General de la Rey was known to hold strong religious views,
which colored his whole outlook. The seer, van Rensburg, who
was always full of religious talk, had in this way acquired a
considerable amount of influence over General de la Rey.
There is the best of evidence (General Beyers's own statement)
for the belief that he himself did not scruple to work on
General de la Rey's mind through his religious feelings.
Just how Beyers accomplished this has not yet been revealed, but there
was material enough to his hand. The news from Europe was disquieting.
The German drive to Paris seemed irresistible. It looked as if in a week
or two Germany would have the Allies at her mercy.
The prophet saw visions in which 40,000 German soldiers were marching up
and down the streets of London. He predicted significantly that the new
South African State would have at its head "a man who feared God." The
Government of Premier Botha and General Smuts, the Minister of Finance
and Defense, was "finished." He had seen the English leaving the
Transvaal and moving down toward Natal. When they had gone far away, a
vulture flew from among them and returned to the Boers and settled down
among them.
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