142 RecoUectiofis of Adventures 



to "The Willows" to ask me to see him. I went into 

 town and argued till midnight all the points with 

 him, till at last he decided not to go, but next day I 

 heard that he had started, Swart the Secretary to 

 the Government told me that the President had 

 instructed him to do the financing, but he had no 

 money available. I had warned the President that 

 Solomon Prinsloo and his following intended to give 

 him trouble, but he said that he felt "his star was in 

 the ascendant," that he would come out of the war 

 with safety, etc. An attack on Mathila's Kop on a 

 Sunday was the first opportunity taken by Prinsloo 

 to denounce Mr. Burgers, and start a spirit of dis- 

 affection in the laager ; and again after the failure 

 of the attack on the mountain, he declaimed against 

 the president and his methods, and the burghers 

 were only too glad to listen. With a cry of "Huia 

 toe " (" Home,") the commando broke up, Mr. Burgers 

 being left to find his way back to Pretoria as best he 

 could. My brother Fred was appointed the Presi- 

 dent's aide-de-camp during this disastrous campaign. 

 Volunteers were placed in forts near Sekukuni, to 

 keep him in check ; and remained there until 

 Sekukuni was finally subdued by Sir Garnet Wolseley, 

 in 1878-9. On the re-assembling of the Volksraad 

 after this fiasco of Mr. Burgers, I was appointed by 

 the Government and the Raad to investigate the 

 causes of the failure of the commando, and I am 

 afraid made some enemies on account of my plain 

 speaking. In cross examination of witnesses it 

 transpired that a German, Von Schlickman, who had 

 been conspicuous for bravery on every occasion, had 

 begged Mr. Burgers' permission to turn the guns on 

 Solomon Prinsloo and his party, and destroy them ; 

 as they were rebels during war time, but Mr. Burgers 

 would not let him. When Von Schlickman was 

 called upon to make a statement he told me (in Com- 



