The village had been occupied for about two months when one day I saw to my dismay that the enemy were burning things wholesale. That same evening they withdrew from the village. A few days after they had left, our people came back with big commandoes. A week after the “khakis” had gone out of Lichtenburg General De la Rey came back to the village, but after spending only a day or two with us, he started again for the Rustenburg district. Then General Douglas returned and occupied the village once more. He came to our farm and took away all our sheep. When the English had got all our cattle, they went off, and we could again breathe freely. I went to the place where the cattle used to be kept, and there I found the shepherd waiting for me.[3] He had been able to recover one or two hundred of our sheep, so that I and my children still had something left to us to live upon. [3] The shepherds are generally Kaffirs who live on the place. The following statement shows strikingly in its simplicity how their own Kaffirs remained attached to the Boers in spite of all the so-called “barbarous treatment.” Shortly afterwards General De la Rey returned to Lichtenburg. But General Douglas had not moved very far off, and as soon as he heard that General De la Rey was in the place he came back with his troops at full speed. But General De la Rey was already far away in the distance. Just to show the “khakis” that we were not as starving as they thought, I made some bread out of the flour that my husband had brought us and sent two fresh loaves to Douglas. The English soon left to take up the pursuit again; and now the talk was that they were in their 20,000 after De la Rey, and that this time he would never manage to escape. I said again, “Very well, you catch him if you can, but be good to him.” A few days later he was still free; the 20,000 had not been able to get hold of him. Shortly afterwards Lord Methuen entered the village and took up his quarters. He sent to fetch my two horses, but I would not let them go. I said, “No, I will not give them up to you; I shall go and see the General himself about it.” “Very well,” was the answer, “you can see him to-morrow morning at nine o’clock; that will be the best time.” The next morning I started off, but when I got there Lord Methuen could not see me; he was too busy, they said. I felt very angry. I turned to go back, when just as I had got to my carriage, one of his orderlies brought me the message that Lord Methuen was ready to receive me, and they took me to him. He asked what he could do for me.