Then came Hamilton with a telegram from General De la Rey asking him if he had met me, and what had happened to me.
He said that he had answered that they had met me and had done nothing to me, and that all was well with me. We did not know anything yet of what they had been doing at Pretoria. We were anxious to have news of the peace negotiations, but I could not hear anything more. The English behaved reasonably this time and did us no harm. They wanted to stay on in the place, but there was not enough water for such a large army, therefore they went away again.
I was so unhappy that I had lost all my oxen; and now the water, that had always been troubled, was so dirty, owing to all the troops that had been staying there, that I felt still less inclination to stop on.
Fortunately Mr D. van der Merwe succeeded in escaping with the Government cattle. He gave me two beasts to be slaughtered and two milch cows.
It was sad to hear the tales of how the “khakis” were now behaving to the people. A woman came to me weeping and grieving bitterly.
“What is the matter with you?” I said.
“Oh, they have taken away my big Bible, in which all my children’s names were entered. They have taken everything away—nothing is left to me; but if only I could get my Bible back!”
I said, “Why did you not hold it in your arms when the ‘khakis’ were taking everything away?”
“Oh,” she said, “I and my children were standing there watching everything in bitter anguish. We were in a ruined house. When they drove the door in I could not bear to be with them any longer, and I went out of the house with the children; and so they took it away without my seeing.”
I said, “I think I should have been able to get it back for you; but now they have, unfortunately, all gone away, and I am afraid I cannot help you.”