find themselves in clover, for we heard at Ladysmith that there were
provisions and stores for two months collected here."




CHAPTER IV

DUNDEE


After picketing his horse, Chris went into the town. He found the
streets full of excited people, for the news that the railway had been
cut was serious indeed, and the scene reminded Chris of that which he
had witnessed in the streets of Johannesburg but eight days before. Only
eight days! and yet it seemed to him as if weeks had passed since then.
So much had been done, so great had been the changes. As at
Johannesburg, a considerable portion of the population had left, seeing
that, although the troops might for a time defend the town, the Boers
were certain to cut the line of railway. Work at the coal-mines had been
pushed on feverishly of late, for strangely enough there was no store of
coals either in Dundee itself or at any of the stations down to Durban,
and the authorities had only woke up a few days before to the fact that
coal would be required in large quantities for the transports on the
arrival of the troops. But now all this was to come to a stop. The hands
would be thrown out of employment, and the town would become stagnant
until it was captured by the Boers, or until an army arrived of
sufficient strength to clear Natal of its invaders. That evening many
who possessed vehicles started by road for Ladysmith, feeling that in
another twenty-four hours it might be too late.