In the Free State some blockhouses were blown up, some taken, and one or two trains fell into General De Wet's hands, but otherwise there was little done. In Cape Colony, both General Smuts and General Kritsinger were very lively. More towns had been taken, several convoys and many prisoners had been captured, and, on the whole, the English had been badly worsted throughout the Colony.
September is the month in which Kitchener's proclamation of banishment is to take effect, and the Boers came in to surrender in this way. General Louis Botha was near the Natal Border and found English and fortified camps plentiful. Forts Prospect and Itala, both fortified places, were attacked and after very severe fighting for many hours, General Botha's men proved too much for the English behind the walls, and gained two victories. He had one more short fight, and when ready to start back to the high veldt he found that he had taken three guns, over 300 prisoners and 130 heavily loaded wagons; this, too, on the very day that he and his officers were to be banished if they did not come in and surrender.
Matters were quiet in the Free State, so we pass on to Cape Colony. On September 15th, the day of banishment, General Kritsinger attacked and put to flight one column, while General Smuts smashed another and took two extra guns with him. This day was celebrated all over Cape Colony by the commandants, but I regret to say that two of the very best of them were very unfortunate. Commandant Lotter and over a hundred men were surrounded and captured after a most desperate fight. Because he made such a brave showing and because he wrought so much havoc with English columns, he was promptly hanged. Young Scheepers, who was so ill with fever that he could not ride, was also captured, tied in a chair and shot, as well as his two lieutenants, Wolvarts and Schoeman. These brave men had fought many successful battles and laid low many English officers and men, therefore, they must die. After a while I will have something more to say about these good men, young Louw and other martyrs.
In the Western Transvaal, General de la Rey also celebrated the 15th of September by taking 200 men and attacking Colonel Kekewich and 1200 at Selons River. Colonel Kekewich lost all his horses, his wagons, had a narrow escape, and he with his men fled as fast as their legs could take them, while General de la Rey continued to harass them. Had General de la Rey had a few more men, he would have taken the whole column, but he had to content himself with all the horses.
All this went to show Lord Kitchener how much the Boers thought of his threats and proclamation. If there were 10,000 Boers in the field, and no more than 50,000 English, and the Boers should issue such a proclamation, why, the English would fairly break their necks, such would be their haste to lay down their guns. But the Boers are soldiers who love liberty and their Country, and therefore are not men to run and lay down their guns because some high butcher at the head of 300,000 men threatens to banish them forever from their country if they do not.
ARTILLERY BOYS SURPRISED—A GREAT RACE—MURDER OF TWO YOUNG BOERS UNDER THE IMPRESSION THEY WERE MEMBERS OF THE IRISH BRIGADE—THE ONLY NAVAL BATTLE OF THE WAR.
In October, Major Wolmorans, Major Pretorius, myself, Lieutenant Johannes Malan, sixty-three artillery boys and one Irish boy, Mike Ryan, started for the Pietersburg railway line to take in a train. To get there we had to pass through the blockhouses on the Pretoria-Delagoa railway line. We camped about six miles from this line, and when it was dark we saddled up and went on our way. The blockhouses were so numerous that we would have to pass close by them, but as they were not dangerous institutions, we thought little about them. The armored trains by Balmoral Station were our great danger, for they were equipped with men, cannon, maxims, and large search-lights.
At a point about 1000 yards from the line, we halted and Major Pretorius rode ahead to investigate. We were just about one and one-half miles from Balmoral, and great caution was necessary. Major Pretorius, when nearly 100 yards from the line, discovered the armored train, all in darkness, just where we were to cross. He quietly slipped back to report and all had to turn back to the camp we had left. The moon was nearly full, and this bothered us, for we wished to cross early in the evening, and as the moon came so soon, we were liable to be discovered. We remained in our old camp that night, and went to another burnt farm house, about a mile distant, where we stayed during the following night. It was well that we did so, for on the morning afterwards, our old camp was surrounded, and the English maxims cut down nearly all the trees about the ruins. On hearing the maxims, we mounted our horses and rode to the top of a ridge to find out the trouble. The English, on seeing us, fled in haste to Balmoral Station, whence they had come.