I said nothing of this to any of the burghers, but on more than one occasion, I told General Cronje what I thought about the matter.
"The enemy," I repeated to him over and over again, "will not attack us here.

He will flank us." But Cronje would not listen to me.
The presence of women in our laager was a great hindrance to me in my work.

Indeed, I opened a correspondence with the Government on the matter, and begged them to forbid it.

But here again my efforts were unavailing.

Later on, we shall see in what a predicament the Republican laagers were placed through the toleration of this irregularity.
Meanwhile, the inevitable results of Cronje's policy became more and more apparent to me, and before long we had to suffer for his obstinacy in keeping us to our trenches and _schanzes_.[16] [Footnote 16: A shelter-mound of earth and boulders.].