ay's operations, the others
had, and the outing was rather a success, Ridley's men capturing
fourteen waggons with ammunition and other stuff and a few prisoners.

Thursday, October 4th. Once again our fond hopes of a day's loaf were
crushed, for it was "up in the morning early," and hie for Bethanie.
This little native town we reached and surrounded, and then destroyed a
mill. On the way there we came on a recently-deserted waggon (a pot of
coffee was boiling over a small fire). This and its contents we
destroyed; and back, which was by a different road, we came upon and
destroyed four or five waggons by burning them.

* * * * *

The effect of Army, or rather Yeomanry life, its fatigues and worries,
big and small, on men hitherto unaccustomed to such things, has been
marvellous, and productive of a topsy-turvy dom of character, after Mr.
W. S. Gilbert's own heart. To commence with, it is curious to note that
in many cases men who claim to have roughed it in various parts of the
world have been amongst the worst to stand the roughing here, and while
weak-looking striplings have developed into fine hardy men; brawny,
massive-looking fellows have shrunk to thin and useless beings. As
regards character, after about four to six months out here one seems to
see his fellows in all the nakedness of truth. I have seen the genial
man turn irritable, the generous man mean, the good-tempered man
quarrelsome, the smart and particular man slovenly, the witty man dull,
the bow-and-arrow ideal (looking) _sabreur_ anything but dashing in
action, the old-womanly man indifferent to danger, and the objectionable
man the best of comrades. These and other changes have I noted, and
often fearfully thought how have I changed, how has it affected me, but

"There is no grace the giftie to gie me,
To see mysel' as ithers see me."

and perhaps it is as well.

PETTY ANNOYANCES--THE NIGGER.

[Illustration: "Mails up for the Devons, Dorset & Fifes! None for the
Sussex!!!" (Please observe the Sussex men on the right.)]

Friday, October 5th. We marched into Commando Nek this morning, and are
now camped here (when I use the word "camped," I hope you do not think I
mean tents and such-like luxurious paraphernalia, because I don't). Our
lines have by no means fallen in a pleasant place, being on dusty ground
by the side of the road which goes through the Nek, along which for the
last two hours about half-a d