the rest of the civilised world. The cables and the great ocean steamship lines, which connected South Africa with Europe and America, were owned by British companies, and naturally they were employed by the British Government for its own purposes. Nothing which might in any way benefit the Boers was allowed to pass over these lines and, so far as it was possible, the British Government attempted to isolate the republics so that the outside world could have no communication of any sort with them. With the exception of a small strip of coast-land on the Indian ocean, the two republics were completely surrounded by British territory, and consequently it was not a difficult matter for the great Empire to curtail the liberties of the Boers to as great an extent as it was pleasing to the men who conducted the campaign. The small strip of coast-land, however, was the property of a neutral nation, and, therefore, could not be used for British purposes of stifling the Boer countries, but the nation which "rules the waves" exhausted every means to make the Boers' air-hole as small as possible by placing a number of warships outside the entrance of Delagoa Bay, and by establishing a blockade of the port of Lorenzo Marques.

Lorenzo Marques, in itself, was valueless to the Boers, for it had always been nothing more than a vampire feeding upon the Transvaal, but as an outlet to the sea and as a haven for foreign ships bearing men, arms, and encouragement it was invaluable. In the hands of the Boers Delagoa Bay would have been worse than useless, for the warships could have taken possession of it and sealed it tightly on the first day of the war, but as a Portuguese possession it was the only friend that the Boers were able to find during their long period of need. Without it, the Boers would have been unable to hold any intercourse with foreign countries, no envoys could have been despatched, no volunteers could have entered the country, and they would have been ignorant of the opinion of the world--a factor in the brave resistance against their enemy which was by no means infinitesimal. Delagoa Bay was the Boers' one window through which they could look at the world, and through which the world could watch the brave struggle of the farmer-citizens of the veld-republics.

The Portuguese authorities at Delagoa Bay long ago established a reputation for adroitness in extracting revenues whenever and wherever it was possible to find a stranger within their gates, but the war afforded them such excellent opportunities as they had never enjoyed before. Being the gate of the Boer country was a humanitarian privilege, but it also was a remunerative business, and never since Vasco de Gama discovered the port were so many choice facilities afforded for increasing the revenue of the colony. Nor was the Latin's mind wanting in concocting schemes for filling the Portuguese coffers when the laws were lax on the subject, for it was the simplest arrangement to frame a regulation suitable for every new condition that arose. The Portuguese were willing to be the medium between the Boers and the people of other parts of the earth, but they asked for and received a large percentage of the profits.

When the mines of the Johannesburg gold district were closed down, and the Portuguese heard that they would no longer receive a compulsory contribution of four shillings from every native who crossed the border to work in the mines, the officials felt uneasy on account of the great decrease in the amount of public revenues, but it did not worry them for any great length of time. They met the situation by imposing a tax of eight shillings upon every one of the thousands of natives who returned from the mines to their homes in Portuguese territory. About the same time the Uitlanders from the Transvaal reached Lorenzo Marques, and, in order to calm the Portuguese mind, every one of the thousands of men and women who took part in that exodus was compelled to pay a transit tax, ranging from eight shillings to a sovereign, according to the size of the tip tendered to the official.

When the van of the foreign volunteers reached the port there was a new situation to be dealt with, and again the principle of "When in doubt impose a tax" was satisfactorily employed. Men who had just arrived in steamers, and who had never seen Portuguese territory, were obliged to secure a certificate, indicating that they had not been inhabitants of the local jail during the preceding six months; a certificate from the consular representative of their country, showing that they possessed good characters; another from the Governor-General to show that they did not purpose going into the Transvaal to carry arms; a fourth from the local Transvaal consul to indicate that he held no objections to the traveller's desire to enter the Boer country; and one or two other passports equally weighty in their bearing on the subject were necessary before a person was able to leave the town. Each one of these certificates was to be secured only upon the payment of a certain number of thousand reis and at an additional expenditure of time and nervous energy, for none of the officials could speak a word of any language except Portuguese, and all the applicants were men of other nationalities and tongues. The expenditure in connection with the certificates was more than a sovereign for every person, and as there were thousands of travellers into the Boer countries while the war continued the revenues of the Government were correspondingly great. To crown it all, the Portuguese imposed the same tax upon all travellers who came into the country from the Transvaal with the intention of sailing to other ports. The Government could not be charged with favouritism in the matter of taxation, for every man, woman, and child who stepped on Portuguese soil was similarly treated. There was no charge for entering the country, but the jail yawned for him who refused to pay when leaving it.

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