I sent the following telegram on the 25th of April to Pretoria:-- "TO HIS EXCELLENCY, HEADQUARTERS, PRETORIA: "At meetings held in the districts of Vrede and Harrismith and in that part of Bethlehem east and north-east of the blockhouse lines of Fouriesburg, Bethlehem, and Harrismith, General Wessels and the Commandants were duly chosen as representatives.
"I have decided that all the representatives shall leave their different commandos on the 11th of May, and therefore, in accordance with our mutual agreement, I shall expect an armistice to be granted to the different commandos from that date until the return of their commandants from the meeting at Vereeniging, on or about the 15th of May.
"I should be glad to receive Your Excellency's sanction to my request that each Representative should have the right to take one man with him.
"Your Excellency will greatly oblige by sending a reply to Kaffirsdorp in the district of Bethlehem, where I am awaiting an answer.
"C.R.

DE WET, General Commander-in-Chief, Orange Free State.
BETHLEHEM, _April 25th, 1902_." To this I received the following answer from Lord Kitchener:-- "IMPERIAL RESIDENCY, PRETORIA, _April 25th, 1902_.
"TO GENERAL DE WET, KAFFIRSDORP.
"In answer to your message, I agree altogether with your demands that during the absence of the chosen Representatives from their commandos, from the 11th of May until their return, such commandos shall not be troubled by us.

I also agree that every Representative, as you propose, shall be accompanied by one man.
"I shall also be glad if you would send an officer, at least two days before the Meeting, in order to let me know about the number, and the necessary arrangements for the treatment of the Representatives at this Meeting.
(Signed) "KITCHENER." On the 11th of May I sent a telegram to Lord Kitchener, in which I said that, as all my generals and chief officers had been chosen as Representatives, the armistice must begin on the 11th of May.

The telegram was as follows:-- FROM GENERAL DE WET TO HIS EXCELLENCY LORD KITCHENER.
"PRETORIA, _May 11th, 1902_.
"The following chief officers have been chosen as Representatives for the commandos of the districts: Hoopstad, Boshof, and parts of Winburg and Bloemfontein,--districts to the west of the railway line.
"1.

General C.Badenhorst.
"2.