Brandfort had been occupied by the Lancers for several days, but they had fallen back. The village is now the centre of Generals Delarey, Kolby and Smith.
We arrive on April 7 at 8.30. In the afternoon a telegram is posted up announcing that General Christian de Wet, who is operating to the east of Bloemfontein, has arrived near Sanna"s Post, cutting off the water-supply of the Bloemfontein garrison, and carrying off 375 men, 7 cannon, 1,000 mules and 400 waggons. Three days later, on April 4, at Dewetsdorp, he took 459 more prisoners and 12 waggons.
This was the beginning of that series of _razzie_ and surprises he has been carrying on incessantly ever since, astonishing the most audacious by his audacity, and by the rapidity and suddenness of his movements defeating the most scientific and elaborate devices for his capture.
Broadwood, Rundle, Hunter, even Kitchener have been forced to give up the chase, and to wait till Fortune, unfaithful for a day, shall deliver the valiant Burgher into their hands.
We met the Landdrost of Brandfort again, now more patriotic than ever; but he seemed slightly embarra.s.sed when he saw us.
On April 7, the day of our arrival, we made a reconnaissance towards the south with four men. As we left the Boer lines we met a man, who, hearing us talking French, came to bid us "Bon jour!" We entered into conversation, and he seemed to take a great interest in European news.
At last he told us he was a Belgian, and suddenly asked:
"You had a war with the Germans one time, didn"t you?"
The war of 1870 was news to him. He had been on the Veldt since 1867.
"Do you know if our Leopold is still on the throne?"
After a.s.suring him of the health and even vigour of his Sovereign, we continued our reconnaissance, not without moralizing a little over a man who had so completely broken with Europe and the old civilization.
The English positions were visible from Brandfort, on Tabel Kop and Tabel Berg, the other side of the plain that stretches south-east of the little town. Towards five o"clock we received a few volleys, hastily fired, which did no damage. But our object was attained: we had discovered that the enemy"s positions extended a good way to the south.
The 8th was a Sunday. In the evening I received this telegram from President Steyn:
"The Landdrost of Hoopstad sends me the following: "Field-Cornet Daniels reports that the troops under Methuen"s command at Boshof have marched upon Hoopstad, and I have received from Methuen himself the letter I communicate below. The native who brought the letter tells us that an engagement took place with General de Villebois in the neighbourhood of Boshof, that ten men were killed on our side, and fifteen on that of the enemy, among them a superior officer, but that all our force was finally made prisoner. Field-Cornet Daniels supposes that the enemy will march upon Christiana and Hoopstad, and thence upon Kroonstad."
""HEADQUARTERS, SWARTZ KOPJEFONTEIN, ""_April_ 8, 1900.
""To THE COMMANDANT OF THE FREE STATE LAAGER.
""SIR,
""I have the honour of sending you a copy of Lord Roberts" proclamation to the Free State, laying down the conditions under which you are invited to surrender.
""Two days ago the Foreign Legion was taken prisoner by me, and their General, Villebois, was killed.
""The English army is advancing on every side, and I beg you to consider the very liberal conditions now offered you, which would not be renewed at a later date.
""I have the honour to be, sir,
""Your obedient servant, ""METHUEN,"
""Lieutenant-General commanding the 10th Division.""
This telegram was a thunderbolt for us. The anxiety we had felt at the General"s delay had not been such as to have caused us to dream of such a catastrophe. Yet we could not doubt the news.
"Two days ago the Foreign Legion was taken prisoner by me, and their General, Villebois, was killed," said the telegram.
That evening two reconnoitring parties were sent out; the first, from the Tabel Kop direction, came in next morning with a wounded man. The second, under Wrangel, started for the neighbourhood of Hoopstad, and could not return for several days.
On the 9th we made an inventory of the property belonging to the General, to Breda, and to the rest of our poor comrades, all of which was packed for transmission to Pretoria. The same day I received the following telegram from Colonel Gourko:
"Thomson unites with me in the expression of our profound grief at the cruel loss you have sustained in the person of Colonel de Villebois-Mareuil, a valiant soldier and distinguished leader."
This homage from the Russian and Dutch attaches to the memory of our great compatriot touched us deeply.
On the 10th one of Ganetzki"s men was killed in a reconnaissance. Comte Ganetzki had his day of Parisian celebrity in connection with La belle O----.
On the 11th I had a telegram from Wrangel:
"I reached here (Hoopstad) at 5.30 this evening, with five men. The English are at Knappiesfontein, an hour and a half"s march from Boshof.
There are no Burghers at Hoopstad. I shall start for Boshof to-morrow, and send you a report later on. I await your orders."
I at once communicate this news to General P. Botha. He believes that the environs of Hoopstad are occupied by the Burghers, and that the English will march upon Smaldeel to cut off communication (April 12).
Events proved him to have been entirely mistaken; but I might have talked to him for hours without altering his convictions an iota.
Cannon had been thundering all the evening in the distance, but we had not been able to determine in what direction they were. On April 13, Commandant Delarey, brother of the General, was appointed honorary commander of the European Legion--"honorary" because he could not act save in concert with the heads of the different corps--Rittmeister Illich for the Austro-Hungarians, Captain Lorentz for the Germans, myself for the French.
An official telegram announces that General de Villebois was buried at Boshof with military honours. Lord Methuen was present, and the prisoners of the Legion were represented. There was even a funeral oration, to which Breda replied.
In the engagement of April 5 there had been 11 killed, the General being one, and 51 wounded, out of 68. The rest had been made prisoners.
_Easter Day_, 1900.--A second telegram from Wrangel, dated from Hoopstad, reports as follows:
"1. Braschel (a former officer of the German artillery) informs us that 10,000 men and 700 cavalry are marching from Boshof on Bultfontein. He counted thirty-six gun-carriages, cannon, and waggons.
"2. There are about 700 Burghers at Landslaagte."
On the 16th, we take horse at noon with every man available to join Kolby. This excellent General, one of the best men that ever lived, is not remarkable for the originality of his combinations. He witnessed our arrival with delight, smiling--he is always smiling--received us very cordially, and asked us what we had come for! He had had no instructions about us; however, it was all the same to him whether we slept there or elsewhere, so we remained. We came in for a perfect deluge of rain all night, and at four the next morning we started to take up a position with Delarey"s, Botha"s, and Kolby"s commandos.
We number from 1,000 to 1,200 Burghers, with two Creusot guns, a Krupp and a Nordenfeldt.
At 4.30 in the evening, orders are given to retire to the different camps. We arrive at 10 o"clock.
On the 18th, it rains again in torrents. In the evening, about 9 o"clock, Wrangel"s reconnoitring party comes in. I will transcribe the account given me by one of his men, Meslier, that it may lose nothing of its interest by a paraphrase.
"Starting on Monday, the 9th, in the evening, we marched secretly and rapidly towards Hoopstad, following first the Vedula and then the Wet River across the veldt. We crossed rivers without any fords, pa.s.sing through a country without roads or paths, and through the dense bush that grows on the banks of the water-courses. Out of ten picked horses two died, and three men fell out on the road exhausted. One of them went into hospital at Smaldeel.
"On Wednesday, the 11th, we reached Hoopstad at five o"clock in the evening, and slept at the President Hotel, which is kept by a German.
"At six o"clock next morning (April 12) I started with Braschel and Brostolicky in the direction of Boshof. The English, after having advanced upon Bultfontein, as reported in our telegram of the 15th, returned for the most part towards Boshof. We slept that night at Landslaagte, where the Johannesburg Politie are encamped. They number about 200, and expect a reinforcement of 300 men.
"We left again on the morning of the 13th, separating at a given point, Braschel and his companion going towards the camp of Commandant Cronje (brother of the General taken prisoner at Paardeberg), and I towards Boshof.
"Towards noon I pa.s.sed Driefontein, which was supposed to be occupied by the English. The inhabitants of the farm told me that when Colonel de Villebois arrived an English corps had been in the neighbourhood for several days, apparently waiting. The people at the farm heard the noise of the battle, which lasted about four hours, and helped to collect the dead and wounded afterwards. Among our men they noticed one who had a handkerchief bound round his head and a very large nose.
Another had a very long beard.
"Towards one o"clock I arrived at Muyfontein, where there was a little outpost of thirty Lancers under an officer. I sheered off to the east, and arrived near Boshof about half-past four.