CAMP,
TWO MARCHES WEST OF PRETORIA.
_Wednesday, August 8th, 1900._

"Oh, darkies, how de heart grows weary,
Far from de ole folks at home."

There goes somebody again! It is always occurring, either vocally or
instrumentally; but to start now, when I want to pull myself together
and give a further account of the doings of the remnants of what was
once the Sussex (69th) Squadron of Imperial Yeomanry, and their comrades
of the West Countrie, is annoying beyond all expression. To commence, I
must really trace out for you our bewildering descent, or ascent, to our
present state, and then you will thoroughly understand why, in all
probability, the papers have been silent as to the doings and
whereabouts of the 69th Squadron of Imperial Yeomanry. At Maitland we
belonged to the 14th Battalion of Yeomanry, under Colonel Brookfield,
M.P. Leaving that salubrious but sandy locality, we travelled on our
very own, by rail and road, till we joined Roberts at the Klip River,
and for a few days were his bodyguard. At Johannesburg we joined the 7th
Battalion of Yeomanry, under Colonel Helyar, of whose murder, in July,
at a Boer's house not far from Pretoria, you must have read. Later on,
men from this battalion having entered the Police and civil berths,
those of us who were left were banded together and formed into one
squadron under Sir Elliot Lees, M.P. This was composed of three weak
troops--Dorset, Devon and Sussex, the latter troop containing
half-a-dozen Somerset men. As such we left Pretoria, and went east as
far as Balmoral. On our return to Pretoria, our weak horses and sick men
being weeded out, we went west nearly as far as Rustenburg, as one
_troop_, composed of Sussex, Devon, and Dorset men, and attached to the
Fife Light Horse.[4] As I write, we are returning in the direction of
Pretoria. And now, if you have skipped the foregoing I will proceed to
give you as brief an account as possible of our adventures since leaving
Pretoria a week ago (Wednesday, August 1st).

[Footnote 4: This fine squadron of Yeomanry, under Captain
Hodge, had also joined Mahon, at Pretoria, on July 16th.]

On that day, forming No. 3 Troop of the Fife Light Horse, we marched out
of Dasspoort and proceeding due west, parallel with the Magaliesberg,
quickly got in touch with the enemy, under Delarey, whom we slowly drove
b