I had a bed made up in the tent and put him on it, for he was very much fatigued from wandering about since he had been wounded.
He was delighted to be able to rest. That afternoon he was taken to the hospital in Schweizer-Renecke, his father going with him. There were many more wounded. I went to visit them, and found them lying in the devastated houses. We thought, “We must make the best of it and take as good care of them as possible.”
Going to the landdrost, I told him that as there were troops in Bloemhof I thought it would not be advisable to stay any longer in Schweizer-Renecke. “Oh, no,” he said; “it is quite safe here. If the ‘khakis’ do come I shall know it in good time, and you need not be at all anxious.”
I said, “Very well, if it is really so then I shall stay on here;” but I was not at all easy in my mind. I went to my waggon, which was about half an hour’s distance from the village, and told the man who was with me that if I were to follow my own instinct I should get ready at once and leave the place.
He said that there was no need to go. I let myself be talked over, and remained for the night, as they all thought that things were so quiet. That night I slept well, and was still sleeping early in the morning when up came my boy with these words: “Here are the ‘khakis’!”
This time they were right in the village, where all was in disorder. I felt all the worse because I had remained there against my own instinct.
My people hastened to yoke the oxen. Everything was lying on the ground, but they packed it all into the waggons very quickly. We had to see what was to be done. I asked, “Is the hen-coop open?” There were still a few chickens out then. I said still, “Get the chickens into it;” but the fighting was coming so near that we had to hurry on.
Then there was such a crowd of men and beasts that it grew very difficult to make one’s way through and get away. Commandant Erasmus came up and said, “Don’t you run away; it is only wedding-guests who are firing like that; those are no ‘khakis.’” I drew up and said, “Go and get my chickens.” The boy went back and then came the news that of course they were “khakis.”
Then our flight was doubly hasty. The fighting now was much nearer us. I thought, “I shall fly to the last.” Then I had more misfortunes. There were the chickens out of the coop again. I said, “Let us wait for one moment and get the fowls in first, and let the boy come up with the cows; for if I can get no milk I shall be very unhappy.”
The animals were all driven forward; the oxen were urged on and we got on at a brisk pace.