Danie Theron undertook to pass the enemy's lines, and to deliver my
message. He started on his errand on the night of the 25th of February.

The following evening I went to the place of meeting, but to my great
disappointment General Cronje did not appear.

On the morning of the 27th of February Theron returned. He had performed
an exploit unequalled in the war. Both in going and returning he had
crawled past the British sentries, tearing his trousers to rags during
the process. The blood was running from his knees, where the skin had
been scraped off. He told me that he had seen the General, who had said
that he did not think that the plan which I had proposed had any good
chance of success.

At ten o'clock that day, General Cronje surrendered. Bitter was my
disappointment. Alas! my last attempt had been all in vain. The stubborn
General would not listen to good advice.

I must repeat here what I have said before, that as far as my personal
knowledge of General Cronje goes, it is evident to me that his obstinacy
in maintaining his position must be ascribed to the fact that it was too
much to ask him--intrepid hero that he was--to abandon the laager. His
view was that he must stand or fall with it, nor did he consider the
certain consequences of his capture. He never realized that it would be
the cause of the death of many burghers, and of indescribable panic
throughout not only all the laagers on the veldt, but even those of
Colesberg, Stormberg and Ladysmith. If the famous Cronje were captured,
how could any ordinary burgher be expected to continue his resistance?

It may be that it was the will of God, who rules the destinies of all