With little now to occupy them, it is not surprising that the Boers now looked to their comforts. Joubert had insisted on only one wagon for every twenty-five or fifty Boers. The Commandant General however was no longer present in Ladysmith and General Schalk Burger, the Transvaal Vice President, had taken his place. By the end of November there were numbers of tented wagons drawn up into laagers around the Boer encampments. A number of the Boer wives followed and a sort of picnic atmosphere reigned.
