In the beginning of the new year 1900 General De la Rey had to retire to Colesberg. I went with him to Bloemfontein, and the evening we arrived there he had to go on to Colesberg. I went back home, where I found our children safe and well. Every day we kept hearing of battles. I went on with my work on the farm, and that made the time pass less slowly. Two months later I went to Kroonstad and found my husband there. All the week he had not been well, but he got better quickly and started anew on commando. I went home again, and had not been there long when General De la Rey was sent to Mafeking; but while on his way the siege of Mafeking was raised. Then all the commandoes were ordered to Pretoria. My husband came home on the 23rd of May, and on the 25th of May the march to Pretoria began. That was a hurried trek, for the enemy were in great force. We did not know now what their next movements would be, so the best thing for me to do was to wait for the coming of the enemy. Five days after the Boers had left the district the Kaffirs came in such numbers that they stripped the whole border of cattle, and acted abominably towards the women and children. A week after the Boers left Lichtenburg the troops[2] entered the village. I was then on my farm, which lies a quarter-of-an-hour’s distance outside. [2] _Troops._--When an Afrikander speaks of “troops” he always means those of the English, probably from having heard so much about “troopers.” Seven horsemen came to my house. I was then in the garden, but on seeing them I hastened to the house. Four armed men stood outside; the other three had come in and were turning everything upside down. When I was at the door one of them came towards me with the question, “Whose place is this?” I answered, “De la Rey’s.” “The General’s?” he asked. I said, “Yes.” Then he told me that I must bring my husband out of the house. I answered, “You have been inside, why don’t you bring him out yourself? I cannot do so, because he is on commando.” “When did he go from here?” he asked me. “A week since,” I answered. After asking a few more questions and taking whatever he wanted he went away. I went to the village; I could not remain on the farm alone with the children. From that moment the troops did whatever they liked. I had two horses; the Kaffirs had taken all the cattle. I saw now that they were taking the horses out of the stable and were going to ride away on them. The hardest thing was that one of the horses had belonged to my dead son, and I could not bear to part with it. I asked to see General Hunter, and I told him about the farm and about my horses. He said he knew nothing about the horses, but would make inquiries. The next day my two horses were brought back, and I was told that no damage would be done to the farm; but all the same they did whatever they liked there, and I had to put a good face upon everything.