On the 21st of February the whole column moved towards Vrede and Harrismith.
It seemed to me that my best plan would be to go with President Steyn and the Government to the Witkopjes, which lay between Harrismith and Vrede, and then to break through the English columns near Vrede or Harrismith, or, if it proved impossible to do so at these points, at least to force a way through somewhere.
On this occasion we had a great deal more difficulty in escaping from the English than we had had during the previous "drive." Not only had we to deal with these large forces behind, but also with thousands of troops which were now approaching from Villiersdorp, Standerton, Volksrust, and Laingsnek, and which were extended across the country in one continuous line.

The whole cordon thus formed consisted, as the English themselves acknowledge, of sixty thousand men.
And again on this occasion they did not attempt to drive us against one or other of the blockhouse lines, but they came, column on column, from all sides, and formed a big circle round us.

They thus made it quite apparent that they had lost all faith in their blockhouses.
I only received news of the approach of these reinforcements on the evening of the 22nd of February, after they had passed the blockhouses.
The report was brought to me by Commandant Hermanus Botha, a party of whose burghers had been driven across the Vrede-Frankfort line during the previous night.

I have already stated that some of the burghers under Commandant Ross had shared the same experience, and now they were retreating before the English.

I also heard that Commandant Mentz had gone eastwards, in the belief that the forces behind him would move to the west, but that unfortunately the columns also moved to the east, so that he jumped into the lion's mouth, which was only too ready to close! We marched that night to Cornelius River, and the day following to Mr.
James Howell's farm at Brakfontein.