DAYS OF THANKSGIVING AND HUMILIATION
While President Steyn was in the Transvaal the two Governments held a
combined session, and prepared a proclamation in which the people were
acquainted with what the Government of the Transvaal had telegraphed to
President Kruger, and what the reply had been. This document contained,
besides the firm resolve of both Governments to continue the war with
all possible vigour, a proclamation calling upon everyone to join in a
general thanksgiving on the 8th of August 1901, and in a general day of
prayer on the 9th. Not only were the dates fixed and the objects for
prayer and thanksgiving stated, but the proclamation also admonished us
in what spirit we should set about it. Very rarely, I believe, has a
proclamation been issued by a Government of modern times couched in
similar terms.
I was with the Ficksburg burghers when this proclamation was read to
them, and when I arrived at Fouriesburg, on the 16th of July, I received
a letter from the President asking me to be with him during the days of
thanksgiving and humiliation. I now set out to seek him, where he had
directed me, somewhere in the neighbourhood of Nauwpoort.
It so happened that just on the 29th of July I passed the spot where
General Hunter had encamped a year before, and where he had received the
arms of many of the burghers who had given up the struggle at the
unfortunate surrender of Prinsloo.
Once more I marked the sharp contrast of light and shadow on the proud
mountains; again I gazed on the beauty and grandeur of cliff, ravine,
and torrent, and again I felt my insignificance in the awful presence of
Nature. But I was now in a different mood from that in which I was a
year before. Then I was despondent and discouraged; now I was buoyant
and looked forward hopefully. Then all was dark about me; now I looked
up into the blue sky, and the future seemed nearly as bright and
unclouded as the blue overhead. What a change the year had wrought. My
son and I rode through the mountains at Nauwpoort on the following day,
and remained overnight under the roof of Mr. Abraham Naude. On the
following day I rode to the house of Mr. Jan Roos, to get further news
about the whereabouts of the President, as the landdrost, Mr. Jan Brand
Wessels, stayed there. There I heard about a gallant thing done by the
burghers of Harrismith under Commandant Jan Jacobsz. Early on the
morning of 28th July a force of English, numbering about 200, and led by
a Kaffir, had attacked one of our guards in a kopje not far from Mr.
Frederick Moolman's house. The guards fled, abandoning horses and
everything else. Soon news of what had happened was brought to
Field-Cornet Frans Jacobsz. He hurried to the scene with a handful of
men and threw the English into confusion by firing on them. When the men
belonging to the guard had procured new horses on the farm of Mr.
Marthinus de Jager, they returned and took part in the fight. The result
of all this was that instead of the force, which had come from
Harrismith, capturing the burghers of Commandant Jacobsz, 43 of them
were taken prisoners and several killed and wounded. On our side only
Field-Cornet Jacobsz was wounded.
The second day, after having passed through Nauwpoort, I found the
President on the farm of Mr. Wessel Naude. Although he was somewhat
indisposed, he was as buoyant as ever and showed no signs of
discouragement. He told me, however, that he missed the presence of the
old members of his Government and of his bodyguard very much. Mr.
Hendrik van Niekerk, captain of the scouting corps raised in connection
with the bodyguard, had been appointed in the place of Commandant Davel.
The head of our State then was still full of hope!
How I then, as always, envied persons of an optimistic nature, persons
who never gave way to despair! If there were not men like President
Steyn and General de Wet in the world, no obstacles, seemingly
insuperable, would ever be surmounted.
We held the solemn day of thanksgiving and of prayer--the first on the
farm of Mr. Nicolaas Kruger, the second on the farm of Mr. Willem
Blignaut, and then I parted from our lovable and indomitable President,
in the hope of joining him shortly afterwards. But this did not happen
until the 24th of October.