122 Recollections of Adventures 



ed Basu tos at the commencement made long distance 

 raids, killing and burning. One raiding party went 

 as far as where Standerton now is ; and killed Adrian 

 Stander's sons in the door of their house; another 

 party raided as far as Brandfort, looting and burning 

 en route. The Free State President, John Brand, 

 afterwards Sir Christoffel Brand, had to face a bar- 

 barous enemy with a force of burghers, requisitioned 

 from a sparsely populated farming area, indifferently 

 armed and ill-found in ammunition. Under these 

 adverse conditions, the "foreign enlistment act" was 

 enforced in the Cape Colony, forbidding British 

 subjects to take part in the war ; and the supply of 

 ammunition for the Free State forces was made as 

 difficult as possible. 



The family of Piet Pretorious was murdered at 

 Elands Kop (on top of the Drakensberg) on the 

 Natal border, by a Basuto "Impi," when on their 

 way to raid the upper districts of Natal. The 

 Basutos found the Pretorius' outspanned, and told 

 them that they had no quarrel with the Transvaal 

 Boers ; so put them off their guard, and when they 

 put down their arms, rushed at them and murdered 

 them, all except Mrs. Jan Pretorious and her two 

 children, whom they stripped naked, and she had to 

 walk into Harrismith (about 15 miles) leaving her 

 husband, father and brothers dead on the veld. How 

 she survived such an ordeal is a wonder, poor 

 woman. This Pretorius family were near relations 

 of President Pretorius. A Transvaal Commando 

 was sent to assist John Brand, but after a severe 

 attack on the laager by Slangaal, and friction 

 between their leaders and the Free State authorities, 

 (about the apportioning of farms when the war 

 should be concluded) this commando returned to the 

 Transvaal, and left the Free Staters at a great 



