"I acknowledge the receipt of your Excellency's missive in which
was enclosed your Proclamation, dated the 7th August, 1901. I and
my officers assure your Excellency that we fight with one aim
only--our independence, which we never can or will sacrifice!"

It would have been childish to fear that letter and that Proclamation.
From the short answer which I sent to Lord Kitchener, the reader will
clearly see the opinion that I and my officers held concerning it:
"Bangmaak is nog niet doodmaak,"[98] as our proverb says.

It was curious to see how this Proclamation was taken by the burghers.
It had no effect whatsoever. I heard many burghers say that it would now
be seen whether the officers had the cause of their country really at
heart or not, and whether they were themselves to surrender and lay down
their arms before the 15th of September. I must here declare that I know
of no single case where an officer in consequence of this proclamation
surrendered; on the contrary, when the day fixed by Lord Kitchener for
the surrender had passed, the burghers had more reason to trust in their
officers than before; and I can assure my readers that if at the
beginning of the war we had had officers of the same kind as we had
towards the end of the strife, it would have been easier to have
maintained discipline.

September the 15th was thus fixed upon by Lord Kitchener as the last day
on which we should have an opportunity of surrendering. The President
and Commander-in-Chief of the Transvaal and the Orange Free State
returned answer that they would still continue the war, and subsequent
events put a seal to their answer.

Three battles were fought--one by General Brand at Blakfontein, another