A West Pointer with the Boers /

by John Y. Fillmore Blake

In the early morning we started to run the gauntlet and pass the forts. Each rode about two hundred yards behind the other for about an hour and a half and then we found ourselves out of danger. Not a shot was fired at us, yet we were directly under them and not 3,000 yards away. We crossed a small mountain and were then in a great, wide rolling prairie, with Ventersdorp about five hours' ride to the left.

The many English graves we daily passed showed that heavy fighting had taken place along the whole line of the Magaliesburg. On reaching a tall ridge we could see immense forts on all high prominences in our front, and we were much puzzled as to how we could safely pass them. We would stop and use our glasses frequently, because we were on risky ground. There was one large fort that was directly in our way, and we could not see how we could possibly pass it without going at full speed, and our horses were too tired to do this. We slowly approached till within a thousand yards of this place, when we dismounted, sat down to rest and made the best possible use of our glasses. We had excellent glasses, and for one hour there was not a second passed without at least one of us having the glasses nailed on that fort. It was about noon time, and to save us we could not see the slightest sign of life about the fort. We concluded there was no one in it and we decided to take our chances and ride by it. We guessed right, and at a kraal near by the Kaffirs told us that the English had left the fort the day before.

This fort would accommodate about 1,000 men, so we knew that many English were prowling about somewhere and that we must keep a sharp lookout. We moved on rapidly, passed many of the forts, but were not delayed by any of them. Our horses were very tired and so were we, when we reached one of General de la Rey's commandos on May 10th. We felt relieved, for now we were sure that the despatches would be delivered and we could take a long rest. We were told that General de la Rey was at Mafeking, but would return in two or three days. In due time we learned that he had returned and that he was with his laager about six miles away. We went to see him, and there we found with him one of his bravest and most dashing fighters, General Kemp. We delivered the despatches, he wrote his replies, and in one hour was gone to see one of his commandos twenty-five miles away, to get matters in readiness for a fight. He had one horse, worth about twenty dollars, a mackintosh, a revolver and a pair of glasses. With him was his son and Secretary Ferrera. He eats with his burghers, shares their blankets and carries practically no staff. He makes every man fight.

Within an hour after his departure a most important despatch arrived from General De Wet telling him that he must come at once and see him in the Free State, for it was on a serious matter that they must act. The despatch was forwarded to the general in haste. We remained here a few days with General Kemp to give our horses a good rest for the return journey. We had bread to eat and it was the first we had tasted for many months. At night, General de la Rey had the ground plowed, the corn planted, and the wheat sowed, so that he always had plenty of everything to eat in the way of bread, mealie pap, pumpkins, sweet potatoes, Irish, etc.

On the 22nd of May we started back on the same route by which we had come. Two days after leaving General Kemp we heard heavy cannonading, as if some one had attacked somebody else. We were sure that General Kemp had a hand in it, because he was always looking for a fight and he was in that direction. We passed back through the English lines without any trouble whatever, and arrived at the farm settlements we had left on the 7th of May, on June 2nd. Seventy of the 110 men were mounted when we left and on our return the entire number was mounted and they had some forty horses to spare.

CAPTAIN J.J. NAUDE
The Great Boer Spy.

Veldtcornet Pretorius and Veldtcornet Jones were in command and both were brave, energetic and daring commanders. We remained here till June 7th to rest ourselves and horses and try to find out what had happened on the high veldt since we left. All we could learn was that it was covered with English camps and that Bapsfontein, just across the railway line, was still free of English. This was good news to us, for we left our cart and mules at Olifantsfontein, just six miles further on than Bapsfontein. Captain Naude, the famous spy, and six other men joined us to go to the high veldt. They had helped to rid all the stables at Pretoria of the English officers' horses, bridles, and saddles and now they are seeking new fields for adventure.

We started about three o'clock in the afternoon of June 7th, in order that we might be near the railway line before sundown. There was no moon now, and as it was cloudy, heavy weather, the night was sure to be very dark. Veldtcornet Jones went with us a part of the way to be sure that we would strike the line at the safest place to cross. Night came and we made for the line. It was so dark we had to keep in touch almost, or otherwise we would be separated and lose each other. To make bad matters worse, a slow rain set in and we could not tell whether we were going north, south, east or west.

I remember one laughable incident which I must tell about, for it will require only half a dozen words. We had been wading through cornfields, reeds, muddy spruits and so forth for some time, but were getting along all right when we suddenly heard a most terrible splash. Oom Koos Bosch, horse and all, had suddenly disappeared in a deep pool of water that the rest of us had by mere luck escaped. We dragged him out, and after half an hour's hard work managed to get his horse out too. The banks were very steep and quite high. When La Blanche, his son-in-law, heard Oom Koos' voice, he rushed back to his assistance and in he went too, so we had to drag him out. It was a laughable affair, but both were so mad that one would have to take his life in his hand if he dared to give an audible smile.