I was not at all pleased about this, but, as we had not a single round of Krupp ammunition left, the gun would only have hampered us.
That evening we reached the Orange River, at a point some three miles to the north of Odendaalsstroom, but, alas! what a sight met our eyes! The river was quite impassable owing to the floods, and, in addition, the ford was held by English troops stationed on the south bank.
Our position was beginning to be critical, for there was an English garrison at Aliwal North, so that I could not cross the Orange River by the bridge there.

It was also highly probable that the Caledon would be in flood, and I knew that General Charles Knox had left a division of his troops at Smithfield--they would be sure to be holding the bridge over the Caledon at Commissiedrift.

Moreover, Jammerbergsdrift, near Wepener, was doubtless well guarded, so that there, too, I would have no chance of crossing the river.

There was still Basutoland, but we did not wish to cross its borders--we were on good terms with the Basutos and we could not afford to make enemies of them.

Surely we had enough enemies already! To make the best of a bad job I sent Commandant Kritzinger[76] and Captain Scheepers, with their three hundred men, to march in the direction of Rouxville with orders that as soon as the Orange River became fordable, they were to cross it into Cape Colony without delay.