among my friends and
acquaintances in the dear homeland I number certain strange beings
commonly known in earlier and ruder days as stamp collectors, but now
politely known and mysteriously designated _philatelists_. Now I know
for a fact that these persons will, on first meeting me, demand at once,
"Have you brought any sets of surcharged Transvaal stamps back?" and if
I answer "Nay," what will they think of me? All the vicissitudes of the
past few months, my travellings by land and water, my fastings and
various little privations and experiences, will have been stupidly borne
for naught in their opinion. And why? Because I have not returned laden
with Transvaal stamps.

PRETORIA.
_Friday, July 13th._

Back in camp again. At sunset, yesterday, when we came down from the
observation post to get a little tea, preparatory to occupying the kopje
we had been guarding at night, we found everybody on the move, and were
ordered to mount and clear at once. This meant rushing up to the kopje,
getting our blankets and other impedimenta, and down again, flinging
them on the first horse (already saddled), and dashing away, orders
having been given to abandon the post, as the Boers were in strong
numbers, and between us and the town sniping. A staff-officer had told
our captain that he was in charge of the valley, and wanted it to be a
happy valley. We being a source of anxiety, he requested us to withdraw.
I fear it had not proved a happy valley for the Lincolns and Greys, who
were at Nitral's Nek, some eight miles to westward of us, and had been
attacked and suffered badly in the morning. (The explanation of the
heavy firing already alluded to.) Near the town we came on a broken-down
ambulance waggon in a donga, out of which the wounded were being
assisted as well as the circumstances permitted. Close by, on the
ground, was something under a blanket, which we nearly rode over. A man
close by, lighting his pipe, revealed it to us. It was one poor fellow
who had died on the way. Further on, we came on numerous pickets and
bivouacked troops, and men of the Lincolns and Greys at frequent
intervals, asking anxiously where the ambulance waggons were, and if any
of their fellows were in them. On arriving here we found our horse lines
full of remounts, which looked like business. We join Mahon's Brigade on
Sunday, so we are very busy looking out and cleanin