The daily morning journal and courier., 1901-03-30

General Hamilton's division, engaging him in almost daily actions, harassinl i. transport and rear guard Since then i
 l have heard one English officer l have
 heard a score express the hope that Dc
 Wet would come out of the war alive
 Between Natal Spruit and Sandertor
 De Wet, according to a recent Boel
 story, while endeavoring to move north
 ward found his transport headed by g
 large body of British troops. What die
 he do but approach the camp after
 dark, following the main road, and he
 drove his wagon straight through the
 camp. He was hailed, but inquired for
 some detachment of the British that
 was further on, and was allowed tc
 pass. The only objection that was
 made to his progress was one made by
 a group of officers dining near the road
 way who did not like the dust his
 wagon wheels were making. I have
 heard this tale denied, but ! tell 1t as 1t
 was told to me q got it from Boer
 source.)
 When General De Wet had made that
 remarkable march of his and crossed
 the Rustenburg road west of Pretoria,
 he was headed off about eighteen miles
 north at the Warm Baths The evening
 before the army was jubilant, for 1t was supposed that they had the willy Boer on the hip. They had effectually prevented him joining forces with Be- Una. They had, so they supposed, cut off his escape southward, and there was knothing for him but to stand and fight Nor to break up his force into small par ties and disappear into the bushveldt
 At midnight all of the English troops
 were called suddenly,to arms, and they
 stood in ranks until daybreak.
 1 From he direction of De Vets laager l they could hear sounds of much stir
 ring and movement, the continual rat
 tie of wheels, and the shouts of the Kaf- fir drivers. Something was up; what
 it was no one could tell. The Boers ap- peared to be confused, and it was whis-
 pered about that they had lost their
 way and might stumble upon the out
 posts at any minute The British ad- vance lines stood with their rifles ready.
 Every one was ready for midnight attack, and supposed at least that the action would begin at the break of | dawn.
 But when the sun rose, what did they find? About forty empty wagons, dragged by few played-out oxen, had been driven and thumped around in a circle all night! A score of black boys and a half dozen white men were all the prisoners taken. De Wet had es- capped, and had managed to take most of his light carts with him along the top of his flanking ridge, and had actu- ally rounded the end of the British line, and was some twenty miles away, re- tracing his steps toward the Vaal. At least that is what he was actually do- ing at the time, but the English did not find 1t out quickly enough to pursue him. He got almost twenty-four hours start! 4a0
 Two nights after a watchman on guard at railway crossing about twelve miles west of Johannesburg, on the Krugersdorp line, was surprised by the appearance of a trooper in helmet and the uniform Of a mounted infantry man, who asked his way to the Florida station. The sentry turned to point down the line, when he was confronted by cooked revolver.
 Keep quiet" said the supposed Tom my and you will not be touched" With that he relieved the astonished man of his rifle anN, in true story pa- per fashion, gave three low whistles. Immediately some men appeared from behind nearby shed, and few min- utes later the head of column of mounted men, followed by long train eea oct~ Ial h the road and crossed the railway It took them almost half an hour togo by. The sentry judged they must have been in the neighborhood of two thousand, with at least eighty carts. When all had passed the watchman's guardian said to him pleasantly:
 Your relief will come to you in about | an hour. If you stir from where you are until five minutes before that time you are q dead man, for there is a sure shot with a rifle watching you from the | corner of the she'd You can inform your officer that Christian De Wet and | to one"
 The man, whose rife was taken from | him, declares that shortly before the | time for the reliefcame, he heard man | gallop away from the shed near by | Upon that, he walked into the camp, | distant about mile, and gave the alarm. es
 The same evening it was reported that | another party of Boers had crossed the main line, heading north, and the post at Natal Spruit had been captured at daybreak and the bridge blown up. | With which party was General De Wet 1t would be hard to state. I think my self he was with the one to the east ward, for the simple reason that he had ed the English to believe he was with he one to the west
 When De Wet captured all Of the supplies and the huge quantities of am- and clothing at Vredefort Veg he said to his prisoners: "Now we have got more than we want-turn 0 and help yourselves" And soon Dutch and British were busy footing in- taking everything they ,oud get. Burgher and Tommy llmost came to blows over the posses ion of a camera that was being sent to m officer through the post. The mail pouches were all ripped open, and the 'eldt for miles around was covered with etters and newspapers. Some of these were afterward gathered up and cached the proper authorities. Strange to say, among them was one of