through. At Laing's Nek there was a Dutch commando with some guns.

Two miles on the women could go no further, and they halted at a large
farmhouse which had been deserted by its owners. All the men, however,
who were alone, determined to push on at once to Newcastle, and promised
they would send vehicles of some sort to take them on if they could
possibly be obtained. Mrs. King and the other ladies authorized them to
pay any sums demanded.

Thankful indeed were the tired women when they reached the farmhouse.
They found the doors unfastened, as the farmer knew that were he to lock
them the Boers would certainly batter them in when they arrived, and
would probably do greater damage to the furniture left behind than if
they had obtained an entry without trouble. The men soon found the wood-
shed, and in a short time great fires blazed in every room. The bedding
had been carried away, but utterly worn out as they were, the women were
only too glad to lie down on rugs and cover themselves with their
cloaks. The men gathered in the lower room and talked for some time
before thinking of going to sleep. There was scarce one who was not
determined to join one of the volunteer corps being raised at Durban and
Maritzburg, and to avenge the insults and ill-treatment to which they
had been subjected. The long-smouldering animosity towards the Boers had
been fanned during the past three days into a fierce fire, and even
those who had not before thought of taking part in the struggle were now
as eager as the others to do so.

In the morning all were astir early. Had they been supplied with food
they would have waited until waggons came out from Newcastle, but these
could hardly arrive until evening, and at any moment the Boer advance
might commence. They therefore determined to move on early, for if they