d red knobs; also, it
is green so that the ants won't eat it. Also two tables, two chairs, a
bath tub, two lanterns, and a cape cart--and a folding bed-- In Cuba I
had two saddle bags and was just as clean and just as happy. One boy
does nothing but polish my boots and gaiters and harness, so that I
look as well as the officers who are not much good at anything but
that. I must tell you what I think is the saddest story of the siege--
They could not feed the horses, so they kept part of them for scouting,
part to eat and drove 3,000 of them towards the Boers. Being, well
trained cavalry horses, they did not know how to eat grass, so at bugle
call the whole 3,000 came trotting back again and sentries were placed
at every street to stampede them back into the veldt-- One horse from
one battery met out in the prairie another horse that had been its gun
mate in an artillery regiment five years before in India and the two
poor things came galloping back side by side and passed the sentries
and into the lines and drew up beside their battery. Another horse
found its rider acting as sentry and when the man tried to drive it
away it thought he was playing with it and kept coming back and finally
the man brought it in to the colonel and cried and asked if it might
have half of his rations of corn. Good night and God bless you all
with all my love.

DICK.

March 15th, 1900.

DEAR MOTHER:

I am on my way back to Cape Town. This seemed better than staying with
Buller who will not move for two or three weeks. I shall either go
straight up to Roberts, or we will return to London. I have seen the
relief of Ladysmith and got a very good idea of it all, and I do not
know but what I shall quit now. I started in too late to do much with
it and as it is I have seen a great deal. It is neither an interesting
country nor an interesting war. But I don't have to stay here to
oblige anybody. If I do go up to Roberts it will only be to stay for
three weeks at the most and only then if there is fighting. I won't go
if he is resting as Buller is. So this will explain why we start home
so soon. I am very glad I came. I would have been very sorry always
if I had not, but my heart is not in it as, of course, it was in our
war. Sometimes they fight all day using seven or eight regiments and
kill a terrible lot of fine soldiers and capture forty Boer farmers and
two women. It is not the kind of war I care to report. "Nor mean