et his mark, with others he had but shaken hands and
passed on.

The river was soon found to be crowded with dead men and horses, which
had been hurriedly consigned to the mercy of the waters, and
arrangements had to be made for encampment farther up the stream.
Quantities of Boer spies still lingered about the camp, some of them
pretending to be ambulance drivers, in order to get nearer and closer
inspection of British movements. Fortunately these wily folk somewhat
overreached themselves, and their further activities were interrupted by
arrest.

Meanwhile the sappers wrought wonderful things. They had shown the stuff
they were made of by crossing over the river-dam in the teeth of the
enemy. They now demonstrated their ability in their own special line.
The Modder bridge was entirely wrecked, but very speedily a temporary
one was constructed, and the railway, which had also suffered at the
hands of the enemy, was repaired with great celerity, and brought into
working order. Lieutenant Crispin of the Northumberland Fusiliers was
wounded while out on patrol duty. Fortunately the injury sustained by
Lord Methuen was slight, and there was every hope that he would be equal
to active duty in the course of a very few days.

We must now leave this division in the enjoyment of its well-earned
repose and return to Ladysmith, which was fast becoming the cage of 9000
of our gallant troops.

FOOTNOTES:

[5] Brevet Lieutenant-Colonel Cecil Edward Keith-Falconer, born in October
1860, was gazetted to the Northumberland Fusiliers in January 1883. He was
promoted Captain in 1892 and passed through the Staff College with
honours. He served with the 13th Soudanese Battalion in the Dongola
Expeditionary force under Lord Kitchener in 1896, and acted as
Brigade-Major to Colonel H. Macdonald at the engagements of Abu Hamed,
Berber, Atbara, and finally at the battle of Omdurman. In recognition of
these services he was three times mentioned in despatches, promoted as
Brevet-Major in March 1898, and Brevet Lieutenant-Colonel in November
1898, and received the Khedive's medal with four clasps. He acted as
A.D.C. to Lord Loch when Governor and Commander-in-Chief of Victoria from
1887 to 1889, and subsequently at the Cape of Good Hope from 1889 to 1890.
Colonel Keith-Falconer was the eldest son of the late Major the Hon.
Charles J. Keith-Falconer, son of the seventh Earl of Kintore.

[6] Commander Alfred Peel Ethelston, of the cruiser _Pow