In the Shadow of Death | Page 5

capital left Free
State burghers behind them as they advanced. These men rallied again
under General De Wet and seriously threatened the English line of
communications, capturing seven hundred of the British at Roode Wal.
Large forces under Hector MacDonald and Bruce Hamilton recrossed
the Vaal in order to crush the Free Staters. Then Prinsloo surrendered.
Having accompanied the commandos that surrendered under him, we
will relate the story of that most sad incident of the War.
On the occupation of Bethlehem by the British in the beginning of July,
1900, the Boer commandos, under General De Wet, retreated to the
Wittebergen, a mountain range to the south-east of Bethlehem, forming
a semi-circle round Fouriesburg, a small village on the Basutoland
border. This range, with its towering peaks and steep slopes, formed an
impregnable stronghold. The burghers thought that, once behind those
heaven-high mountains, with all the passes in their possession, with
abundant war supplies, and all the necessaries of life, they would resist
successfully every attack. The camps were pitched at the base of the
mountains. The burghers began at once to make turf-bulwarks for the
guns, and trenches for themselves, in the various passes.
General De Wet, who did not seem quite at ease in this enclosure or

kraal, for such it was, organised the Bethlehem-Heilbron burghers into
a commando 2500 strong and left with these in the direction of
Heilbron. General Roux from Senekal was instructed to organise
another commando, 1000 or 1200 strong, and advance with that in the
direction of Bloemfontein. For some reason or other, General Roux's
departure was delayed, and so he with all his men fell into Prinsloo's
meshes.
On Monday, 23rd July, the enemy made a general attack on all the Boer
positions, except Naauwpoort Pass. These attacks, though very
determined, were unsuccessful. From sunrise to sunset the firing never
ceased. The burghers in Slabberts Nek, where we happened to be, were
subjected to a dreadful cannon fire. This pass was guarded by Captain
Smith with two Krupp guns and Lieutenant Carlblom with a pom-pom.
Upon these guns the English directed two Howitzers and six
Armstrongs. Here, just before sunset, the gallant Captain Rautenbagh
was blown to pieces by a lyddite shell, which exploded in front of him.
Thus repulsed by day, the enemy succeeded in scaling the heights to
the left of the Boers at Slabberts Nek by an unguarded footpath during
the night. As soon as the crimson light of a July dawn had exposed the
frost-covered ridges, the dark overcoats on the left of the Boer positions
revealed the unwelcome fact that the enemy had gained their object of
the day before, and had outflanked the Boers.
Not only at Slabberts Nek, but also at Reliefs Nek the Boers were
outflanked the same night. At the latter pass a number of Highlanders
had occupied the rocky heights during the stillness of the night, so that
when the Boer pickets discovered them the next morning they found
the enemy commanding a position higher than their own, which they
forthwith abandoned. The enemy, now in possession of two mountain
passes, forced the Boers to evacuate all the other passes, by threatening
an attack on our rear and surrounding us. So on Tuesday morning, at
about 9 A.M., the commandos quitted the mountains and fell back on
Fouriesburg.
Our situation was becoming hourly more and more embarrassing.
There was just one thing to be done, and that was to move as quickly as

possible all along the base of the mountain range, and to seize a pass
called Naauwpoort Nek farther northwards. That pass was not yet
occupied by the enemy, and there it was possible to secure a safe exit;
and higher up the mountain range, at the farm of Salmon Raads, was
another pass which could be reached in due time.
If Prinsloo had, in his heart, desired to save his commandos, he could
have done so easily. But no sooner had we left the mountains than we
noticed that strange whispers were passed from man to man; we heard
it said that a further prolongation of the war was absolutely useless; that
many of the officers and burghers were tired of it, and would like to go
home. In short, we saw what was coming, and anticipated the
surrender.
When the commandos arrived at Naauwpoort Pass they found their exit
cut off there by the enemy. Instead of hastening on to the next pass, the
officers held a council of war to discuss the situation, or, more correctly,
to deliberate on a surrender. The meeting lasted almost all night. Some
of the officers were deadly opposed to a surrender; others--and they
were the majority--were in favour of it. Nothing, however, was decided
at that meeting, for a Hoofd Commandant had