THE MARCH

Strangely enough, I had just written the last chapter, describing the
profound peace of our environments, when from my tent near the farmhouse
I saw one after another of the headquarters staff mount their horses and
gallop westwards up the hill after Lord Methuen, who was easily first.
One learns to read signs quickly in a military camp, and it did not
require much intuition to understand that something was, in the phrase
of the orderly at the vacant headquarters, "bloomin' well hup." My own
horse was ready in five minutes, and when I reached the top of the hill
I found the cavalry horse lines vacant.

The site of the Zwaartzkopjesfontein camp turns an abrupt face
eastwards, but on the westward side the plateau slopes almost
imperceptibly to the plain, which is, in its immediate neighbourhood,
thickly sown with kopjes. Down this slope the cavalry were galloping,
about two miles in advance of me, in squadron formation, towards a small
kopje on which we had a picket. Realising that nothing could happen
immediately, I followed them at a foot-pace, and came up with them at
the foot of the hill where they had dismounted. Scouts were sent out
westwards among the low bush with which these slopes are clothed, and
from the top of the hill one could see them scattering and spreading
over ten miles of country; but no sound broke the silence of the hills.
Summer was back again to-day; our sea-plain was calm, shimmering in the
haze; and only the buzz of an insect disturbed the peace of the little
group on the brown hill.

While we were watching the scouts I heard what was in the wind. It
seemed that an outpost of four yeomen, who were stationed about six
miles north-west from camp, had so far forgotten the delicacy of their
position as to light a fire and cook a turkey which they had found. They
were surprised in the act by a small party of Boers, who fired upon
them. Of the men thus surprised three were taken unhurt, while the
fourth escaped slightly wounded, and, returning to camp, told the
disturbing tale. Three squadrons had instantly been turned out to
attempt a rescue, and it was on their heels that I had come out. We
waited for an hour, and then the scouts came in one by one, all with the
same tale. Nothing to be seen--no Boers; one thought that he had seen
two on the sky line seven miles away, but they might have been Kaffirs
rounding up cattle--he was not sure. So we had to give up the men for
lost, and rid