Did its officers think that the English would be so foolish as to grant an armistice at such a time as this--when all that the burghers wanted was a few days in which to effect their escape?
Either the officers were remarkably short-sighted, or ...

something worse.
It was still possible for the commandos to retire in the direction of Oldenburg or of Witzeshoek.

But instead of getting this done with all speed, Mr.Prinsloo began a correspondence with General Hunter about this ridiculous armistice, which the English general of course refused to grant.
It was on July the 29th, 1900, that Prinsloo, with all the burghers on the mountains, surrendered unconditionally to the enemy.
The circumstances of this surrender were so suspicious, that it is hard to acquit the man who was responsible for it of a definite act of treachery; and the case against him is all the more grave from the fact that Vilonel, who was at that time serving a term of imprisonment for high treason, had a share in the transaction.
Prinsloo's surrender included General Crowther, Commandants Paul De Villiers, Ferreira, Joubert, Du Plooij, Potgieter, Crowther, Van der Merve, and Roux; and about three thousand men.
The most melancholy circumstance about the whole affair was that, when the surrender was made, some of the burghers had reached the farm of Salamon Raath, and were thus as good as free, and yet had to ride back, and to go with the others to lay down their arms.
As to Roux, the deposed Commander-in-Chief, there is a word to be added.
I had always heard that he was a very cautious man, and yet on this occasion he acted like a child, going _in person_ to General Hunter's camp to protest against the surrender, on the ground that it was he (Roux), and not Prinsloo, that was Commander-in-Chief.

One can hardly believe that he really thought it possible thus to nullify Prinsloo's act.

But he certainly behaved as if he did, and his ingenuous conduct must have afforded much amusement to the English general.
If any one is in doubt as to what was the result of General Roux's absurd escapade, I have only to say that the English had one prisoner the more! Those who escaped were but few.