The
accounts of this engagement, as then related, had a touch of
originality. The Commander-in-Chief and Staff went out in a special
train, sending their horses by road, which reminded one forcibly of a
day's hunting; cab-drivers in the town asked pedestrians if they would
like to drive out and see the fight. The real affair, however, was grim
earnest, and many were the gallant men who lost their lives on that
occasion. All the while De Wet was enjoying himself to the south by
constantly interrupting the traffic on the railway. No wonder the
Generals were careworn, and it was a relief to meet Lord Stanley,[37]
A.D.C. to Lord Roberts, with a smiling face, who, with his unfailing
spirits, must have been an invaluable companion to his chief during
those trying weeks. One specially sad feature was the enormous number of
sick in addition to wounded soldiers.
Of the former, at that time, there were over 1,500, and the
recollection of the large numbers buried at Bloemfontein was still green
in everyone's memory. The origin of all the sickness, principally
enteric, was undoubtedly due to the Paardeberg water in the first
instance, and then to that used at Bloemfontein; for Pretoria was
perfectly healthy--the climate cool, if rainy, and the water-supply
everything that could be desired. As additional accommodation for these
patients, the magnificent and recently finished Law Courts had been
arranged to hold seven or eight hundred beds.
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