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As I was watching their movements from the top of Elandskop, I was informed by heliogram from Blaauwkop and Verkijkerskop that there was a cordon of the English from Frankfort to a spot between Bethlehem and Lindley. The intention of the enemy appeared to be to drive us against the Heilbron-Kroonstad blockhouses and the railway line.
Other parties of Boers broke through the northern blockhouse line; and thus the first of the new drives ended with poor results. As soon as the trouble was over De Wet with his followers again crossed the southern blockhouse line and quietly returned to Elandskop, where he dispersed them. A second drive to sweep those districts which had not been touched by the first drive was soon put in hand.
De Wet, who on January 10 had had a hurried interview with Steyn near Reitz, was lying at Elandskop between Heilbron and Reitz, and again concentrating his scattered burghers and planning an escape with them to the south across the Kroonstad-Bethlehem blockhouse line. Mears, on his way to rejoin De Wet, ran into a column under Byng, to whom he lost the guns captured by De Wet at Groen Kop.
I afterwards heard that Lord Kitchener had on this occasion gone to Wolvehoek Station in order to see President Steyn and myself carried away in the train to banishment! But his calculations were not altogether correct. A Higher Power had willed it otherwise. The burghers had now returned to their own districts. I myself went to a farm in the neighbourhood of Elandskop belonging to Mr.
Hendrick Prinsloo the rooije. After I had been there a few days I heard that a strong column was approaching Lindley from Kroonstad. During the night of the 17th of February this column attacked some burghers who were posted less than four miles from Elandskop, with the object as I heard later of catching me.
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