The blood was running from his knees, where the skin had been scraped off.

He told me that he had seen the General, who had said that he did not think that the plan which I had proposed had any good chance of success.
At ten o'clock that day, General Cronje surrendered.

Bitter was my disappointment.

Alas! my last attempt had been all in vain.

The stubborn General would not listen to good advice.
I must repeat here what I have said before, that as far as my personal knowledge of General Cronje goes, it is evident to me that his obstinacy in maintaining his position must be ascribed to the fact that it was too much to ask him--intrepid hero that he was--to abandon the laager.