100 Recollections of Adventures 



now and then with gin and biscuits. One wagon 

 stuck in a mud hole near Zuikerboschrand at mid- 

 night, but I put double spans on, and as the sun rose 

 we passed Gabriel Jacob's, safe in sight of Heidel- 

 berg, where friendly forces were lying. I heard 

 afterwards that Kock was laughed at in the laager 

 for being hoodwinked, and that a strong horse patrol 

 sent to catch me, turned back on the Nek above 

 Gabriel Jacob's, when they saw my wagons near 

 Heidelberg. They might have overtaken me, but 

 turned back at once, as they thought I could not 

 have travelled so far, and that they had missed me 

 somewhere in the dark. If they had taken all my 

 ammunition I should have been half ruined, as they 

 would never have paid for it. The old Boers say 

 that when you can't fight you must run hard, but 

 begin in time. I thought of that then, Ha! Ha! 

 and I did run and no mistake. All this happened 

 later when the Transvaal was getting " civilised " 

 and troublesome. I preferred the old simple times. 



During the quarrel between the Free State and 

 the Transvaal, I was outspanned at Mill River with 

 some wagons on the road from Natal. One of the 

 wagons had 2000 Ibs. of gunpowder on it, intended 

 for Pretoria and Zoutpansberg. This was reported 

 to the Free State authorities in Harrismith (which 

 place I had avoided), and suddenly a Field Cornet 

 and some men rode up and ordered me to inspan and 

 take the wagons to Harrismith as they wanted the 

 gunpowder and lead. I ordered the boys to bring 

 up the oxen and inspan, in the meantime giving the 

 gentlemen coffee and conversation. When ready, I 

 ordered the men to drive along the road to Pretoria 

 and loosened my rifle and told the Field Cornet that 

 if he hindered me I should be compelled to shoot 

 him and some of his friends, so after some bluster 



