The spoils of war taken by the Dutch were of extraordinary value, and apparently they had but to show themselves for every camp to be evacuated.

They were kind enough to translate these wonderful despatches into a sort of primitive English, of which printed slips could be bought for threepence.

The hotel manager said if they did not invent these lies and cook the real account the burghers would desert _en masse_.

So afraid were their leaders of news filtering in from English sources that all messengers were closely watched and searched.
In the afternoon I drove up to the little hospital to see three of the occupants of the ill-fated armoured train.

They were all convalescent, and said they were being very kindly treated in every way, but that the Boer doctoring was of the roughest description, the surgeon's only assistant being a chemist-boy, and trained nurses were replaced by a few well-meaning but clumsy Dutch girls, while chloroform or sedatives were quite unknown.
It was grievous to hear of all the Government military provisions, police and private properties, being carted off by the "powers that be," and not a little annoying for the inhabitants to have to put all their stores at the disposal of the burghers, who had been literally clothed from head to foot since their arrival.