I go to the Transvaal with President Steyn
On the 26th of February I went with the Government to Duminys Drift, on
the Wilge River, and we thus found ourselves again at the farm of
Rondebosch.
The Government remained there for a few days, and then President Steyn
decided to go into the western parts of the State, where Generals
Badenhorst and Nieuwouwdt were then operating. He thought that if he
absented himself from the north-eastern districts the English would
cease their devastations in that part of the country, for it was well
known that the enemy's concentration of forces was principally aimed at
the President and myself.
I, however, did not intend to follow his example, but, on the contrary,
got myself ready to join the Heilbron commando. By March 22nd all my
preparations were made, and I had, alas! to say farewell to my trusty
friend--my little waggon! I saw that it must be relinquished--that I
could not carry it about with me any longer. I left it at a farm, first
taking out my documents and papers; I ordered these to be concealed for
greater safety, in a cave on the farm of General Wessels.
The clothes and ammunition of myself and staff had been hidden in this
cave for some time.
The following day I joined President Steyn, who told me that he wished
me to accompany him in his march to the west. And although it did not
agree with my own ideas--principally, because I did not want the enemy
to think that I was running away from them--I consented to this plan,
and the more willingly because it was some time since I had visited the
western commandos.
It was a long journey that lay before us, and I had only the clothes
that I was then wearing. I would have sent for another suit had I not
heard that the enemy were encamped close to the cave where our treasures
lay hidden.[107]
I had therefore to do the best I could with what I had. There was no
clothing to be got in the western districts, so that when my present
outfit was worn out, I should be compelled to put on "khaki"--although
there was nothing I relished less than to rob a prisoner of war.
We started out that same evening in the direction of the railway line.
Our party consisted of about two hundred men, composed as follows: the
President, with his bodyguard of thirty men, under Commandant H. Van
Niekerk, the Government, Commandant Van de Merwe, of Vredefort, my staff
and myself.
Before daybreak we got through the Heilbron-Frankfort line of
blockhouses without accident; and on the following night (March 5th) we
crossed the railway line, between Wolvehoek and Viljoensdrift. Whilst we
were occupied there in cutting the telegraph wires, the enemy fired a
few rounds on us, at a distance of five hundred or six hundred paces. We
approached nearer, and they then opened fire with a Maxim--but without
doing any damage.
We continued on our road, past Parijs and Vredefort, towards Bothaville,
and we came upon a blockhouse line which extended from Kroonstad to the
Vaal River. We rested for two days, to the north of Bothaville; during
this time my scouts captured from the enemy eighteen horses, most of
which were in good condition.
On the night of March 12th we broke through the blockhouse line, some
five miles to the west of Bothaville. When we were about fifty paces
from the line, somebody to our left challenged us:
"Halt! Who goes there?"
He challenged us a second time, and then fired.
At once seven or eight sentries fired upon us. Shots also were directed
at us from the right. Nevertheless we cut through the barbed wire and
crossed in safety, the firing still continuing, until we were about
fifteen hundred paces on the far side of the line. Fortunately no one
was hit.
Having thus escaped from the last "White Elephant" that we should have
to reckon with, the next obstacle to be encountered was the Vaal River.
For the President, since we had crossed the Valsch River, had decided to
visit De la Rey, in order to place himself under medical advice. His
eyes had become very weak during the last fortnight or so, and he
thought that Dr. Van Rennenkampf might be able to do something for them.
Thus we had to cross the Vaal River.
But we heard that there was a military post at Commandodrift, where we
wanted to cross, and further, that all the other fords were occupied by
the English. We should have been in a great difficulty had not one of
our burghers, Pietersen, who knew this district thoroughly, brought us
across the river by a footpath ford.
We crossed on March 15th. The current was so strong that in places the
horses were almost swimming; in other places the river-bed was strewn
with huge boulders, over which our steeds had to climb. However, we all
managed to get safely over, and arrived at Witpoort on the evening of
the 16th. On the following day we joined General De la Rey.
It was a most interesting occasion. We had a hearty reception, several
impromptu "addresses" being presented to the President, who in turn
spoke to the burghers with much fire and enthusiasm. They were already
in the best of spirits, as they might well be, for their General had but
recently won victories over Von Donop and Lord Methuen.
Dr. Van Rennenkampf, having examined the President's eyes, said that he
must remain for some time under his care. Accordingly I left President
Steyn with De la Rey, and, on the third day after our arrival, set out
with my staff to join General Badenhorst, who was then in the
neighbourhood of Boshof. It was becoming more and more important that I
should see Badenhorst and Nieuwouwdt, and discuss with them how best
they might collect their forces, for I wished to be able to attack the
first English column that should enter the western district of the
State.
I had received reports that, with the exception of the garrison at
Boshof, the west, for the moment, was free from the enemy; and this
information caused me no surprise, for I could well believe that they
had just "packed up their trunks" in the north.
On the 25th of March I joined General Badenhorst on the Gannapan,[108]
thirty miles to the north-east of Boshof. I at once sent an express to
General Nieuwouwdt, ordering him to come to me with all speed, and to
bring about four hundred and fifty of his men with him. Meanwhile,
General Badenhorst received instructions from me to get all his
scattered commandos together.[109]
Before there had been time for these orders to be carried out I
received, on March 28th, a letter from President Steyn, giving me the
following information:
Mr. S.W. Burger, Vice-States President of the South African Republic,
had written to President Steyn, saying that he was at Kroonstad, and
that he wished to meet the Government of the Orange Free State. He also
said that a copy of the correspondence between the Governments of the
Queen of the Netherlands and of the King of England had been sent to him
by Lord Kitchener.
From this correspondence it appeared that the Netherlands Government
(considering the condition of affairs to be exceptional, in that the
Boers who were still fighting were unable to negotiate either with the
British Government or with the Deputation in Europe) felt justified in
offering to act as an intermediary. In this capacity they were prepared
to ask the Deputation if they were willing--supposing that a safe
conduct could be obtained from England--to go to South Africa, and
discuss matters with the Boers, in order to be able subsequently to
return to Europe, empowered to conclude a Treaty of Peace, which would
be binding both in South Africa and in Europe.
Lord Lansdowne, in the name of the British Government, replied that his
Government highly appreciated the humane intentions of the Government of
the Netherlands, but that they had made up their minds to abide by their
former decision, and not to accept any foreign intervention. Further,
that the Deputation could, if they wished, address a request for a safe
conduct to the British Government, but that the matter could not be
decided in England, until the precise nature of the request, and the
grounds on which it was preferred, were fully understood.
Lord Lansdowne also said that the British Government was not quite clear
as to whether the Deputation still retained any influence over the Boer
leaders in South Africa; that they thought that the power to negotiate
for the Orange Free State lay with President Steyn, and, for the
Transvaal, with President Burger; and that they considered that the most
satisfactory arrangement would be for the leaders of the Boers to
negotiate directly with the Commander-in-Chief of the British forces in
South Africa, who had been ordered to transmit at once to the British
Government any offers or proposals which might be made to him.
Lord Lansdowne concluded by saying that, if the Boers wished to
negotiate, it must be in South Africa, and not in Europe. For, if the
Deputation were to go to South Africa, at least three months must elapse
before anything could be effected, and, as hostilities must continue
during this delay, much suffering would be caused.
Vice-President Burger went on to say that when he received a copy of
this correspondence he could only conclude that Lord Kitchener,
indirectly at least, if not directly, was asking the Boer leaders to
negotiate with him. Accordingly, he wrote to Lord Kitchener for a free
pass, and, having obtained it, came with his Government by rail to
Kroonstad. He now, accordingly, requested President Steyn to let him
know when and where the two Governments could meet. He also intimated
that he had written to Lord Kitchener, informing him that he
wished--after consulting the Government of the Orange Free State--to
make a Peace Proposal.
President Steyn told me that when the Free State Government received
this letter from President Burger, they had not been able to see their
way to refuse what the latter asked, as the promise of a Peace Proposal
had already been sent. They had regretted, however, that the Transvaal
Government had made use of a safe conduct, and gone through the English
lines--not that they had for one moment distrusted the Government--but
simply because the proceeding had seemed to have been ill-advised.
Nevertheless the Free State, finding itself not only obliged to discuss
the matters in question with the Transvaal, but also, conjointly with
the Transvaal, to make a Proposal to Lord Kitchener, had appointed a
place of meeting in accordance with the request which had been addressed
to it.
This was what I learnt from President Steyn's letter.
On the 5th of April the President received another letter from President
Burger, arranging that the meeting should take place at Klerksdorp. A
safe conduct for the President and Government of the Orange Free State
was sent at the same time.
[Footnote 107: Shortly afterwards I heard that it was Colonel
Rimington's column who were encamped there. They discovered the cave,
and removed the documents and wearing apparel, leaving me with only a
suit of clothes--which I should have liked to preserve as a curiosity!]
[Footnote 108: A salt lake.]
[Footnote 109: Commandant Jacobsz was somewhere not very far from
Kimberley; Commandant Bester, close to Brandfort; Commandant Jacobus
Theron, near Smaldeel; Commandant Flemming, near Hoopstad; and
Commandant Pieter Erasmus, near the Gannapan.]