All this, however, I could have borne, but now the enemy began to surround me.

It was a hard thing to be thus forced to abandon the key to General Cronje's escape.
In all haste I ordered my men to retire.

They had seen throughout that this was unavoidable, and had even said to me: "If we remain here, General, we shall be surrounded with General Cronje." All made good their retreat, with the exception of Veldtcornet Speller, of Wepener, who, to my great regret, was taken prisoner there with fourteen men.

That occurred owing to my adjutant forgetting, in the general confusion, to give them my orders to retreat.

When Speller found that he, with his fourteen men, was left behind, he defended himself, as I heard later, with great valour, until at last he was captured by overpowering numbers.