f
them to work in some way or other for the Master, to whose service they
had given their lives.

At Durban, similar work was done. The Transvaal Relief Committee (a
sub-committee of the Durban Town Council Relief Committee), with the
Rev. Geo. Lowe as chairman, did splendid work among the refugees, of
whom at one time there were 21,000 in Durban alone. This relief work was
splendidly organized and most effective.

The Sisters Evelyn and Miriam, who organized much of this work, were
Wesley deaconesses employed in South Africa. Sister Evelyn Oats was
resting in England after five years' most exhausting and successful
work, but hurried back to South Africa on the first news of the outbreak
of war, and was soon hard at work among the refugees. Sister Miriam had
been employed at Johannesburg, and remained there until nearly every one
had gone, and she was left alone in the house. And then she also left
and found her way to Durban, where her nursing skill was of the utmost
value among the poor women, homeless and destitute, in the hour of their
deepest need.

The rate of relief was one shilling per day for adults, and sixpence for
each child under fourteen; and the utmost care was taken in the
distribution of the money. Funds were most generously provided, but it
was a great relief when an application for 1,500 stretcher-bearers came
from the front, and thus the congestion among the men was rendered less
severe How eagerly the poor fellows accepted the offered employment,
and the drill hall was in a few minutes crowded with those eager to go!

=Welcoming the Troops at Durban.=

At Durban also the heartiest of hearty welcomes was given to the
incoming troops. In connection with the Transvaal Relief Committee there
was a commissariat department for the purchase of bread and fruit, etc.,
and a Welcome Committee to receive the soldiers as they came.

At first the idea was only to provide bread and fruit for the men on
landing, but it was soon found, as at Capetown, that the men had letters
to post and money to send home. It was also found that the men wanted
some one to write letters for them, and this work also was undertaken,
young ladies gladly giving of their time to this work; and thousands of
friends by their assistance heard of the arrival of their dear ones at
Durban.

Christmas cards were also freely given to the men, who wanted in this
way to send Christmas greetings home; and, in fact, Tommy Atkins had
hard