Let conscience speak to such as these.

Some officers, animated by a truer love of their country, protested
strongly against such an illegal and shameful surrender. One of these,
General Olivier of the Rouxville Commando, called his burghers together
and told them plainly what he thought. He warned them not to place too
much credence in British promises, and promised that those who would
follow him he would lead out safely. Of his whole commando--about four
hundred strong--scarcely seventy followed him. The others surrendered.

Besides attending to his men, General Olivier also took charge of most
of the Boer guns, which were to have formed no mean part of the booty,
for Prinsloo had promised the British some thirteen guns, one pom-pom,
and a few maxims with all their ammunition. In the pass at Salmon Raads,
General Hector MacDonald met Olivier with the guns. He at once ordered
him to go no farther, as he was a surrendered man. Olivier tarried as
long as it pleased him, and then proceeded, taking the guns along with
him.

Of all the Boer forces concentrated in the Wittebergen, only about six
hundred did not surrender. To secure these also every means were
resorted to. No fewer than three times were messengers sent to them with
reports from the enemy. At first we were courteously invited to return
and surrender. To prove to us the validity of the surrender, all the
papers bearing on the negotiation from first to last were forwarded to
us. The excellent conditions granted to the surrendered burghers were
also transmitted to us. In these conditions we observed that the
surrendered burghers would each be provided with a horse to ride to
their destination, which would be Winburg, till further orders. We saw
also that they would be kept as prisoners-of-war until the war was over,