I TALK WITH GENERAL BLOOD.
About the end of August, 1901, I met General Sir Bindon Blood at
Lydenburg by appointment. We had arranged to discuss several momentous
questions there, as we made little progress by correspondence. In the
first place, we accused the English of employing barbarous kaffir
tribes against us; in the second place, of abusing the usage of the
white flag by repeatedly sending officers through our lines with
seditious proclamations which we would not recognise, and we could
only obey our own Government and not theirs; in the third place, we
complained of their sending our women with similar proclamations to us
from the Concentration Camps and making them solemnly promise to do
all that they could to induce their husbands to surrender and thus
regain their liberty. This we considered was a rather mean device on
the part of our powerful enemy. There was also other minor questions
to discuss with regard to the Red Cross.
I went into the English line accompanied by my adjutants, Nel and
Bedeluighuis, and my secretary, Lieutenant W. Malan. At Potloodspruit,
four miles from Lydenburg, I met General Blood's chief staff officer,
who conducted us to him. At the entrance of the village a guard of
honour had been placed and received us with military honours. I could
not understand the meaning of all this fuss, especially as the streets
through which we passed were lined with all sorts of spectators, and
to my great discomfort I found myself the chief object of this
interest. On every side I heard the question asked, "Which is
Viljoen?" and, on my being pointed out, I often caught the
disappointed answer, "Is that him?" "By Jove, he looks just like other
people." They had evidently expected to see a new specimen of mankind.
In the middle of the village we halted before a small, neat house,
which I was told was General Blood's headquarters. The General himself
met us on the threshold; a well-proportioned, kindly-looking man about
50 years of age, evidently a genuine soldier and an Irishman, as I
soon detected by his speech. He received us very courteously, and as I
had little time at my disposal, we at once entered into our
discussion. It would serve little purpose to set down all the details
of our interview, especially as nothing final was decided, since
whatever the General said was subject to Lord Kitchener's approval,
whilst I myself had to submit everything to my Commandant-General.
General Blood promised, however, to stop sending out the women with
their proclamations, and also the officers on similar missions, and
the Red Cross question was also satisfactorily settled. The kaffir
question, however, was left unsettled, although General Blood promised
to warn the kaffir tribes round Lydenburg not to interfere in the War
and not to leave the immediate vicinity of their kraals. (Only the
night before two burghers named Swart had been murdered at Doornkoek
by some kaffirs, who pretended to have done this by order of the
English). The interview lasted about an hour, and besides us two,
Colonel Curran and my secretary, Lieutenant Malan, were present.
General Blood and his staff conducted us as far as Potloodspruit,
where we took leave. The white flag was replaced by the rifle, and we
returned to our respective duties.
[Illustration: Going in under the White Flag to a Conference with
General Blood at Lydenburg.]