efore us. Soon we came upon Horen's Nek, and the commencement of farms
and orange groves. As we passed the first grove, with the glowing
oranges tantalising us in a most aggravating manner, we cast longing
eyes at them, but hastened on after the unfraternal Boer. The oranges
were not for us--then. A little further on the fighting became warm, and
we galloped up; then, "Halt! for dismounted service!" and the reins of
three horses are thrown at me, or thrust into my hands by their riders,
who double out to the left and proceed to participate in the fun of the
firing line. Considering that I had only once (at Shorncliffe) acted as
No. 3, you can picture to yourself the sort of entertainment which
followed. The intelligent Argentines manoeuvred round me like performing
horses doing the quadrilles or an Old English Maypole dance, while with
the reins we made cat's-cradles, and Gordian knots. That idiot, Mark
Tapley, would indeed have envied my lot, and have been welcome to it.
The row made by the firing was terrific, for pom-poms and artillery were
joining in, and a fair amount of bullets came by us with the led horses.
Suddenly our fellows came doubling back, and with a sigh of relief I
surrendered their horses to them. Then our troop-officer, Captain
Kinderslie, gave us the order, "Fours, right--Gallop!" and off we went
to turn their right flank. Our course lay right across the open, and as
soon as the enemy saw our move they poured their fire in as hot as they
could. Round to their right we flew, with the bullets whistling by, and
striking the earth before and behind us, but divil a man did they hit,
though the air seemed thick with them. At last our exhilarating gallop
was finished, and as our small party advanced to the attack, all they
saw was the last few Boers scuttling off for dear life. Colonel Pilcher,
who was with Mahon, sent round and thanked our little troop for this
service.

After this we returned to an orange grove, near which our force was
encamped. _That night we had oranges._

The next day we were rear guard and, passing through a fat land,
abounding with oranges, tangerines, citrons, lemons, tobacco and good
water, not to forget porkers, fowls, ducks, and the like, "did ourselves
proud," to resort to the vernacular. That night we had a huge veldt
fire, and the whole camp had to turn out with blankets to fight it.
Fortunately a well-beaten track separated the blazing veldt from us, and
the wind blew it b