Many of the Free State men had left the retreating forces of the Transvaal and remained in their own country. Although they had, through the malign4 influence of Steyn, thrown in their lot with their northern kindred, there had from the first been no real heartiness5 between the two sections, the Free State men declaring that they were sacrificed by the Transvaalers, that the whole brunt of the war had fallen upon them, that they were not consulted, and were treated rather as if they had been born servants of the Transvaalers than as men who had sacrificed everything for their sake. The Transvaal men, on the other hand, accused the burghers of the Free State of being half-hearted in the cause, of being backward in fighting, and not to be trusted, accusations6 which were certainly unfounded. The one desperate attempt for the capture of Ladysmith, had been made by the Free State men, who had fought with greater[Pg 355] courage and determination than the Transvaalers had ever done.
Their country had been made the theatre of war. It was their railways that had been destroyed, their property damaged, their farms burnt. They had been placed along the Modder to bear the brunt of the British fire, while the Transvaalers had been posted in a comparatively safe position on the British flank. They a civilized7 people, had been lorded over by one inferior to their foes8 in all respects except physical strength. It was small wonder that, seeing how all the assurances that they had received had been falsified, all their hopes disappointed, all their feelings outraged10, they should have refused to go north to aid in the defence of the country, which had done so little to aid them. The wonder rather is, that they did not retire altogether from the contest and accept the inevitable11, when further resistance could but bring ruin upon them.
Advancing from the Klip River on the 29th, General Ian Hamilton found the enemy in considerable force with guns on a range of hills to the west. The position being too strong for cavalry12 to attack alone, two brigades of infantry13 were sent to their assistance; and the Gordons and the City Imperial Volunteers with the greatest gallantry stormed the heights. The fighting of the Boers here showed how great was their demoralization, there was no such resistance as that offered by the men who held the kopjes of Belmont and Graspan. The Gordons had nearly a hundred casualties, but this was caused to some extent by their advancing in open order in line without a pause; while the City Imperial Volunteers, who were exposed to an equally heavy fire, advanced by rushes, the companies in the rear keeping up a heavy fire against the Boers on the sky-line, and so shaking the accuracy of their fire.
Had the Gordons used similar tactics they would probably have suffered much less than they did. While this action was going on on their left flank, Henry with the mounted[Pg 356] infantry moved straight upon Germiston, a point at which the lines from Natal16 and Johannesburg joined the main line to Pretoria. This junction17 lay among the great mounds18 of mine refuse; these were occupied by the Boers, and there was some sharp fighting, but the enemy were soon driven off in gallant14 fashion by the dismounted men. The feat19 was a daring one, as it was impossible to say how large a body of the enemy had been lying among the tips. The way being thus cleared, the main force advanced to Germiston.
The next day the 7th Division, with a brigade of cavalry and the mounted infantry, were established on the heights north of Johannesburg. Ian Hamilton's column was at Florida, three miles west of the town. French and Hutton lay between the two forces. During the day Dr. Krause, who had been left in temporary charge of Johannesburg, came out to the head-quarter camp and agreed to surrender the town on the following morning. Early on the 31st the formal surrender was made, and Lord Roberts entered the town at noon with two divisions. The union-jack was hoisted20 with the same ceremony as had accompanied its unfurling at Bloemfontein. Lord Roberts remained there but a short time, and then rode out to the suburb of Orange Grove21, three miles to the north of the town, which was left in charge of Wavell's Brigade, while Mackenzie of the Seaforth Highlanders was appointed military governor.
Lord Roberts had now a serious decision to make. The departure of the main army to the north had emboldened22 the Boers of the Orange Free State to undertake operations at several points against the line of communications. The speed at which the army had advanced had rendered it impossible for stores sufficient for their needs to be pushed up along the single line of railway, and at the utmost only a day's consumption for the army could be brought up in twenty-four hours. The army was therefore literally23 living from hand to mouth, and the blowing up of a single important culvert or small bridge that would even for one day[Pg 357] arrest the transit25 of trains would have had the most serious consequences. Lord Roberts had therefore to decide whether to content himself for a short time with the capture of Johannesburg, until the safety of his communications was assured, and a supply for a further advance accumulated, or to push forward at once to Pretoria.
He chose the latter alternative. Delay would enable the Boers to recover from the demoralization which the complete failure of all their elaborate plans for checking the advance had brought about, to clear Pretoria of its stores, and above all to carry off the British prisoners, some four thousand in number, with them. The latter was a very serious consideration, as the possession of so large a number of prisoners might have been used by the Boers as a lever to extort26 more favourable27 terms than they could otherwise have looked for.
Yorke had ridden in with Lord Roberts's staff. As soon as the cheering that greeted the hoisting28 of the British flag had ceased, and the general was moving on, Yorke's eyes, as he looked round over the crowd, fell upon a group of familiar faces, and turning he rode up to them.
"Why, it is Harberton," the latter exclaimed. "No, we none of us recognized you, though we looked very narrowly at the mounted officers with the two divisions; but we did not think of seeing you on the general's staff. Besides, your uniform makes all the difference; you were a Dutch farmer, you know, when we saw you last. We are glad indeed to see you, as glad, I think, as to see the dear old flag hoisted."
While he was speaking Yorke had shaken hands with him, his wife and daughters. "Now, of course, you are coming to us," Mr. Chambers went on.
"I do not know what we are going to do at present, sir," Yorke replied; "I do not even know whether we shall stay in the town to-night. However, I will ask leave when the[Pg 358] day's work is over, and I hope to be able to join you this evening, by which time I shall know something of what the movements are likely to be."
"And of course, you will bring your two men with you?"
"With pleasure, sir. If I manage to come, they will certainly be able to do so."
"Then we may expect you anyhow this evening?"
"Certainly; I have no doubt at all about getting away."
Yorke remounted his horse and rode after the general. General Roberts's quick eye had noticed him ride up to the party; he turned round when Yorke rejoined the staff and motioned to him to come up to him.
"So you have found some friends, Harberton?"
"Yes, sir; they were Mr. Chambers and the family, the gentleman I was able to render some service to when his house was attacked."
"And I suppose he wanted you to go home with him?"
"He did ask me, sir, but of course I said that it was out of the question."
"I am going out to Orange Grove," the general went on, "and it will certainly be two or three days before we advance again. I don't know that I can do without your services altogether, Harberton, for there will be a good deal to be seen to, but I can certainly spare you now, and as long as I stay here it will be sufficient if you come at nine in the morning, and you will always be able to get away by five or six o'clock in the evening."
"Thank you very much indeed, sir."
And Yorke rode back to the square. His friends were just taking their place in their carriage when he arrived, and were much pleased when he told them what the general had said. "I will follow you at once, Mr. Chambers, when I have found Hans; he and the Kaffir will be just behind. There, I can see him now, with the other orderlies and spare horses."
He rode at once to the party. Hans was riding one of the[Pg 359] horses and the Kaffir was leading the other. "This way, Hans. We are to stop at Mr. Chambers's to-night; you know the way." The carriage had waited till he returned, and he rode by its side out to Parfontein.
"I thought you were on General Pole-Carew's staff, Mr. Harberton?"
"So I was, sir; but when Lord Roberts arrived the day after my return to camp, he took me as an extra aide-de-camp and interpreter, as Pole-Carew's Brigade was not coming on at the time."
"We were very anxious about you; but we had a letter from von Rensburg, telling' us cautiously that our friends had arrived there safely, and had gone on by train to Colesberg. In a second letter, he said that there had been a fray30 in that town, and from the description, he believed that you and your men were concerned in it; but whoever it was, they had got away. That was the last we heard."
"We did get off safely," Yorke said, "and made our way up to the Modder, and then went on with the general. Of course we were at Paardeberg and at the entry into Bloemfontein. Then I was sent up to Mafeking with the relieving column, with whom I entered the town. I started again that night with despatches, giving particulars as to the siege and our march. As you may imagine I did not let the grass grow under my feet, as I was most anxious to rejoin the army before it arrived here. It was a close thing, for I only overtook it at Klip River Station three days ago. You have had no more trouble here, I hope, sir?"
"None at all; we have not heard of the matter since. Not only were the three fellows here sent away, but we gave such information that those who got away in the carts were arrested in the course of the day and all five were together sent down to Portuguese31 territory, so that the mouths of all who knew anything of the gold here were effectually silenced."
"I am very glad to hear that, sir. I have all along feared[Pg 360] that the men who escaped might have got together another band and renewed the attempt."
"They would not have caught us napping again, for I arranged, as I told you I should do, for three of the engineers to sleep in the house. I had intended to move into the town; but when I found that all those fellows had been sent away, I had no longer any anxiety."
"Do you think there will be any more fighting before we get to Pretoria, sir?"
"There may be some fighting, but nothing serious. The Boers who came through the town in their retreat were perfectly33 disheartened; they abused their commanders, declared that they had been grossly deceived, and that it was of no use trying to stop the Rooineks, for that they would not attack them in the positions they had fortified34, but went round at the sides, and they were obliged to retreat at once to save their guns and waggons35."
By this time they arrived at the house.
"That is not the horse you rode when you were here," Mr. Chambers remarked as they alighted.
"No, sir; Mr. von Rensburg, when I started for Kimberley on my way to Mafeking, insisted on lending me this horse, as both of my own were worn out by the work they had had. It is a splendid animal, and has carried me nobly, as you may imagine when I tell you that, after a very rapid march from Kimberley to Mafeking, I started early the next morning and rode down to Boshof and then up to Kroonstad, a distance of over four hundred miles, in less than nine days. He said that I was to ask you to take care of it until there was an opportunity of sending it down to Bloemfontein, or until he came up here, which he was going to do as soon as the roads were open."
"That I will do willingly. I dare say I shall hear from him now that the line is open again, and it will be possible to send letters."
They now sat down to lunch, and after the meal Yorke[Pg 361] gave the details of his journey down, and of the struggle in the yard of the inn at Colesberg.
"That was a fortunate escape indeed," Mr. Chambers said, "and wonderfully well managed."
"I can't think how you do such things," Mrs. Chambers remarked. "You do not look more than eighteen, and yet you seem to be as cool and as quick in deciding what is best to be done as if you had been employed in dangerous work for many years."
"I don't think age makes much difference, Mrs. Chambers," Yorke laughed. "The games that one plays at school make one quick. A fellow sends down a ball at your wicket, and while it is on its way, which is not much above a second, you have to decide what to do with it, whether you will block it, or drive it, or cut it to leg. It is the same with football, and at boxing or single-stick you have to guard a blow and return it before, as one would imagine, you had time to think. In fact, you don't know yourself that you think. I should say that a fellow is quicker and cooler when he leaves school or college than he can be years afterwards, when he has altogether got out of the way of using his wits in a hurry."
After talking for an hour Yorke walked up with Mr. Chambers to the engine-houses.
"I hope we shall be getting to work soon," the latter said.
"I am afraid it will be some time before you do," Yorke replied. "The country is still in a very disturbed state all down the line, and one may almost say, as far as Cape32 Town; and I am afraid that it will be a long time before the Boers accept their defeat as final, and that they will carry on a partisan36 war for many months. It will be impossible to guard every foot of line for nearly a thousand miles, and it will be constantly cut. As they are all mounted, there will be no overtaking the raiding parties with infantry, and we have nothing like enough cavalry to police such an enormous extent of country. It will take a long time, I[Pg 362] should think many months, before we shall be able on the single line of railway to do more than feed the troops, and until all resistance is crushed out it does not seem to me to be possible for the fugitives37 to return."
"Well, we must wait as patiently as may be. I am glad to see, by the news that we have received through Loren?o Marques, that our shareholders39 in England have neither lost heart nor patience, and that the fall in the value of stocks and mines has been much smaller than might have been expected. I own that I have had great fears of late that the Boers would, when they saw matters going against them, smash up the machinery40 and blow up the mines as far as they could. There was great danger of it at one time, and indeed yesterday I feared the worst. The rabble41 of the town, encouraged by Judge Koch, seemed bent42 upon violence; Botha and his troops had retired43, and there was no authority whatever to keep order. Dr. Krause did all he could, and when a mob, composed almost entirely44 of the lowest class of Irish and Germans, went out to the Robinson mine the prospect45 looked desperate. But Mr. Tucker, the manager, showed great tact15 and firmness; and he was well backed by Krause, who pointed9 out to the mob that if the British troops when they entered to-day found that the mines had been damaged, they would probably have the whole of the lower portion of the town burned, and every man who could not prove that he had taken no part in the affair, shot; and therefore, as there was everything to lose and nothing to gain by the destruction of the mines, it would be nothing short of madness for them to commit so useless a piece of mischief46.
"Happily he succeeded, and the mob returned to the town, and there is nothing to prevent us from going to work again as soon as we can get hands. Of course the mine has been somewhat damaged by our picking out all the richest deposits during the last month's working; but as I have no doubt I shall be able to get a few hands, as[Pg 363] many men have remained here, to drive headings and open new ground, I do not suppose that there will be any falling off in our output when we once set to work in earnest."
That evening, after the ladies had retired, Mr. Chambers said: "Now, as to yourself, Yorke. From what you said, I fancy you do not think of remaining in the army after this affair is over?"
"No, sir. Owing to the death vacancies47, I am now senior second lieutenant48 of the 9th Lancers, and might get my step any day. But the pay even of a first lieutenant will go but a very short way towards the expenses of a subaltern in a crack cavalry regiment49, and even if I changed into the infantry, I could still hardly make ends meet. I came out here, as I frankly50 told you, in order to make money. My father's income as a clergyman will die with him; and above all things I am anxious to be able to assure the future of my mother and sisters."
"That you can do at present," Mr. Chambers said quietly.
Yorke looked at him in surprise.
"You do not suppose," the director went on, "that such services as you rendered to the company, and to myself and family, are to be passed over as if they had never occurred. I have taken all possible precautions to ensure the safety of the treasure, but I do not say that they would have sufficed had those twelve men had possession of the house for forty-eight hours. When they found that they could not bale out the water, they would naturally have supposed that it was fed from the cistern51, or the pipe from the mine. They would have found out the latter, and by turning on the kitchen tap could have emptied the former; then they could have baled out the water and got at the top of the safe. They would have had trouble with it, but among desperadoes of that kind, and especially in a mining district, there would be sure to be several who would understand the use of dynamite52; at any rate, sooner or later they would have blown it open and got at the gold.
[Pg 364]
"I have written a letter to the directors at home, saying that you have saved two hundred and fifty thousand pounds worth of gold in an attack made upon the house by a band of ruffians, with the connivance53 of my three male servants, who were cognizant of the existence of the store. I have recommended that at least five per cent of the sum thus saved to the shareholders shall be voted to you, a recommendation which I have no doubt whatever will be granted; especially as the very existence of this money is still unknown to them, as I have not ventured to say a word in my letters concerning it, because all of them were liable to be opened by the Boer authorities. I should say that if they are at all liberally inclined they will vote you a larger percentage; but at five per cent the sum would amount to twelve thousand five hundred pounds, which will, you see, enable you to ensure the future of those dear to you."
Yorke was silent with astonishment54 for half a minute, and then said earnestly: "It is too much, sir; it would be out of all reason. I had no thought of doing more than saving yourself and the ladies from those ruffians, and no thought of reward ever entered my head."
"That may be, Mr. Harberton, but that is no reason whatever against your accepting the money that you have fairly earned. It is not what you feel about it, but what the shareholders and I—as I am a very considerable shareholder38 myself—feel in the matter. There will be nearly two hundred and forty thousand pounds to divide between us—a sum wholly unexpected by them, and saved for them by you. It is a matter of only the barest justice, and I am sure they will feel as I do. I have, of course, written a full account of the affair—how, although an escaped prisoner and in danger every moment of detection, you went out of your way on hearing of this plot to hasten here; how you in the first place overpowered and disarmed55 my treacherous56 servants, and then warned me; how you and your two men killed no fewer than ten out of the twelve men who attacked[Pg 365] us; and how without your interposition the ruffians would unquestionably have killed me, my wife, and daughters before ransacking57 the place for the treasure—a matter, by the way, that would have been a considerable inconvenience, to put it in no stronger form, to the company, as they would have found it difficult to replace me by anyone having at once so intimate a knowledge of the mine and so large an interest in its success.
"And now we come to my personal interest in the matter. I wish to make you an offer. I have no son, nor have I a nephew nor any near relative who could stand to me in the place of one. I propose, therefore, that you shall be trained up to take my place, so to speak, to act here as my assistant, to learn the business thoroughly58, for which you would have ample opportunities, as I am inspector59 of several other mines, in which I have also interests. When matters have quite settled down, which may not be for another year or so, you can act as my locum-tenens, for I shall certainly go to England with my family for two or three years. I may return again for a year or so, and shall then finally retire. By that time you will be fully2 competent to fill my place here as managing director, and I shall transfer enough shares in the company to you to qualify you for the post.
"This is no new idea on my part. I have for some months past been thinking over returning to settle in England, but I have seen no way of doing so without seriously inconveniencing the company. I now see a way by which it can be managed. I have spoken of my plans to my wife, and she most cordially approves of them, and it now only awaits your decision. I may say that I hold twenty thousand shares in the company, and that I consider that as managing director you ought to hold at least five thousand, and that number I shall transfer to your name. I am perfectly confident that you will do full justice to my choice of you as my successor here, and you will not be long in acquiring the necessary knowledge. I shall regard you as an adopted[Pg 366] son if you will allow me to do so, and I can answer that my wife and daughters will gladly accept you in that position. I may tell you that you will not be entirely cut off from your family, as you will be able to take three months' holiday every year if you like to do so, which will give you over six weeks at home, and perhaps you may bring one of your sisters out with you to keep house until you marry. What do you say to this?"
"I don't know what to say, sir; your kindness is so great I hardly feel that I can take advantage of it."
"My dear lad, place yourself in my position for a moment. Imagine that there had been a plot to kill your father and mother and two sisters, and that that plot failed by the interposition of a stranger. What would you have felt towards that man? Is there anything that you would not do for him? And if you had been a rich man, as I am, would you not have felt that the gift of five thousand shares—which originally cost me five shillings each, although they are now worth more than as many pounds—would have been an inadequate60 expression of your gratitude61?"
Yorke was silent, and after a moment's pause Mr. Chambers went on.
"You must think of us as well as of yourself. It will be a grievous disappointment to us if you refuse. Even in a pecuniary62 sense, I consider that my offer to you is an advantageous63 one to my family. My stake in this mine and others is a very large one; every penny that I have is invested in this way. At the present value of shares they are worth over three hundred thousand pounds. It would be an enormous advantage to have here a gentleman on the accuracy of whose reports I could implicitly64 rely, and who would, which is not always the case with managers of mines, frankly say if the prospects65 of any of them were falling off or improving. It is my personal knowledge of the real state of things that has enabled me to do so well—to get out of mines whose prospects are not favourable, and buy[Pg 367] into others, perhaps at very low prices, likely to do really well when fully opened. I should not, of course, wish to obtain reports other than those sent by you to the boards of the various companies, but from what I personally know of the mines I should be able to draw very valuable deductions66 from those reports, and see the drift of them much better than men wholly in ignorance of the workings to which they relate."
"You need say no more, Mr. Chambers," Yorke said; "I accept most gratefully your splendid offer, and will endeavour to make myself worthy67 of it. But I hope that you will allow me to attend to my present duties until, at least, we have captured Pretoria. I could not in honour go to Lord Roberts and say that on the eve of possibly a great battle I desire to resign my commission. The war may continue in a partisan struggle for months, or even for years; but with Pretoria once taken it seems to me that there must be an end to fighting on a great scale, and that I might therefore, without feeling that I could be blamed for doing so, leave the army."
"By all means, Yorke; for, now that you have agreed to my proposal, I can henceforth call you so. If it had been a matter even of months I could have waited, but I believe that it is one of days only. There may be a great battle, for, insignificant68 as has been the resistance of the Boers to your advance, it is difficult to believe that, with the example of what Ladysmith, Kimberley, and Mafeking have done, all unprepared as they were, they can retire from a town that they have for the past four or five years been fortifying69."
"It is hard to believe that they could be so cowardly, sir, especially as they would know that a lengthened70 resistance here would enable the Burghers of both states to rally, and by cutting the line of communications speedily reduce the besiegers to the greatest straits; and indeed, even if they could only hold out for a week, the position of the army would become extremely serious. One thing is certain, that[Pg 368] if they do not fight there they will never fight with any chance of success again. They may cut off convoys71, blow up culverts, and harass72 us terribly, but it will no longer be a war, but merely the efforts of bands of mounted bandits."
"Now we will join the ladies," Mr. Chambers said.
"My dear," he said when he entered the room, "you will be glad to hear that Yorke has accepted our proposal."
"I am glad indeed," Mrs. Chambers said, shaking Yorke warmly by the hand. "I began to think that we should never be able to get away from here, and now I feel that there is a prospect some day of our doing so. My husband would never have gone until he felt sure that he could leave everything in the hands of one whom he could absolutely trust. Girls, you will, I am sure, be glad to know that henceforth Mr. Harberton will stand almost in the position of a brother to you. You have often lamented73 that you had no brother; I don't think you could have had one whom you could have liked better, certainly not one who could have done more for you. And now, in another year, we shall be able to go home, as you have always wished to do."
The girls both looked greatly pleased.
"I am glad Mr. Harberton," the elder said. "We both feel how much we owe to you; and if you will let us, I am sure we shall both, as mother says, come to look upon you as a brother."
"It is very kind of you to say so," Yorke said; "and as a beginning, I hope you will in future call me by my Christian74 name. I hate being called Mr. Harberton."
"It will be much pleasanter calling you Yorke," the girl said; "and, of course, you must call us Dora and Mary. And it will be so nice, when we go to England, to meet your father, and mother, and sisters. Of course, we have many acquaintances there among father's business friends, but it will be pleasant meeting people who can be real friends, and can talk about something else than mines, and levels, and reserves, and money."
[Pg 369]
"I have a bit of news to tell you, Hans, which I think will please you and Peter," Yorke said when, later in the evening, he went out to have a talk with them.
"What is that, master?"
"I am going to stay out here, Hans! and to be assistant to Mr. Chambers on the mine."
"That is good news indeed, Master Yorke. Then you are not going to be a soldier any more?"
"Only till we get to Pretoria, then I am going to resign my commission and come back here."
"And are you going to live in this house, master?"
"Yes, it has been arranged so, Hans; and that you shall take the place of the man we tied up, that is, you will have charge of the stables; and Peter will be there too, unless he makes up his mind to join his tribe again."
"I shall not do that, baas, as long as you will keep me. Some day I will go down and buy a wife, and build a little house near here. I have been so long in towns that I do not want to be a wild fellow again, and live in village kraals, and eat mealies, and have nothing to do but to walk about and carry a gun on my shoulder. A stupid life that; much rather live with baas."
The army remained but two days at Johannesburg, when, supplies having arrived, on the 3d of June, an advance was made to Leeuwkop, a distance of twelve miles. On the morning after the arrival at Johannesburg, Major Weston, with two hundred Lancers, had started to endeavour to damage the line of railway between Pretoria and Komati Poort, so as to cut off the retreat of the Boers, but they came across a strong body of the enemy, and were forced to retire, after having suffered nineteen casualties. French, with a portion of the cavalry, started on the 2nd, made a wide sweep round to the west of Pretoria, and after repulsing75 an attack by a strong force, established himself to the north of the town. On the 4th, the main army advanced. The Boers for a short time held the river called Six Miles Spruit, but they were[Pg 370] soon driven off. Some guns opened to check the pursuit, but our batteries were brought up, and speedily silenced them.
The Boers, however, menaced the flank as it advanced; and Ian Hamilton's Division, which was marching to the left of the main body, moved against them, and they fell back to Pretoria. As the army approached the town, a heavy rifle-fire was for a time opened from a ridge24 on which stood the great southern fort. But as the latter remained silent, it was evident that its guns had been already withdrawn76, and that the opposing force was but a rear-guard posted to check our advance while the town was evacuated77. This and the field-guns that supported it were soon driven off. Pole-Carew's Division, which had now come up, swept over the slopes; the forts were found to be abandoned, and the goal of the long march lay defenceless before them. Here a halt was made for the night.
After dusk, an officer with a flag of truce78 was sent in from the Mounted Infantry, who had taken up their post within a mile of the town, to demand its surrender. No reply was given; but at ten in the evening, the military secretary to Commandant-general Botha, with another general, brought in a letter proposing an armistice79. Lord Roberts answered that surrender must be unconditional80, and that an answer must be sent in before five in the morning, as the troops had been ordered to advance at daybreak. Before the time named, on the 5th of June, Botha sent in to say that he was not prepared to defend the place farther, and that he entrusted81 the women, children, and property to our protection. The troops at once moved up close to the town, and at three o'clock Lord Roberts arrived at the head of two divisions.
The British flag was hoisted, and the troops marched past. The general established his head-quarters at the British Agency. The 15th Brigade was told off to garrison82 the town, Major-general Maxwell being appointed military governor. A hundred and fifty-eight officers and over three thousand[Pg 371] men were found in the prisons, but nine hundred had been carried off by the Boers in their retreat. Orders were given that these released prisoners should at once be reclothed and armed, and sent down to form part of the force guarding the line of railway.
Mr. Kruger had fled before the arrival of the British army, and showed, by leaving his wife behind him, as also did General Botha, that he had no belief whatever in the atrocious calumnies83 the former had invented regarding the conduct of our troops. Before leaving, Kruger carried off the money in the banks, and the state treasure, and did not even pay the officials the salaries due to them. After all his boasting, that if the British ever entered Pretoria they would find him sitting in front of his house, his despicable conduct when danger approached was only what was to be expected from a man whose folly84 and ambition had brought ruin on the people over whom he ruled, and who had trusted him only too blindly.
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avarice
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| n.贪婪；贪心 | |
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fully
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| adv.完全地，全部地，彻底地；充分地 | |
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invaders
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| 入侵者，侵略者，侵入物( invader的名词复数 ) | |
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malign
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| adj.有害的；恶性的；恶意的；v.诽谤，诬蔑 | |
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heartiness
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| 诚实，热心 | |
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accusations
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| n.指责( accusation的名词复数 )；指控；控告；（被告发、控告的）罪名 | |
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civilized
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| a.有教养的，文雅的 | |
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foes
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| 敌人，仇敌( foe的名词复数 ) | |
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pointed
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| adj.尖的，直截了当的 | |
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outraged
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| a.震惊的，义愤填膺的 | |
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inevitable
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| adj.不可避免的，必然发生的 | |
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cavalry
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| n.骑兵；轻装甲部队 | |
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infantry
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| n.[总称]步兵(部队) | |
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gallant
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| adj.英勇的，豪侠的；(向女人)献殷勤的 | |
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tact
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| n.机敏，圆滑，得体 | |
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natal
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| adj.出生的，先天的 | |
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junction
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| n.连接，接合；交叉点，接合处，枢纽站 | |
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mounds
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| 土堆，土丘( mound的名词复数 )； 一大堆 | |
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feat
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| n.功绩；武艺，技艺；adj.灵巧的，漂亮的，合适的 | |
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hoisted
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| 把…吊起，升起( hoist的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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grove
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| n.林子，小树林，园林 | |
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emboldened
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| v.鼓励，使有胆量( embolden的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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literally
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| adv.照字面意义，逐字地；确实 | |
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ridge
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| n.山脊；鼻梁；分水岭 | |
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transit
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| n.经过，运输；vt.穿越，旋转；vi.越过 | |
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extort
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| v.勒索，敲诈，强要 | |
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favourable
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| adj.赞成的，称赞的，有利的，良好的，顺利的 | |
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hoisting
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| 起重，提升 | |
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chambers
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| n.房间( chamber的名词复数 )；（议会的）议院；卧室；会议厅 | |
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fray
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| v.争吵；打斗；磨损，磨破；n.吵架；打斗 | |
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Portuguese
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| n.葡萄牙人；葡萄牙语 | |
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cape
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| n.海角，岬；披肩，短披风 | |
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perfectly
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| adv.完美地，无可非议地，彻底地 | |
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fortified
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| adj. 加强的 | |
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waggons
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| 四轮的运货马车( waggon的名词复数 )； 铁路货车； 小手推车 | |
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partisan
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| adj.党派性的；游击队的；n.游击队员；党徒 | |
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fugitives
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| n.亡命者，逃命者( fugitive的名词复数 ) | |
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shareholder
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| n.股东，股票持有人 | |
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shareholders
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| n.股东( shareholder的名词复数 ) | |
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machinery
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| n.(总称)机械，机器；机构 | |
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rabble
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| n.乌合之众，暴民；下等人 | |
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bent
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| n.爱好，癖好；adj.弯的；决心的，一心的 | |
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retired
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| adj.隐退的，退休的，退役的 | |
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entirely
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| ad.全部地，完整地；完全地，彻底地 | |
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prospect
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| n.前景，前途；景色，视野 | |
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mischief
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| n.损害，伤害，危害；恶作剧，捣蛋，胡闹 | |
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vacancies
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| n.空房间( vacancy的名词复数 )；空虚；空白；空缺 | |
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lieutenant
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| n.陆军中尉，海军上尉；代理官员，副职官员 | |
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regiment
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| n.团，多数，管理；v.组织，编成团，统制 | |
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frankly
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| adv.坦白地，直率地；坦率地说 | |
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cistern
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| n.贮水池 | |
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dynamite
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| n./vt.(用)炸药(爆破) | |
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connivance
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| n.纵容；默许 | |
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astonishment
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| n.惊奇，惊异 | |
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disarmed
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| v.裁军( disarm的过去式和过去分词 )；使息怒 | |
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treacherous
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| adj.不可靠的，有暗藏的危险的；adj.背叛的，背信弃义的 | |
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ransacking
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| v.彻底搜查( ransack的现在分词 )；抢劫，掠夺 | |
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thoroughly
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| adv.完全地，彻底地，十足地 | |
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inspector
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| n.检查员，监察员，视察员 | |
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inadequate
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| adj.(for,to)不充足的，不适当的 | |
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gratitude
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| adj.感激，感谢 | |
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62
pecuniary
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| adj.金钱的；金钱上的 | |
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advantageous
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| adj.有利的；有帮助的 | |
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implicitly
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| adv. 含蓄地, 暗中地, 毫不保留地 | |
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prospects
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| n.希望，前途(恒为复数) | |
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deductions
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| 扣除( deduction的名词复数 )； 结论； 扣除的量； 推演 | |
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worthy
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| adj.(of)值得的，配得上的；有价值的 | |
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68
insignificant
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| adj.无关紧要的，可忽略的，无意义的 | |
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69
fortifying
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| 筑防御工事于( fortify的现在分词 )； 筑堡于； 增强； 强化（食品） | |
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lengthened
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| （时间或空间）延长，伸长( lengthen的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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71
convoys
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| n.（有护航的）船队( convoy的名词复数 )；车队；护航（队）；护送队 | |
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harass
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| vt.使烦恼，折磨，骚扰 | |
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lamented
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| adj.被哀悼的，令人遗憾的v.（为…）哀悼，痛哭，悲伤( lament的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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Christian
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| adj.基督教徒的；n.基督教徒 | |
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repulsing
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| v.击退( repulse的现在分词 )；驳斥；拒绝 | |
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withdrawn
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| vt.收回；使退出；vi.撤退，退出 | |
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evacuated
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| 撤退者的 | |
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78
truce
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| n.休战，(争执，烦恼等的)缓和；v.以停战结束 | |
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79
armistice
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| n.休战，停战协定 | |
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unconditional
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| adj.无条件的，无限制的，绝对的 | |
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81
entrusted
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| v.委托，托付( entrust的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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82
garrison
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| n.卫戍部队；驻地，卫戍区；vt.派(兵)驻防 | |
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83
calumnies
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| n.诬蔑，诽谤，中伤（的话）( calumny的名词复数 ) | |
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folly
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| n.愚笨，愚蠢，蠢事，蠢行，傻话 | |
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