[Sidenote: The Boer women]

[12] The Boer women of Maritzburg informed the British Commissioner
that, sooner than subject themselves again to British sway, they would
walk barefoot over the Drakensberg to freedom or to death. [13] And they
were true to their word, as the following incident proves. Andries
Pretorius, our brave leader, had ridden through to Grahamstown, hundreds
of miles distant, in order to represent the true facts of our case to
Governor Pottinger. He was unsuccessful, for he was obliged to return
without a hearing from the Governor, who excused himself under the
pretext that he had no time to receive Pretorius. When the latter
reached the Drakensberg, on his return, he found nearly the whole
population trekking over the mountains away from Natal and away from
British sway. His wife was lying ill in the waggon, and his daughter had
been severely hurt by the oxen which she was forced to lead.

[Sidenote: Suffering in Natal]

Sir Harry Smith, who succeeded Pottinger, thus described the condition
of the emigrant Boers:--"They were exposed to a state of misery which he
had never before seen equalled, except in Massena's invasion of
Portugal. The scene was truly heart-rending."

This is what we had to suffer at the hands of the British Government in
connection with Natal.

We trekked back over the Drakensberg to the Free State, where some
remained, but others wandered northwards over the Vaal River.

FOOTNOTES: