The ultimatum cabled to England had no sooner expired at 5 p.m. on the
11th October last than the same evening and on the very next and
succeeding days appeared, published all over the Orange Free State and
the Transvaal, "Government Gazettes extraordinary," filling scores of
pages, comprising proclamations of martial law, and the hundred and one
enactments and provisions regulating that new condition. Their preambles
stated: Whereas in secret session on such and such dates (that is to
say, months previous) the honourable First Volksraad had passed this or
that law--or whereas the two Volksraads, assembled in secret session,
had authorized the Government to frame such and such laws, to come into
force immediately after publication. This shows at least a studious
purpose months beforehand to be in complete readiness, for it obviously
took no little time to prepare all those laws, and have them ready in
type for despatch and publication as had been done. It accords with the
assumption that war had been predetermined, and this is further
confirmed by numerous statements, publicly made by Volksraad members,
and also by President Steyn's famous and now historic message to
President Krüger some short time before, in the laconic and oracular
words, "We are ready."

That the Afrikaner Bond had been for years past preparing for its _coup
d'état_ is further shown by the following incidents which can be
substantiated by the writer:--

During the days of the Jameson raid a very prominent Transvaal Boer,
holding office and who had two sons at the scene of the disturbance,
remarked at a public place in conversation with other burghers:--