164 Recollections of Adventure* 



I drove to Harrismith and met the remnant of 

 the regiment which had been cut up at Bronkhorst 

 Spruit. No two of them gave me the same account 

 of this disaster. I also learnt that it was impossible 

 for me to get to Pretoria that way, as Captain 

 Elliott had been shot in cold blood, while crossing 

 the Vaal River with Captain Lambert. I afterwards 

 stayed with Lambert in the same club in Maritzburg 

 and heard all about it. I had written to General 

 Piet Joubert asking him to send me a free pass to go 

 through their lines at Laings Nek to Pretoria, but he 

 informed me that the "Krijgsraad" would not grant 

 one. Old Conrad Pietersen, on whose farm the now 

 famous Pieters Hill is situated, a wealthy Boer, who 

 had been in our neighbourhood when we lived on 

 Ruitenburg and who was a so called friend, refused 

 to let me his furnished but vacant house in Lady- 

 smith, and we had to draw the wagon near to the 

 Dutch Church, and Mary who did not wish to return 

 to Maritzburg (hoping to be able to get on soon), had 

 to live in the vestry which was placed at her 

 disposal by the minister Mr Kriel. It was a trying, 

 weary time. One day a detachment of troops were 

 crossing the Klip River and I noticed a Boer sitting 

 above the drift taking down their numbers. As soon 

 as they were all counted, he rode quickly away 

 through the poort. These troops were under Colonel 

 Ashburnham, who was advised to push on to New- 

 castle. He escaped being ambushed on the Biggars- 

 burg by a couple of hours. Anyone can read all 

 about the war of 1880 in detail in books, despatches 

 and newspapers, and I will not repeat. 



I returned and stayed in Durban, where the 

 latest news was obtainable as the war dragged on. 

 I took Mary back to Estcourt, where I hired a small 

 house, and used to visit the little family there from 



