President Steyn and myself effectually.

From their point of view they were right; for had things turned out in
such a way that we could have remained in Cape Colony, then I am
convinced we should have made matters very awkward for them.

But what were we to do now? With so many burghers on foot or provided
only with worn-out horses, it was useless to think of circumventing the
enemy, and thus getting once more to the south of them; whereas to go up
stream along the banks of the Orange River until we could discover a
ford, and then to return across it into the Free State, would mean the
upsetting of my plan of campaign.

I was obliged to make the best of a bad bargain; and I decided to find a
way across the Orange River before the enemy had discovered my
whereabouts.

That day, the 20th of February, we set out along the river, looking for
a ford. The river was falling, but as there was no feasible crossing we
had no choice but to go on, trusting that we should find one near the
confluence of the two rivers. Here again we were disappointed; the punts
which should have been there had been destroyed some time before by the
English, but we heard of a boat six miles higher up, so on we marched.
When found, it was only a small boat, capable of holding, at most,
twelve men, but we got to work at once, and by the evening of the 22nd
there were two hundred dismounted burghers on the other bank of the
river. Some crossed by swimming, in attempting which a man of the name
of Van de Nerwe was drowned.

A few of those who crossed in the boat succeeded in pulling their horses