advanced, passing on our way a deserted Boer waggon
loaded with corn, mealies and other stuff. At a farmhouse we naturally
managed to halt, and tried to secure edibles. Colonel Pilcher, however,
came and ordered us to form up in a field further on, and as we
proceeded to obey this order, Mausers began rapping out at us from a
range of hills which we had supposed (usual fallacy!) were unoccupied,
our guns having shelled them well. Thereupon the colonel immediately
told us to retire behind the farmhouse and outbuildings with the horses.
I soon found myself lying behind a low bank with Lieutenant Stanley, of
the Somerset Yeomanry, on one side of me and a New Zealander the other,
blazing away in response to B'rer Boer opposite. My Colonial neighbour's
carbine got jammed somehow or other, and his disgust was expressed in
true military style, for the keenness of the New Zealander is wonderful.
One of our pom-poms and M Battery joining in, after a time the firing
slackened, and chancing to look round at the side of the farmhouse, I
beheld two of our fellows helping themselves to some chicken from a
three-legged iron pot over a smouldering fire. Thereupon, I promptly
quitted the firing line, and joined in the unexpected meal. It was
awfully good, I assure you. While finishing the fowl, a New Zealander,
pale-faced, with a wound in his throat and another in his hand, was
brought in by two comrades, and a horse, which had been shot, died
within a few yards of us. I am sorry to say that in this little affair
we lost an officer and a trooper killed, and several wounded, not to
mention a considerable amount of killed and wounded horses.

The next day we advanced under a heavy fire from our guns, but met with
no opposition. Our objective this time was the Zoutpan District, which
is principally composed of bush veldt.

Here I must pause, and give a veracious account of a certain not
uninteresting episode, which happened during our march after De Wet in
the Zoutpan District, and which I will call

THE YEOMAN, THE ARGENTINE AND THE FARRIER-SERGEANT.

On Tuesday, August the 22nd, we were advance guard through the bush
veldt, and shortly after starting, _Bete Noire_, who had gradually been
failing, gave out, so behold me, alone to all intents and purposes,
bushed. Of course I immediately took careful bearings, and assuming that
we should not be changing direction, slowly marched straight ahead.
After going a considerable distance I g