New-York tribune., 1908-11-15
Safe Among the Boers Again


WAS shooting and smoke was pouring Women md
children ran about franticaIly. endeavorng 20 save
their household goods Some stood weeping before
their burning homes, and from these We tritl %
obtain information. but. since had come from
the direction taken by the devastating enemy such
a short time before. they seemed 70 be afraid He
spies. and were, besides, too dlStrluEHt I'D
answer questions
Being by no means certain that there was not still
a force of English IN the town, we rode rap --E
through the smoke hled main street with lc---1S
flames and tOtterIng walls on each side OF US, sIt
urged our horses up the steep hill that rose JUS.
beyond the settlement Here We found SeoI
defensive position among the rocks Our t'-ed
horses Were still breathing heavily from their rlce
when heard volley from the he1ght above us
Looking hastily IN that direction. we saw a Hng 'l
TOmmIeS. II was apparent. however, IndI --.-.
had not noticed Us but nrlng toward a lrled
creek bed down near the base of the NIL An an
Syyering voev gave us the location OF a cOmPanE el
Beers After a brief exchange of shots, the Eng.-l
seeing that they could not reach their targets IN &
spruit retired beyond the hills crest
For nearly hour remained where We we're,
fearing that from the distance the Beers would iNt
us for British scouts If showed ourselves on tHe
hillside. But after burgherS had begun 70 appear
in the main street OF the village Major Pretgr.iS.
alone and foot started down toward -l1-..
When he reached the FIRST group there were S.I- .
backs and general handShakiug. VI last We wee
among our friends. GuStave and l lost no time .c
following the Major. and were received with i>r
enthusiasm.
More burghers kept coming into town. and the,
all marveed at our escape One company or t-.l-i
hard toward Shurwchurg and thJJ. II somebody Hli
not called attention 70 pack horses. wfith the
British never had. they UouId have shot us from
our saddles not understanding now BoerS could ne
riding straight out from the English lines For
three DAYS stayed IN the halt destroyed town.
waiting chiefly for the blacksmith get his demoI-
hed shop IN order he could reShoe our horses tor
the rough trail of hundred and fifty miles that
ver lay before to the camp of General de Ia Key
Back to Botha with the Reply
TT would take long time to relate experiences
and close calls during the remainder of the Journey
We passed within rifle shot of many British forts
and blockhouSeS. cut way through wide taugles
of barbed wire crossed the strongly guarded Johan
nesburg-PretorId railroad III the night with sweep
ing searchlightS PLAYING all around Us SPurred our
horses for lives occasion when, Just before
lawn VIC. happened upon the sentrieS of a large
force of the enemy and heard the words passing
down a long line from lip to lip, " Haiti Who
goes there Our lucky stars must have been IN
the ascendant on this expedition They, IN COM
binatiOn with a determination push ahead at all
hazards, were what enabled 20 deliver our de
SpatcheS to de Ia Rev and To carry ms reply To
Botha. Several times delay OF hesitation on
our part would have brought our ends.
1t une 10, after seven weeks OF hard
riding, during whISh commonly spent from four
teen to twenty hours in the saddle that reported
General Botha- We were with him at the general
council of to which dispatches had sum
mOnel General de Ia Rev. President Stevue of the
Orange Free State and acting President Burger ut
the Boer Republic were present. and SO most
of the leading officers and State officials. The place
of aSsemblage open plain. with many thou
sands of British in the ne1ghborhOod 1t WAS prob
ably the most novel meeting of Governments III
modern history.
At the final surrender. nearly a wear later, the
English attempted to exempt me from the general
amnesty; but my loydl bows surrounded nc and
declared that they would refuse their amnesty unless
| was treated as the others Finally the EnSlSh
officers gave IN.
When | went to London a few weeks later had
the most strenuous reception that was ever accoI,J'